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Lower Potomac River Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Lower Potomac River Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 4.7 
Spectators 3.0
Number of comments: 67 [displaying comments 21 to 31]
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d. t. from Dawson, IL
(3/22/2010)
"Great Marathon for Maryland to be proud of." (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Good points: Easy parking at the Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship. Small size (no elbow-to-elbow start here) but the course doubles back three times - no lonely sections. No half-marathoners, relayers, walkers, 10k, early start, etc - this is a Marathon for real marathoners. Nice scenery next to the Potomac River (over it on a small bridge in the first mile). USATF certified accurate course. Beautiful course: 15 miles flat along the River and across island; rest is rural, much of it forest Traffic control to cross the road where needed once was well done. Race starts at dawn for coolest possible temp. Clearly visible mile markers, ample water/energy stops, special supplies pickup table at mile 16 and 23. 8 to 10 foot asphalt shoulders on State Route is plenty of room from light, but fast, traffic. Post race: Nice finisher medal and shirt; hot clean showers after the race at the School; great before-award buffet lunch at the School's restaurant-style dining room; super volunteers help make up for few spectators -they were well trained, helpful and enthusiastic. Hills after mile 15, but web site has an honest, accurate elevation chart Could be improved: Better if the hill and fast traffic portion of the course could be first, saving the easier flat portion for later Special thanks to great volunteers and the exceptional race director - who made a wee-hour-of-the-morning minor (less than half mile) shift of most of the 2010 course because part of the island course suffered from high tide debris and water, and who in all other aspects made a small-sized marathon a big pleasure to participate in. | |
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Gaetano DeStefano from Pottstown, Pa
(3/15/2010)
"Needs work" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 Sometimes it's hard to be honest. I give kudos to the race organizers for putting the event together and everything that goes into it, but I can't say the course was anything to write home about. Sorry. Up to mile 12 the course was nice, but after that... too boring. Thanks to the staff at the school for great food and the permission to use the showers post-race!!! I can't say I'll be back for this one. | |
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D. P. from Brookfield, WI
(3/15/2010)
"Good choice for checking off Maryland" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The course has a lot of waterfront scenery for the first 10 miles before it goes inland up some noticeable hills. The layout allows you to see faster and slower runners multiple times. I gave it 4 stars because I would have preferred getting the hills out of the way first and to enjoy the scenic portion for the end. It had rained a few days prior to the race, so I was a little concerned when I saw some of the roads flooded on St. George Island the day before the race. The fog was bad the day before the race as well, so I wasn't sure how much of the surrounding country I would get to see. Amazingly, the weather cooperated race day, and there was no rain. The sun even came out and I got some nice pictures overlooking a bay. The road that was flooded the day before didn't have any puddles on it (it's a low-tide/high-tide thing). There was one giant puddle on the other side of the island, so the race director put the turnaround short there, but added the difference on the inland leg. Spectators were basically the water stop people, who cheered or rang bells and were generally upbeat. They served Accelerade or water (nice to have something different from Gatorade for a change). Medal is a nice design. Post-race meal was excellent (pasta, jambalaya, salad, cookies - I really enjoyed the sweet tea and went back for several refills). And the ability to take a post-race shower was heavenly, with plenty of hot water. Soap and towels were available. | |
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c. m. from cape may, new jersey
(3/15/2010)
"Gotta love small marathons" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The setting is ideal for a small race. There was plenty of scenery to enjoy. Although spectators were sparse, the volunteers made up for it. The facilities were awesome; plenty of parking, and they had a great post-race buffet and post-race showers. I recommend staying at the River Creek Lodge: it was very close; it offered a great room/rate, great scenery, and a great restaurant; and they had LATE checkout fot showers/brunch with live music. All in all, a very relaxed, enjoyable race. | |
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P. L. from St. George, Maine
(3/14/2010)
"Relaxing, low-key race with friendly racers." (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I gave this race 5 stars because there weren't many spectators, so if you need a lot of yelling to keep you going, this isn't the race for you. On the other hand, the volunteers were the best and the other runners were great as well. I found the friendliest people to chat with, the finisher's medal was nice, the awards were great, and the sit-down dinner was delicious. Way to go, race director and volunteers. :-) | |
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D. H. from Minnesota
(3/28/2009)
"A small race with big amenities" (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This race is a bit out of the way, but well worth the drive. The course is mostly flat and has some views of the Potomac River. It's a small race, so the runners get spread out quickly, but the out-and-back segments give you several extra opportunities to see the other runners. The weather was great (50s - 60s with a light breeze). A week earlier, they had a major showstorm, so obviously the weather at this time of the year is hit-and-miss. The race organization is excellent. The facilities at the Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship provide the following amenities: 1) Ample parking at start/finish. 2) Real bathrooms before the race. 3) A chance to get indoors before the race starts. 4) Showers after the race. 5) A nice buffet lunch after the race. They also made arrangements for runners to see the nearby lighthouse and museum the day before the race. I would recommend this race to anyone looking for a marathon in Maryland. | |
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m. s. from kitty hawk, nc
(3/18/2009)
"Some good points, and bad points." (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Here is my take on the marathon. First and foremost, thanks to all the great volunteers. Now for the good points. 1. Aforementioned volunteers. Hard-working and enthusiastic. Thanks again! 2. The views of the first 11+ miles are great. 3. Really nice bunch that ran the marathon. Makes a big difference. The men's winner even hung around the finish line to clap for those following. 4. Hot showers and a buffet afterward. Hard to beat that. Now for the not-so-good. 1. The camber on the roads was pretty pronounced. For the first 11+ miles you could get near the crown to lessen the effect. The last 15 was on the shoulder of a moderately busy highway, so there was no way to escape it. It depends on the individual runner as to how much this affects him/her, but it took its toll on quite a few. Some just crossed over and ran on the wrong side to even it out. 2. It is not set up as a negative split, as advertised. A course with a hilly first half, with a flat or downhill second half is set up for a negative split. This course is the opposite. Not extremely hilly, but miles 15-20 or so have some decent inclines. That said, I think a few ups and downs are better than a pancake flat course. | |
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A. W. from Maryland
(3/13/2009)
"Small, Scenic, and Friendly" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 As others have noted, the first segment of the course is very scenic. You just can't beat the views of the water and overall "country charm" of the area. The second segment, after leaving the island, is not quite as beautiful, but still pretty easy on the eyes. The hills on the second segment are very gentle. As was well publicized in all communication pertaining to and advertising this race, the course is open to vehicular traffic. I didn't feel that safety was an issue, as the roads in the first segment are lightly traveled, and there is a wide shoulder in the second segment. The volunteers and course marshals are second to none. Because of the nature of this small race, the volunteers double as the spectators and cheering crowd. One volunteer rode his bike out to meet me with gummy bears a few miles after I passed an aid station that happened to be out of sugary treats when I passed. Now that's service! I had sucked down the gel I was carrying and was looking forward to getting back to the gummy bears later, and the gummy bears instead came to me. Bonus was that I got to have more when I got back to that aid station a few miles later. And the peeled orange slices - oh my! I've never had pre-peeled oranges in a race before. What a treat. It's the little things that add up to an overall great experience. It was an unseasonably warm day. There was plenty of water and Ultima available on the course so the weather didn't throw a wrench in things pertaining to hydration. Hot showers were available after the race. This was incredibly refreshing and allowed the runners to get cleaned up for the post-race buffet and awards ceremony. Lunch was delicious, served in a room with a waterfront view. Recommend this race to anyone looking for a fairly flat, very friendly, very scenic, small, low-key event. | |
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Rob Klein from Aurora, Colorado
(3/12/2009)
"Low-Key on the Lower Potomac River" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This marathon was marketed as a small, low-key race that was fairly flat. It sold out its 200 spots several days before the race. And the race was well organized from several days before the event. The race director personally acknowledged my registration. I assume Liza did that for all the runners. And the week before the race, she sent everyone an update on the weather - which was great. The area had a foot of snow the week before the race, but we all came to Maryland knowing what to expect for weather. And the driving directions were perfect. They got me right where I needed to be. I arrived near midnight, the night before the race, and the guard at the seamanship school directed me to the parking area. It was not clear from the published information exactly where the packet pickup was, but it became apparent quickly. The T-shirt was of the light cotton variety, with a lighthouse on it. Most of the runners were hanging around the lobby of the main building, and several minutes before the start time, Liza, with a bullhorn, escorted the runners out to the start line and directed the start of the race. The race could have easily started 15 minutes earlier, giving runners a full 6 hours to complete the course. By the way, the race started near sunrise. Clouds obscured sun early, and there was a thin layer of clouds most of the morning, so it never got real hot. It was probably near 60 degrees at the start, and it got into the mid 70's by noon. It was a most pleasant day for running. The course was south from the mainland over a bridge, to St. Georges Island for two out and back legs there. It was flat, and quite beautiful. At the first corner on the island, there was one aid station that the runners had to pass three times. That was great. This consumed the first 8 miles of the marathon. Back on the mainland, we took a left turn that took us out to the lighthouse point - maybe 1.5 miles out, then back to the highway. The rest of the race was along the rather busy highway leading out of town to the north. The course went north to about the 18.5 mile point, where we crossed the road as a sheriff stopped traffic for us. The last 7.5 miles returned us to the start/finish area. There were hills from about mile 16 to 21, but they were not the challenging variety. I was only aware of two port-a-potties on the course, both along the highway. One was around mm 13 (outbound) and the other around mm 21 on the return leg. I thought there should have been one or two more - and one on the island - but it worked out okay. There simply were not any fans out cheering for the runners (except aid station workers), but you kind of understood coming in that this was a small, rural race. At the finish line the runners were fed hot food in the dining room at the school of seamanship. The food was great. This marathon was well organized. It was of the smaller variety, quite scenic, and not difficult to run. If you are okay with a smaller race without a lot of spectators and fans, this is a great choice for a marathon. | |
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M. D. from USA
(3/11/2009)
"Lonesome, Hilly, Many Autos" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Previous comments about the course are accurate. The web site advertised that the traffic on the course road is very light, but that was not true on race day. When it's nice, people are out in their cars. They went 55+ mph within 10 feet of you - luckily no one was hurt. Running on the road side was tough - significant incline... impossible if you have knee problems. The third quarter of the race is hilly. Very sparse spectators, but the ones there did a good job. Now that MD is off my list, I won't be going back to Piney Point. Good points: Organization was great; nice shirt; nice parking proximity; nice weather. I didn't stick around for food or a shower, but I heard that they were good. |
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