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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

The Missoula Marathon absolutely lives up to its reputation. This is a well organized, highly scenic and friendly race. I ran this race as my 50 States Montana race. The hospitality by race staff, volunteers and spectators were spectacular. The weather was perfect for the 2019 race. This is a point to point race so you get a real feel for the beauty of the area. This is a smaller, uncongested race. You must pass through a lot of intersections on the last part of the race, but they are well monitored. Race bib pick-up is very smooth. The shirt and medal are excellent.

HammerinHank

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

If you are a “50 States Fanatics” this is your Montana race! One of the best organized races I have ever been involved in! Every person working the race, whether at the expo, aid stations on the course, or at the finish line was exceptional. You know, without a doubt, that this race weekend has been planned meticulously! The beer run, the 5K, the full and half marathon, the expo, the well-designed T-shirts, the Montana outlined bib (so cute!), the huge finisher medal, the free finisher photos, all make this race a definite destination race! If it is not on your bucket list now, you need to add it!

Barb N. from Missoula, MT

Some, or all, may agree that the age of fantastic customer service is long gone. The advent of the Amazon age makes it easy to forget that people are behind the products and services we want to purchase. If you’re a little ‘old school’ and want to spend a few bucks and enjoy a community sponsored event (this race is not put on by a big national chain) the Missoula Marathon delivers on all fronts. From the airport, hotel staff, public folks, race officials, and the crowd to cheer you on, it’s a masterpiece in race support that other events could learn from. This race is #1 for a reason, and if there are a few nit-picky things that a participant didn’t enjoy, they are probably never satisfied. You need to look hard to find the service and execution this race delivers, and for the effort it takes to get to this little town, it’s worth twice as much once you’ve spent the weekend there. Kudos to the organizers for a job very well done!

Torrey H. from Montana

From the time you arrive at the airport, you feel welcome here. Everyone was friendly and hospitable. The expo was well run, and the shirt and medal were very nice. The buses got us to the starting area in good time, where we enjoyed fireworks and great music while getting ready to start in perfect temperatures (high 40s to start, not very humid). The trend of sufficient port o lets began at the start and continued through the entire race. The course is lovely and has just enough elevation change to give a little challenge. We enjoyed enthusiastic folks at each water stop, offering plenty of gels later on, and encouragement all of the way. Great piano playing, places to get sprayed, and lots of kind comments made this an easy run. I never felt like I had to guess where I was going next, as the course was well marked and monitored. Enthusiastic professionalism is the mark of this race. This was my 70th marathon and it was a fabulous experience for me and my wife who came to support me.

J.L. from SC

The community support for this race really set it apart. Despite the 6 AM start, there were tons of spectators along the route cheering, especially toward the end of the race when you run through residential neighborhoods. People were also playing music (including a grand piano in someone’s front yard, and multiple bluegrass bands), offering their own aid stations with freezer pops and cold sponges, pointing their sprinklers into the road to cool down runners, and providing “adult” refreshments. Major shout-out to the group handing out beers at mile 23! In addition to the community support, the race also had beautiful scenery and was really well organized. I’d definitely recommend this race

Jessies9686

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

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