Governor’s Cup is located in Helena, Montana. It’s a gorgeous part of Big Sky Country for a destination race, especially for those wanting to check off MT off their state marathon list. This was partially my draw to the race. It was a great excuse to travel and see some new sights.

While I ran the marathon, runners could also choose between a half marathon or 5k race option. Each race took place on Saturday morning and finished in downtown Helena, a quaint and historical capital city.

Both the full and half are point-to-point courses, meaning you must take a bus to the starting line. With a 6 am start for the full, that makes for a 4:15am bus-loading in town to be taken out to the start. It was a neat experience heading toward the start in the early morning sunrise.

The weather was perfect for racing, about 45 degrees at the start and only in the mid 50s at the finish. I checked in to get my packet on Friday afternoon. Because of the early start and transportation logistics, that’s the only option for bib pickup. The process was quick and easy. I received a welcome bag with my shirt and some other goodies (a sticker, chapstick, a couple gel samples, etc.). There really was not an "expo" as you'd expect from most races, just a table for packet pickup.

The race itself started with a slightly downhill portion. However, that didn’t last too long. The hills on this course were no joke! I was able to hang on to my pace through the halfway mark (actually PR’ing my half time) and up to around mile 18. At that point I found myself chatting with a local runner. He confirmed my fears and said “it’s all up hill from here.” I knew from my research about the infamous “Cardiac Hill” at miles 22-23, but was honestly not prepared for the many other large hills leading up to it.

As the old saying goes, “you gotta know when to fold ‘em.” I had just ran my fastest half on a tough course and was surrounded by beautiful Montanan scenery. What more did I need? I decided to slow the pace and walk a lot of the remaining hills, and just focus on enjoying the race. I came into town and finished with a 3:40 marathon and couldn’t have been happier. It wasn’t the PR I had set out for, but it was a great experience.

The course was well marked and stocked with aid stations (water and electrolyte drinks) every few miles. This was a road race with the right lane blocked for runners. Even though we were on highways, we were in isolated country with little traffic so it felt like we had the whole course to ourselves.

My only wish would have been that the race had official photography. I didn’t see a single photographer out there, and it would have been nice to capture the moment of running such a pretty race. The medal was great though and a memorable addition to the collection. Governor’s Cup 2021 was by 7th full marathon and my 6th marathon state.