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Apr 28, 2024

Southern Tennessee Plunge Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Southern Tennessee Plunge Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 3.8

Organization 4.9

Spectators 2.8

Number of comments: 25 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 > ]

W. J. from Fort Lauderdale, FL (10/6/2012) "Wonderful Race in Mayberry" (about: 2012) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Southern Tennessee Plunge Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is for the 2012 race: What a great race in a friendly small town. We were able to park less than 1 block from the registration desk. The race started on time the course ran on a road that was coned off giving you a wide area to run. I think there were more friendly volunteers and police than runners (they had someone posted at every driveway). The course was beautiful with rolling hills, neighborhoods and lake crossings. The people of Winchester could not be more friendly. Every so often you would come around a bend and there would be local cheerleaders, a widows group or a family madly cheering you on. At the finish they were passing out whole pizzas. We ate ours in a little coffee shop overlooking the finish line (try doing that at a big race). Don't miss this experience!
M. L. from Knoxviille, TN (8/27/2012) "Nice little race with a ton of support." (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Southern Tennessee Plunge Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I've recently just started my quest for a marathon in each state. I'm really glad that I chose this for the state of Tennessee. I've raced in road races for over 16 years and I have never seen a race put together so well in such a little town. Pros: Course was rolling but not difficult. Plenty of Water stops An army of support staff on course. nice rural area with no tag along dogs. A nice finisher's medal that could also serve as a weapon (really heavy). Coffee shop adjacent to the finish line very convenient for the drive home. Cons: *Small race in terms of people, so not too many people to pace off after the split for the half marathoners.
R. K. from Tennessee (1/31/2012) "Update of previous comments" (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Southern Tennessee Plunge Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 (This is an update to my 2011 comments) I had mentioned many great things about the race but also that I thought the 2nd half could have been better not running with some of the traffic. Well, that was my first marathon and as I have seen in reviews for other races the first timers can sometimes be overly critical about their first course and I was no exception. Now that I have more marathons and half marathons under my belt I would not have been bothered running it today. Since then I've been in events where we were left to ourselves with no road support and in comparison the 2nd half wasn't that big of a deal since we had road support the entire route. Huge hindsight thanks to the Winchester organizers for a nice event with a beautiful date specific medal I can hang up to remember my first marathon!
C. K. from MS (10/24/2011) "Nice fall race." (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Southern Tennessee Plunge Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Loved this race and small town. Set my PR on this course Volunteer and traffic support was the best. I felt like they had at least 2 volunteers for every runner. I was never concerned about traffic. Water stations every 2 miles and very friendly. Perfect time of year for weather, l like the 7 am start, nice tech shirts and medals were nice. Beware of last 10k, very hilly. Last mile steepest elevation climb. Brutal. Would love to run this race again.
E. L. from Dallas, Texas (10/24/2011) "Small Town Gem!" (about: 2011) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Southern Tennessee Plunge Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran this race earlier this month, and I couldn't be happier that I choose it. What a cute, tiny well-run marathon. I have only ran one other marathon, Dallas White Rock, so I didn't know what to expect with such a small field. I was happily surprised! Tons of volunteers to keep the runners safe and keep us hydrated. I stayed in Manchester, which was a little drive but the Ambassador Hotel let us check out at 1 pm, so I can't complain. Thanks for the Tennessee runners who kept me motivated, you know who you are. Thanks Winchester for a great time!
j. m. from united states (10/18/2011) "Small town marathon with amazing amount of suppor" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Southern Tennessee Plunge Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is a small town marathon run with more volunteers than most big ones. The course is not flat, rolling and some long gradual ups and more significant climbs about 18 and 24. I drove the course prior to the run and was more worried about the gradual up about mile 6 along a four lane hwy. I was shocked during the race to see so many traffic cones. Runners had one lane and the shoulder and there never was a concern for safety. The water stops where about ever 2 miles and the volunteers working them were very enthusiastic. . This may not be a pr course but it can be an bq, just be aware of mile 18 and 24. I plan on doing this marathon again.
R. R. from Memphis, Tennessee (10/4/2011) "Even Better the Second Time Round" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Southern Tennessee Plunge Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Last year the Southern Tennessee Plunge (STP) Marathon was a great small town event that did a super job for it's first running. They must have learned a thing or two because this year things only got better! I can't believe that such a tiny marathon can do so much while keeping so small. Let's start with the swag. The half and full marathons have independent long sleeve technical shirts in multiple sizes and in both Men's and Women's cuts. The Finisher's Medals are also customized to the Half or the Full and are extremely hefty with inlays of glass, a major step up that puts them on par with the biggest races. B- tags are used to keep track of your times and are built right into the bib. Even the goody bag itself is customized and high quality and worth keeping. The course has been upgraded from last year, especially for the full marathon. Last year the second half of the course was more or less an after thought. This year there are scenic vistas and multiple lake crossings that will keep your attention on mother nature and not your aching legs in the late miles. Yes, there is a boring stretch of about 6 miles down Hwy 41A I would love to see go away but the rest of the course more than compensates for it. The course is also certified making it one of the smallest fields found in any race where you can score a BQ or official record! There are some hills here and the one at mile 25 is particularly daunting coming so late in the course. It's a hard race to PR. Despite that, this is a race that is one of the hidden jewels on the race circuit. I could go on and on but I'll sum it up this way. The STP marathon is a tiny race with big marathon swag and plenty of scenery to boot. The volunteers are second to none and the organization is seamless. Winchester Tennessee may be off the beaten path but this is a race worth making a special trip for. You won't be sorry you came.
H. S. from Georgia (10/3/2011) "Wonderful small town marathon" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Southern Tennessee Plunge Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is a wonderful smalltown marathon. Not a lot of spectators, but a lot more than most races this size and far more enthusiastic than you see anywhere. Well organized - no expo or pace groups, but based on the organization I'm willing to bet they will get those things as they grow. Portopotties and waterstops every two miles - amazing with the size of the race. Nice, albeit very hilly!, course. FANTASTIC medal. Friendly race personnel. Overall, fantastic, especially considering size. This is a race that deserves to grow.
R. K. from Tennessee (10/2/2011) "Nice small town event" (about: 2011) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Southern Tennessee Plunge Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This is a nice small town event with a great medal. I liked the fact that they made our marathon medal slightly larger and specific to the marathon and made the half marathon medal specific to that race. Same with the shirts. Kudos to them for doing that. The police support, volunteers, packet pickup, water and port-a-pottie stations every 2 miles, ease of parking, 7:00 start time for October, nice medal and most everything else should make this a 5 star race but unfortunately I need to make it lower because of the 2nd half of the marathon course. I'm one who is fine with hills, city views, sun or just a small number of fans but the one thing that can get old really quick is having to run with traffic and there is too much of that on the second half. Why in the early morning with low traffic we have cones but the second half when traffic is everywhere we have no cones and must run on the white line while lots of cars drive past us is a bit confusing. I'm sure there must be some logistical reason for this but there should be something done about it. With that said it was fun during the very last portion or the course being escorted by a police officer on motorcycle among the traffic. That's not something you normally get to experience. :)
K. D. from Alabama (10/2/2011) "Great experience would run again" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 First, the city of Winchester has a beautiful downtown. I felt the pride they have in their community. As for the marathon, it was one of my best runs this year. It was a bit hilly but not intolerable. The finisher medals are very nice. Packet pickup was smooth and the start was very sudden. Generally we get a speech and then we go. All I heard was the gun and off we went. Very nerve racking to run with traffic especially around the curves. All-in-all great race!!!

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