MO’ Cowbell was my 47th marathon state and came a week after a hot marathon in New Hampshire. It was also a redo for Missouri, when my earlier race this year was canceled due to lightning. Luckily for me, the weather was pretty nice in St. Charles! I’d guess that it could be a real problem if the heat and humidity stuck around but it was a cool 55 degrees in the morning, though it did heat up some by 10:30-11 in the sun. But hey, low humidity and some good shady parts helped!

Here are the pros in my opinion:
- Friendly race - great communication, great volunteers and PD support
- Easy packet pickup (no day-of pickup)
- Good quarter-zip top in lieu of a T-shirt
- Fun Cowbell age group award
- Country Inn and Suites is easy walking distance to start/finish plus the historic St Charles Main Street. Very cute and good restaurants nearby.
- Well marked course and turns.
- Good food and runners’ village at the finish area.
- Lots of timing mats.

So-so’s:
- The course is okay; it runs through some neighborhoods, near highways, and on part of the Katy Trail. Many parts are shaded but there are some tough spots in the sun after the halfway point and out to about mile 20 it’s pretty desolate. Also, the half is running to the finish when the full keeps straight and parallels the finish. Kind of demoralizing, though when you are coming back in the last mile it’s nice to have people cheering. Also, only a couple of hills to worry about, otherwise flat!
- I think there were 11 or 12 aid stations. I wish I had carried my own water for the second half but it worked out okay.

Cons:
- Expo is a good 20 minutes away from the course and my hotel. Not a big deal but not convenient.
- I’d suggest more water stops in the second half.
- Medal is cute but not awesome.
- There’s a half marathon relay, never heard of that before, so once or twice you may get passed by some fresh legs!
- Skip the app and just check the site for results.

Overall, I enjoyed this marathon and I think it’s a good option for Missouri. You can luck out with the weather and it’s a nice area to stay in and run. It’s a friendly and well-organized race and they strive for it to be fun and festive, which I think they succeeded in doing. Be prepared for some empty areas in the back half and consider carrying your own water if the weather is looking warmer.

And if you have a fever, make sure to get MORE COWBELL!

Hartford Marathon was my 48th state and 54th marathon. Strangely I don’t have a lot to say about it because it was pretty even keel; well organized and not really any cons, but also not a super exciting or scenic race. The weather ended up being pleasant after a threat of rain; it was overcast and relatively cool until I finished so that was nice though if you were out longer than 3:45 it probably got a bit warm in the sun. But it was the coolest race I’ve run in months. As far as the race weekend here are my thoughts:

Pros:
-It was the 24th year so they know what they’re doing in terms of organization and course.
-Well-marked course.
-Spending a few extra bucks gets you priority parking near the start/finish and a warm indoor area with refreshments and real bathrooms.
-One start/finish area makes logistics easy.
-Half and full runners start together but the two races break apart very early which I loved. Eased congestion on the roads and there’s no dramatic break at mile 12.5 when they all run to the finish.
-Very nice medal and good shirt.
-Decent course but nothing to write home about. Modest hills and the typical mix of city, suburb, and country scenery. Typical city marathon course.
-Abundant aid stations. I thought they were supposed to be every two or more miles apart but it seemed like they were more frequent than that.
-Good post race area with beer and food, chocolate milk, and entertainment. Festive.
-You can get marathon seeding based on other results.
-Cool finish under the iconic arch near the Capitol.
-Started on time.
-Good communication.

Cons: Not a lot of these
-Expo was lackluster. I’m not an expo person, and actually I had my packet mailed to me so I only went to exchange my shirt for another size (they ran small). Strange packet pickup process. Kind of dark setting.
-Lots of relay runners sprinting past at various points. Not a fan of relays!

Again, there’s not a lot to rave about and not a lot to complain about. It’s well-done and a decent course. The swag is very good and you can trust that the RD has a well marked and organized event planned. In other words, it’s a solid marathon. I’d definitely recommend it, especially for fifty staters.

Clarence DeMar was my 52nd marathon and 46th state. I'd been looking forward to a cool, fall New England race after a warm Iowa marathon two weeks prior. However, that was not to be! The anxiety set in the week before when I checked the weather and saw a high of 91. What?? Lots of chatter began online and the RD addressed the weather issue early that week stating they were meeting with the medical team to determine what would need to be done to ensure runners' safety. This had me worried but needlessly. They emailed again Thursday with the news that the race was starting an hour early (7am instead of 8am) and that extra water and aid stations were in place. I'd like to say THANK YOU to the RD and team for not canceling outright. Moving the start time up made a world of difference. Furthermore, he stepped up on the bus before we disembarked at the start (and sent an email the night before saying the same) and told us to have a great race, don't go out there for a PR, run smart, and enjoy the scenery instead of shooting for a time. If medical services got overwhelmed they would have to black flag the race. I thought this message was on point.

Okay enough about the anxiety and the heat! I thought the race was great. Fantastic comms leading up to race day, great long sleeve tech shirt (in a fall color that I love), and very nice 40th anniversary medal.

The packet pickup process was simple and friendly and they also offered it race morning for those who couldn't make it. I don't often need that option but I appreciate it when it's available because you never know with airline travel!

The start is at a school which is always nice! We took a bus ride up, which left from Keene State College. There was a comfortable gym to hang out in for an hour before the start and lots of portajohns. Also bottled water was available.

The course itself was very pretty. There were river views, farmland, a dam and lake, nice homes, along with a cemetery. Much of it was shaded (but definitely not all!) and there were lots of hills, none of which were major or huge, just rolling.

The finish is at Keene State College and there's a good selection of food and beverages available. I stayed at the Fairfield Inn & Suites which was a convenient walk to packet pickup, the bus pickup, and the finish (lots of restaurants nearby as well).

Overall I commend the RD and team for a very well thought out and organized marathon. I am so grateful it wasn't cancelled and we got an earlier start time. I'm also very thankful for all of the volunteers and PD and medical services personnel that were out there with us, cheering us on, hosing us down, and handing us water; they made the difference!

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!!