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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 541 to 551]
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B. S. from Pennsylvania
(10/26/2004)
"Great race, but beware of the hills in the 20's!" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great, friendly well organized marathon. Pre-race e-mails were great. I did have a problem with my hotel which I reserved through the website and would recommend calling the hotel directly. The course is beautiful and it is great going through the small towns with enthusiastic crowds. I was disappointed to see the hills in the last 4 miles. For me, the combination of the pounding from the downhills followed by climbs that the elevations chart does not give justice to made for a tough run. It was my second fastest marathon I have run, but not the pr I wanted. Still, it is a five star event! | |
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D. M. from Berks County, PA USA
(10/20/2004)
"Great time, great organization, great race!" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I want to say that it is a shame that the first post for this race is so negative, even though the person did so well. This was my first marathon, my 1st and my friend Barb's first. We arrived on Saturday and enjoyed the expo, and got ready to run the next day. The weather was perfect (45 F and slightly overcast), the crowds were large and enthusiastic - even in the little towns at the BOP. I say if you can't deal with Gatorade first or water first at the water stations, you are a MAJOR CRYBABY! But, I digress. All in all, when you pass the home of the many kids who benefited from the race (kids in wheelchairs) at mile 24 or so, it all kind of hits home. We are so lucky to be able to run 26.2 miles! GREAT RACE FOR ANYONE! | |
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S. S. from Maryland
(10/20/2004)
"Like the first time." (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is a PR course! I heeded the advice about 'taking it easy' the first half of the race (the downhills) and ran 'negative splits' for the first time ever. (This was my 7th marathon--but the first Boston Qualifier.) Those downhills make you feel like you're running 'LSD' when you're really running 'MP', so relax and enjoy the boost! I thought the crowds were great. I've run Marine Corps twice where crowds are 5 deep in places, but here they were all along the course and very sweet (lots of kids holding out their hands for high-fives, lots of 'informal' water stops). When it came to the hill at mile 23.7, both legs cramped from ankle to hip, but the crowds just 'screamed' me up. When I got to about mile 18, I realized I have not had so much FUN running a marathon since my very first one at Marine Corps. The course is very beautiful and goes from wooded areas to small cute towns and back and forth, so it is visually interesting. I was surprised that more people weren't taking advantage of the showers at the end. I checked out of my hotel that morning so I really appreciated having them there. The start was well organized, including the buses, so there was no anxiety before the race. The only thing that would have made this more fun for me would be if more people I knew were running it, so I'll work on that for next year! | |
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d. B. from long island, ny
(10/15/2004)
"Fast, friendly and a great Boston qualifier" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran this marathon after hearing so much about it from fellow club members. The weather was perfect, the people were friendly and the course was just beautiful. I would have loved to run on more trails, but the towns were cute and the race was very enjoyable. After running races with a lot of people, I enjoyed having this one small and personal. I did wish to have more crowd support at the end with those hills at mile 24 and mile 25. I ran my PR and I'm going back to Boston. Thanks for a perfect day. | |
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K. C. from Limerick, PA
(10/14/2004)
"A well organized fast course as advertised" (about: 2004)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I had a completely different perception of this race than the previous poster. Regular pre-race emails from the race director were great. Expo was pretty small, but that's not a huge thing for me. It had everything you would need if you forgot something (body glide, gels, hats, gloves, etc.). Logistics were absolutely flawless including directions, bus transportation, finish area, massages, port-a-johns, etc. Pasta dinner was fine by me... all you can eat fresh salad, fresh fruit, pasta, bread, pie, cake and soda/water, not restaurant quality but perfectly fine for me. Weather was perfect for racing, about 45-50 degrees with calm winds. The course was downhill as advertised, although there are some rollers, the two small inclines after 20 miles aren't that bad - just located at tough spots. I ran a positive split by about 3 minutes, but I didn't find my quads trashed at all, the 1st half is just faster. Overall I PR'd by 15 minutes and attribute probably 3-4 minutes of that to the course. Fall foliage was nice to run through, trail sections were a nice change. Crowd support was not that of a mega-thon but very enthusiastic when present. Water and Gatorade stations were every 2 miles, supplemented by plenty of unofficial stations with people handing out bottled water, oranges, bananas, etc. I was never wanting for liquid on the course. Overall a great experience!! I have nothing bad to say about this race. If you need some extra help getting that BQ, come here! It worked for me. | |
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Walt M. from Eastern, USA
(10/14/2004)
"Great overall experience" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon. The organization was outstanding, I wish I could give it 10 stars. I would caution anyone who runs this marathon, the last 3-4 miles are brutal ascents. The elevation chart and the course description does not describe this accurately. Lots of emails leading up to the race. Every time I emailed a question I received a returned email the same day with a very detailed answer. The volunteers are amazing, all 2,500 of them. The free massage after the race saved my life!!! The crowds are not heavy throughout the race, but when they are there, they are very loud and supportive. Many unofficial aid stations. I'll be back for sure!!! | |
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T. C. from United States
(10/13/2004)
"Great Marathon" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Great job to the organizers of the race. I had one hiccup leading up to the race with the hotel but that was taken care of. I enjoyed my 1st Steamtown Marathon and 2nd overall marathon. I pr'd by 13 minutes. I enjoyed the point to point race. Even though the crowds were small, they were loud. Plenty of volunteers on the course handling traffic. I will come back in the future. The only issue that I had was the size of the finish area. It seemed to get tight in the fenced in area. | |
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Taper King from Central New York
(10/13/2004)
"A perfect day for a run" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I find this race to be the perfect marathon for me, big enough that you're not running alone, but small enough that you're not weaving in and out of people for 10 miles or so. Here are some of my impressions: 1. Pasta dinner - I thought it was fine, nice location, the food was good if not spectacular, the live music and race video was nice. I've paid a lot more at other races. 2. Organization - loved the pre- and post-race emails. The start area was flawless, mileage markers were easy to see. I appreciated the on course volunteers who were pointing out possible uneven spots. I didn't ride the bus to the start, but heard from others that it worked well. The Forest City High School does a GREAT job as pre-race staging area. Finish line worked well, announcer announced a lot of names. I also did not partake of the post-race massage or the free showers, but both were available. 3. The course - the course profile does not do justice to some of the uphills in the course. I just kept remembering that for every uphill, the following downhill is longer. I like running down hills, and the quads held up. I can understand how others worry about the descents beating them up. Also, if someone could please bulldoze that hill at 25.5 I would really appreciate it! 4. Water stops - I thought the Gatorade was mixed a little 'thick'. I stopped drinking it about mile 10, since I felt it was making me sick, and went to water. The stops were plentiful and spaced well. I love the people at mile 6! 5. Spectators - I'm not a big spectator person, so I don't mind thin crowds. Where people did gather, they were loud and enthusiastic. Bottom line - I ran a PR and a BQ, so of course it's my favorite race! Thanks to all who worked so hard to make this race the wonderful event that it is. | |
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David Fath from Pittsburgh, PA
(10/12/2004)
"Wonderful race in haiku" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Volunteers abound Made sub-three ten possible I will run again. | |
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D. K. from Pennsylvania
(10/12/2004)
"A wonderful fall race" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I thought this was a very nicely run event on a great course. The hills at the end were not that difficult considering all the downhill and flat terrain leading up to them. The trail section came at a great time in the race when my legs needed a break and my mind a diversion. It was a very scenic part of the course, with the colors of the fall trees and the crisp river flowing nearby. I never had a problem at any of the aid stations, and there seemed to be many unofficial food and water stops provided by the wonderful people of the surrounding communities. I especially liked getting to stay warm inside the high school at Forest City before the race began. That was a nice touch and sure beat shivering out in the cold. The race director sent out plenty of e-mails before the race keeping with useful information and at times some funny comments. I will probably do this race again in the future, as I really enjoyed the event and the atmosphere. |
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