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Vermont City Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Vermont City Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 4.4 
Spectators 4.7
Number of comments: 303 [displaying comments 201 to 211]
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M. I. from Putnam Valley, New York
(6/7/2006)
"Folks in Vermont treat you well" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This year's heat proved it really meant a lot when the locals dragged their garden hoses out for us. We were well taken care of out there in the heat and humanity means the most to me. Stay in Stowe because it's the off season and the place is all yours. Your family, the people you dragged with you, will be happy there too! The race shirt was the best I have ever had. Ben & Jerry's at the expo and the finish is always a good call. Running by the lake was cool and refreshing. Some negative comments I agree with: Not as scenic as I thought, bike trail way too small, finish layout too crazy. Last, please revise the course map! The finishing miles are most defiantly up hill! I would give this race another chance because this year was way too hot to be the best judge. It was a great place to spend a long weekend, so all was not lost. | |
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J. W. from Baltimore, MD
(6/2/2006)
"A wonderful experience!" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I had a fabulous experience running the 2006 KeyBank Vermont City Marathon as my third marathon! My boyfriend, who's a consistent 3:00 marathoner and has run about 23 marathons, enjoyed it also and ranked it well within his top ten. We felt it had all the good qualities of a smaller/small-town marathon without the lack of professionalism (or spectators) sometimes found in those. Combined with Burlington's beauty and fabulous restaurants, it was just a great, stress-free getaway for a marathoning vacation! In fact, I had been in a bit of a running rut/slump/burnout state before the race, and now I am totally revitalized! Main Good Points: Spectators: *The people of the Burlington area are extremely friendly and really turned out for the race! With a few relatively brief exceptions, spectator support was fairly consistent to heavy along just about the entire course, especially the second half. Spectators were enthusiastic, supportive, and creative (for example, a Speedo-wearing accordion player). Also, several kindly bikers rode along the course and cheered on the runners, which was a fabulous first for me. *The race was exceptionally hot this year, and tons of families were in their front yards with sprinklers, squirt guns, hoses, water, and extra snacks for us -- and even beer, if we wanted it! *I also felt that the spectators made an effort to give the full marathoners (as opposed to the relay runners) the extra cheers that we needed at the end. I only run a 4:40 marathon, and I still got cheered on like I was a pro! Course: *My feeling is that the course contained enough variety to make it interesting, 'mixing it up' every few miles. *There are only about two somewhat decent hills that I recall, but nothing major, and both in the first half of the race. Not necessarily a PR course, but definitely on the faster side. Recovery time post-race was really fast for us - a good sign! *The race starts and finishes in Burlington's beautiful downtown waterfront park on Lake Champlain, packed with observers. During the first half of the race, you make several more trips through downtown, all of which are crowded with supportive, loud spectators and interesting sights/music, including traditional Asian drumming groups. *There is a slightly dull stint out along the Ethan Allen homestead: not as scenic as it sounds, but 100% traffic-free, and enlivened by a great band. It's early on, so no biggie. Actually, it helped my pacing by keeping me from going out too fast. *You tour through several residential neighborhoods, which was really enjoyable for the interaction with spectators and families -- especially since everyone in Burlington seems to play bongo drums! *There are about two short stretches with very light traffic, but nothing remotely problematic. *There are several stints along Burlington's wonderful bike path. People have complained about this, but I didn't mind it. It was shady and tree-lined, and the asphalt felt GREAT at the end of the race. Earlier parts of the bike path are quite scenic. Also, many spectators made an effort to line up along the path. Although the path is narrower and more people were walking by the end, I didn't find myself blocked by walkers even though I run 4:40. *My only complaint about the course is that the final loop in Waterfront Park is MUCH longer than it first appears. The finish line looks deceptively close, but you actually have to run past it and AWAY from it, which is (literally) PAINFULLY counter-intuitive at 26 miles! Everyone went into their final kicks WAY too soon, especially since would-be helpful spectators are yelling 'You made it!' (Well, not really; not yet!) So be forewarned -- maybe they'll put some kind of sign at the end indicating the remaining distance once you exit the bike path and enter the park. Organization: *No news is good news, I guess! We encountered no problems with registration, packets, etc. *The race organizers kindly deferred both of our admissions for a year when my boyfriend was activated into reserve duty. *The short-sleeved technical shirt is a big plus: something runners can actually use! They even volunteered to mail my boyfriend a shirt in his size, for free, instead of telling him he was SOL! *I felt there were adequate bathroom facilities at the course beginning/end and even along the route. *If you care about medals (I don't), this one might be considered a wee bit blah. Fine, but boring: too bad it doesn't look more 'Vermonty.' *Water/Gatorade stops were plentiful and well operated, although at my pace, Gatorade had run out at the first two stops (fine thereafter). *There were two GU stops; the second one had been depleted by the time I got there, but I carry my own, so no big deal. Lots of other food on the course, too: bagels, granola/cereal bars, candy, bananas. *Even at my slow pace, I actually got a post-race massage within a decent amount of time, thanks to the wonderful 'full-marathoners only' policy! *End-of-race food included Ben and Jerry's ice cream for those who were able! Overall, no disappointments, highly rewarding, and recommended! | |
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David Terrill, Sr. from Tarentum, Pa.
(6/1/2006)
"I thoroughly enjoyed my Vermont experience" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have no negative comments for this event. I found the course to be honest and refreshing. The spectators lifted the spirits, and the views of Lake Champlain were definitely awesome. Low humidity enhanced the vistas of the rugged NY shoreline. It also made the trek thru the Burlington streets quite comfortable. I can see where flat-landers would dread the 'assault on battery'. It is the prominent physical challenge on the course. But it isn't too tough if one is prepared. Only about 6 city blocks in length. And the slope is not too steep. The crowds cheer you on to conquer the hill. The 2 bag pipers playing was a nice change of pace from small bands you usually encounter. I've read alot of 'whining' comments, and I always thought marathoning developed both mental and physical toughness. Perhaps those who fit into this catagory should re-evaluate their choice of sports. | |
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A. E. from Massachusetts
(5/31/2006)
"Average Marathon Overall" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 As a seasoned marathon runner (Burlington was my 7th marathon), the marathon overall was average and I was disappointed with the race for several reasons. First, I was hoping the course would have been more scenic and less tedious. The out and back on the highway was a mentally difficult jaunt over a concrete jungle. I also didn't like the short side trips with too many turns through the residential neighborhoods. They just seemed strange and didn't make for a seamless race course. Also, the last 1/2 mile of the race had a couple of sharp turns including basically a U-turn to the finish line. Again, why so many turns in the course? Second, there were not enough water/gatorade stops along the course especially in the first half. Maybe if temperatures were cooler (below 60 degrees), it would have been all right to have water stops every 2+ miles, however, with advance warning that the weather would be extremely warm and sunny, there should have been water stops at every mile. No excuse from the event organizers! Also I would prefer to have race clocks at every mile. Like the water stops, they were placed every two miles. On the positive side, the race had great spectators who provided much needed water that the organizers had not supplied. Also a couple of parts of the course were nice including the run through the heart of downtown and along the bike path with views of Lake Champlain. Unfortunately I would not run this race again and would hesitate to recommend it to others. | |
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D. C. from New York
(5/31/2006)
"Nice marathon that is just the right size" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Vermont City Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I love this race. The course is nice and the hills are pretty reasonable. The cons are the finish -- all that twisting is annoying, and after the finish, I couldn't find the food area without asking for assistance. Lots of tents, but lots of people in the way. This year they ran out of some food/drink on the course, and I even missed the unofficial beer stop. On the positive side, I like coming in and out of town, and I like the bike path, since by the last few miles of any marathon I'm pretty introspective, anyway. Well organized, friendly and never obscenely crowded, this is one worth running. | |
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M. G. from NYC
(5/31/2006)
"Great race, great crowds, great views" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my first Vermont City Marathon. The people of Burlington were great. The shuttle bus from the Best Western was not on time and on schedule. It came at around 7:00 and the bus driver would not let it fill up. It seemed empty compared to a NYC bus, but the driver would not let others on board. The bus didn't come back till around 7:30. There were supposed to be buses in between those times. The bus also parked far from the start area even though it was running late. The course was great. The crowd support was fantastic. People sprayed water from their yards onto the runners. This was very refreshing. Between miles 6 and 12 they ran out of gatorade, but had plenty the second half of the race. They also ran out of gu for the slower runners. At the finish line you also had to wait a bit for your chip to be cut off because only one person was cutting chips and other volunteers were standing around. It seemed that the volunteers started to slack off for those finishing longer than 5 hours. They also ran out of beer at the finish line. But overall great race, great course, but confusing at the start and the finish. Overall I would do it again and if I did not take the shuttle bus I probably would not have realized there were any problems with the organization. | |
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K. H. from Providence, RI
(5/31/2006)
"First-time's the charm" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the two-person relay and had an awesome experience. It was a super-hot day, but it felt like every Vermonter was out there cheering us on. I especially appreciated the group handing out cups of beer on the bike path towards the end. I'd definitely do it again. | |
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N. K. from Baltimore
(5/31/2006)
"Nice course, supportive fans" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The course was a double figure 8, with a variety of terrain and beautiful views. The parts through tree-lined neighborhoods were most welcome, given the heat. The passes through the crowds in the downtown areas were invigorating. The drummers on the approach to Battery were also inspiring (wish they were on top!). Some negatives: the North Avenue leg was overly taxing given the proximity of traffic (though well controlled), and random turns through the adjacent neighborhoods. The start was chaotic with spectators mixed with runners on the edges of the start area. The early miles were a bit too crowded, especially at the relay exchanges. The finish area was confusing; you still have a long way to go even after you see the finish line in sight. Also, there is little post-race guidance for the runners. I'd definitely do it again, but probably not in similar heat. | |
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M. A. from Burlington, VT
(5/31/2006)
"Great first race!" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and I am so glad it was the VCM! I grew up in Burlington and was always in awe of the runners. This race was really well organized and I thought the course was excellent! Having done all my training around Burlington, I know how hard it is to find such a flat course. My only complaint is the congestion at the finish. It took me almost two hours to find my mom! | |
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E. W. from Burlington, Vermont
(5/31/2006)
"Great race!" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon course runs along beautiful scenery, and fans line much of it. The organizers did a great job of ensuring that there were adequate water stops. |
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