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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 351 to 361]
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T. H. from Pennsylvania (PA)
(10/11/2011)
"My new favorite marathon!" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race has the best of both worlds... the personal attention of a small marathon with crowds that rival larger races. You can tell that each of the communities you run through really care about this race. So many neighbors make signs, cheer, hand out water and candy... just because they want to. There are so many things and people to see, I was glad I left my iPod at home. I was worried about the high temps, but there was plenty of water on the course, and they even gave out bottled water at mile 21. Running through sprinklers and hoses was nice, too - thank you to the kind folks who sprayed us down!!! I listened to the advice of the race director and was able to finish strong. It was VERY hard to hold back in the beginning going downhill, but it was well worth it as I was passing people on the hills at MM 23-25. Food at the end is great, roving medics on bikes, friendly volunteers, aid stations galore - I never felt like I was alone on that course. It was truly a wonderful day. I will definitely run Steamtown again and will be sure recommend to others! | |
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Jim Reimann from Minnesota
(10/11/2011)
"Steamtown - 'May The Course Be With You'" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I really like the setup for the course, great downhill the first half, trail in the middle, residential streets with a lot of support at the end. If you are trying to qualify for Boston, this course will help, but you need to train for the hills at the end. The Expo was really small - I expected after 15 years it would have expanded to something bigger than this. The medals was small, I've had medals from halfs and 10 milers that I did this year that were bigger. I think Steamtown could use a, (a-hem, any sponsors listening?) a bigger sponsor. We did not get into the Radisson, stayed at the Clariton and it was a dump. They also didn't have any shuttles from our hotel to the Radisson. So I have to give it a lower grade (4) that the hotels aren't working with the organizers to get this together. I don't want this to look like a critical piece but after 27 marathons, I have some last comments for the organizers. Get some 5Ks, Half Marathon, any other race for the support team that goes with the marathoners from out of town. I might be biased, but I would think the whole town should shut down and focus on this race as it has the potential of being the best small town race to qualify for Boston at. So please look at this as constructive criticism. As you can see from my rating above, this race is very close to be a 5 star across the board. | |
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N. A. from Chicago
(10/11/2011)
"Nice race. Watch out of hills." (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Nice race! I have never seen so many community members step up with water and hoses for runners. On a warm and sunny day it was great to have all the extra fluids I needed. The course is a challenge. Don't let the elevation drop fool you. Your legs will be sore at the end, and that's when the uphill climbs begin. Overall though, it is a fun race, and the town is really supportive. This is the first year since I began running that I skipped the Chicago Marathon, and I don't regret it at all. | |
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m. k. from NYC
(10/11/2011)
"Steam town Marathon 2011" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The 2011 Steam town Marathon in Scranton, PA is thoroughly worth it. Course: The course is a net downhill, but the majority of the downhill portion is in the first half of the marathon. I actually ran a faster half marathon in this race than in any other half marathon race this year. The second half of the course is mainly flat with small hills. The main hills of the course start at mile 23 and a nice big hill within the last mile of the race as you look at the finish line in the distance tempting you to finish strong, unfortunately my legs will have none of that. I was able to achieve my personnel best even though I was not in my best running shape and needed to walk for a mile due to cramps. Fans: For a small town marathon I have never seen so much crowd support as I saw at Steam town. Starting with the students and cheerleaders at the start. How did the organizers get so many teenagers up at 5am is incredible. Maybe a parenting book is in order to let the world know how to get your teenager up early. The support at the water stations was also top notch, so many volunteers. I have run in larger marathons that did not have as much support as I encountered here. The crowds along the course were exuberant and plentiful. I never expected that from a small town marathon. Kudos to the residents of all the towns on the course, this is what small town America is all about. Organization: This was a top notch organization effort. Parking was easy and free. The buses to the start were well organized and without any lines or wait. The wait at the start was comfortable in the school. I enjoyed the weekly e-mails for the director. They were most helpful and funny. The post race area was smooth. At the food tent I was given a regular plastic bag to hold any food, drinks that I was unable to carry. This was a great and simple idea to help the runners who might be too tired or sweaty to carry as much needed food and the amount of food was plentiful and tasty (the pasta was warm and tasty). The baggage area before and after the race were easy to follow and organized. Swag: For the cost of this race you get more value that you can imagine. A nice light blue long sleeve runners shirt, not much on design. A red drawstring bag is also given and very useful for race day baggage. The expo is more just a pickup with a few vendors selling the normal wears for runners. The only real complaint from the race was the medal. It was small and uninspiring (though the train feature was nice). For a slow runner like me the medal is my main highlight from any race. Something I would wear proudly around town. Maybe something historical about the area (I noticed signs about the Electric city), or a medal in the shape of a train just please nothing to do with The Office. | |
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J. H. from Blakeslee, PA
(10/10/2011)
"I would run it even if it wasn't a fast course" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran this in '08 and now in '11. I will run this every year, if possible. It is one of the best organized marathons I have ever participated in. From Jim Cumming's humorous and informative e-mails, to cheerleaders at Forest City High School-awake and cheering at 7:00AM, to all the volunteers, and especially the children from St. Josephs at mile 24, everyone there really cares about the runners. Listen to their advice and go slower than you think you have to in the beginning or you will pay dearly for such recklessness later as the course flattens and adds some hills. The course is a nice run through 'Main Street USA' with a couple miles of well groomed trail added in the second half. It seemed that each of the towns along the way tried to outdo their neighbors, crowd support was fantastic. The race leaves one with many good memories, but seeing those kids at mile 24 left me with the most lasting impression. Many thanks for this whole experience. | |
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b. a. from State College, Pa
(10/10/2011)
"So exciting, So supportive, Beautiful race!!!" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was an overwhelming challenge ahead of me. The experience of the Steamtown marathon was one of the best days of my life. I can only say that because of the wonderful, enthusiastic support of spectators and runners alike. A very well organized race! Informative, entertaining e-mails, beautiful country and the most friendly, encouraging people! I loved it ! As a native from Northeast P.A. I can proudly recommend the Steamtown marathon to anyone!! | |
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D. A. from Roanoke, Texas
(10/10/2011)
"One of the best ever!" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The people of Northeastern Pennsylvania love their marathon and it shows! From the hilarious pre-race e-mails, the in-and-out-expo, the well-designed course and the plethora of friendly and helpful volunteers I have to say this was the best race experience I have ever had. The Steamtown crew lovingly take care of this marathon so the runners can have a great day. The course is beautiful (the leaves were changing color on 171 and Rails to Trails was a nice surprise) but it plays tricks on the runner if you're not prepared - it's fast and downhill until the last three miles - the race director warns runners in advance of this. I listened and PR'd by 20 minutes. Simply stated, this was worth every penny spent and I'll be back for more. Just a wonderful experience and a great weekend. | |
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G. D. from Richmond, VA
(8/15/2011)
"Great race, worth running" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Ran this back in 2005 I think. This race was like a scene out of a movie when I ran it hope it's still the same. From Utica, NY live in Richmond, VA so used to the cold and hot. It's a point to point so they bused us to Carbondale to the HS there, but was really surprised when I got off the bus. Cheerleaders were there at 7:15am cheering handing us ribbons, saying good luck. They let us warm up in the gym which was awesome. I was expecting to stand outside in the clold for 45 minutes with my old clothes on ready to be shed as I got warmed up. So we warmed up in the gym, took my clothes off bag checked it which I never do, and went outside for the start of the race. The War Re-enacters were there with a canon to start the race which I thought was great. The first half is down 1500 feet a little uphill nothing big. One little hill the last mile. Fans were along the whole path stting at their house. One of the best organized races I've ever run would recommend this one especially to the 50 staters for PA. Not much else for entertainment but a great race. | |
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K. G. from Clayton, NC
(6/24/2011)
"Close to perfect" (about: 2010)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon has just about everything going for it. You get a real sense of community as you run through each small town. People line the streets, numerous front lawn parties offering free goodies for the runners (beer anyone?), church bells ringing...you get the picture. Organization is flawless. Shuttle busses run like clockwork, warmup in the gym is ideal, e-mail notifications are informative, volunteers are super friendly. This thing runs like a well oiled machine. For those expecting a miracle PR because of the fast average finishing times, consider this. The number of Boston Qualifiers at Steamtown pushes 30% but it also draws a disproportionate number of runners trying to achieve a BQ. This tends to skew the numbers a bit. This course can be fast if your prepare for it correctly. It can also be diastrous. My only criticism is the LAME finishers medal. Sorry folks but I'm all about the race bling and I've gotten better medals at a high school track meet. | |
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A. B. from New York, NY
(11/23/2010)
"Fantastic Marathon!!" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran this marathon this year after hearing/reading all the positive feedback about it. I was thoroughly impressed with everything from the organization to the course to the spectators! The race crew really takes care of you before the race. It's great that you get to hang out pre-race in the high school gym (especially since it was 30 degrees at the start this year!) and stay warm/stretch/etc. The course is great, and it's VERY fast like everyone says... BUT... do not take the hills lightly. I didn't do enough downhill training on this course and it destroyed me. I knew I was in trouble when I easily ran the fastest first half that I've ever run by 3 minutes. By 17 my quads were getting sore, and by 22 I was in pure misery. At mile 22 I was at 3:00 flat, which was still way ahead of my PR, and I really thought I could wrench out the last 4 miles in 40 minutes for a BQ, but boy was I wrong. My quads were in such bad shape that those last 4 miles took me 54 minutes and I didn't even finish with a PR. I completely screwed myself. I should have worked serious downhill repeats into my long runs. But, all of that is totally my fault and a ton of people walked away with PRs and BQs that day. Just prepare! The medal is lackluster, and the shirt this year was atrocious. It was a short-sleeve shirt clearly made for men, both in design and in sizing; 2009's shirt was really nice though - and I have no idea why they changed it! Hopefully they'll go back to the previous design and fit. |
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