It was my first marathon and I found the messed up mileage markers at the end demoralizing. Getting the mileage markers right is top priority. Course was nice and people were nice. Shirt was worthless because sizes were way off. I can't wear it except as a night gown. Overall, I may run it again because it is on Saturday and Sat. races are hard to find.

Like the others, I also felt cheated by the race shirt. It was, to be frank, rubbish. But if you're running marathons only for the shirt then you should stop running now, as they tend to all be pretty heinous. And the hills were not as vicious as the other reviewers made out; if you had just started a run you'd notice, but they wouldn't trouble you significantly. It's just that they were at the very end that they seemed so brutal. To put it in perspective, the hills were the only slightly troubling part in what was otherwise a beautifully flat race. And even if you disagree, who runs marathons because they're easy?

The other major source of complaints was the fact that the course was run in reverse, and because it wasn't a true out-and-back, all of the splits were wrong. Obviously this was annoying. The general consensus (at least with the guys I was running with) as to why we went the wrong way was that the police car leading the race turned too early. This may or may not have been the race director's fault. However, instead of the potentially calamitous end result of everyone running a 25.6-mile "marathon," quick communication and good organization sorted out the course mid-race and it all ended fine. Actually, not fine exactly; some muppet put up a sign saying 5 miles to go on the 22-mile marker which was a touch depressing, but if you know your pace and can do elementary mathematics then you'd realize it was wrong.

As you can probably guess, none of the above problems detracted from my enjoyment of what became a fantastic day. For anyone who's cooped up in a city for months on end, running along the NCR Trail is a breath of fresh air. The spectators were few, but those who were there were great. And because of the design of the course friends and family in cars can see their runner in lots of different places.

So in summary, the race was overpriced and featured a mistake in the course in the early stages (a mistake you can guarantee won't happen next year). If you could get past these problems, that didn't even come close to threatening my enjoyment of the day, you would have had a great time. Recommended.

Mere words cannot begin to express my satisfaction with this marathon. It is a dream come true. Imagine being able to run 22 miles on a packed gravel rail-trail with Mother Nature in all of her glory!!! What a great way to end a fall season of marathoning.

After the hustle and bustle of the Baltimore and Philadelphia Marathons, and the slightly lower-key Harrisburg Marathon... to be able to enjoy the privacy of the marathon experience without being watched by droves of fans was greatly appreciated. I could really focus on my pace and technique without distractions.

I loved the course and so did my feet. Fine gravel is much more cushiony that concrete or asphalt. Above all, the support of the volunteers of the Baltimore Road Runners who organized the event made the experience so special. I am a slow marathoner and even though the registration form specifically stated that the support would end in 5 hours 45 minutes, it did not. I rolled in almost last to the 13.1 split and to my great excitement there were still plenty of Oreo's left. What a treat. Likewise at mile 18 - plenty of coffeecake, donut holes and pretzels.

Even at mile 24 (5 hours 30 minutes) when the pretty dramatic hill loomed ahead... plenty of water and volunteers to make the road crossing safe.

Without hesitation I would run this marathon again. If they had an application there I would have signed up on the spot for 2006.

The previous writer's gripes are all well-founded, but I would highly recommend this race again anyway! (My few negative comments are at the bottom....)

This is the first marathon I've ever completed. I ran New York City three weeks ago and had to drop out due largely to a lingering illness, as well as common first-marathon mistakes like starting out too fast on a hot day, etc. Being a part of that event had been a life-long dream of mine, but along the way I learned something: The famously incredible and incessant crowds - on the course, and especially on the sidelines - actually began to annoy me! I found myself wishing they would go away!

So as I searched this website for my second marathon attempt, the NCR Trail Marathon seemed like everything New York was not. On this, it delivered, and I LOVED every minute of it. The beauty of the trail is unsurpassed. The small field of runners (about 500 people) meant that there were stretches toward the end where one was alone with the babbling river and the squirrels. The quiet, flat trail made pacing myself unusually easy. And then, every time I started to get lost in the wooded views, we would cross a road, and the small throngs of volunteers and spectators would be amazingly cheerful and energetic. My girlfriend drove the backroads of Baltimore County (with a good map) and managed to see me at the start, the finish, and 5 different points along the course without difficulty.

The course is almost entirely flat, which is fantastic, except for the downhill start, and the last 1.5 miles, which included three intense uphill stretches. Frankly, after 23 miles of flat gravel, the inclines were kind of a welcome change, and being back on the pavement gave me a whole new burst of energy that almost made up for them. Having read reviews on this site (and having run downhill at the start!), I was not surprised by the hills, which probably helped.

The one MAJOR problem with this race was that the course was run backwards, unintentionally. It is essentially an out-and-back course, but the route temporarily diverges at the beginning/end, and the beginning segment was supposed to be .4 miles longer than the end one. We ran the shorter piece at the start, which meant that all of the mileage markers were a full .8/mile wrong. When it said '23' we were actually only at 22.2. This confused a lot of people (and perhaps demoralized a few) who didn't realize what had happened, and it was pretty annoying, even for those of us who recognized the problem early on. I don't know how this happened, but it was a substantial and stupid mistake that should have been easily avoided.

It is also true that many people (myself included) were disappointed by the ugly, gigantic, cheap tech shirts that were given as a race 'premium,' especially after hearing about last year's fleeces. But come on; if that's why you're running the race, you should just run to the Eddie Bauer store and save yourself the workout....

All in all, I thought this was a terrific experience, and I would recommend it to others wholeheartedly - especially if you're getting tired of the big-city race scene.

Based on the great reviews from previous years, I drove with my family several hundred miles to Maryland over Thanksgiving just to be part of this marathon. The North Central Trail is a great course for a marathon and the volunteers were indeed friendly and the (very) few spectators for this small-town event were enthusiastic and encouraging.

Unfortunately this year there were a couple of problems that made the experience much less impressive than it could have been.

The trail is accessed via two different routes, and somehow the order of these access routes was flipped. The total distance was correct but the last-minute change made all of the mile markers incorrect, which is a fairly serious goof. I recall approaching the 22-mile mark feeling good about my time and then seeing a small sign that someone had just tacked up that said "5 miles to go." I can tell you, that takes the wind out of your sails to see that at 22 miles. When I finally reached the 26-mile mark, frankly, I didn't believe it for fear of being fooled again! In fairness, I would say that this goof was probably a last-minute logistical accident, perhaps related to traffic control, and unlikely to be repeated in coming years. The organizers are serious people who I'm sure are not pleased about how things turned out.

I must also say that I was looking forward to the nice fleece vest that the organizers and past participants were proudly sporting as the premium from past marathons. What I got was yet another T-shirt to stuff in a drawer. This goof was certainly under the organizers' control and if they were obliged to make the change to shirts for financial reasons then they should have made it known in advance.

Still, I see this marathon as having a lot of potential and would not give up on it if you are looking for something a little out of the ordinary for a marathon. Because it is small, it was easy to get to, easy to do the necessaries before starting. It was also nice to run on a beautiful, flat, well-maintained trail in a forest with great views. It is a great idea of the BRRC to have this marathon along this course at this time of year.

Just be wary about those mile markers.

Just finished this run on Saturday. It was a very enjoyable out-and-back - beautiful trail course, very scenic and easy to run. People were extremely friendly. I would think the relatively small size helps with that (about 400 runners and 80 relay teams). Mostly flat, though it starts with a gradual decline and ends with a gradual incline.

Very few spectators, mostly (I would guess) due to the limited trail access. Aid stations were spaced about 2-3 miles and I found myself wishing I'd brought a bottle towards the end. This was a real runner's type of run: people who are really dedicated and into this stuff, even if it's 30 degrees at the start. As a 4-hour or so marathoner I found myself in the back 1/3 (if not even further) or so rather than more in the middle.

Overall a great experience and a job well done.

This is the second year I have run NCR Trail. In 2004, I had a great experience. The course, the organization, the premium all were great. This year (2005), the experience was 180 degrees opposite to the experience I had in 2004.

First, the course: The mile markers were so off that you never knew whether your time splits were correct. Whoever set up the mile markers needs 'Race Course Set Up 101.' I don't pretend to know how to set up a course, but if I take on that responsibility for people who are trying to set their personal records, I'd be damn sure to get it right. C'mon, people, you can do better than what you did today. Plus, how do you lead the entire field out at the start on the the part of the course where you finish and bring them in on the course where it begins? Did anyone notice? Did anyone care???? The difference in finish times could have been by minutes, since the part where we finished was a set of steep hills (that is, it would not have been as many hills as they intended for us to run), which would have been the starting descents. As the course map showed it, the route coming back from the trail did not have nearly as many hills.

Second, the premium: In 2004, the fleece vest was GREAT. I wear it all the time. This year, for the $60 entry fee, you'd think the runners would get something decent. No. We got a cheap tech fabric imitator shirt and the sizes of these shirts were correct if you're a giant. A medium is more like an XXL. What good is that???? I can't even wear my shirt; but I wouldn't even want to wear it anyway because of its poor quality. It's not a Dri-Fit, it's not Cool-Max, it's not Duo-Fold, it's not anything. It looks like a cheap imitation of a tech shirt. Did anyone in the race committee think that this might not have gone over big with the runners? If anyone from the race committee was walking around the gym listening to the various comments about how disappointed people were about the premium, you had better take note, because you're not going to get many people returning next year.

Third, the organization: The race instructions strongly urged the runners to come to Baltimore County to pick up their race packets the day before. For many, even those in the Baltimore area, this is not a short drive. Once you got your race packet, the volunteers then tell you that you had to check in on race morning anyway because you had to get your timing chip (not a Champion Chip). If you had to stand in lines anyway, why make it seem like you get any advantage in getting your packet the day before? I wasted an hour+ going to packet pick-up and an hour+ returning and whatever time I spent there. Also, I tried to pick up race packets for my friends who couldn't go on Friday (a workday for many) and was abruptly told that that was impossible. Why? Because the other trunners had to pick up their chip the next day. Which brings me to my first question in this paragraph: Why make us trek out to packet pick-up if you had to get your chip the next day anyway? I think the race committee owes the runners an explanation as to why they made us waste time to do packet pick-up the day before when it was completely unnecessary.

More on organization: Where was the plentiful soup that was promised? I had enough, but my friend who finished much later hardly had enough. The donuts were all gone (again, I got some, but my friend did not). And so on.... If the race committee only has food enough for the early finishers, then say so. Then the post-4:00 crowd can pick a differenct race to run. Or charge a lower registration fee for people who have slower finish times, since they don't reap all the benefits the race committee promises.

All in all, this year's experience was so different from last year's experience that I will no longer recommend this race to my friends as a late fall alternative. It is not worth the time, the effort or the money one has to invest to enjoy a marathon. In the DC Baltimore area, there are plenty of others to choose from.

For me, twice is enough! No more NCRTM!!

I was impressed and pleased with the overall experience. I would like to see more course marshals in the future, and the elimination of the hills at the end. The race fleece vest was the best I have ever recieved.

The NCR Trail Run is a very well organized event with great volunteers on a (mostly) flat and comfortable, (if slightly narrow trail) surface. My experience was thoroughly delightful (discounting the minor discomfort of the last few miles, of course). I am a back-of-the-pack senior who has been running for many years in many venues. This was one of my favorite events ever and definitely compares favorably with the NYC Marathon I did a few weeks before. It is a completely opposite experience of course being relatively small (hundreds vs. thousands of runners), rural instead of urban and tranquil instead of boisterous.

My run in 2004 was on a perfect day which certainly helped, but runners from last year (cold, damp and very windy) all had good things to say anyway. Temp was 45-52, slight breeze and partly cloudly sky. Aid stations every 3 miles or so with all necessary fluids and extras later on (chocolate, gummy bears, and my new 20 mile favorite, pretzel sticks!). The dedicated volunteers ('we're freezing') stayed out for all of us to get home. I will be back next year (God and my body willing). Thanks.

P.s. Special thanks to Angela for help on the hill at the end.

This was my first NCR Trail marathon and I think it won't be my last. The course's natural beauty, volunteer support, and camaraderie among the runners were outstanding. Especially the volunteers along the trail--thank you!! Of course, the great weather (for running, tho not necessarily volunteering) helped too.

I too died on the hills at the end, but I probably would've died anyway (last 3 miles took me about 48 mins at a slow walk!) mostly because I'd worn my legs down 4 weeks earlier in another marathon. But the hills were evident in the elevation chart on the website, and shouldn't have been a surprise--they did seem more daunting, I admit, in real life. I do like ending at the school and I think the course should stay the way it was this year. But, if the hills are kept in for next year, maybe I'd come up and train a time or two on them to plan for them better.

Next year I'll try to do this on fresher legs--it was certainly worth training for. What an exalting experience! Thank you BCRRC!