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Apr 29, 2024

Potomac River Run Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Potomac River Run Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.4

Organization 4.4

Spectators 3.2

Number of comments: 42 [displaying comments 21 to 31]

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C. A. from Tampa, FL (5/6/2007) "Great first marathon" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Potomac River Run Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and I loved it. Beautiful scenery and everyone was so friendly and cheering everyone on. I would recommend it to anyone.
T. S. from Philadelphia, PA (8/2/2006) "Beautiful course, but very redundant" (about: 2005) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Potomac River Run Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This is a very beautiful course that parallels the river. There are not many flat parts, and the hills (not huge) will wear you down. The double out-and-back is VERY mentally difficult. The only spectators are at the finish. The finisher medal is on the crappy side. This marathon was fairly well organized, but I would not run it again. It felt like I woke up, and decided to run 26.2 miles by myself.
Jeff Nickell from Connecticut (7/29/2006) ""Great experience for a first-time marathoner"" (about: 2006) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Potomac River Run Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I thought this was a great event for a first-time marathon runner. I liked the fact that there were not thousands of people running it. Although the event wasn't huge, I certainly didn't feel like I was running alone. I thought the course struck a good balance as far as hills are concerned. It certainly wasn't flat, but the hills weren't too steep; however, if your training for this includes NO hills, I think you will notice the difference that even a slight hill can make. Each break station had water and a Gatorade-type drink and I thought there were plenty of them. There were not "throngs" of people cheering; however, as a first-time runner I wasn't really looking for that. There were some people here and there that were very friendly and cheered as I ran by. Jay Jacob Wind is the race director and he was very friendly and helpful. I contacted him several months before the race and he was always very prompt with responses to my questions. The course includes many shady sections and a couple times you are running right along the water. You go into the woods a couple times but you are always on a paved path. There are a couple of wooden bridges which were a nice change from the asphalt. I didn't think the views were amazing, but it was a pleasant course overall. If I lived nearby I would probably choose that location as my jogging route. I ran this race with five of my best friends and I really can't emphasize enough what a great time we had. The race was small enough that we saw each other as we made the various turns and the park was a nice place for us to hang out after. I think this race is a great alternative to a "monster sized" marathon like Boston or New York. It kind of had a small-town feel to it, which I really liked (this was largely thanks to the interest Jay Wind clearly has in making this race a success). Despite the small-town feel the race was well organized. The race instructions were very clear about where to meet and where to park. The only improvement item for the next year would be the mile markers. I found out after that there were mile markers; however, I don't remember hearing about them before the race started and I was a little confused as to which numbers were for our race. It wasn't a huge deal because the course is broken into four 6.4-mile sections (you run over the same ground four times). I liked this set-up because it allowed me to mentally attack each "section." It also made the mile marker issue not that big of a deal. I think this is something that is easily fixable and I imagine Jay will have this ironed out next year. One of my friends did the race in a wheelchair. I will warn any wheelchair runners that the wooden bridges make this a much tougher race for those in a wheelchair. There were two people in wheelchairs running the race. Both of them finished, but they both commented that the bridges were a challenge (there are little gaps between the wooden boards which aren't an issue if you are running over them, but they are a challenge for wheelchair tires). I ran the course in three hours and 32 minutes. Since it was my first marathon, I have no idea how that will stack up to my future times. Overall I really enjoyed this event and I would definitely run it again.
G. Y. from Berkeley, CA (5/20/2006) "good small race" (about: 2006) 1 previous marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I ran the half-marathon. The course is out and back along the same paved bike path. The course was very scenic. Parts of the course, you got a great view of the Potomac. There were lots of trees, so plenty of shade. We were lucky the temperature was cooler than expected. I did the early bird start and am glad there was that option. It did get warmer later in the day and there were a few spots unshaded, so I was glad I wore my running visor. The course had a bit of rolling hills, not bad at all (I train in San Francisco though:)). Jay Jacob Wind was really helpful. I had some specific questions about the race and he was really prompt in getting back to me. There were 5 water stations with water and Ultima. Since it was an out and back that really meant 10. There were few spectators, but they were very enthusiastic. Some suggestions for next year: There were a total of 4 places for bathrooms. The places that had only porta-potties there was only 1 porta-potty. I waited at least 5 minutes, which was really frustrating. I think adding 1 extra porta-potty at Alexandria Ave and Fort Hunt Park would be great. The mile markers were really small and it was in red/orange color and off to the right side. I didn't see my first mile marker until mile 5. By that time, my splits were completely off. Since it was an out and back race, I know they had to label 2 sets of numbers each way. I'm sure the park would not appreciate huge chalked numbers all over the paved path. I think it would have been helpful to warn us ahead of time that the numbers were orange and off to the right side and small, so I would have been looking out for them. There were also laminated cards with numbers, but these numbers were not in the same location as the chalked numbers and were really different from the chalked numbers, so didn't know if I was suppose to go by them or not. I didn't give the course a 5 because there were quite a few walkers and bikers that you had to dodge. I almost ran into a couple walking because I was trying to avoid some bikers. Overall, it was a good race. If I'm ever in the area during that time of the year, I would run this race again.
T. M. from Bethesda, MD (5/14/2006) "A great, scenic, small marathon" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Potomac River Run Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 What a great site for a marathon! This double out and back loop runs along the Potomac River from Alexandria to Mount Vernon on the paved bike path. It is NOT flat, but the hills are manageable, but frequent. Your legs will feel it by the end. Not many spectators, but the double loop allows for plenty of water stops. You can't beat the scenery, with the Potomac River and its denizens steps from the path. It's glorious! Don't expect to PR, although I did on an unseasonably cool day in May. Count on some shade as the path winds through the trees for some extended stretches. That helps, given the late season timing of this race. All in all, a lovely course, not overcrowded, plenty of race support, just not many fans. I'd run it again in a heartbeat...
A. Z. from Virginia (5/11/2006) "A perfect day!" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Potomac River Run Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran the half marathon. It's not as flat as advertised! (No worries, it's all part of the fun) However, the weather was perfect for race day. Would have preferred better signage notating 1/2 marathon and full marathon finish (other than a cardboard sign w/ black writing...hard to read when you're concentrated on finishing). I like the technical race shirt, but there were too many sponsors listed on it (perhaps list only MAJOR sponsors for next year's shirt?). Organization was great...shuttles from/to host hotel were great too. (A better PA system @ the start line is needed for race announcements (the RD was very hard to hear, and I was 4-5 rows back! (didn't directly speak into bullhorn)). I'll telling my running buddies about this one!
J. R. from Rockville, MD (5/9/2006) "zany, repetitive course, and much bike traffic" (about: 2006) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Potomac River Run Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 I found the mile markers hard to see (red paint on asphalt), and the course was too crowded with people out enjoying the nice day. Maybe a better race in lousier weather when the bike trail is less heavily used.
Larry Herman from Frederick, MD USA (5/8/2006) "Great race! Anyone would enjoy this!" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Potomac River Run Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Everything was just perfect for a marathon. It had everything that anyone would need.
S. R. from Washington, D.C. (5/8/2006) "Poorly marked course; a rinky-dink event" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Potomac River Run Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 The course was scenic. But very poorly marked. Oftentimes, I had no idea how many miles I had to go. There were cards with mileage numbers on them at various places, but these were incorrect. There also seemed to be too few refreshment stands. No gel was available. Also, there was so much stuff going on at once (i.e. half-marathon, early bird starters), it was hard to tell what was going on in terms of the race. And last but not least - the race director said the results would be posted "by nightfall." But night has fallen and has since past and still no results yet.
A. P. from Fairfax, VA (5/8/2006) "This year was the best..." (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Potomac River Run Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 ...not only did the weather cooperate, but the race managed to draw a fast pack of runners from Ethiopia and Kenya as well as Zupan and his friends ('Murderball'). I ran the 1/2 marathon; the race is a double loop for the full marathon.

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