Race Recap and Review: Missoula Marathon, July 12, 2015, Marathon State #7 - Montana

For State number seven - Montana - I ran the Missoula Marathon. I was actually signed up to run this marathon in 2014, but I couldn't do it.  Thankfully I was able to defer to 2015 and didn't lose my entry fee.
I've been in love with Montana - especially the Missoula area and north - since I first visited in 2000. I've predicted that I will die in Montana, but hopefully fighting a grizzly bear in my 80's, not in a marathon.
My goal was the standard "just finish," but since this race was shoehorned between a July 4 marathon (ran so I could qualify for Marathon Maniacs in Missoula) and Ragnar the next weekend I feel like "just finish" was less of a cop out than it usually is.

Packet pick-up/Expo: Grade: B. My main complaint was that they closed down at 4 PM. Which was really 3 PM coming from the Pacific Time Zone. It made getting into town from 6 hours away a bit of an unpleasant experience.  Even that wouldn't have been a problem if they offered a morning-of packet pickup, and frankly, there is no reason they couldn't have done that given the smallish size of the race and the large amount of space available at the start line.
However, as it was, it was a decent enough expo for the size of race. It had lots of vendors, quick pick up of bib, chip, and swag. It was held in a nice park under some tents - good since it was raining.  (Not for nothing, the park abuts one of the locations of my favorite pizza place - MacKenzie River Pizza Company.)

Traditional Pre-Race Selfie

Shirt/Swag: Grade:A-. Solid shirt. Gray with the cool elk logo.  They also gave out a nice gear check bag that doesn't fall apart after the third use (eh hem, Rock n Roll series).

Starting line: Grade: C+. The starting line was way the hell out in Frenchtown.  A 25 minute shuttle bus ride from the University of Montana was required to get out there. (The race started at 6 AM, so it was an early call to make the bus.) Once that was accomplished, there were lots of porta potties, but not much else.  There was a small PA system playing music, but it was hard to hear too far away from it. There were a couple of water coolers, so hopefully you had your water bottles filled.  Gear check was easy enough, as would be expected for a smallish race. 

Support:  Grade A-. There were plenty of aid stations. Water and Gatorade was available even for us slow folk at the end of the race. Like other towns that pride themselves on being a little weird, there was some organic community support. I didn't see anyone offering beer, but there was a guy in a tux playing piano in his front yard.

Course: Grade: A-. Missoula, like Couer d'Alene, benefits from being a pretty place. The course meandered through country on its way out of Frenchtown.  We ran by ranches with views of mountains and along and over the Clark Fork and into Missoula. It finishes near the park where packet pickup was held.
Despite being in Missoula, Montana, the course is pretty flat, gaining 350 feet in the first 14 miles and then flattening out.

The only disheartening piece of the course is one significant hill right smack in the middle of the race. It is around a blind corner so you are never quite sure when it is going to end.


 Medal: Grade A.  Look at the size of that thing! Plus, I love the "Elk with Shoes in Antlers" logo.

Finish Area: Grade: B+. The PA announcer sure talked
up the finishers as we came through.  He even asked if it was my first marathon. (Now I can wear a Marathon Maniacs hat, so hopefully won't get asked that anymore.) There was plenty of food still available for the back of the packers.

Miscellaneous:  

• I didn't think the 3000 foot elevation would bother me much, since I usually don't feel elevation until over 5000 feet when I hike or backpack.  However, running a marathon was a different story.  I felt it through the last half. 
• Heat wasn't a problem, but IT WAS HUMID! There were several splash pads that we ran by. I really wanted to detour through. I was yearning for the heat from the marathon I ran on July 4 to dry me off.
• Getting a text at mile 24 that your kid needs to go to the ER when you finish is kind of a downer. (He didn't end up going, his stomach settled down.) 
• Like I mentioned earlier, this was my qualifying race for the Marathon Maniacs.  That was a goal I'd had for a long time, and I was thrilled to get it done.
  

Overall Grade: A-.     I always have a good time in Montana. This race was no exception. I was happy to cross off my seventh state, and qualify for Marathon Maniacs, in Missoula.

Race Recap and Review: New Orleans Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, January 25, 2015, Marathon State #6 - Louisiana

After a 14 month break from running marathons for one reason or another, I returned to marathon running to celebrate my 40th birthday at the New Orleans Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. 

The goal for this marathon was to simply finish. Preferably before all the bananas and finisher's jackets were gone and the shuttles back to the start line stopped running. Not a problem.

Packet pick-up/Expo: Grade: B. The Expo is the standard Rock 'n' Roll marathon expo. Big, mandatory, and well run. I was in and out quickly (aside from the walk there from the other side of the expo center - more on that) but I'm sure I could have spent a fair amount of time shopping there. Whatever...

As a side note the New Orleans expo center is HUGE.  We entered on the opposite side of the center and had a ten minute walk to the other side. It was empty when we were there, aside from the Expo, but that place must be rocking when it is full.

Joan of Arc watching the runners.

Shirt/Swag: Grade: B+.  The shirt was a nice tech shirt with a big fleur de lis on the front.  They love their fluer de lis down there. New to me in the RnR series was a finisher's jacket.  It isn't anything I'll wear out to the Ritz for dinner, but it will be nice to have to throw on during a breezy northwest day. The standard RnR gear bag and samples were also given.

Starting line: Grade: B+.  The start line is near Lafayette Square and the corral lines wrapped around the Square.  Again, it is an RnR, so there are mandatory corrals and a lot of porta potties.  What was a little different here was that the porta potties were being used by run tourists who had been eating gumbo, jambalaya, and other creole dishes for the last few days, so they smelled a little different.
It took about 30 minutes from the gun for me to cross the start line which I consider not bad in these giant races.


Support:  Grade A-.  Again, this is something that the RnR is good at now.  Plenty of hydration and gu, even for those of us that were amongst the last to hit each watering hole.  There were also plenty of medical tents. I hit one at about mile 18 to get some Vaseline after my Body Glide had expired for the day. There seemed to be fewer bands than on the Seattle RnR  route, and I was a little disappointment there wasn't more of a New Orleans feel to a lot of them. But I was never one to stop and listen to the bands anyway. They might run out of bananas if I stop to appreciate the bands.
There was also plenty of police in the areas where the course ran through more "interesting" parts of the city. 

Jugging footballs for 26.2.

New Orleans also had a nice showing of unofficial support. On one of the course segments that was a hairpin, the inbound and outbound were separated by a wide median. Some folks were barbecuing on the median. On the inbound side of the course a man was telling you we were a mile and a half from barbecue. And on the way out, there was another person from the gang handing it out. I wish I could have stomached partaking.
There were also several people handing out beer on the course, but that is less novel in New Orleans than it is on other courses.


Course: Grade: A-. Can I tell you how much I love flat courses? I love them a lot. And boy, was this course was flat. There was only one small hump near Lake Pontchartrain that I can recall.
The course itself runs through all the famous areas of New Orleans. The French Quarter, the Garden District, the shores of Lake Pontchartrain.
The worst thing about the course was that it took great effort not to stop at Cafe du Monde and down some beignets.

My other minor complaint that this was another race where the marathoners have to watch/listen to the half marathoners finish at mile 13 as the courses separate.  That is always disheartening...

Medal: Grade A.  The RnR series races always have nice medals. But in addition they gave you the option of attaching some Mardi Gras beads to the medal, which I took them up on.

Finish Area: Grade: B+. The race ended in City Park.  RnR does a good job of having water and fruit ready.  My only complaint was that they took advantage of the size of the park and spread everything out.  It was a good half mile walk to gather up the finisher's jacket and get to the shuttle back to the start.

 Miscellaneous: 

• I got to the start line and was arranging my music for the run.  I found out too late that I did not switch out my Harry Connick, Jr. Christmas albums for some of his non-Christmas music. Since I could not in run a marathon in Harry's home town without him on my playlist, I ended up listening to some Christmas music in January.
• Speaking of playlists, make sure you have "House of the Rising Sun" on yours somewhere if you partake in this race.

Overall Grade: A-.   I'm sure the organizers realized that this would be a destination race for many of the participants. The course gave a nice tour of the famous parts of the city and they made sure we were well supported. Well done!

Even on the shuttle bus, the fun continued.