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Cape Cod Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Cape Cod Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.6 
Organization 4.5 
Spectators 3.9
Number of comments: 144 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
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E. U. from Atlanta
(11/2/2014)
"Great Race" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cape Cod Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great Race: - Beautiful scenery (ran through cranberry bog while they were harvesting, ran past beautiful beach front homes, lighthouse, beach-front running, etc.) - New England charm - Well organized - Enthusiastic volunteers - Enthusiastic spectators (although course winds through small towns so don't expect a lot of spectators - sparsely populated summer community) - Nice medal - Easy logistics (parked two minutes from race start and porta-potty lines max 2 minutes) - Well marked course Course can be broken into following stages: 0-10 = easy, relatively flat 10-12 = long gradual uphill climb that is not insignificant, but still lot of energy in legs to not a problem 12-15 = mostly downhill, can accelerate so have to hold yourself back 15-22 = very difficult part of course - lot of hills and despite other reviews they are not 'gentle' or 'rolling', some of these are very challenging and you will need to force yourself to relax and get breathing back in check on the downhill side if you want to maintain pace. This is the make-or-break section of this course. There are two killer hills - one by the golf course and one pre-Woods Hole. 22-26 = average. This sections starts out with some rolling hills and then ends relatively flat as the course goes along the ocean and then turns left up into town. If you have gas left in the tank you can really make up some time here. I had my fastest mile of the course (7:01') on mile 22. Be aware that this is not a PR course for most. There are a lot of twists and turns that add to the distance when you compare official mileage to your GPS watch. My normal tracking error between official and GPS is about 0.1 to 0.3, even on city courses. My tracking error on this course was 0.54 - my watch had a total distance of 26.74. Most of this tracking error is on the second half as I was quite close when crossing 13 mile marker. I suspect that there is an error in the official measurement of the second half and have communicated to race organizer, but I can't prove it. Regardless, be prepared because if you are looking for a time/pace, you need to take this tracking error into consideration. Temps were nice - mid 50't to low 60's, sun shining, but very windy. Had 20mph winds that seem to constantly change direction during the race in order to always be in my face! Contrary to other commenters, I found this added significantly to the challenge. Very happy and can fully recommend this race to anyone from beginner to experienced. Just plan your race strategy accordingly and you will not be disappointed. | |
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B. R. from New Jersey
(11/1/2014)
"Yes, there are hills - run it anyway!" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Cape Cod Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Wow. What a great experience! Run this race. When you do (not if), make at least a weekend trip of it because the area is great - beautiful waterfront and countryside scenery, great towns for walking, lots of interesting little shops and restaurants. Falmouth itself is a perfect Smalltown USA place, and the people we met couldn't have been friendlier. The local running club has been organizing this race for almost 40 years, and it shows both in the race and the level of pride the community takes in it. The hills were tough. I held back in the first half and handled the rolling hills from 13-18 pretty easily. There was one nearly continuous uphill from 19-20 that did me in, though, so I guess I should've held back more. Overall the course is gorgeous. There are two separate roughly two mile stretches along the water, near the beginning and near the end, and both are spectacular. When I passed the Nobska lighthouse I almost wanted to stop running to take it in. We ran on a causeway through a cranberry bog at one point, and spent a good deal of time admiring the blaze-colored New England woods. Just beautiful. True, crowds were thin for long stretches, but everyone was really enthusiastic. The cheering at the relay exchanges and the finish almost make you forget it's a small race, people were so into it. There were lots of people I saw four or five times along the course, and by the end they were cheering for me too as soon as they could see me. I didn't need an aid station, thankfully, but I would echo the comments on those - there wasn't a good sense of where they would be. Water stations are well-run but less frequent than at bigger races, so you should bring some of your own to tide you over in the later stages. | |
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R. B. from Boston
(10/28/2014)
"Ran 3:30 but only because I knew what to expect" (about: 2014)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Cape Cod Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 While looking for an October marathon, I used reviews on this site to choose Cape Cod - so I'm returning the favor and writing a review. First, and if you have a problem with this definitely do not do this course, is it is not like a rocknroll or major marathon. There WILL be stretches you will run by yourself with absolutely no crowd support, but the parts with spectators they were awesome. Second, this is a tough course. I ran a 3:30, but only because I severely restricted my pace the first half of the race. The second half is harder than the first, but the rolling hills are not mountains. I only say harder because the first half is relatively easy. . The second half is rolling hills from about Mile 13-23, but the only truly terrible hill is the very last one by the Nobska Lighthouse. Have your goal in mind, and run that pace. My PR for a half marathon was 1:27. This happened two weeks before at the BAA Half. I say this to illustrate how pacing can benefit you in this race. I could have gone out and done 7min/mile pace for the first half, and gone through the half at Cape in 1:30, but I knew I could not possibly do a 3 hour marathon due to lack of training for that distance. I set my goal at a 3:30 marathon. I went through the half in capecod at 1:43, but that took some serious self restriction because I knew I could go faster. I had to keep telling myself to slow down. My pace splits for the first 13 miles were pretty consistent, ~ 7:50/mile. This left me ready to tackle the rolling hills, and I thought I did a relatively good job of it until the nobska lighthouse hill. The last one. Its psychologically draining as it is a long road to the lighthouse and you can see the full hill in front of you, but once you get past it youre all done with the rolling hills. The rolling hills are not tough if you pace yourself and have trained. Other reviews on here make them out to be mountains after mountains. They are just hills and always have a downhill part. They are not high grade climbs either. Train for hills, pace yourself and you will be fine. I definitely plan on doing this again next year, so hope to see you there! The only problem I had with this race, and I hope they improve it for next year, is the aid stations. I dont know exactly how many they were, but they seemed way too far apart at some points. Im not saying have one every mile, but be consistent so people will know )one aid station every 2 miles etc). It felt like some were 2 miles apart, and some were 3-4 miles apart. This could be due to the relay logistics as well, but it hurts marathoners. | |
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S. F. from Atlanta Ga
(10/27/2014)
"Pretty course small town Cape Cod but lacks some t" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Falmouth us beautiful during the fall and some if the nicest scenery I have run through. They are not kidding about hills train for them. Volunteers were wonderful and there were more people out than I expected. Do need more water stops traffic a local drivers were scary a couple of times. It was not clear about packet pickup marathon only Saturday strange. Although I liked picking my own shirt getting $15 off seemed kind of odd because no shirt comes with 75 entry fee. Volunteers all had very nice jackets that we must have paid for. Expo small. After race food was pretty nice but seemed like a long walk and then down two flights of stairs. All that aside the beauty of the course and the support of the volunteers and most locals except for cranky pants driver who yelled at us I am glad I went. | |
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P. G. from Berkeley Heights, NJ
(1/9/2014)
"Tougher than I thought" (about: 2013)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Cape Cod Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 3rd marathon. My family and I enjoyed 2 days in Cape Cod prior to the race - great spot this time of year. Race day weather really was perfect. I was worried more about the wind than the hills, especially since the day before the race, we were down by the beach and the wind was howling and creating sandstorms. The wind settled down on race day. I knew about the hills and since I train in a hilly town, I was not worried. Around mile 19, I was hating those hills! And they kept coming. The guy in front of me lost his breakfast after reaching the top of one. I started to pick up the pace once it flattened out with about 2 miles to go and my calf started cramping - never happened to me before. Probably due to the hills. Great experience and challenging course. Glad I did it. | |
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S. K. from Poughkeepsie, NY
(11/10/2013)
"Scenic, low key race." (about: 2013)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Cape Cod Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon. I read the reviews from previous years and decided the CCM would be my maiden marathon voyage. Everything was just right! The course was beautiful, the organization was first rate. Spectators were a bit sparse, but enthusiastic. Some nice touches: The guide given at the expo had described a number of good places with directions for family and friends to cheer on their runner. My wife found three spots to see me and easily drove to them. The finisher's medal is great, very handsome. I thought the hills in the second half were quite challenging and miles 22 to the end were a real test for me, as i hit the wall hard and shuffled to the finish. All in all it was a great experience, great course, well run. I'll be back! | |
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b. c. from Marietta, GA
(11/3/2013)
"Beautiful Northeast Marathon" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Cape Cod Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Had a wonderful time in Cape Cod. Truly beautiful and they did a great job. Flat in the begining and then a few rollong hills. Weather was absolutely PERFECT. Highly recommended for any one who likes a smaller race in a beautiful setting. | |
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J. E. from New York City
(11/1/2013)
"Beautiful Course! Nice, Hassle Free Race!" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Cape Cod Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Logistics - Pretty good as start/finish/packet pick up are all within walking distance of each other. I took a bus from NYC that arrives in Falmouth with a mile from the expo/hotels. Course - Average in many parts but spectacular in others, especially the last 4+ miles with the light house and running by the ocean. Much of this race is run on narrow roads that are open to traffic so in many parts, you have to be very aware of your surroundings and run on the extreme shoulder. Difficulty - The first 12 miles or so are pretty average and then miles 12 to about 24 or so have lots of rolling hills so be sure to save something for the second half. Water stops - This year they served Gatorade instead of the dreaded Cytomax. There are 10 water stops along the course. I personally find I need more than this for a marathon so I carried a bottle with me. Organization - Pretty well organized from packet pickup to the race itself. Spectators - Not a lot of them but more than I was expecting and they were all supportive and enthusiastic. Since there is a companion 5 leg relay, the relay stations serve as good cheering sections also. Summary - Overall, a very nice race in a really cool town. Some of the nicest scenery I've seen on a marathon course. They do well to show a large portion of their city on the course. Easy logistics and cost is right. Hassle free as it took me 2 minutes to get my bib and got to the start 5 minutes before the cannon fired. I would definitely recommend CCM. Some areas of improvement - Add 2-3 more hydration stops. 10 water stops simply isn't enough. Also, many of these water stops were pretty much alongside mile markers. Better to have them a hundred or so yards after the markers which allows runners to hit the lap buttons on their watches and then concentrate on getting their water. I'm glad I ran CCM and want to thank the city and organizers for a great time! P.S. - Eat some great seafood at Quarterdeck Restaurant near the finish and stay at the Town & Beach Hotel on Main Street - It's much cheaper than the host hotels listed on the website. | |
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C. S. from Norwell, MA
(10/29/2013)
"Beautiful Race with a Great Vibe!" (about: 2013)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Cape Cod Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. The course was hillymost notably from miles 15 to 22but not as bad as I had expected from the reviews. (Be sure to watch the course videos on Vimeo.) The views are fantastic (light house, cranberry bogs, seaside views) and the spectators could not have been more encouraging. There was some traffic en route, but once again this wasn't nearly as bad as the reviews might lead you to believe. Great job by the organizers. Registration was smooth and I had water, food, and a foil blanket within seconds of crossing the finish line. I definitely plan to run this marathon again in the future! | |
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C. E. from Arkansas
(12/29/2012)
"Great race and. Great town" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cape Cod Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Great town and a great race. Beautiful course had a few hills but if you check the website or talk to volunteers at the expo you would have all the needed information. Take time to eat a meal at the Quarterdeck Restaurant. Great food and a lot of runners hang out there to share stories. You might even get a chance to speak with Tommy Leonard who started the famous Falmouth Road Race. Tommy spent 20 minutes eating lunch with us and made my family feel like royalty because of his hospitality. That made our weekend in the Cape. I did run a PR which also helped the experience. The traffic was not that bad if you are a seasoned runner and understand the proper etiquette of running. Would love to do this race again. |
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