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North Central Trail Marathon Runner Comments
Back to North Central Trail Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.4 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 3.3
Number of comments: 128 [displaying comments 41 to 51]
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R. S. from Washington, D.C.
(11/30/2008)
 "Will you get a Boston qualifying time?" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 North Central Trail Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Maybe I am not like other runners but I really don't care about medals, after-race food, etc. I want to know about the course. Is it fast? Will the course enhance or sabotage my training? The answer to that is a mixed bag with the NCR Marathon. First, is the course flat? Well, yes in the sense that there are no hills except at the beginning/end (and why they can't extend the trail to get rid of those is a mystery). On the other hand, there is a very, very distinct grade - up on the way out, down on the way back. According to a Google search, the grade is 2-3%. Second, you need to be good at solitary running for this marathon. The water stops have enthusiastic volunteers, but the only other people you're going to see will be the occasional hiker or dog-walker. The course goes through the forest for the most part. After a few miles, when the runners spread out, you may be alone with no one in sight, or you might be in a small pack. Third, there is little pomp and circumstance if you like that sort of thing. This is more like a club run (which it is), and the course is completely open to outsiders, meaning that you will share the trail with dog-walkers, baby strollers, and the occasional bird-watcher. If you get fired up from the excitement of crowds, police closing roads, a city all worked up about the race (e.g. NYC, etc.), you'll be disappointed here. No one really knows (or cares) why there seem to be a lot of runners on the trail this particular Saturday. Bottom line: pretty course, which is best for the runner whose motivation is completely internal. The grade up for the outbound and down for the inbound might be favorable for a Boston qualifier, but the hills at the beginning/end might spell trouble. | |
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C. A. from New Jersey
(11/30/2008)
 "Beautiful trail; mostly flat; nice and small" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 North Central Trail Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I loved this race. We were lucky that we had a beautiful day 40ish degrees and sunny. About 22 miles of his race are on a flat, mostly straight, hard-packed dirt trail in beautiful woods with streams. It was easier on the legs than pavement, yet not too soft at all. I got my rhythm going and kept chugging along. Few spectators, as you would expect, but those there were loud and great. Well organized race. Small - about 450 people - which made it stress-free. I did feel bad that they ran out of soup for later runners. Nice people ran this. You can run a fast time on this course even though it is a trail. Few turns and flat course. You gather at a nice elementary school so you can stay warn until 5 minutes before the start. And you gather there for food afterwards. | |
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K. M. from Selinsgrove, PA
(11/30/2008)
 "Even better than I was expecting." (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 North Central Trail Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon, so I can't really compare it to others. However, it was such a great experience. The trail was absolutely picturesque. There is something so inspiring about running amidst the trees and along a river. The spectators were very supportive. The only reason I give them a 4 out of 5 is because of quantity. However, they really were sprinkled all throughout the entire race! The other runners were so friendly and encouraging. Since the race is in November, I was glad to have an indoor setting to stay at before and after the race. If I run the race again, I will bring my own energy gel because they did not supply any until mile 22. | |
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D. B. from Stamford, CT
(11/30/2008)
"The incline is deceptive" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 North Central Trail Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Course follows an old railroad bed, with a gentle incline for about 12 miles. The incline is deceptive; it will eat into your pace and fatigue you. Nice course, if you like trail marathons, and the spectators and volunteers were friendly. | |
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A. O. from Hummelstown, PA
(11/30/2008)
"A fun, down-to-earth event, on a scenic course." (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
| 4-5 North Central Trail Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I have nothing but praise for the organizers of this event and I love the trail, especially the waterfalls around 10 miles or so. I see that the course has changed since the last time I ran it (1997). Since I am a good hill runner, I have no complaints about the last mile or so. However, my new Garmin 305 showed 26.35 at the end. Of course, two different Garmins will usually have different readings on the same course. | |
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G. p. from Pittsburgh, PA
(3/6/2008)
"I've been bitten by the marathon bug!" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was just my second marathon. I was only going to run a marathon once, just to do it. I ran my first one 3 years ago but didn't cross the finish line near my training time, so I felt I "needed" to try it again. I had such a great time in this race. The trail was beautiful. The course was flat with crushed stone. I was able to recover quickly from this race due to the more forgiving surface. The last couple of miles were a little steep. Many runners were reduced to walking during this section. I trained in Pittsburgh, which is hilly, so I was not too affected. The spectators and volunteers were great, I thought. They knew all the right things to say. ("Remember all those long runs? This is what you've been training for!") I liked the medal. I thought the post-race food was a little skimpy. I was disappointed they didn't have any shirts in my size. And when I gave them my contact info, because I REALLY wanted a shirt, nobody got in touch with me. That was the only disappointment. I felt so good crossing the finish line, and blowing away my projected finish time by over 15 minutes (my husband didn't get there in time to see me cross!) that I knew I had to do more marathons. I will definitely do this one again. | |
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M. C. from Baltimore, MD
(12/21/2007)
"Good course; need to improve planning" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 North Central Trail Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The course was scenic and mostly flat. Not many spectators due to the nature of the course. The volunteers at the water stops and check in were great. Food and water were plentiful. Problems: Only 1 bathroom on the course (2 total since it was an out-and-back); medical was gone before the marathon was over; they ran out of medals for finishers and the smallest participant's shirt they offered was a men's medium. | |
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J. L. from Northern Virginia
(11/30/2007)
"Great Marathon with Forgiving Surface" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 North Central Trail Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 The NCR Marathon is a small, well run event. The highlight for me was that the majority of the miles were on packed dirt and gravel, thereby lessening the impact normally felt with marathons run on the road. I was not nearly as sore after this one. I echo the sentiments about the last 1.5 miles. They were tough. It would be nice to finish on the flat trail, but that could be an organizational issue since the trail is open to all. The scenery and stillness of the route were fantastic and the weather this year was perfect. | |
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p. j. from United States
(11/26/2007)
"Generally flat, there and back" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 North Central Trail Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I thought it was a great, generally flat marathon, with the exception of the 2 miles nearest the school. The trail was neatly manicured in most places. As far as spectators go, there were spectators in places where the trail opened up in more residential areas. This is an experience that I enjoyed and I hope to relive. | |
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W. D. from USA, Maryland
(11/26/2007)
"Fun and healthy marathon" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 North Central Trail Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 8th marathon in eight years. I have run in the Baltimore, New York, Marine Corps and the Philadelphia Marathon. The NCR trail is now my favorite marathon to date. It provided fun, safe and friendly conditions. The staff and volunteers were great, and the trail gave great relief to my knees and feet. |
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