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Vermont City Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Vermont City Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 4.4 
Spectators 4.7
Number of comments: 303 [displaying comments 91 to 101]
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A. M. from Massachusetts, US
(6/1/2010)
"Fantastic crowd support!" (about: 2010)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The course was very pretty and the people were great. Even the areas of the course that I had heard were a bit lonely in the past had plenty of people at least this year. My first marathon and the experience couldn't have been better. A few too many 90-degree turns for my taste, and there could have had more bathrooms at the end (or at least a runners' only line), but other than that, I wouldn't change a thing! | |
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D. R. from Midlothian, Virginia
(6/1/2010)
"I love this race" (about: 2010)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This race has a lot to offer for its size. The organization is great. The course loops back through town several times so the fans can see their runners more than once and are still around for the rest of the field. The finish is a bit chaotic because of the crowd. This is the only knock. There was water when I finished. I really enjoyed the town and the race. I hope to return. | |
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M. M. from Warner, NH
(6/1/2010)
"Well-oiled machine" (about: 2010)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 Vermont City Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my third KBVCM and 2nd in a row, and I can't imagine a race being better. You feel like a pro athlete no matter who you are. The crowds know the marathon, and this day is like a holiday to the city. People are saying, "Happy marathon" all around town before the race. The complaints about the beltway I guess I understand, but I think the course contains a good mix of crowds, scenery, and urban/suburban setting. I used this race for my first BQ, and I hope to come back every year because I wouldn't want to miss it. | |
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J. B. from Fayetteville, NC
(6/1/2010)
"Loved it!!!" (about: 2010)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I loved this marathon. Only being my second marathon, I wasn't quite sure what to expect but it turned out great. The best part was the spectator support. My family got to see me at the start, 3 miles, 9 miles, 15 miles and the finish. Along the course there were plenty of spectators. Thanks to all the folks in the neighborhoods with their sprinklers/hoses turned on for us to run through and handing out water and oranges. A special thanks to the guys near the end with the paper cups of beer!!! Biggest disappointment: no ice cream!!! As a Vermont native, I was so looking forward to the Ben & Jerry's at the finish line, but when I finished it was nowhere to be found. Organizers should plan for more ice cream next year. Overall, I loved this marathon and hope to be back next year. | |
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K. O. from Connecticut
(6/1/2010)
"Great experience for my first marathon!" (about: 2010)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This marathon is perfect for your first one because of all of the support. There are spectators everywhere (except miles 4-8, but that's the beginning so it doesn't matter as much) and it's perfect if you have family/friends coming to watch because they can see you at several spots without having to go very far. I was very worried about the hill at mile 15 based on what others had written. However the drummers at the bottom were great to get you started, and while it is a long hill, it's very manageable. Plus you have crowds on both sides motivating you to get up, and more at the top cheering you on once you get through. Aside from another small hill around mile 17, the rest of the course is pretty flat. My only complaint is the finish area. It was a clustered mess of people, and as others have mentioned, I was very surprised at the lack of water, and, quite frankly, food in the tent after the race. I didn't bother trying to look around because there were so many people and I just wanted to get out of there and sit down. Overall, I definitely recommend this marathon! | |
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E. S. from New York
(6/1/2010)
"Generally great but let down by lack of water..." (about: 2010)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon, and overall, I'm glad that I chose Vermont. It mostly lived up to its billing as a good first-timers' race and a well organized event. Sadly, there were two major drawbacks that marred the rest of the day (which was generally marked by great spectator support; a pretty good course that was not too hilly, too straight, or dull; nice scenery, etc.). I finished in 4:35 - at about 12:35 in the afternoon. It was hot (admittedly, probably hotter than the organizers had expected), but this was no excuse for the fact that THERE WAS NO WATER at the finish. I was less concerned by the fact that they'd run out of ice cream; but the half of a bagel and handful of pretzels I was offered weren't great either. I believe in previous years they've separated the relay finishers from the marathon finishers, and I hope they do that again - it was miserable and soul-destroying being passed in the last few miles by relayers, who then presumably got the pick of the food and water at the finish. The start was also a little difficult to navigate. There weren't signs for the baggage, or even the start itself. There wasn't a good map provided of either the start or finish areas, so it was hard to know (for example) whether they had actually run out of water, or it was just somewhere on the other side of the finish area. Eventually, a truck turned up with more water at the very far end of the finish area - but not until we'd paid $3 for a bottle, in sheer desperation. | |
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T. R. from Ohio
(6/1/2010)
"So much potential..." (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 It's always amazing that when you have a bad day on the course, your opinion of the race is different from when you have a great day, but I'll try to be unbiased. Positives: Expo: it was easy to get to and packet pickup was a breeze! If the race gets any bigger, find a different location for it! It was a little crowded in there (most are, so it's not a negative!). Shuttle bus service to the start: from many hotels. A HUGE plus! The bus schedule was perfect! Aid stations: there were plenty. I only had one issue through them, but only because some guy sprinted in front of me and stopped. Probably my fault for not paying more attention. Local hotels: I was able to get a late checkout for 2 p.m. Neutrals: Course: parts of this course were awesome, parts were just ok and parts were really bad. The good included the two times through the city center (cool running on the bricks), the last 10K in general, and the parts by the water. Neat to see those things! The ok parts were some of the residential parts from 15-20, which were pretty boring with some bad paving. The bad was the out-and-back from 4-9 and crossing the start line 3-4 times. It may make it easy for spectators to see us, but if you're in a good-sized area, please let us see all of the different parts! Negatives: Finish: I had such a bad day that it wasn't very crowded when I finished, but I would imagine the masses would have been cramped. Move the out-and-back by .1 and you'll have more space (or just change the course altogether). Also, there seemed to be no organization at the finish. I had to ask where to go to 3 or 4 different volunteers. Signage at the finish to shuttle buses: horrible. Fortunately I found someone who knew where to go to catch them. Finisher's chow: I had heard about the ice cream but they were out when I got there. Sure, I had a bad day, but not having enough for all finishers is pretty bad when you advertise that it's going to be there! All in all, it's probably in the bottom third of the 19 marathons I've done, but don't let that discourage you. They've actually all been pretty great (just some slightly better than others). Thanks to the City of Burlington for having the race! | |
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Bradford Hammer from Old Tappan, NJ
(6/1/2010)
"People/Town/Organization great, but course just ok" (about: 2010)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 First time running VT, and fifth marathon overall. The only real negative (and I hate to start with this) is that that course is not very scenic. I thought the last 3-4 miles would be along Lake Champlain, but you're on a wooded bike path and shots of the water are few and far between. On a positive note, the cloverleaf design is nice and allows for friends/family to see you several times. Passing through Church St. marketplace twice was a highlight. And I actually love the ending that took one past the beer tent on the way to the finish. The folks inside were rowdy and great, and post-race was awesome, once you could hoist a cold one and cheer everyone else on. Cannot say enough about the volunteers, town, etc. They REALLY appreciate the runners, and it's quite wonderful. There were hundreds of volunteers - all ages. Everyone was darling nice, and Burlington has some funky restaurants, etc. Bus transportation to the start was a snap - super-easy and efficient. Looked like they were getting ready to add a half-marathon next year, so my guess is that the event will grow. | |
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W. R. from Kentucky, United States
(5/31/2010)
"So close to great" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 First off, this is a tough course. The rolling hills in the first 15 miles chip away at you pretty well. I felt incredibly strong up to and past the Battery Park hill at mile 15. The trick here is to not go crazy charging up the hill with all of the fan support around. Having just run Boston, i feel like the Battery Park hill is as tough as Heartbreak, just earlier in the race. You really have to watch yourself early in the race, or the last few miles on the bike path will seem to last forever. We had beautiful weather which helped. But if you're looking for a boston qualifier, I can think of many easier than this. Things to improve upon would be: 1. Fill the cups of water up more. Many were 1/3 to 1/4 full. Seemed like a waste of cups, as I had to grab multiple through each aid station. 2. The banking of the road from miles 4-8 made me feel like i was running the Indianapolis 500. This bothered my stride and I probably wasted precious time trying to find a flat spot. However, unlike previous postings about this section of the race, I found it to be beautiful and the scenery with the mountains is why I came to Vermont in the first place. 3. Please provide bus service back to the hotels earlier. I called a cab rather than waiting an additional 2 hours for the buses to start loading. The morning bus service was great, however. All in all, a very nice race, which is close to being perfect. A few tweaks here and there, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a late spring or early summer race. | |
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J. c. from Springfield, New Jersey
(5/31/2010)
"Great Race, Spectators, and Scenery" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I ran this marathon just yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. I figured that because it was a smaller marathon, crowd support would be weak. Despite one massive hill at mile 15, the other points of elevation were manageable. The suburban communities along the course - especially around miles 11 and 17-19 - were very supportive. The expo was great and had a great number of vendors, given the smaller size of the marathon. The course went through Church Street in downtown Burlington, which highlighted the local coffee shops and restaurants. I enjoyed listening to the variety of musicians at various points of the race. The only aspect that was disappointing was the finish line, which was very difficult to navigate through. There was little space for the many finishers from the marathon and relay teams to gather. Overall, I would recommend this marathon. |
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