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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 501 to 511]
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M. L. from Chicago, IL
(10/14/2006)
"Great, Small-Town-Feel Marathon" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 While the bigger races get upwards of 30,000+ participants, this race has a genuine small-town feel to it due to the smaller field and the picturesque towns that the course winds through. Crowd support for a marathon of this size is impressive, and it is clear that, come marathon weekend, this is "the event" in town. The only caveat I have for people who want to run this race is to be advised that the elevation chart provided by the race organizers shows only "net" changes in elevation; there are some (small, but not insignificant) hills even before the last two miles. Also, I want to say "thank you" to the kind spectator who, without hesitating, got out of her chair and stood before me at mile 24 when I cramped up on one of the few hills in this course. That kind of concern for others is unexpected, but typical of the support that runners get in this race. Overall, this marathon is well-organized, well-supported, and well worth your time and travel. At a time when marathon running continues to grow, it is getting harder and harder to find worthwhile races that can give you what this marathon has to offer. It's small, but excellent. | |
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Stephen Brown from Robinson, Kansas
(10/14/2006)
"Undisputed Queen of Marathons!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Wow, what a race! They aspire to be the "Best Midsize Marathon" and they have achieved it in my opinion. The organization was superb, the course was beautiful, and there were cheering crowds the entire way. I brought my iPod (yes, I know it's against the rules), but never used it because of the throngs of cheering crowds literally every step of the way! Where do they find so many enthusiastic people? The people of Scranton and the communities through which this race runs obviously take great ownership and pride in this race. On a technical note to future runners, resist the temptation to open up the jets during the long declines in the first half of the course. I was planning to pace myself at 8:30-minute miles, but found myself doing 7-minute miles for quite a few mile splits. Although I set a PB, this was a rookie mistake and I could have done a lot better if I had saved more for the finish. There were a lot of boinked walkers towards the end who should not have been. Overall, best race on all fronts I've done anywhere. Mega kudos to organizers, volunteers and fans!! | |
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K. L. from Rochester NY
(10/13/2006)
"wonderful organization" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was one of the best organized races I have ever run. These race directors should conduct classes for anyone organizing a marathon - they thought of everything! I loved the trails on the course; the crowd support was great; the volunteers at the start were priceless; plenty of water/Gatorade and spectators handing out gummy bears/oranges/spray hoses/pretzels, etc.; the expo was small, but just enough for a mid-size marathon; I thoroughly enjoyed each and every email - they were not only helpful with directions, maps, viewing spots, but entertaining also. I didn't particularly enjoy the hills at the end and should have trained (more) for the hilly course. I did enjoy everything about this race and will definitely recommend this race. The only downside for this race were the accommodations, which were no fault of the directors. The Clarion employees had no idea there was a marathon in town, there were no clocks in the rooms and the rooms were not clean. | |
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C. F. from Connecticut
(10/13/2006)
"Awesome Race" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Steamtown Marathon blows away the big boys. The organization is first-class, the course is fast (if run correctly) and the fans are spirited. Even the traffic cops and the National Guardsmen are friendly. There is no hype, hassle, aggravation, confusion or dilution. Steamtown restores your faith in running - everyone at the start line was there for the purity of the sport, not to be part of "the world's largest marathon" or a race with some other absurd moniker. A 2006 PR and BQ time. I will be back. | |
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R. K. from KY
(10/12/2006)
"Susquehanna, Lackawanna, Rah-rah-rah!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The course gets the hype, but it's the people organizing, supporting, and cheering who make this a great event. It's a shame the cool name doesn't convey the hospitality at Forest City, the church bells, the Carbondale festivity, or the thousands of kind and generous folks along the way. There are a few dead spots where a boombox or kazoo band could sure provide a little lift, and better filling of cups with Gatorade or water (less than 1/4 full sometimes) might have helped at a few stations, but it's hard to imagine much else anyone could do to improve things on the course. The shirt is great. The medal has already provoked envious grumbles from a few folks whose races earlier this year were less thoughtful. I know of no race with better, more useful, or more entertaining e-mail updates. Throwing in the pre-race bagpiping and the Naval Academy Marathon Team makes the 2006 edition an even finer memory. | |
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A. M. from Houston,Texas
(10/11/2006)
"Great PR course." (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Very fast course. Very picturesque. Fall foliage, DOWNHILL, trails. I PR-ed and broke three hours!!! I traveled up from Texas and the weather was delightful. The 1st and 4th miles were super fast. Be careful and increase turnover. Crowds are great. The trail part is a nice break. The two hills are at 24 and 25.7. The Electric St. hill is not that long and the crowds will help pick you up. You get a big reward with the long decline to finish that mile. The 25.7 hill is tough at that point, but once you make the top, you get a short downhill finish. Reserve your hotel early. I got one in Wilkes Barre and still parked only a block from finish. | |
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R. P. from Arlington, VA
(10/11/2006)
"Get a PR and Achy Quads from This Fabulous Race!" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 A friend selected Steamtown based on its speed rating. The rolling hills surprised me since I thought it would be purely downhill. Everything was very well managed, from the efficently operated bus ride, to the starting line, to the bag storage, to the actual race course. I highly recommend this marathon, but strongly recommend training on declines and lifting weights to strengthen your quads. One thing I would change is the location of the water stops. I would have preferred them to be every mile on the mile rather than about every two miles in some random spot. | |
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D. J. from Brooklyn, New York
(10/11/2006)
"Superb mid-size race; perfect organization" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It really is a perfectly executed race for runners, by runners. The organizers, the volunteers, and the local communities all pour themselves into the event and it's moving and wonderful to be the beneficiary of their efforts. 1. Organization/spectators - The organizers had everything covered perfectly, making it as user-friendly a running experience as I can imagine. Pre-race bus transit was perfect, and then you're in a warm school with ample facilities and loads of incredibly caring, attentive volunteers, so you're made to feel special and your needs are met with no stresses. (A big shout out goes to Forest City and their incredible high schoolers.) You saunter out to the start at the last minute and you're off. The organization remains great throughout - aid stations well placed and well done, highly visible volunteers on course controlling all intersections and marking turns, bike volunteers, EMTs and sag wagons keeping an eye out for runners in trouble, and a fairly smooth finish area with reasonable food, first aid available, easy bag retrieval, available showers, and a nice area to mill about and exult and recover. (They could spread out the after-finish stuff more - there was a slight jam-up getting food and the chip removers weren't obvious; a friendly and very visible volunteer steered me to them.) 2. Course - The course itself is great, though to my mind not perfect. I voted five stars because there is no perfection, and because it is very good both for beauty/interest and for quality of running it permits. It's an engaging mix of rural stretches and charming little towns with good spectator support and overwhelming volunteer presence. There are cars on the opposite lane in a couple of stretches, which isn't ideal but seems unavoidable given the course. While I PR'ed by two minutes having done more training miles than prior efforts, I am not sure if the fast average finish time results from a fast course, or from the race drawing people looking to run fast, or both. (Maybe because the race isn't in a big city, there are no hordes of first-timers just looking to finish their hometown marathon - I say that not pejoratively, but the crowd at the expo was strikingly experienced - and fast-looking compared to other races I've done.) The early declines let you hold pace without too much depletion, but you must watch your quads. The late inclines slow you down. I'm not sure how that nets out for speed of course - it probably varies by person. The early declines include one very steep stretch that's a real quad-buster and actually forced me to slow down; the first mile or two were on fairly narrow streets so I couldn't quite hit my intended pace until I hit the mile two split. The remainder of the first seven or so miles were nice, easy declines and flats, which lets you hit your pace very easily and conserve energy for later. (Listen to them when they tell you to conserve and not try to bank some time!) Much of the middle was really easy and great, at least through 19; I liked the trail parts very much - though some prior year posters griped. (The organizers say one year parks people dumped fresh wood chips on a trail segment thinking this was helpful; this year that wasn't a problem.) I found the two main late inclines - Electric topping at the St. Joe's folks, and the grind that tops out at the 260mile marker - significantly tough, and they really slowed me down. (The St. Joe's folks are a real inspiration and it helps to keep them in mind as you plug up the hill.) Still, I finished feeling stronger than I have in most other marathons. One other tip - do attend the course presentation at the expo. It's hard to preview the course in person and they do a great job telling and showing you what to expect. My bottom line: this is a truly great, beautiful, runner-friendly event and you'll be happy if you do it. | |
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Paul Donati from Pennsylvania
(10/10/2006)
"Simply the BEST!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Boston is a great marathon that I've run twice. I've run several other good marathons... but the best is Steamtown. Thanks to Steamtown I will be back in Boston in 2007 and 2008. The course is PR friendly if you run it smart, the organization is absolutely flawless (and I've seen plenty of flaws in other marathons), and spectator support is terrific as you run through the small communities that line the course. This year (2006) was my third time at Steamtown and I'll be back! | |
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W. M. from Iowa
(10/10/2006)
"Beautiful day - good course" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Although the course was hillier than I expected, the support more than made up for it. For a moderately small event, this was VERY WELL supported. I finished near the end, and stayed for some of the final runners. It would be nice if the crew did not start tearing down the finish area until all the runners were in. I understand the logistics involved, but it can be very disheartening to think that you are the one holding everybody up. On a more positive note, my wife and I like to eat at small local places to get a "taste" of the culture. This time we ate at Giovanni's Pizzeria in Dunmore. The food was outstanding (get the linguini with red clam sauce and sausage) and the owner was very welcoming. There's my restaurant review for the week. The weather was perfect. This is a MUST-DO marathon for those looking for one in Pennsylvania. GREAT JOB and KUDOS to ALL involved. |
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