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Apr 29, 2024

Lake Placid Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Lake Placid Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 3.9

Organization 4.1

Spectators 3.5

Number of comments: 73 [displaying comments 31 to 41]

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B. K. from New York (6/21/2008) "bring cash" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Lake Placid Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I truly enjoyed running this race. The hills at the end were very challenging, but running a marathon is supposed to be a challenge. I felt that the race was well organized. I loved finishing on the Olympic oval. Lake Placid is a great town to host a marathon, but quite expensive. I paid $24 for a plate of pasta the night before the race!
J. M. from New York, NY (6/19/2008) "Great Marathon" (about: 2008) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and I hope that my others are this good. Very well organized - check-in was a breeze. The course was very scenic; I did not mind the out-and-back, for whatever I did not take in on the "out," I got to see during the "back." It was a challenging course, but I guess running a marathon is supposed to be a challenge. I can't say enough about the volunteers - they were great!! Very helpful. I had some problems on the course and they were there to help me out right away. Not a lot of spectators outside of the village, but the ones that were there were great and full encouraging words. The stations were very well stocked. And the finish at the Olympic oval with the announcer calling your name is a memory that I will always cherish. I picked this as my first because of the location, feedback on the volunteers and organizers, and the cool finish in the oval. I was not disappointed. My only complaint is that some of the mile markers I missed - the 1st, 3rd, and 12th - and they also had some of the markers backwards, so that you had to turn around to check that it was the mile that you were on. Oh, and the free massage after the run was icing on the cake!
Jeff Ellis from Bear, DE (6/17/2008) "Challenging but awesome race" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Lake Placid Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I ran this race because my family has been going to LP for over 20 years. In the last 5 or 6 years, we've been up in LP when the Ironman USA triathlon is in town. The marathon uses a similar course to the ironman marathon portion. Both races finish on the speed skating oval used in the Olympics. I knew the race would be a challenge, and due to an injury, my training was somewhat lacking, so my goal was simply to finish. With that said, here is my review.... Pros: -high energy start, with dance music, and I loved the Kate Smith "God Bless America" (Kate's buried in LP and that version has ties to my Philly Flyers). -scenic, rolling course (train hills!!). -easy packet pickup. -runs past the ski jumps and the 1980 Olympic torch (in the horse show grounds). -abundant support tables. -great volunteers (some even walked toward you with water/Gatorade just to get it to you quicker). -bananas, oranges, cookies, etc. at the support tables (nice touch, I thought). -fans were great... great atmosphere. -great, scenic trek along River Road (could see White Face Mountain, among others) and mostly rolling hills along it. -great finish in the Olympic speed-skating oval (they announce your name as you enter the oval and tell where you're from). -my family was able to run around the oval with me, and my dad was allowed to run across the finish line with me (nice touch, considering it was Father's Day). Neutral: -weather (warmer than ideal for running - it reached the high 70's by race end and was very sunny, but that's not the race's fault). -major hill at the end prior to reaching the access road leading to the oval. That's just rough after 26 miles... train hills. Cons (most are small): -warm water/Gatorade at aid stations (iced drinks appeared in the last few miles when it was really too late) -no dates on medals (picky, I know; great medal other than that). -no finisher gear. They had 2005, '06, and '07 finisher gear for 5 bucks!?! Where was '08? -tough having half marathoners/marathon relayers racing past you (relayers have numbers on their backs so you can identify them, but still tough mentally) -No expo at all - simply packet pickup. It was my slowest time, but overall, out of the 7 marathons I've done, I enjoyed it the most. LP just needs to fine tune a little bit and it would be about as perfect as could be. LP puts on a good show. The course is fine, if trained properly for. It's a real challenge. Don't expect to set a PR here, but it's a definite must-do race!! Remember it's only got 300 marathoners, so you are by yourself a lot, which can be tough. With all that said, I will be back again next year, with a few more hills under my belt beforehand. See you in 2009!!
Steve Pepe from Bedford,Mass (6/16/2008) "Great organization with great volunteer support" (about: 2008) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Lake Placid Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 A very well organized marathon. The course was very scenic, running past the two ski jumps. You got to see the leaders a couple of times with the out-and-back sections of the race. The volunteers at the water and Gatorade tables were great, getting you whatever you needed to keep on running. At the end, you finished on the oval where Eric Heiden won his 5 gold medals. The timing company was great too, taking times well past the 6-hour time. If you are able to stay an extra day, there is a lot of Olympic history to see in this famous town.
j. d. from NY (6/16/2008) "Need better markers and better-behaved aid station" (about: 2008) 2 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This is a nice, challenging race in a small-town setting. The biggest problem I had was with the mile markers. Since the marathon was 1 of 3 races, the mile markers were not kept up for those who were running the marathon. After 17, I did not see another mile marker. I relied on my Garmin 205, which, when I crossed the finish line, read "mile 23." What happened to the last 3.2 miles? What I do remember is that the station volunteers need to be less "in your face." I know they are there to help, but there is a way of doing it. I remember that at mile 18, the aid station helpers came out to meet me and managed to take me away from concentrating on the run. Instead, I was surrounded with kids with water and Gatorade and I simply took it as the "switchback point." I just fueled up and turned around thinking that they surrounded me because it was the turnaround point. Due to the lack of mile markers after 17, I did not realize that I was turning around 3 miles short of the actual turnaround point. I admit that I did not study the course, so I should have realized that I had 2 more miles to run till the switch back. When I got to the Olympic oval, I actually stopped and did not cross the finish due to my Garmin read out of 21 miles. I thought I missed a turn so I ran back down the hill and tried to retrace my wrong turn. I couldn't, so I ran back up and crossed the finish thinking that I would just be disqualified. I wasn't, and my time was a PB, so I know my Garmin was not malfunctioning and that something happened at mile 18 that distracted me. Lastly, the medal people should place the medals around your neck and not just hand it to you. If this is the norm, just place the medals on a table and marathoners will pick them up as they cross.
A. G. from New Jersey (4/28/2008) "Killer hills and beautiful country" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Lake Placid Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Maybe all the hills made Lake Placid a less-than-ideal first marathon, but for all its difficulty, what a great run! I agree that there were some issues with the horse-track portion of the course, and the second out-and-back for the full marathon distance was a little cruel, knowing the 2nd went farther than the 1st. But a great race and a great town! My advice: incorporate a mix of long and steep hills into your runs early - and often - to prepare so you can walk for the rest of the week after the race is done....
Katie Hammond from Bridgewater, MA (11/4/2007) "What a great experience" (about: 2007) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Lake Placid Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon. I have a 6-year-old, a 4-year-old, a 3-year-old, a 1-year-old, and a 5-month-old - and the director announced this to everyone as I came around the oval. He even told my 3 girls to come out on the track with me to finish. I had goosebumps! What a perfect 1st marathon! I just finished one last week and no goosebumps! We love Lake Placid!
R. P. from Meadville, PA (10/6/2007) "A fun race!" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Lake Placid Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 You can't not love Lake Placid Village. The race was a good time, and if you're surprised by the hills, then you didn't do your homework. Running in the pines is such a nice change from city streets. Hills are fine, but do we have to finish on a cutback service entry to Lake Placid HS (AKA the Olympic Loop)? Can't we approach on the main street, and thereby gain the elevation at a time other than our sprint? Some of us like to go to high gear with a 1/2 mile to go - and have a sprint to the finish. That is my preference, but it is concededly nice to have different layouts. Everyone wants flat and fast, but a tough course can be fun, too.
Justin McMahon from Philadelphia, PA (6/25/2007) "What a place to be..." (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Lake Placid Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 You should expect a hilly course with not a lot of shade. When I say "hilly course," I mean, please train on some steep hills during your long runs. Every hill you go down, you go back up; it just stinks that the big decline happens at mile 4 when everyone is still fresh. The organization was great besides the small packet pick-up location. The race director couldn't have been a friendlier fellow - not only for me but for my family who watched. The spectators were very sparse in this race - esp. between miles 5-10 and 14-22 - but the aid stations every mile rocked. Did I say you finish at the Olympic Oval? How very cool.
Arnie James from Boston, MA (6/19/2007) "Lake Placid - A Piece of Heaven" (about: 2007) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Lake Placid Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 What a way for me to finish my 90th marathon and have my long due 15 minutes of fame. As soon as you enter the famous Skaing Oval they announce your name and the city. In my case they also announced that it was my 90th marathon. Thus my 15 minutes of fame. The fame may be over but the afterglow lingers. This is a beautiful, "Must do Again" marathon!! Thoroughly enjoyed my first-time visit to Lake Placid village, which I call Jock Town!! Love it. People are friendly, warm and mostly in good shape. Saw a whole lot of bicyclists on the way to the village, and found out that they were preparing for the Iron Man. The course is beautiful with lakes and streams, etc. The smell of pine in many areas along the course was energizing and exhilarating. Quite different from the big city's poluted air. Along the course, the majestic ski drops against the panoramic view of the green plush mountains was awe-inspiring, and alone worth the price of admission. At times the course got a bit confusing with runners coming from the opposite directions, etc., but give it time. This race will get better; it was only the 3rd year. I am amused by some comments about the really tough hill at the end that leads to the Skating Oval. Some want the organizers to change it. Hell, NO!!! Back off, my friends!! Marathoning is an Endurance sport; just a reminder! What a challange and thrill it was to dig deep when there was seemingly nothing left, and yet come up with something and climb the final zigzag of the hill and touch the Oval. At the walls of the zigzag there were dozens of eyes watching and as many encouraging chants. Toward the end of the festivities they announced that the race will be be bigger and better next year. Just a word of caution to the organizers: with bigger races come bigger problems, like long lines at the limited porta-potties, parking, etc. I need to "pahk my cah" - afterall I am from Boston. :-) (The porta-potties were hard to lock.) Forewarned is fore-armed!! Please move out the registration and number pick-up from the dungeon. Got very claustrophobic going down the narrow stairs into a crowded room with no windows. This is great June race in a great little historic town, even though it's still in it's embryonic stage. I met some really nice runners during the race including a 4-month pregnant woman who ran with me for 4 miles. What a thrill. See you next year.

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