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Apr 28, 2024

Tobacco Road Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Tobacco Road Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.3

Organization 4.2

Spectators 3.6

Number of comments: 66 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

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W. F. from Denver, CO (3/15/2016) "Great race!" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tobacco Road Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first Tobacco Road Marathon and my 11th marathon overall. I would - without a doubt - recommend running the Tobacco Road Marathon to others. This is a smaller race that has top-notch organization. Everything went smoothly from packet pickup at the expo, to parking at the baseball complex (highly recommend purchasing a parking pass), to pre-race communications from the RD, to on-course support, and on. The bulk of the course is on the American Tobacco Trail, which is a great running pathway. It alternates between packed dirt and asphalt and it's generally flat and well shaded. It's about 2.5 miles to/from the ATT through a residential neighborhood, which has some rolling hills. The aid stations were very well supported. I have never seen a race offer as many gu packets as Tobacco Road. We didn't linger for the post-race activities as we had to check out of our hotel (to the race organizers, can you work something out with the Embassy Suites to offer a later complimentary checkout than 1pm?) Finally, the weather, which is obviously not in the control of the race organizers. This year was hot and muggy. I believe temps are typically much cooler than the high 60s/low 70s we experienced. That said, with the shaded trail, it was manageable. Honestly, my only negative (other than the 1pm late checkout) was that the race shirt was short sleeved. Personally, I wish it were long sleeved. We also received a really nice water bottle as part of our swag bag. I'm not bananas about medals, but for those who are, this one was huge and very nice. Also, the PR bell is an awesome touch! I only wish I'd earned a BQ shirt as well.
B. K. from Stavanger, Norway (9/6/2015) "Good course, well organized small marathon" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Tobacco Road Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was one of the most enjoyable marathons I have run. Well organized from sign up all the way through to the post race event with food, drink, live music. The course was a little uphill for 2 miles to the railroad track and pretty straight from there with no sharp turns or bottlenecks to slow you down. Nice scenery and gentle curves all the way. Tree cover against any sun but not enough to affect my GPS reception. The flat straight course together with the downhill finish helped me to a new PB and and a BQ time so I could ring the bell and collect the special BQ t-shirt. Great marathon and highly recommended.
D. B. from Long Beach CA (3/30/2015) "All good in Cary, you won't be sorry" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tobacco Road Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Beautiful course, top notch organization, perfect weather. But the best thing is no one is paid, it's all volunteers and 100% of proceeds go to worthwhile charities instead of someone's back pocket. Cary is a nice town with nice people, I highly recommend this race.
J. R. from Newmarket, NH (3/18/2015) "Great Race For Your PR" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Tobacco Road Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 For all the little hassles of this race- it's not really near a downtown or within a cab ride from anywhere- Tobacco Road has LOTS going for it. Sure, you'll need to rent a car, but hotel rooms are cheap and plentiful in the Cary area and parking really isn't that bad at USA Baseball. And this race is ideal for a fast spring PR. The course is T-shaped, with a 2.5 run from the start to the American Tobacco Trail, a mix of pavement and smooth, packed stone dust trail. You'll turn right onto the ATT for the first out and back (half marathoners turn left, meaning little congestion on the trail). Not hilly, but some slight rail grade elevation changes. By mile 14 you're back at the road crossing, then continuing on to the second out and back. This one's a bit hillier, but not at all bad. Great aid stations with enthusiastic volunteers, gels, and real food at mile 18. Weather was overcast and in the 50's- just perfect for a great run. My second fastest marathon (of 48), just a minute off my PR. Highly recommended.
T. R. from Raleigh, NC (3/16/2015) "One of the best small marathons out there" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Tobacco Road Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 This is my 5th consecutive year running the Tobacco Road Marathon! The organization is second to none, the swag is great, the course is fantastic and the dirt is helpful and keeps my legs fresh the entire race. I love the BQ shirts and bell at the end of the race for those that BQ! I will continue to schedule this race year after year and it is in my back yard practically. One thing to note - the race website says it is a flat and fast course. It has rolling hills throughout and isn't all that flat. Although, I wouldn't say it is a very difficult course either. The weather is just about perfect year after year. I have seen the 40's and 50's each year....this year was in the mid 50's throughout. There is a lot of tree cover from the sun on the tobacco road trail which is 20 miles of the race.
M. W. from Syracuse, NY (4/20/2014) "Great Spring Marathon!" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Tobacco Road Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Very well organized and attention to the runners was first rate. Course is flat and somewhat boring but I was lucky to have some good company on the journey. Special Shirt to Boston Marathon qualifiers was a very classy touch ! It was great to watch the runners go up for the shirt and proudly put it on :)
S. D. from Midwest (4/10/2014) "Great small event with top-notch race director" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tobacco Road Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 [I ran the half marathon and my stats are for half marathons, not full.] This is a well-organized small/mid-size race that is easily accessible for 50-staters and presents few hassles. I was reluctant to sign up for this race after reading previous years reviews about problems with parking and shuttles to the race. The RD clearly has worked hard to address these concerns-even posting a detailed 'transportation plan'-and everything worked like clockwork. Follow the instructions to arrive early and I recommend buying the parking pass. (I did not use the shuttle so cannot comment on that, and I also did not attend the pasta dinner.) Pros: - Well-organized event with an involved and accessible race committee - Well-supported course with ample water/aid stations, fully staffed and well-organized - Highly visible and accurate signage - Course seems flat but may be deceptively difficult (graded so there is gradual but long uphill/downhill) - Race day logistics operate like clockwork but highly recommend purchasing the parking pass and following instructions to arrive early (no later than 5:30am; sign up early because parking passes sell out) - Enthusiastic crowd support at the finish and always fun to be greeted by the RD after crossing the line - Starting line itself is very congested but the full and half marathons separate early (after about 2 miles) - Good post-race food and fun, local band - Good option for 50-staters. You need to rent a car but Cary is a short drive from Raleigh-Durham airport. - Good pre-race communication. The final instructions leading up to the race included straightforward listing of key points, not just a marketing blitz. - Location of expo at host hotel works well (recommend staying at host hotel) Cons: - I usually don't mind out/back courses and it is peaceful to run on this tree-lined path, but it also became dull because its a straight out/back. - Shuttles from the host hotel would be a great addition and it would further ease demand on parking passes. The need to arrive no later than 5:30am to be guaranteed a parking space (even after paying a parking fee) is excessive. - Race shirt sizing is not accurate (oversized) - Host hotel does not offer late check-out without additional fees If you like small/mid-size races with relatively few frills, this is a great option. There is a small expo at the host hotel, no bands on the course, and relatively few spectators since accessibility to the path is limited, but the organization is excellent, the post-race food & band are fun, and there is a very enthusiastic crowd at the finish.
E. C. from Midlothian, VA (3/25/2014) "Great small race" (about: 2014) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Tobacco Road Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I chose this race before its inclusion in the Runner's World's January 2014 issue. The race was close to home for me, very small (capped at 1500) and relatively flat. I wanted a smaller race after running Marine Corps in 2013 and being bogged down for the first few miles in thousands of people unable to get to my marathon pace. Pro's: Most of course is on clean, crushed stone trail. Most of course is flat. Water stations were ample and most were passed twice as it's an out and back T-shaped course. The 3:30 pacer, Gary, was fantastic (as I'm sure all of the pacers were). He ran very even splits and was knowledgeable about the course. Medal is huge and amazing! Plus, we got race logo calf sleeves that are very cool. Great weather (mid 40's and overcast) Cons: Small expo with very little in the way of swag. Race shirt was huge. I wear a medium in every brand imaginable but this was huge. Of course, there were no exchanges at the expo and then after the race, there were no smalls available. They said they'd mail me one. We'll see. Sparce spectator support but those who were out were loud and cheering. Very gradual incline from miles 22-25 that was not obvious from race map. Be prepared for that.
A. B. from Boston area, MA (3/18/2014) "A+ for Organization" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tobacco Road Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I am pursuing the 50 states and chose this marathon for NC. It had amazing organization and logistics. The one negative for me was that although the trail was incredibly scenic and mostly flat, it got monotonous. I am a back of the packer and was alone a lot, which could have contributed to the monotony. Pros: -very accessible and friendly race director who was very attentive to runners' needs (and even ran me in to the finish) -expo was bigger than I expected and had everything you needed -last-minute tent put up due to expected rain (what a nice touch!) -good aid stations including a huge 'buffet' at the mile 19 turnaround -large and nice medal -good traffic control -plenty of post-race food and beer for slower participants -supportive of slower participants (course open for 7 hours for marathoners and half marathoners could take that long as well) -half marathoners split off before mile 3 so it wasn't too crowded -out and back sections allowed runners of different paces to see each other and cheer each other on I recommend staying at the Embassy Suites host hotel if you can. It was convenient to be in the same hotel as the expo, and it's only 15 minutes to the race site. The only downside is that they do not offer free late checkout after 1pm. I also recommend buying the parking pass. Although there was a lot of traffic getting into the parking lot, it was worth it to be able to park right at the start/finish. In 2014 we had cooler temps with the threat of rain (which held off for most of the race). The trail is tree-lined so I suspect it would be shaded and provide protection from the wind. This was my first visit to the area and I recommend The Pit BBQ and Beasley's in Raleigh for excellent food. I'm glad this was my NC marathon.
J. P. from Columbus, Ohio (3/16/2014) "Course great and race director outstanding" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tobacco Road Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is a well organized, smaller race but that's what makes it the best! The race director is outstanding when it comes to the runner's needs. We had acces to indoor bathrooms as well as portables. Due to weather he provided a large tent near start & finish. Spectators may be small but volunteers and sheriff/police force also outstanding. Great attention to the nice small details of running! I would highly recommend

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