Marathon Details - Drake Well Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > PA > Titusville > Drake Well Marathon

Drake Well Marathon & Half Marathon

Titusville, PA USA

August 20, 2023

http://rddwm6.wixsite.com/thedrakewellmarathon

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Name:	Adam Peterson
Address:	Drake Well Museum 201 Museum Lane Titusville, PA 16354
Phone Number:	814-673-8825
Email:	Email the organizers



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Reviews

Course 4.1

Organization 4.7

Spectators 3.5

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Number of comments: 39 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 > ]

M. K. from CT (8/15/2022) "A great, friendly, local community race." (about: 2022) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Drake Well Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Drake Well race is a small field race with a great community and course support that adequately supports runners of all ability levels. The course itself is never harsh, and support stations are every two miles. Plus, every volunteer and staff express excitement for the runners and enjoyment in the event.
C. C. from Pittsburgh, PA (8/19/2018) "Nice Small Town Marathon" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Drake Well Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This marathon is worth running especially if you're looking for a tune-up for a fall marathon. The packet pick-up and start were organized with adequate restrooms. The first 7 miles are mostly through the town with no big hills. Most of the roads are not closed, but traffic was very light. There was one time where a pick-up truck came speeding up right behind myself and a small pack of runners. He was annoyed that he could not pass us right away and yelled obscenities before turning off the course. Around mile 8 you enter the state park and run on an asphalt trail. You run noticeably downhill for 9 miles and then noticeably uphill for 9 miles. It's a gradual decent/ascent but you definitely notice it. My only gripe with this race was that it was very humid for race day and they gave out very little water or Gatorade. I'm sure it's not easy to set up water stops deep into the forest, but the few water stops gave out small cups with like a sip of water or Gatorade. I've done over 40 marathons and I've never finished so dehydrated.
S. V. from Minnesota (8/5/2018) "Small field on asphalt path surrounded by nature" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Drake Well Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Course was a good mix of challenge with a steady incline on the way back and great scenery to keep you distracted by the river and surrounding forest. Spectators are sparse, but from my experience runners who choose these smaller races do so for other reasons and don't care about this. Organization I would've given a 5 if there would've been a map for spectators to know where they could easily watch and if the race map was more complete and included elevation. Side note. Book your hotel well in advance and whatever you do, DO NOT BOOK at the Days Inn Oil City, awful experience.
S. O. from Michigan (8/5/2018) "Beautiful scenery" (about: 2018) 3 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 A very small marathon. It was relatively flat. I ended our family vacation with this run. The Allegheny National Forest, and river are in the area. We went on some epic kayak, hiking, and biking trips. It was a very scenic shaded run. It was a little hot today but I'm not holding that against the race. I would highly recommend. I liked this race was a fundraiser for the museum.
S. M. from Ottawa,ON (8/8/2017) "103rd marathon! Do this race!" (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons \| 2 Drake Well Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Titusville is about 40 minutes south of Erie, PA and about 35 minutes north of Pittsburgh. It is an interesting place with a large Amish population and many hand crafted Trump signs on lawns. The runners are very friendly - I got a hug at mile 10 from two first time half marathoners when the split occurred. The race director is super nice and the weather was perfect. The course has rolling hills for the first 7 miles and weirdly to downhill loops to the finish. Aid stations every couple of miles. The scenery is great. You can park right at the start line for free! A well done race and easy to get to for runners in the GTA and ohio and Western PA. BTW - at mile 18 I asked a volunteer at an aid station to do a hand stand and she did! How cool is that!
B. J. from Yorktown, NY (8/7/2017) "Great small-town marathon and easy course" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Drake Well Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Pros - Well organized, especially for a small marathon. Being able to pick up your packet on race morning is a great perk (I did it on Saturday to get it over with) - The course is extremely well-marked with both consistent mile markers (this makes a big difference!) and arrows along the ground pointing at every intersection. Volunteers were stopping the small amount of traffic and pointing for any turns. - The race director clearly cares a lot about putting on a great race and it shows - Cool awards - I got a blue barrel mug (the overall top finishers got $200 cash & a mug & a bag of some kind) - Course was much easier than I expected - I would call it one of the easier marathon courses I've run (this was my 26th different course). Easier than Boston or NYC but not as easy as Houston or Virginia Beach. Almost all of the uphill is either gentle or very short (there are a couple of small uphills in the first couple miles and on the bike path) - the only notable hill is at mile 6.5 and it really wasn't bad. - Low-stress from a parking/departing/spectator perspective. Very relaxed atmosphere and away from crowds. - Start & finish are in the same place - you can use the "real" bathrooms that are at the museum - convenient and much better than port-a-potties - Race medal and t-shirt were nice. I'd prefer the actual date (it only says 2017) to be on the medal but not a big deal. Cons - The bike path can be a little slippery with moss in parts but it didn't affect my race - I'm not a huge fan of "out and back" courses with a point turnaround (only 1 during the race and I'm picking nits) - This wasn't a negative for me but there is very sparse cheering throughout. I don't mind quieter courses, but for someone who needs a lot of crowd support - be forewarned this isn't a great one for that. - I think the water stops were plentiful & well-placed except for between miles 20 & 24 or so (I'm estimating from memory) - felt like a long time without any water stops in that few mile stretch - It's in Pennsylvania in August so the weather could be a bit warm for the race - was my biggest concern. However for our actual race day, the weather was perfect - 50s the whole race and overcast. The last 20 miles or so are on a mostly shaded bike path which I'm sure mitigates warm weather if that does in fact happen - Our hotel was pretty old and run-down and I couldn't find any that seemed better in the area (not the race's fault but there definitely aren't the hotel options you may be used to in larger areas) Tag-ends - There were some complaints about the port-a-potties in previous comments and I saw several on the course - at miles 1.5, 5, 7, and a couple in later miles too I think. I've never used one for a race so not something I focus on but figured I'd add this. - I researched pretty extensively and was very pleased with how the whole race went - from a weather, course, and organizational perspective.
Sanjay Mohanta from ottawa, ontario (8/9/2016) "85th marathon! Worth the trip to Titusville!" (about: 2016) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Drake Well Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 The city is about thirty minutes south of Erie and a bit more than an hour north of Pittsburgh. It is a small town with some cool restaurants like the Retro Diner and Blue Canoe. The course is well planned but the first port a potty is at mile 5 and water stations are spaced out further than my liking. One of them ran out of cups. I liked the shade of the last 19 miles and the views were beautiful - a lot like the 2 Rivers race outside of Scranton in March. The hotel was very good and offered late check out for free!
K. B. from Raleigh, NC (12/1/2015) "Marathon virgin and it was awesome" (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Drake Well Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran this race mostly as a training race/BQ race - my goal race was in October. It was my first marathon ever & it was amazing. Titusville was a cute & quirky town w/historic significance and I really enjoyed my visit to the area. Never would have been there if not for the race. The race was small & very low-key/friendly perfect for a first time race. No trouble at all w/access to portopotties. I've heard they changed the course, but when I ran it we had two super big hills within the first few miles which I actually liked - really weeded out the field & since I was trained for hills, this wasn't an issue for me. The course otherwise was a great variety of rural roads, 'downtown' Titusville, & gorgeous state park. Not too many spectators but impressive for the small town location. Weather was great. The course wasn't well-marked near the end & I ran past a point where I was supposed to turn off the trail, but fortunately I had read a blog about the race & realized my mistake before I had gone far. The race finished on a track which was fun & exciting, and the course directors (?) were very excited about & supportive of my race which added to my own excitement about having run and win first female! My first marathon. Since then, I've run a few other marathons, and this one remains special for me. My prize was a unique and interesting commemorative metal plaque featuring the Drake Well, and that was awesome, too. All in all, I had a great race and a great experience here & would love to return sometime. We had great pre-race lunch at the Blue Canoe, too,and I would return to eat there again. Organization and volunteers were great, but if you expect 'fancy' you will be disappointed. So glad I ran this and that it was my 'first.' Totally recommend.
Patrick howley from Phoenix (8/3/2015) "Well organized small marathon" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Drake Well Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 You run through Titusville for the first 7 miles then on a tree shaded bike path for the other 19 miles. Well organized but could have used a few more portajohns at the start. The marathon field is small so I ran by myself for several miles. No spectators but well staffed and positioned water stations. Beautiful course. The early start and running in the shade for the last 19 miles made this a very doable August marathon. Book your hotel early as there are not many nearby options.
J. D. from US (8/20/2013) "USE ONLY AS A LONG TRAINING RUN!" (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Drake Well Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I grew up in the area and visit Titusville regularly but I won't run this again. The race website is difficult to navigate with info from 2011 still on it. Packet pick-up was slow as 1 person was handing out the 'stuff' as well as giving directions around the town and answering numerous questions. She needed help so she could get her job done. Race day parking was very good. The parking lot had plenty of porta-potties and parking was very close to the start. The course was NOT set up to be easy or to give someone a PR. The hills at the start of the race are long uphills on some dirt/gravel roads you should train for as they will hurt your chances of having a decent time. Enjoy the downhills as they are on a similar surface with some washed-out spots and plenty of potholes. The rest of the course was uneventful. Running on the tree covered bike path was at least cool for this mid-August marathon. The finish was ok at best - had to come off a paved path and run on an uneven grass field, enter the hs track, then finally finish. At the finish the '5k quality' medals were given out. The post race food was slim - fruit, cut up bagels, and water or gatorade. If they want to make this marathon bigger they need to invest in it. What was put on is not going to cause many return customers.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 > ]

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M. K. from CT (8/15/2022) "A great, friendly, local community race." (about: 2022) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Drake Well Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Drake Well race is a small field race with a great community and course support that adequately supports runners of all ability levels. The course itself is never harsh, and support stations are every two miles. Plus, every volunteer and staff express excitement for the runners and enjoyment in the event.
C. C. from Pittsburgh, PA (8/19/2018) "Nice Small Town Marathon" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Drake Well Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This marathon is worth running especially if you're looking for a tune-up for a fall marathon. The packet pick-up and start were organized with adequate restrooms. The first 7 miles are mostly through the town with no big hills. Most of the roads are not closed, but traffic was very light. There was one time where a pick-up truck came speeding up right behind myself and a small pack of runners. He was annoyed that he could not pass us right away and yelled obscenities before turning off the course. Around mile 8 you enter the state park and run on an asphalt trail. You run noticeably downhill for 9 miles and then noticeably uphill for 9 miles. It's a gradual decent/ascent but you definitely notice it. My only gripe with this race was that it was very humid for race day and they gave out very little water or Gatorade. I'm sure it's not easy to set up water stops deep into the forest, but the few water stops gave out small cups with like a sip of water or Gatorade. I've done over 40 marathons and I've never finished so dehydrated.
S. V. from Minnesota (8/5/2018) "Small field on asphalt path surrounded by nature" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Drake Well Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Course was a good mix of challenge with a steady incline on the way back and great scenery to keep you distracted by the river and surrounding forest. Spectators are sparse, but from my experience runners who choose these smaller races do so for other reasons and don't care about this. Organization I would've given a 5 if there would've been a map for spectators to know where they could easily watch and if the race map was more complete and included elevation. Side note. Book your hotel well in advance and whatever you do, DO NOT BOOK at the Days Inn Oil City, awful experience.
S. O. from Michigan (8/5/2018) "Beautiful scenery" (about: 2018) 3 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 A very small marathon. It was relatively flat. I ended our family vacation with this run. The Allegheny National Forest, and river are in the area. We went on some epic kayak, hiking, and biking trips. It was a very scenic shaded run. It was a little hot today but I'm not holding that against the race. I would highly recommend. I liked this race was a fundraiser for the museum.
S. M. from Ottawa,ON (8/8/2017) "103rd marathon! Do this race!" (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons \| 2 Drake Well Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Titusville is about 40 minutes south of Erie, PA and about 35 minutes north of Pittsburgh. It is an interesting place with a large Amish population and many hand crafted Trump signs on lawns. The runners are very friendly - I got a hug at mile 10 from two first time half marathoners when the split occurred. The race director is super nice and the weather was perfect. The course has rolling hills for the first 7 miles and weirdly to downhill loops to the finish. Aid stations every couple of miles. The scenery is great. You can park right at the start line for free! A well done race and easy to get to for runners in the GTA and ohio and Western PA. BTW - at mile 18 I asked a volunteer at an aid station to do a hand stand and she did! How cool is that!
B. J. from Yorktown, NY (8/7/2017) "Great small-town marathon and easy course" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Drake Well Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Pros - Well organized, especially for a small marathon. Being able to pick up your packet on race morning is a great perk (I did it on Saturday to get it over with) - The course is extremely well-marked with both consistent mile markers (this makes a big difference!) and arrows along the ground pointing at every intersection. Volunteers were stopping the small amount of traffic and pointing for any turns. - The race director clearly cares a lot about putting on a great race and it shows - Cool awards - I got a blue barrel mug (the overall top finishers got $200 cash & a mug & a bag of some kind) - Course was much easier than I expected - I would call it one of the easier marathon courses I've run (this was my 26th different course). Easier than Boston or NYC but not as easy as Houston or Virginia Beach. Almost all of the uphill is either gentle or very short (there are a couple of small uphills in the first couple miles and on the bike path) - the only notable hill is at mile 6.5 and it really wasn't bad. - Low-stress from a parking/departing/spectator perspective. Very relaxed atmosphere and away from crowds. - Start & finish are in the same place - you can use the "real" bathrooms that are at the museum - convenient and much better than port-a-potties - Race medal and t-shirt were nice. I'd prefer the actual date (it only says 2017) to be on the medal but not a big deal. Cons - The bike path can be a little slippery with moss in parts but it didn't affect my race - I'm not a huge fan of "out and back" courses with a point turnaround (only 1 during the race and I'm picking nits) - This wasn't a negative for me but there is very sparse cheering throughout. I don't mind quieter courses, but for someone who needs a lot of crowd support - be forewarned this isn't a great one for that. - I think the water stops were plentiful & well-placed except for between miles 20 & 24 or so (I'm estimating from memory) - felt like a long time without any water stops in that few mile stretch - It's in Pennsylvania in August so the weather could be a bit warm for the race - was my biggest concern. However for our actual race day, the weather was perfect - 50s the whole race and overcast. The last 20 miles or so are on a mostly shaded bike path which I'm sure mitigates warm weather if that does in fact happen - Our hotel was pretty old and run-down and I couldn't find any that seemed better in the area (not the race's fault but there definitely aren't the hotel options you may be used to in larger areas) Tag-ends - There were some complaints about the port-a-potties in previous comments and I saw several on the course - at miles 1.5, 5, 7, and a couple in later miles too I think. I've never used one for a race so not something I focus on but figured I'd add this. - I researched pretty extensively and was very pleased with how the whole race went - from a weather, course, and organizational perspective.
Sanjay Mohanta from ottawa, ontario (8/9/2016) "85th marathon! Worth the trip to Titusville!" (about: 2016) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Drake Well Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 The city is about thirty minutes south of Erie and a bit more than an hour north of Pittsburgh. It is a small town with some cool restaurants like the Retro Diner and Blue Canoe. The course is well planned but the first port a potty is at mile 5 and water stations are spaced out further than my liking. One of them ran out of cups. I liked the shade of the last 19 miles and the views were beautiful - a lot like the 2 Rivers race outside of Scranton in March. The hotel was very good and offered late check out for free!
K. B. from Raleigh, NC (12/1/2015) "Marathon virgin and it was awesome" (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Drake Well Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran this race mostly as a training race/BQ race - my goal race was in October. It was my first marathon ever & it was amazing. Titusville was a cute & quirky town w/historic significance and I really enjoyed my visit to the area. Never would have been there if not for the race. The race was small & very low-key/friendly perfect for a first time race. No trouble at all w/access to portopotties. I've heard they changed the course, but when I ran it we had two super big hills within the first few miles which I actually liked - really weeded out the field & since I was trained for hills, this wasn't an issue for me. The course otherwise was a great variety of rural roads, 'downtown' Titusville, & gorgeous state park. Not too many spectators but impressive for the small town location. Weather was great. The course wasn't well-marked near the end & I ran past a point where I was supposed to turn off the trail, but fortunately I had read a blog about the race & realized my mistake before I had gone far. The race finished on a track which was fun & exciting, and the course directors (?) were very excited about & supportive of my race which added to my own excitement about having run and win first female! My first marathon. Since then, I've run a few other marathons, and this one remains special for me. My prize was a unique and interesting commemorative metal plaque featuring the Drake Well, and that was awesome, too. All in all, I had a great race and a great experience here & would love to return sometime. We had great pre-race lunch at the Blue Canoe, too,and I would return to eat there again. Organization and volunteers were great, but if you expect 'fancy' you will be disappointed. So glad I ran this and that it was my 'first.' Totally recommend.
Patrick howley from Phoenix (8/3/2015) "Well organized small marathon" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Drake Well Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 You run through Titusville for the first 7 miles then on a tree shaded bike path for the other 19 miles. Well organized but could have used a few more portajohns at the start. The marathon field is small so I ran by myself for several miles. No spectators but well staffed and positioned water stations. Beautiful course. The early start and running in the shade for the last 19 miles made this a very doable August marathon. Book your hotel early as there are not many nearby options.
J. D. from US (8/20/2013) "USE ONLY AS A LONG TRAINING RUN!" (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Drake Well Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I grew up in the area and visit Titusville regularly but I won't run this again. The race website is difficult to navigate with info from 2011 still on it. Packet pick-up was slow as 1 person was handing out the 'stuff' as well as giving directions around the town and answering numerous questions. She needed help so she could get her job done. Race day parking was very good. The parking lot had plenty of porta-potties and parking was very close to the start. The course was NOT set up to be easy or to give someone a PR. The hills at the start of the race are long uphills on some dirt/gravel roads you should train for as they will hurt your chances of having a decent time. Enjoy the downhills as they are on a similar surface with some washed-out spots and plenty of potholes. The rest of the course was uneventful. Running on the tree covered bike path was at least cool for this mid-August marathon. The finish was ok at best - had to come off a paved path and run on an uneven grass field, enter the hs track, then finally finish. At the finish the '5k quality' medals were given out. The post race food was slim - fruit, cut up bagels, and water or gatorade. If they want to make this marathon bigger they need to invest in it. What was put on is not going to cause many return customers.

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Marathon Details - Drake Well Marathon