The Mount Desert Island Marathon course is awesome. I normally do not take much interest in the scenery in a marathon but running this course you have no choice. The numerous mountains, ocean views, lake views, quaint villages and foliage seen during this race were as good as it gets. I was concerned vehicle traffic may be an issue because most of the roads were open. The flat shoulders on these roads were much better than any that I train on and all tight areas were coned off to keep marathoners segregated from vehicle traffic. The majority of the vehicle traffic was filled with cars cheering marathoners along. This is the first marathon I have done with walkers getting a one-hour early start and I liked this format. I enjoyed cheering for and receiving cheers from the early starters. The spectators lining the course were not like many of the big-time marathons, but I swear I could hear screaming fans from a mile away at several points. This reminded me of others memorable moments such as getting close to Wellesley College at Boston and entering Manhattan at NYC's 1st Avenue. Yes, this course is tough, and now I feel tough for having conquered it. Thank you very much to the race organizers and the volunteers for a job well done. Put this marathon on your calendar for next fall.

This is an amazing marathon. Small-town charm with excellent course, mile markers, water/Gu, spectators, views, timing services, massages, t-shirts, and most of all hills. The hills were a brutal assault on the mind. However, if you train you can conquer this marathon easily. I didn't start to lock up until 23-24 and by that time I had enough in the bank to qualify for Boston. Just a great race in a great location. Now it's time to hike to the top of Cadillac Mnt.

Beautiful fall colors, coastlines, harbors, etc. You don't notice the long hills when you have all that beautiful scenery to soak in. I made a week vacation of this and stopped at places along the coast before finishing in Bar Harbor for the last 3 days, but you could easily spend a few days just hiking around Acadia National Park.

Pasta feed was good, and guest speaker Dick Beardsley was entertaining even to my non-running girlfriend. Could have provided perhaps a little more food post-race (like more stuff with blueberries - it's Maine after all). The 10-minute massage times were enforced by changing tables en masse. (Fair way to do it, but I would have preferred 15 minutes or more - who wouldn't?) Beautiful awards for the top finishers in each age group. T-shirt and medal design were very attractive (good enough that they just change the year number and keep everything else the same).

Odd thing about this race: They let walkers start 1 hour before the marathoners on the same course. This did not present a problem, and it was kind of interesting to see how far some of them got before I passed them.

This was one of the most enjoyable races I've ever completed. My time was about 15 minutes slower than my previous marathon (3:05) but given the size and frequency of the hills I'm not too disappointed with the result. This is definitely a very challenging race, even more so if you do not train sufficiently on hills, and not a marathon someone should use to try to qualify for Boston. The overall weekend was fantastic. Every aspect of the race from the expo to the showers at the finish was well run. Acadia National Park is beautiful even during the rain and all the residents on MDI were extremely nice and helpful. We are already looking forward to a great weekend getaway next October. I would definitely recommend this race to someone who is looking for a challenging, beautiful, relaxed, well run marathon and who is not most concerned about their finishing time.

Simply a fantastic experience. The scenery is INCREDIBLE.... Truly beautiful. Gary (race director) is very 'hands-on' and organized. The course was hilly, but I completed the marathon as a walker without difficulty. The weather was chilly for my southern bones, but it was all part of the experience. The Acadia National Park was beautiful.... The ocean vistas were stunning. Supporters were encouraging and helpful. The course was VERY WELL MARKED. The pasta dinner was actually very good.... And Dick Beardsley spoke. How could you go wrong!? Don't miss this fabulous marathon opportunity. Thanks, Gary and all, for an incredible journey!

This was my 1st marathon and MDI was a terrific challenge. The race was VERY well organized and the staff were the best. The weather did not cooperate with downpours of rain and gale winds. The crowd support is almost non-existent but the people who were there were awesome. Plenty of hills to traverse and when you finish you know you've made a great accomplishment.

MDI is a spectacular course. The scenery is fantastic, the route is challenging, and the volunteers are wonderful. From rocky cliffs over the ocean, to quiet harbors with sleepy fishing boats, to beautiful inland ponds and small towns, there's everything to love about the race. This is one marathon where the journey truly is its own reward. I plan to keep coming back year after year.

We stand there with our hands on our hearts
Listening to our anthem play,
And soon after that the gun goes off
Which send us on our way.

Miles roll by and I'll meet a few
Runners from across our land,
We chat about our past results
And today's hopes and plans.

But sooner or later as it always does
In the race we've decided to run,
We spend our time within ourselves
As we labor in the sun.

But in MDI don't spend too long
Looking deep inside,
For you don't want to miss too many views
As your steps move you (quickly?) by.

A rainbow, the mountains, the harbor's boats,
Will all help ease your pain,
Not to mention the heartfelt cheers
Of the great folks of Maine.

So yes indeed the course is tough
But these sights will surely endear,
Send in your app and log your miles
And I'll see you up there this year.

You read it right. I was a solid last place, taking 8 1/2 hours. The advertising said no time-limit, so it looked like a safe bet for my estimated 7 hours. I had done two 20-milers in the previous 3 weeks with zero problems.

At mile 10 my right knee started to ache so bad I had to just walk fast, which was okay on the flats and uphill, but when I got to the first downhill, it hurt so bad I tried walking backwards. That worked for a few minutes until the first car went by! I discovered if I rotated my foot to the right about 45 degrees, I could hobble at a good clip. By now the water stops were cups left on the shoulder, but boy they helped.

The worst moment was at the famous tree at mile 14. I could see to the end of the fjord the town marking the 20-mile point, and to my left the finish at the 26th mile. At mile 15 I discovered if I stopped, then both legs really, really hurt, and getting moving again took several minutes. The sun began setting and the wind howled across the lake making me hypothermic, but only for the last 3 hours.

At 26 miles I could see the finish but I was in such bad shape I could not hobble over the sidewalk curbs, and they had handicap ramps! I seriously considered crawling the last 100 feet. A big factor in going all the way was knowing that Gary Allen said he would wait there, no matter how long it took me. He and my wife stretched a ribbon for me to shiver through into the waiting space blankets.

Every single painful step brought beautiful scenery. My first marathon at 62 years was full of every possible experience. This is the most beautiful place in the world for a marathon. Many many thanks for all the water and Gu left out for the straggler from Kent, Washington.

Boy, those hills just did not stop. The race info told us what to expect, and finishing it was the greatest accomplishment over the previous 17 marathons I have run. I had to focus so much that I missed much of the scenery, but stayed a few days to go back and enjoy it. I think this is what a marathon should be--very hard and one that makes you leave everything on the course. It was all about the run.