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☰
Steamtown Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Steamtown Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.7 
Organization 4.9 
Spectators 4.7
Number of comments: 616 [displaying comments 111 to 121]
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R. B. from Tamaqua Pa
(11/16/2014)
"I keep comming back." (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I love this race. I come back each year...awesome fans and course. Great facilities. Not far from my house. | |
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K. F. from Richmond, VA
(11/9/2014)
"My favorite marathon ever" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran Steamtown with a bunch of friends in 2014. The weather was perfect, the scenery was gorgeous, the course was challenging, the organization was impeccable and the support (volunteer and spectator) was exemplary. I PR'd, my friend that I ran with PR'd, and another friend who came up with us PR'd and BQ'd. Lots of wonderful restaurants in the Scranton area. This is one I plan to do again with a few more days for eating. | |
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P. T. from Naples, FL
(11/3/2014)
"Fast Course if you are smart about it" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 First of all, this was just an all around great race. As most others have mentioned, the pre-race e-mails were hilarious but also informative and really helped me feel connected to this race. I couldn't wait to get the next e-mail update to see what Jim would have to say next! The race is very well organized and this can be a very fast course if you train and run it properly. I heeded their advice and ran the downhill portion easy which gave me more energy to tackle the 2nd half. There are some tough hills at the end but if you take advantage and relax on the many downhill sections you will have the energy to get through those last few hills. Spectators were wonderful as well as the volunteers. One huge advantage with this race is being able to wait in the school (warm and protected from the elements) prior to the start. It was so wonderful to be greeted at the school with such enthusiasm from the HS kids. This race also donates a lot of $$ to St. Joseph's Center - yet another reason why this race is so great. All kinds of food at the end...pizza, pierogis even! Free post-race massages! What else can I say? Go run this one! | |
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E. H. from Delaware
(10/27/2014)
"A gem" (about: 2014)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I cannot say enough good things about this race, but if you want the feel of mega-marathon support with the logistics of a smaller race, this is the perfect marathon. The crowds, course, amenities, and organization were impeccable. In every picture I am smiling. That says a whole lot about the joy I felt running this race. | |
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S. T. from Richmond, VA
(10/24/2014)
"Must do!!" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 One of the best races ever! | |
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Art Byram from Glastonbury, CT
(10/23/2014)
"A Real Good Downer" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I would sign up again just for the emails. All volunteer RD and organizers gave us everthing we needed for a great day, and even told us how to run the course. No mystery, take it easy for the first steep 6, then pick it up. I managed a 2min negative split. I would suggest wearing your Hokas to float you along. Thanks for a great race and a Stress free BQ! | |
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S. C. from Oregon, OH
(10/19/2014)
"Scranton Knows how to put on a First-class Maratho" (about: 2014)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon in ten years. My previous three were all HUGE marathons (San Diego, Chicago & NYC), so I was a bit skeptical about running Steamtown due to its smaller size. That being said, it felt like a large marathon. I was glad to see there werent any other races going on too&we were all there to do 26.2! Everything about the race from the pre-race communication (very funny e-mails from the Assistant Race Director), the organization (except a bit crowded at the start), the volunteers, starting at the school with the ability to stay warm before the race, the scenic course, the aid stations, amazing spectators (love the oranges and bananas), cool shirt and medal, and post-race support are first class. Maybe add some timing matts throughout the course and rearrange the line for the post-race goodies to avoid congestion; but the food at the end was worth the wait! The post-race party that evening was nice too. It was a beautiful venue, despite having to walk down the stairs to get to the free food! Running in Toledo, I wasnt able to train for the downhills, and I tried to follow all the suggestions of not going out too fast, but all my splits in the early miles were 10-15 seconds faster than I wanted. Don't be fooled by the elevation map. There were small hills throughout that are not advertised, not to mention the BIG ones at the end highlighted on the map. The trail you run on would be nice w/o the rocks. I stepped on a large one and could feel it through my shoes. While I was dragging at the end, the crowd cheering me on helped me sprint to the finish. The only thing I missed was official pacing groups. Dont rely on your GPS watch&mine has me at 26.39! Hey, since youre considering a modified course for the 20th Steamtown, why not make it a bit flatter so we can walk the next day? Another reason to return& J:) Thank you everyone involved. Im loving my new PR! Seeing my name in the paper the next day was a nice surprise too. | |
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Russell Stahl from Clarks Summit, PA
(10/19/2014)
"Great course with great volunteers and spectators" (about: 2014)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The weather is generally ideal. The net downhill course makes it more enjoyable. The parties as you enter Scranton make it memorable. | |
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A. W. from Ohio
(10/19/2014)
"Second time and I love this marathon" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I love the Steamtown marathon. The spectators are awesome, you get the feel of a big city marathon without all of the hassle. Everything is so well organized and I love the snarky emails leading up to and after the race from Mr. Cummings. You can breeze into the Scranton high school expo and grab your bib and t shirt with no issues (I have run major marathons that meant standing in winding lines to get into the expo) and race day just jump on one of the many many waiting buses. Then you get the the high school and you are greeted by the cheerleaders and warm volunteers to wait in a warm gym, use an indoor rest room, and more or less walk out the door to start at the gun (I mean cannon) and even if you are back with the middle packers you are crossing the mat at about one minute after gun time. I love that it doesn't have a half. Don't get me wrong, I love to run the half, but this race feels like a marathon from 15 years agobefore the enormous half fields and the jumbo novelty medalsit feels like running for the sake of running and I LOVE it. Never change. The course is as described with downhills at the start, and I learned in 2013 that if you do not relentlessly train hills prior to the race your quads will fail you, even if you don't barrel down the hills in the beginning. I ran hills and then I ran hills some more this time around and had no issues with the course in 2014. Another bonus, you can be on the table for a post race massage in under 10 minutes!! You get all the perks of a major race with none of the headaches. Well done. | |
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R. S. from Bergenfield, New Jersey
(10/19/2014)
"Incredible race, extremely well organized!" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my second year running Steamtown and I loved every minute of it (even the uphills at the end). From the hilarious but informative emails from Asst Race Director Jim Cummings to the amazing volunteers and unbelievable crowd support this race is a class act from start to finish. |
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