Bizz Johnson Trail Marathon Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

Kathy B.
Seattle, WA

  (10-28-2009)

"I was nervous about running the Bizz Johnson Trail half marathon because I had never participated in a trail race of any distance before, but I was assured that I'd do fine. Plus, my friend said, "the course is all downhill."

I tweaked my knee a few days before the race & was contemplating not participating. The evening before, I decided to at least start the race, thinking I could get a ride back from one of the water stations if I needed to.

The packet pickup was so well organized that my friends & I had time to make a coffee run before boarding the shuttle buses. Our chatty bus driver kept us entertained as we headed to the remote start.

There were no timing chips, but since the Express Half Marathon was limited to 200 participants, we all got across the starting line quickly. The first mile was out & back. I enjoyed passing by fellow runners early on. After the turnaround, the course meandered gently downhill.

The water stations had friendly volunteers & a good variety of real food like cut up fruit, pretzels & potato chips. They also had watered down gatorade.

The scenery was phenomenal as we ran through the forest. There was a bridge along the course that had been severely damaged several years before. Because of the bridge detour, the course contained a steep decline followed by what felt like an even steeper hill. I'm not adverse to running up hills, but I have a much easier time conquering them when I'm expecting them. This wasn't quite the all downhill course my friend assured me it would be.

Another thing I hadn't anticipated was running at altitude. I really started to notice it as I climbed the hill by the damaged bridge. Because of my previous knee trouble, I told myself I wasn't going to try for a PR, so I took the slight lack of oxygen in stride, so to speak.

Throughout the race, I was so thankful to not be in pain & that I had decided to run the Bizz Johnson Express Half Marathon. It felt so good to be out there.
"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Charles L.
San Francisco, CA

  (10-16-2009)

"The Bizz Johnson Trail Marathon takes place through Lassen National Forest, starting in Westwood and ending in Susanville (the location of the expo, and spot were buses pick you up to drop you off at the starting area). The race follows an old rails-to-trails course, meaning it was an old railway line converted into a trail for walkers, bikers and hikers. Its a double-track trail (wide enough for a race involving 500 runners), with very gradual and approachable gradients to run on. The race goes up 280 feet in elevation from the start, but over the course of 6 miles, so its hard to notice. After those 6 miles you're reach a slight ridge, which will be the point at which the race drops 1300 feet over the course of 20 miles, you will notice this along the way.

Though the race is in aggregate a downhill course I wouldn't recommend this to first time runners or marathoners. Most folks really need the support of a crowd, which you will not get on this trail course. Its in the woods, and affords you great scenery, especially when it dips down into gullies, and over rivers or through old railway tunnels (there are 2, and it can be hard to see in them, bring a small flashlight). If you want a good FIRST EVER race or marathon with aggregate downhill consider a road race in a big city. Otherwise, if you're just looking for a well organized, low-key trail marathon that's easy to accomplish the Bizz Johnson Trail Marathon is your race.

Remember to consider the elevation! You need to scale back your marathon time by almost 1 minute per mile to account for this in my estimation. That is unless you are training at an elevation greater than 4,000 feet. If you are coming from Sea Level you will notice that it is harder to move your legs, or they feel heavier, that's cause your muscles are not getting enough oxygen rich blood to them. Slow down, and account for this early on or you WILL hit your wall HEAD ON!

Final thoughts: great low-key trail marathon, pockets of support along the way, pretty scenery, low impact trail, lovely area."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Jeremiah S.
San Francisco, CA

  (10-15-2009)

"The course deserves a 7 out of 5. It's a 25.4 mile rails-to-trails conversion run through a National Forest. The first 7 miles gain about 300', and then drop 1300', all at a gentle 2% grade. Not to mention the fall colors, railroad bridges, and river gorge. Water is every 2 miles, and the crowds were tiny, but much more than I expected along the rather secluded course."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009