I have participated in the Fox Cities Marathon and Half Marathon for several years and am never disappointed. It is a well run race with many extras that bigger, more advertised races have. The biggest being the community as a whole. You're constantly cheered for and taken care of by the communities that this race goes through. They enjoy being a part of this race as much as the runners do. You will not get that with other big town races. The course is challenging at points but only enough to keep it interesting. The weather is usually ideal (minus 2017's insane heat wave). The expo is well run and very runner focused. The route runs on several of the trails that go through the Fox Cities and is very enjoyable. As for the swag, you get a good amount for not being a huge race. You'll get a shirt, which is of good quality, a medal, snacks, lip gloss, Kleenex products to name a few. Sometimes there's more and sometimes there's less. There's free post-race massages. Parking is never an issue and there's ample space to be close to the start line. Being that the race is a point to point race, the shuttle service runs seamlessly. It's easy to hop on and hop off at either the start or the finish.

Overall I believe this is a race that anyone would enjoy. Whether you're doing the Full or the Half, the route is enjoyable, it's well managed and the sense of community and support will make the miles go by quickly.