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May 4, 2024

North Olympic Discovery Marathon Runner Comments

Back to North Olympic Discovery Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.4

Organization 4.9

Spectators 4.2

Number of comments: 76 [displaying comments 31 to 41]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 > ]

T. P. from Omaha, NE (6/24/2007) "Small & scenic race with a few surprises" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 North Olympic Discovery Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Overall I really enjoyed the race. It was my second full marathon. The other was the Nike 26.2 in 2004 in San Francisco. I chose this race because I was going to be in the area, and I was looking for a very enjoyable run. The scenery was beautiful, especially to someone coming from the plains! I generally agree with all of the other compliments. It was marketed as a "flat and fast" course, so the 2 larger hills around miles 17 and 20 were a surprise, and at 20, a little cruel. :) My only new comments: I was dressed in a technical sleeveless singlet and shorts, which was perfect for the first 15 miles. (I finished in 4:45, for perspective.) I was not prepared for the rather sudden change in weather, with the cold rain and wind. Thankfully my sister came along to cheer so I could take her sweatshirt at mile 20! The only criticism I have of the course is the surface along the last 3 or so miles. Parts of it had large exposed stones in the pavement, which were really quite painful (at least to me) to run on. Overall it was a great race, with great support. The volunteers steering you through the finish area were GREAT! Oh, and as someone else mentioned, any warming shelter area would have been great. I would have liked to have stayed longer to see people finish, but I was just too cold. Great race - I highly recommend it. Just be ready for some hills and undpredictable weather.
C. J. from Tooele UT (6/21/2007) "Some Nice Scenery and Some Not-so-nice Hills!" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 North Olympic Discovery Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran the half with my wife. Lots of things were really well done with this race - esp. the organization in getting the race started and runners moved, aid stations (with great volunteers all over), and a very scenic, rural course. Also, the medal was nice, the shirt particularly nice and the volunteer who took each finisher in tow to ensure they were alright and found what they needed. All in all, a good race - but beware! The weather can be less than perfect. The prevailing wind is against the direction of the run and rain is not uncommon. The last several miles were definitely impacted by both. Also, several miles of the course are on a dirt track - which I had not expected. It wasn't a bad surface, and was through the woods, but it does make for a slower pace. It isn't necessarily advertised as a hilly course, but there are some nasty little hills in the last quarter of the course. Most are short, but several are also steep! Finally, there was really no place to get out of the weather at the finish - and it was wet and cold. Being able to get into warming tents or having hot drinks or food available would have been nice.
n. c. from seattle, wa (6/13/2007) "enjoyable and well organized" (about: 2007) 3 previous marathons \| 1 North Olympic Discovery Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Well organized, fairly scenic, no traffic, very pretty medal, and a great zippered, pullover, technical shirt. Course weaves around unremarkable rural land for the first 8 miles or so; the remainder is on a scenic paved bicycle trail, with last several miles along the ocean. While it is mostly flattish, it can be windy and is not a super-fast course. There are several quick yet devilish ravines in the second half. This race is advertised as largely "trail," but that turns out to mean "paved bicycle trail." In fact, this is a tough marathon on the feet - no matter how bad you want it, there are almost no soft shoulders on the entire course. Beware the weather on this part of the coast: it can change rather radically, e.g. in 2007, from sunny to a rather windy, cold rain. Any wind not on the side will be on your face. Geographically, I was told every mile towards the finish gets another inch of rain a year. Support was great: reasonable number of aid stations run by local organizations. Overall, a nice race, though the shirt, medal, and all the nice parts of the course are on the second half, which, smart people take note, is the half marathon course. I would certainly do this one again and generally recommend it, though it will be quite hard not to be lured into merely doing the half.
J. J. from Seattle (6/12/2007) "Great Small Marathon" (about: 2007) 2 previous marathons \| 1 North Olympic Discovery Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Very beautiful course. Mostly flat except for miles 16-21. Train for the hills! Very well organized. The rain and headwind the last 8 miles were tough but I don't think the rain is typical. Each finisher is met by a volunteer to make sure they are ok, find their gear and food. Medal and shirt were great. The crowd support was good for a smaller marathon.
J. R. from Bremerton, WA (6/10/2007) "Organized; great volunteers; beautiful scenery." (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 North Olympic Discovery Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first distance event (half-marathon) and I am thankful I chose NODM for it. Everything was thought of and appeared to run smoothly. The scenery was gorgeous and the course well marked. Thank you for a wonderful event.
C. H. from Hawaii (6/10/2007) "Beautiful and scenic run" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 North Olympic Discovery Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I totally enjoyed this run. The temperatures were a little cooler than I am used to, but it sure beat running in hot and humid weather. The rain and winds started to pick up towards the end of my run. That, with the hills at the end, added to the challenging finish. The crowd support, though minimal, was encouraging and supportive. I especially enjoyed the relay teams cheering the marathoners on. Even the local police who were assigned to the race called out race times as I passed. The volunteers were exceptionally helpful, especially those assigned to the finish line. What made this marathon unique were the aid stations. Each one was manned by a different organization. The volunteers went out of their way to make their station creative and unique. Not only were those stations a welcome sight, but we were also entertained at the same time. If you are ever in the Port Angeles area in June, you should definitely check this one out.
R. W. from Fairbanks, Alaska (6/10/2007) "WOW!! What a wonderful event!" (about: 2007) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my first marathon and one could not ask for a better event. I have done shorter distance races, but none have compared to the awesome support from the folks who put this event on and the super enthusiastic volunteers. It was pouring rain by about the halfway point, but the volunteers were still super supportive. The course was absolutely beautiful, although the hills between mile 16 and 20 were fairly challenging. I will definitely run this race again.
Henry Barrueta from Walla Walla, WA. US (6/10/2007) "A great dream marathon" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 North Olympic Discovery Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Everything good I heard and read from previous years about this race is true. I had a wonderful time. I trained hard so it would be an enjoyable half a marathon, and it was. Lots of support, wonderful food throughout the race and cool shirts and medals. It was well worth it. Next year I will do the full marathon.
D. P. from Seattle (4/9/2007) "Favorite June event" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 3 North Olympic Discovery Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've run 3 out of 4 of these NODMs. Organization and support along the entire trail is top-notch. I'm a "small" race fan, and this is the best I've found. Kind of scenic too.
Linda Ambard from Colorado Springs (12/11/2006) "Someday we will retire in this area!" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 North Olympic Discovery Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Though both of us have spent extensive time in the Northwest, we never had found our ultimate retirement place until this race. We are a military family and have lived all over the world. We loved the beauty of the course. Where else can one get the mountains and the ocean?!

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