This race had a very human scale (about 350 runners) which was a nice change of pace from the Chicago/Boston/New York races. Course is open to traffic, which means your personal supporters can follow you along the course. Wonderful scenery. Can be hard on the legs if you don't train on hills.

Also ran Sugarloaf 5 wks after running Boston...PR'd by 6 min. Tough but fast course. There are a few hills between 8-10 but once you get through them you get a lot of fast downhills. If your quads can take it you can run a good time.

Course is point to point entirely on Rt 27. The directive is to stay to the right of the yellow centerline so you can run close to the center of the road (where it is flatter) if you want. Sometimes you have to move to the right if traffic picks up.

Great scenery...small but vocal crowd support. Great post-race massage (to help the trashed quads!).

If you're thinking about running it...do it...you won't regret it.

I ran the race yesterday (2002) and it is a PR type of course! I ran Boston last month and ran almost 8 minutes faster here at Sugarloaf. God willing, I'll be back!

I ran this race today only 5 weeks after running Boston, and I PRed by 9 minutes. Once you make it through a few hills between 7 and 10, the last 16 are fast. If you are careful not to let the downhills get you, you can run a very fast time. If you want a lot of fans, go to a big city, if you want a fast time in a beautiful setting, run The Loaf.

Because of the rural setting, there aren't the number of spectators present at the bigger races, but those that are there are full of spirit. All the volunteers are wonderful.

We ran this marathon last year and enjoyed it. The volunteers were great. There are a few hills but ultra runners like us walk hills anyway so they provided a nice break. We plan to return this year. We would highly recommend this marathon.

The scenery is gorgeous. It's possible to run most of the race on a hard but not paved shoulder so it's pretty kind to the feet. The food at the end was really good and the folks at the aid stations were enthusiastic and encouraging even after the long wait between me and the runner before me. The only reservation is that it was pretty lonely for a slow runner like me.

I ran this course this year (2000) and I had had a great time. I like the smaller more low-key races. This race was well organized and fun. There is one long hill that runs between 8 miles and 10 miles. After that it is mostly down hill along the river. There are a few small hills going from 21 to about 23 miles. I gave the spectators 1 star because there just aren't that many, but those that are there are very enthusiastic. The pre-race pasta dinner was good and the people are very friendly.

I did this race about 10 years ago and recall that it was very enjoyable. We stayed at a condo at Sugarloaf, which you run past at about 11 miles. The course was point to point with only one significant hill. The year I did it was cool (mid 30s) at the start but warmed up quickly. The race finished in the town of Kingfield and the post race activities were held adjacent to the finish area. I would guess that this is still a fairly low key event that caters to the middle of the pack type of marathoner. I would recommend it strongly!