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Apr 28, 2024

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 51 to 61]

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J. P. from Maryland (11/24/2007) "Great trail marathon." (about: 2000) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 North Central Trail Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Great trail marathon. Not many spectators, but the ones that come out bring lots of energy and support. This makes it a tough first marathon. It's an out-and-back course, which is nice. The NCR Trail itself is great.
J. O. from Northern Virgina (11/24/2007) "Great Race - Perfect Weather" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 North Central Trail Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Beautiful course on an exceptionally forgiving trail surface. Only negative with respect to the course is the 1.5-mile, relatively steep climb to the finish line from the trail at the end of the race. Organization was superb; plenty of course marshals and friendly, helpful staff. Aid stations were every 2.5 to 3 miles with water and Gatorade. Spectators were enthusiastic, but limited - as expected with a trail marathon.
D. L. from Maryland (11/24/2007) "Beautiful Marathon" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 North Central Trail Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 A wonderful small marathon! Nice sweatshirt; the course was awesome; the water stops excellent. Porto-potties and spectators were few and far between, but about what you'd expect for a trail marathon. Hot soup, bagels, fruit, water, and drinks at the end. Finisher medals ran out, but that was because more folks showed up to run than they expected. Running a trail instead of a hard road meant that my feet feel great at the end. I had an excellent experience, and would recommend it.
Jim Andrews from Columbus, Ohio (9/8/2007) "Extremely Nice Event. I'm returning for 2007." (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 North Central Trail Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I loved running on the dirt/crushed gravel surface for most of the event. The hill at the end was a nice challenge. I surprised myself by being able to speed up and pass a few runners that passed me on the trail. The people along the course and in the area were all very nice. The race gloves and blanket were great. They were claimed by other family members soon after I arrived home. Race organization was very good.
C. F. from Silver Spring, MD (9/5/2007) "Good, but there's room for improvement" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 North Central Trail Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Hi, I agree with G.G. from New York below. It was disappointing when the race directors said that they ran out of premiums and that they WOULD send them - but we still never got them! Having been promised - and not making good on the promise - is quite disappointing. Also, we could have used some more Gu or gel shots or quick nutrition, especially towards the last 10 miles. Nevertheless, the buses and course safety were fairly well organized. And the route is scenic and peaceful (don't count on much fan support!). Overall, from a strictly "race perspective," it was a positive experience, with only the caveats mentioned above to blemish it.
A. L. from New Jersey USA (1/4/2007) "Add it to your list to try :)" (about: 2006) 4-5 previous marathons \| 3 North Central Trail Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Very well organized trail run - bravo to the people who set it up. It helps when one has a perfect weather day and we had that in 2006. That would be concern in the future - rain or snow may make this a difficult run. On the plus side, the few people on the course were energetic and nice. The water stops were great - well placed and had both water and sports drink. I only had to reach for my bottle once. As per the other reviews, the swag you get is nice and the food is great after. You MUST save some energy for the last 4 miles; it is very tough because of some steep hills. A bunch of us started to walk/run the last few miles but I still got under the 4 hour-mark. The half marathon felt far off because you were on an incline for most of the way. You then go downhill for most of the last 10 miles, but man, those 3-4 miles of steep inclines hit you at the end, so be ready for them! Well organized with bus service, food, and the route, so I would go if you want a late fall marathon and want to try an easier trail run. Just keep an eye on that weather. ;)
g. g. from new york (12/9/2006) "Excellent for 24 miles... but terrible last two" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 First of all, I can say that the first 24 miles of the race are excellent. The trail part is really flat and beautiful. The only problem with the course are the last couple of miles. It is very difficult. I'm a runner who used to train in the hills. But here the last couple of miles are a series of serious inclines. I was running my personal best till the hills and then it completely drained me out. It really took almost five minutes more than my usual 24-26 mile pace. About the organization: I did not get anything as part of my registration package. When I collected the chip and number, the organizers told me that they ran out of race premium. They noted my number but never got back to me. It is little bit disapponting to see that you're not getting anything after you register for the race for $70... not even a T-shirt. And they never apologized to me or contacted me.
J. G. from Hillsborough, NJ (11/30/2006) "Terrific Small Marathon - Beautiful Course" (about: 2006) 3 previous marathons \| 3 North Central Trail Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my third marathon and all 3 have been this race. I did not really think of myself as a marathoner before I started to run this, but this race is changing my mind. I love the small-to-medium-sized road-race feel. Very comfortable. (I'm not a fan of crowded and logistically difficult mega-races.) The organization here was first-rate. The organizers and volunteers are caring and friendly. The course is terrific - flat and soft on the legs (except for the 1.8-mile downhill opening and the incline for the final 1.5 miles, which were both on roads instead of the trail). The last 1.5 miles are a bit daunting, but being so close to the finish made them tolerable. The race premium (fleece gloves, gator, and blanket) was unique and very nice - my wife has already laid claim to the gator. The food spread after the race was excellent (especially the soup!). I also liked that my family was able to drive to various course locations and see me several times. I needed the support (after going out too fast). The only slight negative for me was running almost entirely alone for the last 6 miles of the race. I finished about a minute behind the runner in front of me and about 1.5 minutes ahead of the next runner. If you need competition to spur you on, you may need to bring your own. Similarly, there are long stretches with little to no crowd support. Such is life in a trail marathon. One would think that weather might be an issue on the last Saturday of November in the Northeast, but all 3 times I've participated it has been acceptable (slightly cold last year, but totally gorgeous this year - starting in the mid-to-high 40s and finishing in the mid 50s with bright sunshine and very little wind). I highly recommend this race. I will definitely run this again in the future.
rory jenkins from Maryland (11/28/2006) "Job Well Done This Year!" (about: 2006) 3 previous marathons \| 2 North Central Trail Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 After a quite poor marathon last year, where the police messed up the start and finish loops, which kind of threw everybody's splits off, and where they had a crappy long-sleeve shirt to go along with the race, they needed to redeem themselves this year - and they sure did! This year, to go along with race, you got a fleece blanket, a hat, and gloves, which together would probably retail for more than $60, which was the basic entry fee. It was just about perfect weather - about 45 at the start and low 60's towards the end. They made sure we would be going down Sparks Road this year by having a lead bike instead of police. The first mile, which I hit in 5:18, was 200 yards short, and it's noted on the course map but made up for in the 25th mile. Once you get to the trail you got basically 11.5 miles at a very slight incline, all the way up to the turnaround, so be careful not to burn yourself out by forcing yourself to hit splits. With an even effort, you will be 5-10 seconds slower than your goal pace on the way up and 5-10 seconds faster back down. The surface is a little softer then, which helps save your legs. But if you wear racers, beware: the pebbles on the trail start hurting your feet after 18 miles or so. Once you get off the trail you have to go about two miles all the way up back to the school, where the finish is. It is a nasty surprise if you are not prepared, but lucky for me I live 10 minutes away from the school and I practiced running up those hills in training. Back before 2004 you didn't have to run back up those hills; you would just finish a little farther down the trail and take a bus back up to the school. That is fun and all, and shaves probably a minute or more off your time, but the new way is more convenient and makes the course certified for record-breaking purposes. The post-race food is great, with homemade soup, donuts, bagels, fruit, all kinds of cookies, water, Gatoride, juice, cocoa, and coffee. The finishing medals are standard, and the awards are nice and unique - they are little wooden choo-choo trains. My only suggestion would be to change them up a little for the overall winners and the age group winners by maybe making the overall ones bigger or putting gold, silver and bronze coating on them. So overall, a late season, and a very nice, small, hometown-type marathon that has a good PR and BQ course. If you are into big-city marathons with a lot a crowd support, this one is really not for you. But for people like me, this is 10x better than most city marathons, except for maybe NY, Boston, Chicago and London. -Rory Jenkins
J. S. from Alexandria, VA (11/27/2006) "A great trail marathon!" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 North Central Trail Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I ran NCRT for the second time yesterday, and had a good experience. The best thing about NCRT is its timing. It's always two days after the largest ritual carbo-loading phenomenon in American culture - a.k.a. Thanksgiving. It's also at the end of the fall marathon calendar in the Northeast, so anyone needing redemption after any race between Chicago and NYC can find it here. [It's probably too close to Richmond and the JFK 50, but that doesn't stop at least some folks from running those and NCRT in the same year. True insanity, in my humble opinion.] The trail itself is hard-packed dirt and gravel, good for footing, but nowhere near as hard as asphalt or concrete. It's downhill at the start, with a slight rise to Monkton, and then a more persistent rise toward the turnaround point near Mile 13.5 But each of those grades are railroad grades, so to many people, the course feels flat. The worst hill is the last 1.5 miles, up the same grade to the gym that you ran down at the beginning. But with hill training, that should be manageable. And this year again, the weather cooperated. Freezing before dawn, with a high temp around 60 degrees Farenheit, and partly cloudy skies. Near perfect running weather. In any other year, rain or snow would make for a miserable experience in late November, but otherwise, temps should be within a good range. The police did not lead the main pack down the wrong road this year, so all those comments about mistaken mile markers from last year should remain historical footnotes. This is a trail marathon, so it's not the place to find teaming throngs of spectators. But those spectators that were there were helpful and enthusiastic - many of them runners, themselves. The water stations were a bit spread out (two miles or so between stations), but many spectators opened up spontaneous aid stations at several of the other road crossings. There was even one spectator/volunteer offering salt tablets(!). There were five of us who went out in the early start, and I believe all of us finished this year. The "noncompetitive" early start is an under-advertised, but well-appreciated option for anyone estimating a 5:30 finish or later. This year, I managed to get to the finish in time to enjoy some of the homemade vegetable soup in the gym. Low-key, but good accommodations in the gym after the race. The only caveat is that you still need to allow enough time to get to the gym before that early start (or even before the regular start), because despite advance packet pickup at Charm City Run the day before, they still don't give out the ankle-bracelet chip devices until the morning of the race. But if you can get to the gym 15 or so minutes before your start, you should be in good shape. This year's swag included a knit winter hat, a pair of gloves, and a blanket, all with either the name of the race or its logo inscribed. That was a nice change from yet another shirt! For a club marathon in the ex-urban suburbs of a major city, I noticed a higher percentage of travelers from across the US and Canada running this race. But that's probably because the course is pretty good, and running clubs usually get all the basics of a marathon right, where corporate types sometimes forget the basics in favor of all the big-time glitz. It was the 5th best of my 14 times, and a much better time than MCM last month, so a good day for me, overall. But I did better than MCM at this race last year, too. Overall, a nice race to wrap up the fall marathon season. I hope to get back to NCRT next year, too. JHS

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