I chose this race because I am familiar with this part of Northern Michigan and could stay close by with family. I was anticipating a very scenic run. The course runs along Lake Michigan, and I was expecting lots of unimpeded vistas. there were some, but there was a lot of vegetation between the trail and the lakeside. The other side of the course runs alongside the highway. Very pretty woods, it stays shaded, which I liked. A very flat course. Despite one brief potty break I managed to shave off 30 minutes finishing time, which I attribute to the flat course. This is a small town marathon, so don't expect large crowds like in Chicago or Minneapolis-St. Paul marathons. Lots of time I was running entirely alone, which is fine. But if you need lots of crowd support, this will be absent. The registration and expo were fine. I liked the bacon they handed out during the run. The finisher's medal is gloriously big and they even managed to work in the local Petoskey stone into the design, which was very clever and artfully done. I was slightly disappointed there weren't as many vistas of Lake Michigan along the route to help break up the forest monotony. One other quirk: along the route is a wooden footbridge over a marsh that runs almost a full mile. For some reason it took me out of my groove. I chalk that up to me and not the race.

What a great half!! This was so much fun to run. Good mix of hills, flat, country and a beautiful small-ish town and university campus. I loved running through the campus near the end, it really charged me up with the sincere student fan support. Great brat and beer afterwards, fun medal and nice tee-shirt. Very easy to drive here and back the same day from the Twin Cities. Being a spring race gives some nice options in our area after a long dreary winter. Definitely considering running the full marathon sometime soon. I was able to find parking right off of I-94 and catch a convenient shuttle to the race area. That made a big difference coming in from out of town and being largely unfamiliar with eau Claire.

I had my pace PR during this race, so yes, I'm biased!! Train on hills for this one. I think locals were a little surprised by the elevation, unless they train along the river. Typical March day in Minneapolis, cloudy and cold. The worst part was standing around 90 minutes beforehand, shivering. But that fades quickly once you're running. 10 miles is just the perfect run for me - still significant but not a time killer for training or recovery. Nice medal and a really nice fleece jacket, very handsome. I left immediately after and did not take part in the "hot dish" (Minnesota's quirky term for casserole) they offered at the end. Parking can be found on nearby streets with a little planning.

My first marathon. TREMENDOUS crowd support and the best race management. Beautiful urban scenery, challenging course but not a back breaker. Great swag, thoughtfully planned and supported. I live here so perhaps biased but the raves just keep coming in. It was cool to start, about 35 then warmed to 50s, sunny all day. Beautiful autumn run.