Johnstown Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.0

Organization 4.2

Spectators 3.1

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A Runner from Frostburg, Maryland (4/6/2002)

"Flood of good memories" (about: 1998)

COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3

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.

Karsten Brown from Front Royal, VA (7/23/2001)

"A nice, small, low-key marathon!" (General Comments)

COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1

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!

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