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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 271 to 281]
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M. A. from Lititz, PA
(10/9/2012)
"Great marathon to run" (about: 2012)
3 previous marathons
| 3 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I've run Steamtown 2001, 2009 & 2012. They keep getting better and better. The run through the small towns are so much fun with the high school bands cheerleaders greeting you at Forest City High and all the nice people cheering along the way. I can honestly say I've never had anyone be rude to me from this Marathon. Spectators get sparse thru the later part of course. Killer on your quads at end of race where you have some hills & hitting the wall. Railtrails are nice on the feet but slow you a bit due to gravel/mulch surface & most time can only have 3 runners wide so a little hard to pass. Have never gone to expo, so no comment on that. Participant Medal for 2012 was awesome. Only negative comment was the wait for the port o john at before the start but when you have 2000 runners using 90 port o johns, you'll have that. Fall leaves are in full color, if you haven't done this, you should as this is a great small marathon to run. | |
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S. A. from Lewisburg, PA
(10/9/2012)
"Best First Marathon Ever!!!" (about: 2012)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 (An edited version of my last marathon blog entry) We dressed in our matching Steamtown Marathon shirts & drove to Dunkin Donuts for our pre-marathon breakfast. It was cold , but no rain. We drove to downtown Scranton then rode the bus to Forest City (the start). At Forest City, you can wait inside the high school to stay warm. You are greeted with cheerleaders & many happy folk. The race began with a loud boom from a civil war cannon. The race is predominantly down with some steep downhill sections but feels level for most of the race until the final 2 miles where you encounter 3 hills until the final downward 0.2 mile. It is rumored that spectators referred to me as 'fish girl' because of the flounder drawn on my back. There were also 'party girl', 'birthday girl', 'beer head man', and 'kilt man'. The marathon runs through outlying little towns. You are offered water/sport drink by the locals, serenaded by high school bands, and boom boxes. People are positive and encouraging along the route. There is running along a gravel trail and through a parkvery nice. We ran up through a very classy neighborhood in the hills, then down into the city. I didn't mind the hills, as I seemed to have gotten a second wind. At mile 25, a non-sanctioned beverage station offered me a glass of beer (I declined), but my husband chugged his down. At mile 25.5, he let out a loud beer burp. There weren't many spectators until the finish line because of my late finishing time, but it was great going through the chuteall smiles. When I finished, I received my mylar blanket, and wanted to just sit down or lay down. I couldn't walk a straight line, and my legs hurt a lot. They offered me a massage so I went for it. I figured at least, I would be laying down. It was 'the bomb'. The tent had some warm food, so I had pierogies. YUMNothing like Central PA pierogies! Today, my left knee hurts, my right foot hurts, and I have perfected the zombie 'walking dead' gait. Other than that, I feel great! My finisher's medal is fabulous. When we were walking from mile 21-23, I told my husband that I was a lousy endurance runner. His response to me was that actually, I had great endurance having been on this course almost six hours, but that I was just very, very slow. So, I am the 'ultimate slow-running endurance athlete'. It was a great first marathon. Well organized, funny helpful inspirational e-mails, no glitches. Because it wasn't super gigantic, it felt a little more personal to me. Best part was when a guy driving a bus (possibly the sag wagon), saw me heading to the finish, and gave me the 'thumbs up' sign. | |
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B. D. from Basking Ridge,NJ
(10/9/2012)
"Great Race" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Just finished Steamtown and it was great...although downhill...watch out for the hill at mile 24...that killed me! For a small town race, this was incredibly well run...volunteers and spectators were great and so supportive!! It was nice to hang out in the high school beforehand and volunteers came by with trays of food. The food at the finish line was a feast! Thank You to all who helped run this race and thanks for all the pre-race emails...they were great and very entertaining! I did a PR for this race...YAHOO! | |
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D. G. from WDC
(10/9/2012)
"One of the best..." (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Great mid-sized marathon. Expo is fine...not much swag if you have high expectations. Shirts are nice. This year's medal was awesome...much better than previous years. Bus to the start was easy. Plenty of seating in the high school gym while you wait. Short lines for bathrooms. Fast course...don't over do it on the downhill or you will pay. The uphills in the last few miles aren't too hard and when you reach the top of the last one you can see the finish. Finding friends/family post-race is easy. Put this one on your list. | |
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M. W. from Pittsburgh, PA
(10/8/2012)
"Great marathon" (about: 2012)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Excellent point-to-point and fast course through scenic PA. Running through the small towns with a smaller field gives you the perspective of what marathon running might have been like in the 1970s. Lots of spectators in the towns and the course has a 4 1/2 mile section on the Lackawanna trail which is a great change of pace. Marathon is well organized and the smaller size makes it easy to get to the starting line and exit once the race is done. | |
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M. G. from Baltimore, MD
(10/8/2012)
"Great race!!!" (about: 2012)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was prepared for the hills, which were challenging, but the smooth logistics, pretty course and great fan support more than make up for a hilly finish. Scranton was easily accessible, good parking for spectators, nice expo. Yummy dinner in Old Forge, PA for the carb loading the night before. My only complaint has nothing to do with the race organizers. Hotels in the area booked before registration opened and the hotels in the outlying areas were not especially supportive to runners. They did extend check out time but my hotel cancelled transportation I was told was available. Fortunately other runners were nice enough to give me a ride. All in all, however, it was great experience. | |
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Erich Dinkfelt from Pittsburgh, PA
(10/8/2012)
"Awesome time. Will be back!!" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 8th marathon and this one is head of the class. Very well organized starting at the expo and onto race day. Not a detail is left out in the planning. Of course the hills at the end are tough but with the crowd support it makes it a breeze. Looking forward to running this one in the future. | |
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R. S. from Lehighton, PA
(10/8/2012)
"Mission Accomplished All Around" (about: 2012)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Running my first Marathon was nerve racking, however my concerns were put to rest very early on. I loved the Catholic Mass given the night before, I certainly did not want to feel guilty for accomplishing my goal. Everything was well marked and in case you did not read all the signs volunteers would give you a heads up of what was to come and when you got there they told you again. The water, aid stations and snack stations were amazing. The community kempt me going with their cheers, bands and snacks. I could not let anyone down, I had to finish. Thank You for making this an amazing experience. | |
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Patty DeScipio from Roaring Brook Township, PA
(10/8/2012)
"Great adventure for 1st time marathoner!" (about: 2012)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon was 14 years in the making -before marriage, before kids, before baby weight... I volunteered 14 years ago at the finish line. I was so inspired I put it on my bucket list. All the locals told me this was the right place to try. I loved the entire experience - every minute of it was wonderful. The course is beautiful, the crowds amazing, the online information, comments and advice awesome for preparing you for the run. I was a back-of-the packer at 5 hours but finished fresh sprinting the last 3/4 mile thanks to the great info posted by the commitee, the course design and the absolute joy and love from the 'party' crowds along the way - my adventure was unbeleivable. For other 'bucket listers' this is your marathon. It's totally worth the journey - you can do it!!! and Scranton is an awesome city! | |
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S. L. from Pennsylvania, US
(10/8/2012)
"Overall great, hometown feel marathon" (about: 2012)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my third time coming back to Steamtown. I am glad we have the opportunity to share positive feedback because it is such a great event - the course, the spectators, the organization. The medals were beautiful this year. The shirts were a nice fit too. I will continue to return to Steamtown. |
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