May 18, 2024
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☰
Steamtown Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Steamtown Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.7 
Organization 4.9 
Spectators 4.7
Number of comments: 608 [displaying comments 581 to 591]
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A Runner from Syracuse, NY
(8/24/2002)
 "A fun, fast, fabulous marathon!" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Steamtown Marathon is very well organized and has a wealth of enthusiastic volunteers. The course is generally very fast, with one steep hill and one graduated hill towards the end. The aid stations were well stocked with water and gatorade and had plenty of volunteers to make sure you got what you needed. Each little town along the way tries to outdo the next in enthusiasm and innovative ways to assist runners. In one town I was offered homemade baked goods as a snack, other towns play music or have entire school bands playing. The finish line was really well run, with drinks and snacks available. A short walk from the finish was locker rooms and an area that provided free massages. This was my fifth marathon, and it was the best by far. | |
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A Runner from California
(8/13/2002)
"I love the fans" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race is small town American hospitality combined with breath-taking scenery. The first mile was a little rough with some steep downhills, but overall a fast course. The fans are the warmest and most supportive fans you could ask for. Watching the marathon was a family affair. Kudos to Steamtown! | |
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A Runner from Baltimore, MD
(1/26/2002)
 "A nice marathon, but let's not get carried away..." (General Comments)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I ran this race in 2001, qualified for Boston, and agree with many of the positive comments posted here. The race was generally well-organized, the scenery was as beautiful as advertised, and there were a lot of spectators for such a small-town race. However, there were some drawbacks. The downhills at the start are very steep and tough on your legs. Also, one of the mile markers was misplaced (I don't remember which one, but I think it was 7 or 8). This fooled me into speeding up for a few miles and I paid for it later in the race. Finally, the uphills at the end are no joke and the weather can be quite unpleasent (we had a strong cold headwind for much of the race in 2001). All in all, a nice marathon if you're running for fun. But if you're trying to qualify for Boston, don't book those plane tickets just yet. | |
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A Runner from Northeast USA
(12/3/2001)
"Steamtown makes Marathoning fun." (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Everything is first class. The volunteers, fans and organizers make this an experience you will not forget. Their enthusiasm is contageous and for me the miles flew by. Every need of the runners (all runners) is handled with great execution. This is the 4th consecutive year I have run Steamtown and the race just keeps getting better. Course changes in my opinion were very positive with less hills and less asphalt. The fastness of this course almost seems to give an unfair advantage. Cool. P.S. Hard to describe the energy by the Carbondale faithful. Keep it up. | |
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A Runner from Washington, DC
(11/19/2001)
"a find" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What a wonderful race. I was registered for a different marathon scheduled for the same day, but changed my mind and elected to stay closer to home this fall. I'm glad I changed my plans. Steamtown has the rare combination of speed, scenery, and crowd support. Every marathoner should do this race. It's quite a find. Kudos to the organizers and locals who make this what I think is one of the finest marathons in the country. I hope you can keep it small. | |
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A Runner from Madison, New Jersey
(11/9/2001)
"An Amazing First Time" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Steamtown was my first marathon and definitely won't be my last. The enthusiasm among all the runners and the spectators was unbelievable. For great scenery, organization and a hometown feel this marathon is a must! Thank you to all the spectators that looked up my number to find my name to cheer me on! | |
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A Runner from Maryland
(10/14/2001)
 "Great race!!!" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Great organization is the hallmark of this successful, small marathon. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to run the first 8 miles (most of which are downhill) prudently. Training on down hills is mandatory to do well in this race. If you are prepared, however, the course is fast and even the last three miles of hills is fine. The volunteers were the best and there was plenty of drink and food on the course. The spectators were all along the route, although sparse in a number of segments. Great spirit. My favorite was the man at the last turn congratulating all runners, 'You are a marathoner. Now run the last 2/10s'. Thank you whoever you are. | |
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A Runner from Southern Tier, NY
(10/10/2001)
 "Fun course ... scenic ... small town USA." (about: 2001)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I enjoyed this marathon, the overall elevation decline is nice. There are some hills near the end that keep you honest. Pockets of enthusiastic spectators ... CARBONDALE!!! It's a scenic course and the trails were nice. The road under construction was painful. Friendly volunteers ... well organized!! | |
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A Runner from Duncannon, Pa.
(10/10/2001)
"Course is definitely faster than previous years." (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Anyone who can handle running downhill well, will be able to run a faster PR for a marathon on this course. I had and still do have some upper chest congestion and at 54 managed to do a 3:04:31 for a new PR. If you train, you will be faster and be able to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Others brag about a fast course. Well, this one is exactly that. I base that on the 50 marathons I did over the last 3 years and 7 months. Although relatively new to running, I absorbed quite a bit of experience in a short running career. | |
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A Runner from Washington PA
(10/10/2001)
"Downhill course?" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Judging from previous comments, the 2001 version of Steamtown was par for the course: great organization, enthusiastic volunteers, supportive spectators. Trouble at the start with slower runners who lined up in front. Race organizers should make this a point of emphasis next year--the start is fairly narrow and has several quick turns, and I had real trouble finding room to run early on. The elevation profile of the course shows a long, steady downhill with a few bumps early and late. In reality, most of the significant downhill is early in the race, and it would be easy to overreach and burn your quads up. The middle section is mostly flat with some rolls, and the last few miles had some serious hills, even with the changes for 2001. The rail-trail segment was a great change of scenery. It is not the easy course that the graphic would suggest, but it still can be fast. A highly recommended marathon. |
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