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Erie Marathon at Presque Isle Runner Comments
Back to Erie Marathon at Presque Isle Information & Reviews
Course 4.6 
Organization 4.7 
Spectators 3.5
Number of comments: 255 [displaying comments 231 to 241]
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Terry Pescosolido from Columbus, OH
(9/17/2003)
"Very nice race" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I chose this race based on runners' comments on MarathonGuide.com, and the race lived up to the praise. Like the previous year, the course was again 2 laps around Presque Isle. Very scenic, very flat. Water/sports drink every mile, couple of GU and sponge stops. Spectators were super, but very sparse. Great post-race pizza and sub party, and fantastic door prizes. Best part was the special tribute to an 85-year old man who set the world record for his age in the marathon. | |
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t. b. from East Coast
(9/17/2003)
"There's potential, but cannot recommend " (about: 2003)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 This was my 8th marathon/ultra. The course is two identical laps of Presque Island. I disagree that this is the way to go. I think that the course should do one lap of Presque (at most) and incorporate the city. A few hills would help break up the monotony. Downtown is only 4 miles away and the bayfront in interesting, as is 6th street. It would be kind of cool to see Perry Monument from the city and then up close. Presque is just too much for two loops, especially when the course is basically empty for the second half. The crowds were small, but enthusiastic, and the volunteers were great. The organization was poor at times. The packet pick-up went well, but nobody really seemed excited about the race. I felt like I was going into the MVA to get my license renewed. The Champion Chips were not given out until race morning, which made it very hectic walking around in the dark trying to find your chip. What is the purpose of early pickup if the chip is not there? There was no map of the starting area or the race village. I basically walked around for 20 minutes until I saw a tent and thought, 'maybe that's where the chips are'. The starting line was not clearly marked either. Speaking of chips, if looks as if the chips were not used for the start, causing folks to lose time. At the finish, the food was terrible. There were a few bagels, some water and Ultima, and some fruit. Where were the salty foods (which should have been on the course too)? It was 77 degrees at the finish, with high humidity. The organization has to adapt to the heat. Folks were cramping up left and right. The organizers should have sent someone to buy chips, pretzels, etc... I cannot recommend this marathon. | |
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Mississippi Miler from Clinton, MS
(9/16/2003)
"Olympic hopefuls will not find a faster course" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Erie is ERIEsistable. I have done a few marathons this year, and the good people of Erie provided one of the best I have done. Ample water stops, beautiful scenery and food, and door prizes for everyone. The course is absolutely the flattest and the fastest anywhere. Great footing and gradual, scenic turns along the bay make this marathon fly by. And to have a few 1/2-thoners to pace for the first 13 was more than enough to entice any PR seeker. Erie is the PR place. | |
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M. C. from Canada
(9/16/2003)
"An Excellent Race" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I have completed many, many marathons in different cities/towns so I can offer a good comparison. The Erie Marathon is one of the very best. My advice to runners is: if you have the chance, DO THE ERIE MARATHON. The Erie Marathon gives you a very nice long-sleeve shirt, some things in the goody bag, juice, water, bread and bananas at the finish line, and pizza (lots of pizza), quality sandwiches, pop, and popcorn at the awards. PLUS, everyone gets a draw prize. The course at the State Park is very scenic with the lake on both sides of the route, GU on the course, and a nice certificate and everything for the price of $35. The course is two loops, but I loved the scenery all the time, so it did not worry me. The Erie Marathon is for the average marathon runners like myself and 80% of runners. How many of the 35,000 or so runners in Chicago have a chance of winning something, anything?? A fraction of a percent - none of us average runners. I had a problem with my application postage and the Erie Marathon staff responded immediately to my concerns. What more can I ask for??? Marathon runners in general complain about the hills, lack of spectators, not scenic enough courses, etc., but these factors have no bearing on my evaluations of races. I am sure all directors try to have the best course with no hills. If you want spectators and people to cheer you on, bring your family. Do you train with a lot of spectators?? There are marathons like Chicago where you pay about $90 and you get a cheap t-shirt and a stale, stale bagel, if you are lucky. The person takes all the runners and sponsor's money to pay the no-name elite athletes. Let me ask runners a question: How many runners can name 4 elite runners in the Chicago race? Do you really ever see the winner? Do you really care?? I also love running in marathons with many runners since I am not too fast, I love lots of spectators, and I love a big expo - but at what price?? Races like Grandma and Marine Corps are nice, but the Erie Marathon gives runners like myself a lot more value. Given all the facts, I do not know why runners do races like Chicago instead of Erie. For my money, I would go to the Erie Marathon all the time if I could. If you want a marathon with value for your money, then you MUST do Erie. This is the opinion of a seasoned runner. | |
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Danny Swindle from Newport, MI
(9/16/2003)
"Nice, scenic, flat course with a few changes neede" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Pros: Course was scenic and flat. Door prizes were a great idea to include everyone. Nice long-sleeve shirts. Timing chip number matched bib number. The few fans along the way were enthusiastic (the scenery made up where the fans were thin). Recommended hotels were close to the start. Volunteers on bikes provided good over-sight. We were all honored to run with 85-year old Mr. Sypniewski on his record breaking day. Cons: Pre-start area was too dark (people were using Coke machine as light source for installing timing chips). Either start later or have more lighted areas. No signs or direction. A map of pre-start area or signs would have been nice (we never did find the pre-race bagels). Fans were sparse due to course layout. Pre-start area should be moved to where post-start party was, or visa versa, to prevent people from having to drive or walk after the race (some people walked from their hotels to the start line). | |
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E. H. from Rochester, NY
(9/16/2003)
"Beautiful Course" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I got a new PR by 5 minutes on this very fast and flat course. Having water stations every mile was great. I was pleasantly surprised to get gel at mile 11 and 22. Great job by all of the race organizers and volunteers. They also had splits at the 10K, half, and about 20 miles. This helps see how well I kept my pace. | |
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L. M. from Toronto, Ontario Canada
(9/15/2003)
"Scenic, flat course and well organized" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The organizers have significantly improved this race by ensuring a flat, fast, Boston-qualifier course. The route is fairly shaded and scenic overlooking both the Erie waterfront and Lake Erie. Great post-race party and fantastic race kit. My only comment is that this race should ideally be held in mid-October as it is typically hot and/or humid in early September. | |
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T. M. from Cleveland, Ohio
(9/15/2003)
"Fastest and Flattest Marathon in the USA" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Eire at Presque Isle is the fastest and flattest marathon course that I've ever encountered. The race organization is excellent. The Eire Runners were friendly. One of them pulled up slowly on the road along side of us in his convetible and asked us what CD we'd like him to play. That's what I call pretty good service. The Ultra sport drink at every mile and GU at miles 8 and 21 was like being served low-sugar rocket fuel! This might be the only time I gained weight on a marathon. The course is on a gaint narrow heavily wooded sand bar along Lake Eire. It makes for a very relaxing run w/ a beautiful lake breeze. After Boston and other big city race w/ huge crowds it was fun to run a low-stress, small-town-feeling race. My wife and son walked on the miles of beach by the start/finish line while they waited for me. I can't report on the post-race activities or door prizes because I went right over to the beach next to the finish line for a long swim. The cool water seemed to help loosen me up more than a whirlpool. The race hotels were cheap ($39 w/ AAA), full of other runners and their families sitting out w/ family and friends talking and having fun the night before, a nice heated pool, a bar w/ 50 cent drafts, and a late check out at 3PM. Eire, believe me, is a whole lot easier to deal w/ than NYC, LA, or DC. - Tim from Cleveland | |
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D. H. from Newport, PA
(9/15/2003)
"Great Race!!!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a wonderful event in a beautiful setting. The race management was great, with plenty of water stops. Unless you need 10,000 runners in an event to feel satisfied, you should run this race. | |
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M. S. from Western Pennsylvania
(9/14/2003)
"A great September marathon; flat, shaded course" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I have run 10 of the last 13 Erie Marathons and races in other cities and the Erie 2003 race was the best experience I have had at a marathon. The weather was cool for September and it helped that the race starts at 7:00 am, just as the sun is beginning to rise. The course is flat as a pancake and the majority of the course is shaded by trees. With the sun so low in the sky, the open sky parts of the course will not overheat the runners. The 2 laps around Presque Isle State Park make for a much nicer course design than the old course that started and ended downtown. The auto traffic is light and the left lane of the two-lane road that travels through the park is completely reserved for runners. There were drink stations every mile in this race. I give the spectators 3 stars due to the light volume, but cheering spectators are not needed for this course located on an isolated section of Erie. There is no way a lot of spectators would be able to get to the course. This is a PR course if you peak for it. Some use this race as a long training run for their goal October or November marathon. Either way it is worth it if you live close by. I loved the cool temperature during the race this year. Some years it can get very hot during this race but this was a great year because of the cool temperature in the early morning. The race gave away raffle prizes to every registered runner. This was an excellent idea and gave people incentive to attend the awards ceremony even if they did not finish in the top 3 in their age group. |
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