Events

WHY RUN MISSOULA…

Gorgeous scenery aside (it’s beautiful!), this race is incredibly well organized: plenty of generously-stocked aid stations, easy parking near the busses, great finish line, & awesome pre-race expo. The cherry on top, though, was the level of community support. Along almost the entire course were local people cheering you along. There were musicians galore (classical pianist!, guitars, banjos, percussion, rock bands, DJs, etc etc). And once we got into town, almost every neighborhood had their own refreshment tables offering you fun items (some of the noteworthy things were: Scandinavian fish, fireball shots, sodas, chilled fruit, mimosas, gummy bears, etc). The runners felt truly welcomed by the community. When we (finally) got to the finish line, we were cheered in with mighty encouragement. Then there was a free beer.

J.M. from Hawaii

I’ve done a handful of half marathons, but this was my first full, which I found on bibrave for its #1 rating. The race totally exceeded my expectations. The course was flat and fast—the first 2 hours flew by—the community of support was incredible, and the other runners are respectful, friendly, and fun. The views were breath-taking (or maybe that was just the one big hill?) and everything went smoothly. It’s wasn’t crowded, but you were never isolated. The team of pacers was encouraging, timely, and wonderful. Aid stations were spaced well and volunteers were on top of it. Truly the best first full marathon I could have chosen!

Emily B. from Louisville, KY

Missoula Marathon was voted #1 by BibRave & you simply just have to experience it for yourself to see why! 3 Races. Gifts. Swag. Heavy Medals – this race has it all! What I like most about this race isn’t the race itself, but everything surrounding the race. Missoula is absolutely beautiful & everyone in town is proud of this race – and it shows! The folks are friendly, the scenery is stunning & there are so many activities like hiking & rafting that you can do after the race! Be sure to take Friday & Monday off so you can spend 4 wonderful days in Big Sky Country!

Rory Leigh C. from Los Angeles, CA

This race was top notch in all aspects. There were a lot of races this weekend in the great NW including an ever popular tunnel race in Snoqualmie and a Revel Race at Mt Hood, both beautiful courses. However, neither could match the excellent community and race organizer support of Missoula. Port o potties scattered every 1-2 miles, a lot with NO WAIT–that’s possible?? People with signs, on horseback, playing the piano, strumming the banjo, giving me free gummy bears, mimosas, Fireball shots, whiskey, M&Ms, cooling me off with sprinklers. Who are these people? Do I know them? I’ve never had so many fans. I was a pacer so I’m the one supposed to be calling out times and splits, telling jokes, making the long journey less arduous but the Missoulans provided far more luxuries than I could offer. Mile markers were spot on, Pacers were spot on across the board—which is rare. I was very proud to experience this run. Definitely top notch!

S.E. from Visialia, CA

This was a very well organized race, with easy race logistics and a very good course. The race started early (6am) with fireworks to send us on our way. The first half of the race was very scenic, with a number of downhill portions. Along the way we were serenaded by a number of unique musicians, including a piano player, wearing a tux and playing piano in his front yard, very cool! The 2nd half of the race went through the surrounding neighborhoods until we headed downtown for a very noisy finish. Plenty of volunteer support throughout the race and good spectator support over the 2nd half and, in particular, the last 0.1 mile to the finish. The weather was absolutely perfect for running. Plenty to do in the area before and after the race, including Glacier National Park about 2 1/2 hrs away but well worth the trip. This is one I plan on repeating!!

Rcturk262

This was my fourth time in Missoula to race. I did the half several years ago and chose this for my first marathon in 2015. I returned again in 2017 then just couldn’t stay away this summer. Not only do I love this town, but this marathon is still my favorite. Beautiful course with temps at perfect running conditions (especially with moving the race from July to June). We cross three bridges in the full with a doable hill halfway. The neighborhoods are a great way to finish – everyone is cheering with their own special goodies and sprinklers to cool you down. The best volunteers, from those directing traffic to running the aid stations. You can feel their energy push you through and their genuine encouragement motivate you! The Pacers are fun and truly there to help you have a super memorable experience. My goal was a sub 4 and I accomplished this one due to all the amazing course support. It is always so organized and easy, from packet pick -up to gear bag (they had mine ready before I even walked up all the way) to the food and photos. All I wanted was the watermelons and frozen fruit bars – yum!! A cold water and coke tasted amazing! The whole town and businesses welcome you entirely instead of making you feel like you inconvenienced their streets and way of life (I have done 3 other big city races that left this impression). Love this town, race, and people!!!!

Leslie D. from Mccall, ID

Bottom line is that it’s a very well done race. It’s well organized and marked, and the half is its own race basically; they start farther down the course and you don’t really merge with them unless you’re running really fast; the course is not congested but they also mark lanes for half and full after the merge point. There’s lots of support from police, volunteers, and the community. The event organizers took precautions when it looked like the weather might affect the welfare of the runners but they didn’t panic and cancel it like some races might have done. It ended up being a great day to run and well worth the trip! I highly recommend the race, especially if you’re a fifty stater looking for a summer race / Montana marathon. Well done, Run Wild Missoula!!

Meg S from Virginia

My daughter and I have been running for 3 or so years and this was our destination ‘event’ for this year. Great job to Tony and team for doing a fantastic job of organizing the actual event and then getting the whole town behind him too. The race was beautiful. Even for the slow runners, like myself, the on course encouragement was great too. There was a lot of encouragement among the runners running a 5hr plus pace that you may not see in other places. I mean, where else do random strangers willingly help out and share body glide with a passing runner in need. It was also cool to pause at the finish line while some of the running ‘buddies’ you had passed finished and you got to congratulate them, separate from everyone else, for what they had done knowing that these guys had really gone through a lot to finish.

D.B. from St. Augustine, FL

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About Run Wild Missoula and its signature event, the Missoula Marathon