Our course takes runners through the best rural America has to offer: Parks, Gardens, Bike Paths, Historic Districts and South Dakota State University.
Most of the course is asphalt, with grass adjoining the pavement in many areas for runners who prefer an alternative surface. The course is flat, with a gentle grade thrown in here and there to keep things interesting. With the exception of Larson Hill (a 35' high hill that you could walk up and down in a minute) the entire course stays between 1595 and 1680 feet of elevation and never changes more than 40 feet over a single mile.
2011
Dale Violette
Very nice small-town race with good organization & logistics, flat interesting course with several forms of terrain, including a brief tour of SDSU campus. Nice shirts, small medal, & good post-race food. Cold, damp weather made for great running conditions as my 42nd state.
Time:02:38
2010
Bill Anderson
Had lots of fun. Small race, but the organization was terrific. Going back in 2011 to do the full marathon.
Time:02:11
2009
Jill Masters
Very good race support. The town was great.
Time:02:26
mike ligett
Very nice race with a flat course through campus and town. Support was good, and free hamburgers after the race!!
Time:01:54
Keith Schaedel
GREAT small town race! Couple good sized hills. No drama good time.
Time:02:05
2007
David Stevens
I had a bad race day, but it had nothing to do with the course, weather, etc.
This is a wonderful flat course through scenic areas..treelined, historic district, many parks. Course is flat but interesting...Brookings is pretty, but of course small. Weather was outstanding...no humidity, 50's, partly cloudy, there was maybe a 15 mph wind but course is sheltered. If you like a flat course, this is great. Race direction was outstanding...no mishaps at all. What people were there along the course were friendly, though sparse. I cannot guarantee you will have good weather in another yr but if you want flat and well run race with best of rural America, I would recommend this venue and course. Only downside..not a destination vacation site; even Sioux Falls an hr south is not real big, but does have a nice waterfall. But if you like rural America, both are nice.
Time:03:26
2005
Ernie Parra
It was a great small-town race with some very nice amenities. I wasn't sure what to expect at such a small race, but it was very well organized and the course was good. The pre-race Pasta Dinner and Speaker were very nice. Olympic Champion Billy Mills was the speaker. The only bad thing was the weather: temps in the upper 30's, 30 to 40 MPH winds, and a mix of light rain, freezing drizzle, and snow flurries!
