May 15, 2024
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Hatfield-McCoy Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Hatfield-McCoy Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.4 
Organization 4.8 
Spectators 3.8
Number of comments: 200 [displaying comments 141 to 151]
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C. R. from Indianapolis, IN
(6/10/2007)
 "Continues to be one of the top marathons" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Hatfield-McCoy Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Dave Hatfield and the locals are some of the nicest folks you'll ever meet. Even though the spectators are few, everyone is very encouraging and genuinely glad you're there. Water and PowerAde were provided at every stop evenly spaced about 1-mile apart. This was one of my slowest runs, but definitely one of my most enjoyable. | |
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M. W. from Tulsa, Oklahoma
(6/10/2007)
"Great Experience!!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Hatfield-McCoy Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 It was hot and the hills got me - mostly because of my own ignorance - but I loved the whole experience. Learning about the feud and that whole area in general was very rewarding. It's neat that - because it starts in KY and ends in WV - the 50 States Club allows us to count it as either state - or both if we run it twice - so I hope to go back (plus run it a whole lot smarter). It's definitely a "must-do" marathon. David Hatfield is a great race director - he also ran the half. We usually don't do the pre-race dinners but attended this one and would highly recommend it to anyone else. If you're looking for a race with a lot of spectators, this is the wrong spot. If you're looking for a flat or downhill course to set a PR, this is the wrong spot for that too. But, if you want a one-of-a-kind experience or need KY or WV on your quest to do all fifty states, this is it!! One other thing we liked is that all the money from the race goes to scholarships for local high school runners. | |
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N. S. from East Coast of the United States
(2/19/2007)
 "Great Marathon!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Hatfield-McCoy Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 It was a great marathon. I can't complain. Food: There were a plenty of vegetarians, who could not eat. I personally prefer vegetarian food myself. You've got to remember that this is an endurance event and we need healthy food. Overall, a very impressive event with great organization. Keep it up! | |
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E. W. from Bay Village, OH
(6/16/2006)
"Friendly & Fun" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Hatfield-McCoy Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Challenging course - the "big" one didn't bother me as much as ongoing rolling hills.... However, I really enjoyed the locale and locals. Many thanks to the volunteers, who stayed for the straggling backpackers, offering ice-cold helping hands. The ice towel massage at the finish really was great - and my legs were back to normal in under 48 hours. Hardest course of the 10 I've completed, but easiest/fastest recovery. People couldn't have been nicer. Plenty of canine spectators, and roosters crowing. My kids found enjoyed the FREE festival activities while mom marathoned. Great job, David and volunteers. | |
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J. E. from Ellicott City, MD
(6/15/2006)
 "Every runner should do this one at least once!" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Hatfield-McCoy Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was an amazing event. I knew from previous comments it would be tough and beautiful. Pasta dinner with homemade cupcakes & brownies, entertainment and door prizes galore. WOW! Where else could you see beautiful vegetable gardens, family cemeteries, a Hawaiian themed wedding, very nice houses, run-down houses, folks fishing in a nearby lake, a sheriff who gently tells you to be careful as he's letting some traffic pass and he waves each time, a woman who brings you the requested scissors so you can slit those too-long shorts, little kids bringing refreshments to you, people sitting on their porches waving to you, golfers whacking balls, a hen and her chicks in the toilet that you wanted to visit, blue feet on the pavement, a young man whistling at you (smiles) and a dog sitting on the roof of a house barking and wishing you well as you run/walk/plod along because you have been up mountains, hills, though gravel, grass and pot holes. Yea, that was almost heaven even it was mostly in KY. And you feel great at the end when all those folks are there to greet you again. Rode the shuttle to take a couple runners from GA back to their plane at the airport up on top of a mountain. Spectacular! It's the toughest and most enjoyable marathon I've done. And the price was so low! I'm trying to do 10 this year so I can join the 50-staters. I'm 65 and just started running/mostly walking fast..this year, so I may not be able to repeat this one for a while. Keep it going Dave, ARH lady and the gang. | |
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R. W. from Chapel Hill NC USA
(6/14/2006)
"Well Organized, Fun Race" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 David Hatfield and his volunteers did a great job at hosting the Half & Full Marathon. It was so well organized -- and the volunteers were so friendly! The locals made the race a lot of fun! We were able to stay in the cabins in Mantwane - normally for ATV'ers. They went out of their way to make sure every thing was nice for us! I would recommend this race to any one intersted in a half or full marathon! | |
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J. S. from Batavia, Illinois
(6/14/2006)
"Enjoyable, challenging and beautiful marathon" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Hatfield-McCoy Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I could not give higher praise for the course, or the volunteers for this marathon. The race route is beautiful and lived up to my expectations for the mountains of West Virginia and Kentucky. There are plenty of water stops, well stocked with hospitable volunteers, water, power aid, bananas, as well as ice sponges and ice-hands to keep us cool in the later miles. The weather was great this year. I do have a few criticisms. The pasta dinner needs to be better organized to move the crowd of people through the buffet lines faster-either control when people can get in line, or move the event outside. It also appeared that seating was not adequate. Runners were asked to show up at the start almost two hours before the gun, which is far too early for a small marathon. Because chip timing was used, there should be no delay or problems with getting the results posted. As of the writing of this, four days after the race, there are still no results posted. The chip timing should be used to figure out overall and age group winners, rather than two people trying to keep track of this by hand as runners come across the finish. This method was disorganized, and led to numerous mistakes with awarding the overall and age group trophies. These small problems aside, I definately recommend this marathon to runners who don't need to have spectators along the entire course, and are able to run a marathon where there are portions where you may be without other runners. This race ranks among the top of my marathon experiences. | |
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J. A. from Down South
(6/14/2006)
 "A challenging adventure in a very historic area!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Overall: Good race for a small town community! Pros: Volunteers #1 Great weather Challenging course Pasta buffet (plenty to eat) Finishers Medal Matewan community Low $$ Entry Fee Sponges Finish line spirit Cons: Trash along the roads took away from the scenic streams Water stations needed between 14 and 18 Suggestions: 1. Start the half marathon course in Matewan --- the Matewan community could provide a 'shoot-out' for the start. 2. Have two seatings for the pre-race meal, 4pm and 6pm, to eliminate the lack of seating at the restaurant. 3. Recruit cheerleaders from local HS, church choirs, etc. to provide encouragement at various locations; a few cheers at 7, 16 and 23 would be great. 4. Provide volunteers at the unmanned road crossings. 5. Evaluate the awards; plastic trophies are a dime a dozen, what about an item that represents the area? wood carving? 6. Provide an alternate to the after-race pork BBQ for the vegetarians that run the race. | |
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Roger Hauge from Excelsior
(6/13/2006)
"Best 35 bucks you'll ever spend!" (about: 2006)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Hatfield-McCoy Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Literally, the early entry fee was just $35 and you get a great pasta dinner, nice t-shirt, aid stations galore, a hot barbeque post race meal and an incredible trophy if you are fortunate enough to win your age group. The Race Director is a saint and the whole atmosphere, including the volunteers, reflect that attitude. You will not find a more welcoming event anywhere in the world of marathoning (this was 118 for me BTW). Yes the course is fairly challenging but not a 'killer' and it is beautiful! We did luck out with cooler than normal weather which helped. You can do this for either a WV or KY on your 50 States quest and I plan to go back in 2007 to do it as KY, finishing my second time around. If there is any downside, it's the lack of hotel accomodations but they can be found in nearby communities. | |
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M. S. from New Jersey
(6/12/2006)
"A Marathoner's Marathon" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Hatfield-McCoy Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 As I told David Hatfield after the marathon, I have run 19 marathons, many in the big cities and would make the Hatfield-McCoy Marathon one that I would come back to rather then most of the big city glamour and glitz, check-off-on-the-life-to-do-list-I-ran-a-marathon, style marathons. This is a marathoner's marathon with a challenging course both mentally and physically but as I told David, quite fair to the runner. Mentally it gets tough because at some points you see no runners in front nor behind you. It is you and the marathon hugged by the embraces of the mountains. It never felt so good to see the next volunteer water stop, primarily because these were people who were gracious enough to stand out in front of their homes for hours on end to hand our water, powerade and frozen hands. Yes, you read that right, frozen hands. At many of the aid stations, due to runners being spaced out, they asked you if you wanted water or powerade but at one, a guy asked me if I wanted a frozen hand. OK, I had to stop for this one because this was the first marathon out of my 19 where I have been asked that question. The frozen hand was a surgical glove filled partially with water and frozen. He told me that I could wear it in my hat. What a great idea for my summer runs! I had a wonderful experience at this marathon. It is not the easiest place to get to (I drove 10 hours from NJ)and hotel rooms are a bit scarce (so book early) but it was well worth the trip. David, thanks to you and the hospitality of all of your volunteers and the people of the area. |
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