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☰
Mount Desert Island marathon Runner Comments
Back to Mount Desert Island marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.8 
Organization 4.8 
Spectators 4.1
Number of comments: 155 [displaying comments 71 to 81]
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p. c. from USA
(10/27/2009)
"My favorite marathon." (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Mount Desert Island marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Kudos to race director Gary Allen and his top-notch volunteers and staff for making this is a gem of a marathon, one that I keep coming back to. Possibly due to the hilly course, there is a high percentage of walkers in this race. Suggestion: walkers should be mindful of runners coming through behind them. They tend to walk two to three across, forcing runners to run around them, often into on-coming traffic. | |
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G. S. from ME
(10/25/2009)
"Perfect" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mount Desert Island marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The natural beauty of the course was fantastic. The last six miles are tough - tougher than a normal marathon. There was only one monster hill. I liked the fact that they served all-natural drinks. The race avoided the high fructose drinks and served GOJI and ACIA drinks! They were great! This race did everything right - from the drinks to recycling to the fall colors to the perfect weather. Nothing beats running by the ocean - hearing the waves and losing yourself in the peak of autumn. Before you know it, the race is over. | |
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N. A. from South Hadley, MA
(10/24/2009)
"Unbeatable views!" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Mount Desert Island marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Wow. I had glimpsed the views I was to see on the course through MDI Marathon website's photos and video... but experiencing them firsthand was breathtaking. This was the sixth marathon I've run, and the only one where I continuously heard other runners exclaim about the beauty around us. The hills were challenging as promised, but I ended up coming within a couple minutes of my PR. I think the cooler temperature helped. This was the first time I needed a med tent at the end, and the volunteers were SO kind and caring. A local doctor even gave me the down vest he was wearing to wear to help me warm up! The kindness of the volunteers and the amazing views are what I'll remember most. I'd highly recommend this one! | |
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R. J. from Georgia, USA
(10/22/2009)
"Best marathon ever" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mount Desert Island marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race is everything the RD promised - a beautiful course through and around Acadia National Park in peak foliage season, a "tough but fair" race, great organization, and a real feeling of accomplishment when you cross the finish line in Southwest Harbor. Great aid stations, nice finish line amenities, and spectators who make up in enthusiasm what they lack in number. I kept seeing the same spectators (and dogs) over and over - that's cool! If you need a fast time, thousands of spectators cheering you on, or marching bands, then this isn't the race for you. But if you want an incredible, memorable marathon experience, then run MDI. This was my 31st marathon/ultra, and it is my favorite. | |
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j. f. from Seacoast NH
(10/21/2009)
"Hills and scenery are as advertised." (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Mount Desert Island marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Mount Desert Island has to be one of the most scenic places in the US. It seems like every mile of this race has an incline of some sort. Despite that, the hills are not all that steep. This was my fifth marathon, and my first time running MDI, and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone considering it. There were 600 marathon finishers in 2009, making it a very enjoyable small marathon. The other runners were very friendly. The race is very well organized from information on the website, to packet pickup, to the start in Bar Harbor, and throughout the course to the finish line in Southwest Harbor. The course is mostly open to traffic, making for a tight squeeze in some areas where the shoulder is narrow or non-existent. There were water stops every two miles, and GU was available somewhere around halfway. The GU wasn't near a water stop, though, so it might be better to station it just before a water stop to help with digestion. The spectators were kind of sparse, but those that did show up were very enthusiastic and encouraging. The jacket and race medal were nice. Personally my own race went very well; I somehow managed to knock over five minutes off of my PR. I'm still at a loss to explain why that was on a course such as this. One gripe is that the course description on the website says, "The final 1.2 miles to the finish line in charming Southwest Harbor descends; yes, that last 2,000 meters will be all down." But there is an uphill in the last 1.2 miles. It's not all downhill. You can even see the uphill on the course profile. It might not be a big hill, but after 26 miles, the slightest ripple in the road feels like Cadillac Mountain. | |
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Andrew Hicks from Elkhart, Indiana
(10/21/2009)
"Worth the Trip." (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Mount Desert Island marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and I wanted it to be a destination marathon, a beautiful course, and an experience to remember. It lived up to all of my expectations. The course was hard, but not unfair. If you are from the Midwest, go in with the attitude that there are no flat spots and you will be fine. The town was welcoming and very supportive throughout the days we were there. It is not a major marathon like Chicago, New York, etc., so if that is what you like regarding spectators, this is not the race for you. I thought that the spectators and volunteers were more than adequate, extremely enthusiastic, and very supportive. The race was well organized. There was a great post-race party. The course is fantastic. I highly recommend it. | |
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B. W. from Auburn, Maine
(10/20/2009)
"First Marathon - Awesome Experience" (about: 2009)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, which may have been a tough way to start, but it was well WORTH it. The course was hilly as advertised, with rolling hills and some long gradual ones in the middle and near the end, but the scenery helped distract you from them. It is so true what all of the other runners say - that this race is a gem. Definitely put this one on your list, as it has given me the marathon bug to keep running. The course was beautiful and well organized from the water stops to finish line. The fans were spaced out along the course but were great - people playing instruments and blasting music, encouraging you at every water stop and screaming for you at the finish. It was just awesome! The host hotel the The Acadia was great as well, with nice, clean rooms and very helpful staff. I will be signing up for this marathon again in 2010 and recruiting some others to join me on this unique and fantastic run. Nice job, MDI Marathon and Bar Harbor - and thank you! | |
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M. M. from Boston, MA
(10/20/2009)
"Gorgeous Course, Well Organized" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Mount Desert Island marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 If you run the MDI Marathon, don't be surprised if you run a bit slower, because the scenery will take your breath away. This marathon takes place in the fall, so the weather is nice and chilly (if you're into that sort of thing) and it's not too hard to get a hotel room in Bar Harbor. The race organizers do a fantastic job with overall logistics. I was pretty impressed with the amount of swag at the end, even though the race is relatively small. The fans are very nice, but there aren't a lot of them. At the finish, it was quieter than one may have expected, but all is forgiven when they give you ice cream (!!!) in the finisher's tent. (For the record, I have run the race once and spectated once, so the N here is 2.) | |
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M. K. from New York, NY
(10/19/2009)
"Not enough good things to say" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Mount Desert Island marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race is small, hard-core and well-organized - just like me. (Well, I'm small anyway.) I have run Philly and Boston, and have context for glowing about MDI. Stress-free number pick up? Check. Three safety pins attached to a fourth which is attached to your bib packet? Check. A free beer and coupon for two free souvenir glasses in your goody bag? Check. Astounding scenery, with all of the turns well-marked? Check. Perfect aid stations? Check. Insanely good hospitality tent food? Check. A chunk of granite for those who place in their age groups? Check. Great for spectators? Check. Instant baggage pick up? Check. Knowing you placed in your age group before heading for a hot shower and massage (with no lines)? Priceless. RUN MDI. Also, nice jacket (yes, a $65 entry fee gets you not just a tech shirt but a jacket), lovely medal, accordion players on the course, photographers all along the way, and other things I am probably forgetting. | |
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J. S. from Wells, ME
(6/15/2009)
"A "must run" for running in beautiful places" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Mount Desert Island marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I vowed never to do "repeats" of marathons, but I've run this beautiful and challenging course 3 times. I just can't explain the feeling and the almost out-of-body experience I get from participating in this marathon. And, I can say this after having run Big Sur, possibly the most awesome marathon there is. Add this, the Sugarloaf Marathon (and hiking up Mt. Kathadin), to your "bucket lists." |
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