calendar icon May 19, 2024

Marathon Details - Myles Standish Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > MA > Plymouth > Myles Standish Marathon

Myles Standish Marathon





Name: South Shore Race Management
Address: PO Box 1480
Duxbury, MA 02331
Phone Number:  781-820-6161
Email: Email the organizers
 
 
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Reviews

Course Rating Course 3.7 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 3.8 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 2.3 
 
 
Number of comments: 6


 

V. I. from Massachusetts, USA (11/14/2016)
"This Marathon is about serious runners" (about: 2016)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Myles Standish Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 4


This is a small Marathon with about 200 - 300 Marathon Runners. First 16 miles are in a beautiful State Forest. Once you get out you have to traverse through 2-3 miles of busy street traffic with barely a runner's width margin at the side of the road. There are sections where there is absolutely nobody around so if you need help or are injured then you have to wait for the police patrol cars which come frequently. Apart from these issues, I enjoyed running this Marathon, I loved the scenery at the State Park as well as many rural sections. The course overall is comprised of rolling hills which I managed well. There were no photographers on the course, water / gatorade every 2 miles. I loved the whole experience and I would run again.
 

C. Y. from Louisiana (11/18/2014)
"Great Small Race with One Exception" (about: 2014)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Myles Standish Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 1


Just as the reviews for the past two races; beautiful course with the exception of the forest to town stretch. Those miles are SCARY! No cones, 12'-18' from two way traffic and potholes. I love small races and they provide good course support. Plymouth was on our bucket list to visit and did not disappoint. None of the residents knew about the race, including our hotel staff. Appreciate the early start; beautiful first 15 miles; please do something about the highway stretch before someone gets killed.
 

E. H. from MA (11/17/2014)
"Nice race, but the course is really challenging." (about: 2014)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Myles Standish Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 2


This is a small race on a very challenging course. Lots of small hills that take their toll on your legs. There are limited spectators even when you get into the neighborhoods of Plymouth (this may have been due to the cold temperatures on race day this year). The event is managed well, and the pizza and soup at the finish was much appreciated. I'd run this course again only if I wasn't looking for a PR.
 

J. M. from Reading, MA (11/16/2014)
"Friendly and low-key in a beautiful park" (about: 2014)

1 previous marathon | 1 Myles Standish Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 3


After reading the race reviews here, I was mentally prepared for both hills and traffic, but out on the course I found that I didn't mind either one of them too much. In places where I was directed to run on the right side of the road, there were so few cars that it really wasn't an issue for me. However, I'm a way-back-of-the-pack marathoner, so it's possible that the faster runners had to share the course with many more relay runner cars. My husband brought his bike to get around (as a spectator), and was able to meet me at least five times on the course, for me to hand him extra clothes, etc. and it would be nice if the organizers would encourage others to do the same.

On the course, there was never a moment where I felt lost, even when I couldn't see anyone in front of me. I definitely appreciate this, as a slower runner. There were plenty of volunteers at all the stops, and some of them absolutely radiated friendly positivity in a way that transcends simply cheering, or saying 'Good job'.

Two more random neat things... At the first bank of porta-potties on the course, there were 6-8 people waiting in line, and I was resigned to wait my turn - until about three seconds later, some people around me figured out that those ahead of me in line were all either spectators, or relay runners who hadn't yet started, at which point the whole group sent me to the first open stall STAT 'Go! Go! Go!' Thank you, helpful relay runners :-)

Also, this course goes through a farm at one point. As a city kid, seeing the horses was fun and memorable.

I agree that doing the entire course inside the park would be wonderful. But where, then, would we go inside to be warm at the finish? I didn't experience it first-hand, but I heard there was a lot of good food inside the school; we made the mistake of lingering outdoors too long and missed the indoor scene, but there were plenty of bananas and water and massages outdoors.

The medal is a keeper, nice enamel, and it has the date on the back, which I like a lot. The long-sleeved tech shirt fits me perfectly.

If I were going to make any improvements to this race, first I would do everything possible to keep runners off the right-hand side of the roads. Then I would re-write the part of the website that gives advice to spectators about where to park and where to go on the course in order to see running friends and family a few times during the race. That section needs some editing for clarity (especially the use of pronouns). Marking prime spectator areas on the map would also be helpful.

Last I think I would arrange to have more directional signs on the course, because sometimes it was not clear to me what side I was 'supposed' to run on. I never run on the R side along with traffic unless a cop tells me to, but on the long, straight, dirt road, a line of runners in front of me was running with traffic, so in order to avoid the oncoming cars who were avoiding *them*, I had to switch. If 'run on the right side of this particular road' was communicated ahead of time in one of the emails, or on the website, somebody vastly overestimated both my ability to remember it AND to know my own location at any given point during the race. I think even direct verbal instructions from course volunteers are very easy to miss - even if I'm not wearing headphones or earbuds. Any number of things can drown out the sound of spoken verbal instructions (e.g. cars, conversation); when there are good signs in place, the volunteers don't have to yell and runners don't have to be yelled at.
A huge spraypainted arrow on an A-frame sign gets the job done best for me and my aging ears. I would also maybe put a sign after at the finish that says, 'Food this way'. For us visual learners :-)

Overall I had a great experience, and I would recommend this race to other back-of-the-pack runners who like hills and gorgeous fall scenery in Myles Standish State Park.
 

S. B. from Texas (3/24/2014)
"Small Marathon in a beautiful forest" (about: 2013)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Myles Standish Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 1


I ran this race in November 2013. The cost was great. It was a very small field, I think 500 runners. I signed up to run it as a tribute to Boston. The first part of this race was magnificent. We ran through the forest for the first 18+ miles. I did not listen to any music for the first part of the race because I felt like I would be polluting nature!! The only part I did think was not done well was the two way traffic on the narrow roads of the forest. Sometimes the runners were directed to move over to the side so the cars could go through.. and I thought it was a run on your feet race. The entire course should be run in the forest, even if it is in loops. It was very peaceful.

The end of the course after it left the forest was an entirely different story. There was NO traffic direction. It was an open course with traffic going in both directions. The runners had about 2 feet on the shoulder, or go up on the sidewalk to run. It was very frightening to be directed to run WITH traffic and have no idea what kind of vehicle was coming up behind you. I had to step on and off the street/curb numerous times. As a consequence of the hilly course, and no space to run.. I ended up with a fracture in my heel. 3 months later and I am still healing.

At the end of the race there was virtually no first aid. There were a few medics hanging out in an ambulance in the parking lot, but no one could located any ice for my foot.

I would be entirely willing to run this race again IF it were entirely inside the forest. Oh, be prepared for rolling hills for probably 90% of the course.
 

B. W. from MA (1/8/2013)
"Scenic and mellow" (about: 2012)

1 previous marathon | 1 Myles Standish Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 3


2012 was the inaugural race - I ran it because NYC was cancelled and I wanted to complete a marathon, my first.

Course is very lovely, as most of it (~15M) is run through the beautiful Myles Standish State Forest. Rolling hills throughout and a couple of really big hills in the latter part of the race, so not a great course for time. Also, there is about 2 miles of dirt road after leaving the forest. Start was in the forest and end was near the Bayside running store. Everything was mellow until the approach to the finish, where we had to traverse Sunday morning mall traffic.

The race had about 300 runners plus 100 relay teams. The relay teams added to the ambiance as the biggest cheers were from the relayers at the exchange zones. otherwise it did get lonely out there at times.

It was well-organized for a small race, with a nice medal and a nice t-shirt. Water/gatorade stops about every other mile.

I would like to see this race continue. My suggestion would be to have the race run entirely in the Forest, as the last mile was the most harrowing for traffic.


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