Wow! What a great race for an out of towner. Everything was ideal - the course, the weather (and wonderful clean air), the planning. This is a point-to-point that includes several small towns, gorgeous natural forest beauty, and a mid-sized city along the shores of Lake Superior. The elevation is mostly downhill, but is not as dramatic as seen on the elevation chart. the first four miles or so are paved, and then 8-10 miles of crushed rock, and then pavement again once you reach Marquette proper. The weather was about high 40s to start and climbed into the low to mid 60s by the end, and was sunny. Good expo, great organization, all aid stations were staffed (which cannot be said for all small town marathons), very encouraging support from runners and volunteers. I would have liked to have had more contact from the race organizers as race day approached, and better "live" tracking as opposed to intermittent. The race day tee was a little hard to make out (dark shirt and even darker printing). I'd like to see coffee for the marathon racers at the start line. These are all small quibbles. This was my favorite marathon for me (out of 5 total). My family had fun things to do while I ran and recovered. Marquette is a charming town. I'd like to run this one again!!

I just ran the 10th annual St. Paddy's day race. I was visiting from out of state and unfamiliar with the town or surrounding area. Pick up the day of the race went very smoothly. We easily found parking a block from the start, so I could stay warm while waiting (7 am temps in the 30s). The majority of the race is along Ruston street, which showed the beautiful Olympic mountain range heading out from downtown, and views of Mt. Rainer on the way back. Just past halfway where a series of hills up into a nice neighborhood. The last 2 miles or so seemed all uphill to me. I heard the race was hilly, and it was, but I managed a PR. The race organizers I asked had never heard of a PR bell, but, no biggie. Nice tee shirt and snazzy medal. Good party atmosphere, there were booths along the finish line and probably beer but I was with family and we had other plans after the race. No shops close by were open after the race, so plan accordingly if you want to stay downtown. Being from the Midwest the views and scenery really lifted my spirits and kept me from having bad running thoughts. Nicely marked run, but I thought the aid stations were a little less frequent or staffed than what I'm used to. Great run! Tacoma is a fun town.

Another great Hot Dash for me - a pace PR and finishing time of 1:31. There are some long hills on this course, but they are not terribly difficult. The course follows the Mississippi River just alongside downtown Minneapolis. At this time of year, expect it to be cool to cold. The last two years, there was a good breeze. Waiting for the race to start is the worst part. Plenty of port-a-potties, great gear check, tents for beer and a small hot meal at the finish. Nice medal, and a Storm Creek tech shirt. I like Storm Creek. Race is always so well organized. There was a fun cheering section where everyone was wearing oven mitts. For out of towners, the term "Hot Dash" is a play on words. Minnesotans call casseroles "Hot Dish." There was a free beer for finishers and a small portion of a generic hot dish served (green bean, corns, and ground beef I think). 10 miles is a really nice distance - long enough to feel like a challenge, but it won't wreck you or your day afterwards.

You might hear the this race is hilly. It is, but don't let that put you off. The hills are pretty modest, but yes, they are frequent, especially during the first half as I recall. Thinking back I can remember only one long hill, near the University.
The course is varied and very scenic. You get plenty of downtown Madison, the Arboretum , the University, and some really lovely neighborhoods and of course the two lakes that predominate the City proper.
The course management was fantastic. The course is convoluted, but it is so well laid out, and there are race guides managing the course to make sure no one takes a wrong turn, which I liked especially being from out of town.
The Expo is well organized, several vendors, pretty much what you've experienced elsewhere I'm sure. The race Tee was really nicely designed, but the shirts they sell were even better. The cost of the tees were cushioned because they came with an additional, plain, tee, which I thought made it a bargain. Too bad there were no racing caps with "Madison Marathon" on them; I really like a good marathon hat to run around in from out of state races.
You start and end at the Capitol. We found parking half a block from the square, so that was great. One or two coffee shops are open for runner to warm in and use their better potties too I'm sure.
The weather. It is mid-November in Wisconsin, so it will usually be on the cooler side. In 2017, the morning started with light rain, and temps hovering at freezing. The temps warmed to maybe 39. It was grey the whole day, but the rain stopped just as the race got underway. Thankfully, the stiff breeze the day before died and there was no wind.
Despite my awful performance, I really like the marathon itself and would recommend it.

This is a nice, small town run coordinated by the local YMCA. It's sponsored by the local brewery, Leinenkugel's. Running a race in August may not have been my brightest idea; it was quite warm and sunny. I kind of gave up around mile 10.5 but was able to finish. It is near the Twin Cities and was an easy drive there and back the same day. It's a very affordable half-marathon, I think I paid $30. You get a nice t-shirt, but no medal. I have two sort-of gripes: the t-shirt does not indicate that it's a run, let aone a half-marathon. I'm still swag-oriented, and I need some evidence I ran a tough race, so not having anything printed that I ran a half was a bummer for me. Secondly, the start was somewhat chaotic. There is nothing to indicate where the start line is, and 8 minutes before the start I and others were wandering aimlessly. Lo and behold the street is suddenly blocked (surprising drivers), a guy yells, "This is the start line," we line up and race, all within about 2 minutes. LOL