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Apr 29, 2024

Vermont City Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Vermont City Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.2

Organization 4.4

Spectators 4.7

Number of comments: 300 [displaying comments 21 to 31]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 30 > ]

R. K. from Midwest (6/4/2016) "Outrageous decision by race officials" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 My comments are about what happened after the marathon was 'stopped.' I'm a 50-stater and came to VT for marathon #37. I spent hundreds of dollars on airfare, hotel, food, etc. I was not upset about the high temps on race day; I happen to like running in heat and was prepared for it: I paced myself and stayed hydrated, crossed the finish line, which was still open, and got a medal. Many running around me did the same. My husband got notice of my 4:36 finish time, which was accurate and matched my watch, on the race tracker app. Although I think race officials made the wrong call to 'stop' the race, that decision was made and I get it. But the race wasn't actually 'stopped.' HUNDREDS of us crossed a finish line, and we got medals and finish times. Messages about the race being called off were mixed and confusing. I first heard about it at around mile 21. Then, after I finish, I find out that race officials won't do a simple task that they are capable of: list the finish times of all of us who finished after 4:30. They say there wasn't an 'official' race going on. But there still were aid stations and there was a finish line, which we crossed (and we got finisher medals). Race officials don't want to call us 'official' finishers. Well, call us something else then; just list our earned finish times. What is the harm in this? Intransigence? Laziness? All of us who finished after 4:30 are being penalized for doing what we should have done: pace ourselves and stay hydrated. Race officials say that medical needs went down after they stopped the race. I don't think there's a connection to their decision; many of us at the 4+ hour pace didn't need medical attention because we were properly pacing ourselves and hydrating. It seems like the runners who were not properly hydrated and who were likely pushing themselves and needed medical attention are being rewarded with their finishing times, while those of us after 4:30 they don't care about. While race officials did an admirable job putting on the race, their decision to not now take the simple step of listing results after 4:30, whether listed as 'official' or something else, is all the more disappointing and frustrating. I expected way more from a purportedly experienced group of race directors. We won't be coming back to VT or recommending this race to anyone.
J. D. from Florida,USA (6/4/2016) "awesome crowd support" (about: 2016) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Vermont City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The course had 2 big climbs around mile 8 to 8.5 on the beltline coming back in. Battery street hill around mile 15.3 to 15.8. Then finally around mile 17.3 a 1/4 mile climb just past Burlington High school. If training on a treadmill, a 5% grade for these distances should do. Overall an incredible experience, the spectators are the rock stars of this event, easy to feed off the energy of the crowd. Having been living in Florida the last 13 years the heat didn't bother me that much. A 7:00am start time should be strongly considered. Also the lower leddy park road was in very bad shape when you got closer to the hockey rink. I would definitely come back to do this race, it was a lot of fun. The out and back on the beltine was just under 5 miles, I didn't think it was a big deal, relatively early in the race. There were spectators on the overpasses and in the medians. Great job Burlington. Just an earlier start time which I think a lot of the runners would agree to after this year.
R. K. from Midwest (6/2/2016) "Wrong to stop race, post all finish times" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 My comments are about the decision to 'stop' the race and the decision to not list all of the finish times. I was stunned to hear, at about mile 21, that the race was cancelled and to stop running. Yes it was hot, but not that hot. I was prepared for the weather (and even like hot-weather running!), paced myself well, finished in 4:36, and got a medal. My husband got notice of my finish time, which was accurate. Now we're told that the HUNDREDS of us who finished after 4:30 don't get an 'official' time? This is wrong, especially considering that accurate finish times exist. I heard there were many who passed out. But the race staff said there was adequate medical personnel. And why do those of us who paced ourselves and stayed hydrated and never needed medical attention get penalized because others may have run too fast and failed to hydrate? Many participants came from all over the country and spent lots of money to run this racethe very least we deserve is to have our finish times, which are undisputed and accurate, listed. I'm a 50-stater and this was my 37th marathon; to not get an 'official' finish time because I finished 6 minutes after your deadline is ridiculous. I think you made the wrong call about stopping the raceI've run races in much higher temps and they've never been stopped. The least you can do is list the finish times of all of us who finished.
M. W. from Virginia Beach VA (6/2/2016) "Horrible race management" (about: 2016) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Vermont City Marathon COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 The Vermont City Marathon race management is the biggest joke in the history of the world. I've run over 200 marathons and completed the 50 state circuit three times. The RD is the biggest crybaby I have ever met. They canceled the marathon mid race when the temperature hit 86°. Yes, 86°. If the Vermont population cannot handle running a marathon and 86°, they should not have any business running a marathon. And certainly should not be managing a marathon. Their decision to cancel the race is the biggest joke in the history of marathons. Huge thumbs down. Do not support these people. They have no idea what they're doing and they should not be in race management.
A. B. from Milton, Vermont (6/1/2016) "Huge disappointment" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Vermont City Marathon COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 As others have said the 1700+ volunteers and wonderful citizens of Burlington made this race. I can't even express how thankful I am for their hard work and support. On to the race and race director. This year's cancellation was a huge disappointment for many and unlike others blaming the weather I solely blame the race director. Other marathons this weekend moved to an earlier time, yet this race continues to be one of the only 8 am races in May every year knowing that hot weather can happen. I understand the difficulty in moving the race earlier at the last minute, but the RD continues to say it would not have made a difference. Bull, 7 degrees makes a huge difference. The race director posted a post-mortem breaking down the logic behind decisions such as official timing, why the race was cancelled etc. If the medical staff wasn't overwhelmed why was this cancelled. Cloud cover started at 11 a.m. and the race actually got easier. Combine this with the last 6 miles being net downhill and shaded it baffled a lot of people. The fact that there is a random time cutoff makes it truly hard to swallow especially given how horrible the communication was on the course itself. As a 50 stater and marathon maniac I won't be back until Peter Delaney resigns as the RD. People have been extremely sympathetic as it was a tough situation, but honestly as someone with many races under my belt I have to say it was really poorly organized. Crowded start, no extra aid stations for the beginning out and back in the sun when it really mattered, logjam at the finish and illogical cancellation and poor communication. I think if everyones time that finished counted more people would be understanding. But with 500+ with racejoy times and no official finish, many people are understandably upset. Peter, RD is truly one of the hardest jobs in the world, but its time to step down. You've failed in previous years when the conditions were fine, its no wonder you failed this year.
P. J. from Connecticut (6/1/2016) "A very badly managed race." (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Vermont City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 The best parts of the race were the scenery and spectators. Parts of the course were dreary with no shade and no water. Race management was poor. I will not do this race again.
R. C. from Feeding Hill, MA (6/1/2016) "Third Time Not a Charm on a Hot Day" (about: 2016) 50+ previous marathons \| 3 Vermont City Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my third Vermont City and it has been hot at all of them. We know the weather can not be planned and is equal for all. The race group did as good as job under rough conditions with the high heat issue. An early start should be considered for anyone who knows they are going to be out a long time. I finished the race before the stopping, but the shut down left people wondering what was going on. The finish area was a total mess. This was my 64th marathon and I have never seen a finish area that bad. The marathon support by the fans and support people was great. The area does support the event. The course is NOT a PR race, but does give you the good and bad areas of Burlington. The race does have a large relay run, this does make for crowed areas and is very hard in spots. The relay should be changed to a 2 leg only. The amount of relay runners passing you at the end of a hot marathon does make finishing much harder. I would still recommend anyone wanting to run a Vermont marathon to do this one.
L. S. from Maine (5/31/2016) "Awesome spectators, but..." (about: 2016) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Vermont City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 First, the spectator and volunteer support was the best I have ever encountered (I have only run 1 previous marathon, but have run 7 half-marathons and countless shorter races). Everyone was out with their sprinklers, water, ice, etc. to help runners beat the heat. The course was only scenic in a couple parts, hills were not so bad, but course was very crowded - they really need to reduce the number of runners. The highway section of the course was brutally hot and boring - would much rather run through a neighborhood, even if there were more hills. I was one of many who were almost finished (5K away) when they decided to halt the race due to heat, but received conflicting info from many volunteers and no solid instructions as to what to do. I was almost there anyway, so kept going as I felt fine and was being very conservative the whole race. No one around me was in distress - most were being very sensible about the heat. I think it could have been handled better, but don't have enough space here to elaborate. The finish line was a cluster-F. Total mess, and others have mentioned this as well. Instead of celebrating, I wanted to get the heck out of there, and I did. People of Burlington, you are awesome, but I will not be back.
S. S. from Kirkwood, MO (5/31/2016) "Amazing crowd support!" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Vermont City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 2016 was a HOT year for this marathon, and the race was called off shortly after the 4:00 mark. I should state that as a runner who finished before this time, my experiences may be different than other participants. I think that its very difficult to determine how to proceed with a race when weather conditions are extreme, and I applaud the organizers for staying in frequent contact with the participants and for making additional preparations for the heat. I very much appreciated the added water stations and the availability of ice on the course. What was truly incredible about this race was the tremendous support from the residents of Burlington. I couldn't begin to count how many people turned on their hoses or sprinklers to help keep us cool, passed out extra water and Gatorade, or simply came out to support the runners. They made this race very enjoyable for me despite the heat. The course itself is nice, but there is a six mile section at the beginning that is run on a state highway (which wasn't particularly enjoyable.) It then turns back into town and goes through some neighborhoods and along trails by the lake. As someone visiting from out of state, I would have been willing to run some of the larger hills in order to see more portions of the city. The post- race party was well- organized with lots of food and beverages as well as a huge massage tent. I realize that this race must have been a frustrating one for many, but I do think the organizers and volunteers did the absolute best job that they could under unusual conditions.
R. W. from Vermont (5/31/2016) "Amazing volunteers and crowd support" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Vermont City Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This year's VCM featured humidity and high temperatures in the 80s - it made for an extremely tough run, but that's not something the race director can control. The timing in late May seems to bring pretty reliably hot temperatures, so I may be sticking to the relay options at VCM in the future. That said, I have to give kudos to the race for excellent communication about the heat and for excellent aid stations and support. There was aid pretty much every single mile, and the roving ice trucks were a godsend. The local community really stepped it up with their own aid (ice, water, food) and sprinklers all over the course. Overall, I thought that the organization and experience was excellent despite the challenges of the day. My one criticism: the finish area was a cluster, even with the changes made this year. Runners were faced with a crush of spectators who were allowed into battery park. After finishing a hot marathon, the last thing I wanted was to push my way through a thick crowd.

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