I loved the second-half of this marathon because
(a) I had a negative spilt (b) I figured out out to manage the steep inclines..I walked them (c) it was more downhill than up. (d) the long down hill allowed me to soak in the glorious scenery. This was one tough marathon but the beauty made it worth it. The steep hill from mile 1 to 2 was a real buzz kill but I persevered and got stronger as the race progressed. The weather was perfect with a slight breeze and townies very friendly. I would recommend this to anyone not after a PR who appreciates nature.

I really enjoyed the race. I was expecting it to be tough and by hilly, my expectations were met within the first three miles...the hills felt relentless. Thank goodness much of the tough part of the race (the first 17 miles) was in the shade from the beautiful trees covering the roads.

The race was very well organized with plenty of water/Gatorade stations and porta-potties along the way.

The scenery was beautiful and the people (locals) along the way were great and very supportive. 12-15 minutes slower than my normal pace but with the terrain, I was pretty pleased with my time. I highly recommend this run to all of those wanting a great small event.

Just returned from finishing the 2012 marathon and all i can say is wow! The organizers did a tremendous job at making this smaller marathon something special. The town and area was beautiful, the food was excellent (except for the dinner but i will get to that shortly) and everyone was friendly as can be. The course itself while picturesque is a tough tough course and the hills are no joke. I had ran Baltimore last year and thought that was rough but that was nothing compared got this race. If your looking to pr or check a marathon off you bucket list then this is not the race for you. For a serious marathon runner who is looking for a fun and challenging run then this is for you.

The only small complaints I have was that since you are staying in winter resorts there is no air condition (at least where I stayed), the Carbo load dinner was terrible, over priced and skimpy (there were a few restaurants that were participating so I can't speak for them all but avoid Timbers) and you had to pay for real food at the finish line if you are looking for more than donuts and bananas.

Again small gripes but great crowd, spectators and organizers and it made for a spectacular weekend get away.

Highly recommended for the serious marathoner.

P.s. the mad half isn't for slouches either

Yes, this course had the steepest hills I have ever run! But the scenery was gorgeous. The town of Waitsfield was a wonderful place to escape the hustle and bustle of the world. I loved the fact there were no red lights, fast food, or Walmarts! But anything you needed the town had. I brought my family of 6 plus our two dogs and stayed at the Sugarbush condos. We found a rope swing over the Mad River swimming hole. The kids loved it! I stood in it to cool my legs after the race. The movie theater played one movie at a time and provided couches and coffee tables in front of regular theater seats! I stretched out on a couch with my burger (best I have had in years!) and my mixed drink (yes the theater had a liquor license) and watched Cars 2 with the kids. After the movie the kids played on the playground while my husband and I sat in chairs and continued to enjoy our adult beverages. We visited Ben and Jerry's. We saw a waterfall and a skunk. My husband stopped me before I got out of the car to take a picture! We were hoping to see a moose. The farmer's market on Saturday was very nice. Loved the furniture made of used skis and the Vermont Peanut Butter varieties. It was a great experience. For a first year marathon it was very organized. A couple of things I would like to see improved would be more port-o-pots on the course. And even though there were plenty of water/Gatorade stops the beverages were warm and towards the end beyond warm. Maybe a truck can deliver bags of ice to the stops and store them in coolers and use as necessary. I didn't receive any feed bag at the finish. Maybe they ran out by the time I crossed the line. The people of vermont were extremely friendly. Really cool family trip! P.S. Thanks you Holly and Lori for getting me through the first 18 miles! I couldn't hang after that!

Wow! Mountain after mountain, after mountain,those were not hills. Overall, a great little marathon! I thought it was very well done for a first time event. The area was beautiful but as others said, there isnt much to do after 5pm. We brought our dog along and stayed about 30 minutes away in Williston which is Southeast of Burlington. That gave us the opportunity to visit Waitsfield and Burlington all weekend, stay in a 'non' B&B, and go to late night dinners with numerous choices. If anyone plans that for next year, know that there was zero traffic race morning and we arrived 45 minutes before the start and got parking 2 blocks from the start.
Plenty of portapotties at the start but none on the course. Hey, I dont want to pee in the woods and what if you have a 'female' issue?
The elevation chart should have been more realistic. I'll run hills but I want to know about them before hand. I was hearing the word 'brutal' often on the course.
The course was well manned and everyone was super friendly. I was handed fresh cut watermellon and freezepops. Hard to believe Ben and Jerry's didn't give away ice cream, and like lots of people, I want real food after running over 4 hours. The donuts were yummy but not enough. The food I purchased was wonderfull but it would have been nice to know ahead of time that cash was needed at the finish.
I loved the race shirt, one of my favorites so far. Packet pick up was quick and easy. I don't need a big expo so I liked it.
All in all I think this race has a lot of potential and I would recommend it. I definately had a great time.

After reading all the comments posted by others, I have to add mine because so many of those comments appear to have come from friends of the race organizer. The Mad Marathon was my 25th marathon. I'm glad to have completed it, but wouldn't do it again even though it is likely to improve in future years. I think the 'bads' out-weigh the 'goods' by too much. First, the self-proclaimed 'most beautiful marathon...' line is off-putting. Once can't argue with the beauty (though it's all the same) of central VT, this is a descriptor that needs to come from multiple years of participants, NOT the race organizers. Second, the race website is abysmal..maybe the worst I've ever encountered. I've listed other comments below:

Good
1. Pretty Setting
2. Plenty of water/gatorade at frequent water stops
3. Plentiful, friendly volunteers (though they couldn't answer any of the simple questions I heard folks asking them)
4. Very little traffic on course
5. Decent medal
6. Course open a long time
7. The official race inn across the street from the finish has a beautiful courtyard with free beer and snacks. The proprietors even offered towels to people sitting on the ground.

Bad
1. No food at the finish for participants (except cash and carry)! The feedbag had a pkg of gel blocks and an orange. The last thing I want at the end of a race is gel-I need FOOD and I don't carry money unless I'm warned that I'll need it.
2. No water bottles at the finish for participants, just teeny cups of water/gatorade
3. Expensive pasta dinner ($19) no better than much cheaper ones at other marathons = disappointing.
4. Only port-a-loos at the halfway mark (only 2 in all). This is tick country and I got lyme disease in the woods once before!
5. This is a very hilly marathon. Neither the elevation chart nor the course description let on how hilly it is. They need to be honest rather than trying to gloss over the plentiful, very steep hills. I don't avoid hilly marathons (Catalina Island Marathon is an all-time favorite of mine) but I like to know what I'm in for.
6. All sizes of tech shirt = HUGE. Plus, please get good quality tech shirts (or better yet, cotton shirts!) rather than the no-name cheapies. I have dozens of low-quality tech shirts now. Marathons don't get much advertising mileage out of low quality shirts, because most marathoners will wear and re-wear the good quality ones that some marathons give out.
7. Not enough medical help along the course. I saw people throwing up beside the road that had to wait for the roving medical person on the bike to show up or slog on (good marathons have multiple med stops at water stations and or a wagon picking up people...especially on such hot and hilly courses)
8. The literature said there would be more than just a start and finish pad.However, there wasn't a single pad on the course and this course would be a cinch to cheat on.

If you're looking to do a marathon in VT in the next couple of years, go for the one in Burlington (give this one time to work out the awful kinks). And if you're looking for a beautiful, hilly race in New England, check out the Mt. Desert Marathon, which is rated highly by race participants.

I really enjoyed this marathon. It is beautiful and challenging. About half of the course is on dirt roads which I prefer and all of the volunteers were great. I do wish however that the organizers had been more up front about the hills. They come early, often and several are long and steep. In fact, I think this could be a great calling card for the event. I've done many marathons and found this one to be one of the most challenging as did many other people I talked with. They should play that up!

As with most small races there was no real race expo and there were fairly few fans along the course. Water stops were great but I was surprised they only had porta potties at one spot on the course. The finish line food was limited to an orange and donut. No bagel or bananas in site.

I dont mean to be negative, this was a fun event. With one event under their belt Im sure next year will be even better.

Hill's!!!!!!!!
Volunteers-Wonderful from start to finish.
Water thru out,Gu-stations-2,GATORADE THRU OUT...LOVE EVERYWHERE...
THE HILLS ARE A KILLER !!!!!!!!!!
OVERALL...I'D DO IT AGAIN...
HAD A BALL!!!THE TOWN MADE YOUR FEEL LIKE YOU WERE ONE OF THEIR OWN..

I completed the full marathon and had a great experience. They are the self-proclaimed Worlds Most Beautiful Marathon and I will not dispute that claim. The course is very hilly with challenges and in July Vermont it can get hot. That said it is a wonderful course. Organization and volunteers were great. There was plenty of water and Gatorade. I noticed some complaints about a lack of portable toilets, but I didnt have that issue. Perhaps there was one available when it was needed. In my opinion, to enjoy the flavor of rural Vermont, you should stay near the race. The Mad River Valley is a wonderful place. I found the Bridges to be a great accommodation. Food at the end of the race was average at best. However, I have seen much worse.

This race gets my highest recommendation.

This was an absolutely wonderful race that I enjoyed from start to finish. They claim it to be the Worlds Most Beautiful Marathon and I will not dispute that claim. The terrain was hilly, but what do you expect in Vermont? Perhaps it was because I didnt need one, but I thought the Port-o-potties were adequate. I have seen better end of race food, but I have seen worse also. Overall I rate it an A.

Should you run it next year, you will miss much of the flavor if you dont stay locally. The B&Bs and Inns are very nice and the ski lodge condominiums are great. I stayed at the Bridges in Warren and had a great time.

I am certain when we run Heavens Marathon in the hereafter, it will be better; however, until then this one is hard to beat.