Definitely my favorite long race of all time. Erik, Jim, and I took on this marathon with very little taper (actually, the taper we took was a result of injury or fatigue more than a plan to perform.) 41 degrees at the start with scattered clouds. Race start is at 3600 feet elevation - first half of the race goes up 2500 more feet. 10 of the last 12 miles are downhill with the final two miles on flat trail. Some of the elevation gain was steep enough to call for power-walking. At mile 14 the run leaves a jeep trail onto single-track that winds through the dry, pine forest - significantly down for about 9 miles. Mile 24 is through a sagebrush plateau that gently settles onto the flat final approach to the finish (in stands of Aspen along the Deschutes River). I felt very good throughout the run - even smiling and cogent at the end - weird for me. Food was out of sight. Unlimited micro-beer tap was icy cold. All the people were friendly and outgoing - very interested in community. I just can't get over how much I enjoyed the run. Oh, I came in 2nd in my age division (the guy who took 1st is a super-hero of mine - one of the finest trail runners in Oregon. It was an honor to be second behind John Ticer.)