I pulled off your names from the Lost Dutchman's website - please feel free to pass this along to any of the other race officials...

 

Last weekend I ran America's Finest half marathon in San Diego - I think it was their 29th run. I kept thinking that from the registration on, this race doesn't compare with the Lost Dutchman's race. In fact I have run races from 5K to 62 miles in at least 8 states and I have yet to come across any race that is so well organized and executed as smoothly as the Lost Dutchman's race(s).

 

I have told everyone (including my running club in Prescott) to find your race next Spring. First impressions can mean a lot and the race registration was the most organized I have seen. The start of the race(s) was perfect, informative and smooth. The aid station volunteers were fantastic. Every part of the race was total CLASS. I'll be back next year in spite of a heavy spring running schedule...

Just wanted to let you know how good your race really is and to thank the many volunteers (including you) for making it a super experience.
 

--Ken Ekman

 

I want to provide some feedback about this year's Lost Dutchman's Marathon:

 

I had a GREAT experience.  The views were fantastic, and the combination of dirt road and pavement made it a little easier on my feet.  I had one of my best marathon times, and the aid stations were well stocked.

 

I would definitely recommend this marathon and course.  I was not planning to have a Boston-Qualifying time (based upon my drive of the seemingly hilly course), but I think the combination of good support, great weather, and the early start time all contributed to one of my most rewarding marathon experiences.  It was a great day overall, and the breakfast burritos were mighty tasty!Best regards

--Gerald Sanchez (3:10:39)

 

 

Once again the Lost Dutchman had the best, friendliest volunteers of any race I've run to date!!! Thank you guy's and Gal's for making it such a wonderful experience! See ya all next year! Special thanks to dancing guy w/boom box and of course "the Purple Ladies".

--Eugene Coogan

 

 

A big group of us ran your 1/2 marathon and 10K on Saturday.  We came from Flagstaff and Delaware.  We had to leave right after the race to get one of our runners to the Phoenix Airport.  We didn't know until today that three of us placed 1st in our age categories.  I did read that you do not routinely mail awards, but I hope you'll make an exception in this case....I would like to send you a check to cover postage if you would be willing to send the awards (whatever those may be...I'm not really sure) and I could surprise our friends with their awards.  Here are the awards won by our group:
Half Marathon Female age 50-54
1    Mary Tilley   Avondale  PA        50      157 1:54:44.3    8:45/M 10k
Male age 40-44
1    Brett Larson   Flagstaff  AZ       41       23  46:01.1    7:25/M

 Female age 35-39
1    Sarah Ells       Flagstaff  AZ       35       54 49:59.8    8:04/M
We are particularly proud of Mary who won in her age division of 50-54 after running for only one year!!!!  And, this was Brett's first running race. Regardless of whether or not you are able to send them, we want you to know that we really enjoyed your race.  We travel to a lot of different races as a group and this has been our favorite so far.  The course is interesting, the scenery was beautiful, the aid stations were great, the volunteers were so friendly and helpful and the weather was perfect.  We plan to attend again next year.
Very best

--Sarah Ells

 

 

I just wanted to take a minute to thank you and the rest of the folks who organized the Lost Dutchman!  It was very well organized, with an awesome course!  The rolling hills and awesome views of the Superstitions made it great! Everything went smooth:  the buses from Rodeo Grounds to Prospector Park, packet pickup, enough bathrooms, and plenty of aid stations with great volunteers and folks cheering, too! Looking forward to seeing you next year! Thanks,

--Jim Hillman, half marathon

 

 

Well, I arrived home in Aptos, late last night and wanted to thank you and your people for taking such great care of us and putting on another great event.  It must be gratifying to see that your hard work has paid off and that your numbers are up.  A special thanks to Rick Hardina who went out of his way to make me feel at home. Sadly, I placed 11th in my division despite running 2 minutes faster than last year.  Where did all these tough old goats come from???  Fortunately I'll be 60 next June, but I would have been only 2nd in that division (sigh). Once again, you folks should all be commended for producing such a first class event.  I'm not sure if there is a vote this year, but the Purple Ladies stood out once again as the best of a great bunch of aid stations. Sincerely,

--Mark Friedman Aptos, CA

 

 

We just finished your marathon yesterday and what a perfectly run event…I'm so impressed with every single detail of the event…the bonfires, the parking, buses, awards, medals, after event activities, course route, volunteers…I could go on and on…It was incredibly, perfectly put together…That was our first full marathon and what a wonderful memory. The people were the nicest…how in the world did you get so many unbelievable volunteers??? I can't thank you enough for doing such a phenomenal job…it was truly perfect in every way! I put on a very small, non-profit race in Tucson in May at Sabino Canyon (10k and 5k and 1mile walk) and would love to pick your brain about how you put together some an awesome event…can we chat sometime? I would love to learn from you. Thanks again for such a good memory,

--Richelle Litteer

 

 

"Thank you for allowing us to participate in the marathon, it was wonderful!" 

--A Lost Dutchman RV Resort volunteer

 

 

I really enjoyed the race and I would do it again if I know that we will be given the time chips to wear. I was pretty disappointed when I crossed the finish line at 3.41.07, because I would have qualified for Boston if we had been wearing racing time chips.  Why were we not given race time chips to wear? Thank you in advance,

--Erica

 

My compliments to the LD Marathon crew for another fine event!! I'm so glad that my family, friends, and I could participate in the festivities. Thanks for all the hard work.

--Roger Hacker

 

 

I'd just like to say that in my opinion the Marathon turned out great.  All you guys did a great job and it was a great little marathon!  Lisa said she'd be interested in volunteering for next year, and I would be glad to run it again to try to improve my time.  I hope you guys decide to still have the event, and I'd appreciate it if you would forward this to your fellow race coordinators.  

--Benjamin Bobich 

 

Great race!  Excellent volunteers, especially the purple ladies at mile 23!

--Mike & Cheryl Chow

 

This was the first time I ran the 1/2 marathon and it was great!  The venue was wonderful; the support along the course was great, great directions and a fun course.  Only one issue I had...when I signed up on active.com, the web site mentioned this race was chip timed.  When I arrived at the site, I was told it was not chip timed.  I would think a marathon and 1/2 marathon with over 500 runners in each warrants chip timing.  So, this information was misleading.  I'd like to suggest chip timing for future races.  Thanks for all you did with the race.

--D. Kurdts

 

The Lost Dutchman was my 11th marathon.  I would like to say thank you for a wonderful time.  I am from Buffalo, NY and lived in Arizona in the 80's.  Coming back was a wonderful treat and the marathon was very well run!  The scenery was great and the logistics were very well planned.  I loved it!! Thanks for a great race!

--Carol Corgel

 

I thought I'd give you a well deserved few days to recuperate after all your hard work last weekend. I thought this was the Best overall event, by far. Seemingly, very few flaws even without those lame old Chips. The was some congestion in the finishing chutes once the 10K runners started to finish. The volunteers were almost too diligent in taking the tear off tags and writing down most of those bib numbers. Maybe having a couple of chutes next year would be advantageous? I know confusion existed when finished runners went back out on the course to run in friends etc. and that was probably a nightmare for those trying to keep track of both the marathon and 1/2 marathon actual 'first time' finishers? Also, since I finished early I had plenty of time for the excellent food and munchies, but the line was really, really long at about 10 O'clock. Overall, I thought, it went reasonably well (without Chip timing) and with a few minor refinements it ought to or should go smoother next year. You definitely don't need that Chip system. Congratulations on a wonderful race day and I hope you are now Very Pleased you now have the LDM event on President's Day weekend?  BTW, on a scale of 10 your shirt is a huge 10!  Thanks a bunch for another extremely well organized and staged race.  Another solid LDM! All the best,  

--Dave Weeks

 

 

Thanks so much for all your work.   The Williamsburg bunch had a terrific time running and visiting your area. Please pass on our gratitude to your entire organization for a job well done.

--George R. Neil

 

 

 

I love the course and the wonderful support of all the volunteers. This marathon is well-organized and well-supported by the community. The CAMPFIRE was really special. It is definitely one of my favorites and I like the variety on the course! My husband and I will surely run this beautiful and well-organized marathon again! See you next year! 

--Hazel Chase from Tucson, AZ

 

 

 

Great race.  Thanks for a beautiful course and another fantastic experience running the Lost Dutchman Marathon for the 5th time.   It was a great marathon.   As I told a fellow runner who was sitting on the same mat as me next to our early morning, pre-race fire, "It doesn't get any better than this".  He agreed.   The volunteers were great as usual. I look forward to the 6th Annual Lost Dutchman Marathon in 2007.  Regards,

--Paul E. Ruckel   

 

 

 

Thank you very much for the organization of the event. I liked my first "desert" run very much, and I will surely come back to Arizona and the Superstition mountains very often. (I hiked completely around Weaver's Needle 2 two days before the race)

So thank you once again, and keep on tracking. Sincerely Yours,

--Uli M. Clever Germany

 

 

 

I want to tell you how much I enjoyed the race. It was by far the best small race I have ever been involved with. You can tell many hours of planning went into this race. You and the Marathon committee deserve a lot of recognition for your hard work. The course is challenging, but who wants to always run a flat course. I did have have a personal record of 3:43. I was at sub 8 minute miles until mile 16 and I started losing about 30 seconds per mile. My goal was 3:30 to qualify for Boston; well next time. Thank you again for a great race. Regards,

--Robert Jones

 

 

 

What a fun event! You won't find a better marathon start than the Lost Dutchman, including pre-dawn campfires, friendly volunteers, and amazing desert scenery. For a small marathon (385 finishers), the organization was great. There weren't a huge number of spectators, but they were all very supportive and cheerful, clapping for each runner. The course was moderately challenging, and the food afterward just seemed to hit the spot for me. The awards ceremony had a nice, cozy feel to it. If you've been looking for a good small marathon, give this one a go.

--Dave Myers from Cincinnati, OH

 

 

 

The backdrop of the Superstition Mountains is beautiful but there is a price to pay for the beauty! There are many, many rolling hills along this course. The organization of this marathon is fantastic. I did not have any problems with any portion of the race but they did run out of 1/2 marathon medals. To their credit there were many new sign-ups, and I am sure the problem will be taken care of for next time. There are not many spectators but the ones that are out there are very enthusiastic and supportive. The volunteers were wonderful as well. The people make the hills bearable :-). Thanks for a great race, Lost Dutchman.

--L. P. from Arizona

 

 

 

This marathon is a must-do in my opinion. It was well organized, with a great course, and a great time to go to AZ. The pre-race fires were a lot of fun and a great way to meet some of your fellow runners. The volunteers at the aid stations and elsewhere were excellent! I loved the variety that some hills and trails added to a typical road marathon. I loved the added touch of having your name announced when you finished the marathon as well. I highly recommend this course to anyone and I would do it again.                    

--K. W. from NH

 

 

I only did the 1/2 marathon due to training purposes for the LA Marathon but I thought this race was one of the best races ever. It's true that the course is tough with a lot of rolling hills but the scenery and the people are what make this race special.

 

 

Get this: for $35 I got a very scenic course to run, an awesome long-sleeved t-shirt, water/sports drink/Carb Boom on the course, a super medal I'm actually proud to show off, and a ton of delicious food at the end of the race, all for $35. These people know what they're doing. No wonder it was voted one of the 10 best "little" marathons in Runner's World magazine. Great job LDM!!!!

--J. J. from Southern California

 

 

 

Outstanding course, first seven miles went by without even knowing it - beautiful mountains and cacti. Aid stations and staff were great. This was my first time to Arizona, but not my last. I'm keeping this date open. 

--J. H. from Crest Hill, IL

 

 

 

Three of us did the half marathon. The elevation course map should be more accurate to show all the hills on this course. It was challenging and would serve to put you in the best shape of your life. The course volunteers were the BEST and most FRIENDLY we have ever had on a run; they made it a great time. This event was a great, fun experience. Thanks for everything.

- Kathy, Tom and Phillip Scottsdale, AZ

 

 

This is a diverse course, with a combination of hills, flats, dirt and asphalt. Enjoyed going through the small neighborhoods. Very much a small-town feel, considering it takes places on the fringes of the Phoenix metro area.
 

 

With an initial approximately 6-mile downhill start, then flats and rolling hills, this is an excellent winter training run for Boston.

--Larry Steller from Highlands Ranch, CO

 

 

 

This has one of the most beautiful courses you could run on. There are rolling hills with the Superstition Mountains as a backdrop. From the start at campfires in the desert, it is a blast. The organizers are a terrific bunch of folks who work hard to give you a great race experience. Although the crowd support for the first half of the marathon is sparse, you have a lot of folks for the last half as you finish with the half marathoners. Perfect weather this year too!  

--George Neil from Williamsburg, Virginia

 

 

 

To all the people in Apache Junction and the organizers of the Lost Dutchman, THANK YOU. This was a very hard course - however, it was the best 1/2 marathon I have ever experienced. The organizers and the spectators get 10 stars from me!!

--Karen Deadrick from Phoenix