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Baystate Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Baystate Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 4.0 
Spectators 3.4
Number of comments: 126 [displaying comments 41 to 51]
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S. J. from Mass
(10/20/2009)
"Can't blame the race director for the weather!!!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Baystate Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This had to be the worst weather I've ever run a marathon in: Cold, windy, snowy, and rainy. With that said, the race is a must for anyone trying to qualify for Boston. I have run this race three times and qualified two out of three times. I ran this race 10 years ago, and they have made some great improvements over the years. | |
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Scott Patnode from Boston,ma
(10/20/2009)
"the weather played a big role this year" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Baystate Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a great course and I will run again next year. The pacers did a great job as well. The fans were out in force at key points on the course. That being said, fall in New England can be unpredictable. The weather was nasty - windy and rainy (more wind than rain). I missed 3:10 by four minutes, but I have no regrets. Any marathon you finish is a good marathon. The double loop is nice; you know what's coming for the second loop and can try to make time up in a couple of sections. Even knowing that I didn't run a 3:10, I did run with a couple of guys I met on the course. We really helped each other through the last couple of miles. Overall, great marathon: 1,500 runners and another 1,500 half marathoners made for a big race!! Congrats to anyone who qualified on this tough day in New England. Forty-one states represented great turnout. | |
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J. R. from Connecticut
(10/19/2009)
"Amazing Support in a Nor'easter" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Baystate Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I can't say enough about the water stops in this race! The high school teams that were there to support the runners on a cold, windy and rainy day. They could not have been better!!! If we all donated just $10 with our votes for best water stop, it would raise at least $15,000 to divide among the schools. What better way to support these kids who stood out there for every runner and got just as cold and wet as we did? Please get the word out and let's help them as they helped us! About the course: it is flat, and on any other day (not in a nor'easter), it would have been the fastest I've done (I have done Chicago, Houston and Disney World, among others). It has the easiest and nicest number pick-up ever. Small expo, but this is a small race, and a free pasta dinner for runners with inexpensive registration. You can't beat it. The only thing I did not like was having to climb the steps up the stadium to food and standing in the freezing rain, soaking wet from the run, to get food - and then standing in the rain to get down the stairs to get out. I was so cold and wet that all I wanted to do was change, and not knowing the area, I didn't realize where the arena was. I know on a sunny, nice day the stadium would be great; it just doesn't work on these types of days, and unfortunately in New England, they do happen. Otherwise, I loved everything else about the race. Everyone was so nice. The people I met along the course were great too. I will back again to try yet again for my BQ! | |
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R. S. from Washington, DC
(10/19/2009)
"Perfect small-town race" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Baystate Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my eighth marathon... and it definitely stands out from the others for its great course and wonderful small-town charm. After marathons such as Marine Corp and Boston, it's refreshing to run in a much smaller field. The course itself was wonderful - even though it was open to traffic in several spots there was ample room for both cars and runners. The storyline for 2009 was the biting temps combined with heavy rain (later snow) and wind. I have never been so numb to the core in my life. Although this year was not a PR race for me, I don't think that anything that was within human control could have been done any better - I'll be back again for this one! Gorgeous fall colors, wonderful race organization and the showers available afterward were all highlights for me. | |
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E. W. from Albany, NY
(10/19/2009)
"Great race!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Baystate Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran the 2009 Bay State Marathon, and was proud to finish in the freezing cold temperatures. The race is very well-organized, and the volunteers who braved the conditions were terrific. The countryside is beautiful, and I felt that the organizers did a wonderful job. There are a few areas where the spectators were a bit sparse, but the course is flat and forgiving. | |
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E. J. from Boston
(10/19/2009)
"Well-run race" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Baystate Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This year's Bay State Marathon was run in a nor'easter. Having the Tsongus Arena available before the race was perfect. Easy parking at the arena, plenty of restrooms inside, and a great place to hang out and get ready before the race. The half and full marathons start together. It was congested for the first couple of miles before the races separated. The course is mainly flat, but did have some rolling hills that were not an issue. The course is not very scenic and had very little crowd support, although this may have been due to the weather. The high school kids who manned the water stops were fantastic. They offered a lot of encouragement while they were out on the course freezing for several hours. The water stops were well placed and well stocked. the finish at the baseball park was also fun. The post-race food seemed plentiful and was good. Overall, this was a very well organized race, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fast time. | |
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J. A. from Baltimore, Maryland
(10/19/2009)
"Great Boston Qualifier" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Baystate Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I would highly recommend this one to anyone trying to qualify for Boston. Statistically it yields the highest percentage of Boston Qualifiers (other than the Boston itself) than any other marathon. It is not pancake flat, but there are no long or daunting hills, and the end is a couple of nice downhills followed by pancake flat, which is a nice finish. I can't quite figure out what makes this so fast other than I think a lot of fast people run this marathon, which is more or less a double-loop along the river. Having a lot of fast people around you makes it seem normal to run at a quicker-than-normal pace. Maybe it's the two downhills near the end with no further uphills? Perhaps it's relatively few runners getting in your way. I don't know, but I qualified for Boston for the first time (my fifth attempt, including Chicago and Philadelphia), shaving my PR by NINE minutes and qualifying for Boston with four minutes to spare. Truly a fast marathon. It was really cold and wet, but that wasn't the organizers' faults. The hot chicken noodle soup at the end was fabulous, as was the ginger ale - perfect to soothe an upset stomach after 26.2. What fans were out there on a freezing cold, rainy day were quite enthusiastic. Water stops were more than adequate. Though I didn't need to make use, nice to have a porta-pot at every water stop. The only suggestions I have for improvement is to pass out Gatorade or water more quickly at the finish and to have a much better marked area for hotel shuttles after the race. We never did find it! | |
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Bill Fine from Franklin, MA
(10/18/2009)
"Epic Day!" (about: 2009)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 For a first marathon, I couldn't have asked for a better race than the Baystate Marathon. The weather was challenging, but only made for a more memorable experience (ok, so I'm taking lemons and making lemonade!). It was fun going over all the bridges over the Merrimack and, although I could've done without the killer headwind over the last 2 miles, the course was as flat as advertised. Great job by the race organizers and the kids manning the water stops were AWESOME! Can't wait to do it again next year! | |
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J. F. from Billerica, Ma.
(1/2/2009)
"Great First Marathon" (about: 2008)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and it was truly an awesome experience. I ran it with my son, who was also running his first marathon. Although I had run a half-marathon several weeks prior to this race, I didn't know what to expect. The weekend was well planned, the course was excellent, and the support along the course really helped. My son and I finished the race together, without "hitting the wall" in 4:18. Running this with my son was not only an accomplishment, but was also truly one of the highlights of my life. I plan to run this race again, and maybe a Boston qualification is in my future. I would strongly recommend this marathon. | |
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J. H. from Providence, RI
(10/31/2008)
"great 1st marathon" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Baystate Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 My running club buds recommended this race to me for my first marathon, and as usual, they were right on the money. It is a small race, but all of the volunteers are very energetic. The water/Gatorade stops are all manned by high school students who did a great job of motivating runners and making them laugh. I see that someone has complained that it was not a flat course. That is nonsense. The course has a few minor hills, but it as about as flat as it could be. I don't like hills and this course didn't faze me a bit. I also love that you get to run over 3 bridges and you get to see multiple views of the Merrimack River. All good stuff. There's not tons of crowd support, but the high school water stops come every 2 miles, and those kids go bananas over you at each one. You can't beat that! : ) Finally, as a minor league baseball fan, putting the finish line inside the Lowell Spinners' ballpark was just perfect. This is not a big-city marathon, but if you want a smaller feel with good quality people for your first marathon, then this is the one. Run it; you'll enjoy it. |
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