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Apr 29, 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 21 to 31]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 20 > ]

D. A. from Kentucky (6/15/2015) "Scenic and Supported" (about: 2015) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Glad that I choose this as my first marathon experience. From the registration to after run events I felt like I was part of a family. The periodic emails and Facebook updates before/after were great. Packet pick-up was easy, spaghetti dinner was tasty, course was picturesque (and difficult at times), start/finish you were greeted by the HM families, a 'shotgun' start, and the support on the course was second to none. Needless to say I plan to run again and will sure enjoy it just as much, if not more.
D. D. from Cincinnati home of the Flying Pig (6/15/2015) "Just plain GREAT" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Hatfield-McCoy Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 They promised 'hills, heat and humidity' and delivered in spades. Terrific upbeat volunteers. To make the heat tolerable they had ice available at the aid stations, what a Godsend. Seeing the dialog skit the night before gave all of the historic markers along the course a context. Beautiful country. Course had quite a bit of shade. Great job y'all.
J. C. from Newport Ky (7/1/2014) "A great experience" (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Hatfield-McCoy Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I've ran this race several times and always enjoy it -yes it's a challange but what marathons are not -the support is great -the 4 wheelers that continue to check on you and the aid stattions are out standing -it got a little warm so the aid stations took on the challenge and had Ice for us -at the finished a ice cold towel was laid on my back for a peice of heaven .As you run along you see a large sign with your name on it to welcome you back and yes I will be back -thanks to everyone
M. M. from Burlington, Ky (6/27/2014) "Best race experience because it was so unique" (about: 2014) 2 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon has been on our radar for years so we finally made it happen. It was such a fun experience and all the people who helped were friendly and supportive. We stayed in the historic Mountaineer hotel in Williamson which was a only a block from the full marathon finish line. I thought the staff and Edna were great at the Mountaineer hotel. They had a nice happy hour after the race with snacks and drinks. I also loved the small town feel of the race with everyone supporting the runners. The folks on their porches waving and cheering were awesome. I loved that Devil & Randall were at the finish line all day until the last runner finished. They also did a great job with the skit at the HS. Just an overall fun unique race that exceeded my expectations. Hats off to David Hatfield and all the others who do such a great job every year to make it bigger and better. Hopefully next year all 50 states will be represented.
L. S. from Maryland (6/23/2014) "Small town charm" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Hatfield-McCoy Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I loved the Hatfield-McCoy tour and history of the town. The course was pretty and challenging. I wish the dirt road part was not all mud but you can't help weather. the suspension bridge scared the crap out of me! But now I wish I would have back tracked and crossed it again. Loved the trains EVERYWHERE except outside my hotel room. I cannot stress enough NOT to stay at the Sweet Inn Suites! Horrible service, horrible rooms. After an hour and a half they still didn't have me checked into the room they charged me for. And you pay EXTRA for a tv! I demanded to be checked out and went to the Sycamore Inn. They had a last minute cancellation. Shame on the fellow runner who demanded I stand behind him in line when I was trying to check out as he arrived must later than me to check in. Hey pal, I had already been there for 90 minutes and STILL not checked in to the proper room. Rooms had coffee makers but no pots, tv with no cable which equals NO stations, no alarm clocks, and they offered wake up calls but no phone in the room! I guess they planned to bang on my door at o'dark thirty.
Mike Smith from U.S. WV (6/23/2014) "Great Marathon" (about: 2014) 4-5 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 4th Marathon and it ranks right up there with the Air Force Marathon in Dayton. Blackberry hill wasn't that hard but there is a little hill around mile marker 23 that puts a hurt on ya. Water stops were everywhere with all kinds of fruit. Half way point was in a little town of Matewan, WV which was were my college room mate was from. He was kidding when he said it was a small town. Great race....
S. C. from Oregon (6/22/2014) "Tough but with it" (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Hatfield-McCoy Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I was running with a local who said this is rated the 14th hardest marathon in the world. I didn't believe him so I looked it up. Low and behold, it is. However, it is VERY doable. I should know, I've done 80 marathons in the last 4 years. The support is amazing. They take a lot of pride in this event and it shows. When is the last time you got to the finish line and two guys were standing there with shotguns? Maybe one of the best finishing photos anywhere! Great time.
Martha Scarberry from Grundy, Virginia (6/18/2014) "Great marathon!" (about: 2014) 4-5 previous marathons \| 3 Hatfield-McCoy Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This year (2014) was my third Hatfield McCoy marathon and it was great as always! It is so much fun! The t-shirts were beautiful. So were the finisher medals. I love that there are many water stops and porta potties. There is highway and dirt and gravel paths that run through the woods. There is sun and shade. This marathon has it all! Blackberry mountain doesn't scare me at all. It's a great challenge and a little something different from just running on level road all the time. Since I live here in the mountains, I think it's pretty cool to have a marathon in the mountains, practically in my back door. You meet and talk to some interesting people along the route. A great big thanks to all the volunteers, the water stop workers, the people who cheer you at the finish line, Dave, the Randall and Anse actors, law enforcement officers, and all those I have failed to mention.
T. W. from Indianapolis, IN (6/17/2014) "A Runner's Race" (about: 2014) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Hatfield-McCoy Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was a wonderful experience. The course is breathtaking. I find it hard to believe that there is a more beautiful course in the eastern United States. It was very challenging but definitely conquerable (I actually PR'ed here). David Hatfield and the rest of the community take a real sense of ownership of the event and it shows. Pros 1. Challenging, scenic course. 2. Small race that is run like a major. Very efficient packet pickup and all of the amenities one would expect. 3. Runners race. Not a lot of one-and-done walkers to avoid. Most people are there because they simply love to run. 4. Parking is at the finish line and the shuttle service to the start is easy and efficient. 5. More than enough port-o-lets and water stops. I think I skipped two water stops feeling like they were too close to the previous one, but can only think of one small stretch where I felt like it had been too long. 6. Finish line and post-race area were fun and relaxing. Plenty of snacks and wet towels. They also had massage tables and PT stations set up. 7. Results were available online almost immediately. 8. They provided access to showers after the race. This was one of my favorite parts. 9. The local volunteer fire departments provide an opportunity to stay there for a minimal cost while providing all of the basics that a hotel would (towels, sheets, etc.). 10. As a US history buff, I enjoyed the way they tied the history of the feud into the event. Cons 1. The suspension bridge is brutal. I would recommend walking it. It's only about 30 yards, but that's 30 too far for a wooden trampolene. 2. Expect little to no cellular reception in or around the city. I use AT&T. I literally had 0 bars from the middle of Kentucky on. Luckily, I had handwritten the directions ahead of time. Also, GPS tracking apps will not work on the course (at least using ATT). Both Nike+ and RunKeeper only lasted through the first 4.5 miles. Hatfield said that Verizon is king in that area, so perhaps their coverage is significantly better. Just something to be made aware of. In closing, I will definitely run this race again. If you are pursuing 50 in 50, you can do it twice and count it for both WV and KY. Just a great time.
K. H. from Baton Rouge, LA (6/16/2014) "A Must Run Marathon" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Hatfield-McCoy Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I just finished this marathon and I was very pleased! However, it took forever to get to this beautiful humble location in the mountains. The 'Expo' was at a local high school. We were welcomed with Randal and Devil standing at the door posing for pictures. Once inside, we stood in line for just a few minutes to get my bib number and then on to get a nice red white and blue tech shirt. Onward we went around to some local merchants selling locally made items and then on to the High School cafeteria for the included pasta dinner. I brought additional meals for my family so be prepared and have cash on-hand if you want extra meal tickets. It was a tasty meal! The next day we traveled to the start line for 6 AM. This is where things got a little unorganized. If they had a louder PA System then it might have helped keep things a little more orderly. The start line was basically the entire Food City's parking lot. The shotgun start could barely be heard. I knew the race started when I saw runners heading out to the road. They had an automated timing system but everyone's time started at the time of the shotgun not when you crossed the start line. The course was amazing! I run as much as I can on various surfaces. The beauty of this course is that runs on asphalt, concrete, some gravel, some mud, little bit of grass, and even across a wonderful wood plank bridge. Most of the time I just felt as though I was running at home even though this is not a flat course! I run 99% of the time almost at sea level and I did not have a problem with going up the two large inclines. Coming down the hills were more of a challenge. My advice is for you to try and keep your regular pace coming down. There are small rolling hills throughout but they felt good to me having a change under my feet. I do not know how I did it but I actually accomplished a person record on this course! The true beauty of this race is their mission. They just want people to run and have a good time. They could not have done a better job accomplishing this mission in my eyes. I saw runners of all ages, shapes and sizes, truly amazing! It takes a lot of courage and a few life changes to train for a marathon or half marathon. I saw an army of smiling and cheering volunteers all over the course helping every runner get to the finish line. God bless the volunteers that make these races a great success! Thank you! I highly recommend this marathon!

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