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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 171 to 181]
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L. D. from Massachusetts
(11/1/2007)
"Wonderful Run" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Beautiful city, Great course. Very tough hill at mile 15. Beware of any hill named 'Assault on Battery'. Beware of any hill where 50 war drums are beating - this was awesome. Nice weather. Nice size expo. Would highly recommend. Excellent start and finish areas. I wanted to run a 3:40 but finished just shy of that as I went out to fast the first half and payed the price 3-4 miles after the Assault on Battery. A wonderfully encouraging fellow and volunteer got me pumped back up past mile 20 - Thanks. | |
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M. C. from CT
(8/2/2007)
"great relay" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Did this as part of the two-person team relay. The spectators weren't that great, but overall it was an awesome race and a great experience. I would DEFINITELY do this again. And there was B&J's at the end and at the expo! | |
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J. O. from Sterling ma
(7/15/2007)
"good but not great" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Minuses: No specialness to medals at the back of the pack This was my third marathon and the biggest I had run to date - I practically had to take my medal, which is something I had not seen in much smaller marathons. Pluses: Great course and fans. | |
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Y. W. from Boston, Massachusetts
(6/21/2007)
"I <3 VT!" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What a fabulous marathon! It was my 4th one and my best time yet. I would say that it's a very difficult course for runners who don't love hills. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for a 1st-timer either, but it is a great race! I must say that I was so impressed by the spectators as well! Although the rain started really coming down, the crowds never thinned out and the people continued to cheer! Also, having Ben & Jerry's at the end was fantastic. My only complaint would be the first-aid tent wasn't very accessible and I wasn't able to get in so I just left. | |
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Roscoe Douglas from Macon, Georgia
(6/20/2007)
"Not a good marathon for slow runners" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I read the comments about the early close, and I have to agree. I was one of the runners with the bikes at the back of the race, and even though we were assured that the clock was still operating (it was), the official timer was apparently not working. Finishing late was totally my choice; I was walking with a first-timer, helping her finish. She had raised money for charity, and really wanted to finish. My time of 6:28 by my watch is not shown as an official time. I firmly believe that if a runner toughs it out and finishes, the time should be recorded. I ran in Grandma's this weekend. If you finished, you received a time. It has been the same for all my previous marathons except this one. Early in the race, I was running with a runner in his 70's who had finished this marathon each of the last 10 years. He quit after the half and said, "I don't think I can finish in 6 hours." I guess he knew the score. I emailed and complained to the race director and received a reply that if I had been allowed to have an official time, that the permit from the city would be revoked. Right!!!!! Like the other runner said, the last 5 miles were on a bike path. | |
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J. W. from Maine, USA
(6/20/2007)
"2 thumbs up" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 Vermont City Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This year, 2007, was my 3rd year in a row running VCM. I have 2 little ones and with the course looping through the downtown area, that's a huge bonus for my wife (and kids). There are parts of the course where it's bleh, but the segment along the lake well make up for it. For those running this event fot the first time, be aware of the relay runners. For my 1st VCM, I got caught up running with some relay runners, so I end up starting off to fast and died near the end!!! | |
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S. D. from Westchester, New York
(6/14/2007)
"You must do this race" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Combine together a unique city, which gets behind its race, a course that is well thought-out and a thing of beauty, a first-class organization, and a perfectly sized race, and you have a jewel. First take Burlington. It is a unique, one-of-a-kind place. It is like taking a step back into the psychedelic 1960's. It is the place where the remaining Hippies and the new generation Hippie wannabies have settled. It is a city with bong shops and open-air markets. It is a wonderful college town. Everyone - even if they are not running - needs to visit this city just to experience it one time. It makes San Francisco seem conservative. Combine that with the fact that the weather in May is perfect up there, and it's a great place to spend a weekend. I would never live there but to visit once is unique and it should be on everyone's must-do list. The organization of this race is great. They have everything down perfect from the registration, to the expo, to the pasta party, to the race management itself, to the post-race events, such that you can say nothing but good things. The expo was done right in every way possible - the right mix of vendors selling things and vendors showing things and vendors for other races and products. It was just perfect. The course - except for one four-mile stretch out and back on a lonely road to nowhere - is amazing. It is not flat but it is perfect for the other 18 miles. The part on the bike path is magnificent and everyone who runs will be jealous that the locals have this bike path to run on dailey. The locals come out and support this race like it is there own. This is a major event for them. Everyone knows it is going on and everyone supports it. Only Boston seems to get behind its race to the extent that Burlington does. At one time or another, every marathoner should run a race like this once. You must put this on the list of races you are going to run and get out and do it as soon as possible. If you don't do this race, you will have truly missed a gem. | |
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Anthony Tozzi from Schenectady & Spencertown, NY
(6/14/2007)
"Great First Marathon!" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, and I ran it to ensure that turning 50 would be a positive experience for me, rather than what it was quickly becoming. I came close to signing up for the Lake Placid Marathon (the weekend prior to my birthday), but I was talked into Burlington because the course and crowd were highly recommended, especially for a first-timer. They were right-on with their suggestion!!! In training for this, I "hit the wall" during my last two long runs. I also went up alone and had several "life challenges" confronting me the week prior to this race, which were weighing heavily on my mind - so much so, that I came close to just skipping the race altogether. Therefore, going into this, especially as a first-timer, I had serious doubts about whether I could pull it off. However, the course was very easy, the crowd was just superb, and the aid stations... and overall organization... absolutely lifted me to the finish line. The crowd was unbelievably awesome. I swear that someone was cheering for me every step of the way... and they really seemed to put their heart into it. Burlington's known for its laidback character, and it certainly came through in the crowd. Even when the rain started coming down, residents were still out there cheering! By "crowd," I also mean the volunteers, who were also fantastic. There were plenty of aid stations along the way. The volunteers were as upbeat as the community. This race seemed to be very well organized. A light rain began falling around mile 20 or so. I was shocked, and thoroughly thankful, when I saw the volunteers wraping each finisher in a silver-lined plastic blanket. I'm not sure if that's standard at all marathons, but whoever thought to do this really made my day! I stupidly parked my car about 1/2-mile away from the finish line (all uphill), and forgot how to get to it. When I stopped into a corner store to ask for directions to where I thought it might be; a customer there was kind enough to offer to drive me to it. I was touched that she would offer to take a soaking, stinking person she didn't know to go riding around looking for a lost car! I ended up turning her down because I felt walking would help me loosen up. Finally, I have to say the course was very pleasant. The 7-mile loop I run at home for training is very hilly, with one pretty extreme section. Frankly, I wasn't used to running along such an easy grade. The sights along the way were varied and were generally very nice. As a first-timer, I honestly would not have wanted to run anywhere but Burlington! Thanks to all for a wonderful experience that I'll certainly remember for the rest of my life. :) My experience at Burlington has energized me to decide to continue running marathons. Running in Burlington will surely become an annual event for me. | |
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M. C. from New Mexico
(6/10/2007)
"RUN THIS ONE!!!!" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second marathon - by far and away a better experience than the first! I am reading other people's comments and can't believe some people did not like it. Some people just have to complain I guess. This race had excellent organization; crowd support was amazing. Yes, it is a little congested in the first couple miles. Burlington is a small town. There are a few small hills. The scenery is beautiful. In my opinion the town of Burlington outdid themselves. I will be back for this one! | |
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A. B. from Natick, MA
(6/7/2007)
"Overall I would recommend it" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Vermont City Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I ran the full marathon in 2004 and the 2-person relay in 2007. My comments are about 2007. To me, the best thing about this race was the spectators. The Burlington residents came out in full force and the neighborhood support was fantastic. Many of them even stayed out when it rained; thanks to them! The major problem this year was the 2-person exchange area in Oakledge Park. There was NO baggage check, despite it being advertised on a neon piece of paper in our registration bag, and the organization of the exchange was chaotic. In addition, there was NO water or food available (at least in a convenient spot) for those finishing the first leg of the 2-person relay. Another negative is that the finish area was very chaotic and it was nearly impossible to find anyone. Plus, they were packing things up way before the 6-hour finish mark. Yes, I know it was raining, but those runners were still out there in the rain! On the positive side, I did write to the race committee about my complaints and got a very prompt and thorough response. I am confident things will be better next year. Other good things about the race, besides the spectators: - music, especially the drums! - ample water/Gatorade stops - clocks on course - excellent expo (though very crowded) - shuttle service at local hotels - excellent runners' handbook - very cool online tools regarding your finish statistics - nice CoolMax shirt Overall, this is a race worth running. Burlington is an excellent host city!! |
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