I have been humbled by Stumpy's Trail Marathon in DE. Beautiful, but very difficult course. Lots of roots and rocks to snag the foot of the unwary runner, deciduous trees shielding us from the hot summer sun, open fields with single track and no track, several miles on an abandoned rail bed along side a wide rushing creek, crossing that same creek knee deep, run splashing thru a culvert under a highway, visit the start point for the Mason-Dixon line, 70 runners, no crowds, great support, whew!

Stumpy's is a great race to run in Delaware for the fifty state runners and an awesome over all experience. This was my first trail marathon and a difficult one but alot of fun. Stumpy, his wife Ellen and all of their volunteers made for a wonderful experience. The course and race organization was great and i love my rock. Thanks Stumpy and the Trail Dawgs.

I was feeling a bit fatigued at some point after the second stream crossing. As I arrived at the next aid station, I sought out something that might re-energize me. On the table there was a container of something that looked like mini dog biscuits. I grabbed a few and chomped them down. Don't know if they were real dog biscuits or what was in them, but they did the trick. Finished the course with no further problems other than trying to squeeze through the fence a mile or so before the end.

That was my first Stumpy's. I'll be back for more. Magna-magnificent course. I enjoyed the day, the volunteers, and the other runners, and I even got my rock past TSA at the airport.

This was the 9th running of Stumpy's Marathon, which was originally started to celebrate Stumpy's birthday. Considering there is no registration fee, it was pretty well organized. There was even a free pasta feed at one of the Traildawgs' homes.

This was the first time it ever rained during this marathon, but it was a relatively light rain with temperatures in the 60's and mostly covered by trees. The predominantly hard-packed dirt trail was not really affected. It was actually a beautiful day for a run and the rain kept the mountain bikers away from the course. If you enjoy trail running, this is a wonderful course featuring everything you would expect in a 50K ultra, and some years it has "measured out" closer to a 50K than a marathon.

Flour arrows are used to mark the trail, and these marks held up pretty well despite the rain. A few intersections required a more careful inspection for directions, but basically anyone getting lost just wasn't paying attention. Orange flags were used in the open field sections.

There were 6 aid stations fairly well-stocked, with one visited twice. Good home-made cookies at the covered bridge (mile 17) where Stumpy's wife was stationed. Don't blink: the aid station volunteers are your only spectators. You also cross a river twice, though it looks like a bridge will be finished on the second crossing for next year. The water was only mid-calf-deep and not difficult to traverse.

It was a little disconcerting not knowing the actual distance, which everyone knew would be more than 26.2 miles. At one aid station I was told I was somewhere around 20-21 miles. The next aid station told me 20-22 miles! I must have been on a treadmill and didn't know it.

There are no official race results at the end. No bib either. Traditionally all you get is a lacquered rock that say's, "Stumpy's Marathon" on it. However, this year some people went all out and donated coffee mugs that say, "Stumpy's Marathon: dawg gone proud finisher" and a woman from Texas made up gifts with a Stumpy's Marathon tag ribboned to a plastic compass.

This was my 40th marathon and it was certainly memorable! This was a great race to run in the rain, as most of it was run in tree-covered woods. I had never run any trail race before; now I wish I hadn't waited so long. In a word: freedom. Freedom from trying to set a time or PR. Freedom from roads and people. Freedom from civilization! PURE RUNNING, you vs. the course. Very primeval. Very well run and great support, but don't forget to bring your water bottles, as the support is only about every 5-6 miles. The other runners were very friendly and supportive. Take your time and enjoy. I'm a 4:30 marathon runner who finished at 5:15, and I'm happy with it!!

Thanks to Hurricane Hanna (and some not-so-friendly neighbors?), this was truly a race I won't forget. This is the first time I've ever got lost during a race (3-4 times). I figure that I ran at least an additional hour plus. But "if you don't get lost, it's not a real trail marathon." Stumpy and the Trail Dawgs are what running is all about. They are why I run the trails!

"It's not a trail run if nobody gets lost." That's right, this year it was me... and Stumpy waited 7.5 hours to give me my award: a stone. That was my first trail marathon.... I'm hooked!

I had a great time with the Trail Dawgs. Everyone was very friendly and helpful for the entire day. This year we had the Tropical Storm Hanna blow through the night before, so I believe they got a late start on marking the course. I thought the first half of the course was marked perfectly well. You have to cross a river (thigh deep), and once on the other side the marks seemed to be a lot less obvious (read: not there). I must have gotten some extra free miles over on that side of the river but eventually found a volunteer who guided me back to the correct path and back home. I thought all was good, but eventually I went left (when I should have gone right) and got another extra loop in there. All in all, lots of fun and a great time.

Don't go expecting a PR or even a measured course, but you will have fun.

I really enjoyed this trail run. Even though I got lost a couple of times, I enjoyed the adventure. I highly recommend this to anyone with a sense of humor and adventure.

Just one thing: Stumpy, where are the results???

We traveled to this event from Richmond, VA for the last two years and it is well worth the miles. The TrailDawgs truly know how to host an enjoyable day in the park!!! We likely will not be doing it in '07, but only because we'll be running the Grand Canyon R2R and back the next week....

Mark Iscool