May 16, 2024
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☰
Mount Desert Island marathon Runner Comments
Back to Mount Desert Island marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.8 
Organization 4.8 
Spectators 4.1
Number of comments: 155 [displaying comments 141 to 151]
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M. W. from Vermont
(10/29/2003)
 "MDI delivers on its promises" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a great throwback marathon, offering a tough course, amenities that are modest in scope but of excellent quality, gorgeous scenery, and easy logistics. The course will find your weak points, but I was surprised at how many fast times it yielded in ideal conditions, including mine. I had no desire to go after my flat-course PR, but I came within seconds of my second-best time despite battling a foot problem. My favorite parts of the course were the side roads around 10k, then just past halfway. I struggled most with the crowned road and broken pavement between 17-20, a stretch made more challenging by a couple of big hills and my aching foot. Overall, the course wears on you, but if you're well prepared and like hills, you'll love it and be able to run a respectable time. The hills in the last 10k made it tougher than Boston, but otherwise I thought it was in the same ballpark. The amenities were first-rate. I waited a total of about a minute in line for two pre-race visits to the Port-a-Potties. The start area was plenty big enough with no crowding. The on-course spectator and aid-station support was sparse but good. The long-sleeve t-shirt and finisher's medal are beautiful. Best of all may have been the free massage at the finish -wonderful! My one hope for the future: some more traffic control. The last 9 miles would be greatly improved by road or lane closures on those busy roads. I don't know if it's possible to do, but I hope so. A lot of drivers seemed aggressive and impatient out there, and by the end of the race I had no patience for them either - not the safest of situations! | |
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Dave Cohn from Buffalo Grove, Illinois
(10/28/2003)
"One tough mother - but a great race" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Scenic, hilly and a lot of fun. Great organization by Gary and Randy Allen. Do some hill work before coming here but be prepared for a fun, challenging course. A must do for every marthoner. | |
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Julie Hill-Warner from Daytona Beach, FL
(10/27/2003)
"Awesome race, great organizers, enthusiastic fans!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I love small marathons & I couldn't wait to go back to run this one in my hometown. The temperature was perfect, the scenery is so distracting that you don't notice the miles flying by, and the volunteers cheering you on... a great time! I broke my previous PR (set at Tampa, FL) by 21 minutes on this course! It is VERY hilly and challenging, but worth every effort! As time goes by, this marathon will only get better. Thanks Gary for finally giving us a race in Mount Desert Island!!!! | |
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David Schuster from Chicago, IL
(10/27/2003)
"Beautiful and Challenging Race" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my 6th marathon and my first really hilly one. After driving the route the day before I was thoroughly intimidated. It is a very scenic and beautiful course; however, it also has an abundance of hills. Bottom line is it is a challenging course but fair, the people are very friendly and the organization was great. I would recommend to anyone, but make sure you do your hill training before you try it. | |
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Dave Vallett from Vermont, USA
(10/24/2003)
 "Scenic, tough course; well-organized race" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was a beautiful course to run. The start and finish had some long hills, but the scenery provided a great backdrop. The race is well organized and the spectators, while sparse, were enthusiastic. The only negatives are the road traffic, which is not much but once in a while a little unnerving, and the heavy camber or slope on the road and broken pavement and rough shoulders in some sections. But all in all a great weekend, a great race, and a good time. | |
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Peter Aucoin from Dedham,ME
(10/23/2003)
 "Well organized race, beautiful, challenging course" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Very challenging course, just as advertised. But a marathon should be that way. The course also lived up to its billing as probably one of the most scenic courses I've run. I was actually headed for a PR until the final hills at 22-23 miles caught up with me. The race was well run and the spectator support was enthusiastic, but a little light. If you're looking for a scenic marathon and not a PR, then I would highly recommend this one. | |
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Marc Sopher from Stratham, NH
(10/23/2003)
 "The most scenic, well-organized marathon " (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the inaugural MDI Marathon in '02 and enjoyed it so much I returned to do it again in '03. Gary Allen, the race director, has done a spectacular job once more. The organization and support are terrific. By getting all of the details right, Gary has made the MDI an outstanding marathon experience. The course winds scenically across the island, through Acadia National Park, at peak foliage. While it is a very hilly, demanding course, the beautiful scenery will keep you moving. | |
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Maria LeMieux from Lafayette, Colorado
(10/22/2003)
"A very hilly course with spectacular views" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 For my third marathon I decided to go back home to Maine. Flew into the city of Portland and arrived in Bar Harbor the following day. The tourist season had just passed but still some leaf peepers out and about. Coming from avery large marathon the previous year, I welcomed the fact there would only be about 600 runners. The day started out overcast and in the mid 40's. What a perfect day for running. The national anthem was sung and the gun soon went off. Everyone seemed to have great spirits and positive inspiration. The course itself was very well organized with port-o-potties where you seemed to need them the most with no lines and the aid stations at about every two miles. The traffic was well maintained and spectators did their best to cheer you along. The course being very hilly seemed to pass quickly as you gazed out into the ocean. This would definitely beat any city race for the spectacular views, I guess the hills were worth it. AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! | |
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C. L. from Holden Me
(10/21/2003)
"Outstanding event" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran a PR after running 4 marathons that were fairly flat. I think this marathon is excellent because it intimidated me to hold back, and I had little left. Great job by all volunteers. It definitly has a lot of hills. | |
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A Runner from Florida
(12/23/2002)
"A spectacular small town race" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a beautiful, challenging course that we had the privilege to run during the peak of leaf-peeping season. It's a small town race that is extremely well organized and has great volunteer support despite the remote location. The weather for the race was perfect - dry and 40's F. Mid-October in coastal Maine means you could get anything for weather up to and including snow so I guess we were lucky. The course is challenging but not as tough as some would lead you to think. Definitely throw some hill workouts into your training regimen. We turned this into a week's vacation in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park and loved every minute of it. |
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