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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 61 to 71]
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S. D. from Cedar Rapids, IA
(10/8/2018)
"Great course for a PR/BQ!" (about: 2018)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a great hometown marathon. The organization is fabulous with plenty of entertaining and informative emails leading up to race day detailing what to expect, the shirt and medal were both great, and I loved the race day packet pickup option. The course starts out very much downhill with some hills at the end which you should not underestimate! This race takes place as the leaves are changing and the scenery, especially when running on the trail, is beautiful. There is intermittent crowd support throughout but when there are people they come out in full force cheering and oftentimes with their own makeshift aid stations which were very appreciated on such a warm/humid day. The post-race food options were some of the best I've ever seen and the finishing area offered plenty of space to chill out and relax. Overall, if you run it smart by not starting out too fast in the beginning, you should have a really great day in terms of having fun throughout the run as well as getting a great finishing time! | |
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G. F. from PA
(10/8/2018)
"Small Town Hospitality with large city logistics" (about: 2018)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Pros -> Amazing Volunteers, Great crowd support, Well coordinated, Great post race food and part, Not congested Cons -> Point to point, down hills, rolling hills I really had high expectations based on other reviews and this marathon far exceeded them. You get a sense that you are part of their family with the hospitality the town, the spectators, the volunteers and the organizers treat you with. It starts with the emails leading up to them. They are genuine, informative and funny. The expo had a race seminar that felt more like a conversation with good friends that ran the course before than a typical seminar on the course. It included some amazing athletes with impressive records. Also at the expo, they have about 2 volunteers for every runner (that is not a scientific number, but is the mantra for this whole race, lots of enthusiastic and friendly volunteers) . On race day its easy to get to the buses that take you to the starting point with their buses and just like everything else they have more than enough volunteers and buses and everything flows smoothly. We got off the buses to a tunnel of high school cheerleaders cheering for us. At the starting point, there were plenty of porta johns, indoor seating, tons of volunteers and a great atmosphere. The race has a great start with a civil war cannon! There are official water stops every two miles that are marked ahead with signs alerting you that they are coming. They have plenty of portajohns throughout the course. The course goes through many small towns where the citizens act like this is the biggest event all year with the amazing support they bring. In addition to the official aid stations, there are about another 20 impromptu aid stations with people in their front yards handing out everything from candy to tissues to baseline to beer to whiskey and many more things I can not recount. At the finish line, there is plenty of amazing food and a beautiful square to hang out with family and friends. There is also an awesome after party with free booze! The course is beautiful with a lot of variety between small towns and nature along scenic trails. In a nutshell, this race is amazing because the people are amazing. It has a small town charm and hospitality that you just cannot create at the big city races but has the efficiency and perks not found at the small races! | |
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S. W. from New York
(10/12/2017)
"Great small-town race" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great small-town race. Lots of email communication before the event, very clear and easy race-day logistics, and lots of resources at the start and along the course. Bag check, port-o-john, aid stations, spectators, and course signage were all great. I would highly recommend this race for anyone looking for a fast course. The field is fairly small, so there are only a few dozen sub-3 finishers. If you're hoping to run under 3 hrs and want a lot of people around you like in a big city race, this race isn't for you. But if you've got the mental strength to push regardless of who is (or isn't) running around you, then you need to run this course. The community really comes out for this, which is really cool. A lot of the aid stations are just neighbors who set up water/Gatorade because they're good people. And there was some crazy old lady just dancing away around mile 21; she was the best! I really appreciated the community coming out to support the runners. | |
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S. B. from Syracuse
(10/11/2017)
"Amazing marathon!!! Terrible 2017 weather!!!!!" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Everyone has invested their time and energy with this marathon, not much, if anything, is lacking. The ride into Forest City is pretty easy (about 30 mins from DT Scranton) but no traffic. One minor gripe was not enough porta potties and the bathrooms were not open in the school. It causes a bit of an issue so close to the start. However, it was not the a major issue. The people on the course are amazing - volunteers, spectators, etc, really love their community and event. It is impossible to not be encouraged by them! Course - There are 'two courses'...the first 15-16 or so, which you can run really fast, banking a lot of minutes. However, you have to know the last 10, your legs will feel it. When you get to 20, the flats feel like hills and the hills like mountains! The two or three big ones at the end would not be a big deal during a 5 miler but they are physically and mentally tough at that point. The last mile is tough is you go up a hill, turn, and then continue going up. You then think you're at the top and it is just about over, but there is more hill!!!! Finally a straight away to finish (they should have 1/4 marks the last mile!!). That said, if you train with hill running (plan down hill running and finish with uphills), you can definitely PR since the first 16 are real fast! I also liked the few miles on through the rails to trails, where it was quiet for the first time in a while, and then the little section on the trail. It definitely broke up the miles and miles of pavement! Post-race, a lot of tasty food, great volunteers, etc! Weather- 2017 had to be the worst, ever. It was 70 at 100% humidity (literally) at the start. The first 9-10 miles were not terrible with slight breeze but still not ideal. By mid-race, as you dropped in elevation, and 90-120 mins later, it was mid-70s and still HUMID! At mile 16, I was easily on pace for a BQ time. However, just 3 short miles later, the humidity (and the sun even popped out for a few miles) caused me to almost come to a standstill and ended up walking many times over the last 5 miles. The temp at the end was 78 degrees with the dewpoint at 70! It was like running in the middle of a summer day, I cannot imagine anyone ran what they could have with the temps/dewpoint near record levels. Overall, highly recommend this race, truly a great job by everyone, a great course, environment, etc. | |
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A. W. from Groton, NY
(10/10/2017)
"A Hot Day saved by the Spectators" (about: 2017)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It was hot and muggy...I started too fast and the super people of Scranton saved me. I never saw so many fans giving off water and candy before in my life. Truly a unique event. | |
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Daniel Martin from Washington, DC
(10/9/2017)
"Excellent Race on Beautiful, Varied Course" (about: 2017)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Having family in the Scranton area, I decided to give it a shot this year. The course is beautiful in early October, and the support from the local communities is abundant and ebullient throughout the race, especially in the back half. Even in the grueling weather conditions during the 2017 race, staff and volunteers did an excellent job supporting runners with water, Gatorade, medical support, etc. I'd absolutely recommend this race to anyone from beginners to elites. | |
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M. M. from NJ
(10/9/2017)
"Wonderful course, enthusiastic volunteers" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I like smaller races and I was glad I made the trip from the New York area to run this one. It was well-organized, the volunteers and spectators were delightful and the route was interesting and often quite scenic. The course itself was exactly what were told (warned) about: Deceptively easy early, followed by challenging but manageable hills in the final few miles. I thought I managed my pace well, but the steamy weather on race day (ugh - 70s, rain at the start and muggy, muggy, muggy all day) sapped my energy by the time we hit the last few hills. The large number of walkers I passed in the late stages testified to what a tough day it was. Still, I truly enjoyed running through the hamlets of northeastern Pennsylvania, and in the quiet sections along the Lackawanna River Trail, the fall foliage was absolutely stunning. I can't say enough about the volunteers, many of them local high schoolers. They were up early in the darkness and pouring rain to set up the aid stations and greet us at the start. Organization was top-notch, from the cheeky but informative pre-race emails to the race-day shuttle buses to the generous post-race spread. Great medal, too. I think I could have PRd on this course if it were dry and 20-30 degrees cooler, and maybe I'll come back and try. | |
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A. M. from New Jersey
(10/9/2017)
"Must Do Marathon" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've done this marathon four times and counting - each time is amazing. The shuttles to the start depart from Scranton near-constantly for 90 minutes with plenty of parking. The students and other volunteers at the start are efficient and cheerful. The race then starts with cannon fire. All marathons need a cannon. The course itself is 90% fantastic (there's a dull couple miles in there, but very still overall amazing). You go though several downtown areas with student bands and tons of crowd support. The whole county appears to be on the course. There are also a few sections of wooded trail (hard packed dirt, no roots/rocks) that are stunning in the fall. No crowd there, but it's a nice mental break. You end by running through an epic neighborhood block party. The neighborhood seems like Mt. Everest but they do their best to get you through. Music is blaring, sprinklers and hoses are aimed at you, plenty of food, drink, beer is offered. You come down from there into downtown Scranton. Finish has music, food and plenty of space to rest. I've never had an issue getting my drop bag quickly. There are official water stops (no food) every two miles. Residents also supply a dozen unofficial stops with food (fruit, candy, granola bars, pretzels, icepops), drink and first aid (biofeeeze, Vaseline on sticks, ice packs, aspirin). | |
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J. S. from Maryland
(10/8/2017)
"America's friendliest marathon for real" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Tough humidity at the 2017 event, but race organizers worked to solve even that! They put out a call to residents along the 2nd half of the course for extra cold water stations and spray hoses! I think there were 12 aid stations in the last 6 miles! Plus, volunteers and community members walked alongside runners walking, just to make sure they were okay. What an amazing community! Can't wait to come back! | |
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Eliot W. Collins from Raritan Borough, NJ
(11/17/2016)
"A Very Enjoyable Race" (about: 2016)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I've run this race 11 times. It's one of the best. The people in the Scranton area are SO nice. I'll be back again in 2017 |
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