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☰
Pocatello Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Pocatello Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 4.8 
Spectators 3.7
Number of comments: 113 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
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N. S. from FL
(9/11/2023)
"Scenic, Well Organized, Warm This Year" (about: 2023)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Pocatello Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The race organizers did everything so well, I wish they could have controlled the weather :) As a former marathon director, I look for excellence in organization, as this is the make or break characteristic of a race for me. My legs were not trashed from the gradual downhill in the first half (although I wasn't allowing myself to get carried away). However, it was VERY warm (upper 70s when I finished), sunny, and there's no shade. Scenery was magnificent as were volunteers. If you need spectators en masse, this is not the race for you. Got bus to start from hotel, good finish area by the zoo. Glad I chose this for my Idaho race!!! The southern Idaho area (including WY & UT) are well worth spending some time in. | |
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Bryan Moffitt from Kansas City, MO
(9/3/2019)
"Great race, great experience!" (about: 2019)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Pocatello Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 As a 50 states + DC runner, I am glad that I picked Pocatello as my Idaho race. The point to point with minimal turns makes for a great continuous race without the worry of slowing down for turns and potential fast times. The first 13-15 miles are mostly downhill. My quads were feeling it by mile 20 so be aware. My only frustration was the amount of 5k walkers that I had to weave around during the last 3 miles. All in all, a great race. I don't mind not having crowd support but if you are into having people cheer for you during the race, this is not for you. If you are into a beautiful course with easy logistics and need to cross Idaho off your list of 50, pick this one! You will not be disappointed. Be sure to go rafting at Hot Lave Springs as well. It's a blast! | |
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B. W. from South Lyon, MI
(10/27/2018)
"Crossed Idaho off my 50 state list" (about: 2018)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Pocatello Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The Pocatello Marathon is a small race with about 200 in the full marathon. The race director and volunteers did a great job of putting the event together. Getting through packet pickup was easy though it was in a cramped room at the Clarion Hotel. There were a couple of small vendor booths poolside. The race itself started with a short bus ride from the host hotel to a barn located at about 6200' feet. There were plenty of port-a-pots at the start line as well as a donkey and horse. The first half of the course was excellent and watching the sun rise was a big plus. There were several tough downhills in the first half that took a toll on the quads later in the race. The first half had plenty of mountain scenery and there were enough twists and turns to keep things plenty interesting. There was an uphill out and back at about mile 7 but the scenery was gorgeous so we did not notice the uphill as much. At about mile 14 we turned onto a highway with one lane coned off for the runners. The course continued on that highway for the next 10 or so miles without a single turn and very limited shade. We were completely exposed to the sun, industrial scenery, and fairly continuous traffic from mile 14 until mile 24. The second half in the sun was a struggle for me, especially a steep climb under the interstate to the service roads on the other side. The finish line was in a park, but we wound around a few industrial areas before running in the park for the last 0.2 of a mile. The finish area had lots of food, gear check pick-up, and massages you had to pay for. The race director and volunteers did an awesome job putting this together. They thought of everything. However, the second of the course was brutal to me and shows in my ratings. | |
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D. J. from Indiana
(9/2/2018)
"*****Excellent course support!" (about: 2018)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Pocatello Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Couldn't ask for a better executed race!!! Tough downhill course (point to point) but one of the best supported marathons I have run (this was state #38). Swag bag was awesome. After race recovery snacks, lunch, and beer were perfect. Stayed at host hotel and rode shuttle to and back from race. Thanks! | |
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Tony Chryssos from Charleston, WV
(9/1/2018)
"Fantastic Venue!" (about: 2018)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Pocatello Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my #6 on my way to running a Marathon in all 50 States! It's a small event, but it is a gem! Super easy packet pick up. The pasta dinner was awesome, and the guest speaker was good. The Expo was small as you would expect for an event of this size! The course was majestic! The scenery was out of a postcard! The course is downhill for the first 13 miles! It beats up your legs. The rest is flat with three big hills on miles 17, 19, and 20-21! The last one is especially steep! At 4700 ft, you feel it, if you are not used to the altitude. It did have an adverse effect on me, and had to slow down after mile 16 to get my heart rate under control! The last two miles are downhill to a finish of friendly, cheering fans! 5 stars to the post race food and drinks! You can PR and BQ here, but you must train for the altitude! | |
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S. B. from Waco, TX
(9/5/2017)
"Tough Day in Idaho" (about: 2017)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Pocatello Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 The Pocatello Marathon is a race that I have looked forward to running for quite some time. I have heard a ton of good things about the race and the town of Pocatello and all of the good things turned out to be true. Unfortunately, the few bad things I had heard also turned out to be true. This is a really small race, less than 200 in the full marathon. The race director and volunteers do an awesome job of putting the swag bags together, and the bag itself is really nice with a long sleeve shirt that was a good fit for me. Getting through packet pickup is a breeze and the pasta dinner was pretty good as well. They had a really interesting speaker at the pasta dinner as well which made it a fun evening the night before the race. The race itself started with a short, early morning bus ride from the host hotel to a small red barn located at about 6200' of elevation. There were plenty of potties at the start line as well as a very interested donkey, horse, and goat who came out to see us off. The first half of the course was fantastic and watching the sun rise at around mile 4 was amazing. There were several really severe downhills in the first half that would take a heavy toll on the quads later in the race. The first half had plenty of mountain scenery to see as we sped downhill, and there were enough twists and turns to keep things plenty interesting. At about mile 14, we turned out of the mountain scenery and onto a highway with one lane coned off for us to run on. The course continued on that highway for the next 10 miles without a single turn. We were completely exposed to the sun with 3 active lanes of fairly continuous traffic from mile 14 until mile 24. The scenery also changed from the beautiful mountain trees to blacktop highway, cars, and industrial areas. The combination of sun, vehicle exhaust, and boredom combined to make the 2nd half a long slog. This was a bad day for me, and I struggled severely through the 2nd half. However, the race itself is extremely well run and the people who run it do an excellent job. I really enjoyed my time in Pocatello and greatly appreciated the effort that is put into this event. I wish the 2nd half had been as interesting as the first, but I should have put more effort into preparing for this course and it would have made my experience much different. | |
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N. K. from Ann Arbor, MI
(9/2/2017)
"Great organization and a beautiful course" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Pocatello Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I loved this marathon. The downhill wasn't too steep, and it made the first 14 miles fly by. I thought the final miles were lovely, too, with the mountains in the background. I highly recommend this race! Great swag, pasta dinner, and post-race food. Thanks for a truly great event! | |
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jim miller from Orlando, FL
(9/5/2016)
"Great organization on a challenging course" (about: 2016)
50+ previous marathons
| 2 Pocatello Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Love the people, the volunteers, the finish line celebrations and the Swag bag! and truly appreciate the pacers and in my case for how well and how serious Rachel took her responsibility for the 3:55 group - she wanted to make it look easy and she was masterful at doing so and so appreciative of her taking time with me after the race as I faded at 16 and yet she was complimentary and encouraging.... You will love the first 15 but be prepared for a long grind of the final 11 - just saying... | |
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M. L. from Oklahoma City
(9/8/2015)
"Fun, fast, efficient" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Pocatello Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 A small marathon with big time organization. I ran this marathon hoping to run a good time. The course is conductive to that, but it is not all downhill. Be careful not to try to bank too much time on the down hill. From picking up my packet to the bus ride to the start to the bus ride back to the hotel every thing went smoothly. Nice that you use your backpack at a drop bag. I recommend this marathon to anyone who enjoys running. It wasn't a negative to me, but their aren't a lot of spectators until the finish. | |
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M. C. from Portland, Oregon
(9/8/2015)
"Perfect race" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Pocatello Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race was awesome all the way around. Great course, awesome race support from all the volunteers and great party afterward. Now if they could have asked Mother Nature not to supply such a strong headwind that would have been good. |
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