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May 10, 2024

Maine Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Maine Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.3

Organization 4.5

Spectators 3.9

Number of comments: 132 [displaying comments 81 to 91]

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p. m. from Maine (10/12/2007) "This was a great race." (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Maine Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon and I really enjoyed the experience. I thought the race was well organized and the course was scenic. There were some hills but it was doable. The water stations were well positioned and there was plenty of refreshments provided after the race. I liked the fact that the race included the half-marathon and the relay. Overall, a wonderful experience and I would do it again.
a. m. from vermont usa (10/12/2007) "fantastic; well organized; good crowd support" (about: 2007) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Well organized. Ever-cheerful volunteers offering encouraging words, great scenery along the ocean course, some rolling hills...
P. R. from Halifax, Nova Scotia (10/11/2007) "scenic, with loads of community spirit" (about: 2007) 3 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I enjoyed the scenic course through the city; some of the streets were busy, with very little support personnel. "A few rollings hills" may have been a slight understatement. It might be nice to also have a shorter run/walk available to entice those who aren't able to enter either of the longer runs. Given the state of the waistlines in North America the fun/hype surrounding these events may give a lot more folks an attainable goal. A 5K could be completed before the half returned, if an hour was the longest time alloted for the participants. In the Blue Nose Marathon, Halifax NS, there is also a "Kids Run" the day before the marathon, which has been hugely popular and growing by leaps and bounds every year. Great way to get the young involved in a fun/healthy lifestyle. Overall, enjoyed the run, wonderful volunteers and community cheerleaders. Will be back again next year.
R. K. from Plymouth, MA (10/11/2007) "A great race for Marathon Walkers" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Maine Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first full marathon and it was wonderful! The Marathon walkers got an early start but with full course support including police presence at the tough street crossings. The course was well marked and the organization was great. I'll be back next year.
D. M. from Indiana (10/10/2007) "Not as the course was advertised" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Maine Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I thought the course was hilly, but I am from the Midwest. The roads were slanted and I was surprised by being forced off the roads by irate drivers on the course. Some people we had traveled with had to stop for 3 minutes while they let traffic through. The weather was nice, and since it was more of a family reunion, I did enjoy the day.
N. C. from Gainesville FL (10/10/2007) "As advertised, 'The way a marathon should be!'" (about: 2007) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Maine Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What a beautiful place for a marathon. The course was wondeful, the people cheering on the side of the road, handing out water and oranges (not even the official water stops, but their own driveways!) the trees, the weather. Our only problem was find a restaurant in the waterfront area that served pasta - next time we'll plan to attend the official spaghetti dinner. The race was fast - running both the full and 1/2 marathon together, plus the relay runners, there seemed to be a LOT of people going really fast. A great excuse for a Maine vacation, we had so much fun, we might have to make this an annual tradition!
b. h. from west virginia (10/9/2007) "fantastic race" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Maine Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my second year at Portland - once again it was fantastic - great support, great organization, bagpipes and drums were extra bonus.
D. M. from Phoenix, AZ (10/8/2007) "Beautiful, Small Fall Marathon" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Maine Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I decided to 'squeeze' this race in this year, since I was injury free and Chicago was already full when I decided to register. Am I glad I went to Maine instead of Illinois! The biggest challenge about this race, frankly, is figuring out how to get around the city of Portland by car! I spent a couple of hours on the day before the race charting my route to get to parking on race morning! I won't bore you with details, but suffice to say that if you're from out of town be prepared for lots of one way streets, no left turns, changing street names, closed roads, etc. The 'expo' was small, but fine for a race that size, and I picked up some very reasonably priced ($10) extra high tech, colorful shirts (in addition to the high tech, long sleeved shirt you get with your race registration). Race day dawned with clouds and wind, and having Starbucks as a sponsor helped (think hot coffee with flavoring at the start!). The weather conditions were actually ideal for me through the first 1/2 of the race, as the wind died down but the cloud cover remained. The sun came out on the second half and it got somewhat warm (70's), but still very runable. The out and back course is scenic (lots of water views & trees!) and the marching military troup on the course was inspiring. Not only were the aid stations well stocked & plentiful, but many residents also put out water tables and snacks (with cute kids to 'serve' us too!). The only thing I can think of to criticize is the size of the finisher's medal (small!), but I guess I'm spoiled. If you're looking for a race with a relatively small field (<1,000 marathoners, maybe 1,600 halfers), with beautiful fall scenery, in a quaint and friendly town, this is for you! I'm glad I used this one in checking Maine off my 50 states quest.
S. S. from Columbus, Ohio (10/8/2007) "Hilly...." (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I loved the scenery but THE HILLS WERE SOMETHING ELSE! The course support was great. They need more police officers for road blocks since most of the time we were on main roads with fast driving cars. The expo was really small but I'm used to races with 30,000 people. I was really scared about the hills so I decided to do the one hour early start and walk the course. Good thing I did. Overall the race was great. I was really disappointed with the medals. By far the hardest course I personally have ever done and the medals were small, dinky and cheap. But in the end I did earn it. Thanks to the beautiful city of Portland for having us. What a way to see the sunrise...this was my first time to Maine and I will be back for a visit.
E. B. from Exeter,NH (10/16/2006) "Nice course, poorly run" (about: 2006) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Maine Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 First the good: A great course, better than I expected for an out-and-back. Plenty of hills but nothing too daunting. I ran a PR by a lot. Also, plenty of well-spaced aid stations. Very good crowd support for a smaller marathon (though there was NOBODY for miles 24 through 25.5 when you really need the cheers). Now the bad: Terrible traffic control on entry. Huge line of cars trying to turn left towards the registration about 45 minutes before race time. No police officer directing traffic for runners. Luckily I was riding with family and could jump out to get to register in time. Then I got to the registration to check in, and there was no shirt for me (I had requested an XL, but there were none. I was told it would be mailed... but two weeks later I have yet to receive it). Finally the abomination that is the timing at this race. First, it was not even a shoelace chip, but rather an ankle bracelet that when tied too loose bounced around, and when too tight caused skin chafing and bloodshed (which is what happened to me). But, hey, small price to pay for an accurate time. Oh, well, except for the fact that the chip turned out to be UTTERLY USELESS because the timing company failed all the runners and did not get an accurate start time. So good to know I bled for no reason. I can only imagine how much more angry I would be if this timing error had cost me a Boston qualifier. Lastly, the post-race food was subpar in relation to other marathons I have run. In summary, an excellent course that is marred by poor planning and poor organization.

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