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Marathon Details - Madison Marathon (MT)

North America Marathons > USA > MT > Ennis > Madison Marathon (MT)

Madison Marathon (MT)

Madison Marathon (MT) & Half Marathon

Ennis, MT USA

July 12, 2025

http://www.yellowstoneadventureseries.com

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Race Details

This race is the Highest Road Marathon in America. The starting line is at 9,200 feet, the route peaks out at 9,600 feet, and the finish line is at 8,550 feet. It is on the Gravelly Range Road in the Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest in Southwest Montana.

Contact Information

Name:	Sam Korsmoe
Address:	PO Box 356 Virginia City, MT 59755
Phone Number:	4066825923
Fax Number:	4066824564
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (24)

Course 4.7

Organization 4.1

Spectators 2.3

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Number of comments: 24 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 > ]

C. W. from Ennis, MT (7/22/2018) "TERRIBLE Organization" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Madison Marathon (MT) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Despite the course being insanely beautiful, I will never ever run another race organized by this group. I have run 35 marathons or longer including many trail marathons and ultras; this was the worst organized race I have ever run. The race advertised that there would be limited support but "some food" at aid stations. There was zero food at any of the aid stations. Zero. This advertises as a road race, I guess technically this is true, but it is on an extremely poorly maintained gravel road. Lots of cars drove by very quickly on the narrow road with no respect for runners. At the turn around spot I asked the volunteer where the turn around was and he said "right here" at this point I had to yell to the woman who he had let pass the spot by about 50 yards. Then he joked with her that she actually did have to keep going so she turned back around again. I don't know how he thought that funny or acceptable. Finally, none of the aid stations had first aid kits!! This is so incredibly unacceptable and dangerous.
M. H. from Maui, HI (8/5/2016) "Rewarding and Challenging" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Madison Marathon (MT) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 Great people, great views, little air, lots of long hills. A challenge that brings a lot of interesting and passionate people together. Race kicked my butt- however it was my first win. My time was about 1 hour slower then my most recent marathon. Save some energy for the hills at the end.
James Snell from Texas (9/16/2015) "Still My Favorite Marathon!" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 4-5 Madison Marathon (MT)s COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 2015 was my 4th year in a row to run Madison. I spent 9 days in Leadville, running above 10,000 feet before heading up to Ennis this year. I beat my previous best time by 30 minutes. The weather was cooler than in past years, too. I ran a good bit of the marathon, including the difficult last 6.5 miles with a young guy named Dillon doing his first marathon. Had the best time I've ever had here. Felt the best. Hiked 11 miles in Yellowstone the next day. What can I say? This is still my favorite marathon!!
K. K. from Oklahoma (10/2/2013) "Montana's lesser-known Leadville!!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Madison Marathon (MT) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Beautiful course. Solid organization. Excellent volunteers. Good aid stations. Very difficult course! I've not seen any official 'total climb' number listed for this event but its a lotta thousand that's all I know. And similar in many ways to leadville's 26.2. Wow. Second half is really tough...even worse than Leadville. Plus, there's no better place to be than Montana in July. Great weather, long days, and recreation everywhere! **the worst thing about this marathon is just getting to the start line. Very pretty but it's very remote! Leave early haha
Laine Anderson from Seattle, WA (9/22/2013) "Incredibly beautiful - incredibly difficult!" (about: 2013) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Madison Marathon (MT) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first time running this race (full marathon), and I could not have asked for a better-organized, personable race experience. The race director, Sam, did a fantastic job welcoming many out-of-state runners to the charming town of Ennis, and to the state of Montana as a whole. The aid stations were well-stocked, and even though the website mentioned that aid stations were infrequent, I thought that the distance between aid stations was fine. That said, this race is very difficult, especially after you run past the finish line for the half marathon to run an additional 6 1/2 miles out and 6 1/2 miles back to the marathon finish line. The scenery, the race staff and volunteers, and the sense of welcome and community from this race will definitely convince me to put myself through this brutal race again in the future!
Travis Ross from South Carolina (8/7/2013) "Brutally difficult, but the most incredible views!" (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Madison Marathon (MT) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Unfortunately, because of some injury issues, I was not able to train for this race and had to drop from the full to the half. Nevertheless, my family and I centered a vacation to Montana from South Carolina around this race, and it was worth every penny. The most beautiful scenery ever! If you need spectator support, this is not your race, but in my opinion this area of the country is as close to heaven without actually being there. It took three hours from the meeting location in Ennis MT, and two separate bus rides to get to the start line, and that was totally cool! Coming from a sea level state, the altitude was a killer, so expect that. Drink pletny of fluids or look for a pounding headache about an hour into it. If I had a bigger budget I would run this race every year. The race director is extremely helpful as well, and adds a real personal touch to this event. Put this one on your bucket list for sure!
Sandy Hugill from Arlington, VA (8/6/2013) "Toughest Marathon, but Worth it!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Madison Marathon (MT) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 Wow! The 2013 Madison Marathon outside Ennis, MT was the TOUGHEST of my 38 marathons and several halfs. Monument Ridge, a picturesque spot on the course, was labeled as being over 9500 feet. The altitude made it tough to breathe on hills, and there were a LOT of steep hills; I had to walk them all. I heard that many people finish this race 1.5 hours slower than their average time. I did it in 2 hours more than the previous day's M.A.D. Marathon in Idaho Falls (yes, I ran 26.2 miles two days in a row&because I'm crazy). I was SO happy to be finished at Madison, but also SO glad I did it. The course was beautiful, running above the tree line in the mountains with the Big Sky above. Gorgeous sights of landscapes of hills, valleys, trees, cows at pasture. Sounds of...nothing but my own footsteps and cattle mooing. Smells of sage and wild flowers. Taste of dirt in my mouth. Feel of everything hurting! Ive run many races and seen good and bad race organization. Madison's organization was top-notch. To start, pre-race communication was excellent. I knew what to expect before, during and after the race. I felt like Sam the race director was very personable in reaching out to runners via email, and he and his crew were awesome in person. Race logistics were well-managed and course support was pretty good for a small, rustic race. Post-race, the food, drink and support from the race crew were excellent. My only suggestion: can you find a way to bring a couple port-a-potties up the mountain to place on the course at Monument Ridge and at the turnaround? Will I run the Madison Marathon again? Probably not. I'm on a quest to run marathons in all 50 states, so it may be a while before I return to Montana. And even so, Madison was probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I would recommend this race to others, but with the following caveat: it really is HARD. Do this if you would like a unique challenge, but do not expect it to be easy, do not expect to PR, do not expect a big city marathon experience - you won't get it. What you will get is a gorgeous course, fabulous support and a day that you'll always remember.
R. K. from Billings, MT (7/31/2013) "In the Mountains, in Montana, Fantastic" (about: 2013) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Madison Marathon (MT) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I got to run through Beautiful country, that I hadn't been in before. I do live in Montana, but it is so big, it's impossible to explore all of it. I did the 5K Saturday to get into town and get my bearings. Same people directing the Marathon, also. I was given wrong information on early Sunday Race packet pickup from one of them. I was told I couldn't do that (I could have). At the Race packet pickup Saturday evening, I mentioned I would be at the shuttle bus at 5:30 AM. I was told the bus pulls out at 5:00 AM, so I would miss it if I came at 5:30. (wrong again). So other that cramping Saturday evening and Sunday early wake-up, everything else went fine. My first official Marathon. Gravel road is tough. At least one of the uphills is never-ending (mile 23). Altitude was not an issue since I have been going into the high mountains for 40 years. At 8500' to 9600', oxygen is pretty much normal levels. Water stations every 3.25 miles. I run with a water bottle and they had enough to refill it. A few stations had bananas, peanut butter sandwiches, bug spray, and electrolyte drinks. Porta potty at the end of the half, and one at the 20 mile turn around spot (saved me!) Cattle will move out of your way if you whoop and flap your arms a little. Great bunch of people to run with, even the slowest were smiling and happy! It's too soon to think I may do it again in the future. Let my feet quit hurting first. I'm glad I did it.
Craig Smith from Springfield, Illinois (7/30/2013) "Hardest Road Marathon I've ever done" (about: 2013) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Madison Marathon (MT) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The RD pretty much promises runners they will have a PW in this race. In my case, he was correct. The back half took me over an hour longer than the front. There isn't 200 yards of flat in the entire race. All of this was as advertised. The course is beautiful, but very hilly. For example, I ran the front half in 2:37, but had a 16 minute mile in there somewhere. Lots of 50 staters and Maniacs. The altitude is a MAJOR factor. Highly recommended as long as you don't care about running a bad time.
Suzie Mauro from Clancy, Montana (7/30/2013) "The most unbelievably awesome race of my life." (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Madison Marathon (MT) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 What an incredible experience. I had friends who had run this race before, and Sam's emails got me all sorts of fired up, but there's just no way to completely prepare for this experience. I've only been running for a year - I've run one full and this was my 5th half marathon. I loved every single step. I've never enjoyed another run - race or not - like I did this one. The ultimate personal challenge with the most amazing reward - knowing you have just conquered something that very few people ever will. The altitude didn't bother me (I live in Montana at 5.000 feet), and I did walk some hills. I camped at Clover Meadows the night before and met some fabulous runner people. I'll definitely be back for the full next year, and the year after that and the year after that.... I didn't set a PW - actually ran this one faster than my very first half last summer. ...but talk to me after I commit to the Full next year.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 > ]



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C. W. from Ennis, MT (7/22/2018) "TERRIBLE Organization" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Madison Marathon (MT) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Despite the course being insanely beautiful, I will never ever run another race organized by this group. I have run 35 marathons or longer including many trail marathons and ultras; this was the worst organized race I have ever run. The race advertised that there would be limited support but "some food" at aid stations. There was zero food at any of the aid stations. Zero. This advertises as a road race, I guess technically this is true, but it is on an extremely poorly maintained gravel road. Lots of cars drove by very quickly on the narrow road with no respect for runners. At the turn around spot I asked the volunteer where the turn around was and he said "right here" at this point I had to yell to the woman who he had let pass the spot by about 50 yards. Then he joked with her that she actually did have to keep going so she turned back around again. I don't know how he thought that funny or acceptable. Finally, none of the aid stations had first aid kits!! This is so incredibly unacceptable and dangerous.
M. H. from Maui, HI (8/5/2016) "Rewarding and Challenging" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Madison Marathon (MT) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 Great people, great views, little air, lots of long hills. A challenge that brings a lot of interesting and passionate people together. Race kicked my butt- however it was my first win. My time was about 1 hour slower then my most recent marathon. Save some energy for the hills at the end.
James Snell from Texas (9/16/2015) "Still My Favorite Marathon!" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 4-5 Madison Marathon (MT)s COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 2015 was my 4th year in a row to run Madison. I spent 9 days in Leadville, running above 10,000 feet before heading up to Ennis this year. I beat my previous best time by 30 minutes. The weather was cooler than in past years, too. I ran a good bit of the marathon, including the difficult last 6.5 miles with a young guy named Dillon doing his first marathon. Had the best time I've ever had here. Felt the best. Hiked 11 miles in Yellowstone the next day. What can I say? This is still my favorite marathon!!
K. K. from Oklahoma (10/2/2013) "Montana's lesser-known Leadville!!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Madison Marathon (MT) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Beautiful course. Solid organization. Excellent volunteers. Good aid stations. Very difficult course! I've not seen any official 'total climb' number listed for this event but its a lotta thousand that's all I know. And similar in many ways to leadville's 26.2. Wow. Second half is really tough...even worse than Leadville. Plus, there's no better place to be than Montana in July. Great weather, long days, and recreation everywhere! **the worst thing about this marathon is just getting to the start line. Very pretty but it's very remote! Leave early haha
Laine Anderson from Seattle, WA (9/22/2013) "Incredibly beautiful - incredibly difficult!" (about: 2013) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Madison Marathon (MT) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first time running this race (full marathon), and I could not have asked for a better-organized, personable race experience. The race director, Sam, did a fantastic job welcoming many out-of-state runners to the charming town of Ennis, and to the state of Montana as a whole. The aid stations were well-stocked, and even though the website mentioned that aid stations were infrequent, I thought that the distance between aid stations was fine. That said, this race is very difficult, especially after you run past the finish line for the half marathon to run an additional 6 1/2 miles out and 6 1/2 miles back to the marathon finish line. The scenery, the race staff and volunteers, and the sense of welcome and community from this race will definitely convince me to put myself through this brutal race again in the future!
Travis Ross from South Carolina (8/7/2013) "Brutally difficult, but the most incredible views!" (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Madison Marathon (MT) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Unfortunately, because of some injury issues, I was not able to train for this race and had to drop from the full to the half. Nevertheless, my family and I centered a vacation to Montana from South Carolina around this race, and it was worth every penny. The most beautiful scenery ever! If you need spectator support, this is not your race, but in my opinion this area of the country is as close to heaven without actually being there. It took three hours from the meeting location in Ennis MT, and two separate bus rides to get to the start line, and that was totally cool! Coming from a sea level state, the altitude was a killer, so expect that. Drink pletny of fluids or look for a pounding headache about an hour into it. If I had a bigger budget I would run this race every year. The race director is extremely helpful as well, and adds a real personal touch to this event. Put this one on your bucket list for sure!
Sandy Hugill from Arlington, VA (8/6/2013) "Toughest Marathon, but Worth it!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Madison Marathon (MT) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 Wow! The 2013 Madison Marathon outside Ennis, MT was the TOUGHEST of my 38 marathons and several halfs. Monument Ridge, a picturesque spot on the course, was labeled as being over 9500 feet. The altitude made it tough to breathe on hills, and there were a LOT of steep hills; I had to walk them all. I heard that many people finish this race 1.5 hours slower than their average time. I did it in 2 hours more than the previous day's M.A.D. Marathon in Idaho Falls (yes, I ran 26.2 miles two days in a row&because I'm crazy). I was SO happy to be finished at Madison, but also SO glad I did it. The course was beautiful, running above the tree line in the mountains with the Big Sky above. Gorgeous sights of landscapes of hills, valleys, trees, cows at pasture. Sounds of...nothing but my own footsteps and cattle mooing. Smells of sage and wild flowers. Taste of dirt in my mouth. Feel of everything hurting! Ive run many races and seen good and bad race organization. Madison's organization was top-notch. To start, pre-race communication was excellent. I knew what to expect before, during and after the race. I felt like Sam the race director was very personable in reaching out to runners via email, and he and his crew were awesome in person. Race logistics were well-managed and course support was pretty good for a small, rustic race. Post-race, the food, drink and support from the race crew were excellent. My only suggestion: can you find a way to bring a couple port-a-potties up the mountain to place on the course at Monument Ridge and at the turnaround? Will I run the Madison Marathon again? Probably not. I'm on a quest to run marathons in all 50 states, so it may be a while before I return to Montana. And even so, Madison was probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I would recommend this race to others, but with the following caveat: it really is HARD. Do this if you would like a unique challenge, but do not expect it to be easy, do not expect to PR, do not expect a big city marathon experience - you won't get it. What you will get is a gorgeous course, fabulous support and a day that you'll always remember.
R. K. from Billings, MT (7/31/2013) "In the Mountains, in Montana, Fantastic" (about: 2013) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Madison Marathon (MT) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I got to run through Beautiful country, that I hadn't been in before. I do live in Montana, but it is so big, it's impossible to explore all of it. I did the 5K Saturday to get into town and get my bearings. Same people directing the Marathon, also. I was given wrong information on early Sunday Race packet pickup from one of them. I was told I couldn't do that (I could have). At the Race packet pickup Saturday evening, I mentioned I would be at the shuttle bus at 5:30 AM. I was told the bus pulls out at 5:00 AM, so I would miss it if I came at 5:30. (wrong again). So other that cramping Saturday evening and Sunday early wake-up, everything else went fine. My first official Marathon. Gravel road is tough. At least one of the uphills is never-ending (mile 23). Altitude was not an issue since I have been going into the high mountains for 40 years. At 8500' to 9600', oxygen is pretty much normal levels. Water stations every 3.25 miles. I run with a water bottle and they had enough to refill it. A few stations had bananas, peanut butter sandwiches, bug spray, and electrolyte drinks. Porta potty at the end of the half, and one at the 20 mile turn around spot (saved me!) Cattle will move out of your way if you whoop and flap your arms a little. Great bunch of people to run with, even the slowest were smiling and happy! It's too soon to think I may do it again in the future. Let my feet quit hurting first. I'm glad I did it.
Craig Smith from Springfield, Illinois (7/30/2013) "Hardest Road Marathon I've ever done" (about: 2013) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Madison Marathon (MT) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The RD pretty much promises runners they will have a PW in this race. In my case, he was correct. The back half took me over an hour longer than the front. There isn't 200 yards of flat in the entire race. All of this was as advertised. The course is beautiful, but very hilly. For example, I ran the front half in 2:37, but had a 16 minute mile in there somewhere. Lots of 50 staters and Maniacs. The altitude is a MAJOR factor. Highly recommended as long as you don't care about running a bad time.
Suzie Mauro from Clancy, Montana (7/30/2013) "The most unbelievably awesome race of my life." (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Madison Marathon (MT) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 What an incredible experience. I had friends who had run this race before, and Sam's emails got me all sorts of fired up, but there's just no way to completely prepare for this experience. I've only been running for a year - I've run one full and this was my 5th half marathon. I loved every single step. I've never enjoyed another run - race or not - like I did this one. The ultimate personal challenge with the most amazing reward - knowing you have just conquered something that very few people ever will. The altitude didn't bother me (I live in Montana at 5.000 feet), and I did walk some hills. I camped at Clover Meadows the night before and met some fabulous runner people. I'll definitely be back for the full next year, and the year after that and the year after that.... I didn't set a PW - actually ran this one faster than my very first half last summer. ...but talk to me after I commit to the Full next year.

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Marathon Details - Madison Marathon (MT)