Nebraska State Fair Marathon

As advertised this race is flat and has lots of turns. The volunteers were at every turn and those turns were well marked. This years race was run during a rain storm and some pretty strong winds but those volunteers were out there too! I ran this marathon to quality for my 19th Boston Marathon and to do some sightseeing in NE and SD. The city of Grand Island is great. Your typical Midwestern friendly folks. If you are trying for a BQ or 40 States, don't shy away from this one.

I picked this one for my NE marathon and was not disappointed. It is true, it's flat but not boring. The start and finish being on the fairgrounds made this an interesting experience. It was warm but cloudy so no big deal for me. People were friendly, teams at water stops were energizing, nice medal, chocolate milk at the end (my favorite refuel); it was a good day! Bring the family, the fair is fun too.

Overall, it's good marathon to try, especially if you need one in Nebraska for your 50 States. This was my 40th marathon and 28th state. Pros: (1) Small town race feel - only about 200 in marathon and probably 400 in half (2) Plenty of parking at start since it is at state fairgrounds (3) Generally lots of water stops with water, Gatorade, and sometimes Gu (4) Long sleeve tech shirt (5) Pancake flat course (6) Excellent race organization Cons: (1) Expo virtually non-existent (2) Virtually no spectators beyond runners' families and volunteers (3) Course had lots of turns (4) Limited shade especially on six mile out and back highway section starting at mile 18 (5) Full and half marathons courses separated and merged multiple times which was occasionally confusing due to lack of proper signage (6) Medal was fairly big but very plain (7) Started and finished inside fairgrounds - families had to buy tickets to be able to see start and finish (8) Temps at start usually in 60s and finish in 70s - high humidity this year