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.