Back to Fredericton Marathon Information & Reviews
D. G. from Halifax, NS
(5/15/2018)
"consistently well-organized & great course" (about: 2018)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Fredericton Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Consistently well-organized and well-run. The area was affected by floods the previous week, but the organizers had an alternate certified course and were able to quickly make a change and still hold the race. Beautiful flat course, half paved, half crushed gravel, great volunteers, water, gels, port-a-potties... can't ask for a better event | |
D. G. from Halifax NS
(5/9/2016)
"Great small-town race" (about: 2016)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Fredericton Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Great, flat & fast course on a trail that is half paved, half crushed gravel. Last year I posted a comment about a problematic section (see below) but it has since been paved. Great organization, good water stops, enough port-a-potties, enthusiastic volunteers, could not ask for a better race. As far as bling goes, the medal is nice and the t-shirt was OK, but there are no added frills. Would highly recommend this race. | |
J. R. from Auburn, Massachusetts
(7/27/2015)
"Excellent Small Marathon!" (about: 2015)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Fredericton Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Most would not consider Fredericton to be a destination marathon, but that is exactly what I made it as I made the trip up from Massachusetts. I knew the course was flat and scenic, with optimal average temperatures. It did not disappoint: I hadn't run a Boston Qualifier since January 2013, and I managed to not only do that but also finish under 3 hours. You may not get huge spectator support, but those in attendance are very enthusiastic! Thank you to everyone who gave their time to this great event. I highly recommend. | |
D. G. from Halifax NS
(5/11/2015)
"Great no-frills small town race" (about: 2015)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Fredericton Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Nice course, mostly an out and back that full marathoners must do twice, but because it's mostly on a lovely crushed gravel trail, it did not bother me. In one small section, the rocks were a bit big so you had to watch your step, but the rest of it was great. Very flat, lovely scenery. Trail could become congested if there were more runners, but it was not a problem. Plenty, well stocked water stations, enough porta potties, enthusiastic volunteers... can't ask for much more. The medal was nice and the race 'package' constituted of an OK t-shirt, but the race was reasonably priced accordingly. Would highly recommend. | |
J. L. from Montreal, Canada
(5/25/2012)
"Perfect course, perfect city, perfect race!" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Fredericton Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I flew from Montreal to run this marathon, hoping to get a PR based on the claim that the course is flat and fast. I wasn't disappointed. It was all that and more. The beautiful scenery kept me interested and the volunteers and aid stations couldn't have been better. A top notch organisation for such a small race. By far, the type of marathon that I prefer... The city of Fredericton is lovely. The people are friendly. The weather was great for long distance running, 6*c at the start, 11* at the finish, very light rain that didn't last. The course is part pavement, part gravel. Easy all the way. The Expo was small and held at the Crowne Plaza, which is a short walk to the start/finish line. I highly recommend this hotel, it was wonderful. We ate at Isaac's Way, which had a special on Saturday for the Sunday race. It was so good that we went back for our post-race lunch. Again, I highly recommend it. In conclusion, a must do marathon if you enjoy smaller races. And yes, I did get my PR! A big thank you to all the volunteers that day, you were fantastic and I owe you all! | |
G. S. from Halifax, Nova Scotia
(6/15/2010)
"Safe course with a few details not attended to." (about: 2010)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Fredericton Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The Fredericton Marathon is on a flat and interesting course, run on the trails made from former rail lines. I found the course safe and well organized. I am not sure if I am the only one, but I find that despite the flatness of rails-to-trails, the surface is somewhat slower than pavement and requires more effort. I was 10 minutes slower than expected, although I didn't feel like I ran well in the second half. I was disappointed with several things. You may think them to be not worth mentioning, but they did take away from this being the best experience it could have been. 1) At race packet pickup, there weren't any maps left for the marathon course; it would have been nice to have one. 2) There was supposed to be a gel station at mile 18 and I didn't see one. I really could have used an extra one at this point. 3) There was supposed to be a pacer for 3:30, but he/she didn't show up. 4) When I finished, the volunteer forgot to give me a medal. An honest mistake, but I had to go ask for one. This is a decent race overall, with good water stations and enough people to run with. It has a way to go before it is top-notch in all respects, though. | |
Craig Sears from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
(5/11/2010)
"Flat, and a great course for a first-timer" (about: 2010)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Fredericton Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 It's known for being a flat course, it that certainly ended up being true. Also, much of it was on well groomed trails. While there were not a ton of fans throughout the course, they were encouraging, and all of the water stations were staffed with helpful volunteers. | |
M. S. from Down east Maine
(5/9/2010)
"A-1 from top to bottom!" (about: 2010)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Fredericton Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What a great race! If you are looking for a flat course with virtually no hills, beautiful scenery, and great organization, this is it. We had about 180 marathoners and many more half marathoners at the start in downtown Fredericton. No congestion whatsoever. The course probably has 20-21 miles of crushed gravel trail along the St. John River. My sole purpose for running this race was to BQ, which I did, and I broke my PR by 39 minutes! Spectator support was good, organization was awesome, and the course was fantastic. Fredericton has tons of older homes to gawk at, and plenty to do that is near to the start/finish line. I will be back if I can recover soon enough from Boston in 2011. I HIGHLY recommend this one. | |
D. N. from Dartmouth NS, Canada
(5/20/2008)
"An excellent small-town marathon" (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Fredericton Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I really enjoyed running in Fredericton. I traveled with a small group from Dartmouth, NS, including two people running their debut marathon. All of us had great results, mainly due to the flat and fast course. With two "out and backs" on the former rail line, you always knew where your friends and competitors were, and you were able to cheer each other on. The course was changed back to a course from prior years due to flooding. I have heard that the new course is even better, so I'll have to return in 2009 to check it out. | |
Mitch Hunter from Halifax, Canada
(12/31/2007)
"Very enjoyable experience" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Fredericton Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon, and I enjoyed every minute of it. The flat course, mostly trail, is great for a PR. It is a small-town marathon so the crowds are small, but very supportive. I can't wait to run it in '08. |
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