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☰
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 21 to 25]
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B. M. from Madison, TN
(10/2/2011)
 "Enjoyable, well-managed, small, hilly marathon" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Southern Tennessee Plunge Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 This was not flat and not fast, and there were almost no spectators. But the race organization was great, and parking for packet pickup and race day was easy, free, and close. There was ample course support and after-race refreshments, and traffic on the main roads was well managed (including a coned-off lane for the 9 miles on the main highway). Overall, this was a top-notch event. I'd recommend it to any marathoner that's ok with running alone on a hilly course. After the half-marathoners split off around mile 8, you're not likely to have a lot of company. (The halfers make up about 3/4 of the starting field.) A note for travellers, there aren't many hotel rooms available in Winchester, TN, and they'll fill up a month or two before the race. So either book a room early or prepare to stay in another town close by. There are plenty of hotel rooms in Tullahoma, TN. It's 25 minutes north, but it's an easy drive along the highway you'll be running on in the race. | |
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T. T. from Birmingham, AL
(10/5/2010)
 "Excellent Volunteer and Traffic Support" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Southern Tennessee Plunge Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Well organized small-town marathon. Every intersection and turn had police and EMT support. No crowds to speak of; but we had a well marked course with aid stations every 2 miles. Course seemed rather flat to slightly rolling. Good early fall marathon for those working for a BQ time. Second half of the course was a bit more remote than the first section. Very small field (fewer than 50 marathoners). | |
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R. R. from Memphis, Tennessee
(10/5/2010)
"Great Volunteers! Small, Rural Race!" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Southern Tennessee Plunge Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Tennessee is known as the "Volunteer State," and the Plunge Marathon showcases great Southern hospitality in a small, rural setting. This tiny race (150 half and 48 full marathon participants) had more police and volunteers than runners. Thus runners were treated really well and people went out of their way to make sure your every need was met. Packet pickup and parking couldn't have been easier. The course itself was open, and in the city, traffic was a bit of an issue. Some spots were pretty narrow, but the strong police presence was welcome and I never really felt unsafe. I do wish more of the course would be in neighborhoods or run along the scenic lake, which was only visible at 2 brief points. I also would love to see an earlier start time since temperatures that started so ideally were really rising by mid-day when most middle and back of the packers were crossing the finish line. The course itself starts in a scenic small-town square, then runs through Winchester, which would be nice except for the 4-5 miles along congested Hwy 41A. Other than that section, the course was pretty enough. The full marathon branches away from the half near mile 13 and then heads out onto a very rural road, which was also pretty but desolate at times. There is very little shade along the final 5-6 miles and I was really cooking on the black-surfaced roadways despite temps in the mid 70's. The last 1-2 miles back into town were shared with traffic on a 2-lane road and that was a little scary. There were, fortunately, a lot of police here to keep an eye on us. Overall, a nice, small-town race. I wonder if the course couldn't be fine-tuned a bit, but it was pleasant overall. I loved the volunteers and the friendly police support. Definitely not for those who require a lot of fan support, but those who were there were friendly. A good first running. | |
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R. M. from Franklin, TN
(10/5/2010)
 "Inaugural Race" (about: 2010)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Southern Tennessee Plunge Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This race went very smoothly for an inaugural race. The race director was already asking for feedback, which means the necessary changes will be made. The split for half marathon and full marathon was not noticeable. I actually split with halfers, crossed the half line, and had to run an extra quarter of a mile. | |
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M. L. from Tennessee
(10/2/2010)
 "Decent small marathon" (about: 2010)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Southern Tennessee Plunge Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I ran the first Plunge Marathon this morning. Course: Very hilly - continual rolling hills. The course fell into two pieces in regards to traffic - complete desolation or packed with traffic. On the back half there were mostly no cars, but on the front half and the last 2 miles the traffic was horrible. For those last 2 miles we had the white line to run on. Organization: Well organized, with a prompt start, water/Gatorade every 2 miles, and easy packet pick-up. Website and information could be enhanced. Spectators: As mentioned above, this was the first year, but there were very few spectators on the course. The ratio of those watching the intersections versus those watching the runners was about 10 to 1. |
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