Just completed the 2013 Run With the Horses marathon in Green River, WY on Saturday, 08/17/2013. I…read morewas excited on coming through Green River, WY to knock off a new state in my quest to run a marathon in each of the 50 US States from Hawaii. Wyoming was next on the calendar and have selected this race for it. Needless to say that all the dire warnings, advice, and suggestions from friends who have done this particular race in the past, I've down played it previously till I came to the realization out there in the course on race morning. Yep, it certainly wasn't a walk in the park, that's for sure. I didn't have any fun out there and I was alone most of the later miles and I started to hate life for the most part. The Run with the Horses marathon is a small marathon, which boasts a half marathon and 10K. All distances are run through Horse Canyon Road, which is a long stretch of windy, very hilly, desert, uninspiring stretch of ugly that you can think of. Only 2 miles from the start and 2 miles from the finish were in Green River. I basically had 24 miles of Horse Canyon Road and it was more or less hell. I hadn't really run in altitude before. The closest I had been is in Colorado in September 2012, logging a 50K on a trail race in Lakewood, CO. Here in Wyoming, I wasn't so lucky. The altitude of over 6,500 feet, along with the seemingly endless hills, and the temperatures rising past 85 degrees made me suffer silently, but I had to keep the pace and not quit. The major problem with this one is that it was an out and back course, meaning you saw the same surroundings twice. So everything was the same old shit for 24 odd miles. I felt like my rental car broke down in nowhere WY and i was walking 20 miles to get gas. It was painful for a while. The altitude got me first before the hills and the uninspiring landscaping killed me ever so slowly. Wish they ran the race inside Green River. I rather see industrial areas of this town rather than desert landscapes for 20+ miles. Seriously! All my friends who ran with me this year told me that it was a tough race, so I found some comfort knowing that it wasn't just me. To be able to jump off the airplane the day before a race and run 26.2 from Hawaii had become my forte, but this time, it proved to be not what I had expected at all. Thank goodness that I finished though. The race boasted about less than 200 marathoners, with 29 states represented. Many 50 state marathon club members are here, just because WY is a hard one to get. Only a handful of marathons are in Wyoming, so scheduling and logistics become an issue. The packet pick up location was held at Expedition Island in the middle of town, where they really have an island in the middle of the Green River, where the town is aptly named for. No big expo, just a tent, couple of tables with boxes of race t-shirts, and participant packets for distribution. Just give them your name and it was quick. 5 minutes tops. The parking was easy for both the packet pick up and race morning, as both were held at the same location. I just parked on one of the quiet side streets and that was good. I didn't want to walk more than I should be that day. All I could think about was finishing and not quitting. Paying for airfare, car rental, and hotel, along with the race registration of $90 helped me mentally to stay the course. A DNF or did not finish aka quitting would have meant finding another WY race later and redoing the state for an official result. No way, no how. I had to finish. My marathon resume already has piled past 50 marathons already, so I wasn't a newbie. Just had to dig deep and move forward. The big thing about Run With the Horses marathon was that they did not have a course time limit. Thought I was going to be last, but I wasn't. I felt last due to me being alone for a good number of hours though. Good, adequate course support and aid stations. Wish there was more, since every 2 miles with altitude was crazy. Maybe I should've just drank more or something. All in all, it was a memorable experience. I made it to the finish line and thanked the race director, whom was at the finish line writing down finisher info, as participants past through. It's not every race that makes you sing a song and it was fun. Run with the Horses marathon was a race that really tested your mental stamina and willpower, as well as your physical training. I have WY now and looking forward to racing on the east coast this fall. Run more! A+ (For making me hardcore)

I ran this marathon last month as my 37th marathon lengthed race. My family and I arrived late…read moreinto town Friday night/Saturday morning which meant that I had to pick up my packet on race morning. Parking near the start was a breeze with only a few hundred people in all of the races combined. However packet pickup was not as easy as whenever I arrived less than an hour before the race, the bibs were still not there. It was cold on race morning so thankfully there was a building that was open to us so that we could wait in the warmth. After waiting about 20 minutes inside the building, I went back outside and the bibs were finally there. The race itself was probably the toughest marathon I have done to date. I am sure some of it had to do with the 3 hours of sleep I had the night before the race and also a lack of acclimation to elevation but I would bet more of it had to do with the course. As advertised, you start in town (~6200 ft above sea level) and in the first six miles you climb over 1000 ft up to a desert plateau where you are for most of this out and back race. Up on the plateau the course still isn't easy as it is a bunch of rolling hills but you have some spectacular views when you can see off of the plateau. Unfortunately this year there were no wild horses to be seen on the course. Aid stations are every two miles (except on the way out the mile 8 aid stations hadn't been set up yet but it was there at mile 18 on the way back) and the volunteers are friendly. In the end I finished the marathon in 8th place at 4:12:54 (normally I am a 3:30ish marathoner) in some brutal heat. My fiance and her parents also found it nice that the marathon finish was at the same location as their annual river festival and so they had stuff to do while waiting for me. The bottom line for me is that I would do this race again in the future. Yes it was a tough marathon course but this race has the small town feel that I love. Parking was easy and free and everyone in town seemed to be super nice.