I ran Leading Ladies Marathon for my South Dakota race and it was well worth the travel hassle! It's not easy to get to Spearfish, SD from Virginia. It was expensive to fly to Rapid City, so I flew to Bismarck, ND and drove almost five hours to Spearfish. It was a pretty drive, which helped. I stayed at the host hotel, Holiday Inn and Convention Center, which was convenient and quiet. Nothing fancy, but there was a discounted rate and the shuttle picked up/dropped off from there. The restaurant actually has a very good burger too (post-race)!

Packet pickup was also at the Holiday Inn. I was apparently number 33 to get my bib, which made me bib #33, which was awesome because it was my 33rd state. Quite a coincidence! It was fast and efficient with a few vendors present as well.

Race morning: probably my only "complaint," and it's minor, is that the bus picked us up at 4:00am. The race didn't start until 6:00am, which meant we had over an hour at the start area. Luckily the bus stayed so we could stay warm, and it was pleasant chatting with the other runners, and convenient as the portajohns (or trees) were right there. I just would have appreciated another 30-45 minutes of sleep. Not that big a deal though, and they might have their reasons for doing it this way.

The race started right on time and it lived up to the hype of being primarily downhill. There is one kind of large hill around mile 11 or 12 on an out-and-back. The whole course was absolutely beautiful. The route is mostly paved road/path and runs through Spearfish Canyon. Waterfalls, cliffs, lovely homes, rivers and rapids...just gorgeous! I wish I'd had my phone to take pictures. There were aid stations at about every 2-3 miles after the first 3.5 miles of the course. I would have liked a couple more water stops in the last five or six miles, as that's when it started getting a little warmer.

The weather was lovely - cool start, warming up at the finish, but with a 6am start and a fast course, I was done by about 9:40am which was awesome. The days before and after were significantly warmer, so we lucked out.

The medal was nice, and the shirt was good quality and nice navy blue color. You also get a long stem red rose and a scented, cool towel at the finish. There was cold water and a few food options, plus a shuttle to take us back the mile or two to the hotel.

Overall I'd put this race near the top of my list of favorite marathons. It was all women, small, and well organized. The swag was good and the course was spectacular. I don't know what other options there are for South Dakota marathons but this one is a must-do in my opinion. Oh, and go see some of the sights, like Mt Rushmore, while you're there!

-Side note: I originally registered for this race in 2015 but had to cancel due to a wedding the same weekend. The RD was VERY generous and accommodating, allowing me to rollover my entry to this year without any fee or hassle. One of the benefits of smaller events is the personal touch. Great people!!