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Garden Spot Village Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Garden Spot Village Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.4 
Organization 4.9 
Spectators 3.4
Number of comments: 41 [displaying comments 31 to 41]
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Thomas Schiller from near Frankfurt/GERMANY
(4/20/2010)
"Well organized small marathon" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Garden Spot Village Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 It was a nice, small, well organized marathon. The supporting people were extremely friendly. Tech-shirt, food, and drinks were all well done. Unfortunately I did not expect that it would be so hilly all of the time, and it was even windier (especially in the first half, mostly from the front) with nearly no wind protection through woods or buildings. Luckily the sun was out all the time. There was traffic on the streets, but it was manageable. I was winning my age group and got a separate memory that I'll never forget! Unfortunately I was the only (or maybe one of the very few) foreigners. Also, I was running in my national colors. I could not enter my country on the form when I applied online, and it seemed to me that at least the presenter at the award ceremony (who announced the county from each US participant) had any clue where I was coming from. Anyway, I can live with that little thing but would suggest adding a country field for the registration for the future. It could at least be interesting for the spectators in the Garden Spot Village at the end to hear that foreigners are also participating Last point: There were nearly no spectators on the rest of the course. As a summary, I can say that I definitely do not regret that I've done it, but based on the not-so-easy course and relatively few spectators on the course, I'd not recommend it for someone who is running a marathon for the first time. | |
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J. P. from Berwyn, PA
(4/15/2010)
"Love, Love, LOVED this race!" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Garden Spot Village Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 If you are looking for bands, chip timing, schwag and all the hoo-ha that comes with a Rock-n-Roll-style city marathon, do NOT come to this event. If you enjoy breathtaking scenery instead of crowds of spectators, don't mind running alone while you take in the sights, can handle some challenging hills, appreciate volunteers who are as cheerful and nice as they come, and don't care if the 10 seconds you lose crossing the line won't be shown in your "net time" results, then this might be just the race for you!! This marathon reminds me of how almost all races used to be. You laced up your shoes and off you went. Someone tore your bib tag off at the end and a nice volunteer walked you to the food. The water stops had everything one could want. The only thing I wished for - and it was my own fault - was for plenty of sunscreen. And consider running with a hat - it was a brilliant, cloudless day this year and there isn't a lick of shade on this course. Some folks complained of the wind, but on a sunny day, that wind really keeps the runners from overheating. An unseasonably hot day would render this course extremely difficult! I loved every minute and as long as my schedule and training allow for it, I'll be back next year. | |
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J. F. from York, PA
(4/13/2010)
"Great Small-Town Marathon" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Pros: Well organized; good support; plenty of water, cookies and pretzels on the course when needed; great scenery; nice medal and tech shirt; rolling hills, but nothing you can't manage if trained well. Cons: You must stay alert when you're on the road with traffic... sometimes it's moving pretty fast. Ps. My low score for spectators reflects the lack of them on the course. Those that I saw were great, with lots of energy. | |
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Jon Alexander from Shoreview, MN
(4/12/2010)
"Don't draft behind the buggies..." (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Garden Spot Village Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 It was the second year for the GSV Marathon and they really seem to know what they are doing. The course is difficult, especially if it is windy, which I would guess it will be every year. There are hills at the beginning and end. There are plenty of water stops, though some training needs to be done with the volunteers, as they had plenty of food and gels but no one offered it to the runners. If you're looking for an expo and lots of spectators, stay home. If you're looking for an excellent small-town race, I would highly recommend it. | |
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Eliot W. Collins from Raritan Borough, NJ
(4/12/2010)
"Highly Recommended - Will Return Again in 2011" (about: 2010)
50+ previous marathons
| 2 Garden Spot Village Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 What a great race. Extremely well organized. Anyone who only did the half-marathon missed out on the best scenery. It was not until after the half-marathoners turned around that I encountered many of the local Amish people in horse-drawn carriages, riding their bicycles, or working in their yards. I waved to them and they all waved back. This was pretty much the extent of the spectators. It is, however, a feature of this race that one will not find elsewhere. My goal was to finish the race in EXACTLY 6 hours. My time of 5:59:53 was 7 seconds too early. I will be back in 2011, and I will be more accurate then. Please join me. | |
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F. t. from Hanover PA
(4/12/2010)
"Great Experience" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Garden Spot Village Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 Great volunteers, well organized race, and well marked course. The course is rural, so spectators are rare. Water stops with fine volunteers. Porta potties at the stops - very nice. We could have used more porties at the start line. The course was very hilly and challenging, but doable. Strong wind for much of the race. I loved the cones every 10th of a mile - they really helped me finish. I hadn't trained enough. It was my 10th marathon finish. | |
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j. e. from pennsylvania, usa
(4/11/2010)
"Hilly, windy, and beautiful; one of the best" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Garden Spot Village Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I don't like hills, but it's the most gorgeous course you can imagine. It's low-key, well organized, and full of enthusiasm. Even the Amish sat in their front yards to cheer us on. This is one not to miss. The volunteers were superb. I can't say enough about it, even with hills and a strong headwind for the first half. | |
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A. P. from VA
(4/11/2010)
"We'll be back!" (about: 2010)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Garden Spot Village Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 What an amazing race! A very hilly course that broke out into easy-to-manage sections. Stunning scenery! Organization was outstanding; hats off to the GSV volunteers who were just delightful. Water stations were well stocked (but no fruit?!) and there were porta-potties as advertised. Part of what made this race was the size - small is better in this area. There was a serenity to running past farms with nothing but more farms and hills ahead. | |
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A. S. from Somerville, MA
(4/10/2010)
"A tough, but beautiful, young race" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Garden Spot Village Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This is a challenging course with some serious rollers throughout. Wind in year two sounds like it was less intense than year one, but was certainly a factor (felt like 20 mph for about 23 of the 26 miles to me). The half marathon and relay runners insured there were folks in sight for nearly all runners (fastest folks and more leisurely runners and walkers). Volunteers worked very hard to make everyone feel welcome, which smoothed any issues. Spectators were few, but then, this is farm country and the locals were doing their farming - plowing, weeding, moving hay.... This city kid had plenty to look at! And, I truly enjoyed the clip-clop of buggies that shared the roads with us. The facilities (this is a retirement community) were top notch. The pre-race dinner in the cafeteria was extensive and tasty (down to the yummy chocolate cake). Exquisite shower facilities (including towels and soap) and access to a pool and hot tub rounded out a great run. Some minor issues (which fall into the "growing pains" category, really): - I asked for a small men's shirt on my registration form. The process used ensured that I received a small women's shirt. Organizers assured me they'd send my shirt on to me. When I won my age group, that same organizer gave me a women's shirt that would fit and promised to send on the one requested. Beyond the call of duty, and most cool. - GU/gels and snacks (I think I saw goldfish and cookies) were available at some water stops - but this was not communicated to runners very well. Note to organizers: GU needs to be taken with water, so it's best given out a bit before the water stop if possible, in my opinion. I carried my own GU and four bottles in my Fuel Belt. - Timing was not chipped, but by rip strip. This may be an issue for some runners. My time was very close to my watch time. - Snacks (yogurt, Sun Chips, apples) were provided afterward; "real food" (with protein) was for purchase. - Relay and half marathon runners made early water stops very crowded. Happy to have carried my own. - A fan page on Facebook was very nice - but there were limited responses to questions from runners on such topics as gels. - Course was said to be closed to traffic through mile 6. It was not really closed based on my experience. - Many, many runners wore iPods. I saw no restrictions on them, but with cars, buggies, farm equipment and GSV security and sag vehicles on the move, I fear these might compromise safety. | |
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Eliot W. Collins from Raritan Borough, NJ
(4/10/2009)
"Highly Recommended - Will Return Again in 2010" (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Garden Spot Village Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was an enjoyable small-town marathon through the rural farmlands of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The race was run on country roads with many rolling hills. In 2009 the winds were reported to be around 50 mph. Although this made the race somewhat challenging, it also made it very rewarding to have finished. During the race, I encountered many of the local Amish people in horse-drawn carriages or riding their bicycles. I waved to them and they all waved back. This was pretty much the extent of the spectators. It is, however, a feature of this race that one will not find elsewhere. The race was very well organized and I look forward to returning in 2010. |
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