May 1, 2024
Current Year Results
Results Search
Biggest/Best Boston Qualifier
2024 Results
2023 Results
2022 Results
2021 Results
2020 Results
2019 Results
2018 Results
2017 Results
2016 Results
2015 Results
2014 Results
2013 Results
2012 Results
2011 Results
2010 Results
2009 Results
2008 Results
2007 Results
2006 Results
2005 Results
2004 Results
2003 Results
2002 Results
2001 Results
2000 Results
☰
Harrisburg Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Harrisburg Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 4.5 
Spectators 3.7
Number of comments: 177 [displaying comments 21 to 31]
|
K. L. from Chatham, NJ
(11/15/2016)
 "Beautiful, no-muss, no-fuss marathon" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Harrisburg Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Course - Scenic course along the Susquehanna River with peak fall foliage. Just beautiful at this time of year. Mostly flat with a few rolls but nothing terrible. Logistics - Really easy to get to Harrisburg and find lodging. Race day pick up was a breeze. Free on-site parking a huge plus! Room for Improvement. Not enough water on the course. The aid stations are quite far apart (about 2 or more miles) and at some stations, the volunteers filled the cups only half way. I carried my own 18 oz. water bottle, which helped but by mile 20, I was starting to feel dehydrated. Medal could be better designed but I don't run marathons for pretty medals so it's not a huge deal to me. Overall, a very pleasant run. I would do it again. | |
|
Paul Isaac from PA
(11/14/2016)
 "Great organization all the way!" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Harrisburg Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 When I'm 'shopping' for races, I consider the entry fee, amienties, organization, and special perks. The 2016 Harrisburg Marathon fit the bill perfectly! I registered in early May and only paid $70 for a Marathon that offered a great hooded sweatshirt (what avid runner needs another race t-shirt?), small but well organized packet pickup with a small expo, mostly flat and varied course with a great downtown finish that offered good refueling food, and last but far from least; a large well-designed finisher medal. The only minor issue was a lack of hotel shuttles. But if your a Marathoner, you should have no problem making the 3/4 Mile walk from your hotel to the start. Even though it's a 2 hour drive from our suburban Philadelphia home to downtown Harrisburg; we would gladly make it again! | |
|
Corby Myers from Carlisle,Pa
(2/18/2016)
"Great upgrade" (about: 2015)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Harrisburg Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I've run this race six times and the upgraded new course is fantastic. I knocked 21 minutes off my best time for this race not having to deal with the hills in Wildwood Park. The Organizers continue to improve this race every year and this year was a big leap in improving everything from the course to the finish line celebration. Well supported and plenty of opportunities to view the race for spectators - easily the best 'small town' race I've run. Already registered for 2017! | |
|
T. C. from Central Penn
(2/14/2016)
 "Convenient. Accessible. Pleasant." (about: 2015)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Harrisburg Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Convenient. Accessible. Pleasant. Those describe the Harrisburg marathon. Its commuting distance for me and you can park right at the start. Steamtown requires committing a few months ahead of time and Philly requires more travel logistics, but I registered in the last week for Harrisburg and it was super easy in and out on race day. There was no expo to speak of except one vendor with a few things and I got some gels. Next year I think I'll pick up on Sunday morning. The course was flat and pleasant. Much of it on the paved pathway of the Capital Greenbelt. I think they should have gone another mile or so on the best part of the greenbelt on the southern end, but the course was nice. I did have a driver honk and angrily gesture at me on one of the road segments. I liked the long out and back north/south along the river and on the streets. You got to see literally every other runner in the race. The water stops didn't have exactly what they'd said ahead of time, but they were well stocked and the volunteers were friendly and helpful. The finish was on downtown streets and apparently they're trying to have a Boston marathon type street experience. I'm not from Harrisburg and that was lost on me. I would have preferred a finish on the island, which would have been a better place to hang out and could have sheltered the runners had the weather not been as perfect as it was. With the downtown finish the runners pretty much just kept walking past the finish and headed back to the island to leave. Post-race food was unremarkable and I didn't take anything. Overall it was super convenient and quite pleasant. I'll probably make it an annual thing. | |
|
John Shatto from FREDERICK, MARYLAND
(11/16/2015)
 "Park at the start and enjoy the river views" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Harrisburg Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my second Harrisburg and the course is great! River views and some neighborhood portions give a good local feel. Had lots of room to run and the number of runners fit the course perfectly. Congrats on the course improvements I really appreciate the focus on the river views. Many passersby on the river front offered encouragement. Volunteers were energetic and friendly. Finish downtown was a nice touch with lots of cheers and superior to previous finish on bridge in which I had to dodge families and dogs. Parking right next to start was very welcome. Packet pickup on race day was great and saved a long drive. Keep it up Harrisburg I'm coming back! | |
|
G. B. from Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
(11/10/2015)
"Stellar upgrades, kudos to the RD and his team" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Harrisburg Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Having run this race twice before, the 'new' Harrisburg Marathon is a remarkable upgrade. As advertised, it's flat and fast with well over 60% run along the scenic Susquehanna River. Positives: Ease of packet pick-up. Super friendly and helpful volunteers. Sharp hoodie. Classy, huge race medal. Well-stocked and well-staffed aid stations. Neat finish on Harrisburg's 'Restaurant Row.' Great times. Great value and fun. Great upgrades. Great job, RD Tom Gifford. If there were a Marathon Guide 'Most Improved' marathon award, Harrisburg would win it hands down. Well done! | |
|
K. S. from Forest, VA
(11/10/2015)
"Great choice for a smaller fall marathon!" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Harrisburg Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Even though the Harrisburg Marathon has been around for 42 years now, it is one of the best-kept secrets in the running world! Admittedly, 2015 was my first time running it but most likely it will not be my last time! Super-easy packet pickup with ample parking. Very small expo (one dealer actually with everything you would need). Fantastic sweatshirt as the keepsake item! Decent medal. Beautiful course that runs along the Susquehanna River. Only complaint about the course and the reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 stars, was the fact that some of the course is run on uneven and sometimes broken concrete. Not a lot, but enough that it caused the leader of the 3:35 pace group to take a tumble early on in the race. Race is well-organized, inexpensive ($70), and had more than enough aid stations stocked with water, gels, and sports drink. Gels were available constantly throughout the race as opposed to just at one or two water stops as is frequently the case at races. Post-race food was very good and ranged from hot chocolate, beer, soft pretzels, Panera bagels and soup, bananas, etc. While the RD cannot control the weather, this year we were blessed with perfect conditions - sunny and cool -for a wonderful race experience! Fan support, while not spectacular was impressive for a city of Harrisburg's size - about 50,000. All in all, this contributed to a very pleasant experience for me personally as I set a PR and achieved a BQ time for 2017 in the process! Bravo Harrisburg! Well done! | |
|
Jeff Paladina from Pennsylvania
(11/9/2015)
"Great flat new course" (about: 2015)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Harrisburg Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is a flat, fast, no-stress marathon. A very well-organized race with a brand new course. The one hilly section from years past in Wildwood Park was eliminated. Ample free parking. I was able to park 30ft from the start line. Easy for spectators too. My wife and 4 young kids were able to see me at 6 different points along the course. A great finish line set up. Several friends BQ'd, one after having failed to BQ at Erie earlier this fall. I'd highly recommend this race to anyone looking for a no-stress, well-organized flat fast course. | |
|
J. E. from Pennsylvania
(11/9/2015)
"Hated the finish line, but liked new course" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Harrisburg Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 It's a small race, which is nice. Parking is easy. However, the city of Harrisburg doesn't embrace it at all. Driving in, you'd never know a race was going to go on. People in cars honked and flipped us off. If the city embraced, maybe the attitude of the residents would reflect that. Volunteers were very nice and helpful. The new course was nice. The trail part was narrow so I think the race size is perfect. There were river views. Sidewalks were tricky in some areas so I think a PR would be tough here, even though it's much flatter than previous years. Thanks for the gel stations. I would have another later in the race. I am glad I carried my own water because the stations seemed sparse. Unofficial beer station at mile 23.5 was fun...I needed that. I felt course was scenic, well marked and volunteers were encouraging. The sweatshirt was a nice change,so was the medal. Loved the Panera soup at finish but there was no water bottle. I'm not going to keep refilling a dixie cup. I hated the downtown finish. It looked dirty and smelled. You have this beautiful stadium on city island...look at what Akron does with a stadium finish and mimic that. The finish was anticlimactic, no place to sit or stretch or hang with friends. Then, you have to walk back to city island for your car...not fun after 26.2 miles. Each year seems better, so good job there but change the finish back. Didn't like it at all!!! | |
|
J. S. from New York
(11/21/2014)
"Frugal" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Harrisburg Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I was disappointed with this race. Cheap generic medal, cheap post race junk food,cheesy AG awards. Seems, like the organization went to extremes to save every penny in order to make the race as profitable as possible. The race will most likely become very popular next year, since the winner, who happened to be a 54 year old man was featured in a Runners's World article which went viral all over the world, and put Harrisburg on the RW map, other than that most people had no idea Harrisburg even had a marathon. |
© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC
