A marathon with the charm of quaint New England. The foliage on the bright, crisp sunny day of red, orange and gold leaves was even better than the cheering spectators. The mileage around Newfound Lake in autumn... WOW. The police, volunteers, amature radio patrol and race directors are all there to make every marathoner feel welcome. The finish lines stays open for seven hours, even for someone like me - a six-hour marathoner - there was plenty of food, water and help if needed at the very end of the race. I stayed at Henry Whipple B&B right in town and could walk to the pasta dinner and start of the race - and oh, those delicious scones we had for breakfast! I only wish I was not trying to do the 50 states, for I would return next year. But too many races... too little time.

Well organized race with plenty of water stations and food afterwards. The course was well marked and scenic. The route is very hilly, and therefore, it's difficult to do a PR. I'd definitely run this one again.

This was the first time I've run a marathon on a course open to traffic. There were quite a few large dump trucks that buzzed past, and they were a bit frightening. Otherwise, the traffic was not an issue.
The course couldn't be more scenic. Sure there're a few hills... well, a lot of hills, but none of that should bother an experienced marathoner.

For a small race (under 300 in the full 'thon), this one is well organized. The complementary post-race massage was wonderful and accessible because the few runners were spread pretty thin, at least by the time I crossed the line.

Since it's a Saturday race, a lot of 50 Staters do this one and the Portland, ME race on Sunday. Not me! I took the rest of the weekend to go "leaf peeping" from my B&B, the Sculptured Rocks Farm, which is right at the turn-around point. That was fortunate, as the B&B hosts man the water stop and I was able to exchange my jacket (it was cold at the start) and pick up some gels I'd left with them. Plus, I got my only picture during the race taken by them. I don't know why they don't have someone taking photos.

There are very few spectators on the course, so if "leaf peeping" while running 26.2 miles doesn't get your juices flowing, maybe seeing a moose, a wild turkey, or a bear will!

This was my 35th marathon and 27th state. It was everything I hoped for, but a bit hillier than expected. The course was tranquil and cool. Organizers did a great job. Post-race support, entertainment and massages were a plus. This is a small race with small-town flavor. Sauces at the pasta party were submitted from a number of residents' favorite recipes. Weather was just as predicted: a beautiful fall day. Expect introspection and solitude, and you will enjoy the journey.

It was a beautiful, clear day on Sept 30, 2006. The race was very low-key, with fewer than 300 racers. It's a classic, no-frills race, with no hype and no crowds; it's just you and your goals. The course was well marked. Once you hit the turn-around, it was mostly flat with some declines. The last six miles were fast (for a marathon). If you want to try and negative split a marathon, this is the one. Thanks for the massage at the end.

I loved this race! The weather was gorgeous, the fall foliage incredible and the scenic vistas along the lake superb! I wanted to grab a beach chair, though! I found the water stops GREAT with water and Gatorade and a new sports drink (too sweet tasting). There were mile markers for every mile, great traffic control and lots of moments for that quiet, zen feeling. Also, lots of 50-Staters to chat with too, so that was fun. Great finish line, great food and massages, and wonderful, friendly volunteers and music. Easy in and easy out for this race. Very few spectators but they were cheerful. There were lousy, non-functional and cold showers in the girls' locker room at the end, but everyone was friendly and patient. Oh well, refreshing after 26 miles of hills with a flat and fast finish. Try it out for a good race.

On a screamingly beautiful fall morning, 220+ marathoners and I faced a hilly course full of fall colors, inclines and declines. The volunteers and police provided as good a support team as one should expect for a small-town marathon.

The second half seemed to be harder and with more hills than the first half. The vehicle traffic was more intense, perhaps, than most marathons; though I don't know what the organizers could reasonably be expected to do about that. And, anyway, most of us face that amount of traffic or more in our training runs.

The pasta party had better tasting pasta than most.

Nice event. Well done!

I wasn't really impressed with this race at the beginning: my late registration fee didn't even include a t-shirt ($15 extra) or goodie bag. There was NO water or food available before the race. But I guess I've been spoiled by the bigger marathons.

The course is hilly but most are gradual climbs (1% grade) with a few others that were steeper but short hills. I believe the hills on this course helped me run well because they caused the stress on my legs to keep changing without overdoing it.

I didn't feel there was a lot of town support. Many of the people cheering the runners were family and friends of the runners, or the volunteers at the water stations. There were a few more in scattered places but not enough to impress me that the town comes out for this event. But that's fine for this particular race. The scenery was great.

With very few runners (about 185 this year) I spent much of the race running alone with no other runner near me. With the exception of the traffic (not a closed course) on the road I enjoyed the peacefulness and tranquility of the area and the smell of the pine trees.

This marathon was unique in a special way. This low-key event made for a simple and enjoyable race, and the relaxing finish area with plenty of food and water was priceless.

I hope to do this marathon again. I recommend this marathon for someone who doesn't need a lot of crowd support and thrives more on scenery. Also, this is a good marathon for someone looking for more of a challenge than the boring, flat marathons offer.

Beautiful course and well supplied water and bathrooms throughout the course. Hills, hills and hills but none of them are the killers. A water stop at around mile 11 was at the beginning of a hill. It was hard to run up this one after a drink. Well, I take this is a part of the game. A volunteer at mile 18 water stop told me, 'Run through the wall and you are fine.' And I did it. Good advice. Thanks. Here is only a negative thing I have to say. There was a hot dog/fried dough cart at the finish line. It gave off a very discomforting smell as I approached the goal.

I live in New England and the NH Marathon was my 25th marathon. I can't believe it took so long to get there. I was looking for something different with no time goal and a hill workout. The marathon is a well organized, low-key event. It was well marked with volunteers at various locations to lead you in the right direction. The community is very supportive and like any race, the volunteers were great for all they do. The last 10k is were it levels off and you can turn it up if you didn't push beyound your limits early on. It is a beautiful place to run.