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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 241 to 251]
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A. C. from Pittsburgh, PA
(10/15/2012)
"A must-do for all who say they are marathoners" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Pro's: -funny and warped email updates from asst race director - awesome -big-town crowd support in a small town -small-town prices and logistics -net downhill course (ending hills a bit challenging) -finely tuned race organization - they know what they are doing -post race party - if you are from out of town and can stay, do so, it is fun -friendly, friendly, friendly, supportive town-folk, the church bells rang and nuns came out as we ran by in the morning! -high school starting area (and support from students)was perfect -Cool tourist stuff like the National Railroad Museum (free to runners) Thoughts for improvement: -extra portajohns at the rest areas on the course - there were lines -if you really want more than 2/3 of the registered runners to show, consider a bib-transfer process a few months out. I would love to see the wonderful town of Scranton benefit from the revenue of 1,000 more runners. Thank you Scranton Marathon. | |
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Larry W. from Cincinnati, OH
(10/15/2012)
"Excellent race for Marathon first-timer..." (about: 2012)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first Marathon ever, so I don't really have anything to compare it to, but I will say I cannot think of anything the race committee could have done to make it 'better,' per se. Maybe make the post-race party closer to the race finish line so more people are tempted to stick around and socialize. I will not lie, that last 3 miles were B-R-U-T-A-L. Funny thing is, I TOTALLY knew not to take advantage of the net drop over the first 13 miles or so, and guess what I did... I kept a 8-9 minute/mile pace for the first Half, and finished with an overall pace of 10:50ish. So yeah, I made the classic Steamtown rookie mistake of going out to hard. I lived and learned. My longest run was 18 miles prior to Steamtown, so once I hit the Rails-To-Trails portion, I was starting to gas out - ended up walking a good portion of the final 3 miles uphill. I totally recommend this race to anyone, rookie or experienced. Awesome race and support for a 'small-town' race. | |
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Eliot W. Collins from Raritan Borough, NJ
(10/15/2012)
"Highly Recommended - Will Return Again in 2013" (about: 2012)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Steamtown is the same year after year. Everyone associated with the race (organizers, volunteers and spectators) does an outstanding job of making everything enjoyable for the runners. They are some of the nicest people that I have ever met. I definitely got my money's worth, and I look forward to returning for the 11th time in 2013. | |
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J. A. from Baltimore, MD
(10/14/2012)
"Very well run, small town race" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is a nice breather from the huge 20K + big city marathons. It's a nice course and the marathon itself is extraordinarily well run by the directors and volunteers. The humorous email updates from the race director are worth the price of registration. At times the course is difficult because of a paucity of fans, but there are plenty of fans for the challenging hills at the end and the volunteers are absolutely terrific. | |
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N. W. from Bradford, Pa
(10/14/2012)
"One of the best!" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first Steamtown and will not be my last. This was an excellent race from start to finish. I rank it with Richmond and Virginia Beach as my favorites. Run this race if you truly love supportive fans. | |
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B. Y. from Long Island, NY
(10/14/2012)
"Superb event!!!" (about: 2012)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 As a first timer I can't compare Steamtown to other races, but from reg through post race events and results everything was well organized and communication outstanding. Kudos to all the volunteers and communities...Cheers and smiles from all. St. Joe's kids on the course made for a big rush! | |
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K. M. from Telford, PA
(10/13/2012)
"Small town USA magic" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The humorous weekly pre-race emails, crowd support (everyone in NE PA seems to come out to watch), overall downhill point-to-point course, Forest City HS for shelter before the start (no shivering next to a highway bridge), well organized volunteers, and generally good weather make for an excellent marathon. This year was the second time I've run this race. I plan to return. The only downside is that the local hotels barely have the capacity to support everyone, so book a hotel early. | |
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A. D. from Queens, NY
(10/12/2012)
"Quality marathon in every way!" (about: 2012)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What a great event! Excellent course, logistics and support. Many thanks to the organizers and volunteers. Also to Scranton, Forest City and all the communities along the way for your encouragement. I highly recommend this marathon. | |
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M. A. from Nyack, NY
(10/12/2012)
"Better than the big city marathons!" (about: 2012)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Before the race, I thought for sure I was hanging up my marathon shoes and sticking to half marathons after this, but the amazing experience I had has me second-guessing that decision! Growing up in NEPA, I knew that the course support would be awesome, it always has been. What I didn't know is that the organizers have a well-oiled machine here. Everything about this race was organized and easy to navigate. The people, the course, the food, the medal, everything was top notch. About halfway through the race, I mentioned to my friend how hungry I was... we turned a corner and someone was handing out granola bars! So many FRIENDLY and HELPFUL volunteers throughout the entire course made this FAR beyond any expectations I had. My first marathon was a huge, big city marathon that I loved, but this is far and away my top choice between the two. I seriously can not think of one big complaint or suggestion. The only thing that bothered me a little is that, being a slower runner, the water station at about mile 23 was packed up by the time we got there, even though we were ahead of the course time limit. | |
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Jessie Lish from Virginia Beach, VA
(10/10/2012)
"Fantastic destination marathon!" (about: 2012)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I traveled from VA Beach to run my fourth marathon. This is the smallest race field I've ever run with...and I'm 100% planning on signing up for next year's race! I thoroughly enjoyed the course, the trails, the race shirt, and most of all, the fans. I was shocked and impressed that, not only were there water/All Sport stops every mile or so, but there were spectators along the way to serve refreshments in between water stops. Everything was awesome, from the registration process, the weekly emails, and the volunteers and spectators. Way to go, SMA! |
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