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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 61 to 71]
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Bill Sanders from Elmhurst, IL
(12/6/2004)
 "Great small-town race - nice change of pace" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 WhistleStop Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Usually I run the Chicago Marathon during the weekend of this race. What a GREAT change of pace. This was the anti-corporate, anti-concrete, anti-overcrowded, small-town, naturally beautiful race that refreshed my running soul. Some highlights (1) Seems like the entire town was supportive of the race. Great. (2) Even though very small - well organized friendly organization. (3) Fall colors are perfect (4) Soft course - ran 2nd best PR and was still able to race another marathon 2 months later - easy on the legs. (5) Great T-shirt - top quality (6) Wife was able to encourage me at 6 places. Easy to get around. (7) Two starting points for the 1/2 and the full marathon. The 1/2 started 13.1 miles out, and the full, 26.2. It was nice to catch some of the slower 1/2 marathon runners. Only drawbacks are: (1) Course a little too soft at times. (2) Sometimes could have needed more crowds for support. (3) A few ATV's ran along the race course. | |
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P. W. from spencer wi
(10/14/2004)
"This was my first, will not be my last" (about: 2004)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Downhill, nice people, great colors, cold beer. | |
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V. K. from Andover, MN
(10/12/2004)
 "Consider for a PR course" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 WhistleStop Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 MY FAVORITE 'THON. As others have said -- flat to downhill, almost all dirt, few spectators but if you love running through the woods in the fall it's PERFECT. This year the weather was gorgeous blue skies, little to no breeze, incredible fall colors, cool 40-60 temps, no rain (for once!). All-Sport & water at all stops, though there is NOT water at every mile (this time of year you don't usually need it). I pr'd by 15 min at 3:55. Last PR was on this same course 2 yrs ago 4:10; I'm usually 4:34 or slower so there you have it. They really took care of people crossing the finish too. | |
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R. K. from Kentucky
(10/11/2004)
"Truly Superior!" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 WhistleStop Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Such a great combination of scenery on the course and nearby, unusually good weather, community involvement, wonderful volunteers, and remarkable organization and coordination of simultaneous events made the 2004 race a real gem! The trail surface was clearly in better shape than in 2003. Day 2 post-race, the leg muscles are about as sore as after a 10K and there's no joint soreness. Local folks were helpful and welcoming. The post-race snacks were plentiful but several runners seemed to find the mix a bit unusual; the ready access to nearby concessions and restaurants helped. A little award ceremony rowdiness capped a great event. Thanks to all concerned! | |
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A. K. from Gilbert, Arizona
(9/27/2004)
"I highly recommend this course for nature lovers. " (about: 2003)
1 previous marathon
| 1 WhistleStop Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran the Whistle Stop as my first marathon last year (2003). I am used to running on quiet back-woods trails and so I thought this course was perfect - really quiet, incredibly beautiful, and peaceful! The water stops were frequent & well stocked with Gatorade, bananas, cookies, etc. (Even for us who were towards the back.) I ran with my good friend & the best part for us was that our husbands could easily drive up ahead every couple miles to cheer us on. I can't say enough of how spectacular the fall leaves were. I drove up from Chicago for this race and the drive was so gorgeous! The last mile was the best, because suddenly you come out of the woods and you are running down mainstreet & everyone is there cheering you on. Our fastest mile was the last mile, because, it's just such an exciting finish. The main reasons I picked this marathon were, 1) Saturday race 2) soft gravel trail & 3) perfect size. If you need to be entertained along the course, this may not be the race for you. (Although the cows with bells around their necks at the half-way point were pretty exciting.) Next time I would bring an MP3 & have my husband hand it to me to get me through the last part of the race. One recommendation: get your accomodations early. We didn't and had to stay pretty far out of town & had to take an ice cold shower in the rec. center afterwards. Still, I would do it again & highly recommend it. | |
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Gregg Robertson from U.S.
(6/17/2004)
 "Good small-town marathon, great post-race party" (about: 2003)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 WhistleStop Marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I ran the 1/2 in 2000 and had a blast, the course was well maintained, and such a perfect day for a race. I attempted the marathon last fall 2003 and had a terrible experience. Somebody let the local snowmobile club go out and 'prep' the trail for the upcoming winter season a little early. By doing this they ruined the course by making it very soft - the first 5-6 miles of the marathon were similar to running on the beach. Also, after talking with many of the fellow runners at the finish I learned I wasn't the only person that had GI upset. A lot of nausea/'back door trots' that day. I personally think I got mine from the water station. Having said all that, I will most likely be back to give it another try one more time before giving it my final score. One great year and one not-so-great! If anybody else experienced GI problems please post them. | |
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Michael Haubrich from Racine, WI
(12/2/2003)
 "Worth the drive" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon is ideal for the older runner looking for a forgiving surface (soft trails) with spectacular views of the North Woods. Unbelievable support from the community. | |
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J. O. from Medford, MA
(10/17/2003)
"Perfect small-town marathon" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The course is flat and fast. It actually drops 500 feet. Twenty four miles of it are on dirt/gravel path that used to be railroad. Basically you are in the woods on a path. Somewhat scenic, though technically I suppose it is monotonous. Perfect for me though. I don't like huge crowds the whole way. The fans at the water stops were more than enough. They cheered loudly. The food afterwards was pretty good and they had a rocking party with a very good band later that night. They had chip timing that worked fine. This isn't Boston or New York or Chicago. No huge expo. It is just a very friendly, well-organized, pretty marathon. Perfect for you and about 900-1200 of your closest friends. FYI: I had a terrible race there. The worst marathon I've ever run. Yet I still recognize how great this marathon is. | |
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R. B. from Canada
(8/15/2003)
"A great Saturday marathon" (about: 2000)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 For those of us who run on Saturdays, this is a great race on a flat course. I would recommend taking the bus to the start line because we tried to drive there ourselves and got lost. The beautiful fall foliage is worth the effort to go to such a small town. The spectators were lively, but few and far between. | |
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A Runner from New Richmond, WI
(10/14/2002)
"First class event from start to finish." (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I can only say good things about this point-to-point marathon that runs from Iron River to Ashland along an abandoned rail line (it's flat). Only two miles of the marathon are blacktop with the balance on nicely packed gravel with trees lining most of the course. The fall colors are spectacular and the support along the way is excellent. There are numerous locations along the route where friends and family can follow their runners and offer support. In addition to the marathon, they offer a same day half marathon, 10K and 5K all run on the same course with the same finish. The running events are part of Ashland's fall festival so there are other things to do in this city of 9,000 people. I've run this marathon three of the last five years and would recommend it without reservation. |
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