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Mad Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Mad Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.6 
Organization 4.7 
Spectators 3.9
Number of comments: 83 [displaying comments 51 to 61]
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s. m. from New Hampshire
(7/15/2012)
"Rolling hill after hill" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Mad Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 The good- great area to camp and enjoy the swimming holes. Easy for your family to see you on the course- they may be the only ones you see for a while. Plenty of water stations. Scenic but after the first 10 miles would have liked some distractions to look at. My kids ran the last mile and crossed the finish with me. Very friendly people. Super easy to park and get to start line. The not so good- you better like hills to do this one!! They start coming between mile 1 and 2 and don't quit. And I'm not talking little hills- these are long rolling hills, the down hills are as bad as the up. Went to pick up race shirt and they only had med- i signed up for small but they said they ran out. At many times you are running alone- not many runners and a few fans but really just a handful although very nice people - would have been great to get handed a popsicle or twisler on this tough course. 7 am start is too late. It was hot! If you want a challenge pick this one. By the end the rolling hills had taken a toll on my knees, back, legs, you name it. Took me 4 hours 50 min. Did San Diego the month before in 3 hours 57 min | |
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C. G. from Bethlehem, PA
(7/13/2012)
"Excellent event" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mad Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 What a great event. Low key, easy to get to, VERY well organized, plenty of aid stations and volunteers and the Vermont charm! The scenery was incredible and the course delivered....it was hilly but if you managed them well it wasn't bad at all. The finish area was nice, some goodies as you crossed the line, tents to chill out under and escape the sun and some great people just relaxing. The Sam Adams beer / snack garden was a hit as well. This was my first time doing this race (22nd marathon) and I'd definitely do it again. Thanks to the organizers and all of the volunteers. | |
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A. B. from West Chester, PA
(7/10/2012)
"Challenging, yet Beautiful!!" (about: 2012)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Mad Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Last year I participated in my very first half-marathon...The Mad Half. People called me crazy for choosing this event as my 'first' half, but spending summers in this beautiful state, I was not surprised or discouraged by the challenging course. I typically run Trail Races back in Pa., so I consider myself more of a runner who enjoys running and racing for reasons other than chasing that elusive PR, or losing sleep over body fat percentages. I LOVE a good challenge, so this race was perfect for me. I loved the race last year and I loved it even more this year!! I did enjoy the improvements which were made since 2011: better food at the end, plentiful water stops, and more potties. The fans were out in full force again with those wonderful cow bells and the race volunteers could not have been friendlier or more helpful. A special thank you to the Medical personnel at the finish! I did need their services briefly after the race and they were especially calm and professional. One suggestion though for B & B owners: please make yourself aware of your community events! One of the owners of the place I stayed this year thought I was there to ride her horses, and did not know anything about the race!!! THANK YOU Dori and your staff for this race! I will be back next year for sure!! | |
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P. T. from New jersey
(7/10/2012)
"Excellent, challenging, small marathon." (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Mad Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon was small but well organized. The volunteers were excellent and the scenery was beautiful. There was plenty of water and Gatorade every mile. The course was challenging but that is one reason why I chose it. Take some time to explore Vermont if you do this race. It is a great place to visit. | |
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N. F. from Connecticut
(7/10/2012)
"Good People, Great Scenery, Extremely Challenging." (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Mad Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is certainly one of the most difficult courses in New England. The elevation chart seems very accurate - but take note of the scale. There are 100-foot climbs that only show up as a blip on the chart. That said, this is a very-well run event, and the whole town of Waitsfield (which is pretty quiet in the Summer) seems friendly and supportive as the marathoners take over their town. The race organizer, Dori, is the most personable of any race I've ever been involved in (trying to personally greet every finisher), and there seems to be almost as many volunteers as there are participants. A summertime marathon is rare, but the Vermont weather seems to cooperate. Even hot days are cool in the mornings and have a breeze coming off the mountains. There are two things that could keep this race from being very big, though. First, there do not seem to be too many low-cost places to stay and eat in the area (at least I couldn't find them). Second, as tough as marathoners purport to be, too many of them are too preoccupied with chasing a personal best time to take on a truly challenging course like this one. All in all, I'm very happy to have participated in this event, and I look forward to doing it again. If you consider yourself a serious marathoner, then try a course like this one, or else take that 26.2 sticker off of your car. | |
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S. G. from Vermont
(7/9/2012)
"Amazing Race" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mad Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 22nd marathon and the hardest course I have run. Great challenging course. The Mad River Valley rolls out the red carpet. Train for hills.... you won't regret it. The views during the course are worth every bit of the elevation gain. Relaxed field of runners and finish line welcome was worth it. | |
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T. P. from Akron Ohio
(7/9/2012)
"If your looking for a challenge you will be ." (about: 2012)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Mad Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I loved the second-half of this marathon because (a) I had a negative spilt (b) I figured out out to manage the steep inclines..I walked them (c) it was more downhill than up. (d) the long down hill allowed me to soak in the glorious scenery. This was one tough marathon but the beauty made it worth it. The steep hill from mile 1 to 2 was a real buzz kill but I persevered and got stronger as the race progressed. The weather was perfect with a slight breeze and townies very friendly. I would recommend this to anyone not after a PR who appreciates nature. | |
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J. R. from Atlanta
(7/9/2012)
"PR? No wa! But a great race!" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mad Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I really enjoyed the race. I was expecting it to be tough and by hilly, my expectations were met within the first three miles...the hills felt relentless. Thank goodness much of the tough part of the race (the first 17 miles) was in the shade from the beautiful trees covering the roads. The race was very well organized with plenty of water/Gatorade stations and porta-potties along the way. The scenery was beautiful and the people (locals) along the way were great and very supportive. 12-15 minutes slower than my normal pace but with the terrain, I was pretty pleased with my time. I highly recommend this run to all of those wanting a great small event. | |
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A. W. from New York
(7/8/2012)
"An amazing experience" (about: 2012)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Mad Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Just returned from finishing the 2012 marathon and all i can say is wow! The organizers did a tremendous job at making this smaller marathon something special. The town and area was beautiful, the food was excellent (except for the dinner but i will get to that shortly) and everyone was friendly as can be. The course itself while picturesque is a tough tough course and the hills are no joke. I had ran Baltimore last year and thought that was rough but that was nothing compared got this race. If your looking to pr or check a marathon off you bucket list then this is not the race for you. For a serious marathon runner who is looking for a fun and challenging run then this is for you. The only small complaints I have was that since you are staying in winter resorts there is no air condition (at least where I stayed), the Carbo load dinner was terrible, over priced and skimpy (there were a few restaurants that were participating so I can't speak for them all but avoid Timbers) and you had to pay for real food at the finish line if you are looking for more than donuts and bananas. Again small gripes but great crowd, spectators and organizers and it made for a spectacular weekend get away. Highly recommended for the serious marathoner. P.s. the mad half isn't for slouches either | |
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Lisa Schneiders from Fallston, MD
(7/30/2011)
"Cool town! Beautiful mountains!" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mad Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Yes, this course had the steepest hills I have ever run! But the scenery was gorgeous. The town of Waitsfield was a wonderful place to escape the hustle and bustle of the world. I loved the fact there were no red lights, fast food, or Walmarts! But anything you needed the town had. I brought my family of 6 plus our two dogs and stayed at the Sugarbush condos. We found a rope swing over the Mad River swimming hole. The kids loved it! I stood in it to cool my legs after the race. The movie theater played one movie at a time and provided couches and coffee tables in front of regular theater seats! I stretched out on a couch with my burger (best I have had in years!) and my mixed drink (yes the theater had a liquor license) and watched Cars 2 with the kids. After the movie the kids played on the playground while my husband and I sat in chairs and continued to enjoy our adult beverages. We visited Ben and Jerry's. We saw a waterfall and a skunk. My husband stopped me before I got out of the car to take a picture! We were hoping to see a moose. The farmer's market on Saturday was very nice. Loved the furniture made of used skis and the Vermont Peanut Butter varieties. It was a great experience. For a first year marathon it was very organized. A couple of things I would like to see improved would be more port-o-pots on the course. And even though there were plenty of water/Gatorade stops the beverages were warm and towards the end beyond warm. Maybe a truck can deliver bags of ice to the stops and store them in coolers and use as necessary. I didn't receive any feed bag at the finish. Maybe they ran out by the time I crossed the line. The people of vermont were extremely friendly. Really cool family trip! P.S. Thanks you Holly and Lori for getting me through the first 18 miles! I couldn't hang after that! |
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