Maine Marathon - Race Reviews

The course is nice (if hilly) but nothing special. It initially runs along the water but then heads inland with most of the course along roads in the local suburbs. Be forewarned, there are nearly no porta potties along the course! The shirt is awful. It is covered (front and back) by paste on prints. It is nearly useless for running in. (They could, of course, easily fix this by just printing everything with ink.) The post race amenities are nothing better than you might see at your local half marathon. Basically, there is nothing special about this race. Unless you have a Maine marathon on your list, I am sure you can find a race that is at least as good elsewhere.

Portland in early October is a great travel destination. The weather is still mild and the leaves start changing. The city is still vibrant at this time of year with plenty of activities. The course is not as difficult as advertised. There are a few steep rollers but nothing impossible if you pace yourself. Organization was top notch especially with the added precautions with Covid. Spectators were sparse along the course. There were some scenic views but overall nothing spectacular.

This was my 8th marathon and after a terrible experience in the 2018 Rock and Roll Las Vegas Marathon, I needed to fall in love with the distance again. Portland, Maine, you delivered. The course was beautiful, lots of hydration stations, plenty of port-a-pots, amazing volunteers, well-marked and well-organized. It was a beautiful fall day, perfect temperatures, and the wind held off until my last 3 miles. The expo is great with plenty of vendors and a nice amount of giveaways. The shirt is nice enough, though I wish the decal was not so stiff. Love the bright orangey color. Spectators were great and supportive, fun bands, and adorable, apple-cheeked children in sweaters and caps cheering on the runners made this an absolutely charming experience. And I finished 2 minutes under my goal!

The course is absolutely beautiful. The weather was perfect and even with the hilly course, I was able to get a PR. Thank you to the Maine Track Club, Volunteers and spectators who all made this race an overall great experience. If the worst thing to have to worry about is dodging acorns on a beautiful fall day in Maine, you've got a winner.

The organization of this race is perfect. No hassles with parking, packet pickup, race morning and finish area. This is a very good race, BUT, be prepared to run a hilly course. It will impact your pace and time so it's best to know this before you start. I live in an area with a lot of rollers so I'm use to running hills, but, not this many in 26.2 miles. It is a very scenic course and surprisingly there are many areas with a lot of spectators even though the run goes through very rural type areas.

Totally organized, from packet pick-up, to post race showers, and proximity to airport. Nothing needs to be changed- the race committee has this all figured out. The course is fairly challenging but nothing crazy.

This is a very nice marathon. It's fun, pretty, not too big. The fans and volunteers are wonderful. Although the hills look daunting on paper, I didn't find them that bad. I do train, however, on New England hills all the time. The organization was pretty good over all, but the packet pickup was an F-. Simply awful. You picked up your bib in one of about 20 lines, by number, so there was no problem there, but then they formed ONE LINE for the T-shirts, bags and goodies. On Saturday at 1pm there were about 100 people in the line, so I skipped it. I didn't think you could botch packet/T-shirt pickup, but they did. All in all, though, the organization (other than packet pickup) was fine and I really enjoyed the run. Portland is a wonderful city to visit, worth a trip on its own.

Maine doesn't have the largest selection of races but this race seemed to be the best to cross the state off the list. The organization is 1st rate with a decent expo for a race of this size and lots of support at the start and end of the race. The course is boring and does not tour the college and avoids the downtown and waterfront. There are a few hills but nothing to kill you. The race would be greatly improved to change the 1st few miles of the course to hit the local highlights. As other reviewers have noted, the swag bag is the best and biggest I have seen.

An excellent race that combined the best elements of a small race with some of the perks of a bigger race. Easy logistics with free parking near the start/finish and race day packet pick-up. Enough runners that you were never alone, but it was still easy to get into a pace early. They have pace groups and clocks on the course, which are not typical for a smaller race. Nice finish area with good food choices and nice swag with a neat goodie bag. If you run this race bring your own food, gel is provided at packet pick-up, but not on the course. The course is very pretty with great views of the water, fall foliage, and nice neighborhoods. Lots of rolling hills and a very serious hill on mile 16 for which you need to be prepared. One minor complaint is that the clock at mile 21 was inaccurate, which provided me some angst. Otherwise first rate throughout. After the race drown your sorrows, or celebrate, at Sebago Brewing Co or at Shipyard Brewing. Portland has many craft beer options, so come thirsty.

This race was on a very scenic course going through mainly residential neighborhoods. The first and last 5-6 miles are somewhat flat, but miles 6-18 or so have several very steep but short hills. The race is very well-organized and there is plenty of friendly volunteers handing our water and Gatorade with some spectators handing out orange slices or bananas. My only complaint is that the race organization did not have any GUE or Gel or any type of nutrition at water stops, so be sure to bring your own. The finishers medal is also awesome and almost makes the races worth competing in. All in all, I highly recommend this race.

Great marathon experience, weather was perfect, course very pretty, organization and volunteers all wonderful and the goodie bag is just ridiculously packed with stuff! If I wasn't doing the 50 states and lived closer I would definitely do this one again.

Terrific volunteers. Well organized. Beautiful course.

I chose the Maine Marathon as a 50 stater based on this site and the reviews. I was very happy with my choice. The sponsors really stuff that goody bag, it was never ending and full of very useful stuff! The expo was small and easy, the bag check and start were very well organized, the course was absolutely beautiful, (very hilly however)the volunteers were enthusiastic and plentiful, (I loved the pre-peeled banana halves) and the medal was very cool. The only complaints I can think of, the shirts run way too large. It's a really cute shirt and even though I got the smallest one offered, its huge. Also, I could not find the finish line food. It was probably just me but other than some granola, I could not find any. I asked a volunteer and they clearly did not send me in the right direction. It was probably for the better because I walked back to my hotel and went out for lobster rolls and beer! Portland is a great town and we took advantage of the great restaurants and pubs. All in all a really great race! Kudos to the race director(s). Oh, and my black lab loved it too!

This is a race with little room for improvement. It is excellent from packet pick up at a nice expo and a pasta dinner next to Expo. The goodie bag runners receive is one of the best I have ever got and I have done over 200 different marathons. There is an early start for slow runners and walkers. There are free massages at the Expo ,before and after the race. The course is scenic with some hills where spectators cheer you on. It is mostly an out and back with a loop turnaround. There are plenty of waterstops with gatorade and cheerful volunteers. The finisher's medal is awesome as is the shirt.Plenty of food at race end makes for a perfect day in Maine. This is an all volunteer race with proceeds going to help children in need plus other non profits. Portland and the surrounding area have much to offer ,lighthouses , old forts excellent seafood , boat rides shopping at L.L.Beans and much ,much more. Make this race a vacation destination . Sign up early as the race sells out every year at 3,500 runners including the Half marathon.

This Marathon has a lot going for it! The cost for the Marathon was relatively small, at $80. And the field was limited to 3,500 total runners, most of whom would be doing the Half Marathon that started at the same time. Its always been held in early October, with average temperatures on race day around 50 degrees. When checking in to get our bibs we found the Goodie Bag was full of great stuff, including cold medication, granola bars, shoelaces, and even a can of baked beans. The bibs were great in that they had a different color for first time Marathoners. Unfortunately, both Paul and I had the wrong last names on our bibs(we later found out that all the first timers were wrong) This made for some great conversation and quite a few laughs! If you signed up early enough, you also got an Maine-themed long-sleeved tech shirt. All in all, for the $80 registration, you probably get about $60 worth of stuff! When we arrived for the race on Sunday, October 5th, we found plenty of volunteers assisting with traffic control. Parking was available at the University of Southern Maine campus, which was only about ¼ mile from the start of the race. The setup was well coordinated, and all the appropriate streets were closed well in advance of us arriving. Best thing was that they had plenty of facilities! The Marathon, Half Marathon and Marathon Relay all start at the same time in the morning and follow the same route. The course is an out and back, from Portland to Yarmouth and returning to the USM Campus. We were a bit worried about the rain, as it had poured the day before and most the night. Fortunately, it stopped early in the morning and was a perfect 50 degrees for the start. The sun came out right when the gun went off and singing of the national anthem and then the bag pipes playing at the start were very inspirational. This course is absolutely beautiful. As you start at USM, everyone runs around Back Cove in Portland, a large bay with picture-perfect views. This route takes you past the Cove, up to Route 1, then to Route 88 towards Yarmouth. Support on the course was great, with water and Gatorade stations every 2 miles, as well volunteers, medical staff and Police throughout the entire course. The first 5 miles are very flat, except for a couple overpasses. At Mile 5, where you turn onto Route 88, you start to hit the hills. The hills werent overly difficult, but they were relentless. Because it was an out and back course, you encounter the rolling hills from Mile 5 to Mile 21, then the last few miles were flat again. There werent a ton of people running, and the 3,500 runners stayed together pretty well until the 6.5 mile mark where the Half Marathoners turned back. That was a big change! Most of the runners turned around and the Marathon became much more open. Going up Route 88 into Yarmouth was a great run. The people are so friendly out there and everyone was shouting out words of encouragement. There were a few bands and musical groups set up along the route and several homes had their radios playing for us. As this route was a closed course, the fans were limited and it was primarily residents of the area. I really appreciated that these people came out to cheer us on! The bright yellow 'first timer' bibs were great as they made us stand out and so many people as well as fellow runners yelled your name and encouraged you with shouts of 'Looking good first timer', 'You are doing great first timer' etc.... We also had tremendous support from our families as they were able to cheer us on and hand us supplies multiple times from the designated fan locations at miles 6, 10, 16 and 21. Coming back along the home stretch is tough, as with any marathon. The views on the last couple miles made the agony a little more worthwhile. The finish was not too crowded, and was well organized. The medal is awesome, but it felt like 50 pounds when they put it around my neck at the end. There was plenty of food and drink to be had, and I was thrilled they had chocolate milk! Several vendors there if you wanted to visit them, and the massage tent was not too long a wait (thank God!). Best of all, there are a lot of great places in Portland and we were able to go to the Great Lost Bear Pub for post-race refreshments. (By the way, after the Marathon, we received messages that the organizers are reprinting bibs and sending them to our homes, such class!)

Entertainment: A lot of variety, very motivated, great awesome varied style, quality sound. (Country, classical, rock, bagpipes, Japanese Taiko drummers, you name it!) Goody bag: Packed to the brim-to include post race-and not the typical 'future race flyers'-practical stuff like first aid-kit, pulse meter, muscle milk, etc etc. The post race goodie bag also had a lot of stuff, more post race fare than I have gotten in some time! (The chocolate milk shake mix drink was an especially nice touch). Sadly I had to chuck the baked beans, muscle milk and a whole bunch of liquid goodies when there was a mess up on my flight at the airport and I had to hand carry a bag I was supposed to check in. NO AID STATION SUPPORT other than WATER and GATORADE. No power bars, gels, gu's banana's or anything. Beautiful course. Challenging, scenic. You are on your own after the half marathon, which has 5 times the participants, splits off.

Overall a great experience. All the other reviews do justice to the experience. From my side - as this was my first marathon run in the USA (I have run 19 others in Europe and Asia) here are some observations: - nice challenging course - those rolling hills do punish your calves! - great medal (especially compared to the standard bronze coloured small European ones), - great goodie bag (European goodie bags just tend to contain a bunch of folders but this one was overflowing with stuff!), - good techie, long sleeve t-shirt, - great Facebook page with frequent updates which really helped build up the anticipation - great volunteers along the course, - a LOT of water stops (in Europe typically you have a stop every 5 km only), - incredibly easy access to the start, loads of easy parking, - nicely organized expo with reasonable amount of stands for a relatively small race. On the negative side: - the pasta party was from 16:00 onwards at some distant location - if you were not local you would never find it. There were no printed directions at the expo - and why was it only from 16:00 onwards? I picked up my bib at noon and wanted to visit the old port - I am not coming back just for a plate of pasta! - absolutely nothing available at the water stops but water and gatorade - no gels, no bars, no bananas. That really impacted my end time - the marathon starts relatively early so breakfast will always be light (especially if you are from out-of town and staying at a hotel - on Sundays hotels do not start breakfast early!). Mid-way through the race I started getting hunger pangs and would have killed for a few banana pieces! Surely it would not have had such a big impact on the budget to have bananas at the last three waterstops? Overall though, a good experience. The weather was a little chilly at the start but turned out just fine. Loved the Scottish bagpipers, and was in awe of the soldiers marching the course fully packed. Really appreciated the minute of silence which was requested at the start for a young (26 year old) runner who had passed away a few weeks earlier... and a great cannon shot start!

I don't pretend to be up there with folks who have run hundreds of marathons, but this was No. 27, and I can safely say it's the first one that had a can of baked beans in the goodie bag (thanks, Lisa!). That bag  and its contents  was just one of the reasons this was a great event. A beautiful course, albeit a bit hilly for a flatlander Hoosier, a welcoming community, super volunteers and enthusiastic fans. The beans? They're from local company B&M. Somewhere around Mile 23, you are close enough to the plant that odors of production waft across the course. Yum! I highly recommend this race.

What a beautiful course. Trees were changing. Waterfront section great. Didn't feel as if you were doing an out and back course. Great goodies bags at expo and finish line. Pizza was yummy.

Low key, friendly yet serious runners, wonderful swag bag, well organized, cool shirt. Excellent race in many ways. Highly, highly recommend.

I couldn't quite get my BQ on the hills of this course; they were more relentless than steep. The organization of the race was good and per my header line, I doubt I will ever again encounter a goody bag with so much stuff in it. Definitely loved that aspect of this race. Also, this year's medal was fun, the shirt was decent, and I was pleased enough to PR on the course despite its challenges; it was rural and scenic, and not too twisty. Overall, good marathon!

Oh, what a great Marathon it was! The weather was perfect, pleasantly cool and cloudy. Because of the bridge construction, the course was modified, and we ended up running on some secondary roads with lots of magnificent nature at its foliage peak, charming houses and a lot of very friendly and enthusiastic spectators. I hope they use the same beautiful course every year. The organizers did a fantastic job - I e-mailed to them a couple of times with questions, both times at around 3 am, and both times would get an answer within 30 minutes. It was my 81st Marathon, but never before did I feel so much care and desire by the Race Director and his team to make it right. Volunteers were great, the Expo was quite nice and very efficient, the finish line pizza and snacks were great, and I really can't think of one single aspect that they could do better. Thanks for a great Marathon!

Sunday was state #40 and I'm glad I picked this one in Maine for these reasons: 1. Good web site, even had elevation (see below), easy registration (so easy I accidentally registered twice, and the registrar agreed to refund the second fee); reasonably priced; 2. Easy to get to  airport in Portland, although we flew to Boston only 2 hours away; 3. Good enough host hotel (Marriott Courtyard, $129 but didn't use their promised bus which was only a van/I didn't want to wait or get there 2 hours early; only about a 5 minute drive down the interstate; 4. Great little city/transferred the next day to the Portland Regency, which I recommend, in the Old Port near lots of restaurants, etc. 6. Nice little expo in a U gym with a goodie bag with more good stuff than I've ever seen, including a whole bottle of ibuprofins, food, etc. 7. Same nice gym a block or two from the start and finish was open before the race so lots of bathrooms and a warm place to hang out before; 8. Course was attractive, challenging (lots of rollers and a long climb over I295 at M21 or so and a steep climb at M23), started and ended on the bay and going though some nice residential areas on wide roads/no traffic issues/well controlled intersections, tranquil; leaves changing somewhat; start and finish at same spot, last 2-3 miles flat to slightly downhill; overall rating would be a 4.5 or so; 9. Good weather (50 at start/humid/light wind out of north, rain held off until afternoon); 10. Good enough crowds for a small race; 11. Good aid stations and plenty of friendly volunteers; 12. Good start and finish areas, including free massages, more than ample food, and even had out styrofoam follers and pads, a first; 13. Attractive medal that swivels; 14. Near many good places to visit after  we made it a mini vacation and headed north the next day and south along the coast back to Boston the second. Negatives: None unless you want to be super picky (ok, so there was no hotel within walking distance to start or GU/food handed out on course, so bring your own, e.g.) Next year's course will apparently revert back to old one so won't be as hard, I was told. Nice job, Maine Marathon!

I am working my way toward 50 states and had a great experience in Portland. Water stops were frequent, well-staffed, and had water and Gator Ade. Course could not have been more beautiful, and we benefitted from perfect Marathon weather.

I had a wonderful time at this marathon. I'd heard that the course was hilly and it is, but they're rolling hills as opposed to head down and shut up hills. The temperature was perfect in the 40's and low 50's. The autumn leaves had beautiful color and the view of the back cove was lovely. That said, the course had been altered this year for construction so I can't speak to the 'regular course', but it's an out and back. The spectators and bands were enthusiastic and varied. The course is not crowded, unlike bigger marathon, but there was company and conversation if you wanted. Nice tech shirt and medal. The schwag bag was weird and wonderful including some Aleve, a can of B&M baked beans, Listerine, and kinesio tape, as well as the usual array of random snacks. The one warning is that there is no food on the course, Gatorade and water at every station, but not gels, oops, one station had some grapes and oranges, but it looked like the volunteers for that station had organized it themselves. The expo and race were really well organized and the website worked better than many larger marathons I've run. I highly recommend this one.

This was my first marathon (I have run three more subsequently). The organization of this race was first class, as evidenced by: pre-race communication, expo, swag, on-course support, medal, post race event, etc. Portland is a great little city, and I would recommend it for out-of-towners trying to find a great mid-sized Fall marathon. There are some hills, so this may not be the ideal PR course. The only other gripe is that the course has limited exposure to downtown Portland and the coastline - the two things that are most notable about the area. I suspect that is a public safety issue, so hopefully law enforcement lightens up on that issue. Kudos also that this is a non-profit race that benefits charities, and keeps the price down.

I ran this year's Maine marathon after running The New Hampshire marathon on Saturday. Start time is 7:45 but they allowed an early 6:00 am start for walkers or for those of us running our second marathon in two days. They also have a race day packet pick-up which was greatly appreciated. I think there was an expo on Saturday but I can't comment on that. On Sunday morning I did have trouble finding the Gym where the packet pick-up was and no one I asked seemed to know. Better signage here would've helped. We all know how confusing college campuses can be to navigate. I missed the starting gun because of this. The course is a very nice, primarily out and back course. There are a few rollers through the middle miles but unless you are a flatlander they shouldn't scare anyone away. In fact a fit runner could PR on this course. Unfortunately the leaves had only just begun changing. Some of the locals did say that usually runners could expect some nice fall colors by the last weekend in September. There were lot's of trees on the course so I suspect the course could be stunning under those circumstances. The weather this year was miserable with a steady rain the whole time so fan support was almost non-existant. Still the water stops were well manned and I can't say enough about the volunteers positive support dispite the rain. I felt that every volunteer had a big smile. The stops were plentiful and they all had water and Gatorade. I didn't see any gel but I carry my own and may have missed them. The course is open to traffic much of the race but it was never an issue. The race begins and ends by the U of Southern maine campus and I found easy free parking. I did start early so perhaps parking is more of an issue later. I appreciated the space blanket which was needed on this cool rainy day. There seemed to be a nice food spread (including pizza) but I have to admit all I wanted was to get into my car and get warm and dry so I only grabbed a few cookies and bolted. You get a nice long sleeve tech shirt and a medal the shape of it's namesake. The goodie bag also had some nice swag.

Even in the driving rain, this was a great first marathon experience. The course was great if quiet: Very few rolling hills, and through mostly residential neighborhoods (though I expected more of it to be along the coast). Many more people than I would have expected stood along the route to cheer us on despite the weather, and the volunteers were all so friendly, encouraging, and helpful: What a great spirit there was the whole time. The organization of the race seems a bit on the casual side, but it wasn't a problem at all: I felt safe and was comfortable with both the field size and the race direction overall. I would definitely recommend this race to first-timers and experienced marathoners who aren't interested in big, showy outings, and I hope to do it again someday. (Hopefully when the sun's out.)

I did the half while two of my friends did the full. We were able to park very close and wait in the car till the last minute. It was raining and chilly. Race went off without a hitch. Thought it would be flatter then it ended up being but it was doable...Even for me who is a total flatlander! Course support was super and I enjoyed the course. Good variation! It poured after mile 8. Still PR'd by 2 minutes though!!! My only complaint would be the medal. Loved mine -but it was just the same as my friends who did the full. That's not right. Did the relayers also get that medal?

Pro: 1)The goodie bag was huge and loaded with stuff. Including a can of beans. 2) We stayed at La Quinta they were very runner friendly. Within easy walking distance of the packet pick up and start line. They let us check out late 1 pm. I did not get back to the room until 130 and they let me shower. We did not check out until 2 pm. 3) The start line of the race was very easy to get to. 4) The course is beautiful and the hills were not nearly as bad as i had expected or as many of them as i had expected. Con: Not the organizers fault it rained. Although the rain made it cooler and more comfortable to run in. 2) My husband ran the half. We did not realize it until race day they had mispelled his name Minor instead of Miner and put his age as 17 instead of 57. And his time was never recorded. I wish we had realized the name and age error at the expo we would have talked to someone.. My husband did the half

Very well organized run with plenty of course support an traffic control. Rolling hills for 8 through 17. It rained throughout but still a good course. Race Directors are very helpful.

This was my last NE marathon and worth the wait. The people associated with this race - from volunteers to spectators to participants all seemed to genuinely enjoy the experience. The expo was top notch, organization removed any source of logistical worries and the course was not burdened with any significant crowding or traffic.

Pros: Amazing volunteers and spectators cheering hours into a rainy day Beautiful course with rolling hills Great support with plenty of supplies everywhere Colored bibs to identify first timers Great goody bag Cons: Windy and rainy in 2011 (Hey, it happens in ME in October.) Not a lot of photography on the course (See windy/rainy comment above.) If you're looking for a run through a skyscraper jungle with 30,000 strangers, this race is not for you. What it is is a wonderful mid-sized marathon through the countryside in Maine. The RD is very attentive to details and makes sure everyone knows what is going on. The start/finish area is easy to reach, with ample parking, port-a-potties, and a post race shower facility. The course itself leads through the edge of Portland before heading up to Falmouth and back. I know that some runners wanted more of a downtown Portland experience, but as someone visiting the region I appreciated the opportunity to see the bay and the coast. I have run large 'musical' marathons before where I found myself all alone after the half runners turned, but that was not the case here. Not only were the plenty of other runners, the support and fans were still out there for those of us in the full! I even got water from a water stop that I only later realized was just a neighborhood that decided the runners might be thirsty and put it together themselves. I especially appreciated having bibs that highlighted first time marathoners: it was easy to strike up a conversation with newer runners and give them support. I would highly recommend this race to my friends and can easily see myself making the 2800 mile trip again.

I have run this marathon about a dozen times and each year they somehow manage to improve on it. This is one of the few midsize marathons that is reasonably priced yet it still raises thousands of dollars each year that is donated to non profits, most of it to help children in need. Nice ,very well organized Expo and packet pick up. You can even pick up your packet race morning.There is an early start for slower runners and walkers . The course is scenic with ocean views and a few hills to make it enteresting . There are aid stations every few miles and excellent traffic control.Even though it poured this year the volunteers were all cheerful as usual.Crossing the finish line I got a exceptionally nice medal. A free massage and hot pizza finished off this year's race for me.This has become a very popular marathon and half marathon . It has reached it's cap of 3,500 runners that last two years so if you are planning on doing it sign up early. The greater Portland area has plenty of things to do and sights to see so you might want to stay a few extra days. I will be back next year.

I have always wanted to run a race in coastal Maine and this was an excellent choice. For a smaller scale race, there was great energy. It was unfortunate that the rain and wind made the race not entirely enjoyable, but those that ran and those few who came out to cheer were very upbeat. The course was very easy...almost too easy. The last 10 miles or so were almost entirely flat or downhill and after a while that pounding started to make the quads ache. I am told this was a first in terms of the rain, and if that is the case, I would definitely recommend this race to others!

Not sure what the complaining is all about...I found nothing wrong or boring with this course. In fact, I enjoyed it very much. I wish it had been a dry day, but loved the cooler temps...nice swag and RD does an excellent job keeping the participants posted. Highly recommend!

Some good; some bad. Course: Flat and BORING. Don't expect to see anything but mostly one street in a fancy Portland suburb. Portland is a great city - I want to see more of it! I have run both NYC and Philly, and if they can logistically take runners on a great city tour (which they do), so can a much smaller town like Portland. PLEASE CHANGE THIS COURSE TO TAKE RUNNERS THROUGH THE ACTUAL CITY! The organization was great - easy pickup the day before and even race-day pickup. Pasta dinner was decent. AMAZING SWAG - great long-sleeved shirt, runner's bag with the marathon logo filled with goodies (including a DVD) and a fantastic medal. Only complaint is the course.