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Marathon Details - White River Marathon for Kenya (prev Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya)

North America Marathons > USA > AR > Cotter > White River Marathon for Kenya (prev Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya)

White River Marathon for Kenya (prev Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya)

White River Marathon for Kenya (prev Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya) & Half Marathon, 5K

Cotter, AR USA

November 23, 2024

http://www.whiterivermarathon.com

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Race Details

Same great cause, benefiting children in Katito Africa. Flattest and fastest course in the U.S

Contact Information

Name:	Paul Gigliotti
Address:	PO Box 2551 Mountain Home, AR 72654
Phone Number:	870-404-8363
Email:	Email the organizers

More Information


Number of Runners:	750
Number of Spectators:	300
Fees & Deadlines:	$70 for marathon by Sept 1st, $80 until Nov 19th. $90 Nov 21st.. $65 for half- marathon by Sept 1st, $75 Sept. 1 Nov 19th. $85 Nov 21. $25 for 5K Until Sept 1. $25 after Sept. 1st - Nove. 19, $30 Nov. 21st.
Start Time:	7:00 a.m.
Course Highlights:	All 3 race events will start at Cotter School and run along the scenic White River. The course is a double-loop but finishes down on the river to take advantage of the flattest and fastest road in Baxter County. Homemade post-race nourishment and massage await you at the Cotter school after you complete the race.
Course Refreshments:	Gatorade and GU at aid stations. bananas and oranges at selected aid stations
Certified? Certification:	Yes, #AR11027DLP
Race Day Registration:	Cotter School, 181 Mable Cotter, Ar
Packet Pickup Info:	5:00-7:00 p.m. at Cotter School on Nov 20 and 5-6:30 a.m. Nov.21 at Cotter School
Marathon Ratings:	Course Scenery/Beauty/Interest: Good for First Timers: Crowd Support: Course Speed:

Race Organizer

FLAT and FAST! (2/11/15)

Paul Gigliotti

2015 is our 12th annual Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 5K. We have found the flattest stretch of land within the beautiful Ozarks. Proceeds benefit the village of Katito, Kenya to provide clean drinking water through our partnership with World Vision.

One of the FLATTEST, FASTEST course in the U.S. Our course runs along the beautiful White River in Cotter, Arkansas. Marathon is an out and back twice. Half marathon is out and back. Aid stations every mile and a half! See runners at all times on the course.

Runner Reviews (111)

Course 4.4

Organization 4.7

Spectators 3.4

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Number of comments: 111 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 11 > ]

A. T. from Falmouth, MA, USA (11/26/2023) "Fantastic race for a slow 50-stater" (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 White River Marathon for Kenya (prev Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Course is double out-and-back, very flat and a little monotonous...but it was perfect for me. The out-and-back meant I didn't feel lonely! Organization was fantastic, and had a very friendly feel to it. Police and cyclists patrolled the course, particularly toward then end. Lots of gatorade and GU's. Stayed a couple extra days in Eureka Springs, which I highly recommend. My overall ranking doesn't look that high, but overall, I would give it 4.5 stars in the aspects that matter to me.
A. F. from Maryland (11/19/2023) "Great small-town race" (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Excellent organization and communication from the race team going into race weekend. Packet pickup was a breeze & race morning was made better by the ability to hang out inside the local school to stay warm before heading to the starting line. I was surprised that the first mile has a big, extended downhill, but thankfully racers don't have to go back up it, so the race is indeed flat as advertised after that. Given the size of the race, the later miles get a bit lonely - but the view was pretty once the fog burned off. Yesterday's weather was pretty much perfect for a marathon - starting temps in the mid-30s and rising to the mid-50s a few hours later. I was wary of the last two miles on the small crushed gravel trail, but it wasn't bad! I slowed down a bit, but I had also run out of people to chase and was admittedly tired, so I won't blame it on the footing. This was a great race to check off the state of Arkansas. If you are flying in, I'd recommend NOT flying into Harrison though - it's a very small airport and made for a unique hassle at my layover in Memphis. Locals here have said people typically fly into Fayetteville and drive two hours instead. Additionally, my mom and I stayed in an AirBnB for the weekend - it was PERFECT. Less than 5 minutes from the race start and race finish (the race doesn't finish where it starts). I even had time after the race to head back to the house and change into dry clothes before heading to the local school to pick up my award. Mountain Home would also be a nice place to stay if you want to stay somewhere a little more populated.
B. H. from Lincoln NE (8/20/2023) "Preferred the old course." (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ White River Marathon for Kenya (prev Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya)s COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I found the new course less to my liking because the last two miles are the most difficult. It's no longer paved and the incline to the trail is quite steep and lengthy. Moreover, the trail is strewn with leaves, so you really can't see the surface that you're running on. I walked about 1.5 miles of the trail the day before the race and removed some large rocks out of the way. It just seems less safe for an old guy on the last two miles. I'm on the fence about running it again, but overall after 11 marathons here, it has been a great experience!
M. B. from Ellicott City, Maryland (12/9/2020) "Thank you, Cotter!" (about: 2020) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 White River Marathon for Kenya (prev Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Anyone who complains about any aspect of this race should think twice. The organizer (safely) held a live marathon during Covid when most of the rest of the country could not or would not do so. I was VERY impressed with their organization and by the fact that they kept reassuring runners that the race would go on (helpful when traveling from out of state). Runners run. Volunteers were great, the race was great. Cotter itself was great (shout out to the Trout Lodge!). I traveled from Maryland for this, my 20th state. I would run it again if I didn't have 30 more states to check off the list. Again, kudos to the good people of Cotter. If you're a runner go to Cotter, if you're not a runner go to Cotter, because I hear the fishing is great, too. Thank you Cotter!
D. E. from WY (11/28/2020) "Nice course and runners" (about: 2020) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Happy to get to run this during the covid era. Great day (not too warm), pretty course along the river, nice runners and volunteers. A little chaotic at the start: was to be waves to allow spacing but the spacing was not maintained and it involved crossing the road at which time the waves all started to congeal together. A little slow with buses at end to return to parking at start but was an easy (and actually welcome) walk of less than a mile back. All in all worth doing and really wouldn't have above complaints if no covid.
P. K. from Cincinnati, Ohio (11/24/2020) "Crammed Shuttle Vans During Virus" (about: 2020) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 White River Marathon for Kenya (prev Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I did this one because it was a non-virtual run in a state I haven't visited, and also because the proceeds go to an impoverished village in Kenya. It was a fairly well-run small-town race with good and bad. Crowd support non-existent but for the volunteers, fantastic as usual. (Thank You!) Full marathon a fairly boring double out-and-back along a river road, but mainly flat. Pre-race rigatoni dish at local motel was ho-hum, but abundant portions. Lousy Top-40 music blasting at starting line. Post-race medal huge, maybe too huge. (Why are medals constantly getting larger? Is it a competition between marathons? Bigger not always better.) Post-race food (pizza and hot soup) was delicious, especially the chicken enchilada soup. Since this was the pandemic year, the biggest takeaways were virus-related. The organizers spelled out many precautions on their website, including cancelling a traditional group pasta feast, having volunteers wear latex gloves (most obeyed), asking runners to don masks except for the actual run, taking temps before the race, and using a corral start. But all the precautions in the world don't matter if you cram people into a shuttle van, most of the windows closed, with no social distancing, or let them mingle shoulder-to-shoulder pre-race in the school cafeteria. Humans are pack animals and there are always fools who will disregard necessary precautions, so there needs to be better control. Why not place tape on the cafeteria floor to encourage 6-foot distancing? Why not use a larger bus and keep people limited to one person per seat? I brought up the crammed van to the tournament director and his response was 'You don't have to get in the van.' So I'm supposed to walk three miles to my car? The assistant director did come over later to clarify an uncomfortable conversation, so I'm grateful to her. My wife and pregnant daughter were upset at me for running this race. So when I see people packed together in a cafeteria pre-race, and packed in a small van post-race, it kind of justifies their anger. Fortunately, no symptoms so far.
B. H. from Nebraska (10/28/2018) "This is a scenic course!" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ White River Marathon for Kenya (prev Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya)s COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I must defend the honor of the White River Valley! It is late November, so of course there will be some barren trees, but as the 2016 video shows, there is still some fall color. Unless you have to have Mt. Denali staring you in the face at every twist and turn, this is a scenic course. To each their own, but I think most runners would love to own a vacation home alongside this course. The majority of the spectators might be the runners themselves, but along with the volunteers and public spectators, everyone is very encouraging. Given the way I look at the end of a marathon, fewer photos may be a blessing. lol
K. M. from MO (1/7/2018) "not a race for the slower runners" (about: 2017) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 White River Marathon for Kenya (prev Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This race was well-organized, and all the volunteers I encountered were lovely people. But it sure was a boring course. Flat, which was nice, but the scenery consisted of bare trees and farmhouses. And there were virtually no spectators out on the course. This would be a good race for someone who is fast and wants to BQ. But for slower folks like me, I would not recommend it. The finish area was pretty much shut down by the time I finished, and there are zero professional photos of any back-of-the-packers. Kind of disappointing.
K. B. from Colorado Springs, CO (11/28/2016) "Well Organized, Fast, Small Town Race for a CAUSE" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 White River Marathon for Kenya (prev Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Cotter is not super close to any major hub if you live far way. But it is well worth the effort to travel to this race. This small town race is extremely well organized, much of the town/area is involved, and the race proceeds help support a village in Kenya. If that's not enough, they also organize a shoe drive to help those who are less fortunate. I came to Cotter to bag Arkansas as a 50 Stater. What I got was a lesson in COMMUNITY. As a marathoner, you belong to a tribe. The volunteers and organizers of the race also belong to a tribe, and it is focused on helping people. From the people handing out bibs, to the folks at the aid stations, to the nice people serving piping hot homemade stew at the end of the race ... every single person was kind, displayed gratitude to the participants, and was proud to be involved in the cause. It was really heartwarming in every way. The race is a nice easy run. The first mile is downhill, and the rest is pancake flat. As others have observed, it's an out and back twice, but it really FEELS fast. There are not many places for spectators, so it's a good race for podcasts... I gave the race higher marks for spectators, though, because the volunteers and residents are SO incredibly supportive. So bottom line: Come to Cotter and enjoy some good people and a good race ... and help do some good for others to boot!!
G. G. from Iowa (11/25/2016) "A very good small race" (about: 2016) 4-5 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The first mile is a strong down hill and then dead flat after that. Nice asphalt road with very little crown and no holes or rough spots. A lot of well stocked and well organized aid stations. No spectators really except the cheering aid stations. There IS parking for spectators at the finish off of the course. Very little traffic on course,but pay attention for cars with runners going both ways. No shoulder. No road crossings after the first mile. It was windy, but the race is in a narrow valley that had no wind at all. The road winds and you end up going all directions. Quite a few good motels and restaurants in Mountain Home 9 miles away. The shuttle system from finish back to the start parking lot worked OK for me. Nice medal and hoodie. Good scenery. The runners talk to each other unlike some races. Ran the half which had about half of all runners. Full is the half twice.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 11 > ]



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A. T. from Falmouth, MA, USA (11/26/2023) "Fantastic race for a slow 50-stater" (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 White River Marathon for Kenya (prev Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Course is double out-and-back, very flat and a little monotonous...but it was perfect for me. The out-and-back meant I didn't feel lonely! Organization was fantastic, and had a very friendly feel to it. Police and cyclists patrolled the course, particularly toward then end. Lots of gatorade and GU's. Stayed a couple extra days in Eureka Springs, which I highly recommend. My overall ranking doesn't look that high, but overall, I would give it 4.5 stars in the aspects that matter to me.
A. F. from Maryland (11/19/2023) "Great small-town race" (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Excellent organization and communication from the race team going into race weekend. Packet pickup was a breeze & race morning was made better by the ability to hang out inside the local school to stay warm before heading to the starting line. I was surprised that the first mile has a big, extended downhill, but thankfully racers don't have to go back up it, so the race is indeed flat as advertised after that. Given the size of the race, the later miles get a bit lonely - but the view was pretty once the fog burned off. Yesterday's weather was pretty much perfect for a marathon - starting temps in the mid-30s and rising to the mid-50s a few hours later. I was wary of the last two miles on the small crushed gravel trail, but it wasn't bad! I slowed down a bit, but I had also run out of people to chase and was admittedly tired, so I won't blame it on the footing. This was a great race to check off the state of Arkansas. If you are flying in, I'd recommend NOT flying into Harrison though - it's a very small airport and made for a unique hassle at my layover in Memphis. Locals here have said people typically fly into Fayetteville and drive two hours instead. Additionally, my mom and I stayed in an AirBnB for the weekend - it was PERFECT. Less than 5 minutes from the race start and race finish (the race doesn't finish where it starts). I even had time after the race to head back to the house and change into dry clothes before heading to the local school to pick up my award. Mountain Home would also be a nice place to stay if you want to stay somewhere a little more populated.
B. H. from Lincoln NE (8/20/2023) "Preferred the old course." (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ White River Marathon for Kenya (prev Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya)s COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I found the new course less to my liking because the last two miles are the most difficult. It's no longer paved and the incline to the trail is quite steep and lengthy. Moreover, the trail is strewn with leaves, so you really can't see the surface that you're running on. I walked about 1.5 miles of the trail the day before the race and removed some large rocks out of the way. It just seems less safe for an old guy on the last two miles. I'm on the fence about running it again, but overall after 11 marathons here, it has been a great experience!
M. B. from Ellicott City, Maryland (12/9/2020) "Thank you, Cotter!" (about: 2020) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 White River Marathon for Kenya (prev Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Anyone who complains about any aspect of this race should think twice. The organizer (safely) held a live marathon during Covid when most of the rest of the country could not or would not do so. I was VERY impressed with their organization and by the fact that they kept reassuring runners that the race would go on (helpful when traveling from out of state). Runners run. Volunteers were great, the race was great. Cotter itself was great (shout out to the Trout Lodge!). I traveled from Maryland for this, my 20th state. I would run it again if I didn't have 30 more states to check off the list. Again, kudos to the good people of Cotter. If you're a runner go to Cotter, if you're not a runner go to Cotter, because I hear the fishing is great, too. Thank you Cotter!
D. E. from WY (11/28/2020) "Nice course and runners" (about: 2020) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Happy to get to run this during the covid era. Great day (not too warm), pretty course along the river, nice runners and volunteers. A little chaotic at the start: was to be waves to allow spacing but the spacing was not maintained and it involved crossing the road at which time the waves all started to congeal together. A little slow with buses at end to return to parking at start but was an easy (and actually welcome) walk of less than a mile back. All in all worth doing and really wouldn't have above complaints if no covid.
P. K. from Cincinnati, Ohio (11/24/2020) "Crammed Shuttle Vans During Virus" (about: 2020) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 White River Marathon for Kenya (prev Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I did this one because it was a non-virtual run in a state I haven't visited, and also because the proceeds go to an impoverished village in Kenya. It was a fairly well-run small-town race with good and bad. Crowd support non-existent but for the volunteers, fantastic as usual. (Thank You!) Full marathon a fairly boring double out-and-back along a river road, but mainly flat. Pre-race rigatoni dish at local motel was ho-hum, but abundant portions. Lousy Top-40 music blasting at starting line. Post-race medal huge, maybe too huge. (Why are medals constantly getting larger? Is it a competition between marathons? Bigger not always better.) Post-race food (pizza and hot soup) was delicious, especially the chicken enchilada soup. Since this was the pandemic year, the biggest takeaways were virus-related. The organizers spelled out many precautions on their website, including cancelling a traditional group pasta feast, having volunteers wear latex gloves (most obeyed), asking runners to don masks except for the actual run, taking temps before the race, and using a corral start. But all the precautions in the world don't matter if you cram people into a shuttle van, most of the windows closed, with no social distancing, or let them mingle shoulder-to-shoulder pre-race in the school cafeteria. Humans are pack animals and there are always fools who will disregard necessary precautions, so there needs to be better control. Why not place tape on the cafeteria floor to encourage 6-foot distancing? Why not use a larger bus and keep people limited to one person per seat? I brought up the crammed van to the tournament director and his response was 'You don't have to get in the van.' So I'm supposed to walk three miles to my car? The assistant director did come over later to clarify an uncomfortable conversation, so I'm grateful to her. My wife and pregnant daughter were upset at me for running this race. So when I see people packed together in a cafeteria pre-race, and packed in a small van post-race, it kind of justifies their anger. Fortunately, no symptoms so far.
B. H. from Nebraska (10/28/2018) "This is a scenic course!" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ White River Marathon for Kenya (prev Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya)s COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I must defend the honor of the White River Valley! It is late November, so of course there will be some barren trees, but as the 2016 video shows, there is still some fall color. Unless you have to have Mt. Denali staring you in the face at every twist and turn, this is a scenic course. To each their own, but I think most runners would love to own a vacation home alongside this course. The majority of the spectators might be the runners themselves, but along with the volunteers and public spectators, everyone is very encouraging. Given the way I look at the end of a marathon, fewer photos may be a blessing. lol
K. M. from MO (1/7/2018) "not a race for the slower runners" (about: 2017) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 White River Marathon for Kenya (prev Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This race was well-organized, and all the volunteers I encountered were lovely people. But it sure was a boring course. Flat, which was nice, but the scenery consisted of bare trees and farmhouses. And there were virtually no spectators out on the course. This would be a good race for someone who is fast and wants to BQ. But for slower folks like me, I would not recommend it. The finish area was pretty much shut down by the time I finished, and there are zero professional photos of any back-of-the-packers. Kind of disappointing.
K. B. from Colorado Springs, CO (11/28/2016) "Well Organized, Fast, Small Town Race for a CAUSE" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 White River Marathon for Kenya (prev Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Cotter is not super close to any major hub if you live far way. But it is well worth the effort to travel to this race. This small town race is extremely well organized, much of the town/area is involved, and the race proceeds help support a village in Kenya. If that's not enough, they also organize a shoe drive to help those who are less fortunate. I came to Cotter to bag Arkansas as a 50 Stater. What I got was a lesson in COMMUNITY. As a marathoner, you belong to a tribe. The volunteers and organizers of the race also belong to a tribe, and it is focused on helping people. From the people handing out bibs, to the folks at the aid stations, to the nice people serving piping hot homemade stew at the end of the race ... every single person was kind, displayed gratitude to the participants, and was proud to be involved in the cause. It was really heartwarming in every way. The race is a nice easy run. The first mile is downhill, and the rest is pancake flat. As others have observed, it's an out and back twice, but it really FEELS fast. There are not many places for spectators, so it's a good race for podcasts... I gave the race higher marks for spectators, though, because the volunteers and residents are SO incredibly supportive. So bottom line: Come to Cotter and enjoy some good people and a good race ... and help do some good for others to boot!!
G. G. from Iowa (11/25/2016) "A very good small race" (about: 2016) 4-5 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The first mile is a strong down hill and then dead flat after that. Nice asphalt road with very little crown and no holes or rough spots. A lot of well stocked and well organized aid stations. No spectators really except the cheering aid stations. There IS parking for spectators at the finish off of the course. Very little traffic on course,but pay attention for cars with runners going both ways. No shoulder. No road crossings after the first mile. It was windy, but the race is in a narrow valley that had no wind at all. The road winds and you end up going all directions. Quite a few good motels and restaurants in Mountain Home 9 miles away. The shuttle system from finish back to the start parking lot worked OK for me. Nice medal and hoodie. Good scenery. The runners talk to each other unlike some races. Ran the half which had about half of all runners. Full is the half twice.

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Marathon Details - White River Marathon for Kenya (prev Mountain Home Marathon for Kenya)