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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: 616 [displaying comments 161 to 171]
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C. M. from Long Valley, NJ
(10/14/2014)
"Great well organized Marathon!!" (about: 2014)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 3rd marathon and my first time running this one, Steamtown Marathon was a lot of fun. I really loved the fact that there were so many spectators. I was very appreciative of the many port-a-potty's available as well as they were all stocked with TP!!! would have loved some Purell though. The course was very enjoyable and kudos to everyone involved in the making because it was well worth it and very much appreciated. I will definitely run this one again! | |
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M. G. from VA
(10/14/2014)
"Great volunteers on a beautiful course" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have nothing but great things to say about this race. It is well organized on a well marked course. The net downhill is a little deceiving. Most of the down hill comes in the first 8 miles. There are a few hills near the end that are challenging. | |
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E. W. from Elkins Park, PA
(10/14/2014)
"Believe the hype!" (about: 2014)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 First off, let me say that I'm not here to blow smoke up the Steamtown Marathon's behind simply because I BQed there on Sunday. And I'm not here to heap praise on the amazing organization, spectacular course, or fantastic spectators just because I beat my former marathon PR by 16 minutes. I'm not a veteran of 132 marathons (and 13 Steamtown Marathons) like the 77-year-old man I sat with on the bus ride to Forest City Sunday morning, but I can tell you that I loved Steamtown and will be back next year most certainly. The organization/coordination: It's obvious that these folks have been doing this for 19 years now. Some people may have had minor glitches (although I didn't hear about any), but for me the process from registration to the finish line was smoother than a Ken doll's privates. The pre-race emails from Assistant Race Director Jim Cummings were both entertaining and informative, talking the edge off a bit for a third time marathoner with lofty goals, and I look forward to reading the same jokes next year. My pre-race anxiety dreams where I can't find the buses to the starting line, or I find myself waiting in an hour-long porta-lav line 5 minutes before the cannon goes off, or my kids keep me up half the night fighting over the blanket in a comfortable queen-size hotel room bed the night before - none of those nightmares came true except for the last one, and the organizers had nothing to do with that (other than offering what amounted to all-you-can-eat chocolate chocolate chip cookies at the pasta party and sugaring up my daughters for weeks to come). Oh, and the fact that the runners could wait inside Forest City High School to stretch, warm up, chat, etc. before the race was super-nice on a 37-degree morning. Thanks, gang, for putting on a classy, fun race. The course: What can I say, I like downhill races. If I had to complain about something, I'd say it was the crowded first mile, but that might be the only thing that kept me from going out too fast! Running the Steamtown Marathon might be my new favorite way to enjoy Autumn foliage. Everything was great (not sure I'd feel the same if it had been raining instead of beautifully sunny, but I'm not complaining about that!) - I especially enjoyed the trail section of the race because it brought me closer to some of my fellow runners, and even because it slowed me down by a few seconds just when I needed it in the miles before those hills. And I liked the little loop around the Blakely Recreation Complex - it was fun to have a panoramic view of runners both ahead of and behind me there, and to hear Earth, Wind and Fire blasting in the background. The spectators/volunteers: This was probably what really made this race seem world-class for me. I've run several races with very large fields and tons of spectators, and I always enjoy them, but I have never felt as welcomed and supported by spectators and volunteers as I did on Sunday. From the moment we checked into our hotel (I'm not saying which hotel because I don't want it to be booked even earlier next year) and the staff wished me a great race, to getting off the bus in Forest City to throngs of exuberant cheerleaders, to the cheers and encouragement from everyone at all of the water stations (both official and unofficial - I was excited to grab a banana and an orange from strangers along the way), to the cowbells, vuvuzelas, and just plain shouting of so many townfolk, what joy! Other than the dudes handing out beer at mile 25 (I think it was mile 25 - I couldn't really see or count by that point), my favorite spectator was the guy who welcomed me to Scranton at the city limit. That cheerful welcome is partly to blame for giving me the boost to keep my pace up for the next couple of miles, knowing I was almost there. And thanks so much to everyone who lined those last miles, especially the uphill sections - you rock! Finally, I want to add that my wife and daughters had an awesome time, too (waiting a couple of hours for me at the finish line), and admit that I'm really being so fawning in my praise because both of my kids placed in their age groups for the kids' race, their first! And they were interviewed for the TV news, and they slept in a super-comfy hotel bed and swam in the hotel pool (they called it a vacation even though we were only there for a day), and they drank liquid marshmallow sauce that was meant for my sweet-potato fries at Ale Mary's pub after the race, and those cookies - all those cookies! Thanks again, Steamtown Marathon, from me, from my wife, and from my kids, who will definitely be back next year! | |
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A. P. from Maryland
(10/14/2014)
"Great, smaller hometown race" (about: 2014)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I absolutely loved running this race. I was born and raised in Scranton and although I have been gone for over 10 years, I still consider it home. I loved all the small towns we passed through. The spectators were awesome. Being a point to point course, you never saw the same thing twice. The time of year is prefect and the colors and temperature this time of year in Northeastern PA can't be beat. This was not my first marathon, but it's a great one for first timers. It's challenging, yet fair. And, best of all, my mom got to see me finish! Only gripe is that the shirts ran a little small, a complaint that the directors are aware of. | |
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V. R. from Virginia
(10/14/2014)
"Terrific Marathon" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have run 15 marathons, and without a doubt, Steamtown has the best organization. If you are looking for a fall marathon, in which the emphasis is on running, and not waiting in line, this is the one for you. I cannot imagine what they could do in order to improve the process. As an aside, they had High School students enthusiastically greeting runners at 6:30 in the morning. I would like access to the instruction manual for successfully motivating teenagers prior to noon. Nice course, specifically designed to give you hope with early downhills, and then make you earn your time with some late uphill portions. A bunch of little towns to run through. As well as a terrific little patch of perfectly groomed wide trail running. Great marathon. | |
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J. H. from Scranton, PA
(10/14/2014)
"Wooooohooooooo!!!!" (about: 2014)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I'm still walking funny and am in a considerable amount of pain in areas, but I can still say 'WHAT A GREAT RACE!'. You didn't advertise the blisters or this niggle behind my knee, so shame on you. Also, I feel I was left uninformed about how generous and supportive the spectators are. Stopping to eat all of the various snacks offered on the course added at least an hour to my time. I gained weight DURING the race! Kudos on the race and to everyone involved. Even the cops directing traffic offered words of encouragement! Thank you so much for all your hard work. My only disappointment is with the race shirt. I wore it out and children screamed and women fainted. To say its a tad snug is an extreme understatement. | |
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S. S. from Montgomery County MD
(10/14/2014)
"I felt so loved!" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 There is plenty of commentary on this list so I won't bother to reiterate. The attention to detail by the organizers is great, the community support (especially at that mile 24 hill!) just makes it fun. | |
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David Reynolds from Baltimore, MD
(10/14/2014)
"Best race evergreat crowds and beautiful scenery" (about: 2014)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 No doubt that this is a tough course, but it is really beautiful and varied. Volunteer and crowd support is unmatched. High school bands, cheerleaders, and hundreds of residents cheer you through 6 or 7 small towns on this point-to-point. Fall foliage is spectacular and you get to see lots of pretty little towns. You will be greeted at the finish by thousands of cheering fans. Pizza and pasta in the food tent afterwards. Bewarethe first 20 miles are mostly downhill and then you have mostly uphill the last 6. Don't go out too fast. | |
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Aaron Roades from Gainesville, Virginia
(10/14/2014)
"Great mid-size race" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I was getting tired of the lottery systems and the hassle/costs of the big races so I decided to try Steamtown this year. I'm so glad I did! Really an amazing job done by everyone involved. This is probably my new favorite race. | |
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B. F. from Pennsylvania, USA
(10/14/2014)
"Boston here we come!" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Thank you Jim, all the Steamtown organizers and the many super volunteers for all your help and support! It would not have ended the way it did for me, without you !!! It was an absolutely perfect day for your Steamtown marathon, and it ended perfectly for me. This was my 10th marathon and I have to say, one of my best! Small, great and fast course, well communicated, well organized, plenty of hydration, and very friendly volunteers and crowds. My A goal was to qualify for Boston. My B goal was to PR. I wanted to achieve at least one of these goals. Well, I am absolutely riding on a cloud following this marathon! Because not only was it my 10th marathon, I achieved BOTH goals&. it was a PR and a BQ ! All in a single day! I could not be any happier. The weather was spectacular, the course was fast and those hills at the end... if you trained properly, were no big deal. Now... my quads are really sore today! But that's expected. Good luck to all you fellow runners out there. If you want to qualify for Boston, I cannot think of a better place to do it. I have struggled since 2009 to break 4 hours, finally getting to a 3:53 in Philly in 2010. Following an intense, stepped-up period of training this year, on October 12th, 2014, at the 2014 Steamtown Marathon, I ran a 3:30 !!! That's 23 minutes off my best time! You can do it too! Thanks again and run on people! |
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