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May 19, 2024

Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.2

Organization 4.4

Spectators 3.5

Number of comments: 195 [displaying comments 131 to 141]

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R. B. from Pennsylvania (6/13/2008) "The perfect first-marathon experience!" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 After picking Pocono to be my first marathon, I worried a little that the small group of runners (about 400) and rumors of small crowd support may take away from the experience. I couldn't have been more wrong! The other runners were friendly and supportive, the volunteer support was great with water and Gatorade every two miles, and while a lot of the course lacked crowd support, I was never running alone and the scenery was fantastic. Got my BQ that day too! I couldn't be happier with the experience.
B. K. from The East Coast (5/15/2008) "Been here twice, and still it's a favorite." (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I think that one really needs to run a marathon twice to make an accurate assessment of an event. This was my second Pocono Marathon. I felt terrible and had a pretty bad race, yet I still had a great experience here. Once again, the course was very fast, but very hard. This seems like an oxymoron, but you really have to experience it for yourself to understand. Once again, I had the entire width of the road, and once again, the trucks blocked any wrong turns. Due to the size of the field, you may very well end up running the entire distance by yourself, and crowd support is sparse, though enthusiastic. I did not come here expecting a great pasta party (I skipped it for the second time), or 26.2 miles of cheering crowds and bad cover bands, or a great goodie bag full of useless stuff, but I DID come here expecting 26.2 miles of uninterrupted, fast, and yet very challenging asphalt. Once again, that's exactly what I got. I made sure to tell Bob what a great job he had done this year. If you want to run fast and still challenge yourself on the way to a BQ or a PR or both, this is a great event. If you want fans screaming your name for 26.2 miles and a bunch of bands playing 80s covers, enter the NYCM lottery.
C. M. from Charlottesville, VA (5/14/2008) "nice marathon" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Course was fairly hilly, especially from start to mile 8, and again after mile 18 (a few steep hills in the last 6 miles were tough, but they were short). In general, the 9-10 mile stretch in the middle was a gradual decline, and this was a mixed blessing: could relax slightly and maintain same or slightly faster pace, but this was the first time I've had to fight cramps in my quadriceps (starting at about mile 20). Much of the course was very pretty. Organization for the race was good. (I didn't go to the pasta dinner, and I heard that there were problems there.) Great traffic control. Well supplied aid stations. The support personnel were great. Not many spectators, but some of the available spectators were very enthusiastic. The expo was really small. I liked the t-shirt. Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I went with family and friends, and we had a great time. I can see myself possibly doing it again, even though it's a 6+ hour drive.
T. S. from Allentown, PA (5/12/2008) "Scenic, fast, Boston qualifier" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I ran this race 13 days after running Boston because of my fond memories of the relaxing scenic country roads through the woods for miles 10-23, with a river along the side for several miles. The course is easy rolling hills for the first 9 miles to get you warmed up, using all muscles and running a fast pace, unlike Boston, which punishes you with the downhills over the first 6 miles. Then the gradual downhill for the next 10 miles, with occasional small hills to use other muscles, helps keep you strong/balanced/flexible. I do recommend shuffling the downhills because they are many and long. The next three miles of rolling hills are not as hard as Boston, but will slow you down, if you are tired. The last 3 miles are easy, and finishing with a lap around the track is inspiring. With the scenery and the need to adjust your stride for hills, this is an entertaining race that gets you to the finish line quickly. The organization had many nice touches, such as buses from finish to start like Boston, heated elementary school with bathrooms at start better than Boston, road closures for most of the race, police and other volunteer traffic control and the finish around the track with announcer. There were fewer spectators than 1st year, but this is not important to me. On 13 days rest, I was able to run a Boston qualifier, 6 minutes faster than the time I ran in Boston with less quad burn and less pain at the finish running for the Red Cross.
P. S. from New Jersey (5/12/2008) "Nice Race - I'd Run it Again!" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 It was a great course, very scenic - and the race was very well run. The organization - top to bottom - was great. Kudos to Bob Werts, race director. He is such a nice man. I couldn't run the race last year, and he deferred me to this year - personally answering all my e-mails and such. The (few) spectators (a small group every 1/2 mile or so) and the volunteers were SO KIND! I always thank the spectators and volunteers, but today they thanked ME for running - amazing! It was a beautiful course. I'm also very impressed that the roads were CLOSED to traffic. That impressed me a great deal. Running on the quiet country roads was a great experience. I did not do as well as I hoped. I was hoping for a 3:20 (hearing that the course was mostly downhill). My previous three marathons were between 3:25 and 3:34. I trained hard and a 3:20 seemed reasonable (and would have been a BQ). I knew there would be some (up) hills to contend with, but it was more than some. There were a LOT of hills. I understand - it is the Poconos Mountains. That is what helped make the race so nice. Caution runners, expect hills - the hills are plentiful! I was well ahead of pace through 13.1 miles and basically on pace through 16 miles and then (for a variety of reasons) CRASHED and had a tough finish - one of my worst ever. BUT IT WAS OK. It was a fun marathon, I ran it with a good friend which added to the great experience. Thanks for your support, Ed! You're a true friend! There were plenty of water stops, Gatorade, and even oranges at some points on the course. AGAIN, VERY FRIENDLY PEOPLE! The finish at the high school stadium was great. It was a fantastic way to end the race. There was plenty to eat and drink at the finish. The free pasta party the night before was very nice (although some bread would have been nice to go with the spaghetti). Be careful not to get too tired at the expo the day before. (Only kidding - there were only 4-5 vendors, but that's ok - it's a small race and it added to the charm.) I highly recommend this race - just know coming in that you'll be running UP a lot of hills. GREAT JOB! A great race to enjoy! Thanks for a great experience.
Lou Mondello from Bushkill (Pocono's) Pennsylvania (5/11/2008) "Still my favorite" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Truthfully, I'm biased- this is my local marathon and I love it. I have run all 3 years and Race Director Bob Werts and his crew put on a great race. I will run this one for as many years as I can. Specifics: 1. Course: Tough, but hey, it's a marathon and should be. It's closed to traffic which is great. It is overall downhill but watch out: there are some uphills that can surprise you. 2. Organization: Great volunteers, parking right at the finish and buses to start. Heated school with indoor bathroms plus porta-potties! One of the school volunteers recognized me and my running buddy from the past 2 years. How's that for cool! 3. Spectators: This is a small, rural marathon. Crowds are sparse but enthusiastic. Plenty of unoffical water stops (I look forward to the oranges at mile 9) and the kids handing out warm (by the time I get there )water on Wallace Street. Our old license plates said it best - you have a friend in Pennsylvania. SO come see us and run a nice race; we'll be looking forward to it!
B. C. from London Ontario Canada (5/11/2008) "A well run smaller race with a net down hill" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race has a lot to say for it, but you have to know what you are getting into. Firstly, it is a smaller event so you are not going to get all the flash of someplace like Chicago. For the same reason, my hotel bill for three nights here was less than one night in Chicago. The expo was very small with only one vendor and a few other tables. The vendor only had gels, socks and a few other odds and ends for sale but his store was just down the street if you wanted to have a look around. The pasta supper was a mistake; I wish I had eaten at a restaurant instead. There was one bowl of rabbit food and as much spaghetti as you wanted but lacking enough sauce and any condiments; I had to force-feed myself to eat enough for the run. Now, apart from that, the organization of the event was great. The bus left in the morning with plenty of time. A gymnasium was available at the start area for our use. A truck was parked a few feet from the start line to take our bags back to the finish area. The water stops were plentiful with volunteers who left you feeling that your being there was the greatest thing ever. Every water stop also had a person from a local hobby radio club and so the communication between everyone was good. An example was when my girlfriend walked past the last water stop on her way to the finish area and the volunteers were able to tell her that the leaders would be coming by in about 10 minutes. The course itself is a net downhill and like their web site says, there are hills. While the elevation chart looks honest, you need to see it in a larger scale to appreciate all the uphill areas as well as the down. My Garmin tells me that the total ascent for the course was 1117 metres and total descent was 1535 metres. (Keep in mind that GPS units don't measure elevation as well as you would like). If you train for hillwork and are smart about how you run the race, I think it would be a fast course. Regarding the hills, I think there was this half mile stretch that was actually flat; the rest of it seemed to be either up or down or a transition between the two. I had a difficult time judging my pace because of the constant up/down hills. I imagine the locals who train in this area know what they are doing. Per my Garmin again it appears that one of the early mile markers was a bit off. The entire course was on roadways that were almost entirely closed off to traffic except for the state troopers. Only the main street in town had cars and had one lane blocked off for the runners. As others have mentioned, areas that spectators can get to were few, but people did get to them and showed great enthusiasm for all the runners. Likewise, when we got into town people were sitting out on their front lawns and cheering us as we ran down their streets. At mile 26 you turn onto the high school track and finish the race in front of a grandstand. People waiting for you can sit and relax and watch as you come in. The people at the finish line were the best organized that I have seen in the four races I have been in to date. They took very good care of you with one person escorting you though to get a mylar blanket (not needed on this day as it was sunny and warm enough by that time), a bottle of water, getting rid of your chip and getting your medal. Likewise, the infield of the track was well set up with food and water including sub sandwiches and pasta salad which was a first for me. Overall I would recommend this race. Do more hill training than I did. Don't expect a big expo. Do expect one of the most rural scenic races that you will ever see with lots of trees and winding roads. Do expect good organization, great volunteers and spectators, and a town that is proud to have a marathon that runs down their main street.
R. J. from West Chester, PA (5/10/2008) "Up and Coming Race!!" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Overall, I found the race organizers and volunteers to be first-class. The course is fast, hilly and hard. Most of the quad-pounding downhill running occurs in miles 8-11. The remainder of this course is rolling terrain with beautiful scenery and minimal crowd support. This is a PR/BQ type of course, and I believe this race will grow as more and more people hear about it. My primary recommendation would be to push this marathon back another 2 weeks until mid-May to allow runners to use the Allentown Half Marathon as a tune-up race. This also avoids the conflict with the Broad Street Run in Philly only 2 hours away. Lastly, this will provide some additional recovery time for the runners who ran Boston in late April wishing to squeeze in another spring marathon. Minor comments: The course accuracy was incredible! My Garmin had the course distance to within 1/100 of a mile through mile 17, which is when I lost reception. However, I recommend double checking the distance between mile markers 2 and 3, which I had as .9 miles. I also recommend putting large balloons at the mile marks on the course, because its very easy to miss the spray-painted numbers on the asphalt.
M. H. from New York (5/9/2008) "Challenging hills, but enjoyable" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I give it 4 stars because my quads are mad at the rolling hills and I'm afraid if I give it 5 stars my quads will make me pay extra for it. I'm thankful that someone chalked "last hill" at the last hill; that was helpful and encouraging. The other reviews are right: this is not a downhill race. It can be fast, but only if run right. The downs are frequent and fast, and the ups are also frequent but long. The organization was fantastic and I was amazed at the level of road closure that was done. This was a long section of traveled road completely shut down. The spectators were sparse, given the nature of the course (and the road being shut down), but when they were there, they made sure you knew it. A group of 6 sounded like 30. Ample aid and nice scenery. The food afterwards was plentiful - big subs were a nice touch - and the people very helpful and physically supportive. Two improvements that could be made: adding a note to the start information that was emailed out saying that the bag check at the start will be available (we weren't sure, so didn't plan for it), and the race shirt is a long-sleeve cotton with a very heavy logo on the front (nice looking, but a nipple chafer if I've ever seen one). The shirts the staff were wearing would be preferable - short-sleeve, so I can at least wear it for something other than running (what's with all the long-sleeve shirts these days?).
C. L. from Cleveland, OH (5/8/2008) "Very Well Organized PR Course!" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is definitely a PR course. It was my 3rd marathon in less than 3 weeks (Boston and Pinickey Trail) and I actually PR'd, as did one of my friends, whose husband promised her a BMW if she PR'd. All I got was no sympathy from my wife for being so sore! Be warned, though: there are hills out there even though the elevation chart shows otherwise. PROS 1. The organizers and volunteers were first-class. I was talking to someone who was selling the shirts and he asked what I thought and I mentioned that the only bad thing I saw was that there was no Gatorade at the finish. About 10 minutes later I saw the water people filling up the water bottles with Gatorade. 2. The course is FAST, though there are hills in there. 3. Having a school gym to warm up in and keep warm in can NEVER be a bad thing. 4. Volunteers were friendly and enthusiastic. 5. If you're trying to bounce back from Boston and qualify while you still have the training miles in you, then this is a MUST. 6. Boston was unbelievable with the crowds, but this can work against you. When you need to dig in and concentrate, it's a lot easier to do when there is little to distract you. The smaller marathons are a lot easier to get back in the rhythm. CONS 1. The one mile marker was off (4 I believe). 2. There was a 360-degree turn at around 4-5 miles. This is NEVER a good thing. 3. The last 2 miles had way too many quick turns. Overall this is a quality marathon, and I highly recommend it!

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