I ran the Columbia River Gorge Marathon as sort of a last minute decision. I was well trained and had hoped to bag another fall marathon before hitting the training reset button for the coming year.

When I arrived in Hood River, Or., I knew right away that this was going to be an epic experience. The quaint little town was overflowing with personality, from the numerous brew pubs, (probably a per capita record), the relaxed atmosphere, the proximity to the mighty Columbia River, and the amazing scenery.

We stayed in an old historic hotel right in the center of town, only a block from the packet pick up, which happened to be the town's running store. There really wasn't an expo, but having the pick up at a running story certainly allowed you to grab any last minute items you forgot about. For me it was PowerGel.

As part of the normal entry, runners received a beanie with the race logo screen printed on the side, rather than a shirt, which is an unorthodox approach these days. As a $25 add on, you could purchase an advertisement-free long sleeved 1/4 zip pull over, which I did in order to remain loyal to the shirt collection I have been accumulating.

Race morning began with a short 3 mile bus ride to the full marathon start which begins on what was once the only state highway to run alongside the Columbia River on the Oregon side. This highway, at least for the first 8-9 miles of the race, and also on the return trip, had been converted into a beautiful trail for non motorized traffic.

The fall leaves were falling, there was a cool breeze, and the morning could have easily made itself into a Monet masterpiece. It truly is one of the most spectacular courses around, that is, if you don't care about your time.

For marathoners, the course starts most of the way up a short hill, at which point it gradually descends into the town of Mosier. Once you reach this point, around the five mile mark, the course leaves the non motorized trail and joins the historic highway as it begins to climb up to the highest elevation and the turn around spot at around 11 miles. The climb was fairly gradual and there were spectacular views, each becoming more beautiful then the last as the mighty Columbia River spread out before you.

After the turnaround point, the course descends back into Mosier as you experience even more amazing views by viewing the scenery from the opposite angel. The small town on the river marks the 18th mile as you rejoin the trail. If you're keeping track, this is the same low point in the course you passed at mile 5 and on the return trip, its the natural spot for hitting the wall. If I didn't know any better, I would guess Mosier is an ancient Paiute word for "Great Wall."

This ascent was much easier the first time around, but at this spot, any semblance of speed left my race and I began the last 8 miles slog toward the finish line. We passed the same spot we started from with three miles left and a pretty steep descent into Hood River. It began to rain as we made our way toward the banks of the Columbia, where an much appreciated and well deserved burrito lunch was waiting.

We received our medals, which were made from a local artisan out of ceramic, and hung on a 1/4 inch ribbon. This was the only part of the race which felt a little underwhelming. It was basically made from a mold of the race logo without a ton of artistic expression.

Overall the race was a beautiful connection to one of the most scenic places in the west, if not the country. I can't express this enough. It truly was one of the most beautiful places I've run.