Sep 20, 2024
Current Year Results
Results Search
Biggest/Best Boston Qualifier
2024 Results
2023 Results
2022 Results
2021 Results
2020 Results
2019 Results
2018 Results
2017 Results
2016 Results
2015 Results
2014 Results
2013 Results
2012 Results
2011 Results
2010 Results
2009 Results
2008 Results
2007 Results
2006 Results
2005 Results
2004 Results
2003 Results
2002 Results
2001 Results
2000 Results
☰
Steamtown Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Steamtown Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.7 
Organization 4.9 
Spectators 4.7
Number of comments: 610 [displaying comments 251 to 261]
|
Madonna Gabert from Enola, PA
(10/9/2012)
"Great Race!!!" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is the best organized marathon I have run to date. Loved the e-mails from Jim Cummings, the race director! Pasta party was great! Thumbs down to the hotels that require a TWO night stay when you only want one. Thanks for the ease of doing a bib transfer as well for both my husband and I. We missed the deadline but found two people that could no longer run it and doing the transfer was really easy. Volunteers did fantastic, fans were great! People huddled on their front porches in blankets yelling, 'good job' or 'looking good' the entire way, thank you locals for all the encouragement, you really make a difference. Pizza and pierogies for the post-race food, I thought I was in heaven (and not because I felt like I was dying) but because that is real food! My only complaint was the race shirt, nothing special. I would be up for something humorous on next year's shirt like the post race e-mail mentioned. | |
|
Catherine Wyatt from Harrisburg, PA
(10/9/2012)
"Great Course, Awesome Fans, Grocery Bags?" (about: 2012)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This is my second time running this race and it didn't fail to impress once again. In 2010, I had my first Boston Qualifying race at Steamtown, and now in 2012, I BQ'd again and with Personal Record by 2 minutes! With that said I clearly love the course and the fan support is beyond motivating helping me push myself harder than I have in any of my other Marathons! Also, the volunteers are so kind and supportive even when I'm in my post marathon 'dear god I feel like crap and am going to say what I want phase', I absolutely love their kind words and support even after seeing hunderds of runners just as dazed, confused, and sometimes rude as I could be when my filter is limited by exhaustion! My only complaint this year (2010 it was the shirts, and I feel like my voice was heard, this year they were great!) is that our goody bag was a grocery bag! I think me like most marathoners love to do the pre-race packet pickup picture. This year I had to do number pick up because I thought my friends might be confused as to why I was so excited about my grocery trip! I know the Baltimore Marathon uses underarmors clothing store bags as their race pick up bags, maybe Scranton running company could donate their bags they give people for shopping in their store?? Just a thought, not a big deal and completely overshadowed by the great volunteers, spectators, and course, but this is just a thought! Thanks again for another great year, and for providing me the tools to secure another trip to Boston! | |
|
J. W. from Richmond, VA
(10/9/2012)
"Best Marathon to date!" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Steamtown is hands down the best Marathon I have ever run from the organization, the volunteers, the course, the pre and post race parties - it is all 'gold star' material! First and foremost I have to give an A+ to the local community and volunteers; they treated us like we were rock stars! There were over 3,000 volunteers for the ~2,000 runners. Many of the volunteers were high school students who took the day off from Facebook and watching football to stand out in the 40ish degree temperatures to hand cold cups of water to complete strangers - this has restored my hope for mankind. Big props to the race organizers, the logistics for this marathon is run like a well oiled machine. I would like to especially give big props to Jim Cummings, the assistant race director. Jim really should take his marathon comedy routine on the road; his weekly pre-marathon emails are the stuff of legend. The course was superb, it keeps you from becoming a 'running zombie' with enough new scenery and surfaces (yes there are trails) that it is impossible to have your mind turn to gruel or even think about the dreaded 'wall' because you are anticipating the next town's cheering squad and/or scenery. I was able to shave over 18 minutes from my previous PR and I owe most of that to the course and crowd support. The pre race dinner was also fantastic. The dinner had many food choices for everyone with live music in a real dining facility with real plates, pasta, salads, and chicken - all for $10! To outdo the pre-race dinner the race organizers also held a post-race bash free of charge that included live music, great food, and my favorite thing from Pennsylvania - Yuengling Beer! Last, but not least, all the money raised for this race goes to the St. Joseph's Center which provides family and adoption services; outpatient therapy; and extensive residential and community-based programs for children and adults diagnosed with intellectual disabilities. Bottom line is that your $$ goes to a worthy cause. To summarize, ADD STEAMTOWN to your 'bucket marathon list' - you will not be disappointed! | |
|
L. S. from NJ
(10/9/2012)
"My quads don't hurt!" (about: 2012)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Quads OK, but calves are barking. Might be the minimalist shoes but I still love them (Kinvaras). Enjoyed everything about this race, and even though it's not the fastest marathon I've ever run I felt better/stronger/happier than I have in the four other marathons I've done. I think that's because of a combination of an interesting and diverse course and the great spectators who really kept me in the game. Thanks to all the volunteers who made this a fun race - I'd definitely like to do this one again next year. | |
|
D. S. from State College, Pa
(10/9/2012)
"AMAZING...well worth hot summer training runs!!!" (about: 2012)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second marathon, after Pittsburgh's and 22,000+ I was a little concerned about having enough cheering to motivate me....WRONG! I think it was better!! The start is so relaxed and organized, the students make you smile and a cannon to get you going! A must try marathon..looking forward to coming back. | |
|
R. P. from Northampton, PA
(10/9/2012)
"Could not have gone better for my first marathon!" (about: 2012)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 From the pre-race emails through the entire event, I felt like part of the Steamtown family. My fiance wondered why I didn't get emotional when I crossed the finish line. The entire spirit of the event from the directors to the volunteers to the spectators were so uplifting. The positive energy you felt the entire time carries you through to the finish line. | |
|
D. S. from Charlottesville, VA
(10/9/2012)
"AVOID THE RED CARPET INN!!!!!" (about: 2012)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is a great marathon! However, under NO circumstances should you stay at the Red Carpet Inn!!! It seems like a good idea because it is right by the finish line. But, it is the dirtiest hotel I have EVER been in. If your choice is stay there or stay 20 miles outside of Scranton.... stay 20 miles outside of Scranton. | |
|
P. M. from Media, PA
(10/9/2012)
"Great organization and awesome fans!" (about: 2012)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Hey, what a great race!! The busses to the start are a great idea... point to point, no time concerns once you are there. The organization at the High School was perfect... your volunteers and the cheerleader squads were fantastic! All along the course, the volunteers were great: enthusiastic, fun, cheerful. Where do you find these people? They are amazing and make your race something really special. I was disappointed there weren't more trashcans/boxes after the water stations so that I could throw my cup into a convenient one and save the volunteers some effort and show respect to the community. (I think that is my ONLY complaint.) The omnipresent shuttles and bike-borne medical personal were reassuring. The bands and fans along the way made this one of the MOST fun runs I've ever had! Love the community spirit! Came up the hill at 22mi to the band singing 'Rock and Roll High School' and the lead singer making eye contact with me and pumping his fist.... ' Hey Ho, LET'S GO!!' Amazing. Simply amazing. Oh, and starting us off with a civil war artillery piece? My new favorite start of a race. Can't wait until next year. Phil McLean and Hoa Le McLean | |
|
M. A. from Lititz, PA
(10/9/2012)
"Great marathon to run" (about: 2012)
3 previous marathons
| 3 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I've run Steamtown 2001, 2009 & 2012. They keep getting better and better. The run through the small towns are so much fun with the high school bands cheerleaders greeting you at Forest City High and all the nice people cheering along the way. I can honestly say I've never had anyone be rude to me from this Marathon. Spectators get sparse thru the later part of course. Killer on your quads at end of race where you have some hills & hitting the wall. Railtrails are nice on the feet but slow you a bit due to gravel/mulch surface & most time can only have 3 runners wide so a little hard to pass. Have never gone to expo, so no comment on that. Participant Medal for 2012 was awesome. Only negative comment was the wait for the port o john at before the start but when you have 2000 runners using 90 port o johns, you'll have that. Fall leaves are in full color, if you haven't done this, you should as this is a great small marathon to run. | |
|
S. A. from Lewisburg, PA
(10/9/2012)
"Best First Marathon Ever!!!" (about: 2012)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 (An edited version of my last marathon blog entry) We dressed in our matching Steamtown Marathon shirts & drove to Dunkin Donuts for our pre-marathon breakfast. It was cold , but no rain. We drove to downtown Scranton then rode the bus to Forest City (the start). At Forest City, you can wait inside the high school to stay warm. You are greeted with cheerleaders & many happy folk. The race began with a loud boom from a civil war cannon. The race is predominantly down with some steep downhill sections but feels level for most of the race until the final 2 miles where you encounter 3 hills until the final downward 0.2 mile. It is rumored that spectators referred to me as 'fish girl' because of the flounder drawn on my back. There were also 'party girl', 'birthday girl', 'beer head man', and 'kilt man'. The marathon runs through outlying little towns. You are offered water/sport drink by the locals, serenaded by high school bands, and boom boxes. People are positive and encouraging along the route. There is running along a gravel trail and through a parkvery nice. We ran up through a very classy neighborhood in the hills, then down into the city. I didn't mind the hills, as I seemed to have gotten a second wind. At mile 25, a non-sanctioned beverage station offered me a glass of beer (I declined), but my husband chugged his down. At mile 25.5, he let out a loud beer burp. There weren't many spectators until the finish line because of my late finishing time, but it was great going through the chuteall smiles. When I finished, I received my mylar blanket, and wanted to just sit down or lay down. I couldn't walk a straight line, and my legs hurt a lot. They offered me a massage so I went for it. I figured at least, I would be laying down. It was 'the bomb'. The tent had some warm food, so I had pierogies. YUMNothing like Central PA pierogies! Today, my left knee hurts, my right foot hurts, and I have perfected the zombie 'walking dead' gait. Other than that, I feel great! My finisher's medal is fabulous. When we were walking from mile 21-23, I told my husband that I was a lousy endurance runner. His response to me was that actually, I had great endurance having been on this course almost six hours, but that I was just very, very slow. So, I am the 'ultimate slow-running endurance athlete'. It was a great first marathon. Well organized, funny helpful inspirational e-mails, no glitches. Because it wasn't super gigantic, it felt a little more personal to me. Best part was when a guy driving a bus (possibly the sag wagon), saw me heading to the finish, and gave me the 'thumbs up' sign. |
Quick Links
Marathon Search
Upcoming US Marathons
Upcoming International Marathons
Search Marathon Results
Latest Running News
Recent Newsletters
Race Director Tools
© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC
