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May 3, 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 41 to 51]

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M. H. from Port Angeles, WA (10/23/2006) "Fantastic scenery, great organization, lots of fun" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 North Olympic Discovery Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my secon Discovery Marathon. I live in PA, so I run the last 11 mile part all the time. Weather was perfect, the fog at the end was cool- although that meant missing the view of the Straits. Great food, best of any of the 6 marathons I've run. I like the relatively small amount of people, very friendly people and great course. Some of the hills are a bit steep, but mostly short. I warned a bunch of people about the 16-20 rolling hills. If you are ready it is fine, but it could take it out of you. Come to PA early, go to Hurricane Ridge and the Elwha River. The Pacific coast is only a bit over an hour away- victoria, BC just a ferry ride away. Best marathon I've done.
D. H. from San Antonio, TX (7/13/2006) "Great vacation marathon" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 North Olympic Discovery Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 After a long flight to Seattle and long drive to Port Angeles, we arrived at the host hotel (the Red Lion - I highly recommend it) at 11 p.m. Saturday night. No problem though - if you miss the expo, they bring your packet to the start, and the race start time is 9:00 a.m. The run is a point-to-point, so my wife had to drive me 16 miles or so to the start in Sequim, although shuttle buses are also available. It was a small race - about 400 marathoners. There is also a half-marathon that starts at the halfway point. The weather was perfect - temperatures in the 50's warming up to the 60's, partly cloudy with a slight breeze. The course loops five miles around Sequim, then meanders back to Port Angeles. The first nine miles were shadeless, but then you hit the bike path where there's plenty of trees and nice scenery. Miles 16 to 21 are very hilly, so much so that I even had to walk some of the declines. My right thigh started cramping around mile 23, so the last three miles were awful. I suppose it is a scenic finish as you run along the coast, but I was in no mood to enjoy it. Blame the runner, not the course! Luckily the hotel was very close to the finish. Port Angeles is on the Olympic Peninsula, so you're near the coast, but also close to mountains and Olympic National Park which is really great to visit. Stayed an extra day to explore the area. We drove up to Hurricane Ridge - fantastic views - and even had a snowball fight there. Also visited Crescent Lake and Marymere Falls. Saw the temperate rain forest, where of course it was raining. On the way back we took a different route, which included a 30-minute ferry ride across the Puget Sound. We were hoping to go up into the Space Needle and visit a coffee house in Seattle, but we ran out of time and just had to drive through. Do yourself a favor and try this one - very family-friendly, so stay an extra day or two. Thanks to all the great folks in Washington!
S. B. from Lee's Summit, MO (6/17/2006) "Pleasant, but hilly course." (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 North Olympic Discovery Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Wow! Scenic course, great course support and a few challenging hills. I wasn't sure what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised. Thanks for a great race!
L. M. from Sammamish, WA (6/14/2006) "Great 1st marathon experience" (about: 2006) 1 previous marathon \| 1 North Olympic Discovery Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon (WOO HOO). I finished about 26min later than I hoped/planned (4:56:38) and I'm blaming it on the 3 real hills and countless rolling hills between miles 16-20. The course was pretty although it took me so long to get to the finish line that the fog had rolled in and I couldn't see the Strait of Juan De Fruca near the finish line. Luckily we had arrived a few days early and biked enough of the North Olympic Discovery Trail to have seen how beautiful the area is. We stayed at the Best Western Olympic Lodge in Port Angeles - HIGHLY recommended. The breakfast buffet the next morning REALLY hit the spot and at only $5 per person. I highly recommend a side trip up to Hurricane Ridge if it's not too cloudy.
Bob and Anne Blackford from Dallas, TX (11/12/2005) "beautiful course, great local support" (about: 2005) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 North Olympic Discovery Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Our selection of the NODM was a combination of randomness and curiosity. It turned out to be a great decision. I ran the full; my wife walked the half. Running point-to-point with the Olympic range off your left shoulder and finishing along the Strait of San Juan de Fuca was a special treat. Best shirts, by far. One anecdote - at about mile 6, the sun broke through the cloud cover and a fellow runner (a local) said to me, 'It's going to be hot today.' I looked at him and responded, 'Oh, no it's not! I'm from Dallas, TX and you all don't know the meaning of the word HOT!' The aid stations were wonderful - especially the ones in the tutus. Side trips to Victoria and the Hoh rainforest made the trip even better. Thanks for a great marathon.
C. D. from Canada (8/15/2005) "Truly beautiful course and well organized race!" (about: 2005) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 North Olympic Discovery Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I loved the variety in the course, especially the run along the ocean at the end. Didn't find it too hilly, but then my regular running routes are fairly hilly. Well organized, my only comment is that they should double-check people are on the right bus (i.e. full or half marathon) BEFORE the bus leaves Port Angeles! The aid station volunteers were AWESOME as were the catchers at the finish line. Enjoyed seeing a snake on the trail too! :-)
Mark Hollingsworth from Port Angeles, WA (7/16/2005) "Great route, great run, wonderful scenery" (about: 2005) 3 previous marathons \| 1 North Olympic Discovery Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I am new to running marathons (any running at all, for that matter) but have done 3 since last fall. The NODM was the second I ran, with Victoria the first. I also was at the Nike 26.2 in San Fransico and recently ran the Seafair Marathon. I felt the Discovery Marathon was better organized than any of the others. Even the 10,000-runner, big-bucks Nike. Lots of good emails from Larry with updates, good information on the website and lots of helpful people around. I had run the route lots of times in the past, so I knew exactly what was to come. I could understand some people may be a bit surprised with a few hills after around 15 miles, but they are quite short - so I just walked the steeper ones. The water stations were great (helps that I knew at least one person at almost all of them), well spaced and the spectators were very enthusiastic. Maybe not as many places for spectators as some, but I liked the 'off the road' route way better than running on the road. Only a few miles were on the road. The personal attention at the finish was great (ended up being an old friend of mine) and I really liked having the food area in a place where friends and family could hang out too. WAY, WAY better food than any of the others, by a long bit too. The last 4 miles are right along the water. It can be a bit breezy along there, but wasn't on this day by the the time I came through. I never have liked the jog by the treatment plant 1.5 miles from the end, but the organizers don't have any options about that. Perhaps some day... They announced runners as they finished, cheering crowd, nice shirts and pre-named gear bags. If you like great scenery, friendly atmosphere, very good organization and don't mind some short, fairly steep hills, then you will very much enjoy this run.
Seford Olsen from Leesburg, Florida (6/26/2005) "Lovely views, people, animals, challenges." (about: 2005) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 North Olympic Discovery Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a challenging, lovely, small, well run race that demands the best from the runner or at least that he enjoy the beauty of the trail and the area. Could not ask for a better race day: cool, clear, just a bit of a breeze. But not to be fooled, the course has its challenges, especially the last six miles. Where did that hill come from, or the incline around the power station? Still, not to worry: the finish is just a bit down the trail. The volunteers were great. Water and Gatorade along with oranges, gummy bears and one hot dog to go (hold the bun). I had fun and met some lovely running companions. Keep it up. This is a great race.
D. B. from Chicago, IL (6/18/2005) "Be prepared for hills!" (about: 2005) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 North Olympic Discovery Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This race was so well organized, and the course so beautiful, but it is very important for flat-landers to be prepared. This course has several steep ascents between miles two and ten. Beware of headwinds in the final two miles. Train on hills!
k. f. from Coupeville washington (6/15/2005) "Nice race, gorgeous course, but lacks top 3 awards" (about: 2005) 4-5 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Overall a great racing experience, but I was a little disappointed as the 2nd place overall female finisher in the half to find out there was only an award for the top finisher overall rather than the top three overall, especially when the race brochure specified top three overall awards in each event.

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