I recommend this race to anyone that starts talking about races. Through BibRave I learned about this race and planned to run the full marathon. However I ended up being 22 weeks pregnant, and ended up officially dropping to the half. My husband ran the full. The race is point to point and you must be bussed to the starting line, but pick up was highly organized and there were plenty of busses for all the runners. There were TONS of portable toilets at the start line, plus coffee and water, which I appreciated. The race itself is pretty scenic because Montana is beautiful. The race ends in Missoula which is a lovely city with a very European vibe. At the end you are greeted with a literal buffet of food to munch on while you relax in the finisher area.

My husband thoroughly enjoyed the full marathon and managed a PB on the course. I can see us running it again in the future.

Overall a great time. I ran with my 4 year old and took the stroller in case she got tired-which she did of course. The race was stroller friendly which was nice. There was a gnarly hill in the middle of the race, but it was a good challenge. My kiddo had fun and enjoyed her t-shirt, water bottle, and tutu. It was a good race for mother-daughter bonding time.

This race has been on my race bucket list for quite a while; and after three years of it being cancelled (weather in 2019 and covid), IT. WAS. BACK!! First, I loved that my husband was able to drop me off really close to the corrals and then take the kids to a nearby public playground to wait for me. The start on the bridge had beautiful views of Austin, and everyone was hyped to get started. Running towards the capitol was an experience filled with a nice and steady incline which was a preview of the hills to come. The first half of the race is all about the hills and I loved the humor in naming someone the King/Queen of the Hill for that last hill. The second half is pretty much all downhill or flat which makes for a strong finish. The finish line area was huge and filled with all kinds of activities. My kids found the bounce houses and thoroughly enjoyed bouncing around. Overall, a fantastic race. It was well organized, the course was clearly marked, the finish line party was great, and there were some great sponsors handing out treats. Even though I now know what I am in for, I will likely do this race again!

Obviously this year many races are virtual. I gave all five stars because I cannot judge some categories as I didn’t get to experience them. However, that said, I have a feeling this race is a lot of fun. I loved the swag, especially because instead of a race tee it is a race zip up hoodie! Perfect for colder runs! It also makes this race stand out a bit from other races. The swag also included chocolate and hot chocolate mix. I have been wanting to run this race for a while and I am planning to sign up for a (fingers crossed) live race in 2022!

I have run this race twice, first as a relay and then I ran the 10k. The year of the relay my partner wasn’t at the handoff point and I accidentally passed it and had to run back and wait for her. The year of the 10k the race was too short. The race atmosphere was great and it is a good race for the swag and the overall experience but I hope these two issues are addressed in the future.