Bozeman Marathon

Quiet race through farmland with rolling hills and pretty views until you approach the finish in beautiful downtown Bozeman. Organization was fine but be prepared to stand on the side of a lonely state road for an hour or more in the cold and wind waiting for the start. Pre-race information indicated that the race would be "cup less" but there seemed to be plenty of cups for those that didn't carry a bottle. Nice tech shirt and a unique wooden medal. The kind of rustic low frills race that I would expect in Montana. Bozeman is the home of many excellent breweries. Our favorites are Map and Last Best Place.

We debated which Montana race to do and fortunately picked Bozeman. It provides everything you could ask for from a host city. Tasty restaurants, delicious breweries, a historic downtown and Main Street, great museums, all wrapped in a college town vibe with a backdrop of the Rockies. It's a wonderful vacation spot, even better when you can do a race! Races are very well organized. They offer a 5K on Saturday (wife ran that) and a full and half on Sunday (I ran the full). Both the full and half are point to point. You are required to take the shuttle to the start for both. For the marathon, make sure you have plenty of warm clothes for the shuttle trip and the wait before the start! I would say 75% of the folks including me did NOT dress appropriately! There was a lady next to me on the shuttle who only had on a tank top. I wanted to be a gentleman and offer her my jacket but alas, I didn't...don't judge. Very convenient bag drop at the start too. The first half of the marathon course is probably 75% slight uphill. But the views are simply spectacular. Watching the sun come up over the valley was worth the price of admission! The second half is the same course as the Half Marathon (the half marathon starts at 8:00 and the full at 7:00), where it is probably 90% downhill! And it's a very gradual downhill, so you don't have to worry too much about trashing your quads. Stations were well stocked, frequent, and volunteers were great. Less than 200 folks do the full, so spent the majority of the time running solo. But the views are great. A little boring the last couple of miles in town (being picky), but VERY nice downhill finish! I really liked the wooden finisher medal. After party somewhat mundane, but you finish right downtown, so there are plenty of places to go and enjoy. A word of caution, you are facing the sun for what seemed like most of the course. I don't typically run with a hat but sure wish I had one for this run. Also, the sun warms up fast, so apply plenty of sunscreen! There is so much to do in Bozeman, so many trails and destinations. You are also very close to Yellowstone! You can easily stay a week, we highly recommend it! You can get a good feel of the race, place and taste from our YouTube video at Race The Nation.

Very nice course along ranches in a valley with mountain views along most of the course! This race had a small field with 10 year age groups. It is a gradual up after mile 6 and after by 13 it is a gradual down, with a few hills. The finisher's medal was handmade out of wood, very nice. The food at the end was the only disappointment , not much except they did have chocolate milk! Shirt was OK. The route was well marked and there were enough water stops. A bus drops you off in a field at the start, about one hour before the race. Be sure to dress warm! There is a drop bag available at the start along with port a pots. It was beautiful to watch the sun rise over the mountains as the race got started. Nice race to get Montana in. Also, Bozeman is a great city to stay in with lots of shops and restaurants in the downtown area! I would recommend this race!