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May 19, 2024

Freedom's Run Runner Comments

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Course 4.7

Organization 4.7

Spectators 3.7

Number of comments: 126 [displaying comments 101 to 111]

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R. M. from New York (10/5/2010) "Hill-Kill; Scenic Race" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 If you like hills, you should definitely run this marathon. If not... unless you're trying to do 50 states, maybe skip West Virginia? Pros: -The course was absolutely beautiful - one of the most scenic I have run -Newton Running was there... they rock -Small-town feel -Race finishes at 50-yard line of stadium -Excellent pre-race pasta dinner -"Battle Hymn of the Republic" before the race... always nice to hear some 'Merican tunes! -Oranges! Life-saving oranges! Cons: -The hills. I mean, imagine thinking to yourself "it can't possibly get any worse than that," and then looking up with a gaping mouth at the next hill. Yeah, ouch. Switch to survival mode. -The medal... the race itself is inexpensive, so you get what you pay for, and that's OK (unless you're in it for the bling...). -The shirt... leaves much, much to be desired. -Was there beer after the race? -The finish line at the 50-yard line was very cool, but the descent down to the field after 26.2 miles of running was terrifying. Great job by the volunteers. All of the credit goes to those folks, without whom races would be impossible. And kudos to Shepherdstown, West Virginia, for being an excellent place to finish a race!
A. D. from Arlington, VA (10/4/2010) "Wonderful race through history." (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Cannot find enough words to describe how incredible this race is. Yes, the second half of the marathon is hilly - at times, very hilly - but we've been warned. The area is so scenic and beautiful. The volunteers were so amazing and friendly. The water stops were fully stocked with oranges, GU, bananas, etc. Actually, the stops were better stocked than the finish line area LOL. Small complaint, but when I finished (in 3:50) there were only oranges and apples at the finish line. Also, the water bottle was really screwed up - as much as you can mess up a water bottle - as you could not drink from it without spilling all over yourself. Also, it was not really easy to find the start area. Medal - tiny, but that's fine; it was made by a local artist and I truly appreciate that. Unique; however, it would be nice if it said, "Marathon" anywhere, or "WV" or the date. Anything. Again, all small stuff. Everything else was just amazing. Environmentally friendly. The party by the Bavarian Inn was great: Live music, wonderful weather, lots of beer.
T. C. from Potomac, MD (10/4/2010) "Scenic race and very well organized." (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Freedom's Run COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race is very well organized and very scenic, going through 4 national parks. Miles 15-22 are in Antietam National Park, which is VERY hilly, making this race rather challenging. Considering the small size of this marathon, I was impressed by the number of water/Gatorade stops, and it is the only race that I have run so far that allows you to take a hot shower at the end. It would be difficult to set a personal record when running this race, due to the aforementioned hills. However, this race is definitely worth running again.
L. S. from Maryland (10/4/2010) "great small marathon" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Freedom's Run COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The first half of the course was nice and flat. The second half was very hilly but scenic. The volunteers did a great job at all the water stops. Plenty of Gatorade, water, and food at ALL the stops. Plenty of pot-a-pots. It was a very pretty run through WV and MD. I stayed at the Comfort Inn in Shepherdstown. It was within walking distance of the shuttle start pick-up and post-race party. There's a drug store, a grocery store, a McDonald's and a pizza place next door. Great location to stay. Liked the shirt.
M. C. from Chicago, Illinois (10/3/2010) "Satanic hills, but best marathon ever" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Freedom's Run COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a race run by runners using everything they knew from other marathons - and it shows. The people were so nice and the course beautiful with goo and fruit at every stop. I knew from the elevation chart there was one big hill from 15-16 - yeah right, that hill started about 5 miles of hills worse than San Francisco, thus my comment that they were satanic. We just walked and walked and walked hills that all seemed steeper than the last. The final five miles were mostly downhill, which was nice as we could run and pass people who actually tried to run those hills. Our group, which has run over 40 marathons combined, all concurred that together these were the steepest series of hills in any race they have run leading to PW's for all. Still we absolutely loved the race and the people. For all you 50-state aspirants, this should be your WV run; just accept that it will be at least 30 minutes and potentially an hour more than normal.
P. N. from Dulles, VA (10/3/2010) "Fantastic Experience & Organization, Tough Course" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Freedom's Run COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was an excellent small marathon. Not enough could be said for the organizers - best I've seen. Example: A runner in our hotel needed a babysitter and the race director himself got one for her. Just a great job to all organizers and course support! The course was extremely scenic - 10 miles along the Potomac with breathtaking views, 5+ miles through the Antietam battlefield, through historic Harpers Ferry, etc. You'll almost wish you had your camera. Miles 15-20 are difficult. These are not "rolling hills." There's 3 or 4 hills that probably should have a ski lift. The rest is hilly, but those 3-4 spots on the course are significant to say the least. This is not to say don't do the course... it's a great experience and tons of fun. Just expect 3 or 4 eye-popping hills, don't expect a PR, and enjoy the wonderful course and fantastic race!
J. K. from Yorktown, VA (10/3/2010) "Great race; skip the pasta dinner" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Freedom's Run COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Beautiful run and very well organized! Mostly flat to 15 along the C and O canal through tree covered trails. Good number of hills through Antietam battlefields and through a couple towns. Aid stations had great volunteers and selection of food. Overall great run, especially for only the 2nd year. Fans couldn't reealy get to most of the first 16 miles, but the town of Sharpsburg had almost no one on the streets. Great folks when you met them in their shops, but the pasta dinner was a bust: Generic noodles, sauce, salad, and bread. They ran out of everything and it was about 20 minutes before they resupplied. No one seemed too concerned and didn't bother communicating that food was on the way or apologizing for running out. Shepherdstown seemed to have several cute places to eat with atmosphere and similar prices. I don't think the dinner was run by the race directly.
M. G. from Washington, DC (1/31/2010) "Breathtaking, Well Run, and Eco-Friendly" (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Freedom's Run COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is the MOST beautiful run in which I have participated. Loved the course. Fairly flat in the first half, and then rolling/hilly out of the C&O Canal and through Antietam. Harper's Ferry and Antietam are overwhelming in their beauty. The volunteer support was EXCELLENT, and I liked the concern for composting and recycling throughout the run. While the start and finish were not in the same place, the organizers did a good job of shuttling people back to the start.
Jean Evansmore from MD (11/30/2009) "Fantastic teamwork and it's not over." (about: 2009) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Freedom's Run COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This first-time, well organized event was planned and executed in about 8 months through the cooperative efforts of a variety of people representing local and federal government, private organizations and wonderful volunteers. This speaks so well of the RD, himself a runner, and MD who wants to make a difference in the health of West Virginians. Thank you, Mark. Receiving a packet when checking in at the host hotel, Holiday Inn Express, was a very nice touch as was the big 4 a.m. breakfast. Packets were in paper bags also as going green was another focus of this event. Early morning scenery was breathtaking. I'm a native West Virginian, so those curves and hills didn't bother me while riding the bus. BUT during the second half of the race, as had been stated, they were continuous, never-ending and then they took away my breath, cramped me up and wore me out! I barely managed to finish under the 7-hour cutoff and then limped to the bus stop. The website is well organized and full of interesting information. We were kept informed as the event time progressed. I asked for and received number 64, representing number of marathons done. RD was very responsive to questions and I was really pleased to find a nearby new race that showed such organization and teamwork. This race was a challenge for me, a slow person, but I would highly recommend it for the scenery, good workout you'll get, and the opportunities to learn history, visit local shops and support the efforts to help make others healthier. RD is having medals specially made for the runners and promised to send them out. Age group awards of expensive running shoes are coming also. I look forward to receiving both. I plan to do this again as long as I can because I'm very partial to my home state of West Virginia. I encourage all those that stay away from first-time events to try this one. It's headed to the top of the "must do" lists.
m. g. from West Virginia (10/17/2009) "thoroughly enjoyable - and walker-friendly" (about: 2009) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Freedom's Run COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 They have an early start for walkers, with extended closing. They also have beautiful scenery and excellent organization.

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