Back to Erie Marathon at Presque Isle Information & Reviews
J. L. from PA
(1/17/2010)
"Great Flat Marathon" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Erie Marathon at Presque Isle
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon is well run and very spectator-friendly. The course is flat and a nice playground for the kids. I would highly recommend this. | |
Frank Weber from Erie, PA
(1/11/2010)
"Overall, an enjoyable race" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Erie Marathon at Presque Isle
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 For the number of runners and different races going on at the same time (5K, walk, half and full marathon), there was very little trouble with congestion and direction. The course is a beautiful run and makes for the perfect first marathon or qualifier. The one thing I don't understand is the choice of finisher medal. In 2009, it was made of glass... maybe to look like beach glass? I remember crossing the finish line and seeing the ground littered with broken glass. One woman dropped her medal right in front of me because she was so exhausted. Now I hear this year it's going to be ceramic. That's the only part of the race I can't understand. A thin glass or ceramic medal for a marathon seems too fragile. It's a small point. I couldn't have asked for a better race for my first marathon. | |
Jim Daigneau from North York, ON, Canada
(11/10/2009)
"Low-Key Great Race Experience Start to Finish" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Erie Marathon at Presque Isle
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was marathon number 17 for me and I rank this one very high on my list. Flat, scenic, enjoyable course at Presque Isle State Park along Lake Erie, well organized and friendly race, and a great course for a PR (if the weather cooperates). It wasn't my best day, but I really enjoyed Erie overall. My expectations were exceeded all around and I would run this race again in a heartbeat. Great race and a well-kept secret! Nice job, Erie, PA.... | |
S. A. from Cincinnati, OH
(11/5/2009)
"The Expo and Post-Race Beach are Awesome..." (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Erie Marathon at Presque Isle
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Now the course/race... they're ok. It's a small race, with a looped course. It seems like a lot of thought was put in by the director to make the runners as comfortable as possible. The course was kind of boring, but it was convenient to see it twice, and it was very pretty. Ending a race on the beach is always a plus!!! | |
K. M. from Jamestown NY
(9/28/2009)
"Best race I've seen." (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Erie Marathon at Presque Isle
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race is probably the best I've ever seen as far as support, (huge) number of volunteers, frequency of aid stations, and quality of the race in general. Not only is it very scenic, but it feels great to have so many people staffing the aid stations, registration, etc. Nothing seems to be an afterthought. | |
J. L. from USA
(9/28/2009)
"Great Event" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a very well run event on a flat course. I didn't feel that you needed the spectators, with the water stops at every mile. I would strongly suggest that anyone who would like to PR run this course, as I was able to PR here. The only con I have is that the parking is cumbersome. | |
K. L. from Welland, Canada
(9/26/2009)
"Excellent marathon" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Erie Marathon at Presque Isle
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is an excellent marathon on a nice, flat course. Nothing fancy here. The people were all very friendly and supportive. There were not a lot of spectators along the course but lots of cheering at the finish. I've run big-city races, including Boston, and would definitely recommend this low-key marathon. I'll be back. | |
R. H. from Chicago IL
(9/25/2009)
"Best-Kept Marathon Secret Ever" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Erie Marathon at Presque Isle
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I'm trying to do all 50 states and thought this would be another so-so marathon, but this one had it all. I thought the Heed on the course and the 180 Energy Drinks at the finish were amazing. It was flat and scenic the whole way through. I wasn't too worried about the double loop - two loops or not, the last few miles always hurt. Best part: after the finish, take your bagel and 180 and walk into Lake Erie on the beach and cool off. Thanks for all the food and drinks; there was tons of food. | |
T. S. from Maryland
(9/20/2009)
"A Well-Organized, Small Race" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Erie Marathon at Presque Isle
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I drove six hours to run Erie based on comments I read here, and I was not disappointed. The race is well organized, from packet pick-up and the tasty pasta dinner, to race morning and post-race support. The home-cooked dinner was good, the staff friendly, and the local runners welcoming. On race morning, it was easy to get ready for the race and the start was timely and efficient. This year, the weather cooperated, with high-50's at the start and mid-60's at the finish. The course is attractive, flat, and easy to navigate, though I do wish there were less pavement. Most of the course is tree-lined and in many places runners can look out over Lake Erie. In my view, the best part of the race was the presence of many water stops. There were 11 stops on this two-lap course, meaning water and Heed were available in 22 places! The stops were supported by local volunteers and each had a theme, something that helped take one's mind off of the mounting miles. In general, the volunteers were loud and very supportive, which is important given that for much of the distance there are few supporters, if any. That said, the folks who were present at the start and finish were raucous, which made for enjoyable and memorable reaches across the line. The post-race food was plentiful and good. All in all, this was a really enjoyable race. I met so many helpful, friendly people, something that does not often happen in the big races. Kudos to the Erie folks for putting on a good race. | |
S. M. from Old Bridge, NJ
(9/19/2009)
"Nice little surprises" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This whole weekend was great! This was the most affordable races my husband and I have ever done! It cost $80 for two people, plus $50 for the motel. (We stayed at the Inn at Presque Isle, which was awesome. It was four miles from start, and listed on the website!) This was even cheaper than what was listed on the website! The motel and the race organizers thought of every little detail, which may not mean a lot to some people, but it really meant a lot to us! They had glow sticks dropped along the paths for us to follow to the start in pitch darkness. The porta-potties had stick-up lights on the doors and also had two glow sticks inside each potty so we could see what we were doing. My husband was all happy coming back from the potty after I teased him about finding his way inside. Seeing them do all of the cooking in huge pots on Saturday preparing for marathon-eve dinner just made me want to be a part of that crew. It was well worth the $7! Our motel had nice little touches too! Upon check-in, we each had a little goody bag: one bottle of power drink, one Hammer Gel, and one menu (I forgot what else they had in the bag). The motel also had bagels, muffins, coffee, OJ and bananas for everyone at 4 a.m. at the front desk on marathon morning! Each room had a mini fridge with a tiny freezer! Since we drove eight hours, we had melted ice packs. By the time we checked out, our ice packs were frozen and ready for another eight-hour drive, with ice cold drinks, going HOME! If we can get one or two more people to carpool with us, we really want to come back next year and stay at the same motel again. The marathon itself was really nice. Water and sports drinks were available at every mile. Being that I'm one of the last few (second to last) still out there, bikers who were scoping the course continuously checked up on me, making sure that I didn't get lost. I crossed the finish line yelling, "Second to last WINNER!" I also forgot to mention the nice quality Dri-Release, long-sleeve t-shirt (NOT flimsy at all), and a great pair of Dri-Release socks too! I usually don't wear my marathon shirts, but this one I will definitely wear! |
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