Nov 15, 2024
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☰
Napa Valley Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Napa Valley Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.7 
Organization 4.7 
Spectators 3.9
Number of comments: 160 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
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G. R. from Boston, MA
(4/4/2024)
"Beautiful race with good downhill slope" (about: 2024)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great event! Loved how it was set up, including the starting line with a massive amount of toilets and lots of volunteers at the athlete bag check-in area. Good communication from the race prior to the event with many interesting promotions. Course was beautiful, although one issue that noone seems to talk about - the first 20 miles of the course are at a significant side incline, or camber, at least 30% of the time. This is great for cars perhaps to sped around turns but I didn't love that for trying to run fast as the stability was compromised especially due to the fairly loose fitting Nike's I was wearing. Don't wear loose shoes for this race if you are trying to BQ! | |
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S. H. from Texas
(3/9/2024)
"A great long run!" (about: 2024)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 1st time for the Napa Valley marathon but 60th marathon overall. Well organized. Good pre-race info. Small but nice expo. Well organized transportation to start. Convenient start area with busses near the start and porta potties. Course rolls and turns are ' banked'. The latter is the bigger challenge. Water station and volunteers are great! Few spectators due to the course being on the Silverado Trail. Finish line well organized with easy access to transportation. Will definitely run again! | |
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John Gunn from IL
(8/16/2019)
"Bring your own Gatorade" (about: 2019)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 Great course, but a bit more hilly than expected, and an incredibly beautiful valley. BE WARNED - THERE ARE NO SPORTS DRINKS AT THE AID STATIONS. The race organizers are sugar haters and have banned sugar drinks. I have run 30+ marathons and have never seen so many runners bonking in the last 6 miles - go figure! Sure too much sugar is bad for couch potatoes, but its what our muscles burn. This is the only marathon I have ever thrown up during - thanks to the electrolyte drink. Great race otherwise. Hopefully the organizers will abandon their voodoo-science anti-vax, anti-sugar superstitions and think about athlete safety and performance. | |
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B. H. from Philadelphia
(3/5/2019)
"Beautiful countryside, great for BQ" (about: 2019)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran Napa looking for a good BQ course. I prefer a gentle roll with modest net elevation loss. This course does just that, with three rollers over the fist 6 miles (roughly 55, 60, and 90 vertical feet each, on grade that is nothing special), the next 14 miles roll downwards about 175 vertical feet, and then you get a reward of a final 75 vertical feet drop over .75 miles followed by pretty much flat to the finish. I found the elevation changes gentle enough to not tax too much, but consistent enough to keep the legs engaged and using variable muscles. Historically, the temps are wonderful, and this year was no different--race time was in the high 40s, and we finished in the mid 50s. There was an unrelenting headwind from mile 14 (when you pop out of the valley that was protecting us from the wind) until mile 22.5 when we made a right turn onto one of the finishing roads. Wind was not an issue after that. I hid from the wind on those tough 8.5 miles by tucking into a pace group, and that did the trick to save me. Nothing Napa can do about the wind, just bad luck. I still ran a BQ-4:32, so the course offered a lot nonetheless. One note. The Silverado Trial is particularly winding the first roughly 12 miles. Those curves are banked, so at least for me, my feet started to feel the angles after awhile. However, the road gets flat (though still declining in elevation) after that, and the issue disappeared for me. Just something to think about--not a reason to go elsewhere. Race management is top notch. This is my 8th marathon, so I have seen many people manage 26.2, and these folks do a top level job. Expo is small but efficient. Didn't do the pasta dinner so can't comment on that. They could use more portapotties at the start. That is outweighed in my mind by being able to stay on the buses as long as you want leading up to show time. Great bag check--super efficient. Crowds will be sparse because the road goes through some unpopulated places, but as you get to intersections, there are LOTS of cars lined up and spectators packed, so it's kind of fun to approach all the people psyched to see you come by. But if you want crowds galore, maybe something to think about. Didn't matter to me--I just wanted prime BQ territory, and Napa Valley delivered. | |
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Wayne Wright from Palmdale, California USA
(5/11/2016)
"A Viticultural Adventure" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 INTRODUCTION: I am a race-walker with a median marathon completion time of 5:16:46. The Napa Valley Marathon was my thirty-eighth 26.2-miler accomplished. COURSE: It was a great day for a marathon: weather conditions at start time were 45 degrees, 97 percent relative humidity, scattered clouds, and wind from the ENE at 3 mph. Beginning at the Solage Calistoga resort hotel, we spent the first 22.7 miles on Silverado Trail, on the eastern side of the Napa Valley, which provided spectacular views of vineyards sporadically interrupted by pine forests. (For the oenophiles: we traversed the Calistoga, Saint Helena, Rutherford, Oakville, Yountville, Stags Leap District, and Oak Knoll District American Viticultural Areaspassing by nearly 40 wineries in all.) This course was marked by rolling terrain with notable inclines, each being approximately 0.3 miles, at miles 1.4, 2.2, 5.2, and 13.2, where, upon reaching Stags Leap Wine Cellars, winner of the 1976 Judgment of Paris, at mile 20.4, it flattened out the rest of the way. We remained out in the vineyards until the last half mile, where we entered into Napas neighborhoods and finished at Vineyard High School, home of the Crushers. Weather conditions at finish time were 53 degrees, 86 percent relative humidity, and rain with wind from the WSW at 6 mph. ORGANIZATION: We put one foot in front of the other at the Bataan Memorial Death March to honor the US and Philippine soldiers who suffered under or died at the hands of the enemy in The Philippines during World War 2, and we ran the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon to remember those who tragically lost their lives at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing on 19 April 1995. When we arrived at the expo, we learned we were to run the Napa Valley Marathon in honor of journalists and historians of the marathon. The expo, held at host hotel Napa Valley Marriott, was well organized once we were able to secure a parking spot. (The inn was undergoing refurbishment and half of the parking spaces were taken up by construction equipment and materialsa complete mess for those of us who were staying there for the weekend.) In addition to the usual long sleeve tech tee, each participant received a duffel bag with the Napa Valley Marathon logo embroidered on it. The sparsely attended (less than thirty paying guests at the early session) Pasta Dinner was a sumptuous affair with an open bar featuring local wine and Napa Smith beer. No one walked away hungry or thirsty. On the day of the race, from Napa, we were transported on school busses from either Vintage High School or, for those of us who stayed there, the Napa Valley Marriott. There were supposed to be return busses from the finish line back to the host hotel, but none were to be found. Even a race official received only dead air on his walkie-talkie when he queried about the situation. Fortunately, it was only a 1.3 mile walk, and the pouring rain was a good proxy for an ice bath. SPECTATORS: Some fans showed up at arteries intersecting Silverado Trail to show their support. Otherwise, with the vast majority of runners observing the prohibition of personal music devices on the course, it was a mostly quiet affair that allowed us to take in the beauty of the valley and contemplate the heroics of marathon journalists and historians. CONCLUSION: Just about everything one could ask for in a marathon course: slight net downhill (271 feet), no significant climbs or descents, true point-to-point course, 16 miles closed to thru traffic, marathon only, and beautiful scenery. | |
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L. P. from New York, New York
(3/30/2015)
"Simplicity at its Best" (about: 2015)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I really enjoyed this race, despite being massively undertrained for it. The course is very peaceful, providing the opportunity to really experience the landscape of Calistoga and Napa. Others have said this, but the course IS HILLY, especially the Calistoga portion. I've run Big Sur and SF and still found this course hilly. The weather could not have been better. The organization was great in the sense that there wasn't much needed given that the race is a manageable size. There weren't a ton of instructions given in advance of the race (I'm used to NYC providing constant emails for 8 months), but it doesn't matter. You want to know how to pick up your partner's duffel bag, etc. since he couldn't make the race? Well, some nice woman will show you around individually and help with that process! And then you can go outside and sample wine! It's all uber-manageable. I will say that they needed way more portos at the start, or at least more time to use them (although, because you can throw your baggage into a school bus at the last second, it matters little, even if you don't fully get to participate in the opening meditation). All of the volunteers were nice and there's a really endearing turn out by local teenagers to volunteer. MAJOR props for the checked water system. I run carrying water and so to be able to pick up new bottles was huge, and all I had to do was mark which miles I wanted to receive my bottles and drop them in crates by the bus drop-off. Spectators are sparse given the limited road access, but those that were there were incredibly enthusiastic and encouraging. This race is pretty stripped down if you are used to Berlin, Chicago, NYC, etc.no headphones, no massive crowds, no throngs of spectators, no costumesbut that's the beauty of it. | |
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A. L. from Florida, US
(3/22/2015)
"fantastic, memorable, beautiful marathon" (about: 2015)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is a fantastic destination marathon. Plan to arrive the day before (no sooner because the food and wine opportunities will be too tempting). Be sure to give yourself a few days to see the valley and then Sonoma, Sausalito, and San Francisco. The marathon is gorgeous, but make no mistake, the entire thing is hilly. Never steep but rarely flat. Coming from flat Florida it is an issue but certainly not a deal breaker; just expect sore quads from downhills. Very well organized but it is odd that it starts in Calistoga and they don't take you back the 26 miles away. I would advise staying in delightful Calistoga, take the public bus back for a buck-fifty. Especially since the host hotel (the Marriott in Napa) looked very ordinary and only gave a decent rate for a one night stay. | |
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D. G. from Michigan
(3/10/2015)
"It doesn't get any better" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 25th marathon on 21 different courses. I've run many of the most highly rated races, and this ranks right near the top. Small, but high quality expo - including a wine tasting and a commemorative gear bag. Good pasta dinner with all the wine you want (I didn't want much). Bus loading was smooth, and you could stay warm on the bus until shortly before the start. The course was slightly more hilly than I expected from other comments, but I like that better than a totally flat course, so I ran a pretty good time for the shape that I'm in. Aide stations in the middle of the race could be a little closer together. Overall, I highly recommend this one! | |
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B. D. from California
(3/10/2015)
"Still The Best!" (about: 2015)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Napa Valley Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second time running NVM and this was as good as the previous, if not better. Well organized, beautiful course and great volunteer support. I'd like to see the course marshals do a better job enforcing the headphone ban. Simply put, this is the premiere race in Northern California. | |
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W. W. from Los Angeles
(3/6/2015)
"A Very Enjoyable Marathon" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 It is one of the best running conditions I have experienced, including the route, the road condition, the size of the event, the aid stations, and the temperature/humidity. The event was well organized in general except some chaos at the start line. The expo was great. The event is well coordinated with local high school. Many enthusiastic high school volunteers helped in the expo, along the route, and at the finish line. The start line organization can be better. When the buses arrived the start line, it was dark; no signs, no lights, no help person around. The major problem was that thousands of well hydrated runners could not find potties after getting there; then, no one could use the potties when the runners found them, as they are tie-wrap locked. After the day light breaking up, all were getting to normal, as the guy behind the microphone provided the instructions via loud speakers. The route was along the beautiful vineyards. It was mainly down hills. However, there were many up hill sections. There were sufficient water / Gatorade stations. As you expected, there were not many spectators, except near the finish line. The event used drone to assist taking pictures and videos. It looked cool. At the end, each finisher got personal greeting from a volunteer to ensure the well being of individual runners. This is an excellent idea and heart warm arrangement. |
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