calendar icon Oct 18, 2024

Steamtown Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Steamtown Marathon Information & Reviews

Course Rating Course 4.7 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 4.9 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 4.7 
 
 
Number of comments: 616 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 61 > ]

 

D. N. from Virginia (10/11/2023)
"Fantastic point to point race" (about: 2023)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


Everything about this race was perfect from the weather to the aid stations to the support along the course. I'll definitely be back in the future.

 

M. S. from Southampton, PA (10/11/2023)
"Hometown race" (about: 2023)

2 previous marathons | 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


The first half feels like the race of your life. Downhills make you float along. The middle of the course is on beautiful trails. People outside of their houses lining the streets cheering everyone on. Water stops are everywhere. The second half is definitely challenging but worth every second to reach that finish line. Best part of the race are the weekly emails.

 

E. N. from New mexico (10/11/2023)
"2022 finisher- First Marathon" (about: 2022)

1 previous marathon | 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


I enjoyed it enough to sign up for a second. The other runners on the course were incredible and the spectator spots were in the right place for the added boost. After the half mark there is a stretch of beauty and solitude on the bike path. The time of year makes for the best foliage. The big hill by the end has wonderful supporters who knew the right ways to motivate me stay running. One day I hope to return.

 

K. C. from NJ (10/11/2023)
"Small race with a big heart" (about: 2023)

2 previous marathons | 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


This race has all the charm of a hometown race and the organization of one much larger. You feel like you're in on inside jokes before you even step foot in Forest City thanks to hilarious (and informative) race communication emails from the assistant race director Jim Cummings. The volunteers and spectators are equally warm and welcoming. This race was such a good time. The route takes you through a wide variety of areas so you'll never get bored. The wooded trail section is gorgeous in the fall and the residential areas are bustling with homemade aid stations, music, and cheering. This race has so much heart, you leave Scranton glowing from it. I hadn't heard of this race prior to this year (I'm out of state) but the word needs to be spread far and wide: everyone will be better for having experienced Steamtown.

 

Habib Khan from New York City (10/11/2023)
"Volunteers, spirit, freshly-cooked food at finish" (about: 2023)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


The best thing about this race hands down are the volunteers, especially the high school kids. Their energy, enthusiasm and hospitality was outstanding.

I loved the fact that runners got to stay warm inside Forest City High School instead of being exposed to chilly weather pre-race. What I loved most was freshly-cooked food at the finish line. I get chills after a race so I really appreciated the soupy stuffs.

I would recommend this race.

 

G. C. from United States (10/11/2023)
"A great marathon to run" (about: 2023)

3 previous marathons | 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


The Director and volunteers worked very hard to make sure every Runner felt like a winner. I was greeted in the early morning with excitement and support from the volunteers. They all went above and beyond to make this Marathon a success. The course is ideal . I will definitely run this again with my friends

 

M. B. from MT Cobb PA (10/11/2023)
"Great Race" (about: 2023)

3 previous marathons | 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


Well organized Great race and atmosphere

 

A. R. from Richmond, Virginia (10/11/2023)
"Run with confidence" (about: 2023)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


The organization: you'll never have to question anything. It's all laid out for you in advance and there are volunteers all over to get you where you need to be. This is flawless execution of a marathon in my opinion. I can't say enough good things about how well the course is ran. WOW.

The course: come out of the gate flying and you may just find a PR. The first 7 miles are guaranteed to give you good time. Mile 8-20 is where the real race begins and you flatten out on the course. That's where you'll actually have to start running. 20-26 are always hard but save some energy for the last 5k because those hills will destroy you and you'll lose all the time you banked in the start. What's a race without a little fight? Right? Still a great course for your best time.

Spectators: you'll have a good flow of people yelling followed by some quiet focused miles. I like the balance. Nothing is better than running a race in the peace of fall and then hitting a roaring fan base. If you want it to be electric 24/7 this isn't your race.

 

A. N. from NY (10/10/2023)
"Amazing, hilly race" (about: 2023)

2 previous marathons | 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


First time running this marathon and only my 2nd marathon. This was a fantastic event, from the organization to amazing community support. The number of water and Gatorade stations, port-a-potties and all of the cheerleaders and house parties along the route made this race so much fun! I just need to find a place to hill train - it's difficult when you live in an area called Big Flats!

 

H. R. from Maryland (10/10/2023)
"Give the RD a raise!" (about: 2023)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


A very well organized race - point-to-point so there's a 45 minute shuttle ride from parking at the end to the start, but it was super easy and convenient. Being able to hang out inside the high school at the start line was a big plus especially since it was windy and chilly in 2023. The race is super well organized, the pre-race communications are above and beyond top notch informative and hilarious. The course is a net downhill with a few steep sections (don't worry they found uphills for the last 3 miles), that winds through a bunch of little towns from Forest City to Scranton - fortunately we had cloud cover as I imagine this race can get pretty toasty in full sun for most of the miles. With a small field of about 1000 runners, and good but sporadic spectators, it's a pretty quiet and laid back experience overall so if that's your kind of thing (like it is mine, I'm over giant 30,000+ people races) I recommend checking this one out!

 

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 61 > ]


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