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May 7, 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 41 to 51]

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H. T. from Newfoundland, PA (5/21/2013) "5K Run has too many children" (about: 2013) 1 previous marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I am all about promoting physical activity in children but the 5 K race was a dangerous place to have children with no supervision. Kids were running and stopping abruptly making it difficult for adults to keep a steady pace. There were kids with no supervision and you had to push them out of the way to run. I would suggest having a separate 12 and under race so that it can be better supervised and give the adults a chance to run their race, otherwise I would suggest not doing this 5K.
Jack (Knute) Tibbetts from Warner Robins, Georgia (5/21/2013) "Loved this ! Came up from GA & got my BQ :-)" (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Not a give-me with the modified course change due to that bridge construction but still a fast course. Loved the start at Pocono Raceway. I Missed qualifiying at the Providence Marathon last weekend by 5 seconds, 3:25:05, got my BQ at Pocono this weekend at 3:23:40, Yeah. Well worth the trip from GA! The community support on this and the quality of the marathon product here is awesome! Everyone made me feel at home! Im coming back! I really appreciate the organizations precision with the 26.26 miles course length per my Nike+ GPS watch vs 26.42 at Providence. All mile markers were dead on too per my watch. The expo was good, the food after the race was great, also liked finishing the marathon on the high school track too!
B. H. from Pennsylvania (5/21/2013) "Really nice people, really tough course" (about: 2013) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The marathon almost did not happen this year because a bridge on the 'usual' course was out. The fine folks here scrambled and put on a marathon so that all of us who had trained would not be out of luck. That said, I registered for a top 10 fastest course marathon and got a saw blade course - up and down. The first 5 miles were largely up: only 2.5% or so, but up for 5 miles nonetheless. The next 6 were straight down - super steep, in the neighborhood of 7-10%. That was a quad killer, and then next came 5 miles of rolling to hilly course. I was dead on my pace group until the 4th climb, when I faded but caught back on. The 5th climb around mile 16 was too much, and off the back I went. I finished, but the final 10 in a sparsely populated, still rolling downhill but rolling nonetheless course was very hard. Super great people who ran the organization, fantastic volunteers, and hats off to them for putting on a run at all given the bridge being demolished so close to showtime. That said, I cannot recommend you do this UNLESS it is the older, classic course. Organizers promise it will be, eventually, but be sure it is (e.g., that the bridge is back in use) before registering.
C. B. from Bethlehem, PA (5/21/2013) "Great Volunteers, Tough Course" (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran this marathon as my 4th marathon and have not run it previously so cannot comment on the difference between last year's course and this year's (the course was changed this year due to construction issues along the old route). Positives: -Excellent communication from the race director via Facebook and emails. Clear, concise directions and explanation of race day logistics. -Volunteers were AMAZING and really made the course tolerable. Every volunteer thanked the runners and they could not have been more helpful. -EXCELLENT police/fire/EMS presence and you never felt far away from help if you should need it. -Best female bathroom situation I've seen at a start line EVER...Pocono Raceway has plenty and there was no waiting. Bathroom nirvana for runners. Negatives: -The new course is HARD. It's a net elevation loss and the hills are steep and challenging. Mile 23 has a killer hill that makes you want to just go home, LOL. -Would not recommend this course for a first timer. The course is quiet with minimal crowd support along the way and would be difficult for someone needing an extra push during the second half of the race. Not to mention that the course was HARD...(I am not an elite/Boston Qualifying runner.. just your average, run of the mill runner). -Mile 22-23 is through an active golf course...saw golf balls flying over the race course and was a little concerned about getting hit. No actual danger but thought it odd to have to dodge golf carts. -Lots of traffic, especially around miles 10-11. There were many spots where the traffic was quite backed up and the drivers were irritated at the runners. One section had traffic backed up for 45 mins and several drivers were verbally making it clear that we were screwing up their days. It didn't feel good to be angering motorists but am wondering if this was just due to the new course and people being unfamiliar with the new changes. Overall, it was a good race, just not my favorite!
sutah robins from Long Branch Beach (5/21/2013) "Love me some hills!!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Loved the new course. Love hills. Loved having my car at the start. Bus was waiting to take me back to my car at the finish. Really appreciate no lines to board the bus when done running.
L. D. from New England (6/14/2012) "Great support, hard course." (about: 2012) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I also ran this year (2012.) I did the half relay with a friend because I had developed a stress fracture mid-way through training for the full. She took the first half as we decided it would be hard on my leg because it was mostly downhill. At the halfway point I had grabbed a bottle of water while waiting, I heard a volunteer state they had run out of water at the halfway point. I kept my water bottle and gave what was left to my friend, which was a good thing as she wasn't carrying anything. The first couple of miles into the half were downhill, after that mostly uphill/rolling hills. As others have stated, the course profile is deceptive. There was barely any shade in the second half, we were running from side to side of the road trying to use the little shade available. It became obvious that extra aid stations had been added, luckily, and thank goodness for the ice at mile 23! What few spectators I saw were wonderful. This was my 5th half (I've also done 1 full marathon.) I was more sore after this race than I have been from any, even my full. I'm sure this was an off year, it was 87F when I finished, people were being taken away by ambulance, and turning around at the half to stop and not run the full.
A. J. from New York City (6/5/2012) "Good Race - Tough for friends/family to watch you" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Generally had a good experience with this marathon despite the incredibly hot weather. The course is very beautiful rolling hills, the last 8 miles or so with little to no shade. Because of the heat, my friend and I took it much slower than usual. Because 5 hours had elapsed, toward the end of the race, there were points where the cones leading you in the right direction had been taken away with no race directors at those points to show you where to go. I had to ask a spectator at one point which way the course went. Made the finish a bit hard to find. The organization was pretty good about getting everyone as much water as possible during the race. One neighborhood was wonderful and had hoses out to spray us with lots of extra water. If you plan on bringing any friends or family with you, it may not be the best choice. This is why my spectator rating is low. All of the spectators we saw were very encouraging and wonderful, but very scarce. My husband was with a friend from the area and tried to find me at several points listed on the course map as good spots for watching the race. Unfortunately, even with his 'local guide' he found that most of the roads to access any of these points were blocked/closed. He was very frustrated by this, and only found (by accident) one place to catch me around mile 23. All in all, a good experience, but if you depend on your friends and family for more water or fuel at different mile markers, this may not be the best one for you.
R. G. from Philadelphia, PA (5/30/2012) "Good race, could be better" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This year was a bit of a downer for those who suffered thru Boston and hoped for better conditions. The weather for the day was quite similar, but starting at 8 instead of 10 and having a fair amount of shade on the course makes quite a difference. Many performances probably suffered at least a little on the second half as the big downhills were done, the temps continued to rise and the amount of shade diminished. COURSE: Take a look at the elevation chart and you'll think you are in for easy one, but not really the case. This course is all hills. There are some fast, easy miles in the first half that tend to spoil you a bit, but by the last uphill section on the second half, you'll be praying there isn't another hill to climb. PROS: 1) Easy logistics 2) Interesting course 3) Pasta meal included 4) Indoor facilities at start area 5) The best water cups I've ever seen (keep using these!) CONS: 1) Understaffed and undersized water stations. For a late-May race, this has to be improved. 2) Pasta dinner- while adequate for the runners, it was quite bare bones (no meat at all). If you have guests with you, you'll want to avoid it. 3) Bus loading- I still don't understand the inefficient bus loading method used for busing to the start. Runners were needlessly standing in line when multiple buses could have been loaded at once. 4) Finisher medal- I was surprised to see the medal was exactly the same as the one from 2007, except the date wasn't even engraved, but rather a sticker affixed to the back. Overall, I recommend this race. You can definitely PR on a good day and a good race to get a BQ for the following year since you can't really use Fall races any more. It would be nice to see the race organizers avoid some corner cutting as with the pasta dinner and be a little more creative with the medals. I would be happy to pay a little more to see these things improved. Little details do make a difference and can add character to an event.
Frank Sconzo from Trenton, NJ (5/29/2012) "Good Net Descent Marathon, But Hot This Year" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I liked the course, but I may feel that way because I prepared well for it. I did more hill training than usual and came out to do a dry-run of the course six weeks before race day. So, I knew to expect significant downhills in the first 15 miles, then some rolling hills and a couple large hills in the last 10 miles. I also knew there wouldn't be much protection from the sun late in the race, so I used S!Caps and made sure to drink lots of water along the course. If I hadn't done that, I would have fared far worse. It's fantastic that many of the roads are closed to traffic, but that made it harder for spectators to get out to see me. There are really only four good places for spectators: the start, mile 9, mile 16 and the finish. Mile 9 was exhilarating because lots of people were lined up both sides of the turn. There were lots of people at mile 16 too, but I don't remember it as well. I would have loved more spectator support around mile 21 or 22, but the roads were closed off for safety. Yes, there were pockets of spectators along the course, but for the most part they appeared to be people who lived on the street, which I appreciate greatly, but I wanted to see my family late in the race for that morale boost. If you're expecting a large crowd to support you most of the way, this isn't your race. I think the race was very well organized. There was lots of water at every stop that I ran through (~ every two miles), and I needed it because it was hot. Some stations also had orange slices and gels. The volunteers were awesome and very supportive to me. It's admirable that all the support staff in this race volunteer for free and all funds raised go directly to the Red Cross. My wife drove me to the start, and there were no problems finding it or parking. The high school hallway at the start was a bit cramped, but cozy for this size race :) I didn't have any problem with runner density along the course, but if the field size grows, that could become a factor, especially in the first two miles. I met some great people from the running club at the expo, though it was a very small room with not much to offer. The pasta party was good, and worth the cost but the host hotel looked a bit outdated. We didn't actually stay there. We booked a room at the Pocono Inne Towne, which I recommend. They had 5am breakfast for the runners, and late checkout at 3pm for the runners. It's situated near mile marker 25, which could be convenient for others staying with you. The town of Stroudsburg was also a great place to stay. I wish we could have stayed longer. I had hoped to BQ at this race, and was on pace to do so all the way up to mile 20, but the heat really affected my performance late in the race, and made those late hills that much harder. Given the higher temperatures, it might be prudent to consider an earlier start time (7 or 7:30?). I still PR'd with a 3:11:57, but I was aiming for sub-3:10. I'd love to do it again and already put it on my calendar for next year, as a consideration.
J. a. from Nc (5/29/2012) "Quick downhill from mi 1-13, hills from mile 14-23" (about: 2012) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Pocono Mountain Run For The Red Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 The first 13 miles were flat, downhill and shady. I ran with the 4:25 pacer and many in that group, this was there first marathon. At mile 8, the water stop ran out of cups and we were told to use our hands. By then, the temperature was almost 80 degrees. After mile 18, there were signs of water stops and remnants of water bottles on the ground, but the people had abondoned the water stop as they had run out of water. Those handing out ice after 23 miles was a lifesaver.

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