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May 1, 2024

Hyannis Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Hyannis Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.0

Organization 3.5

Spectators 2.7

Number of comments: 98 [displaying comments 41 to 51]

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Kenny Rogers from Fairhaven, Ma (2/28/2008) "Great winter marathon/training for Boston." (about: 2008) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Hyannis Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The weather was outstanding this year. Course is a lot of fun; interesting with all the other races going on. You get a good applause from the spectators for going out on the 2nd loop. Great post-race party at Harry's Blues Bar, with band and dancing.
J. R. from Sutton, MA (2/25/2008) "A fine, New England, winter marathon." (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Hyannis Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon, and I was able to break 4 hours, which I was very pleased with. It is a 2-loop course and there are a lot of people to cheer you on for the first time around, but as the larger half-marathon field finishes, it gets really quiet and spacious out there. There is plenty of water and Gatorade along the way, so I was very pleased with the support. It's a pretty flat course for the most part - the hills looked steeper the 2nd time around, but it was all in my head! Overall, a great experience for my first marathon.
Bill Smith from Douglas, MA (2/27/2007) "A Nice, Small Marathon" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Hyannis Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was the nicest weather you can expect for a marathon in February. Temps in the mid to upper 30's and sunny. The expo is one of those no-frills expos. It had everything you needed if you had forgotten something, but overall it was small. But I liked it. I was there on Saturday at about 3 p.m. Not busy at the time and Bill Rodgers was there signing. I did go into the expo on Sunday morning and noticed it to be very crowded for people picking up there bibs. In the hallway is where most of the items are for sale. I would recommend they move this into the ballroom for race-day, or at least move some of the small exhibitors so people can walk in the hallway. Course: I drove the course the day before and found it to be mostly flat. I did see a few hills along the way but nothing compared to my training that I had been doing. In my first lap (2 laps for marathoners) I still found the course to be mostly flat and I was cruising. At least 3-4 people complained to me on the first loop that the course was hilly. I didn't agree at the time. On the second loop I found out why they were complaining. None of the hills are steep but they can take a toll on you. I found them to be very descreet but more noticeable on the second loop. Still, I did PR and was pleased with my time. People: You run with people who are running the marathon, 1/2 marathon, 10K, and marathon relay. As you all know you need to run your race and don't worry about non-marathoners. This didn't bother me at all. First-mile advice: In every marathon we all know that the first mile can be really slow. If you are in the middle of the pack(9[9-minute mile group) and really want to get up to speed in that first mile, run on the sidewalk. After you clear the Sheraton there are sidewalks, and I was able to run on this for awhile with other people trying to get up to pace. Crowd: The crowd was the smallest I have seen for a marathon for my previous 3. That was ok with me. They were out there and cheering you on at differnt points. Any questions, feel free to contact me.
R. H. from NH (2/26/2007) "Great run; poor post-race spread for a marathon" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Hyannis Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Runner-friendly course. The first loop was crowded with the 10K runners, marathoners and half-marathoners, but not so much that you couldn't run. Second loop was nice and quiet. That said, I finished in well under four hours for the marathon - neither blazing fast nor ridiculously slow - and the post-race spread consisted of oranges, bananas, bagels and water. Maybe the other marathons have spoiled me though. I wouldn't not run this race, but I likely wouldn't run it again.
Scott Graham from Boston area (2/26/2007) "Flat and fast" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Hyannis Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I came to this race to help a friend qualify for Boston. There was no wind and the temp. was about 35 at the start. The course was flat, with one real hill at 5 and 18 (two-loop course). Then again, the hill was only 30 seconds long. My buddy didn't get his time, but he will always remember this race. I was amazed at the number of people out on the streets watching the race. I only had 2 small issues. First, at the finish line there was nobody there to help you get your chip off. Second, there was nothing hot to eat. Still I consider this to be a great race.
B. C. from Worcester, MA (4/11/2006) "Hats Off to Hyannis" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Hyannis Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Or should I say, keep your hat on? Whew, what a cold day for a fast run. I must admit, it was a bit sadistic to see all the faces of the runners before the start with their high anxiety over the temps in the teens. Even waking up I laughed as the flags on the nearby golf course bent sideways in the wind. After a few gulps, it was off to meet Mother Nature of New England. By far, this is marathoning for the memory books. Why would anyone want a routine day when you can have blustery Feburary winds for Hyannis and 92 degree weather for Boston...all within one hour of your home? Never fear the weather in Hyannis...the course is runner friendly and easy enough for management. I enjoyed sharing the road with the 1/2 marathoners then running in solitude for the finish. I visit this race each year and alternate the 1/2 one year and the full the next. The kids loved the hotel pool the night before. Add this race to your circut. It really helps breaking up the winter training and its easier to manage than the MV-20 (no ferries). Paul has improved the race organization each year....I can't wait to see how far he goes in 2007. The post race food was a runner's buffet with all the fixin's. See you in 2007!
R. M. from Old Town, Maine (3/2/2006) "Hyannis Marathon: very nice winter marathon." (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Hyannis Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran the Hyannis Marathon 4 weeks after running the Miami Marathon. Talk about a change of weather. Miami was 70's and Hyannis was subzero with the wind chill. I ran 3:23, which was 16 minutes faster than Miami. I would recommend this race to anyone and believe this is a very good race at which to set a PR. I took this as a long training run because I am running for Boston in April. I ran Austin Freescale, NYC, Boston and Miami in the last 12 months and despite the cold weather enjoyed this race as much as any other marathon that I have completed. Thanks, Paul, for a very well organized race. I appreciate your getting me in this race on very short notice. I ran this race with with Under Armour tights and shirt along with light hat and gloves and had no trouble with the cold temps. It was also a very windy day but most of the wind was crosswind and did not seem to have much of an effect on the overall run.
T. R. from Boston MA (3/1/2006) "I qualified for Boston here" (about: 2006) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Hyannis Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran Hyannis in 2006 as my second marathon and qualified for Boston. It is a flat, very fast double loop course with great volunteers. I ran Hyannis as my first 1/2 marathon the year before and it is still my PR after three other 1/2 marathons. Much of the course is very pretty, though I'd say the prettiest parts (by the water) also tend to be the windiest. The race has a big 1/2 marathon field, so full marathoners notice a big dropoff in the number of runners after they pass the halfway mark - at times I couldn't see any other runners in front of me. After that, it becomes a very personal race, though the volunteers and occasional groups of spectators are very encouraging. This is real New England running - it's winter, it's cold, and it's on the Cape, so don't bother to read the weather forecast, just bring a wide variety of running gear with you on the day. When I arrived in 2006, it was snowing pretty hard, but by the time the race started, the sun was out, and although it was windy and temps were in the mid-20s, the sun and snow plows had cleared the roads. Many people complained about the wind (supposedly gusting to 25 mph), but I found that it probably helped more than hurt, since it was more often at my back than head-on. Both '05 and '06 were sunny and cold - what more could you hope for? Probably the only drawback to this race is the traffic, especially after the 2-hour mark (the race goes off at 10 a.m.). The volunteers and police do a good job, but the route is not closed to traffic. On the first loop, the runners tend to cause minor traffic jams that you then have to squeeze past, and on the second loop, when the field has thinned, cars tend to speed by a little too close for comfort. That said, if you're looking for a last-chance qualifier for Boston, or a nice, quiet personal marathon, this is a great place to do it. I recommend the half marathon too.
A. L. from New York, NY (2/27/2006) "Course neither flat nor fast" (about: 2006) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Hyannis Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 The website describes the course as "paved and mostly flat with a few rolling areas ideal for a late winter/early spring PR." This is hogwash, except for the "paved" part. While the course wasn't as hilly as, say, the Boston Marathon, there were pretty sizable hills (both uphill and downhill) scattered throughout the course. The course reminded me of running in Central Park: narrow, winding, hilly (both uphills and downhills), which was a shame, because I train/race in Central Park very often and was looking for a race that was a bit flatter. Along the beach areas the wind whips up rather fast, and depending where you are on the course, you can either be running into a mean headwind or have a good tailwind at your back. For this year, the winds were so fierce earlier in the day that there was talk of cancelling the marathon and half marathon (and only running the 10K) because there were 40+ mph wind gusts. All that said, I did manage to PR by over a minute (I ran the half marathon) and people do PR and BQ on the marathon course. This just isn't a fast course and it is unforgiving for runners who don't pace themselves conservatively in the first half of it (this advice applies to the half and full marathon). Also, the roads are not closed off to traffic. This wasn't a problem for the majority of the course, but for a mile or so, we had to run in single file on the highway, right next to cars zooming by us. It was unsettling but didn't affect my time/pace at all (although it made passing people on this part of the course difficult). Volunteers were sparse but enthusiastic. Water stations were at every mile. Mile markers were white, small and blended in with the snow, but if you knew what they looked like, they were spottable. The end of the course is a bit odd - you make a sharp turn into the Sheraton parking lot, and you go up a steep hill for about 30 feet. A bit dodgy if you like kicking into your finish. That said, the highlight of the race is the post-race party. There's free food and a cash bar at the Sheraton (I recommend you stay here if you're running this race - both the start, finish, and pre- and post-race festivities are here). The expo featured free beer. This is a very hassle-free marathon if you manage to get a room at the Sheraton. Also, there are very few marathoners as compared to half marathoners. The women's winner of the marathon doesn't break 3 hours in most years, so if you're a fast (but not elite) marathoner who wants to be competitive place-wise, this might be a good marathon to pick up some hardware. Overall, this seems like a good race for people who don't mind a few hills, twists, and turns set in a pretty landscape (although if you're focusing on the race, you'll never notice the Kennedy Compound and the other attractions that we allegedly run by, but that I happened to miss). It's not for people who need teeming throngs cheering them on, people looking to set an aggressive PR, or people who get bothered by the cold or other inclement weather (it's late winter in New England, it can be sunny and 50, cloudy and 10, or rainy/snowy and 32).
Kim Robinson from Portage, Michigan (3/12/2005) "Good Small-Town Marathon!" (about: 2005) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Hyannis Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Well organized event, nice expo, Bill Rogers was a plus. The concern coming into the marathon was the weather, as it is always a bit unpredicable in New England. Using a ten-day forecast, weather conditions for race day went all over the map. Eventually the wind controlled the race blowing from 15-25 mph constantly while in the mid to high 20's during the race. Drained the marathon runners in the last half. The real heros, however, are the volunteers who year-after-year brave the conditions for 5-6 hours and provide outstanding support and encouragement! Thanks!! Good job Hyannis!

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