2020 Missoula Marathon Newsletters

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WHY RUN MISSOULA…

I feel this is a neat and different style of race that is definitely worthy of its top rankings on the BibRave100 list. It is extremely well organized, has thousands of participants, but still has a small-town, friendly atmosphere and feeling to it from beginning to end. I liked the area and entire race weekend so much that I plan on returning with my family next year as part of a road trip out West. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn’t had an opportunity to experience it yet.

Juan J. A. from Cypress, TX

This race is always incredible. The energy from staff, volunteers, runners, and the community is amazing. Race production is always spot on, no glitches. Beautiful race expo in the heart of downtown. The race course itself is great, mostly flat, and beautiful. When you get into the residential areas, many members of the community come out to cheer everyone on, it really is an incredible feeling. They offer bag check because it’s a point to point race that runs very smooth. After 5 years, I’ve never ran into any problems at this race. They did move the date up to late June instead of the second weekend in July. Oh, the medals were gorgeous as usual. Way to go Missoula Marathon.

Kellenday

It was my first marathon and I am glad I ran this as my first. starting from the beautiful town and its fantastic people. Two runs the beer run and the 5K came perfectly with my plan for marathon training taper. The management of this race is amazing. The aid sections were fully staffed, cheering people, gatorade and water option which worked so well, strategic locations so I was never stressed about hydration, the porta potties at the beginning were plenty, shuttle services are amazing. I mean I can go on and on . The people of Missoula were so welcoming and cheering. They out their sprinklers on, had gummy bears , water stands, ” fireball bottle” and cheers all the way. Post race photos were free and were being taken with family. Pre race you could get free taping and for a minimum amount you could get post race massage from alpine physical therapy. Shout out to them for making my run so enjoyable for taping me. I loved the town. If I don’t run again I will definitely come to cheer to enjoy the experience and food and breweries of this town.

Naveen R. rom Richland, WA

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

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

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

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

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2020 Missoula Marathon Newsletters

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