I have run big races like NY and Boston, and smaller races like Baystate and Vermont City. Sugarloaf is, of course, much smaller than all of those. Nonetheless, it is every bit as well organized, and in many ways more fun. The point-to-point course is absolutely beautiful, with plenty of mountain scenery. Organizers did a great job getting runners to the start, keeping them hydrated along the course, and taking care of them at the finish. There's a laid-back atmosphere, but everything got done exactly when and how the organizers promised. Overall, this race has a great "small town" feel. The finish area was well-stocked with food, drink, and helpful volunteers. Despite having a small field, this race attracts top-quality runners. I was particularly impressed by the masters division. It also happens to be a very friendly field - I fell into a great pace group that formed naturally. Runners in the group quickly got to know one another, and then encouraged each other onward. Sure, there aren't many spectators along the course, but go to Boston or NY for that. I've run many marathons, but I think this one was the most fun I ever had. I'm definitely going back next year.

Essentially it was running alone along the highway past Sugarloaf Mountain. There were 170 runners in total and MAYBE 30 people along the route, so there was no crowd support to speak of. No fanfare, and some people started the marathon early (they had a plane to catch). A minute before the appointed time, some guy said, "We start in a minute." He fired a starting gun in a minute and that was the start of the marathon.

It was a pretty marathon, but you could print up a nice shirt for yourself, go drive to Maine, and run back with a friend driving a support vehicle.

I did the 6 a.m. early start. The race director (Jamie) drove 4 of us runners out to the start herself, at 5:30 a.m. Thank you! Water stops were about every 2 miles, and if they hadn't had Vaseline, I would not have finished because of a blister. But they did have Vaseline! Thank you, again. The food and post-race massages was great too! If you are trained on hills and take it easy up the big hill at mile 8, then it's mostly all downhill from there on, and you should run very fast! I'll be back next year.

- Steve

This turned out to be a great race. I fixed what went wrong in my last two marathons and ended up with a new PR - 3:36:19. That's about 8:15 minutes per mile. I stuck to my plan and ran almost exclusively off my heart rate monitor. If my heart rate went above 170 bpm, I reeled myself in. If it went below 140 bpm... I put the hammer down. I clicked my watch at each mile and saw easy miles pass at about 8:08 mmm, and tougher miles at 8:25 mmm.

That is the best I ever felt during a race, from start to finish. I finished mile 25 in 7:56, sprinted the last .2 miles, and enjoyed the after party.

It was a beautiful drive from Buffalo to Eustis, ME. I left around 5:30 a.m. in the morning, heading to Syracuse on the 90, then north on the 81 to Kingston, Canada. I then went eastward through Ottawa and Montreal. It was neat hearing the radio stations go from English, to English/French, to French, and then back again. Montreal is picturesque....

Sugarloaf Resort is a ski lodge in the winter and golf course in the summer. The scenery was out of this world. Beautiful mountains and a quaint small town. My first question on arriving was, "They're not going to make us run over that thing" (pointing to the mountain)? Luckily, the answer was no.

The course was mostly easy. I had heard about some tough hills from miles 6-9, but I passed over them fairly easily. The crowds were sparse but enthusiastic. The way the course was set up (the roads were open), family members could wait at mile 3, cheer their runner on, and then drive to mile 6 and do the same. By the halfway point, I had been adopted by several families. It was a nice experience.

I went to the pre-race pasta dinner (all you can eat) and sat with a surgeon from Boston and a retired gentleman from New Hampshire. The surgeon was running his 5th marathon, and was hoping to qualify for Boston. He had qualified for and run Boston about 20 years ago. The retired gentleman (69 years-young) was running his 5th marathon this year - all of which he ran in under 4 hours - and he was hoping to qualify for Boston too, which he did. Very humbling. The surgeon mentioned that you have to be careful on marathons; if you run as little as 12-15 seconds faster than what you trained to run at, you can quickly find yourself in trouble. This I have learned too well, the retired gentleman added that as long as you don't go too fast on the hills and knock yourself out, you will be fine.

This race puts me back on track; it confirms that proper training and mental attitude, adequate rest and nutrition, and running smart as well as hard can pay dividends. It points me in the direction I want to move in; I think that will be Pocatello, Idaho in August - on my way to Boston.

Good job to Jami, and everyone who worked with her.

I really enjoyed running this marathon. The host hotel is a ski resort at greatly reduced rates. The course is scenic, the water stops are great and the organization is great. BUT, it is not an easy course with the last 16 miles downhill!!

The first five miles are slightly downhill; 5-8 are "rolling hills," with more uphill; 8-10.5 are significantly uphill. Then there is a steep decline where it is hard really to run fast... then a slight uphill for a mile or so, just when you are ready for the advertised "16 miles downhill." Through about mile 19 then it is downhill, and there are some easy quick miles. However, from a little over 20, except for a short downhill at 22, the grade is steadily uphill. I mean unrelenting. I guess if you are an elite, it would be OK, and it would not be so challenging if it weren't at the end of the marathon. You don't level out until about 25.5. Having run 11 marathons, this was the second or third toughest. Most of my others have been flat, granted, but no way is this one of the 15 fastest in the country. That said, I enjoyed the run and would recommend it for anyone as a destination marathon - not a PR marathon.

The race director and the volunteers did a great job. Every aspect of the organization was first-class. From the lodging arrangement, to the expo, to the transportation to the refreshment stations... everything ran smoothly, like clockwork. The course was beautiful, with absolutely no turns - just the winding, scenic Highway 27, with a gorgeous creek on the left side. To top that off, the weather was near perfect - just a little hot at the end. With a mostly downhill second half and a nice tailwind, every runner was given a good chance for a PR if she/he chose to pursue it. I was surprised and humbled by the number of good runners for a race of this size. For example, a time of 3 hours 25 minutes is only good for 44th places out of 182 runners. A lot of people BQ'ed on that day. :-)

I'm new to marathons, so I don't know too much. That being said, I must say that this race is quick. The first 8 miles are gentle, then up a steady hill while you are still fresh (hammer away!), then over the top. I was worried about tripping. My eleventh mile was close to 6min. I had heard about the problems with traffic (the road isn't closed), but the police did a terrific job escorting large trucks (pulp and timber trucks mostly - these are the north woods of Maine). I never felt nervous about traffic. The post-race support and food was great. But where was the BEER?!

I was running in the last pack of the marathon, so what I really noticed was that all the water stops were still there waiting for me (and a few others) eventually to get there. They all were great, cheering us with smiles at all the tables. Plenty of GU, Gatorade and chocolate too! The food was also still set up at the finish line with hot soup, bagels and cream cheese, and granola. Massages were also available at the finish. For a back-of-the-pack runner, this was great to see! If you are in shape, this is a PR course with all the downhills too!

I went into the race not knowing what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. If you are use to a race with thousands of runners, this isn't the race for you. If you are ok with running a marathon with fewer than 200 runners, then this is the race for you. This is the fastest marathon that I've run out of eight marathons. Just by the nature of the course, your second half split is bound to be negative. The course was so fast that I ran a 5:54 for mile 11. There is a steady incline from miles 6-10, but from there it's downhill and flat. I will definitely go back to run this race in 2008.

My experience with Sugarloaf, USA was a good one overall. Can they list the all-time 100 fastest times for both men and women?