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☰
New River Marathon Runner Comments
Back to New River Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.7 
Organization 4.4 
Spectators 3.5
Number of comments: 26 [displaying comments 21 to 26]
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S. M. from Quebec, Canada
(5/9/2011)
"Beautiful" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New River Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was the first edition of that race but everything was perfect. I ran 8 marathons in the last 8 months in 8 different states, and this is the most beautiful one. Really, though; it was really like running in a dream. I gave 5 stars to spectators: birds, horses, cows... I will come back for sure with my family. Thanks for everything. | |
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K. D. from Winston-Salem, NC
(5/9/2011)
"Scenic and peaceful" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New River Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I thoroughly enjoyed the New River Marathon. It's put on by the same folks who organize the Blue Ridge Relay. The course has four major inclines before mile 18 as well as some flatter sections. The scenery is breathtaking and is a nice change from city marathons. Most of the other runners I encountered were chatty and our conversations provided a nice distraction from the sensation of lactic acid building up in my legs. While the spectator turnout was minimal, the course design and the open roads provided easy access to supporters to drive (or bike) around and cheer for runners. For the 2011 race, the turnout was around 200 for the marathon. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this for a first-timer, but it certainly deserves a spot on the future marathons to-do checklist. | |
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E. H. from Winston-Salem, NC
(5/9/2011)
"well executed, challenging inaugural event" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New River Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The inaugural New River was my 6th marathon, and was one of the most seamless I have encountered. It's not an easy course; don't be fooled into thinking 'flat and fast' factors into the flat parts. But the scenery and volunteers made the race well worth it. We lucked into great weather, 40 at the start, about 60 over 4.5 hrs later at my finish. The first half is fair then the second half you encounter mile after mile (after mile after mile) of uphill, some steep enough I deemed them 'unrunnable' as did those around me, and just walked up (that stretch was gravel road). The view at the top is spectacular and the downhill stretches, now paved again, were not as steep as the elevation map had me believing; they were runnable. I was wishing for shade on the last 6 miles. The volunteers were some of the best I've seen. One lady handed me a cup of (undermixed) orange Gatorade already pinched to make it easily drinkable. Another was waiting outside the portajohn for me around mile 18 with a cup each of water & Gatorade, my choice, so I didn't have to backtrack the 20 feet to the cup tables. Now that's service! Not many spectators to speak of, but the few I recall encountering were enthusiastic. Good rowdy crowd at the start/finish line, which you also encounter around mile 11 when looping through the figure-8 course. But you dont run this kind of course if you need to feed off of spectator energy! Shirts were cotton but pretty and had men's and women's sizes. Might be too pretty for the men? The medal was cheap with hand-glued ribbon and a square of wood with the race logo and year burned into it. Refreshments at the finish line were, as far as I found, water, more undermixed orange Gatorade, apples, oranges and bananas. I would have liked a bagel or some pretzels. All that said, even considering my almost-personal-worst time, the race was outstanding and I recommend it. The pros absolutely outweigh the cons. Do some more hill training and come back next year! | |
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J. S. from Tennessee
(5/9/2011)
"Come for the scenery" (about: 2011)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 First annual race was 2011. Marathon started about 15 min prior to the half, which is always appropriate in my mind. It allowed all the half runners (and 5k) to cheer on the marathoners at the start. I did the half, so my review will go to that. I would normally leave the review to a full marathoner, but since there aren't any reviews, I wanted to add what I could. Packet pickup race morning was a breeze. T-shirt was better quality than most races (not a tech shirt tho). There was no water at the start, which wasn't an issue for me since I had my own. I heard some people mention it tho. The start line announcements were not very loud, but I assume this will be fixed next year. Pace group signs went up to an 11 min/mile, but I didn't see 'official' pacers. There were some cars that drove through the start line while everyone was lined up, so that was odd. This is not a closed course. Some people wearing headphones were veering too far into traffic, in my opinion. Beware of headphones in this race. Doing the Flying Pig the week prior, my legs were a little mushy from the hills there. This race has even more hills. I would say two major hills (on the half), but with switchbacks it seems like there are more. In my mind, its pretty comparable to Knoxville's race. Water stations on the course were well staffed with friendly, encouraging volunteers. Not a lot of spectators on the course, but you come here for the scenery and frankly, it was nice to run with nature after last week's pig. The course consisted mostly of pavement and gravel roads. Finishing in the field was a little rough, considering there were uneven spots. Finish line food consisted of fruit, but the restaurant hosting the start line had BBQ for sale. Finisher's ribbon had a homemade wooden 'medallion.' Personally, I think this is a nice contrast to the sleek medals you receive at bigger races. I plan to do this race again, either as a half marathoner or a full marathoner. | |
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T. B. from Ga
(5/9/2011)
"Can't believe it was an inaugural event" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New River Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 If you'd told me they'd been running this for 20 years, I'd have believed you. Awesome organization. Scenery is unbelievable. Hills are tough: thought I was ready but wasn't. But that's a Me problem. Can't recommend this one highly enough. | |
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M. S. from North Carolina
(5/9/2011)
"Great Marathon in a Terrific Setting" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 New River Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my fourth and, hands down, the most scenic marathon I have run. It happened to be a beautiful day and much of the run was along the South Fork New River. At the beginning of the marathon, parking was ample, there were plenty of port-o-potties, and the organization appeared tight with many happy volunteers who came out during a relatively chilly morning. Many more runners showed up for the half marathon and the fewer of us marathon runners were walked to a bridge where the starting line was located. The start occurred approximately 15-minutes late but I don t believe any of us minded. Given that this was a small marathon, the start was quite graceful with very little bottlenecking. The organization during the marathon was superb and there were eager volunteers happy to supply the runners with water and sport drinks. My goal at this point is to qualify for Boston and although there were long sections of fast and relatively flat terrain, it should be noted that there were a couple of hills (and they felt like mountains) that would make the likelihood of someone achieving a PB improbable. Since many marathon runners need a mile or two to feel their groove, it is important to state that the first hill appears very shortly after the start. But most of the runners appeared to have plenty of reserve at this point and it really didn't seem all that bad. HOWEVER, the hill at around mile 16 was a completely different story. This hill was a killer and it seemed it would never end. But it did of course and the rest of the run appeared to be relatively smooth sailing. Although there were not many spectators, the ones that showed up were very energetic and encouraging. Some of the volunteers rode bicycles and held up funny signs along the way. Nice touch. During the race normal yet sparse motor vehicle traffic traveled along the marathon course. It wasn't really a big deal but I did think that some of the locals at times could have been more mindful of the runners. At the end of the marathon there were fruit and drinks waiting across the finish line. It would have been nice to have some carbs and protein available but this was the inaugural year so I would imagine the organizers had a limited budget. There was a bluegrass band playing at the finish, which was nice. It was definitely the most interesting race medal I've received. Mostly because the medal was not metal, but wood. But hey, why not? I actually thought the medal sort of fit in with the Boone, NC vibe. Would I run the New River Marathon again? Absolutely. It was a beautiful and well organized run. But with only one runner completing the course with an under 7-minute pace (3:01:57), this run will really test your limits. And that's a good thing. |
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