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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: 612 [displaying comments 51 to 61]
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D. H. from Pennsylvania
(10/14/2018)
"Weather was the only negative" (about: 2018)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My second marathon ever. I had heard great things about Steamtown's organization and course, and these rumors turned out to be very true. I would highly recommend this one for someone looking for a first or second marathon experience, particularly if you enjoy the social aspect of road races (I was always running along with a moderate-sized and changing group of other runners) but don't need the crush of tens of thousands of others in a major race. Plus, many local residents set up their own aid stations with food, drinks, and misters in addition to the plentiful official aid stations. My wife and daughter waited for me at the recommended 8ish- and 17ish-mile viewing areas; it was easy for them to do this and they were really impressed at the incredible local community support as well as the chance to take in a beautiful fall day in somewhat rural parts of NE Pennsylvania. Weather did not cooperate, with 68 degrees and 91% humidity at the start that got into the mid-70s later. So my target time (under 4 hours) turned out to be a pipe dream even though I was able to stay exactly on pace through 18 miles. Lots of other commenters on this website give a good sense of what the course is like. If I ever run a third marathon the SM would be high on my list of possibilities, though hopefully it'll be cooler next time! | |
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Lori Ann Brulo from PA
(10/13/2018)
"Most Enjoyable Marathon" (about: 2018)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Thank you all who were involved with the BEST Marathon out there! I have run it several years. Being 58, I decided that I was done running marathons (20) but wanted to end with the Steamtown Marathon. I didn't want last year's weather to be my final memory of Steamtown. Well anyways, I started at Forest City and was running really well for 10 miles Several cyclists passed me on the course and I grew envious that they were enjoying the course on their bikes. I am a bike leader for the Harrisburg Area races. Anyways, I stopped one and asked how I could drop out of the race and go back to the finish line to cheer on the runners and see my husband finish. NOT expecting such an easy escape, they said go to the next corner and the COUNTY BUS would pick me up. WOW---I did and had a fantastic RIDE back to the finish line! I REALLY enjoyed cheering for the runners as they came across the finish line! I got to see my hubby finish! THANKS AGAIN FOR my great memories!!! | |
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Joe Decker from Olyphant Pennsylvania
(10/13/2018)
"Great race" (about: 2018)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Thanks again for bringing your hospitality and complete race experience. Still waiting for the pr bell; I hope to ring it next year. | |
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L. A. from Pennsylvania
(10/13/2018)
"Amazing" (about: 2018)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Steamtown was my first full marathon, I have however ran multiple half marathons in the past. I can say with certainty that this race was one I will not soon forget. It is very well organized in every aspect, the fellow runners, and spectators are absolutely fantastic. I had planned on only ever doing one marathon, but Steamtown got me hooked. I will do it again for sure. I loved it. Thanks to all! | |
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Matt Pfahl from Boston, MA
(10/13/2018)
"An engaging jaunt through Northeastern PA" (about: 2018)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I've run Steamtown the last two years and would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a well organized aesthetically pleasing (and potentially fast) course. Course: The race starts at Forest City high school with the firing of an actual cannon. You'll hear it a couple more times as you make your way down the opening 8 miles of downhill mayhem. Depending on your fitness level you'll want to be mindful of how much this section of the course is going to take out of your legs. There's some great videos on youtube covering the course itself. I'll just say that the course does a great job of representing this area of PA. Personally, I enjoy the diversity of the terrain (road/rails to trail) and scenery (woods, small towns, river, etc.). The one sore spot of the course for me is the industrial park as it is bland and monotonous compared to everything that came before. Organization: Steamtown is a well oiled machine, these organizers know exactly how to put on a marathon. One of the lovable quirks of Steamtown is the Asst. Race Director, Jim Cummings, and his periodic updates to the racers that are simultaneously informative and hilarious. Aid stations are frequent and fully stocked and staffed. Finish is loaded with food and fun activities for kiddos. Spectators: You're running through neighborhoods, so you'll see spectators watching from their porch or roadside. Lots of kiddos with signs or high fives to offer motivation. There's quite a few race parties going on at people's homes or at the center of some of the towns you run through. There are at least 2 or 3 high school bands playing from the roadside. At one point you'll crest a gigantic hill and see some of the kids from St. Josephs, which is particularly inspiring. From there the crowd support continues to rachet up with a big race feel as you run up Cooper's hill and into downtown scranton for the finish. Worth noting, there are numerous spots for your traveling family and friends to see you on the course. Overall, Steamtown is a great marathon to run whether it's your first or 100th. The only complaint I really have is the weather. The last 2 years (2017, 2018) have been 70's+ with gross humidity levels. The race organizers have decided to push the race to the following weekend, which will hopefully shake this trend. | |
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T. L. from Central PA
(10/12/2018)
"Best Small Town USA Marathon" (about: 2018)
6-10 previous marathons
| 6+ Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great downhill course that is also scenic - lots of "leaf peeping". Spectators are amazing - so much support and lots of homemade aid stations along the way! Great organization - easy to get to start, wait inside a warm school at the start, everything about this race is logistically easy. A must do race! | |
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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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