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☰
North Central Trail Marathon Runner Comments
Back to North Central Trail Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.4 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 3.3
Number of comments: 128 [displaying comments 31 to 41]
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J. B. from Washington, D.C.
(5/6/2009)
"Worth doing" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 North Central Trail Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I had wanted to do this race for years, but I'm usually out of town for Thanksgiving or recovering from another November marathon. Several things appealed to me, including the soft surface, low-key atmosphere, and the "fast" course. I thought the 1.75 miles of winding uphill INTO TRAFFIC at the end were some of the most difficult hills I'd done in a marathon-- and I've done many marathons. I'm shocked that people run PRs on that course, but it happens. I definitely went out too fast, but I don't think I could have BQ'd on that course under any circumstances. I thought the organization was great, although we could have used another couple of water stops. I think the organizers figured that water every three miles was sufficient due to the always-cool weather. I loved being able to wait in the school gym at the beginning--I'm all about keeping warm while waiting. The National Anthem was even sung indoors. | |
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N. S. from Parkesburg, PA
(12/9/2008)
"Well organized, flat, scenic race" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Well organized race, with water stops just when you need them. I didn't have gels with me and I was offered some to use during the race. Shirt was nice. Very scenic run. You have to be okay with running solo at times. Runners I talked with during the race were great, as well as the volunteers and spectators at the water stops. Would recommend it to other runners. | |
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s. o. from greater Buffalo area
(12/4/2008)
"Almost Perfect!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 North Central Trail Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Course: I give it a 25/26. It featured 25 of the most scenic miles I have ever run, but that last one is a killer. And I'm not complaining about the hill (fair is fair - what goes down...). The last mile was just plain dangerous, with no shoulder to run on and traffic going both ways. Way too busy for a tired marathoner to have to deal with. Organization: Small water stop issues (missed 2 late ones) but volunteers meant well. Simple solution is to have an "extra table" after the volunteers for us to pick up our own. Not a big deal. Spectators: Personally, I don't need them. Not on a course like that. The volunteers at road crossings were enough, and offered great support. Overall, a GREAT experience! | |
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T. R. from York, PA
(12/3/2008)
"Scenic, fast, and easy on the legs and feet." (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 North Central Trail Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Great marathon for those who enjoy nature, as most of this run winds along the Gunpowder River and the state park forest that accompanies it. Flat and fast, so if you have your mileage in, you should be pleased with your time. The dirt/packed stone surface is more forgiving than asphalt and results in less muscle soreness. Nice having a warm elementary school for the start and finish as the temperature range was about 38 to 48 for start to finish. There are a few challenging hills in the last 1.5 miles, but they're not as bad as some posts make them out to be! Organization was great and the volunteers were very enthusiastic. One warning though: if you like the crowds and excitement and support that come with the large marathons, you won't find it here, mainly because there isn't enough room. Be prepared for some self-motivation! | |
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T. R. from Nashville, TN
(12/1/2008)
"Too flat! Except the end." (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 North Central Trail Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I have run many marathons and three that were a rails to trails course that are pretty flat. I train and run in a hilly part of the country and most of my marathons have some hills. Hills help change the muscles you are using. The first two miles being generally downhill creates an effort to keep from going out too fast, especially on a nice cool morning like we had - 40-ish. The next 22-23 miles are flat - 1 to 2% doesn't create a change in the muscle use. By mile 23 my legs were dead. Then the last mile and a half is a fairly steep grade in places. The spectators were great where there were some. Usually the only place you saw them was at major road crossings. Some of the road crossings were minor roads and enough room to set up a water table but no parking to attract spectators. The volunteers were fabulous! What can you say about folks that are willing to give up several hours on a Saturday to freeze while they are standing around waiting to hand out some water? My thanks to them; they treated us runners well! That also helps with race management. The course is beautiful and I used that to help me through some of the flat. If the leaves were still on the trees, it may have been too boring - green tunnels are not very friendly so it is a good thing to have it after the color change! | |
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g. s. from greater Buffalo area
(12/1/2008)
"Almost Perfect" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 North Central Trail Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I just returned from Sparks, Maryland and wanted to contribute. Course: I give the course 25/26 - the first 25 miles were as good as it gets. I didn't notice the slight uphill from 9-13.5, but it definitely felt good coming back "down." Beautiful, scenic course for 25 miles. My problem with the last mile has nothing to do with the climb (fair is fair - it all balances out); rather, my complaint is the narrow road with no shoulder, and that there are too many cars (considering the fatigue). Too dangerous. (I appreciate the convenience of having the start/finish at the same spot, but Belfast is too narrow.) The first 25 miles are BEAUTIFUL.) Organization: Great, although some water stations only had one person on each side handing water (compared to 2 or 3 handing Gatorade). Once you choose a side you are down to 1 person handing out water. Twice (late in the race) I missed water because the person ahead of me took one and the volunteer scrambled to get another. This was frustrating because I always call out, "Water" as I approach. All of the Gatorade people say, "It's next" or "at the end," but then only one person on each side had any. I will take some of the blame for this, as I am not willing to stop, walk, or wait as I am always running for a time goal. Having some extra sitting on a table just past the volunteers is a simple solution. Also, a small detail that the water was always in plain cups and the Gatorade in green cups was nice. Spectators: Personally, I don't need them. The course marshals and volunteers are all I need and they were all supportive and vocal - great job. It was a perfect balance of solitude and spectators at the road crossings. And the maps that were provided for spectators/support/family to catch at the various crossings were EXCELLENT. Overall: a GREAT experience! | |
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m. m. from maine, USA
(12/1/2008)
"well-done trail race except for silly climb at end" (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 North Central Trail Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Small marathon (c. 400 people). Scenic, pretty, riverside, course - mostly flat, tree-laden. About 22 miles go along rail-to-trail surface, with fairly smooth, compacted gravel. Asphalt descent in miles 1-2 to begin race winds up being preposterous climb in miles 25-26. One guy who won his age group and qualified for Boston said he had to walk much of end. Still a fast race, nevertheless. Few spectators, yet those there were enthusiastic. Bizarre spacing of drink stations. Supposed to be every couple of miles in each direction of out-and-back. But there were several instances of multiple stops in same mile, then none for roughly 3 miles. It didn't affect me much, but it could bother thirsty types. Vehicular traffic being stopped was moot. I only saw about four cars at intersections the whole race (but the cars indeed were stopped). The bigger issue is abundant use of the trail by locals for running, walking, bicycling, dog-walking (even horseback riding). It made for especially tight constrictions at confluence of where elites were returning on miles 14-16 of course, where regular runners were heading out on miles 11-14, where slow relay folks in 2nd half were buzzing along in same vicinity, and where everyone needed to merge with aforementioned locals (and their animals) on the path. Maybe the organizer could find way of getting the trail closed for half of Saturday. Otherwise, this was a high-quality event. | |
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D. I. from Gainesville, FL
(12/1/2008)
"Outstanding marathon experience!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I decided rather last minute to give this marathon a try since it fell over the Thanksgiving holiday. I'm so glad that I did! The marathon was very well organized and on a very scenic trail. The course was easy to follow and well supported. The trail was made of packed dirt and gravel, and was very nice! There were supporters at the aid stations. The marathon started at a local elementary school that was open to allow runners a warm place to wait and find bathrooms. The technical shirt was nice and the medal was good. It was simply a great experience. I recommend it! | |
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G. T. from Arlington
(12/1/2008)
"Good course, but..." (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 North Central Trail Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Thanks to the cool late-season weather and the fact that most of the race is on a railroad trail, this is a good course for a PR. I enjoyed the trail. It was serene and a nice change from the manic big-city marathons that I've previously run. The dirt and gravel trail is easy on the legs, too; I felt like I skipped the worst two days of recovery after the race. The race starts and ends in the driveway to Sparks Elementary School. The finish is about a tenth a mile nearer to E. Belfast Rd. than the start. The mile markers on the trail are the trail's own mile markers, to which the race mile markers are attached. For instance, a trail mile marker served as the race mile marker for both mile 3 and 24. The trail markers were accurate save for one in the middle of the course, which was corrected for on the next mile. (One of the locals confirmed that it had been improperly placed by about 300 feet.) The biggest drawbacks to the race have to do with the roads leading to and from the trail. The routes are different going to the trail and coming back, and are hilly (uphill coming back). When coming back, the road is shared with traffic. Worse, the mile markers along the roads may not have been placed correctly. I used Gmaps Pedometer to measure three miles from the start and 2.2 miles back from the finish. These routes should have both ended around the same point (the aforementioned marker for miles 3 and 24). Instead, they were two-tenths of a mile apart. In other words, either the start is a bit shorter than stated, the end is longer than stated, or a little of both. It might have been most evident at the end, based on the fact that only 13 out of nearly 400 finishers managed to run negative splits this year, despite the fact that it's basically an out-and-back course. The hills at the end don't just seem long... they are! | |
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S. C. from York, Pennsylvania, USA
(11/30/2008)
"Beautiful, flat course with a steep ending." (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 The 2008 temperature was in the high 40s, which is warm enough. Running along an old rail line now converted to trail meant a flat grade and comfortable track. Excellent course support with fluids every 3 miles. Not too many spectators, but the course is somewhat secluded. The trail is crossed by several roads, where crowds did gather and traffic control was perfect. I would rate it a 5-star course, except for very, very steep uphills for the last mile and a half or so. Would DEFINITELY do this one again. |
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