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May 2, 2024

Bay of Fundy International Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Bay of Fundy International Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.5

Organization 4.6

Spectators 4.5

Number of comments: 23 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

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S. F. from Andover MA (7/16/2014) "2 coutries, twice the fun!" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Bay of Fundy International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Wow! This was a GREAT marathon. Not only it was well organized, it was also very interesting. From the start at the lighthouse, to the 2 national anthems (a runner sang the American one), to the custom officers smiling and cheering you on outside their booth, to the homemade goodies at the finish line (the soup was my favorite), everything was great. Yes, reserve a room early, this is a very small town. Yes, be prepared for hills, Heartbreak Hill was nothing compared to this non stop rolling terrain. The scenery and the people give you the energy to finish. I met some awesome runners with whom we shared fun stories at the local pub afterwards. We stayed at the Cohill's Inn, a few blocks from the finish line. They had a little goody bag waiting for us at our door the morning of the race, a nice touch! Keep up the good work with the organization, it is greatly appreciated.
Dominique Beaudin from Mukwonago, wi (6/29/2014) "Amazing run" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Bay of Fundy International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 If you are looking for a marathon with amazing community feel and an Amazing course, this is it! The involved. Be prepared for the hills! There are a few. I have run 31 marathons in 5 years and this might be my favorite. So much enthusiasm, very affordable lodging and a lot to see. I don't usually re-do states, but I may bring some runner friends next year just for the course. Loved it. Awesome pottery for winners too...
Tiffany Reed from Standish, ME (6/17/2014) "Small, quaint and oh-so-friendly!" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Bay of Fundy International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I had heard about this marathon from a person who ran the inaugural race last year and my curiosity was piqued when he said the 'goodie' bag was a fishnet bag. I'm all about something different so I looked it up. Being new to New England I'm also enjoying checking out the regional runs. I have run several marathons previously so was not looking for all the fanfare of a large race and the scenery looked beautiful. This was a very small race, but from the very beginning I could tell they knew what they were doing. They responded to my questions quickly and when I found out the town was sold out of lodging accommodations, I was able to rent a room from a local homeowner on Campobello Island. If you decide to run this race, book a room early! The organization for this run was great and the volunteers (almost the entire town) were so friendly! My husband and I have been to much larger races where we did not feel as welcomed as we were here. We were pre-cleared at both borders the evening before then went to the pasta and lobster dinner! On race morning we sang both the Canadian and American national anthems. We only ran about 6 miles in the U.S. then crossed the border and ran 19 miles on Campobello Island. There were many beautiful views of the ocean - I carried my camera with me and got several great shots! This is a challenging course with many rolling hills, but none that were horrible. There were also several stretches where I was running by myself. On the island, there were few spectators, but of those that were out, they were all so cheerful and encouraging. An eagle seemed to follow me above for a distance and that was cool. The course is an out and back, but once across the U.S. border it is but 300 yards to the finish and the whole town was there. They put on a good spread at the finish line also! This race ranks right up there with the mega-runs in my book. If you are looking for a peaceful, serene, scenic run with a hometown feel, this is the race for you!
J. M. from New York (5/4/2014) "Great Race; Poor Post-Race" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Bay of Fundy International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Loved the course, the unique location, the ocean views, the short-but-ever- challenging hills, the small town spectators. Packet pickup was well organized and the pre-race dinner (with local musicians) was DOWNRIGHT AWESOME. But post-race was a major downer, and left a bad taste. Organization fell apart here. Bags left on the dirt (w/o even a tarp), stingy about the food (come on, I just ran a marathon; I can't have 2 yogurts?), tiny area for runners with nowhere to lay down and rest, no awards announcements or schedule and no sense of how to distribute awards appropriately. The post-race 'party' was come-and-support-the-local-economy-with-its-inflated-prices-on-Main-Street. The area is great for nature, but not much else doing. In the end, I took away a PR, but I'll not come back to this one. They really need to get their act together to make post-race something better than a slap in the face.
S. R. from Halifax, Nova Scotia (9/30/2013) "One of NA's most spectacular locations for a race" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Bay of Fundy International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 What a lovely spot for a marathon! Great sense of community and home town pride in Lubec and Campobello. The locals made the race, they were out cheering and supporting the runners and everyone seemed to be involved. The lobster supper the night before is a must, and the expo is quaint. Great organization throughout, flawless really especially considering it was the inaugural race. The course is extremely difficult, no flat sections at all, just hard hitting hills that take a lot without giving a lot back, so be prepared for that challenge, the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars (a challenge can be wonderful!) is because the roads are very steeply crowned for almost the entire course, which is really hard on the whole bod (not to mention your feet - the black toenails were this particular race's badge of honour). I would suggest walking across the border to pick up your bib/have it validated instead of driving, because the border is open for regular traffic, the wait time just to get over the bridge can obviously get a little ridiculous - something like a 45 minutes to an hour sitting in the car when it was maybe only a ten minute walk. The only comment I would have for the race organizers is to try and keep the water stations manned after mile 22 next year, there seemed to be many that were shut down or out of water - with an empty fuel belt by that point, I despaired that I didn't have the option. Dress for every kind of weather on race day - it was humid, cold, foggy, rainy and sunny! And mostly enjoy the whales off the coast of Campobello and that salt air.
A. D. from NY (8/29/2013) "Wonderful Challenging Experience" (about: 2013) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Bay of Fundy International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I agree with all the preceding comments. Be sure and get a hotel quickly. The town is small and does not have much. Be sure to visit the FDR summer cottage. Be sure and pack something warm for the half mile walk from the finish line back to your car. The area right around the bridge is often 15F colder than elsewhere. The locals take it for granted and don't mention it on the website. The med people were worried about hyperthermia and wound up with a few hypothermia cases. The pickup is a little clunky. They make you pick up the number in NB and the shirt in ME. They really don't make it clear how long the NB volunteers will be there. Saturday is probably the busiest day of the year for the border patrol of both nations. If they could figure out a way to end the race in NB, it could count for either NB or ME, and it would be the largest marathon in NB.
M. R. from Asheville, North Carolina, USA (7/14/2013) "Great run, great place and great hills....." (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Bay of Fundy International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I needed to get Maine out of the way on my quest for 50 states. This was number 16 and the visions of ocean waves, whales, lighthouses and lobster made this a no brainer. I stayed on the Island in Canada at the Owen house. All the other folks staying there were there for the marathon, and it made it very special. All the people in Lubec and Campabello were sweet. You could tell how important it was to everyone to have a good event. The course was very nice, but I learned a lesson. Sometimes, it may be better just 'run and smell the roses'. I wanted to get my best time possible and it was a wasteful pursuit. Hill after hill, after hill made this marathon one of my proudest achievements. Next time though, I will tone down my speed if I find my self on similar marathon course. I will not take off and leave my running friends behind, because they had enough sense to 'run and smell the bay'. Do this marathon, bring your wife and make it a lovely weekend trip. You will never forget this place. My wife and I want to back there again on vacation.
K. A. from Wakefield, MA (7/10/2013) "Quite a first marathon! For me AND the town" (about: 2013) First Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and I picked it in part because it had a good chance of being cool and far enough out that I could get decent training in. The fact that it was the first time it had been held and got to run in two countries was an added benefit. In retrospect, there was a LITTLE licence calling them 'gently rolling' hills. Due to some tendinitis, I never got in a sufficient long run, so was undertrained, and suffered the effects the last few miles. The course was difficult, but now I know that if I can finish this one, the next (and there will be a next) will feel so much easier. The race weekend was special. We stayed at a B&B on Campobello and everyone else there were also running or with a runner, so breakfasts were very entertaining. The whole area seemed very excited about the race. it seemed that half the people volunteered and the other half were along the course cheering. Even the border patrol from both countries were cheering the runners as we crossed both ways. All the water stops seemed to be well stocked to me. And since I did a 5:29, they had plenty of time to run out. The pasta dinner was tasty, a little bit of a wait to get in, but again everyone was so welcoming. about the only complaint was that they should have had a few more portapotties at the start and along the way. The finish line was right on Main (Water) street and everyone was announced as they finished. The medal is hand crafted and very special. plenty of post race goodies too. no problem with any running out. My wife and I loved the area and spent a lot of time touristing. I may not have a lot of marathons left in me, but I will definitely consider doing this again next year. Many kudos to everyone associated with this race.
B. B. from Pittsburgh PA (6/28/2013) "Very tough course (hilly); great support" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Bay of Fundy International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My 38th marathon and probably one of, if not, the toughest course. Constant challenging hills, but with great views and great support. The crowds were small except at the finish, but very supportive. Even the border control agents were cheering us on! A rather remote place but great things to do and see, especially the tide changes in the Bay of Fundy. And great food: Lobster, lobster, lobster everywhere. For an inaugural event the logistics were flawless.
P. G. from Iowa (6/25/2013) "Nice marathon, but hilly" (about: 2013) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Bay of Fundy International Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Lubec is what you would expect in a coastal Maine village. Fishing boats, piers, wooded islands, a lighthouse, quaint shoppes, and friendly people. The town is not large, but was very supportive of the race. A lot of people along the course were out on the lawns cheering on the runners. The route, from lighthouse to lighthouse, is scenic, but very hilly so be mentally prepared for that. Running into Canada was a bonus. The organization was very good. To pick up your bib you had to cross over into Canada and get your passport scanned by both Canadian and USA border agents, which while not exactly easy, was fun and unique. Anyway, other than the hilly course, this was a great experience.

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