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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: 608 [displaying comments 111 to 121]
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S. C. from Oregon, OH
(10/19/2014)
 "Scranton Knows how to put on a First-class Maratho" (about: 2014)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon in ten years. My previous three were all HUGE marathons (San Diego, Chicago & NYC), so I was a bit skeptical about running Steamtown due to its smaller size. That being said, it felt like a large marathon. I was glad to see there werent any other races going on too&we were all there to do 26.2! Everything about the race from the pre-race communication (very funny e-mails from the Assistant Race Director), the organization (except a bit crowded at the start), the volunteers, starting at the school with the ability to stay warm before the race, the scenic course, the aid stations, amazing spectators (love the oranges and bananas), cool shirt and medal, and post-race support are first class. Maybe add some timing matts throughout the course and rearrange the line for the post-race goodies to avoid congestion; but the food at the end was worth the wait! The post-race party that evening was nice too. It was a beautiful venue, despite having to walk down the stairs to get to the free food! Running in Toledo, I wasnt able to train for the downhills, and I tried to follow all the suggestions of not going out too fast, but all my splits in the early miles were 10-15 seconds faster than I wanted. Don't be fooled by the elevation map. There were small hills throughout that are not advertised, not to mention the BIG ones at the end highlighted on the map. The trail you run on would be nice w/o the rocks. I stepped on a large one and could feel it through my shoes. While I was dragging at the end, the crowd cheering me on helped me sprint to the finish. The only thing I missed was official pacing groups. Dont rely on your GPS watch&mine has me at 26.39! Hey, since youre considering a modified course for the 20th Steamtown, why not make it a bit flatter so we can walk the next day? Another reason to return& J:) Thank you everyone involved. Im loving my new PR! Seeing my name in the paper the next day was a nice surprise too. | |
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Russell Stahl from Clarks Summit, PA
(10/19/2014)
 "Great course with great volunteers and spectators" (about: 2014)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The weather is generally ideal. The net downhill course makes it more enjoyable. The parties as you enter Scranton make it memorable. | |
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A. W. from Ohio
(10/19/2014)
"Second time and I love this marathon" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I love the Steamtown marathon. The spectators are awesome, you get the feel of a big city marathon without all of the hassle. Everything is so well organized and I love the snarky emails leading up to and after the race from Mr. Cummings. You can breeze into the Scranton high school expo and grab your bib and t shirt with no issues (I have run major marathons that meant standing in winding lines to get into the expo) and race day just jump on one of the many many waiting buses. Then you get the the high school and you are greeted by the cheerleaders and warm volunteers to wait in a warm gym, use an indoor rest room, and more or less walk out the door to start at the gun (I mean cannon) and even if you are back with the middle packers you are crossing the mat at about one minute after gun time. I love that it doesn't have a half. Don't get me wrong, I love to run the half, but this race feels like a marathon from 15 years agobefore the enormous half fields and the jumbo novelty medalsit feels like running for the sake of running and I LOVE it. Never change. The course is as described with downhills at the start, and I learned in 2013 that if you do not relentlessly train hills prior to the race your quads will fail you, even if you don't barrel down the hills in the beginning. I ran hills and then I ran hills some more this time around and had no issues with the course in 2014. Another bonus, you can be on the table for a post race massage in under 10 minutes!! You get all the perks of a major race with none of the headaches. Well done. | |
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R. S. from Bergenfield, New Jersey
(10/19/2014)
"Incredible race, extremely well organized!" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my second year running Steamtown and I loved every minute of it (even the uphills at the end). From the hilarious but informative emails from Asst Race Director Jim Cummings to the amazing volunteers and unbelievable crowd support this race is a class act from start to finish. | |
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s. b. from New Jersey
(10/18/2014)
"Beautiful Race!" (about: 2014)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Beautiful, beautiful race. Very well organized, gorgeous route during the fall when the colors are so vibrant, amazing spectators that not just cheer you on but also set up their own water stations, feed you bananas, oranges, candies, etc. I love the T-shirt! Free entry to the Steamtown Train Museum... Highly recommend this race. | |
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Bryan Crnkovic from Drexel Hill Pa
(10/18/2014)
"Fourth time at Steamtown. Still great." (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Beautiful course. Easy yet challenging. Must do race.This was my fourth Steamtown race in 11 years. This year I qualified for Boston! This is also the only race that I actually read the emails. Jim is too funny. Thanks Scranton. | |
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Tina Bartholomew from Danville, Pennsylvania
(10/18/2014)
"I won this marathon in 2002." (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Steamtown Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have run this marathon 4 times. Every time was fantastic!! This year I won the women's masters and 12 years ago I won overall female. This marathon is well run, super challenging and the volunteers are fantastic. Thank you for being a highlight in my life. | |
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R. G. from Toronto, Ontario
(10/17/2014)
"Well organized race, beautiful course, PB by 9 min" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Overall an excellent race. Pros: 1. Scenic course, with beautiful trail segments. It's downhill or flat up to mile 23, although you will encounter the occasional rolling hills. The last 3 miles have some challenging hills, the last one close to the finish line. If you wanted to see / run the course before the race, I recommend you do the last 3-4 miles from the finish in Scranton. 2. Well organized race. Nice small expo, plenty of buses to the start, plenty of porta-lavs at the Forest City high school, enthusiastic supporters, etc 3. Informative and humorous email communications. Areas for improvement: 1. Intermediary timing (10K, 10M, Half, 30K, etc.) Timing mats were only at start and finish. 2. The start was a bit crowded. The organizers may want to consider introducing corrals. | |
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D. V. from Hershey, PA
(10/17/2014)
"Bucket List Marathon" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The course is fast, the field is fast and the local's support this race unlike any race I've ever seen. The spectators are knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Entire neighborhoods are turned into block parties! The bus ride to the start is hassle free and it was nice to relax in the warm gym before the start of the race. I was a few min off my PR but being able to run with my girls over the finish line was priceless. | |
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J. U. from Warrington, PA
(10/17/2014)
"Awesome day!" (about: 2014)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Steamtown Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my fifth marathon, but first at Steamtown. Organization was top notch - got to warm up indoors before starting! Also loved the weekly informative emails that also included great tidbits of humor! The course scenery was great, and what great, vocal specators! But I wish somehow those hills at the end could be evened out just a bit...! |
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