Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Apr 29, 2024

1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut Marathon Runner Comments

Back to 1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.4

Organization 4.5

Spectators 2.8

Number of comments: 34 [displaying comments 21 to 31]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 > ]

K. M. from Salisbury,Vermont (6/17/2012) "Beautiful course." (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 We just ran this weekend (2012). Came with our daughters,who ran the 1/2 we ran the full. What a beautiful course. Definetly challenging hills and very hard to go back out and do second 13 when at the 'finish'. So nice not to have traffic and the course was mostly shaded along the water the whole time. Great on course support even second time thru which is not always the case when there are alot more 1/2 marathoners than full. Pastries at end were yummy as were the brats and beer. Nice that there were plenty there no matter what time you came in. Organizers very helpful and friendly.thanks for a fun weekend.
R. C. from Columbia, MD (6/17/2012) "Beautiful course, great race director!" (about: 2012) 50+ previous marathons \| 2 1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is our second time running this race. I did the half last year and the full in 2012. I think this is one of my absolute favorite races. The course is beautiful. It winds through a shaded bike path for the first 6.5 miles, then abruptly sends you on a single track trail for a mile, then back down to the start. The course is a half, and full marathoners have to turn around and repeat. But this is no problem because the course is so much fun. It is hot, especially later in the day, which hampers your pace, but I still got my award. The awards are little German 'wetterhauses', or weather house. It is a charming little diorama with a German man who comes out when it is humid or a woman when it is dry. The man was definitely out for this race. There is a fun party afterwards with a polka-playing accordionist (he was also on the course at mile 4) and German folk dancers. Stefan Weiss has some much fun and passion that he singlehandedly makes this a great race.
H. c. from Columbia, MD (6/17/2012) "One of my FAVORITE MARATHONS!" (about: 2012) 50+ previous marathons \| 2 1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Great out and back course with the trail at the turn around point. Great volunteers and aid stations. Very nice improvement of the shirts this year. I love it! My hubby and I will definitely run it again next year. Thank you to the race director, volunteers and runners! PS: BEST AWARD EVER!!!
T. P. from Da Jersey Shore (6/27/2011) "good race- misleading info on the website" (about: 2011) 2 previous marathons \| 1 1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 If whoever wrote the details about the race on the website was trying to be sarcastic, it did not translate. This race was rather hilly and described as mostly flat on the website. While the hills were not steep or severe, the course is quite far from flat. It is scenic and serene and absolutely beautiful but if you need a lot of spectators and cheering and encouragement, this may not be the race for you. Race support was good but the bathrooms/porta johns were pretty sparse. After I crossed the finish line, I celebrated with an IV in an ambulance. The EMTs were great.
P. C. from Jersey City, NJ. (6/27/2011) "A beguiling course." (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The race started a little late but the weather was good so not an issue. The first loop of this two loop course was fast for me (1:48) but by the end of that loop I was getting very hot and I seriously considered bailing at half way. I should have. The second loop was a killer! This is not a complaint of the organizers or anything, it's just that I should have been more honest with myself. By mile 23.1 I had 45 minutes to make it inside 4hrs and it took me 40 of those! I finished in about 3:55 and wasn't feeling great. It was hot and a beguilingly challenging course. Aid stations and volunteers were great as were the brats and beer after. Shirt and medal are fantastic - nice clean design without sponsors. I'll go back and do this one next year but if my schedule is as busy as this years then I'll just do the half.
D. M. from Ohio (6/27/2011) "hilly shady bike path some dirt path" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I loved this race. Very organized. Aid stations throughout the course. Well marked bike path and some dirt trail. More hills than expected. The course was almost completely shaded so that helped with hot weather.
R. G. from Philadelphia (6/26/2011) "Good endurance event" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I only ran the 1/2 marathon for this race, but the full was another lap around the same course. The course: The course was harder than I expected. It isn't quite as flat as advertised with several steep, but relatively short rolling hills that you have to cover twice as this is mostly an out and back. There is also an off-road section where you run on grass and then some slightly rocky single-track. Otherwise, the course is paved, scenic, and mostly shaded bike trail. Pros: 1) Nice medal and shirt (single logo, not loaded with sponsors front and back) 2) The best post-race spread of food I have ever seen (including homebaked goodies). Then you get to go over to the German club and get a brat and beer (included in registration). 3) Interesting and challenging course. The single track section was not difficult, but a nice change of pace if you are primarily a road runner. Cons: 1) There was a late start due to slow bussing of the runners to the start. 2) Not much spectator support. Conclusion: This is a fun event with great food and entertainment and a challenging course. Scheduling this race for late June, the organizers were clearly interested in creating an endurance event. While the weather gods were smiling upon us for 2011, you should probably not go into this race thinking you'll be setting any PRs, regardless of weather conditions.
S. H. from Chantilly, VA (10/18/2010) "Would consider running the half next time" (about: 2010) 3 previous marathons \| 1 1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran this as my 3rd marathon and had a DNF. I made many mistakes during training and should definitely have turned around at the half marathon turnaround instead of trying to run the entire distance. With that said, and as the above is not the organizers' fault, the first half of the race was beautiful, the second not so much. It just wasn't scenic for me but the first half I really enjoyed. The volunteers working the aid stations were great. They filled my water bottle up to the top every time, they cheered the runners on, and when I got sick at mile 16 due to dehydration they removed me from the race and packed and rubbed ice on me before having me driven to the medical tent in the start/finish area. I would run this again; next time I would run the half if the course remains the same, and if it continues to be in June also. I don't recommend this for first-time marathoners, and I still consider myself a newbie.
A. J. from NJ (7/14/2010) "Half sour" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Not 1/2 Sauer but 1/2 sour. Didn't think miles 12 - 26 were very scenic at all to run on, as you do through some not so nice sections of Reading. Course contains two out-and-backs. The first out-and-back contains some minor hills, which were welcome, but the course is not as flat as advertised. Some portions of the first out-and-backs were very crowded with runners going in both directions, making it difficult to pass. Neither out-and-back had anyone recording numbers, so it was easy to cheat and turn around where every you wanted. I did notice some marathoners simply turn around and cut the course on the second out-and-back. Hope they don't use their time as Boston Qualifier. Some half marathoners missed their turn around - not sure why, but you could see their disgust when they realized they were on the wrong course. Volunteers were simply excellent, filling water bottles for any one. Not much food left for those who ran over 5 hours, but the brats and potato salad were delicious. Best pastries were long gone. The alternative energy drinks were a real boost.
Eliot W. Collins from Raritan Borough, NJ (6/22/2010) "Enjoyable Race - Will Return Again in 2011" (about: 2010) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 I enjoyed this race very much, and I was able to finish within the 6:30:00 time-limit without running a single step. The trail was peaceful, and there was no traffic to contend with at all. I saw a deer, a rabbit, a chipmunk and a mole. The "hills" and "heat" were inconsequential, and that I had to walk briefly on a road was no big deal. Everyone associated with the race was very nice, and I look forward to returning for the second time in 2011.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 > ]

Become an Advertiser

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Become an Advertiser

© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC

Privacy Policy Refund Policy Terms of Use