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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 51 to 61]
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T. G. from Chicago, Illinois
(11/15/2011)
 "unique Pennsylvania race" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Harrisburg Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The race has been held yearly for forty years or so. It has evolved into an integral part of the Harrisburg community. The people supporting the race know the nature of their city, their marathon course and the marathon distance. The event felt athletically appropriate and as natural as the city. I saw this course more as a long training run course for visitors of the city not as a proper marathon course. There were two 400-800 meter dirt/small gravel nature trails to run plus two concrete sidewalks to cross the Walnut Street Bridge going out and back. There was an unusual downhill and later uphill access road from this bridge to the lower river pathway. The pathway is also concrete lasting .75 mile each way. The transition requires a 135 degree turn both going out and coming back. This sequence seemed funny to me as I ran so I just managed them as a good, guest runner. The Wildwood Park hills (miles 18.25 to 20) are effectively the same as Boston's Newtwon hills only compressed into one third of the distance. After completing these, I imagined an accordian with the Newton hills being the middle extension and the Wildwood Park hills being the squeezed extension. This means steeper hills in the park having a more eccentric effect on the quads and hamstrings. Thankfully, there were no significant downhills proceeding this. Mile 20.5 to just before mile 23 was slightly downhill as well. The final hard turn at mile 25.75 and average incline to the bridge was also similar. All of this may be a subliminal connection on my part or may be the same for a previous race director. My quads and feet felt the similarity. What a fun and thoughtful marathon this was. Harrisburg was terrific. I recommend this event to any marathoner ready for such a course and city. Many more runners in the field would enhance the race and all would benefit from running this course and visiting the city. | |
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P. D. from Long Island, New York
(11/14/2011)
 "Great logistics again!" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Harrisburg Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I did this race in 2011, as well as 2010. for a smaller marathon, it was a smooth experience. The volunteers were friendly and helpful. Logistics were easy which to me is important as my travel time to the race is about 4 hours. The course is interesting and very fair, though parts of it are not closed to traffic, but well manned when it is. Like last year the section in Wildwood park, between 18-20 is a true challenge. I would not hesistate to do this race again, should the chance come up. | |
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P. D. from Long Island, New York
(10/12/2011)
"Great logistics" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Harrisburg Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I did this race in 2010,and one of the best points of this race is that there is race day packet pick-up as I found this IDEAL. It takes the pressure of getting to a place before the expo closes. Also my race questions were answered promptly by the race director The course was fair, though the area in the park at around 19 miles had some hills. Overall a very well run race for a field of about 1000 when I did. I ran my third fastest marathon of the 16 I have completed here. As mentioned, the logistics were easy as I stayed in a nearby Hotel where you could walk to the start. Baggage claim was easy. I am planning to do this race in 2011. | |
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L. E. from Phoenix, AZ
(6/1/2011)
"One of the Best!" (about: 2010)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Harrisburg Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 50th State and I couldn't have picked a better marathon. My experience started with the race director giving me bib #50 and it kept getting better from there. The course had just enough hills to keep it interesting; water stops were well manned; volunteers were friendly; shirts were great tech shirts; medal was okay. The weather was perfect! All in all I highly recommend this marathon. | |
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P. N. from PA
(11/26/2010)
 "A nice small-town marathon" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Harrisburg Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I have run the Harrisburg marathon 3 times. The organization was better this year - signage was good and there were plenty of volunteers to direct you along the course (the latter was a problem in previous years). The course was pretty boring compared to other marathons that I have run around the world. There were no aid stations for the last 6 miles of the course, which was, to say the least, disconcerting. The post-race goodies were good, especially the chicken noodle soup. | |
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Eliot W. Collins from Raritan Borough, NJ
(11/23/2010)
 "Highly Recommended - Will Return Again in 2011" (about: 2010)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Harrisburg Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was my 12th time running Harrisburg (I obviously like the race very much). It was my 108th marathon overall (plus 42 ultras), for a total of 150. They even gave me bib #150 for this special occasion. I was one of about 50 runners and walkers who took advantage of the 6:30 a.m. early start. This race is definitely "walker friendly." Although I am extremely fussy, I found everything to be perfect. Everyone that was involved with the race was very helpful and professional and for $55, I felt that I truly got my money's worth. Some of the scenery is quite beautiful, especially the bridges along the Susquehanna River early in the morning. The course often changes from year to year and in 2010 it included a few less hills than in 2009. This is all part of the experience of running Harrisburg multiple times. As always, I look forward to returning to Harrisburg for the 13th time in 2011, and I will continue to strongly recommend this great race to others. | |
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G. T. from New Orleans, Louisiana
(11/19/2010)
 "Best small marathon ever" (about: 2010)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Harrisburg Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 If you live even reasonably close to Harrisburg you must run this race. I flew from New Orleans and I'll do it again! Why? Well... 1. SWAG. Long-sleeved T, candy, food, samples, magazines. Cool! 2. Organization and volunteers: the race went off without a hitch and everyone was amazing. 3. Course: Though hilly in sections, the variety and beauty prevented boredom. 4. Spectators: Many came out to cheer and were so nice! 5. Weather: If it were always 60 and sunny I'd be here every year. 6. Post race: Dunkin' Donuts and coffee, sandwiches, fruit, soup, snacks... yummy. 7. BQ-friendly | |
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S. O. from Niagara Region
(11/17/2010)
"A Great Weekend" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Harrisburg Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Course: A great layout with a few quirky features. The fact that you loop past the start area a couple of times makes it great for supporters to cheer you on. Within a 100-yard area you can be at 5 spots - mile 0.5, 2, 6.5, 7.5, and 26. A good variety of roads - gravel area at 4 miles a bit too "traily." Absolutely beautiful along the river. Timing pad at 13 instead of halfway was up on the sidewalk and I didn't know if I was suppose to stay there or return to road. Nice, flat, industrial park section lead to my fastest splits, but the rolling Wildwood Park section took it back (a series of short steep up and downs that are too steep going down to make up for what you lose going up). Oddly enough, upon leaving Wildwood Park as I rounded the corner, I heard the police officer say, "I don't care about them; get the cars moving" as he waved traffic forward. He definitely saw us and was giving the cars the right of way. Fortunately, you could tell the drivers had more sense and they still waited as we crossed the road. Great finish across the bridge. Miles 1- 18 flat, 18 - 21 challenging/rolling, last 5 miles flat except the ramp down to the water and then back up at 25.5 Overall, perhaps 60 - 90 seconds lost to hills. Organization: all seemed good to me. Everyone I spoke to was friendly and genuine, including the usual water stop volunteers who mean well but are busy catering to the early-start walkers instead of getting water ready for runners. An "extra" table at the end of the station where you can pick up your own would solve this problem. Spectators: as mentioned before, the one location provided numerous vantage points. Even some set up with lawn chairs through the industrial park/community college. Definitely more spectators than I expected. Additional: plenty of hotels located within walking distance of start/finish. AND FINALLY, ONLY 20 MINUTES FROM THE HERSHEY FACTORY! A great family conclusion to a great weekend. I recommend it. | |
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M. S. from Pittsburgh, PA
(11/17/2010)
"Interesting mix between small and big" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Harrisburg Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was an interesting race experience in that it had the logistics of a very small race, yet the feel of the course had some of the excitement of a bigger race. It was very nice to be able to pick up the race packet the morning of the race and not even have to wait in a long line. It was nice to have an easy time parking and walking to the starting line and then later back from the finish. On the other hand, there was a decent amount of crowd support at various points during the race, and at points the race almost had a big-city feel to it. While there are flatter courses out there, this still was a relatively flat course. The hills in Wildwood Lake Park the we were warned about really weren't too bad. Yes, they were rather steep, but they were so short that it was almost like a diversion from the rest of the course. The worst hill actually was the climb back onto the bridge after leaving the park just after mile 20. I particularly enjoyed running along the Susquehanna River on a picturesque day, and the bridges over the river were nice too. A few minor negatives: it would have been nice if the packet pick up would last until later than 5:00 p.m. the day before and a small expo would have been nice. Also it seemed that there could have been a bit more festivities at the starting line; I don't think the national anthem was sung which always gets me fired up. Finally a few of the turns from street to street were a bit tricky, having to hop off sidewalks or briefly onto grass, but that wasn't a major problem. Overall, especially for the price, I would highly recommend this race. | |
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J. L. from Toronto, Canada
(11/16/2010)
"A Relaxing, "Stress-Free" Race" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Harrisburg Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 As my first small-city race, it was truly a pleasure. The organization was great and the race instructions were very easy to follow. The course went through some very nice, scenic areas but also through some industrial areas. I loved the hills at miles 18-20 as it broke up the flatness. I didn't mind running on sidewalks or in one lane as there was limited traffic and many police and volunteers. My 1 minor complaint about the course was that the last mile was on the sidewalk right by the water and it was a bit scary. I didn't quite understand why the course shifted there from the main road. Finishing across the bridge was great and I was easily able to find my wife afterward. The post-race food was also great and the best that I have seen to date! Spectators came out at major intersections, which was nice and what I expected. Overall, I am glad that I registered for this one and thoroughly enjoyed the race! Great job, coordinators and volunteers! |
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