Sugarloaf Marathon - Race Reviews

This is a very well run event. Warming bus at start. I loved the community spirit of locals and competitors. I wear my running top proudly. And I got a BQ on this course. It's hilly but not technical. Clean air, nice scenery. Money goes to local community. I am an Australian but at the time living in NY. Great race and Maine is a wonderful place to visit.

This was my first marathon. I chose this one because I needed something in the Spring that was within driving distance of Boston. A few notes: - Great course for friends/family to watch at multiple places. This was esp. great at the end when I told myself to just make it 'x' more miles to see my family. - Although I was expecting killer hills, I actually thought it was OK. I did not train on hills that much (just 2 near me that I would run up during the worst part of a long-run). - I did not see Gu packets at the 2nd stop and did not have one on the sidelines. Bring one just in case! I had to rely on gummies from a stranger (I survived). - The course is actually beautiful. I thought I wouldn't care about this since at some point you just want it to be over, but it made for a nice distraction. - If you're staying overnight, definitely aim to stay at the Sugarloaf Resort. We booked in Feb and everything was sold out around the start. We ended up booking in Rangeley which is a 45 EXTRA minute drive to catch a 5:45 am shuttle from the Resort to the start (gross). By pure luck, a room happened to open when we checked the night before. Well worth it. - Plenty of water/Gatorade stops. - Barely any bathrooms along the route. Luckily, I didn't need to go, but I did bring TP in my pocket just in case. - Finally, we came in later than we wanted to the night before which made dinner options limited. Try to get in early with plenty of time for choosing/eating dinner. - I would recommend this course overall. Besides, there's soup at the end!

My only complaint is one that definitely impacted my race day experience. Shuttles to the start were supposed to pick up at a second location after leaving from Sugarloaf's main hotel/lodge. A shuttle was supposed to stop by at 5:45am and one never came (at least not until 6:10am, when we luckily had my friend's wife drive us to the start). Super frustrating... got to the start way later than anticipated, rushed to use the bathroom and then started. Missed some chances to hydrate and warm-up like I wanted to. Otherwise, a great course in a beautiful location (though I needed to prepare for the downhills more in training).

Great views, nice under armour tee shirt, good number of water stops, nice post race food and drink selection, and overall good organization (bag check, shuttles, warming bus at this year's chilly start). The course is a bit challenging given the net downhill, having to run on the side of the cambered road to allow cars to pass, small field, and the sparse crowds. Be prepared for the weather because the start and the course don't offer a lot of protection from the elements (sun + road dust this yr). Spectators had the opportunity to see runners at several locations, some on bike, some in car. I think experienced marathoners looking for a break from the craziness of some big city marathons will especially appreciate this race.

SUMMARY: I loved it. Great BQ race to run with friends. Fast course - I ran a PR by 6 minutes and BQ'ed again 5 weeks after running Boston. The elevation favors a fast race with the long declines in the second half. However, I agree with other reviewers that this course is tougher than it looks. The climb between miles 8-10 is difficult but it is in the early miles so if you save some gas, you will be able to capitalize on the downhills after that. The downhill running is very hard on the quads. I felt like mine were trashed by mile 18 but I managed to hang on and run a fast time. There are some rollers after the 20 mile mark that can feel challenging if you don't expect them to be there. The course is gorgeous and serene. Tall pine trees, lakes, streams. Temperature at this time of year was near perfect but beware that it warms up quickly. We started in the 40s and it rose into the 60s by the end. Once you get out of the pine tree cover in the first 2 miles of the race, it opens up and there is no shade cover anywhere. We got a sunny day and while it was cool for most of the race (50s), it felt a little warmer because we didn't have any cloud cover or shade. Wear a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen. Logistics of the race itself were quite easy. Shuttles to the start and back to the host hotel. They had warming buses for us at the start so we could get out of the cold before the race. However, this is a race that's kind of hard to get to. I went up with 4 friends. We flew into Bangor and then drove 2 hours to Carrabassett Valley. There was nothing to do in the area. To kill time on Saturday, we drove an hour to Farmington to walk around the downtown shopping area. I don't think I would have had a good time going by myself given the difficulty of getting there and lack of entertainment options. But with a group, we had fun. Race medals - they really should give different medals for the marathon versus the 15K. It's a small field of about 700 marathon runners. It feels like going on a long run because there may be stretches where you are running by yourself. For spectators, there aren't many places to watch the race so if you need crowd support to get through a marathon, this one is not for you. The spectators seemed to be people who traveled up there to support individual runners. If you care about post-race food, it was good. Chicken noodle soup, yogurt and granola, bagels, oranges, etc. I can't get food down immediately after a race so it's not that important to me.

Sugarloaf Marathon is a very good race and highly recommended if you are looking to PR and on the cusp of a BQ. Let's break down the race: Pros: Course - The first 5 miles are fairly flat with a few rollers. However once you hit mile 5 the rollers come more often until you hit the large two mile incline from miles 8 to 10. If you can power through that without dropping off too much in pace, you can easily recover minutes on the downhill side. From miles 10.5 to 18 is all downhill and you can really get into a groove. My best two miles on this course pace wise were miles 15 and 16. The course ends with rollers from 18-26, which is really the only negative part. Same some energy for these. Org - Plenty of water stations, about every 1.5 miles, and every mile after 20. Only two gel stations, but I bring my own. They offer plenty of food, water, drinks, and massages at the finish. And even a burrito stand if you can handle it. Location - If you love nature, fresh air, rivers, pine trees then you'll love this course. Cons: Training - You need to do hill training both uphill and downhill to prepare for this race. Make sure your quads can handle it. Support - Very few people. Clustered mainly at mile 10 and then the finish. Some of the crowd will ride ahead and pull over every few miles which can be annoying. Traffic - They do not close the road, and since it's a major road there are semis and other commercial vehicles, although the locals do a decent jobs controlling the speed. Overall, if you are looking for a fast course and a race to knock off the state of ME, this is a good one.

I PR'ed and BQ'ed on this course in 2004, so it's my favorite. I also came in 3rd in my age group and won some pottery. It looks like you now can win $200 if you come in 3rd! It was beautiful-felt more like going for a long run along the river than like an organized race. The weather was perfect for running-started out drizzly and in the low 50's and the sun came out by the end, though it stayed chilly. I love that it's so small. If you're looking for a marathon with tons of crowd support, this probably isn't the one for you. It was pretty quiet along the route. I was able to get a massage at the finish line.

This was my very first marathon. Additionally, I had been dealing with running injuries for the month leading up to the race. Needless to say, I was very nervous. But the small town feel, excellent organization, and friendly runners made it great. The entire course is absolutely gorgeous. The first 10 miles or so are fairly shaded and the hill at mile 8-10 isn't nearly as bad as advertised. It comes early enough that you should be able to get through it pretty easily. Between miles 10 and 18 or so, it's a pretty fast course. But learn to run on descents without punishing your quads - that's important. The final 6 miles features some small rollers that feel much bigger with fatigued legs. The finish had a lot of cheering and support. The medical attention at the end was more than enough, as far as I could tell. The food was great as well. Chicken soup was amazing! The roads are open to drivers and cyclists, and so having friends/family support you almost the entire run is easy to coordinate. I met a very friendly runner along the way and we chatted for a long time. That helped me tremendously. Water and Gatorade stops every 2 miles until 18, then every mile or so. Volunteers had signs indicating which drink they had. There were also 2 Gu stops, which was great because I had accidentally dropped 2 of my own. This is a mountain road, so there is some crowning to help with water run off. It wasn't nearly as much of a problem as I anticipated. Plus you can run in the middle of the lane where it's not so bad and it isn't much of an issue. I loved running this race and if I ever run another marathon, I would consider this one again.

Sugarloaf was my 2nd marathon (I've ran a total of 3), and I picked it because I wanted to PR. Many pros/cons: Pros: It is a fast course, I beat my previous time by 18 minutes. Beautiful area. Really nice runners. Nice long sleeve t-shirts. Good transportation to the starting line. Free post-race massages and awesome snacks- soup, granola, bagels, etc. Cons: -The last 16 miles is downhill, which sounds awesome... but it will tear apart your quads if you are not fully prepared for this. I dealt with a lot of hip flexor issues the months after this race. Also, the first 10 miles are definitely not flat- there are some uphills you gotta get through. If you run this course, make sure to have some leg strength training as apart of your workout routine -There is no service because you are in the mountains. I'm an idiot and anticipated on streaming music, so this was a huge issue for me. Thankfully I had music saved on my phone. -Hotels can get expensive if you don't get one ASAP. They fill up quickly, so we had to book this ski house. It was really nice but unnecessary and more expensive. -It's deep in Maine so you pretty much have to eat the expensive pasta dinner the night before. The food isn't bad, just over priced. -After the shuttle drops you off at the starting line you have to wait awhile before the gun goes off. Bring warm clothes! I didn't, so thankfully a nice runner gave me an extra sweatshirt she brought. -If you have to go to the bathroom during the race, most likely you will be going in the woods -Not much spectator support It's a beautiful race but mentally challenging because of how isolated you will be running it. Only a couple hundred runners. More people partake in the 15k that is also offered. If you are trying to do every state, this is definitely a cool experience. However, I wouldn't recommend this course for first-timers. It's a very old-school marathon with no gimmicks, flashy costumes, etc. And again, beware of all the downhill running.

I wrote a huge review about this race on my blog: https://invertedsneakers.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/race-review-sugarloaf-marathon-maine/ But basically - it's awesome. If I lived closer this would be an annual run for me.

If you are close to your BQ time and need a fast race to get you over the hump, this is the race for you. Make sure you add plenty of hills (down and up) in your training and be disciplined not to go out too fast and you will do great. Transportation to the start and back to the lodge was fine, plenty of port o potties at the start, water stations every 2 miles and two GU stations, water station volunteers were great (I liked that they wore signs indicating if they had water or Gatorade), and the weather was perfect with even a tailwind towards the end. Nice small race.

Ran this on the one-month-training-plan. Had a great race. A few notes: * They use a shotgun for the start. Not a starter's pistol. A shotgun. (From the start it's 26 miles to the finish and 26 miles to Canada, give or take.) * The scenery is spectacular: mountains rising up 3000 feet for the first 10 miles, along a river the last 15. One big downhill at mile 11 and another at 16. Great mountain views without huge uphills. * The road is generally exposed (2014 had high clouds) so it could get warm on a sunny day, but the 7 a.m. start almost guarantees tolerable temperatures. * Many mentions of the hills in the last few miles on this forum. None more than a gain of 20 feet or so, and a nice respite for the legs after 10 miles gradually downhill. (I'm better suited to long distances than constant leg pounding, I guess.) You follow the river grade, and while the river flattens out, it keeps going down, and so do you. * No enforcement of 'no bike pacing' rules, but plenty of room for it, so not a big deal. Even car support wasn't a problem. * I ran slightly positive splits, even with the elevation; quite a bit of climb 7 to 10. November Project hills helped. * Plenty of feeds, well-marked volunteers (literally wearing signs reading 'water' and 'gatorade') * Road was open to traffic but all stayed in the other lane and went very slowly. There are only two places to access most of the road so everyone knew there was a race on (cops at both ends, I think). No trouble running in the middle of the lane. * Great organization. A guy in a flannel shirt and santa claus beard is in charge of transportation. My friend forgot his number, and they had no trouble giving him a new one. We got a ride to the start without issue (the buses leave wicked early, for a wicked early start). I left my gear bag and offered to come pick it up (we have a camp nearby), they offered to send it to me. Wow. * Bib pick-up on Saturday lets you get a slightly later start on Sunday, but if you are taking the bus anyway, there's no need to go up to Sugarloaf the day before. If you have a ride (or even if taking the bus) staying in Farmington or even Augusta/Waterville is doable (assuming you're coming from the south and want to save some driving). * Good lord they could use a better course map. If you stop by Maine Huts and Trails in Kingfield they have a hiking map which happens to show the whole of the marathon course (with contours). It's free!

Being from Maine I Found the overall event exactly as advertised. While the coarse can be run fast you will want to make sure you incorporate plenty of hills in your training before tackling this event. My Garmin had the first 10 miles showing an elevation increase of 600 ft followed by a 1200 ft decline to the finish. Mile 8-10 incline was the slowest pace of race for me. Mile 11-18 offer several steep downhills that allow you to make up for the loss. Really felt the quads burning from the steep downhills during the last few rolling miles. Enjoyed the beautiful scenery and small town feel of this event. Saw several people driving the coarse stopping every few miles to pit crew for their runner. With the temps in the 80's this year that was definately a benefit. The crowds were small but very supportive and water stops workers were very encouraging as well. Pros: 1)Scenic getaway. 2) fast coarse if you train hills. 3) early start with normally cool temps. 4)good food, drink, and live timing finish. 5) free showers after event host hotel. Cons: 1)Shotgun start with no instructions. 2)15k and marathon medal are same and don't change from year to year. 3)Only 1 ambulance for event with 1300 people between both races. 80 degree temps overwhelmed the local ems crews. Assisted several runners that dropped after I finished. Many waited 10 plus minutes before receiving any medical attention.

I ran this to check Maine off the list, but I was expecting a better race time than I ended up with. Most of what I would say about this race has already been said, but there are a few things I would like to reiterate because I feel they are important to note. PROS: - beautiful, scenic course. Who needs a band at every mile when you have such natural beauty to entertain you? - real runners. No one in costume, no gimmicky runners, no fluffy expo advertising an upcoming Donut Dash or Gorilla Suit Run. This was a marathon for marathoners and I liked the simplicity of it. - Small field with no half-marathoners to split off. The crowd you settle in with during the early miles is with you through the entire event. - Plenty of food at the end, and plenty of Gu, GatorAid, and water along the route. - Free massages at the finish. CONS: - My only REAL complaint is that there were no portable toilets on the course! The only exception was at Mile 17, which was also the start area of the 15K. I have the unfortunate problem of often needing to stop during a race. Driving to the start and seeing NO port-o-potties on the course caused me considerable anxiety. There ARE places to add these along the course. Please don't make runners dash into the woods - it's a bad idea for plenty of reasons. - Hillier last few miles than expected. Other reviewers have mentioned this but it bears repeating. Not BIG hills, but uphill climbs nonetheless. If you expect to let gravity take you from 10 through the finish, you'll be disappointed. I never saw an elevation map, which would be helpful for the future. Prepare to work some towards the end and keep some energy in the tank. I didn't, and paid the price. All in all, a great event which I would recommend for those who enjoy smaller, scenic events.

Despite what other were saying, this was a fast course. You just need to be careful between miles 8-11 where there is both a significant uphill and downhill. The 75-80 temperatures were not ideal and they were not typical for this time of year. I had two negatives for this race. The first were the GU stops were not well marked or manned. I ran by both of them without even noticing them. I planned on using them and I consequently hit the wall at mile 22. The second negative is that both lanes are open to traffic which prevented me from sticking to the tangents, it also allowed most of the front runners to have support teams on bikes and in cars which made it even more dangerous. Overall I would recommend this course to someone that wants to run a decent time.

This was my second Sugarloaf, having first run it in 2010. The race was noticeably larger this year, but not so much that it lost its small town feel. The race has a very relaxed atmosphere. The course is both scenic and challenging. While runners should be prepared for the long uphill climb through miles 8-10, the downhill portion from miles 10-20 is really fast, but a quad-buster, so prep for that as well. As for being all downhill after mile 10, everyone would be far better served by noting that the course gets back to relatively minor rolling after mile 20. Even small rollers are not trivial after many downhill miles! Spectators are minimal over the length of the course, but enthusiastic. There seems to be plenty of room at the start area, although there were fairly long lines for the porta-potties. And speaking of those, on the course there were a few at mile 17, but no others I was aware of. It would be nice if more could be added in a few spots and all porta-potty locations noted on the course map. The water stops were spaced at 2 mile intervals, then at every mile starting around mile 19. I found the folks manning them to be very enthusiastic and friendly, with plenty of water and Gatorade at every stop. The road is not closed to traffic, which did not bother me at all. I always had plenty of room and never felt cramped by either other runners or vehicles. The food at the finish was plentiful and consisted of the usual bagels, fruits, hot soup (not really needed on a very warm day), and yogurt. I liked the move of the finish area to a large field behind the hardware store where the race previously finished. Highlights: Well organized, plenty of well-stocked water stops, very scenic course, a fast course if you are ready for both uphill and downhill running Areas for improvement: As the race gets larger it really needs full chip timing with a start mat, porta-potty locations should be added to the course map

Course is pretty much as advertised. I am from Maine, so got about what I expected. The only real hills are mile 8-10, and you are over them pretty quickly. The first part is quite steep, that shocked me a bit, but it is pretty short. It probably felt steeper than it was due to the flatness of the first part. The last 6 miles of the race do not feel easy - its pretty flat, but after several extremely fast miles from 12-20, it's a big enough change to feel sort of...hard. Very well organized, and everyone is very nice, the people at the end of the race were stellar. I was wrapped in a blanket in 2 seconds. The hot soup was very welcome on a very crappy, rainy day. The camber of the road is a challenge in a couple of spots. I HAVE ONE COMPLAINT - Some of the mile markers were off, Mile 2 in fact was WAY off. If I hadn't had a friend next to me with a Garmin I would have had a heart attack. Mile 2 was run in 8:50, but my watch said over 10 mins, that's how far off it was. This can really raise hell with your pace, and should be corrected. Other than that, I have nothing bad to say. Maybe put a few more porta potties at the start - long line. Thanks for a great race. I qualified for Boston!

In my quest for a marathon in every state, I decided that Sugarloaf would be my next stop. I wanted to run a scenic/smaller race and figured that Sugarloaf was the one for that. It didn't disappoint on either count. I would like to make note that the "rolling hills" are more substantial than we were led to believe. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the fact that I'm from Michigan and rolling hills in Michigan are much different from those of Maine. Just a warning. Once past the climbs, the remainder of the course was actually downhill with some fairly steep descents. The marathon was very well organized and all of the spectators/volunteers who were out on that dreary day were top-notch. Much appreciated. That being said, If you are looking for a BQ, Sugarloaf wouldn't be my first choice, but if you're looking for a small/scenic marathon, it definitely delivers.

I didn't run the marathon, but did run the 15K. This race needs more of many things. First off, at the start of the 15K there were only 4 porta-potties for about 500 runners. Not pretty. It was raining and 46 degrees. There was no shelter, so runners were huddled under the gas pump awnings at the store near the start. The one tent up in the parking lot had the late bib pickups under it. The advertised free-trade craft show had three small tables of items available. No marathon gear or typical expo. I will say the pasta dinner was well done, inexpensive, and fun to socialize with other runners. At the finish line, there was a very small tent with the food under it. I would say maybe 15 people could fit inside at once. While the food offerings were great, it was slow, and again there was no shelter for runners. Standing in the rain after having run in it for several hours was not pleasant. The finish times were based on gun time, not chip time, as there were not starting mats to run over. The volunteers and organizers were friendly and supportive, which is great, but this race really needs more thought put into it to effectively support the numbers of people in it. I am training for my first marathon, and will be running it in Portland, Maine. To those traveling to Maine to do a marathon, consider one of our other two unless you are pretty self-sufficient or bring your own support crew.

Conditions were perfect this year... cool morning with temps in the high 40s to start, sun with light, "fair weather" clouds, and a tailwind! The course is "as advertised" - except for the last few miles, where it was not exactly downhill. There are gradual uphills, which I didn't expect, and it caused me to be off-pace by a couple of minutes overall. One suggestion I would make is to have a timer in a few spots, or at least at the halfway point (just for the purposes of confirming your GPS time and mileage against the actual course time and mileage). I will do this again sometime... I love the Carrabasset Valley!

I am writing to add to my earlier comment. Today I received my finisher's medal. Unfortunately the race was much more successful than in years past and there were not enough medals at the end. The letter I received and the explanation were worthy of further praise. Not only did they explain how many more runners came, but they also let me know that next year they will close registration a few weeks before the race. So plan ahead, sign up and run the Sugarloaf Marathon. Also, make your lodging and your pasta arrangements in advance.

The race organization was great, the course was well-marked, the technical shirt is wonderful, and it was as scenic as promised. I came to Sugarloaf hoping for a BQ though, but just couldn't come close on this course. I do run hills on a regular basis, but I admit I'm not a great hill runner. The beginning of the course was exactly what I expected, through mile 11. The downhills at 11 and around 15 were steep enough that they pounded the legs a bit. After that it is rolling all the way to the end. I know some people like this type of variety, but I found it unrelenting. The camber of the road is also a challenge. The water stops were well stocked and the volunteers offered kind words. The map indicated there would be a water stop at mile 18, but there wasn't one there, which was disappointing on a warm day. There weren't many spectators, but those that were out there were loyal! They offered everything from encouragement to gum!

While my goal is to run a marathon in every state, this is the first race I'd consider doing again. It is 100% Maine. If you can't accept our state for what it really is, then this isn't the race for you. There's no fluff: No big expo, no large crowds, no giant goody bags. It's run on real Maine roads - ones with hills, cars and in places, terrible shoulders - but it's also the most beautiful race I've run (not just in places here and there, but all 26.2 miles).

It was my first marathon, and although I'm not super slow (9:20 average), I felt very alone towards the end. Traffic can get a little bothersome (they don't close the roads) but the scenery is beautiful. The climb from miles 8-11 isn't as bad as it seems. No chip timing, and it would be nice to have a porta-potty or two in the last half of the race! If you are into low-tech, small, scenic marathons, this one is for you. One recommendation: eat at Tufulio's the night before the race. The pasta dishes are delicious.

I am from Maine, so when they said, "its mostly a downhill marathon," I had to see it to believe it. Well, it is definitely a fast marathon. The first 18 miles were challenging, but relatively easy, with some obvious hills. the last 8 miles were not as hilly as the first 18, but it was NOT 16 miles of a decline like they had stated. I was told the spectator support was not huge, but I felt that there was tons of support from the crowd. All of the volunteers were more than generous, and the cyclists on the course were extremely attentive. The weather was fabulous. It's definitely a great BQ race!!!

This was my first time running the Sugarloaf Marathon, which I think put me in the minority of the runners. The many return runners all had stories to tell me about how great this course is. The last 16 miles of this point-to-point are mostly downhill, with only small, uphill climbs. With one exception, all water stops were in basic, 2-mile intervals. The one exception is at roughly at mile 18. Due to the layout of the road, there just wasn't a place for a water stop. I gave the spectators a rating of 5 even though there were not a lot of them out there because the ones that were made up in effort what they lacked in number. My only other problem was the lack of shade for the last three hours. Of course, that was because I ran the race in five hours, but I now have sunburn on one arm (it is a north-to-south run). The start is very beautiful, and after you get past the hills from mile five to mile 10, you can just keep rolling for the last 16 miles. There are a lot of top notch runners in this race (not running in my section of the pack but they are there), so if speed is your issue, you will have company. My only tip is that, if you plan to attend, get your lodging early and know where you plan to eat. The pasta dinner sold out and we ended up eating in the hotel restaurant. Not bad, but we had to pay hotel restaurant prices, and there was not a lot of selection. But enough complaining. This was a fun race and a fun atmosphere.

This was the second year I have run the Sugrarloaf Marathon. I had a great experience. The course is challenging but not too much for a novice who just wants to run the whole distance. It is the only marathon that I have done that I would recommend to beginners as well as experienced runners. The water stops are well spaced about every 2 miles and the spectators are few but enthusiastic. I highly recommend the host hotel, which gives great rates. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. NOTE: porta-potties are at the beginning of the race at the start. BUT they are very limited along the course (one at 3 miles only I think). This was not a problem for me but might concern some others. The route is very wooded and remote, and runners are free to "use the woods." I will continue to do this marathon. MAJOR GRIPE ALERT!!! If this is your first marathon or having a picture of the event is otherwise important to you, I strongly advise you have a friend or family member at the finish line to take a picture of you. MY ONLY CRITICISM IS THAT ONCE AGAIN I GET NO FINISH PICTURE OF MYSELF!! LAST YEAR, ABOUT 300 PEOPLE RAN THE MARATHON, AND IF YOU DID NOT FINISH IN THE TOP 20%, NO ONE BOTHERED TO TAKE A PICTURE OF YOU EITHER AT THE FINISH OR ALONG THE ROUTE. ONCE AGAIN, THERE ARE ABOUT 10 PICTURES OF THE SAME 30 PEOPLE AND NO ONE ELSE!! So a word to the race director: "Remember the little people..." Not everyone runs a sub-3 hour marathon (or ever will). With only about 300 finishers, you would think you would be able to get a picture of yourself....

I ran the 15K in 2008 and the marathon in 2009. The race was extremely well organized. Ample aid stations. Plenty of volunteers on the course. Scenery was perfect. Personally, big crowds at races stress me out. At big races I've been stepped on, whacked, and slowed down by crowds. None of that here. I was able to focus on myself and my goal. There were not a lot of fans along the course, but the ones there seemed very genuine. I can't wait for 2010.

It's was a very nice experience and I will be there in 2010. ;o)

My first marathon, and it was great!! I'm already getting ready for next one. Thanks to Scott, Pete, and my wife, Rebecca, for the race-day encouragement. The massage provided at the finish saved an old man's legs. Thanks again to the organizers of a great event. Regards, Paul Tracy

Thanks to the race director and staff for making the Sugarloaf Marathon a great experience. The organization was terrific, the scenery was beautiful, and the course was a lot easier than I expected. I drove the course the day before and thought the hill at about mile 8 would be tough. The speaker at the pasta dinner said it looks tougher from a car than on foot. He was right! I was over it before I even knew I was on it. There were very few spectators but the water stop crews made up for that. Thanks to all the folks, especially the teenagers, who gave up their day to man the water stops. A special thanks to the guys on the bikes who rode back and forth along the course making sure everyone was okay and providing encouragement. There was plenty of food at the end, enough that the ladies serving the food gave me a bag of goodies for the long drive home. If the food at the finish isn't to your liking, there is a great healthy place to eat across the street - I think it was called the Orange Cat Cafe. The Sugarloaf Resort is beautiful and the views are spectacular. It was a great place to stay and well worth taking a few extra days to do some hiking. Just a couple of suggestions: - More police on the route. Although the traffic was not heavy, some cars were driving very fast on a twisting road. - Provide runners with more information about things to do in the area such as hiking trails, restaurants, etc.

This was my 4th marathon and second BQ attempt. From the time I checked into my condo at the ski mountain, the vibe was positive and totally welcoming. The course was as advertised: beautiful, hilly, pretty fast, but with sparse fan attendance (especially on a cool and rainy day). Organization was excellent, from pre-race communications, to the packet pick-up, to the busing up to the start. Aid station volunteers were capable and mostly cheerful, but this race is all about the run. The road stays open, but somehow traffic sorts itself out. There were enough runners in my pace range that I never felt completely alone. I'd love to go back next year, but I'm not sure whether I'll be recovered from... drum roll... running Boston (yes, I got my BQ at Sugarloaf). Definitely not a race for everyone, but if you want to focus on running rather than battling crowds, Sugarloaf is a fantastic place to do that.

I have run big races like NY and Boston, and smaller races like Baystate and Vermont City. Sugarloaf is, of course, much smaller than all of those. Nonetheless, it is every bit as well organized, and in many ways more fun. The point-to-point course is absolutely beautiful, with plenty of mountain scenery. Organizers did a great job getting runners to the start, keeping them hydrated along the course, and taking care of them at the finish. There's a laid-back atmosphere, but everything got done exactly when and how the organizers promised. Overall, this race has a great "small town" feel. The finish area was well-stocked with food, drink, and helpful volunteers. Despite having a small field, this race attracts top-quality runners. I was particularly impressed by the masters division. It also happens to be a very friendly field - I fell into a great pace group that formed naturally. Runners in the group quickly got to know one another, and then encouraged each other onward. Sure, there aren't many spectators along the course, but go to Boston or NY for that. I've run many marathons, but I think this one was the most fun I ever had. I'm definitely going back next year.

Essentially it was running alone along the highway past Sugarloaf Mountain. There were 170 runners in total and MAYBE 30 people along the route, so there was no crowd support to speak of. No fanfare, and some people started the marathon early (they had a plane to catch). A minute before the appointed time, some guy said, "We start in a minute." He fired a starting gun in a minute and that was the start of the marathon. It was a pretty marathon, but you could print up a nice shirt for yourself, go drive to Maine, and run back with a friend driving a support vehicle.

I did the 6 a.m. early start. The race director (Jamie) drove 4 of us runners out to the start herself, at 5:30 a.m. Thank you! Water stops were about every 2 miles, and if they hadn't had Vaseline, I would not have finished because of a blister. But they did have Vaseline! Thank you, again. The food and post-race massages was great too! If you are trained on hills and take it easy up the big hill at mile 8, then it's mostly all downhill from there on, and you should run very fast! I'll be back next year. - Steve

This turned out to be a great race. I fixed what went wrong in my last two marathons and ended up with a new PR - 3:36:19. That's about 8:15 minutes per mile. I stuck to my plan and ran almost exclusively off my heart rate monitor. If my heart rate went above 170 bpm, I reeled myself in. If it went below 140 bpm... I put the hammer down. I clicked my watch at each mile and saw easy miles pass at about 8:08 mmm, and tougher miles at 8:25 mmm. That is the best I ever felt during a race, from start to finish. I finished mile 25 in 7:56, sprinted the last .2 miles, and enjoyed the after party. It was a beautiful drive from Buffalo to Eustis, ME. I left around 5:30 a.m. in the morning, heading to Syracuse on the 90, then north on the 81 to Kingston, Canada. I then went eastward through Ottawa and Montreal. It was neat hearing the radio stations go from English, to English/French, to French, and then back again. Montreal is picturesque.... Sugarloaf Resort is a ski lodge in the winter and golf course in the summer. The scenery was out of this world. Beautiful mountains and a quaint small town. My first question on arriving was, "They're not going to make us run over that thing" (pointing to the mountain)? Luckily, the answer was no. The course was mostly easy. I had heard about some tough hills from miles 6-9, but I passed over them fairly easily. The crowds were sparse but enthusiastic. The way the course was set up (the roads were open), family members could wait at mile 3, cheer their runner on, and then drive to mile 6 and do the same. By the halfway point, I had been adopted by several families. It was a nice experience. I went to the pre-race pasta dinner (all you can eat) and sat with a surgeon from Boston and a retired gentleman from New Hampshire. The surgeon was running his 5th marathon, and was hoping to qualify for Boston. He had qualified for and run Boston about 20 years ago. The retired gentleman (69 years-young) was running his 5th marathon this year - all of which he ran in under 4 hours - and he was hoping to qualify for Boston too, which he did. Very humbling. The surgeon mentioned that you have to be careful on marathons; if you run as little as 12-15 seconds faster than what you trained to run at, you can quickly find yourself in trouble. This I have learned too well, the retired gentleman added that as long as you don't go too fast on the hills and knock yourself out, you will be fine. This race puts me back on track; it confirms that proper training and mental attitude, adequate rest and nutrition, and running smart as well as hard can pay dividends. It points me in the direction I want to move in; I think that will be Pocatello, Idaho in August - on my way to Boston. Good job to Jami, and everyone who worked with her.

I really enjoyed running this marathon. The host hotel is a ski resort at greatly reduced rates. The course is scenic, the water stops are great and the organization is great. BUT, it is not an easy course with the last 16 miles downhill!! The first five miles are slightly downhill; 5-8 are "rolling hills," with more uphill; 8-10.5 are significantly uphill. Then there is a steep decline where it is hard really to run fast... then a slight uphill for a mile or so, just when you are ready for the advertised "16 miles downhill." Through about mile 19 then it is downhill, and there are some easy quick miles. However, from a little over 20, except for a short downhill at 22, the grade is steadily uphill. I mean unrelenting. I guess if you are an elite, it would be OK, and it would not be so challenging if it weren't at the end of the marathon. You don't level out until about 25.5. Having run 11 marathons, this was the second or third toughest. Most of my others have been flat, granted, but no way is this one of the 15 fastest in the country. That said, I enjoyed the run and would recommend it for anyone as a destination marathon - not a PR marathon.