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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 261 to 271]
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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. | |
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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. | |
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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. | |
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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 | |
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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. | |
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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. | |
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B. D. from Basking Ridge,NJ
(10/9/2012)
"Great Race" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Just finished Steamtown and it was great...although downhill...watch out for the hill at mile 24...that killed me! For a small town race, this was incredibly well run...volunteers and spectators were great and so supportive!! It was nice to hang out in the high school beforehand and volunteers came by with trays of food. The food at the finish line was a feast! Thank You to all who helped run this race and thanks for all the pre-race emails...they were great and very entertaining! I did a PR for this race...YAHOO! | |
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D. G. from WDC
(10/9/2012)
"One of the best..." (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Great mid-sized marathon. Expo is fine...not much swag if you have high expectations. Shirts are nice. This year's medal was awesome...much better than previous years. Bus to the start was easy. Plenty of seating in the high school gym while you wait. Short lines for bathrooms. Fast course...don't over do it on the downhill or you will pay. The uphills in the last few miles aren't too hard and when you reach the top of the last one you can see the finish. Finding friends/family post-race is easy. Put this one on your list. | |
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M. W. from Pittsburgh, PA
(10/8/2012)
"Great marathon" (about: 2012)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Excellent point-to-point and fast course through scenic PA. Running through the small towns with a smaller field gives you the perspective of what marathon running might have been like in the 1970s. Lots of spectators in the towns and the course has a 4 1/2 mile section on the Lackawanna trail which is a great change of pace. Marathon is well organized and the smaller size makes it easy to get to the starting line and exit once the race is done. | |
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M. G. from Baltimore, MD
(10/8/2012)
"Great race!!!" (about: 2012)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was prepared for the hills, which were challenging, but the smooth logistics, pretty course and great fan support more than make up for a hilly finish. Scranton was easily accessible, good parking for spectators, nice expo. Yummy dinner in Old Forge, PA for the carb loading the night before. My only complaint has nothing to do with the race organizers. Hotels in the area booked before registration opened and the hotels in the outlying areas were not especially supportive to runners. They did extend check out time but my hotel cancelled transportation I was told was available. Fortunately other runners were nice enough to give me a ride. All in all, however, it was great experience. |
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