This Sunday will be the 6th annual Missoula
Marathon, held in Missoula Montana, which is located on the western edge of the state, just 45 minutes from the Idaho border in the northern Rockies. It's home to the University of Montana and has a population of roughly 67,000. It's home to several breweries, such as the Big Sky Brewing Company, the makers of "Moose Drool" brown ale.
This marathon made my list for several reasons:
The point to point course is mostly flat with wilderness scenery, primarily during the first half, with growing crowd support as you approach the outskirts of town.
The expo is held outdoors in Caras Park along the river.
They have fireworks and a cannon for the marathon start.
All reviews in marathonguide.com are pretty favorable in terms of organization, etc.
The half marathon starts at a different location. Some people may not consider this a plus, but personally, I find solo marathon starts a lot calmer and logistically easier (ie porta-potty lines are shorter and a less clustery first few miles).
They serve Moose Drool at the finish!
As a destination, Missoula appears to be a fun little college town with plenty to see and do.
Possible Negatives:
The most obvious: The weather! Could be hot, after all it is JULY. But July in Montana has to be better than July in Texas!
Some people commented that they thought the first half was kind of boring. One person said, "You just run along a highway". (Hey Grandma's marathoners, sound familiar?)
I always take these comments with a grain of salt, but there is a course video on the web-site and it does tend to look a little, uh, kinda, dare I say, boring. Something to consider, especially if "kinda boring" crushes you like a tin can during a marathon...
Flying into Missoula appears to be too expensive. Flying into Spokane is probably the best way to go, but you're looking at a 3 hour drive. Looks scenic though.
So what do you say? Next year perhaps?
Here is a link to the marathon web-site:
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