This was my second marathon, and my first "small town" marathon. I loved the support of the volunteers and the gorgeous course. While I was on pace for Boston for the first 17 miles, the hills at the end killed me. Make sure you taper and rest your legs before this one!

Really great post-race food. Some guy even came up to me (I have no idea who he is) and gave me some ice in a bag, since I was clearly in pain.

My only suggestion: tech shirt, rather than cotton.

One of the best things about this race is that you can stay inside a school just yards from the starting line and use real bathrooms with almost no lines! I was a little afraid that the weather might be a bit warm this late in May, but we had a cold front pass through and the weather was 43 and windy to start. This was my first marathon, but I've done 21 races in the last 5 years (mostly triathlons), so I feel reasonably confident in my ability to comment. The first mile was uphill and into the wind. The course circles around until the turnaround at mile 3, at which point we immediately got the benefit of a tailwind and some downhill. My pace began to speed up a little, but it wasn't really noticeable until mile 8, when the elevation really dropped precipitously for 3 miles. All of the downhill running in the first half of the course really does a number on your quads. I should note that, although it is a downhill course, it is almost all rolling hills with comparatively very little flat running. At mile 21, I began to feel my quads and hamstrings quiver. Fortunately, I remained incredibly lucid. I knew I had a decent cushion to run a BQ, and I throttled back. Miles 22-25 take your through the outskirts of town, and you run the final quarter mile on the high school cinder track, which is fun.

So my takeaways are: 1) very downhill course; if your legs can handle it, you'll go fast; 2) prevailing wind is at your back - noticeably so from miles 3 - 8; 3) water and Gatorade every two miles; 4) enthusiastic, if sporadic, fan support; 5) superior pre-race facilities. I really had a good time, and best of all, I did qualify for Boston.

The cold and windy conditions really made the start tough. I skipped the warm-up and stayed in the school until 5 minutes before the start.

I struggled through the first few miles and then picked up the pace when I headed down Mt. Pocono.

However, I paid the price. My quads and hamstrings were total cooked during the last 10K.

But I still made it home, and got an easy BQ for my age group.

...you want a race with the most gracious, supportive volunteers. At every water stop, I thanked them; but in turn, they thanked ME for running!! Pasta party: awesome; course: perfect (a BQ, finally!!). Don't change a thing - you even managed to arrange for perfect weather. A huge "thank you" for an amazing experience.

This is a fast course, some uphills near the end, but overall a PR course. I PR'ed by 12 minutes but missed my BQ by 21 seconds!!! I'll be back for sure to try again.
Very well organized, great volunteers, great food at the end.
Just some very minor negative comments: A nicer shirt and medal would be good. Also, the race bibs had the wrong year on them (at least mine did). But that's certainly not anything to keep anyone from running this race.

It was too easy to go out fast in this marathon. So much of the downhill running came in the first half, particularly between miles 8 and 12. I ran the downhills a bit recklessly and suffered when I didn't have the quads left to work hills in the second half. The result was that I didn't come near to running the BQ time I was dreaming of after getting a taste of the downhills from the first few times. Very windy and cold to start, but the wind was out of the north, so it was a tailwind for much of the time. By the second half, the wind wasn't a factor and the temperature was just right. I didn't see gel packets until mile 20. By then it's getting too late to help. Put the gel at mile 17 or 18. The brownies and sub sandwiches at the end were awesome.

I agree with many of the posts about this race: great course, sparse spectators, ultra-mini-expo, fabulous volunteers... everything a small-town marathon should be! I loved it; I'll be back! If you like peace and quiet, no crowds, a great finish in a high school stadium on dirt (after black-top and concrete) to cheers of families and friends, then this run is for you. I am telling everyone who'll listen that this is a great course.

Race-day was well organized, with lots of smiling helpful volunteers. The comfortable sports hall was a perfect staging area for waiting for the start, minimizing hanging around in the elements. The course was made for running - completely closed to traffic, rural and scenic. There were some small uphills and lots of big, long, fast downhills in the first half. The second half was a balance of up and down. A worthy challenge to take on, but not brutal in any way.

Overall, this course is your friend; show some love and respect, and it loves you back with a great run and cracking good time. There are not many spectators out in the wilds, but everyone who was there was welcoming. The water/Gatorade stops were every 2 miles and manned by smiling faces. The stadium finish was good. Even better was sharing the infield with so many PBs and BQs, all savoring and sharing the runner's high from putting it on the line on a real racecourse. Thanks to all of the volunteers and organizers. Nice job!

In my best attempt to keep things short and sweet, there truly isn't anything else that could have made my very first marathon experience any better than what it was through the Poconos.

A few things I would like to highlight:

-An incredibly fast course through Mile 16. Like many have previously suggested, you should conserve on the downhills (you will still run them fast; my split for Mile 9 was a 6:15 and I was really trying to hold back).

-Even though it's a rolling course for the last 10 miles, if you save your energy and train on hills regularly, you'll be able to power your way through, without any major problems for a strong finish.

-Bob Werts and all of the race volunteers were terrific!!! They deserve all of the credit in the world for hosting such a wonderful event. Plenty of food, free massages at the finish, and plenty of support at each water stop.

-This is certainly a race I will do again in the near future after I run Boston in 2010. Of all the finishers, 30% qualified for Boston. I set my goal for 3:10:00; I ran it in 3:01:47.

If you are looking for a fast course with friendly people, then this is the one for you. If you prepare for this race properly beforehand and run this course smart on race day, you are undoubtedly looking at a BQ. I highly recommend running this race if you're seeking a unique and thrilling experience. Best of luck!!!

I've run all 4 years and will keep coming back as long as I can. With the addition of a 2-person relay, hopefully that will be for many, many decades more.

Smaller crowds this year - cold, windy weather probably didn't help. The folks on Wallace Street (last hill) were great (as usual), as were the local running club members at the first water stop and along the course - some of whom kept popping up throughout the race.

Enthusiastic volunteers from packet pick-up, to bus drivers, to Clearwater School staff, to water stops, to the finish. The heated school with open bathrooms at start, and the baggage truck within a few steps of the start are pluses. There's lots of police/medical support on course. This is a small-town race, which I favor. Beautiful country course and closed roads make for a less stressful run.

It's basically 2 races - a downhill 1st half, and an uphill 2nd. If you run smart, you can get a great time and still not feel too bad the next day.

Glad they went back to the original medal design. I like that they added the 2-person relay. I would recommend eliminating the prize money; this is essentially a fundraiser, and it's more than $3,000 that the Red Cross could use. Hats off to Mr. Wert's and his team for another fantastic day. Tip of the hat to Giacalone Chiropratic for the massages and awesome food - where was the doggy??? Can't wait until next year.