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Apr 28, 2024

Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.6

Organization 4.3

Spectators 3.4

Number of comments: 93 [displaying comments 41 to 51]

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L. C. from Mid-Atlantic (10/12/2009) "beautiful run in '09" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This is a beautiful, and fast, race. I train in a flat area and I always doubt races that advertise as "flat." Sure, there are a couple of uphills and more downhills, but I felt like it was just enough to break up the monotony for my muscles. It is definitely not for runners who need a huge crowd for their races, but I liked the tranquility it offers.
H. A. from Princeton, NJ (10/12/2009) "Nice course, friendly folks" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The race is point to point (Schenectady to Albany) and is mostly on paved bike paths through park areas. There is some road running through Watervliet on a main road, and police officers and traffic enforcement folks managing the crossings were really fabulous in all towns on the route. Considering that this was a small race, they afforded everyone the same level of courtesy, stopping traffic for those up front as well as those at the back. Though the race wound through the trail areas, there were water tables (as indicated) approximately every two miles, they were manned for the entire race, and there were sufficient drinks/GU/etc. for everyone. At the start, a few more porta-lets would have been nice, but the park restrooms were available (and heated), so that helped. We had great running weather yesterday, and the foliage was really wonderful. The course is fast and mostly downhill. Definitely a race I'll consider doing again.
L. B. from Brooklyn, NY (11/10/2008) "scenic race" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was the first time that I ran this race and it was simply beautiful. The course is fast and you run under a canopy of foliage. I really enjoyed it and plan to be back. My only recommendations would be to have some sort of clock at the halfway point, with breakfast and soda at miles 18 through 20. Overall, a great, small race!!!
W. D. from Boonton, New Jersey (10/17/2008) "room for improvement" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Hard to believe this was the 26th running of the event. We sent in our apps weeks ago specifying our shirt size. When we got to the expo, we are told that there were no more small shirts, which is inexcusable. This was my wife's first marathon and she wanted a shirt to remember it by. The medium is way too big for her. My large shirt fits me like a tent. Both are off to Goodwill. Our purchased bus tickets were totally ignored by the bus driver the next day. Course goes through residential streets for around 5 miles when you get a stunning view of the Mohawk. After that, you don't see it much at all. There was little warning of water stops ahead; most were hidden from view by turns and it was not until you were upon it did you know they were there. One water stop was at the bottom of a dip and absolutely hidden from view until you were right over it. No time to suck down a GU. After grabbing water from the stop, there was a steep (but very short) embankment to climb while gulping down a cup of water. Threw off my stride completely. Would have been much better for the runners to have that stop at the top of the dip. When my wife encountered a stop further down, they were completely out of cups. Runners had to queue up to gulp water directly from the gallon water jugs. Some runners picked up previously-used cups off the ground and poured water into them. The following stop also ran out of cups, so they pulled the table completely off the course. At the finish, we had to climb down a steep embankment to get water/Gatorade and carbs. No protein whatsoever. Climbing down and back up that embankment was cruel for those of us who just finished the marathon. Drivers in Cohoes and Waterviet where oblivious to a marathon in their towns. The volunteers did a fantastic job trying to direct traffic, but many drivers chose simply to ignore them. The bike paths throughout the course and especially in Albany had many cyclists that had to be dodged. They have a right to the path as much as we do, but I wish we didn't have to deal with them to avoid a collision. All of the previous comments on this board are correct. I had fun running this race, except through the towns. The net downhill of the course is barely noticeable, which is good for the quads. My hat goes off to the volunteers, who did a fantastic job. I liked that the half started at the same time we did, but 13.1 miles away. Too may events have the half and full run together, which makes for a very crowded first half of a marathon
A. H. from Vermont (10/15/2008) "Scenic, flat course" (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Overall I enjoyed this course and race a great deal. It was scenic, flat and fast. There were volunteers all along the course to direct you and more spectators than I expected who cheered for all the runners. I don't remember steep downhills and there were basically no inclines. The weather was excellent and I enjoyed talking with other runners during the race. I did not BQ, as I was not able to maintain my speed the last 3 miles. I will be back at some point to try again. I would have liked a bit more of an expo, and I found it annoying that I could not get the size shirt I requested. What is the point of registering EARLY for a certain size shirt but not being able to get it because you didn't arrive early enough? I missed that in the race info. I did like the opportunity to pass on many race t-shirts that I never wear. I also would have liked food at more of the aid stations. I felt it necessary to carry my own. This was my first small marathon and I wasn't sure if I would like it but surprisingly I did. I agree with a previous racer that the end of the course was not well monitored for spectators. I had to veer around a couple with a young child in a stroller. Overall, though, I had a great time and will be back.
J. M. from New York, NY (10/14/2008) "Great Local Race" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my second marathon and it was a very good experience. The course is very nice for the most part, on a trail through the woods, along the river. The course is a little less nice when you are running along the highway, but that is only for a short distance (in marathon talk anyway). My biggest issue was that there is no course map. The closest you get is a 16-page spectator guide, which details directions to get to various points along the race to cheer on participants. Don't get me wrong; this is a very nice thing to have. But as a runner, I would have really liked to know where it was that I was running. I didn't find out until after the race that there were mile markers posted on Google Earth! I don't understand why they couldn't connect the points and map it out so they could print it and hand it out with the schwag bag. Oh, I really appreciated the sneaker recycling at the packet pick up. Overall, this is a race I would do again. And yes, it is fast; I qualified for Boston!
J. M. from Brooklyn, NY (10/14/2008) "As good as it gets" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is a small, well organized, pretty well-spectated event that has an excellent course, great volunteers and a fast finish. A few steep downhills, but overall, it's flat or slightly graded. There's a mentally tough section out on roads open to traffic (though there are lots of course marshals to ensure safety), but it's mostly on beautiful shaded bike paths. I loved it and highly recommend it - I also BQ'd, so that made me love it even more.
Iris Chen from New York, NY (10/13/2008) "worth doing" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first small-scale marathon and it was amazing. The race director/staff responded directly to emails and this personal touch carried through to race pickup and race day. The volunteers at the drink stations provided incredible support and worked tirelessly to get water and Gatorade into our hands. My only suggestions are to (a) see if the host hotel can make better accommodations for runners, e.g., by serving an early breakfast (breakfast started at 6:30 a.m., 30 minutes before the buses left for the start) and arranging for guaranteed late checkout (we were told we had to call the morning of race day to see what the deal was); (b) add more clocks at key points of the course; and (c) start the awards ceremony earlier. But all in all, a special and memorable race. I will be back.
m. c. from Wilmington, DE (10/13/2008) "Very Nice Race!" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I thought this race was great. I've run big-city marathons (Boston, Chicago) and small marathons (Delaware, Steamtown) and I thought this race was a success. There wasn't much of an expo and I really wasn't expecting one. Easy in, easy out. There was a good running vibe at the host hotel (Crowne Plaza) throughout the weekend. I thought the course was really nice; it had good views of the river and fall foliage. I didn't notice a lot of downhill running... there were a couple of short, steep declines, a few little inclines, and a lot of flat running. I thought the fans were great. I wasn't expecting a lot of them, but there seemed to be pockets of them every two miles or so. The volunteers did a good job; one even caught up to me to hand me some water when he noticed I dropped the cup at the exchange. Great weather in 2008 too! I highly recommend this course, especially for a fast time and Boston qualifying.
S. B. from Delaware (10/13/2008) "Great race!" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was a race I'd definitely recommend; aid stations were well placed/stocked, with great volunteers working them. Course was mostly on a well-maintained bike path and was quite scenic overall. That it was predominantly on the path did prevent it from having as many spectators along the way, though there were certainly sections where spectators were heavy in numbers (and all of those that were there were very enthusiastic and supportive of all the runners). Great race to run if you're trying for a PR or trying to qualify for Boston!

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