Leavenworth Marathon - Race Reviews

Leavenworth is one of the coolest cities in the US, so I was really excited they had a marathon there during Oktoberfest! It was an easy sell to my husband, and we made a really fun race-cation out of it. The first 10 miles are a long, gradual downhill (that had my quads crying by mile 20), and the views were just stunning. We met up with the half marathoners (who start 2 hours after the marathoners) at the fish hatchery, so depending on your pace, it's possible to get caught in a swarm of them. The 2nd half had a different feel, but it was equally fun! It seemed like there were a lot of 1st time marathoners, and, with how the race is broken out, it feels like it would be a great race for that! The finish line festivities were great, and all of the volunteers were AMAZING! I kind of wish the shirt was included with registration (it's really nice quality), but I didn't mind paying a little more for it. Overall incredible race and weekend!

I hadn't done a marathon in 2 years and had been looking into doing something fun. I decided on this one because Leavenworth is a beautiful area. The parking was a bit halphazard, but checking in was a breeze. There were more runners than I expected, but still a smaller crowd (which was nice!) The gorgeous course alternated between light trail, a couple quick peeks into the friendly town and rural road with not much rise or fall (& so fairly fast) in a very nice setting as expected. There were small and enthusiastic bands of locals throughout the course, one of which offered me a beer, which I of course graciously accepted! Water and sports drinks were well distributed in 2 mile increments with one stop that had GU gel. Start and finish were well controlled and provided a very positive running experience. The Ted Driven organization has done a great job making this and the Wenatchee marathons into an exceptional running experience!

Pros: wonderful course, great support, Oktoberfest in Leavenworth is a BLAST, finishers metal is a bottle opener, many post race food options, massage offered, good parking. Cons: expensive entry and would expect a nicer finishers shirt. Organizers should add one more water/aid station This is a small town, so don't expect a lot of spectators. The volunteers and police manned intersections were plentiful at necessary points and cheerful. Expect a few miles on trail and the rest asphalt.

I ran the half marathon and was disappointed. I was happy I had brought my own water because they didn't have enough water stations. I did try the sport drink at 2 water stations and it was colored water. The course was too windy. The drop down into a neighborhood that then looped back on the same street and we did that twice. This seemed to really bunch the runners up especially when they had a water station at the end of the street. The last 2-3 miles was through deep sand. that was very difficult to run in at the end of the race. Also there were no volunteers back there to help runners who were injured or to cheer you on through the most difficult part. Spectators were asked to park at the fish hatchery. Spectators couldn't buy even a cup of coffee. Nothing there for them to eat or drink while they waited to cheer runners on. On the plus side there were enough port a potties.

I had high expectations for this race because of its beautiful location. I was very disappointed. Cons: 1. Not enough water! The first water station needs to be set up around mile 2 and then every other mile. Also, the sports drink didn't help. It seemed to be diluted. Bring your own water and fuel! 2. The course had way too much winding around...the loops at mile 7 up and down the side streets were terrible and runners got bunched up. The sandy, dirty, dusty 2 mile run around a horse trail was painful and wrecked my knees. 3. For the high entry fee I expected a good t-shirt in a women's size. Super bummed about that. 4. No Expo at tag pick up. Would be nice to have a bag with a few goodies. Pros: 1. Lots of portajohns....but need more hand sanitizer. 2. Great medal 3. Good post race food

I did the 1/2 marathon. What a very disorganized race. 1. Not enough water stations. If you plan to do this race carry your own water and fuel. 2. Last 2 miles of race are through 3 inches of sandy dirt. Really hard to run in. 3. Shirts were lame...only men size shirts. 4. First miles on the highway cars came up behind the runners had no volunteers directing runners to one side of road. Crossing the bridge on narrow sidewalk with oncoming traffic. Not enough space for that many runners. 5. The marathon must have the most scenic part there are only scenic part on the half is when you run thru the dusty park trail. 6. No expo Only positive there were enough porta-potties at the start line.

Very good experience. Pro's= Fast downhill start for first 9 miles, very scenic area, great cool weather for good running conditions, good food after the race. Con's= only 4 porta potties at beggining of race start which was backed up after taking shuttle to the start. Overall, had good experience. I really do enjoy the small marathon feel to it, and I was surprised that the competition was pretty good considering size of the marathon. This is my 11th marathon and it was probably in my top 5-6 as far as getting a good time and having a good experience. Oh, and the race is on Saturday morning so you can enjoy the rest of the weekend at Oktoberfest in Leavenworth. Put it on your bucket list!

This was a fun marathon, started up in the mountiains outside Leavenworth, descended 1000 ft over 9 miles, and then wove around the town, including nature trails and surface streets. The run down the mountain made this my fastest marathon yet. The course was well-marked with arrows and signs and volunteers, including Gumby, Tigger, and some Sumo wrestlers. Post-race food was great: all sorts of fruit, cookies, muffins, peanut butter, candy, granola bars, chips, water, powerade. Medals and race shirts for everyone and a massage tent set up right at the finish line. No complaints, I'll be doing this one again!

No turn workers for out and back at the end (.4 mile for a total of .8). Race director even stated that the turn worker didn't show up on time so everyone under about the 4:00 mark never ran the 'Spur' of .80, so they ran 25.4 miles....... This explains my 3:35:32 when I was running 8:10 pace.

This is the most poorly organized race I've ever run. I understand that the promoters were probably working with limited resources, but this was ridiculous. There were points where an 8 1/2 X 11 and a crayon would have solved the problem. The course redesign wouldn't have been so bad except that they didn't notify the racers until a month before the race. Which is far to little time to train for an 11 mile downhill decent (from 2600-1100ft). Then following the mountain decent there were about 3 miles on horse trails where the footing was soft sand. No way to keep a decent pace through this section. Then you had to repeat that section again miles 23-26! There were also multiple times where the route wasn't marked and a volunteer had to stop me and show me where to turn. One of these locations had no markings and no volunteers I actually got lost for about 1:30-2:30. This cost me the 3rd place position and a PR! I was super bummed about this race. I had high hopes. At least the scenery was nice...

What a beautiful and scenic town in which to have a half/full marathon event. Parking and start/finish area was very big to hold all the runners and gave us space to stretch and interact before and after the race. Course was challenging but not impossible. I loved the break though the park, that really changed up the run. My first half marathon and I'm so glad my wife talked me into signing up six months ago. Kudos to the organizers!!!

The turn for the finish line was not well marked. I slowed down thinking I had made a wrong turn. Better signage would be a nice improvement for next year other than that it was great. Aid stations were well allotted. The trail was great and soaking in Icicle Creek at the end was fantastic! See you next year!

This was my 3rd running of the Leavenworth 1/2 Marathon, now a tradition in our household! The race organizers, Ian, Wendy and Lynda did a great job, despite the sad recent passing of the co-race director and founder of the series, Ted Finegold in July of this year. A beautiful tribute was done and noted on the sleeve of the nice tech race shirt sleeves in his honor. The course is gorgeous and well marked, the weather fantastic and all around it was a great day. I highly recommend this to all who want to run a great course and then stay and enjoy the Oktoberfest festivities!

I ran the Half. I thought the course was boring from miles 4-6ish. The run through the park was fun, and I liked the spectators after mile 9. Not the race's fault, but it was warmer than I expected. That coupled with the altitude resulted in a slower time than I would like. I'll be back next year to run faster.

Beautiful course.... I don't think I would ever run this one as a full though! I hate running in a race when there are cars going by and a double loop doesn't really appeal to me!

Wow, what a beautiful run! The "big hill" in the beginning lap wasn't nearly as bad as hyped. This was probably due to the scenery and very gradual incline for most of it. On the second lap, it made for a great downhill boost. The spectators were very encouraging, the aid stations and volunteers well stocked and enthusiastic, and the whole atmosphere of the run was totally enjoyable. Did I mention the scenery was spectacular? The only suggestions I have are: on the second lap, a couple of the turns got slightly difficult to follow; and salt packets at the later aid stations would have been great. Even though it was a hot day, it was by far the most beautiful race I've run and I look forward to it next year!

The marathon was a great run. If you have not trained on hills, then you will feel the burn. The first 2 miles uphill will leave you wondering about the rest of the course. Once you turn around, you will have a fun run over rolling hills and through Waterfront Park, which winds along the river. The downside, as agreed upon by other runners, was that the mile markers were not placed every mile, which left you guessing where you were. Overall, I enjoyed the run; I will run more hills in training and return next year.

The race was organization was wonderful. Lynda, Ian and Wendy did an incredible job. It was a good day to remember Ted and be reminded about how we celebrate our well-being.

One of the most beautiful courses I've run! Very well organized. I really liked the ice-cold sponges at mile 9 - great touch! The start/finish location was great, but traffic flow was tight in spots. After running a half or more runners need space to keep moving. The finish area got bottlenecked with runners and spectators. I'm looking forward to next year!!!

I've run several half marathons, large and small, and unfortunately left this race with a sour feeling. Packet pick up was extremely small and bare-bones. No expo. No "buzz." Starting line was far too close to the port-a-potty locations. The lines for these facilities clashed with those hoping to line up for the start. The course did not offer the safety and seperation from traffic!!! No traffic cones, no ribbons, barely a sign delineating the race course from oncoming traffic. The course through town was a cluster!! Seriously, people?!? Pedestrians crowded the "course" in several areas. Lack of mile markers made the race more laborious than expected. If there were markers, then I definitely didn't see them. Loved the weather, the shirts, the medals (!!!). Services at the finish - medical, food, photographers, etc.- were great. Thank you!

The scenery for this race is absolutely amazing. As I hadn't been to Leavensworth before, I wasn't sure what to expect, but wow, did the mountain views and winding route beside the stream ever do the description justice. If you want to run in a race that has stunning scenery, this is the race for you.

I did the half-marathon. It was challenging and beautiful, and it offered a varied course. I loved the run through Blackbird Island; it was very well marked. Also, very cool dual-purpose medals. Definitely will run this race again next year!

Most of the race was as I expected. The hills were less severe than I expected, and even easy on the second lap. The many trails in the park along the river make it difficult to mark the course properly there. So, it is possible to get lost in that park. Nice, fancy, hooded sweatshirt though.

I just ran the 2008 Leavenworth Marathon. It was as hilly as they said it would be. The city is worth going to with or without the marathon. I will say that the packet pick-up at the hatchery was way more confusing than it needed to be. I did like the course the first time around but am not of a fan of two laps around-style courses. The two mile-long assent is really two miles straight up at miles 4-5 (approximately), and then you have to do it again (17-18). There are other smaller hills throughout the course. The one thing I did not like was that the half marathoners received the same shirt and medal, I agree with the comment below; the events should be acknowledged separately. I will probably do the half next time, unless they change the course and you don't have to do the exact route twice. But I will for sure be back... the town is a blast!!!!!!!

The first annual Leavenworth Octoberfest was a well organized event. The packet pick-up was a very low-key affair, located at the host hotel. First point of consternation: The host hotel (rooms priced at nearly $200 a night and no discounts whatsoever due to the accompanying Octoberfest and the 'weekend rate'...). The second disappointment was that a pre-race pasta dinner does not exist; one person handing out packets implied that was so that runners would get their meals in town (see closing comments). The white T-shirts, made of a very comfortable non-cotton material, but consisted of a small black race logo on the front right no more than 2" in diameter, and numerous oversized large advertisements in black ink on the back. The setting for the race start was very quaint in a wooded park near a stream, and a traditional German accordian player entertained us near the start, combined with the fall foliage I was indeed transported to 'Bavaria' Deutschland (Germany) (where I once lived, four years). The race committe did a good job of staying consistent with the German theme. The course was correctly described in previous entries, however I would add that from my perspective the course was extremely well marked. Every mile marker and every turn was prominently marked. There were points on the course where the marathon and half marathon separation were a bit confusing, and I was disappointed to learn the half marathon finisher received the exact same medal.... It would have been appropriate to recognize the accomplishments separately. (The medal consisted of a white and olive green sticker/paper with the marathon logo draped by a yellow ribbon that said 'marathon & half marathon'.... It would have been nearly as easy to have two batches of ribbons - one for 'marathon' and one 'half marathon.' The post-race fare consisted of apples, bagels, bananas and water. For an innaugural marathon I thought the race committee did a very good job. As a runner, I would warn out-of-town athletes to bring plenty of cash if you plan on shopping in the local stores, which are at their tourist-trap height this time of year, hotels are expensive, and there are no $5-$10 low-key pasta parties.

Did the first annual Leavenworth Marathon.... Beautiful course along the Wenatchee and Icicle Rivers...gorgeous mountain scenery... and an elevation of only 1,200 feet. Drawbacks: it was on a main road most of the race without any traffic stoppage... got very, very busy in the last 10 miles... did a few miles on the main highway!!! The marathon is simply the half marathon route run twice... lots of confusion and spectator traffic at the finish line for the half as you had to weave through many many people to continue the marathon down a small path. Challenging hills much of the race...killer hill at miles 6-8 and once again (since you repeated it) at miles 21-23 (deadly at this point... many, many people walking). But it is fun to be challenged!!!! Great organization... wonderfully staffed aid stations... water and PowerAde every two miles... power gel twice.... Friendly volunteers, excellent start, beautiful setting, and Octoberfest in Leavenworth to boot. Lots of great brats and beverages all weekend... great music, dancing, and fun!!!! NO spectators at all... none... did see some joggers shouting out some encouragement, but I don't really care much if there are spectators. Lots of fun and a great weekend!!!

Course was tough; 26.8 miles is tough!