Overall I was happy with how I ran and the marathon itself. Depending on where you are coming from Missoula, MT can be easy or hard to get to. There are several direct flights from Denver and Minneapolis each day. We (my wife and I) flew in on Friday and after dropping our stuff off at the hotel (the Hilton Garden) and unpacking we decided to load up on some carbs. The best way to do that is visiting some local craft breweries. We went to several but Bayern Brewing which specializes in German beers was our favorite. There are several other craft breweries worth trying such as Big Sky, Flathead and Tamarack Brewing.
On Saturday we went early to the expo, it is held in an outdoor pavilion near the same place as the finish for the marathon. It was not that big but was organized pretty well. They use virtual swag bags in that they send you coupons and offers via e-mail to use at local retailers or online. The bags and t-shirts they handed out are nice, I always like when you get a reusable marathon bag rather than a plastic one because they come in handy. You write your bib # on the bag with a marker rather than a tag or label. We spent the rest of the morning eating breakfast and walking around downtown Missoula. They had a farmers market along with a few other things so it was a bit busy in places. In the afternoon I went back to the hotel to rest and prepare for the race the next day. We tried to go to a chain Italian restaurant for dinner but the wait was 90 minutes so we ended up eating at the hotel restaurant. It makes no difference to me where I eat the night before a race because I just want to get some pasta and not eat anywhere it takes too long to get food.
Sunday morning was race day, this is an early start race in that it begins at 6 AM. The course starts outside Missoula and they bus you out there. They had buses at the University of Montana taking you out there starting at 4:15. I got out to the start over an hour before the beginning of the race so I sat down around a building and talked with 3 women who sat down nearby. Two were from British Columbia (one was running her first marathon) and the other was from Oklahoma. The one from Oklahoma is named Camille Herron and is an elite runner who was very nice, here is a picture of them from the start: MM-Start
The start of the race you funnel through a small start arch and they set off cannon and fireworks which was kind of cool.
I decided beforehand I was going to do something different for this race. I start out too fast in marathons and then end up paying a price for it in the last 5 miles. This time I decided I'm going to stick with a pace group for at least half the marathon. I picked the 3:40 pacer and had to go fast to catch up with them in the first mile or so but I stuck with them through half the race. I ended up talking with lots of people that were running around the pacer. I made a point of always trying to catch up to them after water stops or when I used the bathroom. After the halfway point you reach the only significant hills on the course. The pace group kept up the same pace but my breathing started getting erratic so I fell back. Missoula is lower elevation than where I live so I should not have gotten out of breath but you adapt to the conditions facing you. I should also point out that it had been in the 90's the last few days in Missoula and race day was supposed to the hottest day. Luckily the race starts early and it warms up slowly but it was still a bit warm.
Miles 15-22 went by in a blur, the only significant thing I remember is around mile 16 there was a guy playing a grand piano on his lawn in a tuxedo! It was very neat to see and hear at the time because it was in an area where it was quiet, shaded and there was a river on the right. It was one of the few times where I wished I carried a camera phone when I ran.
Miles 22-26.2 were in the city and went around various blocks with a number of turns. There were a number of holes in the road to watch out for at this point. At this point I was dumping water on my hat and down my back at water stops to cool off. The other thing I didn't want to do is get leg cramps in the final miles. I have had this happen and usually it is caused by taking longer strides than I should. I was relatively cramp free up until the last couple miles and only got one in the final sprint to the finish. You finish by running across the Higgins Street bridge and I was able to get a good kick going at the end. I ended up finishing in 3:55 which is more than the 3:40 - 3:50 that I wanted but still less than 4 hours (which is always my secondary goal).
They have a huge contingent of half marathoners that run this race and they start at the same time so there really wasn't much food left when we got done. It's not a big deal to me because I just want fluids after a race and they had your choice of Big Sky beer at the end which was great!
A few pictures:
With Camille Herron after the race - the female winner of the marathon who I met at the beginning:
The finisher's medal - the biggest I have in my collection
Overall I recommend this race because it is well organized and well supported. You do need to be prepared depending on where you live because the elevation in Missoula is above 3,000 feet although the course it self is not that hilly.
