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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 551 to 561]
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K. C. from Limerick, PA
(10/14/2004)
"A well organized fast course as advertised" (about: 2004)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I had a completely different perception of this race than the previous poster. Regular pre-race emails from the race director were great. Expo was pretty small, but that's not a huge thing for me. It had everything you would need if you forgot something (body glide, gels, hats, gloves, etc.). Logistics were absolutely flawless including directions, bus transportation, finish area, massages, port-a-johns, etc. Pasta dinner was fine by me... all you can eat fresh salad, fresh fruit, pasta, bread, pie, cake and soda/water, not restaurant quality but perfectly fine for me. Weather was perfect for racing, about 45-50 degrees with calm winds. The course was downhill as advertised, although there are some rollers, the two small inclines after 20 miles aren't that bad - just located at tough spots. I ran a positive split by about 3 minutes, but I didn't find my quads trashed at all, the 1st half is just faster. Overall I PR'd by 15 minutes and attribute probably 3-4 minutes of that to the course. Fall foliage was nice to run through, trail sections were a nice change. Crowd support was not that of a mega-thon but very enthusiastic when present. Water and Gatorade stations were every 2 miles, supplemented by plenty of unofficial stations with people handing out bottled water, oranges, bananas, etc. I was never wanting for liquid on the course. Overall a great experience!! I have nothing bad to say about this race. If you need some extra help getting that BQ, come here! It worked for me. | |
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Walt M. from Eastern, USA
(10/14/2004)
"Great overall experience" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon. The organization was outstanding, I wish I could give it 10 stars. I would caution anyone who runs this marathon, the last 3-4 miles are brutal ascents. The elevation chart and the course description does not describe this accurately. Lots of emails leading up to the race. Every time I emailed a question I received a returned email the same day with a very detailed answer. The volunteers are amazing, all 2,500 of them. The free massage after the race saved my life!!! The crowds are not heavy throughout the race, but when they are there, they are very loud and supportive. Many unofficial aid stations. I'll be back for sure!!! | |
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T. C. from United States
(10/13/2004)
"Great Marathon" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Great job to the organizers of the race. I had one hiccup leading up to the race with the hotel but that was taken care of. I enjoyed my 1st Steamtown Marathon and 2nd overall marathon. I pr'd by 13 minutes. I enjoyed the point to point race. Even though the crowds were small, they were loud. Plenty of volunteers on the course handling traffic. I will come back in the future. The only issue that I had was the size of the finish area. It seemed to get tight in the fenced in area. | |
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Taper King from Central New York
(10/13/2004)
"A perfect day for a run" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I find this race to be the perfect marathon for me, big enough that you're not running alone, but small enough that you're not weaving in and out of people for 10 miles or so. Here are some of my impressions: 1. Pasta dinner - I thought it was fine, nice location, the food was good if not spectacular, the live music and race video was nice. I've paid a lot more at other races. 2. Organization - loved the pre- and post-race emails. The start area was flawless, mileage markers were easy to see. I appreciated the on course volunteers who were pointing out possible uneven spots. I didn't ride the bus to the start, but heard from others that it worked well. The Forest City High School does a GREAT job as pre-race staging area. Finish line worked well, announcer announced a lot of names. I also did not partake of the post-race massage or the free showers, but both were available. 3. The course - the course profile does not do justice to some of the uphills in the course. I just kept remembering that for every uphill, the following downhill is longer. I like running down hills, and the quads held up. I can understand how others worry about the descents beating them up. Also, if someone could please bulldoze that hill at 25.5 I would really appreciate it! 4. Water stops - I thought the Gatorade was mixed a little 'thick'. I stopped drinking it about mile 10, since I felt it was making me sick, and went to water. The stops were plentiful and spaced well. I love the people at mile 6! 5. Spectators - I'm not a big spectator person, so I don't mind thin crowds. Where people did gather, they were loud and enthusiastic. Bottom line - I ran a PR and a BQ, so of course it's my favorite race! Thanks to all who worked so hard to make this race the wonderful event that it is. | |
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David Fath from Pittsburgh, PA
(10/12/2004)
"Wonderful race in haiku" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Volunteers abound Made sub-three ten possible I will run again. | |
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D. K. from Pennsylvania
(10/12/2004)
"A wonderful fall race" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I thought this was a very nicely run event on a great course. The hills at the end were not that difficult considering all the downhill and flat terrain leading up to them. The trail section came at a great time in the race when my legs needed a break and my mind a diversion. It was a very scenic part of the course, with the colors of the fall trees and the crisp river flowing nearby. I never had a problem at any of the aid stations, and there seemed to be many unofficial food and water stops provided by the wonderful people of the surrounding communities. I especially liked getting to stay warm inside the high school at Forest City before the race began. That was a nice touch and sure beat shivering out in the cold. The race director sent out plenty of e-mails before the race keeping with useful information and at times some funny comments. I will probably do this race again in the future, as I really enjoyed the event and the atmosphere. | |
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d. t. from Brooklyn, NY
(10/12/2004)
"Great course for a great time of the year." (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is a great first marathon! I highly recommend driving the course beforehand to understand the final hills. I thought the crowds were well-placed according to the difficulty of the hills at the end. Beautiful fall colors and the people were great. The food was nothing gourmet and the crowd of runners backed up pretty quickly at the finish line (just make the food/staging area twice as big!). Also, TURN THE PA DOWN! I was blasted away 4 times when I ran by a head-high speakers. Anyway, great job. I'd run it again. | |
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C. T. from Summit, NJ
(10/11/2004)
"Best race I have ever been run!" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run over 100 road races of various lengths and Steamtown is by far the best race I have ever run. This was my first marathon and I could not imagine a better place to do it. The organization is unsurpassed, the course was absolutely beautiful, but the best part were the spectators. We ran through several small towns along the course and I swear it seemed like the entire town turned out to cheer the runners on. For most of the race there were so many spectators it was hard to find a place to take a pit stop. The people in the towns were handing out water, cookies, Hershey Kisses - you could get anything you had a craving for. The best thing of all the spectators gave out was encouragement. Even though I did not have a great run the spectators made me feel like I was winning the race. Jim Cummings and his staff have put together an incredible race that they should be proud of. I will be back. | |
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Michael Bullinger from Kennett Square, PA
(10/11/2004)
"Supportive small town atmosphere." (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I completed the race on Sunday. The race was well organized and the community friendliness and support was great. There are a few sparse areas in regards to scenery and crowds, but that just made it better for when you reached the next neighborhood. My left leg had been troubling me for weeks and I should have not run. My left thigh, knee, and hamstring stiffened considerably at mile ten. My wife begged me to quit at mile 16. However, I told her that I did not go to Scanton to run, but to finish. Without the neighborhood support in the final ten miles, I would not have finished. Many spectators had race directories and called out my name and encouragement when I had to walk. As far as performance, It was my worst marathon. As far as finding deep determination within me and receiving help from strangers, I will never forget the people along the Steamtown course. Sincerely, 'Cajun' Mike Bullinger | |
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M. G. from Bayside, NY
(10/10/2004)
"Not what it's cracked up to be" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Just completed the Steamtown Marathon today. Pasta dinner was disappointing. For what was offered, it should have been $3.95 instead of $8.95. The course itself was great in spots. The woodchip paths were beautiful and a refreshing change to roads. The final 5 miles were difficult, as all the uphills are there. Very difficult to put on any final 10K or 5K spurts after you've 'held back' on the downhills. Although I PR'd by 23 minutes, I attribute that to my training and not necessarily the course, since I trained for 11 months and hit all my training goals for a 4 minute faster finish. The water/Gatorade spots were too short. Sometimes the water was first, sometimes the Gatorade was first. There was no consistency. Twice I ran by stops with barely any liquid due to the fact that that by the time I found someone with a cup, I was just about past the stop. The crowds through the towns was very spotty. There was one town that really had some energy, but energy definitely lacked, compared to something like the Richmond Marathon I ran last year. Overall, I wouldn't run this marathon again. There are too many other ones out there, and this didn't give me any reason to repeat it. |
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