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Marathon Details - Morgantown Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > WV > Morgantown > Morgantown Marathon

Morgantown Marathon

Morgantown Marathon & Half-Marathon, 8K, Mile

Morgantown, WV USA

~~October 4, 2020~~ - CANCELLED

http://www.morgantownmarathon.com

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2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 Top 3 Finishers

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Address:	Morgantown Marathon P.O. Box 674 Dellslow WV 26531
Phone Number:	(304) 826-0311
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (25)

Course 3.8

Organization 4.0

Spectators 3.6

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Number of comments: 25 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 > ]

Aaron Riddle from Winchester, Virginia, USA (9/22/2018) "A fun but very challenging course!" (about: 2018) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Morgantown Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The communication and organization leading up the the race was perfect. Constant updates were posted on Facebook and emails sent as well. Packet pickup was super easy with plenty of parking. I was a little concerned that I would have to take a shuttle to the start of the race on race day, but that was super easy as well. While the race does not have much crowd support due to the course, there are plenty of aid stations and rest stops with excellent volunteers. Overall it was an incredible experience set up by race director Jamie Summerlin. One last word of warning though...the course is VERY tough. They don't use the hashtag #yesitshilly for no reason...and this coming from someone that trains on mountain back roads!
S. M. from West Virginia (10/2/2017) "A tough race that's worth it!" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Morgantown Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Yes, it's hilly! But Morgantown welcomes runners with open arms. This was the third year of the race and each year it keeps getting better and better. Volunteers were awesome all around. Swag was top notch! Yes, there were some tough spots with traffic (miles 13-14), but this is a young race that's one it's way up. Come to Morgantown to run! You won't regret it!
J. M. from Oakland, California (9/25/2017) "Well-executed, relatively hilly small marathon" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Morgantown Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I chose Morgantown as part of my 50 state quest and was glad I did. Morgantown is the home of WVU, a sponsor, and has a bit of that college town feel. Getting to Morgantown is fairly easy, with the airport in Pittsburgh just a little over an hour away. The course is hilly - nothing killer like Big Sur's Hurricane Pt - but the climbs at miles 20 and mile 26 will make you pay if you don't leave something in the tank. Given the area's topography, the organizers did a great job laying out this course to make for a pleasant run. The route was well-marked and mostly well-separated from auto traffic, and public safety officials carefully managed cross-traffic at all intersections. The only problematic stretch was between miles 13 and 14 where morning truck traffic and a narrow roadway gave an extra shot or two of adrenalin. A pleasant surprise was that, even with temps in the 60 to 70 range, the course didn't feel overly warm. Probably this is because much of last half of the race is tucked along creek valleys and the Mon River. Also, the organizers had abundant water stops late in the race to help with hydration. I liked the fact this race was held on a Saturday. After a course like this, it's nice to have a Sunday to recover. Crowds were relatively thin, given the locale, but plenty of friendly people were in their front yards cheering the runners along.
B. B. from Pittsburgh, Pa (9/24/2017) "Some good, some bad" (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Morgantown Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 This is not a race that I can honestly recommend. The course was very difficult with almost constant hills and the most difficult finish that I've encountered in 60 plus races. That's OK, and it's no secret. The race seems to pride itself on it's difficulty. There were not many spectators, and that's OK too. The folks who were there were very pleasant. I did not find the course to be very scenic, but that's OK also, I don't pay much attention to scenery. What's not OK was the traffic control. There were multiple sections of the course in which we had to share the road with cars going in both directions and it was very unclear where we should be running. I was nearly hit twice by cars and many drivers seemed extremely annoyed by our presence. What's also not OK was the absence of several mile markers throughout the race and there were no markers after Mile 23, which really annoyed me. There were some positives: the full started 15 minutes before the half so it was easy to get into a pace quickly. The volunteers were friendly and helpful. The swag was nice with a jacket, a finisher's shirt, a tumbler, and a large medal. However, for me the bad outweighed the good in this one. If you do run it, head to Mountain State Brewing to rehydrate after the race.
R. K. from Ontario Canada (9/21/2016) "Awesome Destination" (about: 2016) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Morgantown Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was a beautiful marathon, its hilly but that makes it memorable (I've done 66) Beautiful scenery, great volunteers and the friendliest race director I've ever met. Everything top notch : Medal, Shirt, Food, Location. I highly recomend this litlle gem.
L. s. from Texas (10/15/2015) "Enthusiastic first race, friendly to slowpokes" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Morgantown Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 As a veteran marathoner and West Virginia native, I trusted the race website when it stated that it was a challenging course and dialed back to the half. Even then, I ended up finishing with only handful or two straggling after me, thus, this review is written from the perspective of the waaaaaay back-of-the-pack. When you're almost dead last, every little bit of encouragement and generosity counts because, well, most everyone else has packed up and gone home. I've been to races where I've run five miles before seeing another spectator, water stops have gone dry, and one unfortunate event where they tore down the signage to the finish line before I came across. Considering that I choked and finished well after what the suggested cut-off would be, this race was very generous with their resources. Every water stop was well stocked, every mile had kiddos hanging out on their front lawn with their parents with adorable signs, and the volunteers pointing out the directions were super encouraging. I flew in from out of state for this event and didn't realize that it had so much local support it's a real testament to the community that they could pull this off. I do agree with some of the other comments that it would have been great to have some of the course on the rail trails, although I'm not certain how feasible that would be. Yes, the sound system wasn't super loud, but it got the job done. I would actually compare the atmosphere pre- and post-race more to something like the trail/ultra community leaner than a road race, but with lots of heart. (And runners with beards. Lots of runners with beards.) Kudos to the Motown Marathon race crew for a job well done, look forward to running this again!
G. S. from Morgantown, WV (10/12/2015) "Amazing!! Lived up to the hype and then some." (about: 2015) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Morgantown Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 My first marathon but I'm so glad I decided to run it. I was disappointed there weren't any 26.2 stickers at the convention or I couldn't find any. Everyone at the convention and the volunteers throughout the race were awesome. The course was fantastic besides Mile 22 by the old mall and mile 26 coming home. Those were awful. My roommate asked me about why we didn't run the rail trail and I chuckled. I'm glad I got to see so much of Morgantown. Even those lonely parts. It was truly an experience. I was thrilled there were gels on the course and the amount of hydration was fantastic. There was a random set of bananas at mile 4 and I wish there had been another spot of those later on but that's just wishful thinking. The spectators were awesome. I got free red vines and a popsicle just to highlight a little bit. I'd say try to reach out to the students more to either get their interest or make them more aware. We could have had more participants or spectators at least. The fire truck at the end was a great touch. I don't know anyone who got lost and thought the course was well marked except my fitbit gave me about 26.8 and the mile splits were different on my fitbit and my watch. I look forward to hearing how future events go and I'm highly considering making this my second marathon.
L. C. from Morgantown, WV (10/10/2015) "Tough course with few spectators and no bands" (about: 2015) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Morgantown Marathon COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I commend the organizers and volunteers for putting on this inaugural race for a fantastic cause. However, the course was very difficult and not scenic-except when running briefly through the WVU campus. There were no bands and no 'festival like atmosphere' as was promised in advertisements. It would have been great to have more miles on the fabulous rail trail. And that could have provided at least six miles of relatively flat running in a town/state of many hills. I saw only one medical station, but thought the water stops were good. Greenbag Road (around mile 17) was so sparse with people that I barely had any motivation to keep going. The many hairpin turns with lack of appropriate arrows/markers made it difficult to know the correct race route, especially in South Park and into Sabraton. Police and military personnel were great at intersections. My recommendations are these: change the route to include more of the rail/trail and eliminate so many turns and hills; have gender-specific t-shirts: women runners are 'swimming' in the unisex size small; find more bands, cheerleaders, students who can create a festive atmosphere; get the distance exactly right at 26.2 miles (I clocked 26.5 on my Garmin watch). Again, I commend the huge effort it took the organizers to put on this race. Thank you.
P. Z. from Philadelphia, PA (10/8/2015) "A fun challenging rewarding marathon!" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Morgantown Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I had a chance to participate in the 1st Morgantown marathon. It has been a few weeks and as I look back with satisfaction of running a challenging course in one of the most beautiful places. The energy Morgantown has in the fall was brought to another level with great organization and lots and lots of runners. The volunteers and the turnout is one of the most sincere and genuine I have ever had a chance to be a part of. Easy parking at the start, open facilities before the race, benefitted some great charities in a recipe for success!! Highly recommend to anyone who is looking for a great run in a great city that is full of life and beautiful scenery. I travelled from Philadelphia and would not hesitate to do it again!!
J. D. from Iowa (10/7/2015) "Course was challenging as advertised" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Morgantown Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Race was fun. We had no problems following the course markings. We knew it was hilly going into the race.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 > ]



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Aaron Riddle from Winchester, Virginia, USA (9/22/2018) "A fun but very challenging course!" (about: 2018) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Morgantown Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The communication and organization leading up the the race was perfect. Constant updates were posted on Facebook and emails sent as well. Packet pickup was super easy with plenty of parking. I was a little concerned that I would have to take a shuttle to the start of the race on race day, but that was super easy as well. While the race does not have much crowd support due to the course, there are plenty of aid stations and rest stops with excellent volunteers. Overall it was an incredible experience set up by race director Jamie Summerlin. One last word of warning though...the course is VERY tough. They don't use the hashtag #yesitshilly for no reason...and this coming from someone that trains on mountain back roads!
S. M. from West Virginia (10/2/2017) "A tough race that's worth it!" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Morgantown Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Yes, it's hilly! But Morgantown welcomes runners with open arms. This was the third year of the race and each year it keeps getting better and better. Volunteers were awesome all around. Swag was top notch! Yes, there were some tough spots with traffic (miles 13-14), but this is a young race that's one it's way up. Come to Morgantown to run! You won't regret it!
J. M. from Oakland, California (9/25/2017) "Well-executed, relatively hilly small marathon" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Morgantown Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I chose Morgantown as part of my 50 state quest and was glad I did. Morgantown is the home of WVU, a sponsor, and has a bit of that college town feel. Getting to Morgantown is fairly easy, with the airport in Pittsburgh just a little over an hour away. The course is hilly - nothing killer like Big Sur's Hurricane Pt - but the climbs at miles 20 and mile 26 will make you pay if you don't leave something in the tank. Given the area's topography, the organizers did a great job laying out this course to make for a pleasant run. The route was well-marked and mostly well-separated from auto traffic, and public safety officials carefully managed cross-traffic at all intersections. The only problematic stretch was between miles 13 and 14 where morning truck traffic and a narrow roadway gave an extra shot or two of adrenalin. A pleasant surprise was that, even with temps in the 60 to 70 range, the course didn't feel overly warm. Probably this is because much of last half of the race is tucked along creek valleys and the Mon River. Also, the organizers had abundant water stops late in the race to help with hydration. I liked the fact this race was held on a Saturday. After a course like this, it's nice to have a Sunday to recover. Crowds were relatively thin, given the locale, but plenty of friendly people were in their front yards cheering the runners along.
B. B. from Pittsburgh, Pa (9/24/2017) "Some good, some bad" (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Morgantown Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 This is not a race that I can honestly recommend. The course was very difficult with almost constant hills and the most difficult finish that I've encountered in 60 plus races. That's OK, and it's no secret. The race seems to pride itself on it's difficulty. There were not many spectators, and that's OK too. The folks who were there were very pleasant. I did not find the course to be very scenic, but that's OK also, I don't pay much attention to scenery. What's not OK was the traffic control. There were multiple sections of the course in which we had to share the road with cars going in both directions and it was very unclear where we should be running. I was nearly hit twice by cars and many drivers seemed extremely annoyed by our presence. What's also not OK was the absence of several mile markers throughout the race and there were no markers after Mile 23, which really annoyed me. There were some positives: the full started 15 minutes before the half so it was easy to get into a pace quickly. The volunteers were friendly and helpful. The swag was nice with a jacket, a finisher's shirt, a tumbler, and a large medal. However, for me the bad outweighed the good in this one. If you do run it, head to Mountain State Brewing to rehydrate after the race.
R. K. from Ontario Canada (9/21/2016) "Awesome Destination" (about: 2016) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Morgantown Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was a beautiful marathon, its hilly but that makes it memorable (I've done 66) Beautiful scenery, great volunteers and the friendliest race director I've ever met. Everything top notch : Medal, Shirt, Food, Location. I highly recomend this litlle gem.
L. s. from Texas (10/15/2015) "Enthusiastic first race, friendly to slowpokes" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Morgantown Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 As a veteran marathoner and West Virginia native, I trusted the race website when it stated that it was a challenging course and dialed back to the half. Even then, I ended up finishing with only handful or two straggling after me, thus, this review is written from the perspective of the waaaaaay back-of-the-pack. When you're almost dead last, every little bit of encouragement and generosity counts because, well, most everyone else has packed up and gone home. I've been to races where I've run five miles before seeing another spectator, water stops have gone dry, and one unfortunate event where they tore down the signage to the finish line before I came across. Considering that I choked and finished well after what the suggested cut-off would be, this race was very generous with their resources. Every water stop was well stocked, every mile had kiddos hanging out on their front lawn with their parents with adorable signs, and the volunteers pointing out the directions were super encouraging. I flew in from out of state for this event and didn't realize that it had so much local support it's a real testament to the community that they could pull this off. I do agree with some of the other comments that it would have been great to have some of the course on the rail trails, although I'm not certain how feasible that would be. Yes, the sound system wasn't super loud, but it got the job done. I would actually compare the atmosphere pre- and post-race more to something like the trail/ultra community leaner than a road race, but with lots of heart. (And runners with beards. Lots of runners with beards.) Kudos to the Motown Marathon race crew for a job well done, look forward to running this again!
G. S. from Morgantown, WV (10/12/2015) "Amazing!! Lived up to the hype and then some." (about: 2015) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Morgantown Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 My first marathon but I'm so glad I decided to run it. I was disappointed there weren't any 26.2 stickers at the convention or I couldn't find any. Everyone at the convention and the volunteers throughout the race were awesome. The course was fantastic besides Mile 22 by the old mall and mile 26 coming home. Those were awful. My roommate asked me about why we didn't run the rail trail and I chuckled. I'm glad I got to see so much of Morgantown. Even those lonely parts. It was truly an experience. I was thrilled there were gels on the course and the amount of hydration was fantastic. There was a random set of bananas at mile 4 and I wish there had been another spot of those later on but that's just wishful thinking. The spectators were awesome. I got free red vines and a popsicle just to highlight a little bit. I'd say try to reach out to the students more to either get their interest or make them more aware. We could have had more participants or spectators at least. The fire truck at the end was a great touch. I don't know anyone who got lost and thought the course was well marked except my fitbit gave me about 26.8 and the mile splits were different on my fitbit and my watch. I look forward to hearing how future events go and I'm highly considering making this my second marathon.
L. C. from Morgantown, WV (10/10/2015) "Tough course with few spectators and no bands" (about: 2015) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Morgantown Marathon COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I commend the organizers and volunteers for putting on this inaugural race for a fantastic cause. However, the course was very difficult and not scenic-except when running briefly through the WVU campus. There were no bands and no 'festival like atmosphere' as was promised in advertisements. It would have been great to have more miles on the fabulous rail trail. And that could have provided at least six miles of relatively flat running in a town/state of many hills. I saw only one medical station, but thought the water stops were good. Greenbag Road (around mile 17) was so sparse with people that I barely had any motivation to keep going. The many hairpin turns with lack of appropriate arrows/markers made it difficult to know the correct race route, especially in South Park and into Sabraton. Police and military personnel were great at intersections. My recommendations are these: change the route to include more of the rail/trail and eliminate so many turns and hills; have gender-specific t-shirts: women runners are 'swimming' in the unisex size small; find more bands, cheerleaders, students who can create a festive atmosphere; get the distance exactly right at 26.2 miles (I clocked 26.5 on my Garmin watch). Again, I commend the huge effort it took the organizers to put on this race. Thank you.
P. Z. from Philadelphia, PA (10/8/2015) "A fun challenging rewarding marathon!" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Morgantown Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I had a chance to participate in the 1st Morgantown marathon. It has been a few weeks and as I look back with satisfaction of running a challenging course in one of the most beautiful places. The energy Morgantown has in the fall was brought to another level with great organization and lots and lots of runners. The volunteers and the turnout is one of the most sincere and genuine I have ever had a chance to be a part of. Easy parking at the start, open facilities before the race, benefitted some great charities in a recipe for success!! Highly recommend to anyone who is looking for a great run in a great city that is full of life and beautiful scenery. I travelled from Philadelphia and would not hesitate to do it again!!
J. D. from Iowa (10/7/2015) "Course was challenging as advertised" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Morgantown Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Race was fun. We had no problems following the course markings. We knew it was hilly going into the race.

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Marathon Details - Morgantown Marathon