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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 241 to 251]
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T. M. from New Jersey
(10/14/2013)
"Really Nice Course, Great Experience" (about: 2012)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 A point to point marathon which is a very fast course. Downhill for about 23 miles but the last three are uphill and can be brutal depending how you are feeling. Everything about the marathon was great - the course, the organization, the finish, and the expo. Good fan support and some nice touches to the race - the local cross country teams at the water stations, fans cheering for you when you get off the bus at the start, etc.. Highly recommended. | |
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A. W. from Allentown, PA
(5/24/2013)
"Fantastic Marathon!" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What a great race! This was my third marathon, and it was everything that I was hoping for and more. The race was very well organized. The race organizer (Jim Cummings) was great about sending helpful emails with race updates and details (which were also quite hilarious as well!). There were plenty of water stations, and the fans, though sparse at times, were energetic and fun! The course is unlike any other. It is downhill for the first 10-12 miles, which seems like a good thing at first, but then you realize how easily it wears you out. I ran the fastest half marathon of my life, unfortunately it cost me in the end and the second half was very very painful. My own fault. I'll have to pace myself better next time! Thankfully, the crowd was energetic and keep me going through the pain. The race ran through many small towns, and had some beautiful scenic areas. I was never bored with the scenery once throughout the entire race. The finish is in downtown Scranton, and nothing can beat the feeling of cresting the final hill, and looking down at the finish line and all the people cheering you on! Of all the marathon's I have run so far, Steamtown has been by far the best! I would love to come back and run it again in the future. | |
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J. L. from Mountain West
(4/14/2013)
"Expect tough hills at the end" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The organization and spectators were great. I didn't expect the rails to trails to be as hard as they were and the last hills of the race are so steep many had to walk up them. This was my 11th marathon and maybe the hardest. | |
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K. W. from New York, NY
(12/1/2012)
"Fast, Friendly small town feel marathon" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a great choice for my first marathon. The race is FAST (bonus- I qualified for Boston), it's mostly downhill the first few miles. The race directors and volunteers are super friendly. I felt like I was running with neighbors. My favorite part was the 1-1.5 miles of the course where you run on the trail. This race has limited spectators but given the size of the race it's proportional. And just like the review in Runner's World magazine said, when you run by the children from St. Joseph's Center (which the race has donated more than $800,000) cheering around mile 22 you feel like you have the best spectators ever. | |
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J. H. from California
(11/20/2012)
"Very worth your training and travel" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Every aspect of this marathon was well-planned and executed: Great pre-race emails, volunteers are helpful and upbeat, bus ride to the start is warm and no-waiting, you can stay inside the gymnasium until the start, plenty of potties at start area, the course is scenic, road is level and smooth, and nice finish area. There's fantastic Italian food and micro-brews all over Scranton, and the National Historic Steamtown Museum is great for history buffs. So glad we ran this one! | |
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R. C. from Oradell, NJ
(10/16/2012)
"First Class small town marathon" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my 9th marathon and I've run small (Kiawah Island) and big (NYC Boston) marathons. Steamtown takes a backseat to none of them. Interesting course with the down hills at the start and 'keep you honest' hills at the end. Spectators, while not overly abundant, were very energetic and supportive. Organizers take every step to make sure the runners are treated first class and it's appreciated. As mentioned previously, emails from asst race director are entertaining and informative. I'd recommend this race to beginners and veterans alike. | |
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A. C. from Pittsburgh, PA
(10/15/2012)
"A must-do for all who say they are marathoners" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Pro's: -funny and warped email updates from asst race director - awesome -big-town crowd support in a small town -small-town prices and logistics -net downhill course (ending hills a bit challenging) -finely tuned race organization - they know what they are doing -post race party - if you are from out of town and can stay, do so, it is fun -friendly, friendly, friendly, supportive town-folk, the church bells rang and nuns came out as we ran by in the morning! -high school starting area (and support from students)was perfect -Cool tourist stuff like the National Railroad Museum (free to runners) Thoughts for improvement: -extra portajohns at the rest areas on the course - there were lines -if you really want more than 2/3 of the registered runners to show, consider a bib-transfer process a few months out. I would love to see the wonderful town of Scranton benefit from the revenue of 1,000 more runners. Thank you Scranton Marathon. | |
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Larry W. from Cincinnati, OH
(10/15/2012)
"Excellent race for Marathon first-timer..." (about: 2012)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first Marathon ever, so I don't really have anything to compare it to, but I will say I cannot think of anything the race committee could have done to make it 'better,' per se. Maybe make the post-race party closer to the race finish line so more people are tempted to stick around and socialize. I will not lie, that last 3 miles were B-R-U-T-A-L. Funny thing is, I TOTALLY knew not to take advantage of the net drop over the first 13 miles or so, and guess what I did... I kept a 8-9 minute/mile pace for the first Half, and finished with an overall pace of 10:50ish. So yeah, I made the classic Steamtown rookie mistake of going out to hard. I lived and learned. My longest run was 18 miles prior to Steamtown, so once I hit the Rails-To-Trails portion, I was starting to gas out - ended up walking a good portion of the final 3 miles uphill. I totally recommend this race to anyone, rookie or experienced. Awesome race and support for a 'small-town' race. | |
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Eliot W. Collins from Raritan Borough, NJ
(10/15/2012)
"Highly Recommended - Will Return Again in 2013" (about: 2012)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Steamtown is the same year after year. Everyone associated with the race (organizers, volunteers and spectators) does an outstanding job of making everything enjoyable for the runners. They are some of the nicest people that I have ever met. I definitely got my money's worth, and I look forward to returning for the 11th time in 2013. | |
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J. A. from Baltimore, MD
(10/14/2012)
"Very well run, small town race" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is a nice breather from the huge 20K + big city marathons. It's a nice course and the marathon itself is extraordinarily well run by the directors and volunteers. The humorous email updates from the race director are worth the price of registration. At times the course is difficult because of a paucity of fans, but there are plenty of fans for the challenging hills at the end and the volunteers are absolutely terrific. |
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