I ran the Mankato Marathon for the first time this year and was definitely challenged by the course. The hills surprised me. The course was gorgeous and I took a few pictures for the scenery. Course support was there when I needed it, especially at the end when a Master's level student in a sports psychology program from the local college rode her bike and talked to a group of us as we ran through mile 22 (or so). The finisher shirt is fantastically soft and the medal is perfect. The short shuttle to the start and easy walk to my car at the end was definitely appreciated. Mankato is a quant college town with a lot of willing volunteers to help the race run smoothly. We heart our volunteers. I'll definitely be back.

The Power Pork 5K was on my list for a year, because there is a bacon stop half way through the run. It was windy, but the thunderstorm that was originally forecast did not materialize until after the race was over. The bacon was amazing, as well as the pork chop on a stick at the end. The shirts were sized a large, but they are amazingly soft. We'll be back next year for more bacon fun.

I've run the race twice, and my 2017 experience was less than ideal. While the course is beautiful, transportation to and from the start and finish were disappointing. The town seems to have outgrown the race and cannot accommodate the sheer number of people involved. There were not enough volunteers at the finish line and the cold wait for the return bus was miserable. I love the race management company and all they do for other races, but the Lake Minnetonka Half was miserable last year.

The course was short a half mile for the inaugural run, but I'll be back next year. It was beautiful, affordable, and one of my favorite race shirts. I had no idea Mankato had so many scenic bike paths in the community, and the race takes you on many of them. I picked up my packet the morning of, and it was painless. Parking for the race was in the Scheels parking lot where the race started and finished. Schools was more than welcoming to runners both before and after the race, and allowed us to gather inside to stay warm before the race started.