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Marathon Details - Lower Potomac River Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > MD > Piney Point > Lower Potomac River Marathon

Lower Potomac River Marathon

Piney Point, MD USA

March 8, 2020

http://www.cbrcmd.org/lpr_marathon_2020.htm

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Race Details

Scenic, mostly flat course offers wonderful views of the Lower Potomac River from St. George Island and Piney Point, and a fast out & back route past farms and woods on a rural highway. USATF Certification Number MD15004LMJ (if you think it's short or long, tell Mr. Garmin, not us).

Contact Information

Name:	Liza Recto
Address:	Chesapeake Bay Running Club P.O. Box 635 Solomons, MD 20688
Phone Number:	301-481-0832
Email:	Email the organizers

Race Organizer

26.2 miles of rural and riverfront charm! (3/4/11)

Liza Recto

A small event (200 limit), so we won't skimp on amenities! A scenic, mostly flat course (USATF Cert #MD04016JS) on waterfront roads and a rural highway; post-race hot food and awards ceremony in a well-appointed dining room with a waterfront view. Don't expect crowds lining the roads, but the volunteers will be looking out for you!

Please note changes since 2008: 7:15 a.m. start for the entire field and a 5:45 time limit (course closes at 1:00 pm); and elimination of the relay to allow more marathoners. Also note that DST starts at 2:00 a.m. on race morning. Set your timepieces AHEAD one hour!

Runner Reviews (67)

Course 4.1

Organization 4.7

Spectators 3.0

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Number of comments: 67 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 > ]

R. G. from Philadelphia (3/22/2017) "Nice, enjoyable race weekend" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a small but established, local running club event. It's a low-key, well organized, affordable runner's race. The host hotel was a decent place to stay- close to the start, awesome water views, reasonably priced, with a restaurant next door. Course: As covered in other reviews, the first half is the nicer half, with the second being an out and back up a highway. It's a PR type of course except for two drawbacks: you are probably going to have wind and the road camber is a noticeable issue (for me, it was the last 4 miles where it was significant). While the road was open, traffic was light and not a significant issue since there was a wide berm to run on. There's a little bit of hill work right where you don't want to see it, around mile 16-21, but it's a good warm up for Boston and it broke up the monotony of the trek up and back the highway. I think one way to make the course more enjoyable would be to do 2 laps around St. George island and cut back on the highway out and back. Volunteers/Spectators: For a race with 70 some runners and a miserably cold day, I was very impressed with the amount of support on the course. While limited, it was always enthusiastic. Bless those volunteers that came out to help! Post-race: There was a limited amount of food/drink available to the runners immediately after finishing, but a pasta buffet lunch was offered shortly thereafter, which was then followed by the award ceremony. All in all, it was an enjoyable experience that I would consider doing again. Thank you Liza and the CBRC!
K. R. from Pennsylvania (3/14/2017) "Beautiful course, somewhat lackluster details" (about: 2017) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I have to start off by saying I was extremely happy to PR by so much time during this race! The course was very flat which made it easier on the knees. As mentioned in other comments, the first half is beautiful and the second half is a little boring but still nice. I enjoyed the out-n-back aspects, it was nice getting to see and cheer for other runners a few times! I was very glad that I brought my own spectator crew, because there were hardly any spectators throughout most of the race. It was a pretty chilly day though, which I know may have deterred some supporters from cheering along the course. My cheering crew was able to see me 5-6 times which was huge - that was the nice thing about it being so desolate. The race director was good about sending communications about potential weather conflicts and keeping us posted with any changes. Aid stations were well-placed and the volunteers were very friendly - almost every time they asked me while I was approaching whether I wanted water or gatorade. 'packet' pick-up was pretty underwhelming, but I didn't really mind since the race was at a low-cost. If I would have known you only pick up your bib and a tshirt, I would have opted for same-day pickup. Immediately after the race you were offered a hot shower (towels provided) and a small buffet-style meal at the hotel/training center. A small, intimate awards ceremony followed the meal which was a nice touch.
Keith Caruso from TN (3/13/2017) "Tougher than expected" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Many things in this race were done right. For a small running club, this was a great effort. However, the 2017 race was run at 28 degrees at the start, with a wind chill factor of 20. While the cold itself was tolerable if you dressed right, the wind made this race very tough, as you ran half of it into a stout headwind. While the mid-race hills (miles 16-22) didn't seem like much on paper, running mostly uphill into the wind from mile 16 to approximately 19 was where most good marathons went to die. I was looking forward to the last 4 miles as being flat with a tailwind, but when I got there, I was pretty much done, tacking on at least 20 seconds per mile, whereas I usually run even or negative splits. Another factor not to be overlooked was the constant camber of the roadway, which was pretty severe for a lot of the race. I was surprised to see so many people limping after the race at the award ceremony, and these weren't inexperienced marathoners, as many had come to Maryland on their 50 state quest. I already have a physical therapy appointment scheduled to help straighten out the muscular imbalance from yesterday. The course was relatively scenic if you like the shore, and they made sure that you could not get lost. Any volunteer braving these conditions has to be commended. That being said, for the 13th year the race has been put on, you would think that they would have figured out not to use plastic cups, but several water stations did. Furthermore, no one ever bothers to tell the volunteers to balance the cups on the palms of their hands, so several wound up on the ground or spilled down my legs, which wasn't particularly appreciated given the conditions. The pre-race and post-race arrangements could not be surpassed. We were inside a building with several available restrooms until just minutes prior to the race, and we had showers and a free hot meal of pasta, salad, bread and cookies afterward. Showers, towels, washcloths and soap were also provided, and there was plenty of room for pre-race and post-race stretching as well. The medal was smaller than a lot of age group awards that I have gotten at local 5K races, but the ribbon was nice. Age group awards were marble paperweights with engraved metal. The race itself was a bit out of the way, about a 2 hour drive from BWI. There were however numerous hotels within about a 20 minute drive and one about a mile or so from the start/finish. Parking was no problem. I'd recommend this race more highly if they allowed you to balance out the camber of the road. The shoulders were generally 12 feet wide, so I don't know why they couldn't have you run both directions on the same side of the road. It may get a little tight around the water stops, but narrow tables could help with this, and it may save on imbalance muscle strains.
J. S. from Kensington, MD (5/2/2016) "Good small town race" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Was looking for a small early spring race at a reasonable fee and found it. Race Director great at answering questions and even brought me my packet at the official race hotel! First half of course is as good as any I've run. 2nd half is what it is; just dig deep and run. Very few spectators but volunteers were great. Awesome post race hot showers and buffet!
Sanjay mohanta from Ottawa, ON (3/11/2014) "My 52nd Marathon! Well worth the drive!" (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I live in Ottawa, Ontario and drove 13 hours to do this race. It is well worth the drive. It is a couple of hours south east of Baltimore and the scenery is amazing. Driving up bridge to Piney Point was a real treat. The race kit pick up was very easy and the race director was there. I was the only Canadian and I was greeted by warm greetings at all the aid stations. The first half is flat with great scenery. I would prefer to run it again the second time. The second half has a few more rolling hills and isn't as interesting to look at. I would prefer aid stations at every mile but only a minor complaint. Also more porta potties. The food at the finish line was really good - Ziti with maranara sauce and the showers (with free towel service!) was good as well. Again, well worth the drive. Say hi to the race director as well. She should be proud of her little race.
T. P. from VIRGINIA (9/26/2013) "Fantastic race - a marathoner's marathon" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Lower Potomac River Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Without repeating many of the comments below, this is a fantastic race. Only 200 entrants, low key, no fan fare. If you want lots of distractions during a race, this one isn't for you. If you want beautiful scenery, a fast course, a low entry fee, great amenities (warm building with real bathrooms and hot showers both before and after the race), a huge post race buffet, and the chance to see a beautiful waterfront part of the country, this race is for you. The spectators that do come out make themselves heard, but to be honest on the part of the course where there were the fewest spectators (the first half) I frankly didn't want anyone cheering or doing anything that would affect the tranquility of the dramatic sunrise over the waterways.
G. R. from North Carolina (4/5/2013) "Exactly as described by RD-Great event" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The RD describes the race perfectly on the website. The 2nd half of the race is not scenic but traffic requires this route. It is small but has everything you need. -St George Inn opens just for runners and is very nice, close to start and good rate (although no one I spoke to received their wake up call) -Meal arranged for runners at local spot Saturday night (not expensive, good food and chance to meet others) -Easy parking for start/finish -Stay inside until minutes before the start -SHOWERS after race -HOT meal after the race easy access to race director weeks before event, day before and day of -course is good mix of small rolling hills -you can PR or BQ on this course
D. E. from San Jose, CA (3/31/2013) "Boring second half" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Because of flooding, one of the turnarounds on the island had to be moved, so the mile markers were off by 0.4 miles from MM6 to MM19. Kind of ironic after the RD had spent about two minutes before the start telling us how the course was certified and that the mile markers were correct, and that we shouldn't trust the GPS watches some people wore. Well, the GPS was more accurate than the mile markers for most of the race... The first half of the course was pretty nice, but the second half was very disappointing. No shade and a boring run next to traffic for 14 miles.
J. E. from KC MO (3/13/2013) "Good option for Maryland" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 If you like bare bones in a race, you'll enjoy this one. Everyone was very friendly and I really enjoyed the smallness of it. I would recommend doing the first couple of loops twice so the out and back along the busier road wouldn't be so long. Plus, the first part has the best views around. Thanks for the pleasant experience!
M. H. from New York, NY (3/12/2013) "Friendly Small Race!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Extremely friendly race director emailed me after I signed up - very accessible. Course is tougher than it looks - beware the camber in the last four miles, and the hills between 14-22. Several out and backs makes for a friendly course - I saw every one of my friends running, several times! Beautiful sunrise at the start over the water. Spectators sparse but dedicated and friendly, volunteers amazing. nice staging area so you can stay indoors and use real restrooms pre race, and a gracious post race meal make for a great experience too. Nice medal - small, but has heft to it. full date too.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 > ]



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R. G. from Philadelphia (3/22/2017) "Nice, enjoyable race weekend" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a small but established, local running club event. It's a low-key, well organized, affordable runner's race. The host hotel was a decent place to stay- close to the start, awesome water views, reasonably priced, with a restaurant next door. Course: As covered in other reviews, the first half is the nicer half, with the second being an out and back up a highway. It's a PR type of course except for two drawbacks: you are probably going to have wind and the road camber is a noticeable issue (for me, it was the last 4 miles where it was significant). While the road was open, traffic was light and not a significant issue since there was a wide berm to run on. There's a little bit of hill work right where you don't want to see it, around mile 16-21, but it's a good warm up for Boston and it broke up the monotony of the trek up and back the highway. I think one way to make the course more enjoyable would be to do 2 laps around St. George island and cut back on the highway out and back. Volunteers/Spectators: For a race with 70 some runners and a miserably cold day, I was very impressed with the amount of support on the course. While limited, it was always enthusiastic. Bless those volunteers that came out to help! Post-race: There was a limited amount of food/drink available to the runners immediately after finishing, but a pasta buffet lunch was offered shortly thereafter, which was then followed by the award ceremony. All in all, it was an enjoyable experience that I would consider doing again. Thank you Liza and the CBRC!
K. R. from Pennsylvania (3/14/2017) "Beautiful course, somewhat lackluster details" (about: 2017) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I have to start off by saying I was extremely happy to PR by so much time during this race! The course was very flat which made it easier on the knees. As mentioned in other comments, the first half is beautiful and the second half is a little boring but still nice. I enjoyed the out-n-back aspects, it was nice getting to see and cheer for other runners a few times! I was very glad that I brought my own spectator crew, because there were hardly any spectators throughout most of the race. It was a pretty chilly day though, which I know may have deterred some supporters from cheering along the course. My cheering crew was able to see me 5-6 times which was huge - that was the nice thing about it being so desolate. The race director was good about sending communications about potential weather conflicts and keeping us posted with any changes. Aid stations were well-placed and the volunteers were very friendly - almost every time they asked me while I was approaching whether I wanted water or gatorade. 'packet' pick-up was pretty underwhelming, but I didn't really mind since the race was at a low-cost. If I would have known you only pick up your bib and a tshirt, I would have opted for same-day pickup. Immediately after the race you were offered a hot shower (towels provided) and a small buffet-style meal at the hotel/training center. A small, intimate awards ceremony followed the meal which was a nice touch.
Keith Caruso from TN (3/13/2017) "Tougher than expected" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Many things in this race were done right. For a small running club, this was a great effort. However, the 2017 race was run at 28 degrees at the start, with a wind chill factor of 20. While the cold itself was tolerable if you dressed right, the wind made this race very tough, as you ran half of it into a stout headwind. While the mid-race hills (miles 16-22) didn't seem like much on paper, running mostly uphill into the wind from mile 16 to approximately 19 was where most good marathons went to die. I was looking forward to the last 4 miles as being flat with a tailwind, but when I got there, I was pretty much done, tacking on at least 20 seconds per mile, whereas I usually run even or negative splits. Another factor not to be overlooked was the constant camber of the roadway, which was pretty severe for a lot of the race. I was surprised to see so many people limping after the race at the award ceremony, and these weren't inexperienced marathoners, as many had come to Maryland on their 50 state quest. I already have a physical therapy appointment scheduled to help straighten out the muscular imbalance from yesterday. The course was relatively scenic if you like the shore, and they made sure that you could not get lost. Any volunteer braving these conditions has to be commended. That being said, for the 13th year the race has been put on, you would think that they would have figured out not to use plastic cups, but several water stations did. Furthermore, no one ever bothers to tell the volunteers to balance the cups on the palms of their hands, so several wound up on the ground or spilled down my legs, which wasn't particularly appreciated given the conditions. The pre-race and post-race arrangements could not be surpassed. We were inside a building with several available restrooms until just minutes prior to the race, and we had showers and a free hot meal of pasta, salad, bread and cookies afterward. Showers, towels, washcloths and soap were also provided, and there was plenty of room for pre-race and post-race stretching as well. The medal was smaller than a lot of age group awards that I have gotten at local 5K races, but the ribbon was nice. Age group awards were marble paperweights with engraved metal. The race itself was a bit out of the way, about a 2 hour drive from BWI. There were however numerous hotels within about a 20 minute drive and one about a mile or so from the start/finish. Parking was no problem. I'd recommend this race more highly if they allowed you to balance out the camber of the road. The shoulders were generally 12 feet wide, so I don't know why they couldn't have you run both directions on the same side of the road. It may get a little tight around the water stops, but narrow tables could help with this, and it may save on imbalance muscle strains.
J. S. from Kensington, MD (5/2/2016) "Good small town race" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Was looking for a small early spring race at a reasonable fee and found it. Race Director great at answering questions and even brought me my packet at the official race hotel! First half of course is as good as any I've run. 2nd half is what it is; just dig deep and run. Very few spectators but volunteers were great. Awesome post race hot showers and buffet!
Sanjay mohanta from Ottawa, ON (3/11/2014) "My 52nd Marathon! Well worth the drive!" (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I live in Ottawa, Ontario and drove 13 hours to do this race. It is well worth the drive. It is a couple of hours south east of Baltimore and the scenery is amazing. Driving up bridge to Piney Point was a real treat. The race kit pick up was very easy and the race director was there. I was the only Canadian and I was greeted by warm greetings at all the aid stations. The first half is flat with great scenery. I would prefer to run it again the second time. The second half has a few more rolling hills and isn't as interesting to look at. I would prefer aid stations at every mile but only a minor complaint. Also more porta potties. The food at the finish line was really good - Ziti with maranara sauce and the showers (with free towel service!) was good as well. Again, well worth the drive. Say hi to the race director as well. She should be proud of her little race.
T. P. from VIRGINIA (9/26/2013) "Fantastic race - a marathoner's marathon" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Lower Potomac River Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Without repeating many of the comments below, this is a fantastic race. Only 200 entrants, low key, no fan fare. If you want lots of distractions during a race, this one isn't for you. If you want beautiful scenery, a fast course, a low entry fee, great amenities (warm building with real bathrooms and hot showers both before and after the race), a huge post race buffet, and the chance to see a beautiful waterfront part of the country, this race is for you. The spectators that do come out make themselves heard, but to be honest on the part of the course where there were the fewest spectators (the first half) I frankly didn't want anyone cheering or doing anything that would affect the tranquility of the dramatic sunrise over the waterways.
G. R. from North Carolina (4/5/2013) "Exactly as described by RD-Great event" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The RD describes the race perfectly on the website. The 2nd half of the race is not scenic but traffic requires this route. It is small but has everything you need. -St George Inn opens just for runners and is very nice, close to start and good rate (although no one I spoke to received their wake up call) -Meal arranged for runners at local spot Saturday night (not expensive, good food and chance to meet others) -Easy parking for start/finish -Stay inside until minutes before the start -SHOWERS after race -HOT meal after the race easy access to race director weeks before event, day before and day of -course is good mix of small rolling hills -you can PR or BQ on this course
D. E. from San Jose, CA (3/31/2013) "Boring second half" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Because of flooding, one of the turnarounds on the island had to be moved, so the mile markers were off by 0.4 miles from MM6 to MM19. Kind of ironic after the RD had spent about two minutes before the start telling us how the course was certified and that the mile markers were correct, and that we shouldn't trust the GPS watches some people wore. Well, the GPS was more accurate than the mile markers for most of the race... The first half of the course was pretty nice, but the second half was very disappointing. No shade and a boring run next to traffic for 14 miles.
J. E. from KC MO (3/13/2013) "Good option for Maryland" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 If you like bare bones in a race, you'll enjoy this one. Everyone was very friendly and I really enjoyed the smallness of it. I would recommend doing the first couple of loops twice so the out and back along the busier road wouldn't be so long. Plus, the first part has the best views around. Thanks for the pleasant experience!
M. H. from New York, NY (3/12/2013) "Friendly Small Race!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Lower Potomac River Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Extremely friendly race director emailed me after I signed up - very accessible. Course is tougher than it looks - beware the camber in the last four miles, and the hills between 14-22. Several out and backs makes for a friendly course - I saw every one of my friends running, several times! Beautiful sunrise at the start over the water. Spectators sparse but dedicated and friendly, volunteers amazing. nice staging area so you can stay indoors and use real restrooms pre race, and a gracious post race meal make for a great experience too. Nice medal - small, but has heft to it. full date too.

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Marathon Details - Lower Potomac River Marathon