Marathon Details - Stony Creek Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > MI > Utica > Stony Creek Marathon

Stony Creek Marathon & 50K, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K

Utica, MI USA

November 5, 2023

Results:

2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
Top 3 Finishers by Year

Contact Organizer

Name:	Rick
Address:	724 Gertrude Waterford, MI 48328
Phone Number:	3132055543
Email:	Email the organizers



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Reviews

Course 4.8

Organization 4.9

Spectators 3.6

Write a review

Number of comments: 9

A. T. from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (11/6/2023) "Great small race to get a BQ time!" (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Stony Creek Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 For a small race in a park setting, it is very well-organized. Race director did a great job with pre-race instructions, which helped given the unconventional course and various distances ranging from 5K to 50K. Marathon starts with an out-and-back (clockwise), then continues counterclockwise on the bike path around the lake. At mile 6 there is an out-and-back on the park road to the nature center which includes some of the hillier portions, and was one of the few spots on the course where you could see many other runners. Once returning to the bike path, runners continued doing loops, going past the start/finish area at mile 13 and mile 20 before returning to the finish line. The course was very well-marked and volunteers were helpful, but "crowd" support was very light other than right at the finish line. Aid stations were about 1.5 to 2 miles apart and included water and Gatorade that runners grabbed off the tables. Finisher medals are HUGE, but otherwise there is little swag or post-race food. In 2023, weather conditions were perfect (in my opinion): 38-44 degrees, no wind, and overcast skies for almost the entire race. The rolling hills were not steep and helped me use different muscle groups. I was able to maintain a steady pace and although I inevitably slowed down the last few miles, my pace didn't fall dramatically. I finished in 3:40:49 (a 8:26 pace), beating my BQ time by over 9 minutes! There were about 450 runners total: 109 marathon finishers, 179 half-marathoners, 34 50K, 56 5K, and 69 10K. I had a great experience and highly recommend the course if you can get by without crowd support.
P. R. from Metro Detroit (6/16/2021) "Great event, especially under the circumstances" (about: 2020) 4-5 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 If other race directors took cues from this one, we could have had more in person races. Felt safe the entire time, from packet picket, to staggered start, aid stations and finish line. I cannot wait until next year. I ran the half but am considering the full.
p. b. from Saginaw, Michigan (11/6/2020) "blizzard/wind/free pics" (about: 2020) 50+ previous marathons \| 4-5 Stony Creek Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 50 mph winds, wind chills in the 20s, and sleet/snow after a few minutes of sun. Tough one, but 75 of us still finished a marathon in the elements wearing masks at the aid stations in 2020!! Free on-course pictures, bottle openers and orange souvenir cups for everyone! Thank you to r.d. Rick for all your hard work to make it happen!
Rob Klein from Paradise, Michigan (11/7/2017) "Damp and Foggy" (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Stony Creek Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Baypoint Beach in Stony Creek Metro-Park was the location of packet-pickup, the staging area, and the start and finish line. This marathon course started out with a loop around the parking lot at Baypoint Beach and then did a three mile spur, out and back, then three loops around Stony Lake - two counter-clockwise and the last clockwise. There was a fair amount of Autumn color still on the trees, though many of the leaves had already fallen to the ground. It was still a pleasant environment to view. To get in the park cost $10.00. That is besides the cost for registering for the marathon event. Packet pick-up was Saturday afternoon and early Sunday morning before the race. The guy at the toll booth let me in for free on Saturday because I told him I was just going I to get my packet. Then Sunday morning I had to pay the 10 bucks to get in. Weather was destined to be a factor in this race. For the whole week they were forecasting rain, with thunderstorms/lightning. It sounded pretty dismal. I spoke with the race director Saturday afternoon, and the latest forecasts were for the thunderstorms to start about 2:30 p.m. That would get most runners across the finish-line before the worst of the weather would roll in. Still, he had thought this through and had contingency plans in mind already. Sunday I arrived to a thick, low fog, with a temperature probably in the mid-50s with little or no wind, so not too cold; it would eventually warm to 60-something. There was a 10K, a half-marathon, and a marathon event. The half and full folks started together; the 10K runners had their own chute and basically ran the last clockwise loop of the marathon. We would pass many of them circling the lake later on in the morning. The race was run entirely within the park, and so we did not have to deal with traffic, except for those that were driving in the park, and the Park Police provided safety for the runners crossing the main road in the park. There were some hills on this course, but they were not steep hills. There were several hydration stations around the lake and one at the turn-around-point of the 3-mile spur. Some had water only, most had Gatorade and water, and only one station had gels in addition to the fluids. But we passed that station three times during the course. The volunteers were all friendly and encouraging. Around noon-time it did start to rain, but it was off and on at first, then in the early afternoon it was a more steady rain. I did hear thunder a few times, and saw a couple flashes of lightning, but the fog lifted to a low overcast by late morning and that obscured most of the lightning. Anyway, all the marathoners on the course finished the run, and there were no issues with weather delaying the event. We received a nice white T-shirt, a robust medal, and a plastic cup with an event hand-towel for drying off with (who could have possibly thought anyone would get wet?). There was no hot food at the finish-line - soup would have been welcomed by the runners - but there was water, bagels, bananas, & chips available for post-race food.
k. b. from stamford, CT (11/18/2015) "Great first time race" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Stony Creek Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was a very well run marathon, put on by runners for runners. It was a small field, most of the participants ran the 10k and half. The course was a little unusual, starting with an out and back section followed by 3 loops- 2 were run counterclockwise and the final one clockwise. That was the only awkward part - you stepped over a timing mat, grabbed a drink and then stepped back over it to keep running. Despite that, it was extremely well marked. Aid stations were plentiful and well stocked. We had beautiful weather - could be tough on a windy or rainy day. The course itself had a few small rollers, nothing difficult, just enough to mix up the muscle groups. T shirts were nice short sleeve technical shirts. All half and full marathoners got a pint glass and hand towel with the race logo - very nice. I received a fantastic glass beer mug and small trophy for 3rd masters woman. My only beef with the schwag is the finishers medal: nice, but no distinction between any of the races. Overall, a great race for Michigan; I highly recommend it.
m. d. from usa (11/15/2015) "nice marathon for november and great surrondings" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Stony Creek Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Good first time marathon. Tough course with the rolling hills, however, the park is beautiful. Good aid stations and nice people cheering you on. Mile markers well placed and easy to see. Will be back next year.

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A. T. from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (11/6/2023) "Great small race to get a BQ time!" (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Stony Creek Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 For a small race in a park setting, it is very well-organized. Race director did a great job with pre-race instructions, which helped given the unconventional course and various distances ranging from 5K to 50K. Marathon starts with an out-and-back (clockwise), then continues counterclockwise on the bike path around the lake. At mile 6 there is an out-and-back on the park road to the nature center which includes some of the hillier portions, and was one of the few spots on the course where you could see many other runners. Once returning to the bike path, runners continued doing loops, going past the start/finish area at mile 13 and mile 20 before returning to the finish line. The course was very well-marked and volunteers were helpful, but "crowd" support was very light other than right at the finish line. Aid stations were about 1.5 to 2 miles apart and included water and Gatorade that runners grabbed off the tables. Finisher medals are HUGE, but otherwise there is little swag or post-race food. In 2023, weather conditions were perfect (in my opinion): 38-44 degrees, no wind, and overcast skies for almost the entire race. The rolling hills were not steep and helped me use different muscle groups. I was able to maintain a steady pace and although I inevitably slowed down the last few miles, my pace didn't fall dramatically. I finished in 3:40:49 (a 8:26 pace), beating my BQ time by over 9 minutes! There were about 450 runners total: 109 marathon finishers, 179 half-marathoners, 34 50K, 56 5K, and 69 10K. I had a great experience and highly recommend the course if you can get by without crowd support.
P. R. from Metro Detroit (6/16/2021) "Great event, especially under the circumstances" (about: 2020) 4-5 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 If other race directors took cues from this one, we could have had more in person races. Felt safe the entire time, from packet picket, to staggered start, aid stations and finish line. I cannot wait until next year. I ran the half but am considering the full.
p. b. from Saginaw, Michigan (11/6/2020) "blizzard/wind/free pics" (about: 2020) 50+ previous marathons \| 4-5 Stony Creek Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 50 mph winds, wind chills in the 20s, and sleet/snow after a few minutes of sun. Tough one, but 75 of us still finished a marathon in the elements wearing masks at the aid stations in 2020!! Free on-course pictures, bottle openers and orange souvenir cups for everyone! Thank you to r.d. Rick for all your hard work to make it happen!
Rob Klein from Paradise, Michigan (11/7/2017) "Damp and Foggy" (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Stony Creek Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Baypoint Beach in Stony Creek Metro-Park was the location of packet-pickup, the staging area, and the start and finish line. This marathon course started out with a loop around the parking lot at Baypoint Beach and then did a three mile spur, out and back, then three loops around Stony Lake - two counter-clockwise and the last clockwise. There was a fair amount of Autumn color still on the trees, though many of the leaves had already fallen to the ground. It was still a pleasant environment to view. To get in the park cost $10.00. That is besides the cost for registering for the marathon event. Packet pick-up was Saturday afternoon and early Sunday morning before the race. The guy at the toll booth let me in for free on Saturday because I told him I was just going I to get my packet. Then Sunday morning I had to pay the 10 bucks to get in. Weather was destined to be a factor in this race. For the whole week they were forecasting rain, with thunderstorms/lightning. It sounded pretty dismal. I spoke with the race director Saturday afternoon, and the latest forecasts were for the thunderstorms to start about 2:30 p.m. That would get most runners across the finish-line before the worst of the weather would roll in. Still, he had thought this through and had contingency plans in mind already. Sunday I arrived to a thick, low fog, with a temperature probably in the mid-50s with little or no wind, so not too cold; it would eventually warm to 60-something. There was a 10K, a half-marathon, and a marathon event. The half and full folks started together; the 10K runners had their own chute and basically ran the last clockwise loop of the marathon. We would pass many of them circling the lake later on in the morning. The race was run entirely within the park, and so we did not have to deal with traffic, except for those that were driving in the park, and the Park Police provided safety for the runners crossing the main road in the park. There were some hills on this course, but they were not steep hills. There were several hydration stations around the lake and one at the turn-around-point of the 3-mile spur. Some had water only, most had Gatorade and water, and only one station had gels in addition to the fluids. But we passed that station three times during the course. The volunteers were all friendly and encouraging. Around noon-time it did start to rain, but it was off and on at first, then in the early afternoon it was a more steady rain. I did hear thunder a few times, and saw a couple flashes of lightning, but the fog lifted to a low overcast by late morning and that obscured most of the lightning. Anyway, all the marathoners on the course finished the run, and there were no issues with weather delaying the event. We received a nice white T-shirt, a robust medal, and a plastic cup with an event hand-towel for drying off with (who could have possibly thought anyone would get wet?). There was no hot food at the finish-line - soup would have been welcomed by the runners - but there was water, bagels, bananas, & chips available for post-race food.
k. b. from stamford, CT (11/18/2015) "Great first time race" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Stony Creek Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was a very well run marathon, put on by runners for runners. It was a small field, most of the participants ran the 10k and half. The course was a little unusual, starting with an out and back section followed by 3 loops- 2 were run counterclockwise and the final one clockwise. That was the only awkward part - you stepped over a timing mat, grabbed a drink and then stepped back over it to keep running. Despite that, it was extremely well marked. Aid stations were plentiful and well stocked. We had beautiful weather - could be tough on a windy or rainy day. The course itself had a few small rollers, nothing difficult, just enough to mix up the muscle groups. T shirts were nice short sleeve technical shirts. All half and full marathoners got a pint glass and hand towel with the race logo - very nice. I received a fantastic glass beer mug and small trophy for 3rd masters woman. My only beef with the schwag is the finishers medal: nice, but no distinction between any of the races. Overall, a great race for Michigan; I highly recommend it.
m. d. from usa (11/15/2015) "nice marathon for november and great surrondings" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Stony Creek Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Good first time marathon. Tough course with the rolling hills, however, the park is beautiful. Good aid stations and nice people cheering you on. Mile markers well placed and easy to see. Will be back next year.

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Marathon Details - Stony Creek Marathon