Nov 14, 2024
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☰
Steamtown Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Steamtown Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.7 
Organization 4.9 
Spectators 4.7
Number of comments: 625 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
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J. S. from Bethlehem, PA
(11/2/2024)
"Great Marathon - Highly Recommend" (about: 2024)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 For a more local marathon it had a feel for a much larger marathon. Everything you want whether you are running your first or have run many. Well organized and great fan support along the way. Very scenic course and would have been even better had it not been rainy and cold which is the exception this time of year. Normally you would expect great conditions. Certainly one of the better courses if you are trying to qualify for Boston. From the beginning when you get to your bus to the waiting area to the starting line. Everything went incredibly smooth. Plenty of water stations along the way. I would highly recommend. Btw, plenty of good hotel accommodations right near the pick up point too which made it very easy. | |
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Jason Wahr from Virginia Beach, VA
(10/30/2024)
"Duo Team thanks you for the amazing race!" (about: 2024)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Thank you race director, Jim Cummings, for allowing us to run and roll in your race, it was amazing. Volunteers and everyone involved are very polite and friendly. Well organized. Course review: Everyone says not to go out to fast on the downhills. Well, in my opinion, you have to. There are 3 major hills that come after mile 23 that you simply cannot keep your same pace on, especially with already tired legs. So, you need some banked time to get up those monsters. At the start, the first mile is a very steep downhill, then a surprise mild uphill at mile 2.5. Miles 3-22 are gradual downhill to flat, great running. Scenic course, love the wooded area and fans along the way. Great course if you run and plan it right, we BQ'd, thank you so much! | |
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D. P. from Scranton, PA
(10/22/2024)
"One of the best running experiences in the USA" (about: 2024)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have no idea how this does not sell out. It truly is the best running experience I have ever had anywhere in the United States. From the time you register until race day, the assistant race director communicates often, with increasing frequency closer to race day. He is funny, and more importantly addresses every topic you can think of. The race committee should travel and teach classes because the event is flawless. The course is incredible, if you run it smart it has the potential to be EXTREMELY fast however it is super easy to blow up if you are not smart. The first 1/3 of it is downhill, and its incredibly easy to get sucked in and then when it flattens out you pay for it, and then the hills at the end finish you off. If you can manage to hold back until it flattens out and then send it, you're set up for a fast time. It truly has a mix of everything from rural, to several small towns, to urban, to industrial, regular neighborhoods and then finishing up in downtown Scranton. It is an incredibly scenic course, it rained the entire race this year and it was still beautiful. TRAIN for hills, the two last hills will KO you like Mike Tyson, so train on hills, for 23 miles you'll think 'why did I train hills, I didn't need it' and then you'll experience the hills at the end and see why. The medal is absolutely beautiful, its huge and extremely nice, the on course support was incredible with water/gatorade and two GU stations. In addition to official aid stations, SO many local residents have their own tables set up handing out water, etc. The on course support was amazing. The local communities along the route, and especially the high school students at the start that make you feel like a professional athlete, are worth it alone. | |
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Ryan Cope from Kelowna, British Columbia
(10/18/2024)
"A heartfelt experience!" (about: 2024)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second marathon and what a lovely race! I appreciated the diversity of the course, which included running through small, Pennsylvania towns, along a historical rail trail with beautiful fall foliage, and culminated with a cruise into the city of Scranton. With a field of just shy of 1,000 runners, it feels small, which I enjoyed. The volunteers and spectators were all first class, 11/10! Everyone was so friendly. There were ample water/Gatorade stops and copious port-a-johns, I felt very well-supported as far as refreshments were concerned. One thing that caught me by surprise later on in the race (past the halfway point) was the way we were running with traffic (only one lane had been blocked for runners vs the entire road). It was a bit jarring, but fortunately, there were flaggers and/or police at most intersections to direct traffic. In this particular year (2024) it rained the entire time, but we were warned by the race directors that rain was a possibility. It was fun despite that! I'd run it again! | |
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R. C. from Livonia, NY
(10/16/2024)
"Great Race!" (about: 2024)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my best marathon in terms of a quality run from start to finish. The organization was good and the volunteers, every single one of them, were cheerful and helpful. The fans were great too. It was rainy and chilly the whole time and it was really fun. | |
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MichaelJoseph May from PA
(10/16/2024)
"A Miracle come through!" (about: 2024)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 As I arrived @ my parking spot @ 5:30 am on Adams Avenue I felt a wetness in my buttocks area. Upon further review I became aware that my valve on my CAMELBAK was mysteriously open. As I approach the buses an Australian woman said to me that I had wet shorts. I explained that I had a wardrobe malfunction with my CAMELBAK. I had a towel to place under me on my friend Judy's Bus. I like Judy a lot for we meet @ Walmart where she works. I approached Beautiful Forest City School with wet shorts and wet compression shorts. The school was filled with happiness. The cannon fired and I was fortunate to make it 16 miles as my extremities began to numb. I could not control myself going down hill and I needed to surrender before I would need an ambulance. A nice volunteer gave me his jacket so I could be protected in the cold raining conditions until the Sad Wagon arrived. My sister Michele was @ the finish and helped me to walk again for I became quite weak. I met Sarah in the tent and she gave me wonderful refreshments and wonderful Vegan snacks. I am truly blessed with all the STEAMTOWN Marathon staff as well as all the people involved with the support though out the years of its existence. | |
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Marc Thomas from Colorado
(10/15/2024)
"Great, fast small town course" (about: 2024)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Really great course. Later start that most marathons but good light and visibility. Lots of downhill so better chance to run fast. Lots of rain and cold on race day but beautiful scenery along the river with the leaves changing. The road were a little rough and slippery. Small town feel with the neighbors cheering us on. Great pacers. I ran the first 18 miles with the 3:45 pacer and every mile he would either slightly speed up or slow down to correct. I felt good and ended up running 3:40. Nothing but good things to say about the race. | |
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A. Z. from Pennsylvania, US
(10/15/2024)
"Very well-organized hometown race" (about: 2024)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Steamtown was my very first marathon and I'm happy to have experienced it in a town near where I grew up. The course has a lot of variety, ranging from several different PA towns with residential areas and historic buildings, to a long country road, to the heritage trail along the river- a particularly beautiful section of the course. It's a net downhill, and the majority of those hills happen in the first third of the marathon. Needless to say, you'll be feeling that later on, especially when you hit the few uphills at the end. I did my best to follow everyone's advice to take it easy on the way out so as to make sure I could get through the end. The race organizers thought of everything. They have a shuttle that takes you from the finish line to the starting line. You get to wait inside the Forest City high school before the race, which gives you a warm place to warm up and have that last pre-race snack. The race starts with a cannon blast. And all along the way, there were frequent aid stations with water and gatorade, a couple with gels, and snacks towards the end. There were ample portapotties and lots and lots of volunteers making sure you were safe and knew the way. My only complaint about this year's marathon was spectator support. I felt like there was barely anyone out to cheer on the runners for the majority of the race until we got back to Scranton, where there were a few houses with some dedicated souls cheering on the marathoners. HOWEVER, I am almost 100% sure this was due to the weather, as almost everyone has said that the streets were lined with people in years past. It certainly wasn't the race organizer's fault, and I would not let that be a reason to skip this race in years future because from what I hear spectator support is usually AMAZING. That said, I was in the back of the pack, and there was still a small but heartfelt crowd at the finish line cheering me on as I crossed, for which I was extremely thankful. Overall, a great first experience. I would come back and do it again in the future! | |
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D. M. from Pennsylvania
(10/14/2024)
"Great race!" (about: 2024)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a great point to point race. Great and scenic course. Despite the rainz the crowds were awesome. I'd sign up again solely for the race director's emails he sent out. Volunteers were great and everything was well organized. Enough food and water stops. | |
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H. H. from Lehighton, pennsylvania
(10/14/2024)
"Should be a sellout every year" (about: 2024)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I'm shocked this race hasn't sold out since Covid. Scranton is easy to navigate to get from hotels to race venues. Hotels are VERY reasonably priced. The race communications leading up to the event are top notch. They're funny, informative, and help build the excitement leading up to race day. Everything from getting on the shuttle (that was warm on that chilly morning) to getting off at the race start was meticulously planned. The high school kids cheering, helping you navigate the school, hyping you up. It's great. As a smaller race, you don't spend a ton of time in at the race start freezing in the fall chill. The fueling stations on the course were the best stocked of any race I've done. It poured rain this year and the community and volunteers still showed up. Amazing support. I'd 10/10 do this again. |
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