Because Pittsburgh has not had a marathon in about 5 years, I was desperate for a fall marathon. I read that PR's could be set on this course. After running it, I agree. With some exceptions. But I'll go through the positives before the negatives about the race organization, etc. The pre-race pasta meal at the YMCA is small-town America at its best. An old TV was hooked up and playing a very old video of a marathon (Johnstown's first marathon in 1977?). Pretty fun to watch the long haired and moustached runners with high tube socks, etc. The race director was walking about asking if anyone had questions about the course.

And the course: could anyone ask for a more beautiful one? The race starts atop the mountain and meanders down, going onto open scenic highways. I don't know about you, but running on an open country road with little traffic is about as close to heaven as it gets. This was wonderful but - now the bad part - on a warm day it can be murder. The race officals had to know that the weather for the race was going to be warm, yet NO ICE was available at any station, and the majority of the course is not shaded. I made my project half time as expected, but the bright sun withered me in the last miles of the race. The officials should have had a cooler of ice cubes at least at the aid stations. The water and sports drinks were not cold. Plus, more frequent aid stations should have been in place because of the warm weather. Maybe every mile from 15 through the end of the race. Plus, there was no vaseline at the stops as promised.

Like I said, with a little more attention to detail this race would have been A+ instead of B+ or B. It is amazing how the YMCA can pull this event off with such small numbers of entrants and volunteers. Makes Pittsburgh look like a fool that they can't even get it together. Great medals and trophies too! All in all, a memorable experience. I highly recommend this race for the beginner and advanced marathoner.

Most of the course was on what seemed like major roads and there was no traffic control. Cars and 18 wheelers were speeding past at 55+ miles per hour. This made it difficult to concentrate on running while at the same time worrying about being run over. Adding to the problem was the organizers' insistence that we run on the right side of road, making it impossible to see the speeding vehicles coming at you from behind. Also, I found it hard to believe that near the end of the race there were several intersectons to cross and there was nobody directing traffic. This caused several incidents of runners having to wait for traffic to pass. The race directors need to greatly improve the traffic control with runner safety in mind. Therefore, unless the course becomes safer, I will probably not run this race again.

I've run 84 marathons. This is probably the most dangerous course for a runner. You run with traffic. Very little space to get off the road. In some places there isn't any at all! The hills are so steep from 5 to 7 that you feel like you're falling. Your knees take a tremendous pounding. This course makes Boston seem like a tea party. I've run this course five times. I think I've finally got it in my head not to do this anymore. If Huntington, WV can figure a way to run a flat marathon course, surely Johnstown can find a way. I've won an award every year, but I don't think I'll be back until the course gets changed.

This was my first marathon and was a great choice for my first time. I really liked that it was small (probably around 150 people). Despite having read that there weren't a lot of supporters, I thought there were plenty of fans throughout the course and every one was very encouraging. There were drink stations every 2 miles and then every mile of last 5 miles. There were not, however, a lot of porta-potties. Luckily I didn't need one!

The only downside was that this is not a 'fast' course. Despite the net loss of elevation, it is pretty hilly at times. The worst part was that roughly the last 10 miles have zero shade. Pretty draining on a hot warm day. Very scenic, beautiful course in the fall. Overall I would definitely recommend the course. Just don't expect any PR's.

I've run this marathon twice before and this year I ran it as part of a relay team. The course is beautiful and a great Boston qualifier. 32.5% of the field qualified this year! This is a well kept secret.

Had to scratch upcoming Chicago, and found Johnstown on MarathonGuide.com as a replacement one week earlier. I only have good things to say about this race. Yes it was small, there was a lot of no-man's-land up in the front, and the crowds thin, but beyond the obvious, I haven't a single bad word about this fantastic race. The bonus: $25 registration fee. Unbelievable.

The organizers did a terrific job. There were supporters and volunteers at every mile marker, as well as timers at all important markers. There were plenty of water stops along the way and extra personnel along the final 6 miles, where fresh legs just 10 miles earlier had turned to mush.

A great finish inside Johnstown stadium, where it was easy to talk to other finishers and eat up the tons of bananas, oranges, and All Sport.

The course was very scenic, and although it looked hilly, it was only the downhills that I can remember concentrating on. A fantastic run.

Just about everyone I met said they'd probably see me next year because they had as much fun as I did. Maybe I'll finally get my Boston qualifier then. Thanks to everyone at the YMCA that put this race together. You did a phenomenal job.

I have run the Johnstown marathon 4 times. It represents 1/2 of my marathon experience with the other 4 races all many times larger in field size. Although when you toe the line in Johnstown with barely 90 of your closest friends (at least they will be for the next few hours), it is hard to imagine that this is going to be a well organized race. But early on you will realize that the YMCA and the volunteers in Johnstown can stand right beside those in DC, Myrtle Beach or any other huge race. With great support tables full of water, food, sports drinks and manned by plenty of volunteers, this is indeed a nearly perfect environment for the first-timer or the wily veteran. As for fans, there aren't a lot, but you can always do what I do => bring your own. I travel 8 hours to run this race and although I am biased because I grew up here, it remains firmly planted on my yearly schedule time after time. I cannot thank the organizers and volunteers in Johnstown enough for putting on such a great race.

The course is beautiful with autumn foliage, has a significant elevation drop after 5 miles but some hills around miles 16-19, finishing at the local stadium. The race is well organized by the YMCA and volunteers. It is a Boston qualifier with a small field of about 100 or so runners.

Johnstown, PA, had quite a flood in 1889. Survivor John Hess said then of the wall of water roaring toward the Conemaugh Valley, 'We didn't see it but we heard it coming.' We had a lot of water on a cold drizzly weekend in early October, 1998, when I ran the Johnstown YMCA Marathon. For the morning of the race, though, the water held off and the wall was nowhere to be seen as I ran comfortably to a 3rd place finish.
Twenty years ago in 1978, I was starting high school cross country. That year, a lot of people were starting to run and Steve Alpert made the film 'Marathon Fever' about the journey of four marathoners attempting to finish the Johnstown YMCA Marathon. The film collects dust but the race survives as one of the longest running marathons in the U.S. Nearly as old as I am, this marathon has settled into a small race category, hovering around the 100-runner level. Today, I find it unfortunate that so many athletes are again jumping into 'marathon fever' but thinking that the Marine Corps Marathon or Walt Disney Marathon or some other deep-pocketed entity is what the marathon is about. Perhaps I cling too doggedly to the romanticism of 'the loneliness of the long-distance runner,' but I believe that races such as Johnstown are the bread-and-butter staples of local running scenes and should be supported by us. In this case, we also had organizers who clearly cared about the runners and a very worthwhile benefactor, the local YMCA. Director Denny Arnold and race committee were obviously doing some behind-the-scenes fund raising, too, as the cost for this marathon was a mere $20.
Two blocks from hotel at 8 am, I board the 'World's Steepest Vehicular Incline' to head up the wall.
I had heard from several competitors that this marathon has some of the most beautiful scenery of any race. The country tour is definitely much nicer than any of the scenery in the city of Johnstown. We hug the 1,000-foot deep Conemaugh Gap, going out on the west side and coming back east, with the valley in between. This morning, though, the valley and much of the course was shrouded in fog. I felt rather comfortable the entire race but for the gut-check miles of 17 to 21 along Route 403, when we were running straight into a howling wind. Much of this was downhill but the wind was nearly knocking me backward. I ran much of this race alone.
The finish is in the Johnstown Johnnies baseball stadium. After my nine-plus innings, I gladly left the ball field for a shower.
Then, I was on the news! I had led some of the first miles, and the sportscaster said, 'Like the fog, Dave Treber eventually faded.' To third, which was a finish far better than I would have expected. And we had a family 'first' -- our son, John, received a huge trophy for the Mountain Lollipop race of 26.2 yards. The organizers make it a fun day. I couldn't complain about the commentary, though, and laughed, because Johnstown had left me with a flood of good memories.

If you're looking for a big-time marathon with lots of crowd support, live bands, huge race packets, tons of amenities, and so forth, Johnstown is probably not for you. But if you want a nice, low-key, well-organized race with some enjoyable scenery, give Johnstown a try. Starting at the top of the Johnstown Inclined Plane, the course heads through nearby Conemaugh Gap (with pretty autumn foliage) before coming back and finishing at the baseball stadium downtown. There's a net elevation loss, but a few mild uphills in the last ten miles will make you forget that fact. Although the course is open to traffic, there is occasional police support and plenty of room to run. The entry fees are usually very low by marathon standards. I've run the race a few times now, and I always enjoy returning for another year!