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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 231 to 241]
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Marathon Runner from North Carolina
(6/6/2005)
"Truly Excellent Marathon" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 It had been 5 years since my last trip to Burlington, and 5 years to 'finish' the course having done the relay in 2000. Burlington is a great place to visit and the marathon is well worth the effort. Frankly, I was surprised at the number of negative comments, as I think this race is truly topnotch. There is a reason it fills to capacity every year months in advance of race-day... Course: Quite scenic, with numerous lake views, quiet residential streets and a couple of good hills to get the blood really pumping. The Assault on Battery (hill at mile 15) is the BEST hill in marathoning (the drummers at the bottom make it so). Alas, along the bikepath is narrow in many places for the mass of runners, the one drawback. I can see why there is a cap on this race. Spectators: Phenomenal for a race this size. You would expect this in Chicago or New York, not Vermont! The city truly supports its marathon. Post-race goodies: Not half bad, though not spectacular. The donut holes were a welcome treat! I don't mind the vendors selling food, just as long as there is some food separate for runners. Relay runners: Yes, that is part of the race. I think it's great to have, introducing those who may not be ready for 26.2. In many cases, these are the future marathoners, and they should be applauded! Value for the entry fee: Quite good. At $60, it's not a bargain, but on par with other similar races if not slightly better. This is one of my favorite marathons and would wholeheartedly recommend it. It's one I can see myself coming back to in the future. | |
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L. R. from Tampa, FL
(6/5/2005)
"Good Marathon, but not Great" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The fan support is great; expo is small. The elevation chart is very misleading; lots of hills in the first half and the last miles on the bike path are UPhill. The beltline should be replaced with more neighborhoods because the neighborhood support for this course is outstanding! At the finish it was chaos. There needs to be a runner only area with food/drink right after the finish line. Also no one wearing a volunteer shirt knew where to catch the shuttle back to the hotel. And those shuttles need to run more than once an hour. Loved the Taiko drummers, they were awesome! | |
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Marathon Runner from Minneapolis, MN
(6/4/2005)
"Adequate marathon..." (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I enjoyed the crowds and people from Burlington. This is a good marathon, but not a great one. The finish area was a disaster...everyone was allowed in the area, and the food and water tents were to far away. The final relay runners were really rude. I didn't appreciate someone who only ran 6 miles plowing their way through a crowd of people who ran the full race. The bike paths did not have adequate room to support the runners. I enjoyed vacationing in the area, and would recommend everyone visit sometime, but would pass on the marathon. | |
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l. b. from washington, dc
(6/3/2005)
"Beautiful, but not what I expected" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon, although I have done several half-marathons. The town of Burlington was great and the land is just gorgeous. The volunteers for the race are great and the crowds running through downtown Burlington are just the boosts you need at mile 15 or so! However, I had heard great things about this race and was a bit disappointed. First, there is a relay that is run with the marathon. It's pretty demoralizing to see runners passing you fast on all sections of the course, even though you know they've only been running for a few miles. There were long stretches of the run where there were no people and no water and no scenery. Much of the back half was through neighborhoods and on a bike path. The spectators were awesome, but there weren't many, which is where they are most needed! There was little traffic control - cars were literally driving about 6-12 inches from runners on major roads. This is not to mention the locals that felt they should be allowed to ride their bikes on the course even though it was clearly marked as closed. The end of the race was confusing - I had no idea where to find my family and the smells of all the food vendors right after you finish 26.2 miles is more than a little nauseating (not to mention it took me about 10 minutes to find the runner food and water). However, I am glad I came to Burlington for my first race. Not sure I would do it again, but it was wonderful to be in a town that was so excited for the racers! | |
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Rob Centola from Rochester NY
(6/3/2005)
"I WILL be back!" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 AWESOME comes to mind as I sit here thinking about this race. The course was great and the people of Vermont were greater. I personally had trouble with cramping at mile 15 and slowed down to a crawl, but it didn't matter. The people of Burlington made me feel like I was going to finish no matter what! I told myself I was going to have as much fun as I could and these people help me with that BIG TIME. I had a not-so-good run, but I had a wonderful experience. For as long as I run, I will always be back in Burlington the day before Memorial Day celebrating Vermont, the people of Burlington and the pure joy of running. Rob | |
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H. S. from Washington DC
(6/2/2005)
"The town comes out for this one (must do)" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the 2005 VCM and loved the experience. For a flat-lander the course will seem hilly, so do those hill repeats. The crowd support is huge for a small town like Burlington. People put out food, set up their sprinklers, put speakers out the window and numerous people playing a host of instruments. The only changes I would make are requiring relay runners to wear a sign on their backs so we marathoners don?t get discouraged when someone passes us in the last miles. You could just assume that anyone passing is a relay runner. :-) The other change is that the organizers need to put the food and water as close to finish as possible. You had to walk 200 yards though a dizzying crowd of people to find food and drink. Overall, a must-do. Put it on your list. | |
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M. N. from Cary, NC
(6/2/2005)
"This is a great marathon!" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I just ran the 2005 Vermont City Marathon and loved it. I qualified for Boston in this race and set a big PR, but I had trained very hard. The course is terrific with a good mixture of scenery. There are a couple of hills on the course, but I did not think the hills were bad. This is a great marathon for your family to watch you. The course has several out-and-backs from downtown, so I was able to see my family at miles 3, 8, 15, and 25. The fans are awesome, rivaling the Flying Pig for offering the most crowd support! I would also say that Burlington, VT is a great destination marathon since there are many activities and tourist sites that can keep you and your family entertained for days. This was my 9th different marathon and my favorite so far! | |
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G. B. from Phenix City, Alabama
(6/1/2005)
"Well worth the trip from Alabama!" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my 2nd marathon (New Orleans - 2004). I enjoyed the French Quarter, but Burlington is a GREAT host city. The volunteers and people of the city are wonderful. When you come here, stay in the Wyndham hotel, which is 2 blocks from the start, 3 blocks from the finish, and about 5 blocks from Church Street where all of the shops/restaurants are. No need for a rental car. Overall a great experience. | |
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A. G. from Connecticut
(6/1/2005)
"VCM passes the all areas" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The 2005 VCM surpassed all expectations. The course was runner friendly, very well organized and has great community support. The hill to Battery Park was challenging but not like Heartbreak hill in Boston. After Battery park, miles 15-19 the course goes through some side streets but the neighborhood was welcoming and supportive. Knowing the final 4 miles were flat or slightly down hill made a big difference in race planning. I finished at 3:29. You have to be careful of the first 7-8 miles since it is easy to go out way too fast with the thousands of fans and fast course. VCM is easily one of the most enjoyable marathons around. | |
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P. C. from Worcester, Ma
(6/1/2005)
"Fans, Fans, Fans!!" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Burlington really loves marathon day! The course was nice, but it was really the fans that make this one special. I ran a sub-par race, but these people make everyone feel like a champ. Thank you VCM for a super-organized, super-friendly race. |
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