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May 8, 2024

Monster "Mash" Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Monster "Mash" Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.2

Organization 4.2

Spectators 3.1

Number of comments: 32 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 > ]

D. F. from San Antonio, TX (1/24/2014) "Great, relaxing, small Marathon" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Monster "Mash" Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 My husband and I ran this race and we both really enjoyed it. The flat course allowed both of us to do much better than anticipated. I enjoy running by myself and this marathon gave you lots of leg room right from the beginning. It was also a nice touch to be personally greeted both at packet pick-up and the finish line by the race director. The kids at all the water stops were very enthusiastic and supportive, even for us 5 hour marathoners. Love the monster mash mug too. Neat experience running around the track as well.
James Lehman from Coppell, TX (11/16/2013) "Dover competes with Odessa for flatness" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Monster "Mash" Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Small event, less than 200 people ran the full race. If not for the Route 1 overpass near the end the course would be flat as Odessa, TX. There were no lanyards for full-race medals at the end, but Kent mailed a lanyard to me a week or two later (thank you). Troops BBQ sandwiches at the end were heavenly delicious. I'm glad I participated in this Boston-qualifying race. Delaware is beautiful. Other: 1. Hassle-free parking. 2. Packet p/u is efficient. 3. Area hotels affordable. 4. Friendly volunteers, participants and spectators. Feels like home.
David Hurley from Roanoke, VA (11/2/2013) "This Marathon Has Potential" (about: 2013) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Monster "Mash" Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Having completed 72 marathons, this one was fine. I sent suggestions to Kent, and he has already responded. It would be a big help if the suggested hotels would allow for late check out. However, showers were available at the Dover Y. I feel that he and his staff will strive to make this marathon even better.
A. C. from Puerto Rico (11/2/2013) "A MUST RUN!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Monster "Mash" Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I can't say enough good things about this race. (I'm shocked about complaints regarding the course - it was beautiful! If you prefer the 'ugly' that is running closed-off freeways in LA or Phoenix, that's one's prerogative, but this was peaceful, the air was clean, and the scenery gorgeous!) The organization was super. The race started with a loop around the Dover International Speedway (cool!). The start was efficient, parking was easy, everything began on time. Mile markers were clear and there were aid stations at each mile, as well. Volunteers were positive and supportive. The food at the finish was great and the finish line itself (at the monster). Times were available quickly, as well as fotos (impressive for such a small race). The swag was AMAZING. Better than most of the 30 marathons I've run - a mug with spoon, nice t-shirt, sticker, etc. The medals are also really cool. Finally - kudos to the race director and his team. The RD was 'everywhere'! (How does he do that?!) Ready to help out, answer questions, listen to feedback. Very professional and I am sure that Kent's leadership will keep this race growing.
k. o. from Georgia (10/22/2013) "Why did the caterpillar cross the road?" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Monster "Mash" Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Why did the catepillar cross the road? To get a fun Monster Mash medal! course: Allow me to add a 'me too' to what has already been said about this course. It is flat. Nevermind being the first state - Delaware is the FLATTEST state. And after mile 6, it is boring - lots and LOTS of country roads lined with huge fields that stretch as far as the eye can see. Don't misunderstand me - there is nothing wrong with flat and boring. In fact, these elements offer a great opportunity to zone out and get the job done. Personally, this felt more like a long run for me - headphones in, playlist on, left foot, right foot. But if you're the kind of runner who needs to be distracted or who needs lots of crowd support to keep going, perhaps this isn't for you. The first 6 miles included running on the Dover race track (which is very cool, even if you aren't a car racing fan) and then touring through historic Dover streets (complete with Revolutionary War statues and falling leaves). The last 20 miles - seriously, right up through mile 26 - are on back roads. It isn't until mile 26.02 that you are finally back to civilization, where you emerge from the fields and see the raceway looming in front of you. Miles the Monster is a welcome sight!! (The next day, we did a little sight-seeing and discovered that there was more of historic Dover to be seen; we wondered why the course wasn't planned to show off more of the pretty town....) Now, having said all of that - who knew that Delaware is a farming state?! There's nothing more beautiful than a seemingly endless field - straight rows, uniform colors, rich soil. If it weren't for the seagrass and swampland, I'd swear I was in Oklahoma! And plenty of fauna to see - domesticated horses, ponies, chickens, cows, and dogs and wild (mostly in the form of roadkill) deer, raccoons, frogs, snakes, turtles, and wooly bear caterpillars. I was able to entertain myself for a couple of miles by contemplating the distance a wooly bear caterpillar would have to crawl in order to cover his relative worm-marathon distance. In the end, I concluded that all those catepillars who didn't get squished in the road deserved a Monster Mash medal! organization: For a small race, this marathon is well-organized and well-run. Packet pick-up was a smooth operation. (Don't expect an expo!) The customized mile markers were spot on and the aid stations were predictably placed and fully stocked. Port-a-potties were well-spaced along the course and at the start/finish. There was someone at each intersection and course change to point the way. Additionally, there were routearrows.com arrows on the ground to help keep the runners on track. I would have welcomed more of these out on those lonely stretches where there was no one in sight and where it was easy to question whether I was still on the right track. If you're wondering whether this marathon is worth its price, the answer is 'Absolutely!' In addition to a great shirt and a great medal, you'll get some really nice swag with the fun race logo. I also liked the custom race numbers. And I'm sure some of my money went to opening up the race track and allowing us to run around it. I do wish that there had been better traffic control - no lane closures, no cones, and in some cases, not even a shoulder to run on. Granted, we were out in the middle of nowhere, so there wasn't much traffic anyway... but some cars that did pass me were flying! fans: As is always the case with small races, the fans were the volunteers. Everyone was very helpful and enthusiastic and seemed to understand that we needed hydration, nutrition, and encouragement. I'm glad that we had a beautiful day to run and that the volunteers had a great day to fill cups and then pick them up off the ground! Volunteers and spectators rock! Thanks to everyone who came out to support us. (I was surprised at the dearth of runners gimping around in the casino afterwards and at the general lack of awareness that the race had even taken place - I guess this is still a 'local runner' thing and that the community hasn't gotten involved - but don't let that deter you from coming to Dover! It was a great little 4-day vacation for us!) Suggestions for next year: Get your online act together. What I knew about this event I had to piece together from the many sources - a sparse web page that included only a link to the course map and to the Dover Downs website (and not even a link to your Facebook page), your Facebook page (which I had to Google to ensure that I had the right 'Monster Mash' event), the 2012 communication from the race director that I hit from a Google search, the general instructions from the Active.com registration site, separate full and half maps that weren't to scale and weren't complete representations of the area (not very helpful for us out-of-towners who wouldn't know Leipsic Road from a hole in the ground), and an email sent out 4 days before the event. After all of this, I thought I had a good bead on things, but on race morning, we found out that the full and half courses split after the mile 1 run around the track!! Highly disappointing, considering that I was running the full and my husband was running the half. We had planned on running the first 6 miles together. If the 2 maps had been super-imposed and more complete or if the description had been more clear, we could have prepared... or perhaps we might not have selected this race to run.... Fortunately, the 2 courses merged back together around mile 2-ish. My husband waited for me (losing about 10 minutes on his half marathon time), and we did miles 2 through 6 together. Overall, I highly recommend running this marathon!
J. A. from Minnesota (10/21/2013) "Not much to write about..." (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Monster "Mash" Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I don't have much to be critical about, but I also don't have much to praise. The course is pancake flat but after the first mile is pretty boring. There are lots of water stops, but too many only had water. This year, they didn't give out gels until mile 22. The RD is energetic and the race is for a great cause, but I don't know how many more runners the course could handle. Best of luck. This was my 32nd state.
Ed Bear from NJ (10/21/2013) "RUN THIS MARATHON!" (about: 2013) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Monster "Mash" Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 5 reasons to run this race: #1 You run a lap, 1 mile, on the Dover race track. Fast is down on the apron. Fun is up on the banks. Have the fun and think about driving 500 laps! #2 It's flat and fast. The one 'hill' is a bridge overpass. This course is faster than NY, Chicago, Philly, Marine Corp and LA. Fast. #3 All the previous complaints have been fixed. Mile markers, plenty of water/Gatorade/gels. #4 Course has 3 parts: Track, Old Dover and Dover country side. I found each part enjoyable. #5 Still small, personal attention from the race director (a great guy) cool temps. Marathon Maniacs this race is for you! Spectators = 3 because of few people after mile 7. But the aid station people are great!
j. e. from USA (10/20/2013) "organized, fun theme, different" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Monster "Mash" Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is my 2nd year running it. Kent, the race director has done a great job with the organization of it all. It benefits wounded warriors, so it's a terrific cause. We had perfect marathon weather. The course is flat but you are alone most of it...a plus for me. It's a monster theme and the RD did a nice job with the medals, shirts, awards, and swag in keeping with that fun theme. Even the bibs had a monster on it. Results are immediate, awards were quick, free lunch postrun....keep it small and I'll keep running it. The nicest people come out to run it, the volunteers are numerous from parking attendents to aid stations, and everyone involved is so kind. Love the 7am start so you are home early. You get to see the sun rise on the speedway...not many races can boast that. It courses thru pretty parts of Dover, which I didn't know existed. The only negative comment I heard from anyone was that the shirts didn't say Delaware on it anywhere. I won't forget where that shirt is from because it is so bright and fun.
s. s. from Maryland (10/19/2013) "Great race for a PR; plenty of room to grow" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Monster "Mash" Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my tenth marathon and I PR'ed by over 10 minutes. Pros for speed: - Only ~200 marathon runners this year; no lost time in the beginning as people space out. - Flat course - Enough port-a-potties - didn't have to lose more than few seconds. My previous marathon I had to wait six minutes with thousands of runners and two port-a-potties. - Solid volunteers. I have no idea how they got so many teenage boys to get up at 7AM in the morning to volunteer for this, but they did. Other good things: - Hassle-free parking - The 'swag' was carefully chosen and useful, rather than more junk you can't use for anything. The shirt was made in the USA, and there was a cool little mug with attached spoon and a thing to stick your license or credit card onto your phone. - Many water stations, especially near the end when you're hitting the wall - Money clearly going to cause. They did not nickel-and-dime you to pick up a packet for a friend or charge an absurd fee and only donate a dubious percent to charity (like Rock and Roll) - I am not a Nascar fan, but the running the Monster Mile and picturing what it's like on that track on race day was still cool. - They have a good theme going and room to grow. A good cause, a Miles the Monster statue and the Monster Mile start line. - If you need lots of spectators for encouragement, stick with a larger marathon in a larger city. The spectators and volunteers were all friendly and the water stops were more than adequately staffed. - Come on time. They were really gracious about letting me start a few minutes late, but it seems like they really need to get people in and out of the stadium and the race started right on time. - They did not specify where Hammergel would be, and I only noticed it at a couple of stops after mile 20. Unless they specify it next year, bring your own. I don't mind this because it's very expensive to provide for a charity race.
M. S. from Alexandria, VA (10/19/2013) "Fabulous, beautiful flat Fall course." (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Monster "Mash" Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Wow. Just finished the marathon with my daughter and could not believe how much we enjoyed the scenery, the flat course, and the incredibly friendly support staff. We can't wait to run it next year. Aid stations were well stocked and the views were breathtaking. This is a hidden jewel. We saw everything from a plane landing in a dirt field to stunning wetlands to Mennonite horse and buggies. They also took us through the historic part of Dover; gorgeous neighborhoods with stunning historic brick buildings in the downtown region. I would recommend this race to everyone. Of course, the cause, Wounded Warriors, was quite moving too.

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