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☰
WhistleStop Marathon Runner Comments
Back to WhistleStop Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 4.7 
Spectators 3.7
Number of comments: 77 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
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T. N. from Minnesota
(11/2/2013)
 "Great race, challenging terrain, but fun" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 WhistleStop Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The terrain was a bit softer than I had trained on, but I knew this going in and had't trained on the right surfaces, so I am partially responsible. There are some softer spots and it is hard to take the tangents if you are looking for the hard-packed spots. Will definitely do it again. Well organized for a small town race. It is a trail race so fans are in small pockets, but they are high energy and the water/food on course was good. | |
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B. K. from Mn
(10/16/2013)
 "Very poor course conditions" (about: 2013)
2 previous marathons
| 1 WhistleStop Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 The course is suppose to be flat and fast with limestone. Well my experience was horrible with the course being very sandy, washboard, and areas of granite stone. If you want to run this race make sure to train on a gravel road. The packed areas were about a foot wide where the runners were single file. I emailed the chamber of commerce and they apologized as they were having construction installing broadband. Really??? Never again, and I looked back and there participation has dropped over the years I should've known. On a good note the volunteers were awesome with plenty of water stops with food and bathrooms. | |
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J. H. from Iowa
(10/14/2013)
 "My favorite race course!" (about: 2013)
1 previous marathon
| 1 WhistleStop Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran the full in 2010 and the half in 2013 and both races were PRs thanks to the flat course! The course is on a graveled recreation trail and does have some soft spots, but if you can train on unpaved surfaces that should not be an issue come race day. The fall colors make the course quite beautiful, and both years I ran the weather was nice (50s and 60s), although some years the temps have been quite cool. Spectators are limited along most of the course, but those that are there make a lot of noise, and the aid station workers are great, too. The half marathon start is an hour earlier than the full, so there is not a lot of overlap or finish line congestion between the two events. Race weekend also coincides well with the fall color show, so the area's natural beauty provides a beautiful backdrop for the race. Finishers medals and shirts are unique, although they do not specify which race you completed (not a big deal to me, but I know that is an issue for some runners.) Overall, unless you crave the big city-style marathon, I would highly recommend this race to anyone. I can't wait to run the Whistlestop again! | |
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L. K. from Texas
(10/16/2012)
 "Great small town Marathon!" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 WhistleStop Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Loved this event! I loved the surface; yes maybe it slows you down a little but that's more than negated by two factors: 1. The course has a very gradual down hill of 500 feet spread over 16 miles. You won't even notice you're going down hill, but you do and it for sure helped. 2. The course has all of 4 turns. There's no worrying about tangents; you turn onto the trail right after the first mile and stay straight on it for the next 24 miles or so. It means that when the course gets certified it can be a lot closer to being truly 26.2 miles and not much more. The town of Ashland revolves around this marathon and a festival for the weekend; it's wonderful to be a part of it. When I rate the spectators 5 star that's with the caveat that this is a small town marathon run on a trail so of course between aid stations there are few if any spectators. But the aid stations were well manned with plenty of hydration and cheers. We stayed at the Best Western which allowed us to walk to the expo, bus pick up on race morning, and back from the finish line. It's a great old quaint hotel. | |
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S. W. from Illinois
(10/19/2011)
 "Fun course but, don't expect a PR" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 WhistleStop Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Pros: Asland is a beautiful town with very hospitable people. Great accomadations. Pre-race packet pickup is a breeze. Pre-race pasta dinner was good. Bus trip to start line was warm and efficient. Start area had lots of port-o-potties and last mimute fluids and some race needs. Lots of port-o-potties on the course. Blues and Brew Fest was great. Cons: Running surface was soft and loose. It was suppose to have been rolled, watered and brushed in some areas. I found that most runners ended up running in line to try to stay on the firmest footing one could find. It got to be tiring with the loose gravel. I found the trail to be a lot softer than I was lead to believe on the website. The tailwind was not very noticable with all the surrounding trees. The wind actually was a head wind in some places. Although the shirt and medal are very nice there is no distintion between the marathon and Half-marathon finishers. Would like more to drink at finish than water, power aid, and chocolate milk. | |
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W. C. from Twin Cities
(10/17/2011)
"Beautiful, rough surface, great fans!" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 WhistleStop Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first Whistlestop Marathon and an overall good experience Pros: Overall downhill course, beautiful countryside, Nice medal/shirt, very enthusiastic fans every 1-2 miles -awesome!, running surface was less jarring than pavement. Aid stations were better than most marathon aid stations a few had much-appreciated food (fruit, cookies, pretzels, gel). We weren't able to make it to the pasta feed/fish boil the night before, but that sounds like an inviting touch. Cons: Running surface was Soft gravel/sand, which made it a steady leg-fatiguing effort to find a decent part of the road to run on. My hip flexors were pretty shot after a while, due to lifting my knees higher than usual. It was a cold dry race with a strong tailwind, which was great, but we got pretty dehydrated and low on electrolytes and there was little electrolyte replacement at the finish - salty broth soup would have been nice. Also, heat in the civic center might have helped too. Overall, this was a fast course, especially with the strong tailwind, but probably isn't normally a PR course, but a pretty quick race. I am glad I ran it and recommend it to trail runners and nature lovers. | |
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p. a. from Milwaukee, wi
(9/18/2011)
"Like running on a sandy beach." (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 WhistleStop Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Well organized from start to finish. Course was sand and gravel.. Unfortunatly mostly sand! There was only about a 1 foot wide path (pounded down by the runners ahead of me) that you could really run on so it was single file follow the leader pretty much the whole way. Passing was very difficult. | |
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Lucas Heart from Wausau, WI
(3/21/2011)
"Fun Run" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 WhistleStop Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The Whistlestop is a pretty fun race. There was a very limited expo, but plenty of food at the pre-race meal. There are shuttles to the race start, which was really exciting. Some people complained about the course surface, but I personally thought it was fine. It's another railroad grade race - so pretty level. Shirt was very nice. I was a little disappointed with the lack of a massage at the end (they had them available for an extra cost, but I didn't bring money with me). This was my 9th marathon and, overall, I had a good deal of fun. | |
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T. B. from Eagan, MN
(12/29/2010)
"Great race; bad surface - if you like to run fast" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 WhistleStop Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran this race in 2007 and loved everything about it. In particular, I thought the running surface was pretty consistent and there always seemed to be enough firmness to maintain good toe-off. I ran a 3:08 that year and it was a PR for me at the time. Not this year (2010). The first 7 miles had been over-layed with road base stone, which was awfully loose and difficult to run on if you are a fast runner. Miles 7 through 17 were not much better, with many stretches of loose gravel. Lots of hunting for somewhere to run among the group I ran with. Very frustrating, but only if you are competitive and looking for a PR. If you're in it just to run it and have fun, it would probably not be that bothersome and you may find the surface forgiving, which it certainly is. I just don't think the course is fast enough for those who seek that elusive Boston qualifier or their next PR. Having said all of this, it is a very well organized race. The pre- and post-race activities are first rate, and although the crowds are sparse, they remain quite enthusiastic. It's also a great area to visit if you can find lodging. We rented a cottage in Bayfield, about 30 minutes north of Ashland. So, a well organized small-town race set against spectacular fall colors over a really crappy gravel surface - at least for those seeking speed. I will not run it again - at least until I'm old and slow and without a care in the world. | |
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C. F. from Wisconsin
(10/21/2010)
"Great 1/2 marathon for first-timers" (about: 2010)
2 previous marathons
| 1 WhistleStop Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I'm a newbie runner and this was my 2nd 1/2 marathon. I was expecting a slightly faster time considering the flat surface; I can only attribute my slower time to the sandy surface. But it was still faster than my first 1/2 marathon 2 months ago, which was paved BUT HILLY. I'll take flat and sandy any day! At least the course was consistent throughout, which helped me keep a pretty steady pace, and I was able to turn it on at the end when we reached town. Add to that the beautiful scenery, friendly runners and volunteers - and a festival to boot - and you've got one swell race! |
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