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May 6, 2024

Charlevoix Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Charlevoix Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.5

Organization 4.5

Spectators 3.3

Number of comments: 68 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 > ]

M. F. from Mid Michigan (7/17/2014) "Great location, great potential" (about: 2014) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Charlevoix Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second marathon. The area is beautiful. The specatators were few, but friendly and encouraging, there were even a few privately orgainzed cooling stations. The organization and support was very good. After a disappointing first marathon where I injured myself on a hilly course at Sleeping Bear in 2013, I was pleased with the course and the people I met. I will consider returning next year.
M. B. from Hudsonville, MI (7/15/2014) "Great small town race" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Charlevoix Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 One of my favorite races,4th time running it. I really like the small town feel. Can be a little warm because of the time of the year but there is plenty of water on the course. Great medal and shirts, they change them every year. Good food at the finish line and awards handed out right away.
R. S. from Boston, MA (7/12/2014) "If the weather permits, you can BQ here (I did!)" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Charlevoix Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I qualified for Boston on this course so naturally I don't have a bad thing to say about it. :) I came here from the northeast, where all the courses seem to have significant and frequent hills. This is by far the flattest course I've encountered. It's simple too, running alongside US31 on a shaded bike path. Whether you can qualify here will largely depend on weather. The weather on the morning of 2014's race was relatively mild and dry. The race director further enhanced our chances by moving the race back a half hour, to 6:30 am. Frankly, with the early sunrises in northern MI at this point in the year, a 6 am start would be even better. I'm trying to do the 50 state thing, but of the 8 marathons I've completed so far this is the first I'd be tempted to return to, especially if I needed a BQ for the following year. Good race!
K. R. from Virginia (6/23/2014) "Run this Marathon, EVERY Year to Enjoy!" (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Charlevoix Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I am fascinated by everything about the race. Outstanding support by everyone, organization, community and other runners. The mood is festive and contageous. I said, EVERY year, and we (my wife and I) are looking forward to the early registration.
M. L. from Michigan (6/23/2014) "This may not be the best race for you first marath" (about: 2014) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Charlevoix Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 I ran the Charlevoix Marathon on June 21, 2014. This was my second marathon. My first marathon was Bay Shore in Traverse City Michigan. I am not an elite runner. My pace is between 9:30 and 10:00 min. I do not want to offend anyone in Charlevoix. I would recommend Bayshore over Charlevox if it is your first time. The inclines on this course were down played...not good..my fault on that one. At mile 9 to 13 there are inclines that WILL affect your race. I would not call this course FLAT. Bayshore IS FLAT. The heat did play a factor in the race too. Bayshore is 4 weeks earlier so cooler. I will say the water points every 1 1/2 were great. If you do run Charlevoix bring your own cheerers. The Charlevoix community really has no interest in the race. The were few spectators. Thank god my wife and sister in law were there!!!! Not the same for Bayshore..the community really embraces the run and come out to support the runners. The tech shirt I got was a large but the arms were short. My arms are normal length. The medal for Charlevoix was GREAT. It was way better then Bayshore. If you run Charlevoix train HILLS, train in warmer weather, make sure you are taking in lots of water, bring some supporters with you, secure a place to stay early, turn the other cheek when you hear the locals complaining about the runners because they have to wait a little longer to be seated at THEIR restaurant. It's a young race and if it is going to grow Charlevoix must get the community involved and embrace the runners. We bring in a lot of money to that community...with million dollar boats in the marina...maybe they could care less.
J. W. from Harbor Springs, Michigan (4/25/2014) "Great small town race" (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons \| 3 Charlevoix Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I enjoyed the race, but agree w/ others as I'm not a fan of the repeat course (for full, it was there and back, then repeated). My only other complaint is that it didn't have a lot of spectators, which you really need support throughout the race. Hopefully, as the race gains more publicity that will help. Great scenery though! Need more port-potties too!
Rob Klein from Paradise, Michigan (6/25/2013) "A Run in the Fog" (about: 2013) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Charlevoix Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Well, it wasn't really that bad. But there was a low overcast throughout the marathon, and there was some misty precipitation. But it was great weather for a Summer marathon! Especially when they forecast 77 degrees and isolated thunder-showers. Never saw the sun for this race though. This marathon event was easy to get to. They gave an intersection for the start-line - right on U.S. 31 - and GPS took me right there. There is a draw-bridge across the channel, and the check-in was on one side of the bridge, and the start line on the other. They only allowed race-day check-in from 5:00 until 6:30 a.m. At 5:40 or so, they were still scrambling to get going. The marathon started on time. There were said to be just over 400 marathon runners for the event. The course - an out & back - started on U.S. 31 and immediately exited into a neighborhood. The first few miles were through nice neighborhoods, and the course was well marked - throughout the course. There were plenty of aid stations, and porta-potties too. I did not see any fruit on this course. They had gel from early on, and lots of it. And they had red licorice; Gatorade and water too. After a few miles in residential, the course entered a bike & foot path, and continued along Lake Michigan and the highway, weaving in and out of heavly treed areas. It was quite pretty. The course went over a very long wodden bridge - it seemed like a mile or more. After mile marker 9, the course made a significant rise, then crossed over an old railroad bed. When we reached the 13.1 mile point - most of the way to Petosky by then - we did a U-turn and headed back. There were very few spectators; mostly family and friends tracking their runners, and moving along the course to strategic positions to cheer them on. Coming back, at about 18.5 miles - with woods there on both sides of the trail, I saw a deer cross the path. That was cool. This race advertised a 7 a.m. start and that the finish line would be removed from the road at 1:00 p.m. but that you could still finish on the sidewalk. Still, that you only had 5.5 hours for the event. That was confusing, and they never went back and made the numbers match (that I could see). The finish line was across the bridge, and by the time I got to the bridge, it was opening to allow a sail boat to pass. The food was pizza, sub sandwiches, Great Lakes potato chips, and water. Overall, they did a really good job and the town is very scenic. Some of the houses reminded me of Candyland. A smaller sized race well worth running.
Rick Thomas from Sterling Heights, Michigan (6/30/2012) "A 'Must Run' Event" (about: 2012) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Charlevoix Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and as recommended for first timers, I took water from every aid station. While I initally thought there were too many aid stations during the first 4 miles, those same stations turned out to be heaven the last 4 miles as the temperatures climbed. The volunteers were friendly and supportive. There were not a ton of people on the course which is to be expected due to the layout. Those that were however, were engaging and enthusiastic. There was a young lady sitting in her front yard with a garden hose around mile 24 who had a sign that read, 'Say yes if you want to get wet.' As I got closer to her I said, 'Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh God yes!' This was a well organized event, which honestly is the highest compliment a runner can give. I would recommend it to first timers and marathon veterans alike. Kudos to Ron & Sharon Suffolk, and the people of Charlevoix!
C. K. from Illinois (6/26/2012) "Beautiful summertime marathon" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Charlevoix Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The course is beautiful, through woods and by the shore of Lake Michigan. The small field means runners can be very spread out, especially toward the end but if you miss being around a lot of people the setting makes up for it. The course is basically flat with some gentle rises here and there. The spectators are few but enthusiastic. Enough porta-potties. Good variety of food and drink at the end and a beautiful medal.
A. S. from Indiana (6/24/2012) "Excellent small marathon" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Charlevoix Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 If you're looking for a small, no-frills race the Charlevoix Marathon will be hard to beat. Pros: 1) The race directors did a great job with communication, organization, and support on the course. 2) I generally don't like out-and-back courses and was nervous about running next to US-31. I found the course to be very enjoyable, with a nice mixture of lake views and shady pine trees. 3) If you're from someplace as flat as me (Indiana), prepare for one good hill at mile 9-10 and another from 24-25. Otherwise the course was pretty flat...definitely PR / BQ-friendly! 4) Plenty of aid stations, cold drinks, overly eager volunteers and lots of porta-potties with no lines. 5) Great t-shirt and very hefty medals. Con: 1) No accurate clocks on the course. Not a big deal but would have liked to know my half split at the turnaround. One tip is to book your hotel early as lodging in CVX is limited. We stayed at The Lodge of Charlevoix, and the start / finish line was right outside the hotel. Can't beat it for convenience.

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