Monument Marathon: A Scenic Journey Through Nebraska’s Beauty

Lea Reyes(MM13731, DA2891, HF16015) – Monument Marathon, Nebraska. State 21. Marathon #105. What started out as a nice and cool morning run turned into a very hot but yet enjoyable experience. Went downhill for a few miles and then a lot of flat with some tiny rolling hills. At one point I felt like Forrest Gump just running along long flat roads with cornfields and fields on both sides of me. Very easy run the first half. Mile 11 or so the temperature was rising. We made a turn on Oregon Trail Road leading into Scottsbluff National Park and from there, I knew I was going to slow down, walk, take photos, and enjoy the surrounding beauty. A vacation run for me. Mile 16 we had a steep hill. From there we had miles of absolute beauty. This marathon takes you along a route that is not open to the public and only open one day a year for this race, so I got to see many parts of the national Park that are not visible along the Oregon Trail Road. Once exiting the park, we had some more rolling hills and the last mile we finally had some shade for a minute with a little wind, but it was still 87°.
This race was well organized and put together. The expo was nice and they had a pre-dinner. I stayed in Scottsbluff with a 10 minute drive to the finish for parking. It’s a 10 minute shuttle ride to the start. There are many aid stations and the volunteers were phenomenal. Even hit a Taylor Swift aid station on the back end giving out little bling bling bracelets. There were lots of bikers riding along the course with aid checking on the runners. That was comforting, considering it was very hot. After the marathon, the Scottsbluff YMCA allowed marathoners to shower up, which was really nice considering I had a 6 o’clock flight to catch. Nice run, great views, and well put together.