In all honesty, I do not think there could have been a better first marathon for me. Even though I had completed multiple half's with no problem, nerves were still high. I had previously signed up for a marathon just outside of Seattle, but ran into an injury 2 weeks prior to the race. So I decided not only to keep it close to home, but to keep it cheap and small as well. There were 143 marathon runners and 326 half marathon runners total in the race, making it one of the smallest that I had run. Even though it was a small field, I was almost always running with others, making it easier to keep pace without being too crowded on the trail.

This brings me to the course itself. If you are not familiar with the area, there is a 21 mile long trail that connects the towns of Vernonia and Banks. It is mostly all paved asphalt and has a slight decline in elevation, making it a fast course that won't completely destroy your knees! This trail runs along a historic highway and curves through parks along the way. If you want PNW scenery, you can't get much more than this! Another perk (in my opinion) is that this is a point to point race. They have a shuttle bus that will pick you up at the finish and bring you to the start line. I personally was able to have my sister take me to start since she was going to stop at trailheads to cheer me along the way (thank you Sis). One thing to know ahead of time is that you will be running a near full lap around the middle school track to get to the finish. There were many runners gawking when they were told that they couldn't cut the corner straight to the finish. I personally like being able to "kick" the last quarter mile or so of a race, so this was ideal for me.

The aid stations along the way were everything that you could need. Water, electrolytes, gu, snacks, etc. They were spaced out accordingly and many were at the previously mentioned trailheads, so not only did you get the nutritional support, but also the emotional.

Parking was super easy at both ends of the race. Since my sister was following me along through mile 22 she had to park in the overflow lot that was just across the street from the school.

At first I was a little disappointed in the swag department. Unlike almost every race, there is no T-shirt provided. Instead you get a pair of FitSoks with Vernonia Marathon stitched into them. I guess that makes sense for runners, right? These socks are now my go-to for long runs, so my skepticism was proven wrong! I also bought a 1/4 zip pullover because I needed to have some sort of shirt from my first full marathon.

Overall, it was a greatly organized event by the Oregon Road Runners Club and I would definitely recommend it for any level of runner that is looking for a small or tree-lined trail race!