I'm going to start by mentioning that the week leading up to race day, the forecast was calling for 100 degree high temps, higher than normal morning temperatures, and no end in sight to the heat wave. This was of course disconcerting! The RD handled this well, reassuring those that contacted the organization that this wasn't too unusual for the area and time of year and explaining that the medical team would be involved in any adjustments that were made in the next few days. They posted on social media and in emails to participants as well.

The race org did decide to make some adjustments, including shortening the course cutoff time from 1:30 to 12:30. They also allowed deferrals and distance changes after the deadline. As a fifty stater on my last six marathons, I didn't want to defer; it is an expensive place to travel to and we had other plans after he race so I decided to take my chance with the temperatures.

Back to the days leading up to the race: depending on your plans and budget there are some options for getting to Missoula. You can fly into the town's airport, fly to Spokane and drive, or fly into Kalispell/Glacier airport which is what we did since we'd be visiting after the marathon. It's about 2.5 hrs to drive to Missoula.

There are several hotel options. We stayed in the Doubletree which was unfortunately over-priced but convenient and on the river. You can walk to the bus loading area and back from the finish. There are several great restaurants and breweries within walking or cheap Uber distance.

Friday has a Beer Run event which is in the afternoon. I didn't run it but it was probably 98 degreees for that event! Saturday has the 5k and expo which is held at a park by the river next to the farmers' market. There are several vendors and great race merchandise. At this point the forecast was still showing high temps for race day and sunny skies.

Tip: Go to Ciao Mambo for pasta Saturday night but show up a few minutes before they open. It fills fast but the food is great!

So, Sunday rolls around. Bus loading is between 4:15-5:15. It's a smooth loading and drop off process to the start. There are tons of portajohns and tables with water and cups available. The temperature was a lovely 62 degrees. The National Anthem was played, the fireworks went off and the race started at 6am sharp.

The course is beautiful, with mountains, river views, farmlands, and lovely homes. There is one large hill and a few rollers but it's not bad. There was a lot of shade along the course, more than expected actually, and a nice breeze. The 3:50 pacers did a great job and were fun to run with. And amazingly the temperature was not that bad, but probably close to 80 by 9:45. It is a dry heat though! The absolute best part, other than the large number of aid stations (roughly every two miles until the last 10k when they were every mile), was the community support. Cold, wet sponges at a few stops and tons and tons of sprinklers, misters, and hoses. It made such a huge difference. Yes, my running buddy and I were drenched but dried pretty quickly at the end! The cold water was amazing and frequent the last six miles.

The finish is on the bridge by the park where the expo was and is festive with good food and beer. The medal was very nice - I love the Run Wild Missoula logo and they did a good job with the bling. The shirt was pretty good too.

Bottom line is that it's a very well done race. It's well organized and marked, and the half is its own race basically; they start farther down the course and you don't really merge with them unless you're running really fast; the course is not congested but they also mark lanes for half and full after the merge point. There's lots of support from police, volunteers, and the community. The event organizers took precautions when it looked like the weather might affect the welfare of the runners but they didn't panic and cancel it like some races might have done. It ended up being a great day to run and well worth the trip! I highly recommend the race, especially if you're a fifty stater looking for a summer race / Montana marathon.

Well done, Run Wild Missoula!!