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Monster "Mash" Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Monster "Mash" Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 4.2 
Spectators 3.1
Number of comments: 32 [displaying comments 21 to 31]
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B. B. from Pittsburgh, Pa
(2/21/2013)
"Boring Course" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Monster "Mash" Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 The biggest problem with this race was the lack of mile markers--for which the RD has apologized. The other major drawback for me was the monotony of the course after the 10k mark. Nice finish though in front of Miles the Monster. Nice, whimsical medal and shirt--I don't care that full and half runners got the same. Free BBQ after the race was very much appreciated. If you like very quiet, low key races in rural settings, you'll probably like this race. To me it was dull. | |
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C. H. from Virginia
(11/15/2012)
"Small & quiet, but growing..." (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Monster "Mash" Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 A nice race all around. The first mile was fun. The lack of mile markers wasn't so terrible...I could tell from my pace about how far I had gone. Some of the back roads out in the farmland got a little lonely (runners were so spread out in the later miles, I was mostly alone) but as this race grows in popularity, that will get better too. As others have said, more water and aid stations than I've ever seen anywhere. Good food at the finish with complimentary pulled pork BBQ sandwiches from a local vendor. Great shirts and medals...my kids loved the monster theme! Again, few wrinkles to iron out, but all in all, a nice way to get my Delaware race done! | |
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M. K. from Washington, DC
(10/28/2012)
"Friendly small race" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Monster "Mash" Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Pluses: -It's a pancake flat course, without too many turns, so it's fast. -Hammer power gels were available free at the start and at so many stations along the course I lost count. I've never seen so many, and this was my 18th marathon. (I think they were all orange-flavored, so if you need something else you should bring your own.) -There were ample aid stations. -The race track is a fun first mile (I disagree with the commenter below about doing a second lap. One is enough, because though the track is fun the pavement is better on the rest of the course.) -Parking is ample, right at the start/finish. -Packet pickup is a breeze in a race this small. It was a bit weird to pick up the timing chip anklet on race day instead of with the packet, but that was a five-second process, so no biggie. -Friendly people. -Post-race pulled pork sandwich was good. -The long-sleeve technical shirt is well-done (in an ideal world, it would say marathon rather than marathon and half, but this is a quibble, and given the affordable entry fee and the size of the field, even raising this point may be unreasonable) Minuses: -No mile markers in 2012, other than at 6 and 13.1. This was very disappointing. (The race organizer, in an email to participants on Oct. 28, apologized for this. I have no doubt it will be fixed next year.) -Though the turns were well-marked and staffed by people directing traffic, it wasn't clear which side of the road we needed to run on. (The roads were open to traffic for much of the race, which wasn't a problem, but it meant you needed to be careful when crossing from side to side, which you needed to do because of the turns and because aid stations sometimes were set up on one side or the other, unpredictably.) -Though we wore timing chips, they recorded only the 26.2-mile gun time, not any splits or the time from crossing the starting line (though in a race this small that is almost identical to gun time) Improvements on the way: -In addition to fixing the mile marker problem, the race director plans to have the course certified for Boston qualifying (it's definitely a BQ kind of layout) and to have separate medals for the half and the marathon next year (2013). Comment: -This race doesn't have a lot of runners or a lot of spectators. If you're a first-timer, you probably would like more spectator support and perhaps more varied scenery. But if you're looking for a low-stress environment with a fast course, this race may be for you. | |
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J. D. from Newark, DE
(10/26/2012)
"Don't Forget Your Garmin" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Monster "Mash" Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Beautiful run through the peaceful farmlands of Delaware. As mentioned, only two mile markers on the course and the first, which read 6 miles, I believe was actually at the 10K mark. The aid stations were more plentiful and better stocked than I had imagined for a race consisting of only 200 runners and with the marathon course only sharing about 8-9 miles with the 200 half marathoners. Aid stations came up about every 2+ miles nearly all offering Gatorade and many stocked with GUs. Although there were so few runners, I never felt alone running just under 4:00. It seemed there was always someone to run with for a bit. Hats off to the volunteers and director for pulling off such a well-run boutique marathon. I'd like to try this one again when in top form to see what I could do on the sparsely populated flat course. btw - at the expo we were told that we had to drive from the Dover Downs Hotel to the start, which didn't look to be the case once I'd driven to the start. I'm pretty sure, I was able to see the hotel parking lots just on the other side of some sparsely placed barriers. Highly recommend the hotel. | |
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C. L. from Washington, DC
(10/23/2012)
"Nice small marathon, but needs improvements" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Monster "Mash" Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 If you like small marathons, this is one to consider. It's well-organized, and everyone is friendly. And the flat course is conducive to a PR. A couple suggestions. The course goes down some nice country roads, but few residential neighborhoods. That makes for few spectators. It's also unclear throughout the course which side of the road we're supposed to be running on, and which side the water stops will be set up on. As a result, we did a lot of serpentining back and forth across the road. Another improvement: there are also no mile markers or splits, with the exception of the half marathon point. First mile on the Dover speedway is fantastic. It would have been fun to run more than one mile on the track. And lastly, there are timing chips, but no pad at the start or any splits. With a marathon this small, it really doesn't matter much because it only takes a few seconds to cross the starting line. But still, I'm a stickler for accuracy, so a pad at the beginning to measure my exact time would have been nice. Overall, quality shirt and medal. Nice volunteers. This has a lot of potential. | |
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S. B. from Vermont
(10/23/2012)
"PS to prior comment - few mile markers, no clocks" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Monster "Mash" Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I forgot to mention another piece of key feedback about this race, I saw only 2 mile markers, one for mile 6 and another for mile 13.1. There were no race timing clocks, only one at the finish. This doesn't bother me too much as I prefer to run according to how I feel and that's a lot easier to do when I don't know my distance or time, but most runners feel like this is super important. | |
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S. B. from Vermont
(10/23/2012)
"Decent race, has potential" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Monster "Mash" Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Overall, this was a decent race, especially for only the second year. It benefits a wonderful cause, the Wounded Warriors. I think this race has lots of potential. The course is it's best feature. It's nothing spectacular or particularly noteworthy for its scenic value, but it is lovely, pleasant, and flat. I'm not a race car enthusiast, but the first mile on the race car speedway was pretty cool anyway. I like that it meandered through Dover's historic district, and then quiet residential neighborhoods, and it mostly wandered through farmland. There were ample water stations and most everyone had gel or Gatorade, none had fruit, bananas, or any salted snack. There were not nearly enough porta potties. I only saw one station around mile 7 (same station serviced mile 14). I actually prefer to squat, so minimal porta potties isnt a big deal to me usually, but this course was on harvested farmland, meaning there weren't even any trees to hide behind. There was a good three mile stretch without a porta potty or a tree or bush. Finally, I just did the deed out in the open. It was after mile 20, so anything goes. Biggest feedback to the race director is to give a distinct medal and race shirt to the full and the half participants. I don't want 'half marathon' on my shirt or medal when 26.2 feels way more than double the half distance. A full marathon is an achievement enough to deserve its own medal at least, and preferably a shirt too! But, like I said, overall, it's a decent race that with more organization and a few tweaks, it can be a real good race. | |
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j. e. from pennsylvania, USA
(10/21/2012)
"Small, flat, fun, monster themed, perfect weather" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Monster "Mash" Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I love a small, flat course with no frills. This was unique in that the first mile was run on the speedway. This was a mass start, so walkers were interjected with runners, so the 1st mile was a slow one. The course was beautiful in dover and the countryside. The medals, shirts, and awards plaques had a monster on them, so were cute. It was appropriate for Halloween. The race director couldn't have been kinder. Lots of gel at the aid stations, by Hammer. Weather was perfect and you end in front of Miles the Monster statue. Free hot food for runners. Only negative was no mile markers on the course. Not an issue if you have a Garmin. I just hope it doesn't get too big. | |
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D. H. from Pennsylvania
(10/20/2012)
"No Cons :-)" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Monster "Mash" Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Pros Positive energy throughout - community, volunteers, director, runners Course - flat NASCAR - mile one on the track & novel and interesting AMPLE water & gels on course Restroom facilities at start/finish Yummy food at conclusion Cons None .... really ...well run race Neutral Few spectators (&which is not a big concern for me & for some this matters&) | |
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J. B. from Virginia
(10/25/2011)
"Fantastic marathon!" (about: 2011)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Monster "Mash" Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I had a great time at the first ever Monster Mash Marathon. The course was pancake flat and the event was small. You were able to run the first mile inside the Dover International Speedway! The piece and quiet along the course was awesome! I've never been one for big crowds, so this was the best part of the race to me. Also, the race pictures were free, which is a big plus. If my schedule works, I'm definitely running this again next year. |
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