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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 51 to 61]
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P. D. from New York City
(11/5/2008)
"Build hills into the 2nd half of your long runs" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Cape Cod Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 For the most part, problems I had were my own doing. But, I wasn't ready for the hills. I was following a training program pretty well, but the hills, especially given that they started around the halfway mark and just got worse, killed me. Also, BE WARNED: HEADPHONES ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED. They even threatened to send disqualification letters post-race if they saw you with them. I thought that ridiculous because they changed the rules 3 weeks before the race. That was a real mental struggle. Also, the mile markers were easy to miss, and the expo was a bit lackluster. However, though the crowds were a bit sparse, where there was support, it was fantastic. Thanks so much to the volunteer who ran up the hill at the 20th mile with me. Definitely a challenging course. Build hills into the second half of long training runs. And stick to your race plan. I won't be back, but good luck if you go! | |
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L. t. from New York City
(10/31/2008)
"Beautifully Challenging!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Cape Cod Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my 2nd CCM and I thoroughly enjoyed it once again. As advertised, it is a challenging course. The series of hills that start at mile 16 do not end until mile 24 (not 23 like the course description says). However, if you adequately prepare for the hills you should not have major problems and they are quite an accomplishment. The town of Falmouth is great and embraces the runners all weekend. A couple of negatives that I will point out: (i) Fluid stations every 2+ miles are not enough. They need to be at least every mile or 1.5 miles. For a well-organized race, it is surprising that the fluid stops are not more frequent. Cytomax does not cut it - they really need to offer Gatorade; (ii) While I understand they cannot close all roads, the Sippewisset Hills roads wind and are hilly, so it is difficult to see cars coming. At one water stop, 2 cars were passing in each direction and clogged up the stop, and the guy I was running with got cut off. Then the angry driver yelled at us and gave us the finger. Come on now - the volunteers were unable to control the cars at that water stop. Other than these few negatives, overall this is a well organized race with a nice local feel. | |
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A. E. from Riverside, CA
(10/30/2008)
"Beautiful course!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I have enjoyed the scenery of this course minus the fog during the early part of the race. The hills didn't bother me a lot but I think I would have performed better if I could have taken more fluids (H2O or Cytomax) each mile from mile 19 but there was no water station between these miles. I only brought a pack of gel with me hoping to see them distributed on the course but I did not see them until one of the volunteers asked if I wanted a gel. From my previous races, gels are obviously distributed and you'll see them right away. Cytomax did not help much for me but of course I should have trained myself drinking it. Overall, my experience in this race is memorable and since I'm not going to be able to run this again in my lifetime I thank the host for their efforts. | |
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c. d. from Southington, CT
(10/28/2008)
"Nice scenery, but wouldn't do again" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Cape Cod Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 This was my 4th New England marathon. This course is way too challenging to be included on a first-timers list. Crowd support was weak, even on a beautiful day. Relay runners seeking their relief made up the majority of the crowd. Family and friends coming to see you? Better tell them to get there early and stay put because they won't have the ability to see you at more than one point due to traffic, which is what the runners face throughout the marathon. I was begging for water in the later miles. It was 62 degrees and with the sun out; it was hot! Good things: Easy registration, nicely priced, cool t-shirt, beautiful lighthouse, and the town are the best things I can say. I disagree with the commenter who said volunteers were rude. I had a great experience with them. Nit-picky: I didn't get pins in my packet. The one time I don't lay out my stuff the night before, I discover the morning of that I have no way to pin my number. Thank God for the 830 a.m. start time and CVS! Falmouth is a gorgeous town. The course IS picturesque. My overall experience was that this was an extremely challenging course (nothing wrong with that) with some service shortcomings (crowd, relay run concurrently, running with traffic, no place for friends to easily get to and watch you on the course). | |
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r. m. from Atlanta GA
(10/28/2008)
"Great race!!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Cape Cod Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Expo: easy pick-up, a few vendors, and everyone was very nice. Race: gorgeous scenery, wonderful volunteers, fluids were fine (if you read the info, you knew it was every 2-2.5 miles). T-Shirt: would be nice to have it Dri-FIT (not cotton), but that's my only con for the whole event - and we marathoners all have enough shirts anyway! Falmouth is a small town that puts on a great event. | |
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K. G. from DC
(10/28/2008)
"PR for me..." (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cape Cod Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 ...which was good. Course was tougher than I anticipated, especially the 2nd half, as others have mentioned. I've run a few big races (e.g., NYC) and a few small (e.g., H'burg), and knowing this would be a small race, I didn't have lofty expectations for the expo. Nor did I foresee overwhelming crowd support. Looking back, I think both were in line with the size of the race. And thanks to the car blasting "Tessie," as well as the water station Elvises, my split from 20 - 26.2 was my fastest ever. One concern: the aid stations seemed unusually few & far between, even considering the field size. I carry all my own food/drink to ensure that I won't get an upset stomach, so it didn't really affect me. But, had I been counting on that support, I would have been in big trouble. | |
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T. M. from Hartford, CT
(10/28/2008)
"Pretty course, Event could be better" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Cape Cod Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Even though the weather served to take some of the luster off of an otherwise scenic race course, all in all, it was a pretty good event. Definitely a small-time feel, but there's something to be said for lining up near the start and getting off to a good start without having to fight your way through giant corrals of people. The good: - The course and the town of Falmouth itself. - A big thanks to the volunteer who spent a good chunk of time at the expo explaining various viewing point strategies to my wife and family. - All turns were well managed with volunteers on race day. - The relay came with a nice benefit - it definitely helped create nice crowds at the exchange points. - Decent shirt, medal, etc. A couple of things could be improved: - Hosting a marathon at the local middle school and then scheduling a full compliment of Pop Warner games, etc. on the adjacent fields was boneheaded. Parking was a bigger problem than it needed to be. - The Cytomax might as well have been water; considering that I trained for the Cytomax as part of my hydration and fueling, that was a problem. If you offer it, mix it in the right proportions. - I recognize that there isn't a lot of space at the finish line, but it would have been nice to have a few bananas and bagels there. Was not real excited to have to drag myself back to the school for food. - Signage at the school was misleading; I was wiped out from the race, followed a sign downstairs for food, and wandered around with a bunch of other people before being told by someone that you actually had to go through the gym and take the other stairs to get to the cafeteria. Big bummer on tired legs. - The course maps could be improved; drove the course the day before, but had a heck of a time finding the turns, etc., as the map was missing key street names and intersections, etc. - While I expected the crowds to be a bit light, I was surprised at how lackluster they were. I've run the Falmouth Road Race and there's constant support; for this race, I passed some crowds who didn't even acknowledge the runners. This event could be great with a few small tweaks, but it's not quite there. | |
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S. H. from Chantilly, VA
(10/28/2008)
"Great 1st marathon - for those trained well enough" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Cape Cod Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and I am glad I was as well prepared as I was. The pre-race expo was small but enough for me. The course was very challenging, so I'm glad I went out slowly. The miles were not marked well; I only saw them every 3-5 miles. I drank 2 cups of Cytomax at each stop knowing that there were few water stops altogether. I did not find the Cytomax gels that were supposed to be at water stops between Mile 10 and 21, but I brought my own and pinned it inside my shorts. The spectators were awesome, giving compliments wherever I ran. The scenery was beautiful, especially at the end, when it was sunny out and one could see everything. The only thing that needs improvement is the food afterward; it was free for runners, but I would have rather paid for good food. Overall I would say: be very well prepared for the hills and go run this as your 1st marathon. | |
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J. H. from Massachusetts
(10/28/2008)
"Great Race and Plenty of Water" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cape Cod Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Some of the negative comments previously noted are unfounded/unjustified. I thought this was a hassle-free race. We parked downtown and walked to the start of the race without a problem. No need to wait around hours until the start of the race. The course had water/Cytomax stations every 2.5 miles, which was listed on the website. It was a very scenic course, which was well organized and well marked with signs for most of the mile markers (a few might have been painted on the road, but very visible and I run without my glasses). I thought the volunteers were very friendly and supportive. The course was opened to traffic (also listed on the website), but most of the roads had very few cars and they were very respectful to the runners. The course was hilly, which made me a bit nervous about running it. I worked some hill training into my last three long runs, and managed to BQ with a 6-minute PR. All and all, nothing but kudos to the race and its organizers!! There were no surprises on race day. | |
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J. C. from New England
(10/28/2008)
"Beautiful and Challenging" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Cape Cod Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second CCM and my fourth marathon overall and it was amazing. The negative comments on here surprise me. I'm not sure how much water these folks need. I actually skipped a few of the stops. And the race organization is superb. As for spectators, this isn't Boston or New York, or even a smaller city. There is no high-rise building in the middle of the cranberry bogs. So of course there are quiet places on the course. In my mind, that is not remotely a bad thing. If you need people lining the path the entire way, run big-city marathons. It's that simple. And to suggest that one couldn't enjoy the course because of fog is ridiculous. It was overcast for about the first hour. That's it. No fog. The weather was perfectly suited for running, which is what we were there to do. Enough of that. This course is absolutely beautiful from the beaches to the bogs to the countryside (with fall colors) to the Cape architecture. The fans and other runners are supportive and uplifting. The volunteers went out of their way to be helpful to myself and every other runner I spoke with before, during, and after the race. And it's a challenge. None of these hills are enormous, but you aren't going to miss them. And they are going to humble you if you aren't ready for them. That's just as it should be. It is a great race for locals, I'm sure, but as a person who has traveled to this race twice from out of state, the area has so much to offer on the days leading up to (or following) the race. It is very easy to make a nice little vacation out of it. At about mile 17 or 18, I wouldn't have said it (because the hills were eating me alive!), but I will be back to Falmouth for another CCM sooner rather than later. |
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