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Marathon Details - Winthrop Road Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > WA > Winthrop > Winthrop Road Marathon

Winthrop Road Marathon

Winthrop Road Marathon & Half Marathon

Winthrop, WA USA

September 27, 2015

http://winthropmarathon.blogspot.com

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2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 Top 3 Finishers

Race Details

Scenic, downhill(1550ft of loss), good weather and quiet.

Contact Information

Name:	James Varner
Address:	po box 507 Winthrop, WA 98862
Phone Number:	509-846-5019
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (9)

Course 4.2

Organization 3.6

Spectators 2.7

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Number of comments: 9

S. H. from Seattle, WA (3/21/2013) "Wonderful downhill marathon in beautiful locale" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Winthrop Road Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 One of my favorites! Fast first half as its almost all downhill. But watch out for those rolling hills the last 5 miles or so! The town of Winthrop really comes out to support this race. You may not see any spectators during the race, but they are there in town. Beautiful route, good race director - well organized. I'll be back...when my quads stop quivering.
P. G. from Washington (3/18/2013) "Fast downhill race with Lots of Goodies" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Winthrop Road Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was a fast course - a Point A to B, most of which goes downhill along a paved road that winds along the course of a river. The last couple miles are a sort of out and back into Winthrop, just to make the 26.2 miles. The race included pre-race dinner at The Barn in Winthrop. The post-race grub consisted of a large plate of hot Mexican food - made to order. There was also Ice cream and cold beer... But wait, there's more! Rainshadow Running also brought in a live band with real music - I don't recall the name of the band, but it was sort of a country-folk-rhythm mix, music with lyrics... good stuff for after a race. I would run this race in 2013 if I were not going to be running across the Grand Canyon. Sign up early - I think it sells out.
M. S. from Brier, WA (6/22/2012) "Wonderful, but new course is HOT!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 This was my first Winthrop marathon & won't be my last. The scenery is wonderful with a high, wild starting point way up a valley. You get quiet roads & plenty of eye popping scenery. The weather was dry & low humidity as it is east of the Cascade mountains. It's a downhill course that follows a river so be prepared for fast times & aching Quads for the next week. The price is great as well, plus it includes a free pre & post race pasta feed....with free beer! Even better was a free iced cream at the finish. Oh yeah! There's no finisher's cotton t shirt, but a technical shirt is on offer for extra $s. I declined. The medal is cheap, just stamped out of sheet metal, but at least you get one (Capitol City Marathon take note). On the down side, the water stops were too far apart, especially at the end when it got really hot. The course has been altered this year, you start some 3 miles lower down & there's a new out & back loop close to town. This is a problem because you get some really bad headwinds & it gets HOT. Kind of like running in to a hair dryer. I would much prefer the old course by the sound of it as you get much more time running in the shade & not as exposed to the killer wind. I reckon the course change cost me a PR, as soon as I hit the new loop my speed plummeted badly & I estimate I lost around 10 mins becuase of it, especially as the water stops were too far apart. But I'm still hovering on the website to book for 2013, this one is an amazing experience.
M. J. from Bow (11/9/2011) "great race" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Winthrop Road Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The Winthrop marathon was, so far, my favorite. The downhill course worked well for me, I even had enough energy left to deal with the rolling hills starting at mile 21 and I PRed and BQed. As this was a very small race, there were very few spectator, but the few who were there were enthusiastic, so were the volunteers at the well stock water stations ( water, sports drink, gels). There was a nice, friendly vibe to this race, all the other runners were friendly. Loved the finish line bock party and the generous offering of local beer and mexican food, besides the usual finish line refreshments. The transportation to the start line was a little unorganized. I would have liked to get to the start earlier and there was no coupon for the promised ice cream, but in the big picture of an amazing race event, this is minor.
S. T. from Montana (9/26/2011) "Nice course, awesome little town..but..." (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Winthrop Road Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I loved the town of Winthrop, what a great place to visit and run. The marathon needs some work. I would start by saying having people drive 15 miles out of town the night before the run for a 'number' pick up was a waste of time and gas money (this is 30 miles extra, round trip). Have the number pick up in town! Also, we only picked up a number...not a bag, not a map, nothing but a number...you could have handed those out on the bus! The bus ride to the start was a nightmare. I was so car sick from the 1.5 hours on the bus it was not even funny. We got off the bus, had about 7 mins before running, not the best start to the day, and I know I was not alone in feeling this way. There needs to be some sort of change/organization help with this start issue. The course was nice, loved the fact it was quite and scenic. The course states it is mostly downhill, but the last 6 miles would be better described as rolling hills (ups and downs) and it is good to keep that in mind. The aid stations were very well staffed, always smiles and ready with drinks/gu...could not have asked for better volunteers. I would run the marathon again for the course, but not for the logistics. The run into town a nice finish...the after party seemed well organized. I was not in the mood for Mexican food (wishing there was some plain items, like a bagel or something) but everything looked great for those up for something of that sort. The metal was great, the shirts were great (once we figured out where to find them), the people were great, the town was awesome...just needs some tweaking. I have run enough marathons to know what is important, and think this one could be improved upon in the future. As a side note, give the 1/2 marathon runners (also on the same course, with a later start time) different colored numbers. Nothing like finishing behind some 1/2 marathons acting like they just won the gold medal and knowing you ran twice as far!!
B. T. from West Glacier, MT (9/26/2011) "Thumbs up on the course, thumbs down on the org." (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Winthrop Road Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 Positives: scenic course, good support at the aid stations, adequate post-race aid/hydration. Negatives: the bus shuttle to the start was nearly 1.5 hours. Ridiculously long time to be stuffed in a seat designed for kids. The bus actually passes the start line, but doesn't drop runners off. Instead it travels another 15 minutes to the end of the road, turns around and comes back to the start. This effectively adds 30 minutes to the bus ride, and seat time. The packet pickup for the race is in a completely different town than the Winthrop Marathon. Mazama is 15 miles west of Winthrop. I guess this isn't a problem for anyone traveling from the west, but inconvenient if you've already travelled 10 hours from the east. This part of the race was very un- organized. Shirt pick-up wasn't available until race day, which was fine except I had to track down a race volunteer and ask for the shirt. I think a lot of folks liked the Mexican meal at the finish. But honestly, Mexican after gutting out 26.2? I couldn't handle it.
D. L. from North Bend, WA (9/26/2011) "Awesome scenery and finish line refreshments!" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Winthrop Road Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 My wife and I ran this as an afterthought due to an earlier race by the organizer being cancelled because of trail conditions and an extended winter. He very nicely transferred our entries to this race. The course is magnificent in its visual beauty running along the Chewack River and enclosed on each side by tall North Cascades ridges. Though the roads were not closed to vehicle traffic there were very few vehicles to contend with. I was able to 'run the tangents' on most of the course without fear. Though the course is advertised as a very downhill and fast one, I found the limited uphills rather more difficult than I'd expected coming as they did nearer the end of the race. However the last almost mile is a nice downhill in to town. The awards were given as one crossed the finish line, so there was no waiting around. Two or three kegs of locally brewed beer awaited finishers as did a serving of Mexican food - all part of the entry! If spectator support is important to you this may not be your race, although the volunteers and the few spectators were quite vocally supportive when encountered. All in all this was a terrific experience, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a visually stunning and fairly fast event. And I'd counsel them to really train their quads for the early downhill miles!
C. K. from King County, WA (9/29/2010) "Far from the crowds" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Winthrop Road Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Winthrop Marathon (my 22nd marathon) is a gorgeous point-to-point, net-downhill course with some challenges and lots of incredible scenery! Inaugural year - only about a hundred runners. Very few spectators, hence the one star, but not all of us like a crowd. ;) Race organization was awesome considering this is an inaugural year for this marathon. Shirt and medal - first-class, original, and charming. Great aid stations. Town of Winthrop - lovely and picturesque. Sun Mountain Lodge - what a great place to stay! Course: First few miles of "dirt road?" Sorry, folks, but it's more like sand, and it's quite rutted; take it easy there and save your legs for the hills. With all of the downhill, you'd think it's a screaming fast course, but there is plenty of uphill running as well. The website claims 250 feet of elevation gain - maybe so, but it seemed like a lot more to me. And the worst ones come at the end, so train those quads for heavy downhill AND for a lot of hard work from mile 20-26. But I loved this marathon. Only Big Sur is prettier among those I've run. Fabulous spot; great race. Thank you, RD, for a really fun and memorable event. I'll be back!
B. W. from Seattle, WA (9/27/2010) "Might become a classic" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Winthrop Road Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the inaugural Winthrop Marathon. It is a long drive from just about everywhere to get there, but well worth it. The town of Winthrop is at the base of the mountains and is like a scene from the old west. You are taken by bus 26 miles away from town into the mountains. The first 10 miles are basically all downhill. The last 16 are mostly flat to slight downhill, with a few small uphill climbs. It seemed like the entire town contributed to this event, including free Mexican food from the restaurant downtown for all runners and families. Course is not spectator-friendly until the finish, which is downtown, and that is closed to traffic. Everyone downtown was great. Only problem is that the downhill killed my body, as I wasn't prepared enough for it.



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S. H. from Seattle, WA (3/21/2013) "Wonderful downhill marathon in beautiful locale" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Winthrop Road Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 One of my favorites! Fast first half as its almost all downhill. But watch out for those rolling hills the last 5 miles or so! The town of Winthrop really comes out to support this race. You may not see any spectators during the race, but they are there in town. Beautiful route, good race director - well organized. I'll be back...when my quads stop quivering.
P. G. from Washington (3/18/2013) "Fast downhill race with Lots of Goodies" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Winthrop Road Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was a fast course - a Point A to B, most of which goes downhill along a paved road that winds along the course of a river. The last couple miles are a sort of out and back into Winthrop, just to make the 26.2 miles. The race included pre-race dinner at The Barn in Winthrop. The post-race grub consisted of a large plate of hot Mexican food - made to order. There was also Ice cream and cold beer... But wait, there's more! Rainshadow Running also brought in a live band with real music - I don't recall the name of the band, but it was sort of a country-folk-rhythm mix, music with lyrics... good stuff for after a race. I would run this race in 2013 if I were not going to be running across the Grand Canyon. Sign up early - I think it sells out.
M. S. from Brier, WA (6/22/2012) "Wonderful, but new course is HOT!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 This was my first Winthrop marathon & won't be my last. The scenery is wonderful with a high, wild starting point way up a valley. You get quiet roads & plenty of eye popping scenery. The weather was dry & low humidity as it is east of the Cascade mountains. It's a downhill course that follows a river so be prepared for fast times & aching Quads for the next week. The price is great as well, plus it includes a free pre & post race pasta feed....with free beer! Even better was a free iced cream at the finish. Oh yeah! There's no finisher's cotton t shirt, but a technical shirt is on offer for extra $s. I declined. The medal is cheap, just stamped out of sheet metal, but at least you get one (Capitol City Marathon take note). On the down side, the water stops were too far apart, especially at the end when it got really hot. The course has been altered this year, you start some 3 miles lower down & there's a new out & back loop close to town. This is a problem because you get some really bad headwinds & it gets HOT. Kind of like running in to a hair dryer. I would much prefer the old course by the sound of it as you get much more time running in the shade & not as exposed to the killer wind. I reckon the course change cost me a PR, as soon as I hit the new loop my speed plummeted badly & I estimate I lost around 10 mins becuase of it, especially as the water stops were too far apart. But I'm still hovering on the website to book for 2013, this one is an amazing experience.
M. J. from Bow (11/9/2011) "great race" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Winthrop Road Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The Winthrop marathon was, so far, my favorite. The downhill course worked well for me, I even had enough energy left to deal with the rolling hills starting at mile 21 and I PRed and BQed. As this was a very small race, there were very few spectator, but the few who were there were enthusiastic, so were the volunteers at the well stock water stations ( water, sports drink, gels). There was a nice, friendly vibe to this race, all the other runners were friendly. Loved the finish line bock party and the generous offering of local beer and mexican food, besides the usual finish line refreshments. The transportation to the start line was a little unorganized. I would have liked to get to the start earlier and there was no coupon for the promised ice cream, but in the big picture of an amazing race event, this is minor.
S. T. from Montana (9/26/2011) "Nice course, awesome little town..but..." (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Winthrop Road Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I loved the town of Winthrop, what a great place to visit and run. The marathon needs some work. I would start by saying having people drive 15 miles out of town the night before the run for a 'number' pick up was a waste of time and gas money (this is 30 miles extra, round trip). Have the number pick up in town! Also, we only picked up a number...not a bag, not a map, nothing but a number...you could have handed those out on the bus! The bus ride to the start was a nightmare. I was so car sick from the 1.5 hours on the bus it was not even funny. We got off the bus, had about 7 mins before running, not the best start to the day, and I know I was not alone in feeling this way. There needs to be some sort of change/organization help with this start issue. The course was nice, loved the fact it was quite and scenic. The course states it is mostly downhill, but the last 6 miles would be better described as rolling hills (ups and downs) and it is good to keep that in mind. The aid stations were very well staffed, always smiles and ready with drinks/gu...could not have asked for better volunteers. I would run the marathon again for the course, but not for the logistics. The run into town a nice finish...the after party seemed well organized. I was not in the mood for Mexican food (wishing there was some plain items, like a bagel or something) but everything looked great for those up for something of that sort. The metal was great, the shirts were great (once we figured out where to find them), the people were great, the town was awesome...just needs some tweaking. I have run enough marathons to know what is important, and think this one could be improved upon in the future. As a side note, give the 1/2 marathon runners (also on the same course, with a later start time) different colored numbers. Nothing like finishing behind some 1/2 marathons acting like they just won the gold medal and knowing you ran twice as far!!
B. T. from West Glacier, MT (9/26/2011) "Thumbs up on the course, thumbs down on the org." (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Winthrop Road Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 Positives: scenic course, good support at the aid stations, adequate post-race aid/hydration. Negatives: the bus shuttle to the start was nearly 1.5 hours. Ridiculously long time to be stuffed in a seat designed for kids. The bus actually passes the start line, but doesn't drop runners off. Instead it travels another 15 minutes to the end of the road, turns around and comes back to the start. This effectively adds 30 minutes to the bus ride, and seat time. The packet pickup for the race is in a completely different town than the Winthrop Marathon. Mazama is 15 miles west of Winthrop. I guess this isn't a problem for anyone traveling from the west, but inconvenient if you've already travelled 10 hours from the east. This part of the race was very un- organized. Shirt pick-up wasn't available until race day, which was fine except I had to track down a race volunteer and ask for the shirt. I think a lot of folks liked the Mexican meal at the finish. But honestly, Mexican after gutting out 26.2? I couldn't handle it.
D. L. from North Bend, WA (9/26/2011) "Awesome scenery and finish line refreshments!" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Winthrop Road Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 My wife and I ran this as an afterthought due to an earlier race by the organizer being cancelled because of trail conditions and an extended winter. He very nicely transferred our entries to this race. The course is magnificent in its visual beauty running along the Chewack River and enclosed on each side by tall North Cascades ridges. Though the roads were not closed to vehicle traffic there were very few vehicles to contend with. I was able to 'run the tangents' on most of the course without fear. Though the course is advertised as a very downhill and fast one, I found the limited uphills rather more difficult than I'd expected coming as they did nearer the end of the race. However the last almost mile is a nice downhill in to town. The awards were given as one crossed the finish line, so there was no waiting around. Two or three kegs of locally brewed beer awaited finishers as did a serving of Mexican food - all part of the entry! If spectator support is important to you this may not be your race, although the volunteers and the few spectators were quite vocally supportive when encountered. All in all this was a terrific experience, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a visually stunning and fairly fast event. And I'd counsel them to really train their quads for the early downhill miles!
C. K. from King County, WA (9/29/2010) "Far from the crowds" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Winthrop Road Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Winthrop Marathon (my 22nd marathon) is a gorgeous point-to-point, net-downhill course with some challenges and lots of incredible scenery! Inaugural year - only about a hundred runners. Very few spectators, hence the one star, but not all of us like a crowd. ;) Race organization was awesome considering this is an inaugural year for this marathon. Shirt and medal - first-class, original, and charming. Great aid stations. Town of Winthrop - lovely and picturesque. Sun Mountain Lodge - what a great place to stay! Course: First few miles of "dirt road?" Sorry, folks, but it's more like sand, and it's quite rutted; take it easy there and save your legs for the hills. With all of the downhill, you'd think it's a screaming fast course, but there is plenty of uphill running as well. The website claims 250 feet of elevation gain - maybe so, but it seemed like a lot more to me. And the worst ones come at the end, so train those quads for heavy downhill AND for a lot of hard work from mile 20-26. But I loved this marathon. Only Big Sur is prettier among those I've run. Fabulous spot; great race. Thank you, RD, for a really fun and memorable event. I'll be back!
B. W. from Seattle, WA (9/27/2010) "Might become a classic" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Winthrop Road Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the inaugural Winthrop Marathon. It is a long drive from just about everywhere to get there, but well worth it. The town of Winthrop is at the base of the mountains and is like a scene from the old west. You are taken by bus 26 miles away from town into the mountains. The first 10 miles are basically all downhill. The last 16 are mostly flat to slight downhill, with a few small uphill climbs. It seemed like the entire town contributed to this event, including free Mexican food from the restaurant downtown for all runners and families. Course is not spectator-friendly until the finish, which is downtown, and that is closed to traffic. Everyone downtown was great. Only problem is that the downhill killed my body, as I wasn't prepared enough for it.

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Marathon Details - Winthrop Road Marathon