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Nov 15, 2024

Jay Mountain Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Jay Mountain Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.8

Organization 4.7

Spectators 3.6

Number of comments: 45 [displaying comments 21 to 31]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 > ]

R. C. from Rochester NY (8/1/2005) "Exactly as advertised! Bring it on again!" (about: 2005) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This RD is one sick puppy! Seriously, though, see my summary line. There was no sugar-coating. Dan was very explicit in all pre-race material about the challenges of the course. And he delivered! Beautiful single-track, stretches of shoe-sucking mud, brook-'running,' ascent/descent of Jay, mud, rocks, brook, mud, river... and LOTS of mud within 2 miles of the end. This isn't a race for most of us, it's an adventure. The sights are gorgeous, in the northern Vermont mountains. I would definitely go back! I gave 'Spectators' 4 stars. Being off-road and remote, it's obvious there wouldn't be a peanut gallery. But the volunteers were great, and the many tourists/day trippers at Jay Peak lodge and hiking the ski trails were quite supportive.
G. O. from Pennsylvania (4/28/2005) "be ready" (about: 2005) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I was getting very nostalgic thinking about this marathon recently, so I thought I'd hop onto MarathonGuide.com and share my thoughts on the race. First of all, it's the only marathon I've run. I chose it because I love trail running, and I figured if I can run this one (which is supposedly among the most difficult in the country), then I could run any one that came along. I can't compare it to other marathons, but here are some general thoughts and some suggestions. - It is super well organized. I figured that running all over the northern Vermont countryside would get me lost, but it is well marked with tape, and when not, there are volunteers on 4x4 quads to help you on your way - The race didn't have a finisher's medal, and I thought the t-shirt was kind of wimpy. I hear there will be a finisher's medal this year. If you finish this race, you deserve one. - Aid-stations were well staffed and stocked. Might be a good idea to pack some carbs or a water bottle of your own though, but no need to go overboard. - Couldn't ask for a better finish area. Beer, great picnic buffet, and great place to make friends with everyone else who survived. Some training advice... - Whatever your normal training routine is, it's probably a safe bet that you should run a little bit farther, and with a little more intensity. Make that 10 mile run a 12 instead. Definitely. - If you have loose sand available, especially if it's uphill, you might want to spend a little bit of time in it. - Swimming lessons, while not necessary, aren't a bad idea either. - Any training in swampy areas with black flies or horse flies that bite you might also be a good idea. - Learn how to dodge barbed wire on the run. - Training on a stair climber or stationary bike to build up your quads is well advised. Don't go crazy, but twice a week for a half hour might be in order. I chose this race because it looked challenging and I wanted my first marathon to be very difficult. It was, but bear in mind that it's all about your attitude. If suffering is your thing, there's no lack of it in this race... good luck!
Bruce Perry from Cumberland, Maine (10/31/2004) "In a word... awesome!..." (about: 2003) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 ...but, if you're looking for spectators, run Boston! Kudos to Dan for an incredible amount of hard work, excellent organization, an absolutely incredible course, and an unforgettable running experience! Before the race started, and before I knew any better, I had very realistic expectations of finishing the JC in less than 6 hours. I have run 8 marathons, and a couple of ultras, with a personal best of a few seconds over 3:33. I knew I was more than prepared to run another 3:30-3:40 road marathon, and really believed that a goal of 6 hours or less on the Jay course would not be a problem. Man was I ever wrong!! I crossed the finish after seven hours and twenty minutes of pain and suffering. In this very dazed and confusing moment, my first thoughts were not of cold beer, but of the famous fight scene between Rocky and Apollo Creed. Two exhausted men, drooling and bleeding over each other, and gasping out two seemingly appropriate words - NO REMATCH, NO REMATCH. For eighteen bloody and unforgettably painful miles, I told myself this is it, once is enough, never again, I will never be back, no rematch ? no rematch! But today is another day. And, after a day of rest, and an over abundance of foolish pride, I have decided to run it again. I will run it smarter and faster and finish strong. I owe the course and myself at least one more respectable effort. I would not hesitate to recommend the Jay Challenge to anyone. In fact, I would most strongly encourage anyone to run it. It?s a great and challenging course. Regardless of the outcome, you will not be disappointed. Avoid the Traps Trap Number 1 The first part of the course is a very gentle climb to the base of Jay. Nice single track and worn in ATV trails lead you comfortably to the base of Jay Peak. In fact, it is so mellow it gives you a false sense of strength and invincibility - two very dangerous thoughts going into the Jay Peak Climb. Treat the first five miles like an ultra. Walk the hills and pace yourself. There are plenty of places on the second half of this course to burn inexpensive energy. Save it for later. You?re going to need it. Trap Number 2 Do not rush up the face of Jay Peak. Take your time. This is very expensive energy that will come back to bite you. I believe the race is won and lost on how well you come out of the ascent and descent of Jay. Trap Number 3 The Meat Grinder ? WARNING ? WARNING - DO NOT SPRINT THE DESCENT. Unless you trained endlessly on the steeps of Mount Washington... you?ll be sorry. You?ll be tempted into thinking that the descent is a great place to make up time. You will pay for this thinking. Take it slowly and save your legs for a solid effort into the Halfway Aid Station. Trap Number 4 Do not think you have run thirteen miles because your watch says 2 hours. Plan to be out there for a while and definitely underestimate your distances. Trap Number 5 Unless you are an elite cross-country runner with physical characteristic of a mountain goat, do not plan on setting any PR?s this day. You will pay a great price. Trap Number 6 Do not let all of the pre-race hype psych you out. Is there mud? Should I tape or not tape? Should I buy gators? Can I run this course if I haven?t trained in the hills? Should I bring a change of shoes? BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. Don?t worry! It?s really not that bad if you use your head and run a smart race. I unfortunately did not! 10 Potentially Helpful Suggestions: 1. Run this race like an ultra. It is not your average marathon. 2. Walk all of the up hills and the steep downhills. 3. Do not burn expensive energy if you don?t need to. If you can walk almost as fast as you can run... walk. Save your energy - you will need it in the second half. 4. PACE YOURSELF in the first 5 miles before the climb. Hold yourself back. 5. Do not attack the climb up Jay... very expensive energy. 6. Do not attack the descent ? take it slowly ? save Your quads ? do not try to make up time. Your quads will melt on you. TRUST ME! 7. After the descent, do not really start to run again until you have jumped back into the woods. You?ll soon be out on some dirt roads that will lead you to the halfway station. You definitely want to be feeling strong heading into the halfway station. 8. THE RACE STARTS HERE. Start to let it out after the halfway station. If you ran the first half smartly, you can and will make up all of your time in the second half of the course. You want to be in a position to pass everyone who thought they were stronger than the mountain. (I was passed by many people I never even saw at the start ? and it killed me.) There are plenty of places to burn stored energy in the second half of this race. 9. Keep running it like an ultra to the finish and you will finish strong. (Continue to walk all the hills and take the rivers slowly in the second half of the course.) 10. Cross the finish line, pat yourself on the back, and head directly to the beer tent.
J. K. from Laurel, Maryland (8/17/2004) "Rugged off-trail marathon" (about: 2004) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I've never talked so much about a marathon after the fact. The course is amazing I didn't quite double my PR but I'm a solid 4 hour marathoner, and it took me over 7 hours. The area is beautiful the race is well organized. This course is the highlight, you literally run up a mountain and through a creek and there are a couple of water crossings. This is not a trail marathon unless knee deep in mud qualifies as trail. One improvement, they didn't offer a medal this year for finishing. My understanding is that they plan to next year, you actually kinda want one after finishing this race. It is an awesome marathon, I've run 7 marathons and a couple of ultra's this year and if I only repeat one race next year this will be it.
T. M. from Kansas City, MO (8/7/2004) "Difficult and exhilarating" (about: 2004) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This marathon claims to be the hardest marathon course ever put together. It doesn't earn that reputation lightly. Like the previous reviewer, I did the Jay Challenge Marathon to check off Vermont in my 50-state quest. It was at a good time (not many marathons available in the summer), and I was ready for a departure from the regular road marathon. Quite the departure this was! The weather on race day was gorgeous--a perfect marathon day. The route was as promised: on trails, off trails, through water (multiple times), up a mountain, down a mountain, traversing fields, over a sand dune and through LOTS and LOTS of mud. But, the scenery was spectacular and the volunteers wonderful. The website did a good job of setting expectations, and the Yahoo! message board gave me a lot of tips and insight as well. I do agree that a finisher's award of some kind on this one is much deserved. It's a relatively expensive marathon with few other amenities. (I did like the singlet, though.) And, while I found this marathon to be very difficult (tripling my marathon PR), since the winner did it in 4+ hours, it obviously wasn't so difficult for everyone! ;) For a brief moment I considered doing this race again to better my time, then sanity kicked back in! If you are looking for a challenging race that is different, grab your trail shoes and ankle gaiters and enter this race.
Carl Tyrie from Boone, N.C. (8/7/2004) "This course is a whole lot tougher than I am." (about: 2004) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I 'ran' (if you call 9 1/2 hours anything close to running) the event in '04. Had the race director chosen to enforce the five-hour cutoff time at the halfway mark, I would have been pulled off the course. However, those of us in the back of the pack were allowed to continue, perhaps because the even-muddier-than-usual course was slowing people down. My single enduring memory from the event occured within the first couple of miles when a young lady in front of me tried to pull her foot out of the mud, leaving behind her shoe and knee-high gaiter. You couldn't even see the shoe--there was this gaiter sticking straight up out of the mud. This was my 27th marathon and I wouldn't call it a marathon. It's an adventure run and extremely challenging, as other comments indicate, and there appeared to be at least a couple of runners in the field older than my 60 years. If they return, they're a lot tougher than I am. I'm intimidated by the thought of trying this again. I told my wife at the next-to-last aid station that my plan is to get fat between now and next July and spend the day of the '05 event sitting in an easy chair drinking beer and wearing my '04 Jay Challenge shirt. And I don't even drink beer. You'll have a tremendous feeling of accomplishment if you finish this 'run.' The only reason for the fairly low 'spectator' rating is that you spend most of your time in the woods so there are no spectators.
F. D. from Brooklyn,N.Y. (8/6/2004) "Tough as hell...but fun" (about: 2004) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This race is not for the weak-hearted or for those looking for a P.R. It's for those people who want to say they did somrthing bigger than themselves... the course is grueling... severe uphills and downhills, rough terrain, water (yes, you run through it) and parts of trails that are unfit for animals let alone humans. The sand dune hill is sadistic. However, it was the GREATEST experience I could have running except probably completing my first race. I would only go back if I trained and could complete all three days because that would take it to a new level. The course director is a great guy and available to speak to you. The vounteers are very nice and supportive. The after party was fun good food, music and FREE BEER. The pasta dinner was OK. The only downside was that not all competitors got a medal, but I hear Dan is trying to correct it. A truly great experience.
M. D. from Durham, NC (8/5/2004) "Great trail marathon" (about: 2004) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The course was great if you like a really challenging run. There was a lot of mud because it had rained for most of the early summer. The mountain was fun and the view from the top was spectacular. The aid stations were great, plenty of good food and helpful people. The organization was great, the pre-race dinner was good. The post-race cookout was very good. All in all I had a great time at the race and I would definitely do it again next year.
Richard Johnson from Springfield, MO (7/27/2004) "Extremely tough, but interesting and fun" (about: 2004) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I have done 60+ marathons (including Pike's Peak) and this is probably the toughest. At Pike's Peak, you really only have to deal with the altitude and a few rocks and roots. At Jay Peak, you have to deal with mud, extremely steep downhill, slippery river rocks and boulders, woods with no trails, and prehistoric bogs that just might swallow you up (not completely). It was both mentally and physically challenging. I did this marathon to get Vermont in the quest for 50 states and wanted something beyond the ordinary road marathon. The race director is a great guy--very friendly and helpful. The cookout at the finish was fantastic. There is a little room for improvement. The web site said that water and Gatorade are available every 5K--not so. I believed that and didn't carry water with me. Sometimes you went 6 or 7 miles without aid (at 20 minutes per mile average). Most marathons give you a medal at the end. If you finish this one, you deserve a medal, but only the top three in 10-year age groups get one. The shirt could definitely be improved. (You expect some of these amenities for the $75 entry fee.) The course is very well marked, but needed a bit more clarification in one or two places (I got lost for about 5 minutes, but it would have been an hour or more if not for a local resident telling me I was lost). The scenery during the marathon (actually about 28 miles) is great--lots of beautiful forest, creeks, fields, and mountains. Drive up into Canada and go to Knowlton for some quaint shopping and dining. I would recommend this event. Expect a hellacious course but a great feeling of accomplishment when you finish.
Abe Lim from Florida (3/11/2004) "Physically & mentally challenging" (about: 2003) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Jay Mountain Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I agree with Bill that Jay Peak is the toughest marathon in USA. The hills were steeper, track rougher and the river deeper. Aside from that, Dan and his people made us feel at ease. Hotel's late check out was 'when you finish the race'. Wearing gaiters (knee length) could save you an hour. I'll be back with gaiters, I can't afford to let my wife shop for 8 hrs.

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