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Marathon Details - On the Road for Education

North America Marathons > USA > IA > Mason City > On the Road for Education

On the Road for Education

On the Road for Education & Half-Marathon, 10K & 5K, Corporate Relay Marathon

Mason City, IA USA

October 13, 2013

http://www.ontheroad4edu.org

News

Marathon Results

By Year:

2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 Top 3 Finishers

Race Details

Fast course that covers a variety of surfaces including: concrete streets; asphalt roads; paved and un-paved trails; and graved country roads.

Contact Information

Name:	Gary J. Schmit
Address:	On the Road for Education Newman Catholic Schools 2445 19th St. SW Mason City, IA 50401
Phone Number:	641-425-5532
Fax Number:	641-423-9244
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (62)

Course 4.3

Organization 4.5

Spectators 3.2

Write a review

Number of comments: 62 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

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

D. G. from Richmond, Va (10/22/2013) "Great Race" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was a great race. The only negative is that they are billing this as the final year they are doing the race... If you like small races, this race was perfect. The people were so friendly and went out of their way to welcome you. the pasta party was very simple (school cafeteria) but the food was some of the best I have ever had at a pasta party. The race was small. But there were two of us running together and we wound up picking up three other runners during the race and all finished together. Which was good because that was just about all the people we saw on the race course. There were plenty of water stops and the marshals did a great job (at times we felt bad that they stopped the cars for us. But the drives were very cool about it. It will go down as one of my favorites
J. S. from Minnesota (10/14/2013) "A gem of a race" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Neat town, absolutely stunning course, impeccable organization, great accommodations, wonderful spectators, and friendly runners. I was so sad to hear that this was the final year for this race. It was truly a gem! So glad I was able to experience it! One of my favorites!
S. L. from Wisconsin (10/20/2012) "Great race!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was a well organized race. The volunteers and runner support along the course were excellent. I loved the course with its variety of paved and unpaved trails. The goody bags were awesome! If you are looking for a fun, low-key, no frills race, this is it. I would definitely go back!!
G. D. from Iowa City (10/19/2012) "Overall fantastic experience" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 A great course, especially the wooded trail section. I expected few spectators in this smaller town, but was touched when people got out of their cars to cheer us on! This was like an excellent training run with tactical support: water/powerade every two miles and gu as advertised. And everyone was downright nice, and the amenities (showers available after) and swag (a beef log!) were fun and fab. But really, it was about the peopleboth the townsfolk and the runners who come to this race are great. Thanks so much to the guys who let me draft behind them in the wind!
Paul Wcislo from Silicon Vally, CA (10/17/2012) "Great Park & River Trails. Fantasitc Local Warmth." (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Despite the wet and blustery weather, this is a sweet marathon. A very accommodating start with 6, 7 & 8am starts to help slow guys like me. Locals at every water stop were very friendly. The park and river trails are beautiful! And the hot shower and towel at the finish, which was included, was very welcome. If you have not run Iowa, make this your destination next fall.
D. P. from New London, Minnesota (10/16/2012) "Great course, great volunteers, sparse cheers" (about: 2012) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The best part of this marathon is the organization and volunteer support. All aid stations were well stocked and manned with motivated and cheerful parents and children of the school. They were awesome. The course was more trail than I expected. They actually painted all the exposed roots and rocks for 4 miles of trail with white paint -very helpful. With only 88 marathoners it was nice to not see miles of open road ahead. While the spectators that were on the course were energetic and a mental boost to this runner, many runners might find spectator support lacking.
S. P. from Minneapolis, mn (10/16/2012) "Great variety on the corse, pavement, gravel and t" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Great course and support!
B. G. from Omaha, Neb. (6/2/2012) "Great race" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 If you're looking to race on a variety of surfaces- streets, highways, gravel, crushed rock and trail- you should try Mason City. The spaghetti dinner was fine and we got a nice long-sleeved technical shirt and Fox River running socks, which are made nearby. They're great socks. The course is pretty flat, but the three or four miles of trails required me to concentrate on my footing, so I couldn't zone out. Not a lot of runners or crowd support, but the volunteers were enthusiastic and they had plenty of gel and drinks. This is a hidden gem. It's an easy drive from the Twin Cities or the Omaha area.
C. K. from Alaska (11/4/2011) "This is a wonderful, well organized small race" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I loved this race. I wanted to do a small race not all on pavement and this one sprang up in my search. My aged legs don't do well on all pavement so this race offered many surfaces from gravel roads to dirt paths with roots and rocks, to bike paths to town streets. Mason City is a wonderful town with great support and friendly spectators. I actually tossed my jacket to someone at mile 10 and it was waiting for me at the finish line! It was nice that the different races (half marathon, 10K, 5K) had different starts. And with the Music Man Square open we could sit around, use a real bathroom and converse with other racers. No crowds, super weather and lots to do in the town on my days of vacation. With a $6 spaghetti feed the night before and a great goodie bag with a nice long sleeved shirt, I would do this again if I am ever in the area.
S. N. from Annapolis, MD (10/25/2011) "Iowa in October; cool, scenic, flat and fast" (about: 2011) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This marathon is entirely underated and once more people discover it, it will become a much bigger event. Mason City has all the small town charm you could want. The run is in October with cooler temps, and fall foliage at it's peak. The course is very flat with a net elevation gain of 100 ft. With only 100 marathoners, and a wide open street to start the race on there are no crowds to get in your way and it is a certified Boston Qualifier. I don't know what else you could want! The course varies from asphalt on the street to a gravel road to scenic trails, and while the gravel is a bit of a bummer, it passes pretty quickly and is at the beginning of the marathon and not at the end. As a small marathon there is not a lot of crowd support, but I had several out there cheering for me, and is was very easy for them to get from place to place so I saw them in at least 6 different locations along the route. The race director does a great job, and as an added perk, just in case it is a rainy day, the Music Man Museum across from the start is open so you can use real bathrooms and stay out of the cooler weather until just before the start. Again, as someone who has run 78 marathons, I really don't believe you could ask for too much more. I plan to come back when I am in BQ shape and go for it in Mason City!

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



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D. G. from Richmond, Va (10/22/2013) "Great Race" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was a great race. The only negative is that they are billing this as the final year they are doing the race... If you like small races, this race was perfect. The people were so friendly and went out of their way to welcome you. the pasta party was very simple (school cafeteria) but the food was some of the best I have ever had at a pasta party. The race was small. But there were two of us running together and we wound up picking up three other runners during the race and all finished together. Which was good because that was just about all the people we saw on the race course. There were plenty of water stops and the marshals did a great job (at times we felt bad that they stopped the cars for us. But the drives were very cool about it. It will go down as one of my favorites
J. S. from Minnesota (10/14/2013) "A gem of a race" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Neat town, absolutely stunning course, impeccable organization, great accommodations, wonderful spectators, and friendly runners. I was so sad to hear that this was the final year for this race. It was truly a gem! So glad I was able to experience it! One of my favorites!
S. L. from Wisconsin (10/20/2012) "Great race!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was a well organized race. The volunteers and runner support along the course were excellent. I loved the course with its variety of paved and unpaved trails. The goody bags were awesome! If you are looking for a fun, low-key, no frills race, this is it. I would definitely go back!!
G. D. from Iowa City (10/19/2012) "Overall fantastic experience" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 A great course, especially the wooded trail section. I expected few spectators in this smaller town, but was touched when people got out of their cars to cheer us on! This was like an excellent training run with tactical support: water/powerade every two miles and gu as advertised. And everyone was downright nice, and the amenities (showers available after) and swag (a beef log!) were fun and fab. But really, it was about the peopleboth the townsfolk and the runners who come to this race are great. Thanks so much to the guys who let me draft behind them in the wind!
Paul Wcislo from Silicon Vally, CA (10/17/2012) "Great Park & River Trails. Fantasitc Local Warmth." (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Despite the wet and blustery weather, this is a sweet marathon. A very accommodating start with 6, 7 & 8am starts to help slow guys like me. Locals at every water stop were very friendly. The park and river trails are beautiful! And the hot shower and towel at the finish, which was included, was very welcome. If you have not run Iowa, make this your destination next fall.
D. P. from New London, Minnesota (10/16/2012) "Great course, great volunteers, sparse cheers" (about: 2012) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The best part of this marathon is the organization and volunteer support. All aid stations were well stocked and manned with motivated and cheerful parents and children of the school. They were awesome. The course was more trail than I expected. They actually painted all the exposed roots and rocks for 4 miles of trail with white paint -very helpful. With only 88 marathoners it was nice to not see miles of open road ahead. While the spectators that were on the course were energetic and a mental boost to this runner, many runners might find spectator support lacking.
S. P. from Minneapolis, mn (10/16/2012) "Great variety on the corse, pavement, gravel and t" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Great course and support!
B. G. from Omaha, Neb. (6/2/2012) "Great race" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 If you're looking to race on a variety of surfaces- streets, highways, gravel, crushed rock and trail- you should try Mason City. The spaghetti dinner was fine and we got a nice long-sleeved technical shirt and Fox River running socks, which are made nearby. They're great socks. The course is pretty flat, but the three or four miles of trails required me to concentrate on my footing, so I couldn't zone out. Not a lot of runners or crowd support, but the volunteers were enthusiastic and they had plenty of gel and drinks. This is a hidden gem. It's an easy drive from the Twin Cities or the Omaha area.
C. K. from Alaska (11/4/2011) "This is a wonderful, well organized small race" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I loved this race. I wanted to do a small race not all on pavement and this one sprang up in my search. My aged legs don't do well on all pavement so this race offered many surfaces from gravel roads to dirt paths with roots and rocks, to bike paths to town streets. Mason City is a wonderful town with great support and friendly spectators. I actually tossed my jacket to someone at mile 10 and it was waiting for me at the finish line! It was nice that the different races (half marathon, 10K, 5K) had different starts. And with the Music Man Square open we could sit around, use a real bathroom and converse with other racers. No crowds, super weather and lots to do in the town on my days of vacation. With a $6 spaghetti feed the night before and a great goodie bag with a nice long sleeved shirt, I would do this again if I am ever in the area.
S. N. from Annapolis, MD (10/25/2011) "Iowa in October; cool, scenic, flat and fast" (about: 2011) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This marathon is entirely underated and once more people discover it, it will become a much bigger event. Mason City has all the small town charm you could want. The run is in October with cooler temps, and fall foliage at it's peak. The course is very flat with a net elevation gain of 100 ft. With only 100 marathoners, and a wide open street to start the race on there are no crowds to get in your way and it is a certified Boston Qualifier. I don't know what else you could want! The course varies from asphalt on the street to a gravel road to scenic trails, and while the gravel is a bit of a bummer, it passes pretty quickly and is at the beginning of the marathon and not at the end. As a small marathon there is not a lot of crowd support, but I had several out there cheering for me, and is was very easy for them to get from place to place so I saw them in at least 6 different locations along the route. The race director does a great job, and as an added perk, just in case it is a rainy day, the Music Man Museum across from the start is open so you can use real bathrooms and stay out of the cooler weather until just before the start. Again, as someone who has run 78 marathons, I really don't believe you could ask for too much more. I plan to come back when I am in BQ shape and go for it in Mason City!

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Marathon Details - On the Road for Education