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May 16, 2024

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 171 to 181]

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John Kissane from Athens, Georgia (6/16/2004) "Uniquely Challenging" (about: 2004) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Hatfield-McCoy Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 You won?t run a PR or find a glitzy pre-race expo here, so look elsewhere if those are your primary interests. But if you want a well-organized event on a demanding -- though not ridiculously difficult -- course that's a true slice of Americana, this one should not be missed. What?s ridiculous is the low entry fee, which includes a Friday evening pasta dinner (complete with a humorous Hatfield-McCoy skit, Tug Valley Road Runners Club scholarship presentations to area high school track athletes, and a Q & A session with Race Director David Hatfield) as well as a colorful t-shirt, beautiful finisher?s medal and more. Plus the marathon course crosses back-and-forth between Kentucky and West Virginia several times and the scenery is almost always beautiful. Given the race is in mid-June in the heart of Appalachia, humidity is to be expected, but the course offers lots of shade with no long stretches in the hot sun. Starting in Goody, Kentucky, the route begins with 2 miles of gradual downhill, but just past the tiny coal town of Toler a steep uphill serves as a warning of things to come. The grade relaxes but runners continue climbing from 2.5 to 6.5 ? not too tough ? and then the final climb over Blackberry Mountain is a grind. From 7.25 to the halfway point it?s all downhill or flat but one must avoid going full-bore or there?ll be a price to pay later. Historic Matewan, West Virginia, is the half-marathon finish while full-marathoners loop through the small downtown area and head back out for several scenic miles along the Kentucky side of the Tug River. It?s pleasantly rolling from 13.1 to 18 but the one-lane road eventually changes from pavement to gravel and dirt, so if it?s wet (like this year) you?ll do some jumping around to avoid mud puddles. Right at 18 miles runners enter a golf course and cross an interesting swinging bridge into West Virginia. A mile or so later it?s across the Tug River once again and back into Kentucky. From 20 to the finish the road surface is excellent and the terrain is again moderately rolling, but there?s one painful descent followed by a final demanding uphill in mile 24; the last couple miles are thankfully flat. Runners cross the Tug into West Virginia a few blocks before the finish in downtown Williamson. Race Director David Hatfield acknowledges he has lots of help from the Tug Valley Road Runners and other volunteers, and it?s true the frequent aid stations are staffed with helpful folks who enjoy being out there supporting the runners. But David must be among the hardest-working marathon directors in the USA and takes everything in stride. Having grown from 15 marathon finishers in 2000 (year one) to well over 200 this year, the event has been a real plus for an area that needs economic stimulation. Factor in the accompanying half-marathon and the total number of participants in 2004 was close to 400. Limited accommodations in Williamson and adjacent towns mean one must really plan ahead or settle for staying up to an hour?s drive away, and you?ll probably run 10-20 minutes slower than on a ?normal? course. But the feuding is long over and folks could not be friendlier, so by all means give Hatfield-McCoy a try!
Laurence Macon from San Antonio, Texas (6/14/2004) "How can a hot, humid, hilly marathon be fun?" (about: 2004) 50+ previous marathons \| 2 Hatfield-McCoy Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Especially if hilly is an understatement? Great Race Director: David Hatfield. Great Community: All the people in Williamson, Goody and the neighboring towns knew about and appreciated the marathon. Gorgeous Scenery. Great Water Stops: Virtually all 24 water stops had water, PowerAde, bananas, Gu and encouraging people.
David Terrill, Sr. from Tarentum, Pa. (6/14/2004) "I'm already planning on returning next year" (about: 2004) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Hatfield-McCoy Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 The course was in good shape in spite of all the heavy rainfall that hammered this area for the past 2 weeks. Footing got a bit 'iffy' on the gravel section between miles 16 & 18, with a lot of standing water and mud to pick your way through, compliments of the Friday evening downpours. We got the race and awards ceremony completed before the next deluge swamped the area again. But hey, it's springtime in the Appalachians, so you'll have that. Traffic was light, but I don't like running on the right side with traffic at my back. The climb between miles 6 & 7 is for real, and it doesn't take any pity on anybody who isn't prepared. Even more punishing is the downhill after the crest. It is steep and long and will beat the quads into submission if you're not careful or well prepared. A great '1-2' punch early in the run. The sheer beauty of the landscape makes this run really enjoyable. Hills, hollows, streams, plenty of shade along the way. Not many spectators, but the scenery made up for that as well. The 'Swingin' Bridge' river crossing on the golf course was very unique. Pretty steep approach and departure ramps. Gotta be cautious of the footing here. The last major obstacle to conquer is another punishing descent just past 23. Much shorter than the Blueberry Mountain descent, but capable of abusing muscles that are already spent. I drove the course in the rain Friday after package pickup, and I'm glad I did. I knew when to push, hold back, how bad the gravel section footing would be, what was coming around the next bend. No surprises. I even had company for a mile after my partner pulled away. A stray tan puppy joined me at the 19 mile water stop, and tried to trip me up about a dozen times till I shook her at the 20 mile stop. An hour after I finished, here she comes, trotting along beside runners, right across the finish line like she owned it! My wife fell in love with her, but with 3 at home, we really didn't need another. Most of the fluid stations had folks who were into it and had cups held out. No complaints there. Drinks were cool and clean. The roast pork and fixin's were first rate. My thanks to all the generous sponsors and to David Hatfield and his staff for organizing a fun, friendly, challenging marathon. I enjoyed this better than many 'concrete jungle' marathons I've done. The scenery on the drive from Pikeville, where we stayed, was nothing short of awesome. I'd like to see those hills and hollows in the fall. Hey Dave, how about running that course in reverse in October?
Rrrick Karampatsos from China Grove, NC (6/13/2004) "A must-run marathon!" (about: 2004) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Hatfield-McCoy Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my second year to run this one. Yes, it is not easy, but it is so well organized from the night before with its great supper and show, the course (lots of drinks and treats), and one of the best finish line crews. Well, if you missed it -- then you missed it! Well worth the drive to get to it; make sure to call ahead early for a room!
G. T. from Kentucky (5/12/2004) "A challenge but worth it" (about: 2003) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Hatfield-McCoy Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The course is challenging, but that makes completing it all the more rewarding. I placed in my age group and the Race Director was kind enough to mail my trophy... thanks. This is one I would like to do again.
Connie Montana from Pennsylvania (4/12/2004) "Worth Doing for the Sheer Fun of It" (about: 2003) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Hatfield-McCoy Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I ran this one in 2003, and truly enjoyed it. The course is somewhat demanding, changing from pavement to rocky road, to pavement again. A couple of the hills were a bit challenging too. I ended up winning my age group though, and was not well trained for it, so anyone who has been doing their long runs can make this one. Scenery is pretty with lots of Appalachian charm for you. Well organized, lots of aid stations, friendly volunteers, and generally just a good time. Sat with the Race Director, David Hatfield, later in the evening to listen to a bluegrass band. Ate fish and collard greens for $5 at a local restaurant. Life can be simple and sweet after all!
Rick Karampatsos from China Grove, NC (12/3/2003) "This one is a must!" (about: 2003) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 During this marathon you will do just about everything from hills, bridges, golf course, through small towns and I could go on and on. You must attend the supper the night before with their skits and stories. Truly a fun time. I got hurt and was helped to finish - truly a great effort by all.
D. d. from FLORIDA (6/19/2003) "Challenging Course" (about: 2003) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 The race start instructions are in hillbilly dialect. The course was certified usin' the most modern form of measurement, the speedometer of a Dodge pick'em-up truck. Not sure how accurate the course was. It seemed like it took forever for mile marker 19 to show up. If the course is long, the Hatfields are to blame. Overall this is a good fun race to do. The race is a great value: $25 whether you register early or late, and for $25, a nice pasta dinner is served the night before the race, with a skit about the Hatfields and McCoys. There was a raffle at the pasta dinner, but the pasta dinner went from 6-10 pm and I'd left about after an hour or so, not sure exactly what time they did the raffle. Couldn't stick around too long because I had to drive 40 minutes back to Pikeville for accommodations. Accommodations at the race start are limited, so you better plan early for this race. I'd suggest next year drawing race numbers at random and posting the winning numbers at the finish lines. If you are flying in for this race, you can either fly into Charleston, WV or Lexington, KY. The drive is longer from Lexington, but the airfare prices were cheaper from Lexington as well. I heard there were floods around Charleston, and not much to see along the way. If you fly into Lexington, stop at Natural Bridge Park along the way. Now there wasn't much food at the finish except bananas, but what you expect for $25 and a pasta dinner the night before? They also give you a nice t-shirt and a towel with the fee. Aid along the course was great with one exception: they were giving out Sunny Delight, in addition to Powerade and water. I don't know too many runners who train on Sunny Delight - we got plenty of sun at the end of the course as it was getting hot. This is historically a warm marathon, so the 7 am start is kind of late. Organizers should consider starting at 6 or 6:30 am next year (wasn't even that dark out at 6 am). Now one fellow said he was being chased by some damn dogs. I saw the 3 dogs; they were probably some McCoy dogs, and he was a Hatfield, so that is why he was being chased. These were nice dogs; they actually ran with me when I got to the bottom of the big, big hill after hitting the mile-23 mark. Those dogs ran with me and some other runners for a good 2 miles, so it was a good distraction.
G. C. from Lincoln NE (6/17/2003) "Excellent Challenge" (about: 2003) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 If you're looking for a moderately challenging course and environment, this may be the marathon for you. Banked roads, hills (with a couple of steep descents), a couple of rain showers to add weight to the shoes (but cooling to the skin), various surface conditions, lots of humidity, very good water-stop support with one every mile as promised, an interesting view of the rural coal country, blue sky and sunshine in which to complete the race, some right friendly folks along the way, and the beautiful forest and mountains for a distraction. And for you 50-staters, it can be West Virginia or Kentucky. I gave spectators just two stars only because the course offers few areas where they are able to congregate, and not because those who were out there weren't enthusiastic and supportive.
Tommy Neeson from Virginia Beach, VA (6/16/2003) "That hurts!" (about: 2003) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 If you want to find out what you're made of in terms of being a marathon runner, then the Hatfield-McCoy Marathon is the one for you. This course is tough. It is everything one would expect from a country marathon, including roosters cheering you on. This marathon makes Boston's hills at Heartbreak seem like child's play. After the climb up the mountain between 6 and 7, the second half of the race features narrow dirt and gravel roads. A small trek through a golf course with a wavy bridge adds to the charm and challenge of this race. There was plenty of water and the course was pretty easy to follow (they had big blue foot prints on the road). This year (2003), we were graced with a light rain storm, which helped keep the temps down and was very refreshing. Congrats to David and the others involved in putting on a great, tough race. My suggestion for next year is to have some food at the finish, although seeing as they were hoping to get 150 runners and wound up with over double that number, it was well put-together. Forget your Bostons and Chicagos and New Yorks; get on board and run the Hatfield-McCoy Marathon!

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