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☰
New Hampshire Marathon Runner Comments
Back to New Hampshire Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 3.1
Number of comments: 75 [displaying comments 41 to 51]
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T. W. from CT, USA
(10/7/2007)
"Very well run, small0town marathon; great course." (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New Hampshire Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran this race because I like running small marathons with great scenery, and it lived up to expectations. The organization and the sheer number of volunteers was incredible; I heard that it was a one-to-one ratio of volunteers to runners. The course is very nice, with enough hills to keep it interesting, and the lake you run around is very pretty. I will definitely run this again, and hope more people start running it. Rural NH in the fall can't be beat. | |
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e. w. from Boston, MA
(10/4/2007)
"Too many hills, too little people" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Very challenging course! The timing was done 'professionally' with a clock and people writing it down on paper. There were hardly any runners and probably 14 spectators out on the course cheering for everyone who miserably ran up and down the hills. yes, it was really pretty but it was so hard. Hardest marathon I have run yet and after polling other people at the race, they won't be returning either! there were water stops every 2 miles and these people were fantastic. very encouraging and they stayed open for even the last runners. no expo, which would have been a nice perk for other races but it was a really small marathon. i really liked the area of the marathon, the lake was gorgeous and it was a beautiful day but those hills were brutal. | |
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T. M. from Kansas City
(10/4/2007)
"Beautiful course, beautiful day!" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 New Hampshire Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I finished up my 50 states and DC at the NH marathon. What a great way to wrap them up! The course was challenging - hillier than I expected (hoped maybe they would be flatter than the elevation map suggested...); but the gorgeous scenery helped to take my mind off of them. There were plenty of aid stations with water and sports drink. Gels would have been a nice addition. Thanks to the plentiful and very friendly volunteers! We couldn't do these races without them. If I had any criticism at all, it would be that since there was little traffic control, the road shoulders were not very wide and a little difficult to run on, but I don't see how that could be changed. The weather was perfect. Since you were able to pull that off, it would have been nice to have gone ahead and had the leaves in peak color, too, wouldn't it? :) Nice job. Great small town marathon! Highly recommend it. | |
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Eric Johnson from North Carolina
(10/1/2007)
"unbelievable" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New Hampshire Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I had a great experience at this marathon. I gave the course a 4 and not a 5 due to the hills. That's right, I don't like running them but the course was very scenic. Being a very slow runner, I was by myself for the 18-21 mile section, which turned out to be a good thing. I could hear the wind along with the water slapping against the rocky shoreline. I gave the organization a 5. The volunteers at the water stops were EXCELLENT! Though I was very slow, they were still out there and cheering/encouraging late into the day. The personnel on the bikes were great also. Had there been more spectators, I'd have given them a 5. Those that were out there were loud and supportive. Thanks for a great race experience and I'll be back after I finish my tour of the 50 states. | |
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S. F. from Ellicott City, Maryland
(9/30/2007)
"Not a marthoner but a 5K race walker - unhappy" (about: 2007)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I understand that marathon runners are the main feature. The 5K race walker event was disappointing to me. When I registered, in advance, I thought 5K judged race walking meant an event with judges to see that all participants walked instead of running. The rules were not known until packet pick up. The course's uneven surface was not conducive for maintaining the race walker form. This kind of 5K competition was different from any I had participated in. I had never trained to be a race walker and I was disappointed that my time was not recorded, although I was not told of a disqualification. Put the rules online so others who are not local will understand how the race must be walked. Also: There were no water stop on the 5K course. | |
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B. M. from Narragansett Rhode Island
(10/16/2006)
"Brilliant" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New Hampshire Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I ran this marathon because my friend was running in it as part of a series. He had to run Clarence Demar the week before. I usually stay away from the small marathons but this one has made me change my mind. I'll definitely go back and run this one again sometime. I could not believe there were over 200 volunteers involved with the coordination of the race. How often do you run a race where there are as many volunteers as there are runners? I'm hoping more runners decide to run this one, as they deserve better numbers. Water stops were well manned and the volunteers went out of there way to support the runners. The scenery was amazing. Crowd support was small mostly because of the size of the race, but I'll take scenery over crowd support. The other runners in the race were very nice and supportive as well. The race director had asked us if we had any suggestions at the end of the race and I really could not think of anything that would have made it better. The start with the 10K runners could have been bad if there were more people in the race but because of the low numbers it turned out to be fine. Compared to other marathons the hills were tough but that is one of the things that made this course special. | |
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J. D. from Cape cod, MA
(10/15/2006)
"One tough marathon... not your average hills" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 New Hampshire Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my 4th marathon and so far it was my best performance. The course is very tough. I expected hills and did plenty during my training, but I haven't found anything yet that compares to the ones on this course. There may be only a handful of marathons that can equal or beat the scenery on this course. The Newfound Lake was picture perfect along with the changing tree colors. Crowd support is a bring-your-own affair. There are tons of signs everywhere to let passing traffic know you are running a marathon and sharing the road with them, but don't assume they all know or care. The organization of this race was excellent. I honestly think they could show some of the bigger races a thing or two. The race director and his staff are obviously runners and they get it. I wouldn't ask for anything more from them. I will run this one again someday. | |
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J. F. from Florida
(10/15/2006)
"Hills, Hills and More Hills." (about: 2006)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 New Hampshire Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Packet pick-up and the pasta feed was well organized. Race morning went smoothly. The course is extremely hilly and on at least two of the miles I was reduced to walking. Of course, what goes up must come down, so the downhill pounding was tough. In hindsight, the course was tough, but not as tough as St. Louis. Don't let the course scare you off; just walk the really steep inclines. There are few, if any, spectators, but I don't run these races for spectators so that made no difference to me. There were plenty of aid stations, but they could've had more after 20 miles. The post-race massage was a nice touch and much appreciated. There was plenty of food including pizza and other good stuff. I'd definitely run it again. | |
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Randy Thierman from Charlotte, NC
(10/14/2006)
"Simply the best small marathon" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New Hampshire Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 There are lots of great comments already so I will gear my remarks to future runners. This may be the most gorgeous marathon in the country! I wish I had brought a camera because it seemed like every mile had a Kodak moment. I encourage everyone to drive the course, learn what to expect and take some memorable pictures. Bristol is a small community but it seemed that at least 50% of the residents and visitors turned out for the marathon in one way, shape or form. From packet pickup, to a fun filled pasta dinner, to the free post-race massages; everyone was enthusiastic and supportive. There was not a lot of noise or a lot of fans when the homes are a quarter of a mile apart. But that provides some measure of the small-town New England charm that was experienced My hat is off to the organizers. I took my time as this was my first "dual" weekend and the support was incredible. There were plenty of food and beverages, warm showers, short lines for the massage and a great finish line environment with live music and announcements of all the finishers. Even as I was leaving around the six-hour point, there was no sense of rolling up the finish line. Many larger marathons could learn a thing or two about hospitality from this crew The "race" was pretty laidback, as the hills are not conducive to a PR and a large percentage of the runners from out of state were running in Portland on Sunday. The slightly slower pace led to lots of interesting conversation and many new friends. Everyone was very friendly with even the leaders waiving and saying "hi" on the spur. Bottom line, this is far and away my favorite small marathon. | |
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m. s. from Fort Worth, TX
(10/9/2006)
"Great scenic race" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New Hampshire Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Great weather and scenery; Sept. in NH is awesome! Course and people were fantastic. However, the start was poor, local police were blocking traffic in anticipation of the start, and many runners were still in line to park. |
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