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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 481 to 491]
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Katie Bordner from Carlisle, PA
(10/7/2007)
"Race is longer than 26.2 miles" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The organization of the race was great. They thought of everything... getting runners to the starting line on buses, getting your gear to the finish via UPS, free showers at a nearby high school. However, between the halfway point and the finish line there is an additional HALF MILE! added to the course. I spoke with several other runners that also used their Garmin forerunners or other GPS systems and all had the same result. I was trying to qualify for Boston, but did not add enough time to account for the extra half mile that I had to run. By the way DO NOT STAY AT THE RADISSON. They refused any late checkouts, so we walked back to the hotel, got the car and had to go find the free showers. Not sure if I'll run this one again. | |
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Sandra Stauffer from Berwick, PA
(10/2/2007)
"This is the "one to run" to qualify for BOSTON." (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Don't let the elevation fool you. This is a challenging course. If you can run a good time on this course, you'll have nothing to worry about when it comes time to run Boston. This is the marathon that qualified me for Boston "2006." The volunteers are terrific. The spectators show so much support and enthusiasm. I'm sorry to say I won't be able to run Steamtown this year due to an on/off hamstring injury since Boston in 2006. The good news is that my younger sister and her friend from the Tacoma, WA area will be running it this year to qualify for Boston. I've been giving them guidance on the course from my own experiences. I hope that everyone takes in the fall scenery and has a TERRIFIC RACE. -SANDRA | |
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Paul Fitzpatrick from Asheville, NC
(5/26/2007)
"Super race overall, fun course." (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 We picked a super weekend for the race. The weather was perfect. The course was a lot of fun throughout, and the trails halfway through broke the monotony. Don't forget the hills at the end, which are a real challenge after over 20 miles of downhill or flat course. | |
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J. K. from Pennsylvania
(4/22/2007)
"Great local support" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran Steamtown as my first marathon, and I'm glad that I did. The overall organization of the marathon is top-notch; they really keep you advised of everything (bags, shuttles, etc) and have a TON of local support and volunteers. These are the things that made the difference for me in being able to succeed. The course itself is challenging in that most of the downhill running is in the first 10 miles, but if you train accordingly, it really isn't that bad (even for your first). Probably the worst part is the hill in the last 1/2 mile; it's the last thing you want to see after running 26 miles. The outpouring of support from local communities, volunteers, and the race directors themselves was overwhelming. At one point during the race, it felt like the entire town was out supporting the runners, and there were only a few spots where there were no spectators (very few). Can't wait to run this one again - plus I like the witty emails from the race director that keep you motivated for the race. Keep up the great work! | |
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H. E. from Indianapolis, IN
(2/12/2007)
"Excellent first-time marathon" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My brother and I did our first marathon at Steamtown last year. The race had perfect weather - and warming up in the gym was great because you could run out to the start 3 minutes before the gun. I didn't even have to throw out a shirt. One suggestion is to move the recovery area slightly away from the finish - my legs really tightened up standing in line waiting for the food and pictures after the race and it wasn't clear if you could get back in if you left that area for awhile. | |
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C. F. from Yonkers, NY
(11/1/2006)
"Beautiful course - get ready to PR!" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is a truly beautiful course, if you love autumn! The leaves start to turn, the nip is in the air, and the small towns come out to cheer! For those considering it, PLEASE train for some kind of downhill running. The first eight miles are like the longest rollercoaster you can imagine. Fun, but your quads will pay for it later. Mine turned to rubber early on. Race is well-organized for a small-town race. My wife parked literally 50 meters from the finish - free! Pasta dinner was OK, spectators were OK, though we could have done without the cheese bus.... I'd be willing to pay extra for decent transport to the start. I think best for me were the runners. At first I was intimidated with all the Boston Marathon jackets, but during the race, there were lots of friendly faces just trying to get through. I ran the last mile with a woman who had run ALL 11 Steamtowns! It was not a PR day for me, but hey - sometimes you just don't have "it." Definitely a must for NY/NJ/PA/CT runners! And for me, a nice tune-up for NYC! | |
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D. T. from PA
(10/23/2006)
"What a wonderful, beautiful marathon!" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I've only been involved in two marathons (relays and full marathon)prior to Steamtown but this was the best! The course was beautiful. The organization was efficient. The fans were awesome too. There were spots where there were cheerleaders and cross country teams cheering for us and they were motivating. The amount of fluids on the course was plentiful. The tech shirt is great in fact I love it. The prerace talk on the marathon was helpful and I think first timers should attend. I PR'd on this course as well as my husband. The emails from Jim Cummings were amusing, detailed and extremely helpful. I loved the yellow leaved trees that lined the portion of the rail to trails. Pennsylvania IS beautiful! I believe the Steamtown to be a class act! | |
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A. P. from Sinking Spring, Pa
(10/22/2006)
"Great place to qualify for Boston" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The organization of this race and the people of the towns you pass though make this race great. Yes, it's downhill or flat for the first 18 miles or so. By mile 23, the hills feel like mountains and hurt. This was my first road marathon and I did qualify for Boston without a second to spare (3:10:59). My advice is run really fast for the first 15 miles and bank some time for the last, slow, three miles. I don't know if I will go back to Steamtown, I qualified and I don't much care for road races - the overall experience of this race is incredible. | |
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T. G. from Newark, Delaware
(10/19/2006)
"Super Marathon" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a great race. The organization is outstanding, and the course is wonderful. You got to love a 900-foot decrease in altitude between the start and finish. Just watch out for the short, steep drop at about the half-mile point. There are a few modest inclines along the way as well, but nothing bad; the most tiring is at mile 25, but the cheering town folks keep you going. In fact the fans all along the course are super-duper. They even printed everyone's name in the newspaper the day before the race, so occasionally I even heard folks cheering me by name. Nice touch. The e-mails before and after the race from the organizers are funny and encouraging as well. One of the nicest aspects of this race is that they not only bus you out to the start in Forest City, but they house you in nice warm high school gyms prior to the start. You can relax, stretch or even sleep in comfort prior to running. Then they make sure that all your warm-up clothes get transported to the finish line by UPS. They have a great post-race party on the evening of the race with food, drink and excellent music at the Hilton in Scranton. In many respects this marathon is a smaller version of Boston and they work just as hard to make it enjoyable for everyone. I'll be back. | |
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J. C. from Long Island, NY
(10/18/2006)
"Great organization - Overrated course" (about: 2006)
First Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 My wife and I ran the 2006 edition of ST Marathon. It was her 3rd marathon run, and my 1st. She was looking for a BQ of 3:40 and I was looking to just finish in about 5 hours. We both bought into the hype that this course is fast and all sorts of records can be set. PRs and BQs can be run; but the advice given by race directors at the expo was well-meaning, but faulty in our opinion. We followed their advice, but my wife did not BQ, although she did set a new PR, while I DNF'd at 18 miles. The race directors highly recommend that all runners should try to maintain the same pace per mile in order to have reserves left for the signifcant hills at the end of the race on Electric Street and the one leading up to Cooper's Restaurant. They do not recommend 'banking' time on the wonderful effortless downhills in the first 6 - 7 miles. My wife followed the advice precisely, but the fact is the uphills at the end are very tough and understated in all the race materials; no matter what your abilities are. Maintaining the same pace you had at mile 5, will simply not be possible on the hills at the end. In our opinion, you must 'bank' some time on the easy 1st half of the course while striking a balance between burning out before the hills at the end. A lot of emphasis is placed on the downhills of this race, but be aware there are inclines throughout with challening UPhills at the end. We heard many surprised runners commenting on the numerous and unexpected inclines and uphills post-race. The rails to trails and wood chip area are OK. We had high expectations about them, but were a little disappointed in the running surface. The wood chips were fairly loose and unsupportive. However, veteran trail runners will likely enjoy those areas. The race is extremely well organized and planned for. From expo and chip pick-up to morning bus ride, porta-potties, and aid stations, everything is smoothly done to minimize distractions and problems for the runners. You can tell the organizers are runners themselves and they really care about putting on a great event. The towns of Forest City and Carbondale have nice spectator support as well as Scranton. Staying in one of the hotels near the finish line and bus pick-up is a big plus to make race morning stress-free. We were at the Radisson. A very nice place and different. It's a converted railroad station. It's a bit noisy though as sounds tend to echo there with all the open spaces. Not the most runner friendly hotel either as their food/drink shops did open until 6:30am on race morning. Too late. The Hilton is probably the best bet and has a Starbucks that opens at 4am. Overall, ST is an excellently organized race, with a course that should be respected with UPhill preparation. Highly recommend, if you can, drive the last few miles of the course beforehand to really understand what you will be facing at the end. Beware of the unique temperature changes too at this race. The start was in the mid to high 40s, and 4 hours later was in the low 70s in downtown Scranton. |
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