Mesa Falls is a beautiful and very small marathon in Idaho. It was a bit of an odyssey for me to travel there, going from central VA to Salt Lake City, driving to Ogden and spending a night, then driving to Ashton, ID and spending a night there. I returned to Salt Lake City after the race before flying home. Well worth the effort!

This is a low key event, my favorite kind! Packet pickup (which comes in a potato sack!) takes place at the local elementary school. Literally took 60 seconds. After I got my shirt (a nice green long-sleeve tech shirt) I drove to the upper and lower Mesa Falls, which was beautiful! It was a pretty drive too, with a few scenic overlooks. The only downside was that this was around the time of the wildfires in Idaho and surrounding areas, so there was some haze, though we were unaffected by smoke.

Race morning they offer a runners' breakfast, which was convenient. It's in the same school cafeteria and after you get your coffee and use the facilities, you get bussed to the start, 26.2 miles away in the Targhee National Forest. It's a comfortable charter bus, not school bus, and it's a pleasant enough trip in the pre-dawn hours.

The course is point to point and has the added benefit of running on several different surfaces. You start on about 10 miles of gravel roads (easy running) in the beautiful forest. It's about 6100 ft but I felt unaffected. You meet up with the half runners on 2.8 miles of packet trails by the Warm River, which was really pretty. The only downside is it's a narrow trail and some of the half runners are slow or taking up the whole trial, so you have to be aware and let them know you're coming up on them. I didn't have any problems, just be conscious of it. It is a beautiful segment of the course. Then you're on about 13 miles of pavement to the finish, with one big hill between mile 17-19. The last 10k is pretty flat through the farmland leading into Ashton. We had great weather last year; cool with sunny skies. If it's a warm year, that last portion could get hot, but it was fine for us. I carried my hydration pack so never hurt for water, but I can't recall how often aid stations were available.

The finish line is in Ashton, easy walking distance back to the school where most people park. Don't forget to claim your free huckleberry milkshake at the local place around the corner - it's so good!! The medal is actually a small wooden medallion with the logo on it. Small, but unique and nice. I got an age group place here which meant I got a nice wooden plaque. Swag is pretty good considering it's such a small event.

Overall: easy to maneuver this small, well-organized race. Book your lodging early because there aren't a ton of places in Ashton, if that's where you want to stay. I spent the night at Eagle Peak Lodge which was perfect and gave me a late checkout. If you can take advantage of where you are and explore the surrounding national forests, do so. And make sure you see the falls - you run right by one of the overlooks but you can see more at upper and lower viewing locations the day before or after the race. It's worth seeing! And don't forget your milkshake. Enjoy the scenery and excellent organization of this friendly, small-town event.