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Spearfish,
South Dakota,
United States - August
- 13.1 miles/Half Marathon, 26.2 miles/Marathon
- Road Race
- Event Website
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Such an incredibly beautiful , fast course down Spearfish Canyon in the Black Hills National Forest of South Dakota. Probably due to the remote location this race has always been small, which gave it the advantage for being able to run during a pandemic. Traditionally a women's only race, men were allowed to run this year as there are so few options to get a BQ. The course starts at Lead Country Club and follows the Spearfish Creek through Cheyenne Crossing and Savoy before ending in Spearfish. There is a short, slight uphill out and back at Roughneck Falls and several other waterfalls along the route. This was my first marathon without headphones which are not allowed, I enjoyed the sounds of nature the first half but was missing my tunes after that. A huge shout out to the race director Elaine, whose emails were very heartfelt and thoughtful as she navigated the event through difficult times. It meant so much to everyone who were so happy to finally be able to run a real race. At the finish there was an emotional applause for one woman who had just completed her 50th Marathon State and so many others achieved PRs. The scenery was absolutely stunning and it was a perfect race-cation with Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Devils Tower, Historic Deadwood, and the Badlands National Park nearby.