This was the 16th Annual Hatfield-McCoy marathon and it's come a long way since the first running when the number of runners barely broke into double digits. There are several unique aspects of this race. This race starts in Kentucky but ends in West Virginia so, people who are running for states can count either state and, if you want to count both states there is a double half marathon option where you start the first half marathon in Kentucky at 7 a.m. and the second half marathon (or second half of the full) starts at 10 a.m. in West Virginia. As you can see in the attached picture, these boys don't use horns or pistols to start the race, they've got shotguns!
When a race continues to grow year after year, you know they're doing something right. This year they broke 1,000 runners. Word of warning - if you want a hotel near the race you do need to book about a year in advance. The closest I could get was about 40 miles away. And, another bit of advice, most people from out of town don't get phone connectivity in the Appalachian region so you might want to have some paper maps handy.
For everything you get, this race is an amazing bargain. The highest entry price was only $70 and the perks were rather impressive. There is a pasta dinner that's included and available at the pick up expo then after the race runners are also treated to a meal ticket good for several restaraunts in the area. When I stopped for a meal afterwards I was told I could have anything on the menu and that was included in race fees.
The medals were top notch and each one was specific to which ever one of the five races you participated in. Also, there were more aid stations than any race I'd ever seen before. The first one is at mile 2 then they boasted 25 more after that but many times it seemed like we may have ran only 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile before running into another aid station.
Overall, the entire area is very appreciated of the business the runners bring into town. Several times I felt like a mini celebrity. Oh, in addition to the finisher medals everyone got a mason jar as well. Around mile 18 there is a suspension bridge. In the beginning there is a pretty good incline associated with Blackberry mountain but the downside of that incline seems to go on for 3 times the distance as the incline.
For me, this race required a little over 1,000 miles of driving but, I would do it again.
Another really cool thing was there were signs along the entire marathon welcoming back runners who had ran in the preceding year. Handmade signs - and there were hundreds of them.
Also - there is no time limit for this race and the night before the race there's even a bon-fire and smores from about 7 to 10 p.m.
You'd be hard pressed to find yourself getting treated better at any other race in the country. I highly recommend this race.