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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 161 to 171]
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J. k. from Shavertown, PA
(5/7/2007)
 "This race gets an A+" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Every aspect of this race was well organized, starting with the expo, through the shuttle busses and all the way to bag pickup after the race. One of the best parts is that since the start was at a local school, you could rest in the gymnasium and more importantly, not wait in line forever for the bathroom (first time ever!), lots of facilities were available. The course was challenging, don't be misled into thinking its all downhills by the elevation drop. Take a good look at the chart because miles 6-11 and 20-24 do offer some tougher rolling hills that will sneak up on you if you let them. Overall the scenery of the Pocono Mountains was great throughout, and with such a small field of runners, it was easy to get into a pace without running into people like in larger marathons. The crowd support was better than I expected, and I was surprised at the number of people in the last 2 miles cheering us on (by name thanks to the local paper). It really made the difference for me in achieving a PR, and first sub 4-hour marathon. Keep up the great work, the second year was better than the first, can't wait for the third! | |
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S. P. from Pennsylvania
(5/7/2007)
"Worth running!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Course is deceivingly difficult, but extremely well organized. The volunteers were numerous, exceptional, and friendly. Even the normally staid state troopers were cheering for us! Only criticism: website should be more helpful in indicating hotels convenient for runners. | |
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J. D. from Pittsburgh, PA
(5/7/2007)
 "Fast but hilly course" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran this race based on the positive comments from last year's race. Overall, the course was fast (I PR'd by close to 4 minutes), but it contains a number of challenging hills. The course elevation profile on the website, which is compressed, does NOT reflect those hills and gives the misleading impression that the course is all downhill. It is not. The course is well-organized from a runner's standpoint, with the roads closed all along the route. However, from a spectator's standpoint those road closures make it difficult for spectators and family to watch runners along the course and there is not much in way of fan support. Between miles 8 to 19 the course has some nice scenery for the runners. The marathon is small (less than 500 runners). You won't be fighting traffic at the start, but you also may not have companionship during the finishing miles. Overall, it is a nice smaller marathon for a runner who is more interested in a fast time, than the type of fan support one would expect at a larger marathon. | |
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D. M. from Pittsburgh area, PA
(5/7/2007)
 "Lack of amenities" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 This was my 30th. marathon. Good things about the race: nice course but challenging (quite few hills) and completely closed to traffic. The course was very well marked and the pre-race dinner was free for all participants. Few spectators but they were very, very nice and supportive. The field size is small, not too crowded like some urban ones. However this young marathon lacks of many basic amenities like gel packs at few aids stations and clocks at strategic points. Although one clock was placed at the half marathon point. The water stops were too far apart which could be a problem with a slightly warmer temperature. The marathon package was missing a course map with miles break down of all the points. The long sleeve shirt was incredibly ugly and the logo was poorly designed and doesn't market well the Poconos mountains marathon. The post-race amenities reflected a budget race and are comparable to those of a some 5K's. The marathon web site did not have a direct link to lodging either and missed some important informations (added later on by the organizers). And truly the $65 fee is too high for an event with so little amenities. | |
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J. S. from Branchburg, NJ
(5/7/2007)
"Downhill killer" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The course was beautiful and the organization was great, but declines are not necessarily as good as they sound. By halfway, my quads were screaming and I couldn't keep my stride with such pain. Funny enough, the inclines were my only friends, and the declines were so painful that I had to walk some. Great course if you really know you can handle the declines, but I'll not take that chance ever again. Watch out! | |
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J. K. from New Jersey
(5/7/2007)
"A nice, small race with beautiful scenery" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 The Poconos marathon is a very scenic, fast course with good organization and enthusiasm from the volunteers. The first 7 miles are fairly challenging, with most of the running done on local roads. You are on top of Pocono marathon, making wind a big factor. But miles 8-18 are a significant decline, so if you run patiently, you will be rewarded. The final miles have some rolling hills but nothing major. If you are a runner that feeds off spectator support, this is NOT the race for you....the crowd is only in a few spots on the course. But those who come out are great, including the volunteers. Water stations, food at finish are plentiful. The medal is nice. My only complaints are that 1-2 of the mile markers were noticeably in the wrong place and as of the Monday morning after the race, results were still not posted. This needs to be fixed in the future. | |
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T. D. from Swoyersville, PA
(5/6/2007)
 "Fast, beautiful course for those who want BQ" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 After a bad day last year at Steamtown, I decided to run this race to redeem myself and restore my confidence - and I succeeded in both. I heard many negative comments about it beforehand from last year but decided to see for myself since I live less than an hour away. First the positives: the course was exceptionally beautiful and scenic. I was warned about the steep downhills but they actually helped me run a nice pace, effortlessly. Afterwards it wasn't my quads that hurt the most it was the calves, maybe from the change in terrain at parts for the uphills. I welcomed the uphills because they offered a slight change in muscle use but weren't that steep to drop my pace dramatically. People complained to me beforehand about the cement part of the course roadway but it was only about 2 miles maximum and didn't alter my pace or feeling in my legs at all. I loved the pentiful water stops about every 2.5 miles and the larger sized cups that allowed me to take about 3 full gulps of water each time. They also had Gatorade first and water second at every stop making it easy to grab fluids while moving. Last year and this year's weather was absolutely perfect - low humidity, lots of sunshine but not too warm. I didn't PR but qualified for Boston but could kick myself because with a little extra work probably could have beat my best time. The spectators were sparse but the ones who were there were so sweet. The finish coming into the stadium was great because I knew that I what time I was going to end up with and my family was able to see me easily. Plus Chariots of Fire was playing for my finish and it brought a tear to my eye. Now for the negatives: the organization could have been much better. I had to print the info out from the internet before the race to figure out where to go for the Expo and for raceday. An infomative letter in the mail would have been great. The Expo was tiny compared to other races I have run. It was at a huge resort but there was one little sign for parking and we drove around the place once before we figured out how to get inside. There was little advertising about the race so I think about 500 signed up about the same as the inaugural event. I also didn't learn until raceday that I could have saved an hour trip on Saturday and picked up my packet at the gym on Sunday. My husband said very few names were called out on the track for the finish. It would have been nice to announce everyone. The food at the finish was not very good - fruit, stale cookies, bagels and drinks. We left and went out to eat instead. But overall it was a race I believe for serious runners who don't need all the frills like bands every mile, cheerleaders, or big city crowds. It was perfect for me, someone who likes to run alone in training and loved the solitude this race provided. | |
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R. B. from California
(5/6/2007)
"The second year was even better than the first." (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Everything that they could control went even better than the first year, starting with the expo and ending with the finish line timing chip collection. It was a bit windy for some, but otherwise the weather couldn't have been better. There appeared be be much larger crowds of fans, especially along the Main St. portion during the last mile. It's a good, fast, closed (no cars) course, with a small field. | |
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K. S. from East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
(1/12/2007)
 "Amazing" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was the first marathon that I have ever run and, I have to say it is by far one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I attend East Stroudsburg University and have lived here for the past 3 years and I never got to see the beautiful scenic side of the Poconos that I did the day I ran the race. The organization was awesome and the volunteers were supportive and encouraging. The coverage before and after the race in the news was great!!! The spectators along the road, even though they were few, were cheering as loud as they could whenever you passed by. I remember around mile 24 there was a little girl about 10 years-old handing out water cups to all the runners who went past. When I wanted to quit, she was my inspiration to finish.... She and the most amazing man in my life, who ran the last mile and half with me, helped me qualify for the Boston Marathon by a couple of seconds!!! So to the community of Stroudsburg, THANK YOU!!!! | |
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G. S. from Tennessee
(5/25/2006)
"PR Course" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Great event... I have attempted to BQ for two years. The downhill course was just the edge I needed. I did BQ with a few seconds to spare. Do not let the profile fool you... there are a few inclines, but overall a great course. |
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