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Marathon Details - Inland Trail Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > OH > Elyria > Inland Trail Marathon

Inland Trail Marathon

Inland Trail Marathon & Half Marathon, 5K

location icon Elyria, OH USA

calendar icon November 4, 2018

calendar icon http://www.ncnracing.com/registration.html

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Race Details

The course follows the scenic North Coast Inland Trail - part of the Lorain County Metro parks - a converted RR track to all-purpose asphalt trail. The marathon starts and ends at Murray Ridge School in Elyria (out and back course) - the half marathon is point to point finishing at Murray Ridge School

Contact Information

Name: Rick Cadwell
Address: Murray Ridge Center
9750 Murray Ridge Rd
Elyria, OH 44035
Phone Number:  440-366-0645
Fax Number: 440-366-0645
Email: Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (67)

Course Rating Course 4.5 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 4.3 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 2.6 
 
 
Number of comments: 67 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 > ]

 

B. L. from TX-Texas (11/25/2014)
"Needs work" (about: 2014)

50+ previous marathons | 1 Inland Trail Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 1


I have run marathons in all 50 sates and Ohio. Race packet/checkin was easy and race morning we were able to wait indoors, and there was plenty of free parking. We were told we had to have a chip to get a correct time. The chip was issued at the morning check-in. Why the chip? There was no electronic mat at the starting line. While running with two other people, I saw a mat being rolled up out on the Inland Trail. The course was well marked most of the way.
At about 16 or 17 miles, I observed one of the NCN signs and it was pointing straight up. I hope I took the right trail after that, I'm not sure. On the return leg the water stations had been abandoned with full cups of water sitting out in the open, dangerous. At about the 24 mile mark, I heard a truck behind me. They asked if I was part of the race. I turned around and showed them my bib number and chip. Later I learned that the race officials had already closed down the course because 'All the runners were in' My finishing time was under Six hours and the finishing clock was resurrected so that I could have a recorded time.

 

John Pavlick from Brunswick, Ohio (11/22/2014)
"Flat, fast, no frills, but great pr and BQ race" (about: 2014)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Inland Trail Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 1


This is the last Fall road marathon in the area. It is small and undescript. Best suited for experienced marathoners looking to pr or BQ. The first 7.8m is road and some trail. Then it is 9m out and back on an asphalt bike path. The turnaround at mile 17. The volunteers were good with handing you cups but I asked at every station for Guu and they had none. I listened to music which helped me but the fun in the race is really for those that can look at their watch and try to hit their times. My guess is if you are well trained, you will enjoy a different style of racing, if not trained, it may be drudgery. There is really no crowd support and the medal is very basic. But overall it was fun for me as I was able to BQ and PR. Hopefully you will too!

 

J. D. from Ohio (11/8/2014)
"its still 26.2 miles" (about: 2014)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Inland Trail Marathon
COURSE: 2  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 1


A no frills race for sure! There was no crown support except at the water stops which were well organized. A big part of the race was on a paved bike trail so the course isn't very spectator friendly. Pre race check in was easy as it was a small race and no mand. pick up the day before. The race shirt was just a cheap long sleeve cotton shirt and the other freebies were just advertisements for area attractions. The race started on time which was great but there was no timing mat at the start. The condition of the roads were average for Ohio, lots of potholes so you need to be careful the first few miles until you're on the bike path. Water stops seemed to be well stocked although when it was time for Gu to be handed out no one offered it, it had to be grabbed off the tables. I did hear one vol. say they forgot they had it. Water and Gatorade was handed out at the stops. I remember only seeing 1, maybe 2 total port-a-potties on the course. The finish and race start as well as parking was all at the same place, very convenient. The finishers medal was well below what you'd expect for a marathon, a cheap 5-k quality medal for sure. To me, the finishers medal is a big deal when you run 26.2..its a distance and accomplishment that deserves something of significance. Food at the finish was located inside the Center but as a mid-pack finisher there was little left...nothing to drink, very few slices of cold pizza, a few bagels were left. The only saving grace for this is that the money raised went for the Center. The only was to justify the cost of this marathon compared to the 'frill's'(medal, shirts, post race food)or other marathons is to know this serves as a fundraiser for the Murray Ridge Center.

 

E. E. from Chicago (11/7/2012)
"Great small flat fast race" (about: 2012)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Inland Trail Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 2


I'm going to echo most of what has already been said of this race. For a small race, it's very well run and the set up makes it a very convenient and pleasant experience. The course is simple, scenic yet a bit monotonous, but it's so flat and straight you can just run and run and run. Parking was easy, bathrooms and shelter available and friendly volunteers available for any questions. There was gel on the course, though I didn't use it. The volunteers were great about handing out fluids. I had no issues at road crossings, though some volunteers seemed more vigilant than others. The path itself is pretty pristine - good, flat asphalt. The medal was nothing special and there's not a lot of race swag, though the tech shirt was nice. Another small race element - the line for the post race massage was not too long and I was able to take care of that after eating some hot pizza. Most importantly to me, I was trying to run my first BQ at this race and ran a PR just under the Boston time threshold (though who knows if it will be enough to get into the race), so I'd definitely recommend it as a race to go for a BQ.

 

M. S. from Cranberry Twp, PA (11/5/2012)
"Great small race on a flat course" (about: 2012)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Inland Trail Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


If you are looking for a great small race on a flat course, then look no farther. I was extremely impressed with everything associated with this race. Even though it is small, they do it all well. Packet pickup and even late registration can be done race morning, so I arrived a little early to pick up my packet. Everything was done in the school gymnasium, so there was plenty of room for the runners to spread out, and there were plenty of bathrooms. Also, we were able to stay warm inside until just a few minutes before the start when we all headed outside. Afterward, there was plenty of food (although I can't speak to it because I was only able to drink, not eat) available, and the locker room was open for us to change.

As for the race itself, the course is exactly as advertised. Other than about 2/3 mile at the beginning and end, a short stretch in the middle, and 1.5 miles at the turnaround, this out and back course is all on the paved trail. And it is FLAT and STRAIGHT. If you're looking for spectators or running companions, this is not the race for you, but if you want a fast course where you can concentrate on your own race, then this is it. The only things to watch for are the half marathoners (they do the back portion of the course and start at the same time) and others on the trail. There was a bike race at the same time, but I only encountered a handful of them near mile 7.

The water stops are pretty evenly spaced about every 2 miles, and the volunteers are great. They did a good job of calling out what they had and always split the water and Gatorade to opposite sides of the trail.

The other thing that I really liked is that they gave the age group medals immediately as you crossed the finish line, so there was no need to wait for an awards ceremony long after the race.

 

Michael Maillis from Campbell, Ohio (11/5/2012)
"Great effort for really small race" (about: 2012)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Inland Trail Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 1


First the good. You get to stay warm til right before the marathon. Park right at the start. Great post race food and candy. Great volunteers. Flat, flat course.

Now the bad, no spectators and bathrooms too far apart. Runners know when you gotta go, u gotta go. I had to run 6.5 miles to first porta John.

Overall, this MARATHON GIVES THE HARD CORE RUNNERS EVERYTHING WE NEED-26.2 miles of road.

 

A. D. from Just outside Cincinnati, OH (11/5/2012)
"Great small race!" (about: 2012)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Inland Trail Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 3


This was a nice, well-organized small race - if you like small marathons, this may be be your race. The majority of the course is on a flat, straight, paved bike trail that is wide enough to accommodate all the runners. The half marathon starts at the halfway point and runs back toward the marathon start, and the 5K starts 10 minutes after the marathon, so it doesn't feel crowded. The course is tree-lined and through countryside so is fairly scenic.

The race is mostly flat with some very small undulating hills between miles 12-14, I think I have only run one marathon that may have been flatter (in the Netherlands...) The weather was nice too, around 40 degrees and overcast. I was not going for a BQ but would definitely consider this one if I were. Being a smaller race, parking was a breeze. You can wait inside the school until the race start, so no worries about being too cold.

My only two dings for the marathons were that the mile markers were slightly off (according to my Garmin, so take it with a grain of salt). The halfway 13.1 and the finish 26.2 were spot on, it was the miles in between. They weren't that much off, maybe 0.1 in some cases, but if you are trying to time your miles, it might throw you off. The second thing was that at the last traffic crossing, it seemed the person that was supposed to be directing traffic was in her car, not sure if she just got cold or what. I know after 25 miles I didn't feel like waving off traffic on my own as I cross the road, but I had to. I also thought there was supposed to be GU at the 19 mile station, I didn't see any, but this wasn't a big deal to me as I brought a small backpack with my own supplies just in case.

Other than that things were well organized and the people were very nice too! The race T-shirt is a technical non-cotton material and colorful. The race hotel was the Ramada in Elyria - I would stay elsewhere if they use this hotel again - not bad but not necessarily set up for a marathon outside of the dinner, which was fine (no breakfast and I had some issues with the room).

 

Merete Francis from Toledo, Ohio (11/4/2012)
"Several things lacking" (about: 2012)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Inland Trail Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 1


Not enough porta pottys. No GU gels ... No first aid stations, no entertainments.
Not sure I liked running down one way, turning around a 13.1, and running back ...

 

James Bockey from Temperance, MI (1/1/2012)
"Loved this race!!!" (about: 2011)

6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


Very nice race, small and I mean really small. However it is a really great race. Well organized and on and extremely flat course. If you are looking for spectators this is not a race for you. Although if you don't want to wait in line for the bathroom and fight your way through a crowd this is the race for you. Will be doing this again in the future. Thanks for putting on this well organized 26.2!!!!

 

Mark Stansbery from West Chester, OH (11/7/2011)
"Beautiful flat course, well organized small race." (about: 2011)

1 previous marathon | 1 Inland Trail Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 2


It was nice to participate in a small marathon. The course is flat to a fault and the scenery is beautiful all the way. One draw-back is that it is an out and back, so the second half is nothing new. Few spectators, but that's OK with me.

 

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 > ]

 
 
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