2020 Missoula Marathon Newsletters

Plan Ahead For The Last Best Race: Click here to view Missoula Marathon Newsletter #1

Missoula Marathon Awards: Click here to view Missoula Marathon Newsletter #2

Missoula Marathon & Half Marathon are Target Races for Another Mother Runner: Click here to view Missoula Marathon Newsletter #3

Missoula Marathon Price Increase & Race Changes: Click Here to view Missoula Marathon Newsletter #4

Treasure State Trifecta: Click Here to Learn about the Trifecta

Last Call for Early Bird Entry Fees: Click Here to View

Missoula Marathon Price Increase & Race Changes: Click Here to View Newsletter #5

COVID-19 Update: Click Here to View the Update

Release the Runner: Click Here to View the Release

WHY RUN MISSOULA…

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

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

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

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

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

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