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Apr 29, 2024

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 61 to 71]

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C. M. from Brooklyn, NY (10/22/2010) "Gorgeous" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Mount Desert Island marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've been reading about the beauty of this course for years and was still blown away. Didn't hurt that the weather was perfect (after three days of rain too). Best of all, though, were the volunteers and race organizers, who made the entire experience a joy. If you're thinking about running this race, stop reading this and go sign up. My nits: I saw two porta-potties on the entire course - one at the half and one at 18. Guys, I know we can use the woods, but come on! Our room at the race hotel looked like a basement rec room from the 70's. Next time I'm staying at one of the lovely inns. The traffic over the last 6 miles, at which point we were consigned to the shoulder, sucked. Is there no other way? Those are my quibbles. It's a wonderful race and kudos and thanks to all involved!
Bob Kroeger from Cincinnati (10/19/2010) "MDI does not disappoint!!" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Mount Desert Island marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran this marathon for the first time four years ago in 2006. Hard to believe, but it seemed more scenic this year! Funny that the last big hill at mile 24 didn't seem as tough. And, despite a strong headwind from mile 10 to mile 24, my time improved by four minutes, enough for a BQ. Last time I ran it I remember talking to a lot of folks; this year I guess I ran a little harder and talked to the ever-present, mind-boggling scenery that seemed to talk back to me. And the fans - not that this marathon needs any at all - seemed more numerous and more engaging. We were actually very lucky since the nasty storm that drenched Maine on Friday and Saturday disappeared and Monday's cold wind came a day late. Instead Maine treated us runners to a gorgeous New England autumn day - 46 for the low and around 52 at noon, PR temps. Race director Gary Allen and his team of the Crow Running Club know how to stage this race and make each runner feel important, something that larger marathons fail at often. The Holiday Inn proved to be a wonderful part of the weekend for a reasonable cost. Pros: 1. Medical tent close to the finish line. Well staffed and courteous. 2. Decent food afterwards. 3. Perfect pasta dinner. 4. Good expo for last-minute supplies and goodies. 5. Started on time. 6. Mile markers accurate and easily visible. 7. Aid stations well staffed with Gatorade and water and great volunteers. 8. Lovely granite age bracket awards. 9. Utterly scenic course with enough ups and downs to make it interesting, yet not overly tiring. But not a course for beginners. 10. Nice orange race jacket as a premium. Cons: 1. Not much here. My friend finished at around 5 hours and was concerned about the two-way traffic. I finished about an hour earlier and thought the drivers were slow and courteous.
Bradford Hammer from Orangeburg, NY (10/19/2010) "Very good, but could be SO MUCH better" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Mount Desert Island marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This a lovely, small marathon in a cute town with a wonderful course. The weather for the 2010 race could not have been more perfect. But, there are a few wrinkles that need to be worked out, primarily logistical. First, the positives: On a crisp fall day, the course really shines. Lovely foliage and hills, hidden harbors, gleaming sailboats, nestled neighborhoods, golden sunshine, open water. At times, it's like running under a canopy of autumn colors. A real treat. Plus, there are some nice visual cues along the way to help you break down the race mentally. The first glimmers of Frenchman's Bay around mile 7 and the entire horseshoe of Somes Sound at mile 14 come to mind. And then there's the hill that starts at mile 21ish until 24.5. Folks have reported that the course is very hilly and one needs to try and keep something in the tank for the four-mile uphill near the end. Yet, the final long climb has plenty of flats (and even a few downhills), so it's not like heading up Hurricane Point. And, because of the great scenery, the rolling terrain along the way affects the body more than the mind so it's a bit surprising when one reaches the base of the final uphill at 21 to discover that the legs are gone. Volunteers along the way are just darling, especially all of the students that don funky woolen caps. Very charming and very Maine. Bar Harbor itself is rather idyllic, though it's become a bit too much "t-shirt/gift shops and ice cream places" for my tastes. Then again, the town absolutely lives on tourism (both New Englanders doing their summers in town, and the cruise ships that port locally), so the seasonal look is understandable. The marathon comes at the very end of the tourist season (and this year coincided with the last two cruise ships of the season), which is both a plus and minus. The plus is that the town is considerably less crowded than at other times of the year; the downside is that everything is about to close for five months and some services - like shuttle buses - have stopped running. Bar Harbor is also, like Shangri La, rather impossible to get to. I believe the town was once called Eden (the town next door is still called that) and part of completing this race is figuring out just how you're going to get onto (and off of) Mount Desert Island. But they have marathon posters in nearly every shop and restaurant in town, include the small harbor villages on the route, so there's a nice sense of an "event weekend" in the community. Finally, kudos for the bright orange windbreaker given out in goody bags. Terrific swag, and worn by nearly everyone the day after. Now, for the "issues." The MDI Marathon does not run any shuttle buses for runners from the local airport (in Trenton, about 15 miles away) to the exposition or to town. This means that, if you don't have wheels, you are stranded at the airport waiting for a local Bar Harbor shuttle (which may or may not be running, since most of these jitneys stop after Columbus Day though NO ONE on the island or nearby is completely sure of this). This is a tiny airport with only 3 incoming flights a day. You would think that someone involved in the marathon would send a jitney over. The MDI Marathon does not run any shuttle buses for runners from the two host hotels to the starting line (a bit more than a mile away). I have never experienced this before. Most marathons have a special bus route the day of the race to pick up runners. Thus, one has to add another mile to the marathon total each way to get to and from the start and drop-off point. So, I actually did 30.2 miles that Sunday, as I went back to town in the evening to have dinner. Given this lack of coordination, there is NO REASON AT ALL to stay in the host hotels. They are a good mile and change from town where all the action is, including the start of the race and the drop-off point afterward. Stay in downtown Bar Harbor (on any of the places on Mt. Desert Road) and save your feet the extra four miles of walking. Did I mention that the pasta party at the high school is more than five miles away from the host hotels? Good luck getting there. In fact, the only shuttles MDI Marathon runs at all are from the finish in Southwest Harbor back to Bar Harbor, and there are not enough of these small buses. It is STANDING ROOM ONLY, which puts another 30 minutes on your feet after running the marathon. C'mon, guys. As for the course, I mentioned earlier that it is quite beautiful. And, because this is a small race (800-1,200 runners), it's understandably that participants have to share the road with cars. After all, in parts of MDI there is no alternate route. That being written, runners are pushed to the shoulder of the road from miles 18 to 26 (which can get rather narrow in places) and even worse are pushed to the SIDEWALK from mile 25ish to mile 26. (The marathon folks close the road off for the last two-tenths of a mile.) So, after five hours on the course, I ended up on the sidewalk for the finishing mile. A bit of a downer after all that work. There must be a way to keep part of a road open near the end. Forget about porta-potties. They don't exist on the course, save for the relay stations. Use the woods. Some ladies hid behind cars parked on the road. There is very little in the finishing town of Southwest Harbor but at least they had a few things open. One of the surprises in Bar Harbor was that none of the coffee shops/pastry places (and there are a good half-dozen near the start) decided to open early on Sunday for runners. Perhaps they serve breakfast on the cruise ships. Also, the finisher's medal is very dinky. Sometimes bigger is better. And the expo is only worth about 10 minutes. Again, size matters. So here are my suggestions for the fine people that put on the MDI Marathon: 1. Run some shuttle buses for participants, or provide some advance information on getting around. 2. Move the host hotels to ones in downtown Bar Harbor. 3. Re-route traffic in Southwest Harbor to give finishers part of the road. 4. Here's something radical (that would require shuttling runners) - reverse the course. I bet Southwest Harbor could do a better job of bagels and coffee in the morning, and the run would take one TO Bar Harbor for a nice finishing party, perhaps at the brewhouse in town. 5. Upgrade the finisher's medal. Here are my suggestions for future participants: 1. If you don't have wheels, fly into Bangor and rent a car for the weekend. Yes, Bangor is another 40 minutes away, but there are more flights in and out and the cost is lower than coming into BHB Airport. 2. Stay in a hotel/motel downtown Bar Harbor, as close to Main Street as possible. I really did like this race. It's small, it's very attractive, and it's a nice two-day destination. And if I knew about some of the above, I would have picked up a car at the airport and saved myself much of the hassle. But for a state that takes pride in "going green," there are a few minor adjustments that MDI Marathon officials could make that would give the race five gold stars.
J. W. from Berkshire County, Mass. (10/19/2010) "Savage beauty" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 4-5 Mount Desert Island marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Every single time I run this race, I am astounded by the beauty of the course (a rugged island off of the Maine coast) and the hills. Not that I'm complaining about the latter - I really believe a hilly course adds to the rhythm and to my level of concentration. Every part of the course is picturesque - runners pass through seaside villages, forests, ocean vistas, even a fjord. I tried not to notice how fried my legs were by mile 21. I PRed - yes, flat does not necessarily equal fast. The spectators were few and far between, but many of them were very enthusiastic. And the volunteers at the aid stations were great. The race filled to capacity this year for the first time, and the organizers took this into account. There was plenty of water and Gatorade at every table (at least when I went through, and I'm a 5-hour marathoner), and, as always at MDI, I felt like I was taken care of. I will always come back to this fantastic race. When I cross the MDI finish line I know I've accomplished a lot. I do have one complaint. Much of the course is open to traffic, and the motorists are respectful, but the way the pylons were placed on the road shoulder didn't give us a lot of room to pass by cars, let alone each other. This isn't that big of a deal, but some cars were passing very close to some very tired runners, particularly around the highway miles at 18-20.
E. B. from Birmingham, Alabama (10/17/2010) "A magnificent, scenic marathon!" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mount Desert Island marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This race is for true marathon connoisseurs! It is exactly as advertised: Organization is flawless, the course is well planned, and the scenery is as breathtaking as are some of the hills. The pasta dinner at the local high school is highly recommended. I had a PR and qualified for Boston because the weather was perfect this year. There are plenty of hotels to choose from, even in the last minute. I stayed at the Bar Harbor Motel, which was basic and practical, and not too far from city center and starting line.
L. L. from White Salmon, Washington (10/7/2010) "One of the BEST!" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Mount Desert Island marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This by far is one of the best marathons I have done! Maybe because I PR'd either way, I loved it! They say it is the Big Sur of the East Coast. It is comparable. Not an easy course.
A. G. from Riverhead, NY (5/27/2010) "Beautiful!!!" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Mount Desert Island marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon, which seems unfair to all subsequent marathons since it has set my standards so high. Everything was beautiful! I couldn't believe how quickly the time passed (and I am a very slow runner). I was so busy looking around that I forgot about the whole running 26 miles thing. The course was very hilly... but I actually liked it since it broke the course up nicely. The port-a-potties were spread out pretty far, but the water stops every two miles were great and they had nice volunteers working them. The fans were few, but they were fantastic!!! People were blasting the Grateful Dead from their houses (which I found incredibly motivating!) and there were even some people playing music right on the course! We ended up seeing friends of people running at a similar pace and they became our fans too! I know that this is only my first marathon, but my husband is very active in races/triathlons, and having witnessed a lot of organizational issues with his events, I think I can fairly say that this is a well organized event. I HIGHLY recommend this race!!!
I. M. from Nova Scotia (4/24/2010) "Beautiful!" (about: 2009) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Bar Harbor in the fall is beautiful and the crowds are much smaller. The MDI Marathon is the end of the tourist season, but the best time to visit. We stayed at the Bar Harbor Motel for $79, which was a bargain. The expo was small, but I was able to find an Amphipod pocket attachment for my fuel belt, which I had been searching for ages to find. Race packet pick up was easy. The goody bag included a nice windbreaker and a bottle of beer (sweet!). The morning of the race was quite chilly. I debated whether to wear shorts or tights. I opted for shorts and was glad I did. We went down to the start line for the walkers' start, 1 hour before the runners. I cheered my wife and friend and then waited for my start. They played the national anthem and a gentleman next to me had the most beautiful singing voice. He asked me if I wanted to sing "O Canada!" (I was wearing a maple leaf bandana). I declined. I don't remember a whole lot about the race, but I do remember thinking to myself that I should take it all in and enjoy the scenery. The leaves were at their peak. The stretch along Somes Sound was a bit tough, as we were running headlong into a pretty stiff breeze. Miles 20 to 25 were uphill, but there were a few level spots. The crowds were small but enthusiastic. I got a lot of "GO Canada," which was encouraging. Aid stations were well manned. Port-a-potties were few and far between on the course. There was lots of grub and drinks at the finish line. Showers were available at the school. There was only 2 showers and the locker room was very small, but the wait wasn't too bad. There was transportation back to Bar Harbor as well. I had trained for a race pace of 10 minutes per mile (4:20 finish time) and finished at 4:19:21. This was my first marathon so my goal was just to finish. We had taken a drive along the race route the prior day, so I knew what I was in for. I didn't do any hill training. In hindsight, we probably should have done our shopping/sightseeing before the race. I was so sore, and I wasn't expecting that. I couldn't maneuver stairs for nearly a week. The hills definitely trashed my quads. I probably won't run it again (for a few years anyway) - not because I didn't enjoy myself, but just because there are other marathons I want to run. I will be back, though, to improve on my time.
E. S. from Lexington, MA (11/12/2009) "An unforgettable experience." (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mount Desert Island marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Imagine putting a group of experienced marathoners (of any and all abilities) in a room and asking them exactly what they'd like to have in an "ideal" race. The MDI Marathon feels as if the race directors did exactly that, and then delivered 100 percent. This is an amazing race on all dimensions, a "must do" for any runner. It's a celebration of what running and marathoning is all about. Pure joy. I loved my experience in 2009, and certainly plan to be back in 2010.
R. R. from Memphis, Tennessee (11/2/2009) "Here is a Marathon You Have to Run." (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mount Desert Island marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Here is a marathon that reminds us of why we love to run. It starts with amazing organization, and a website that has so much information that it would take you several hours to read it all. I loved the mile-by-mile description of the course and the "Locals' Recommendations." My wife followed the detailed directions for spectators, and as a result we have great pictures of the race from nearly every scenic point. The volunteers were friendly and helpful, and the course was amazingly well supported for a marathon of this size. The scenery was incredible. Peak fall foliage and panoramic views of the North Atlantic abound. Bar Harbor is welcoming as well as scenic, and I don't think there was an unkind word uttered during my entire stay. Acadia National Park is part and parcel of this marathon and is stunning. I can't say enough about the race director whose attention to detail, tireless hard work, and passion for running are seen at every turn from sign up to the after marathon party. The rain jacket included in the pick up packet is top-notch - and is now a full-time part of my running gear and not just another t-shirt for a quiet drawer. If there is one thing I would change, it would be the finishers' medals, which never change from year to year (other than the date). I think a unique design each year for medal snobs like me would make me even more likely to come back. Bottom line: Run the MDI Marathon. You won't be disappointed.

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