New River Marathon - Race Reviews

This is a small, no-frills race. 200 marathoners. LOTS of big hills to train for. Roads are open to traffic; most cars were respectful. Lots of volunteers making sure nobody goes off-course. Wooden medals from re-purposed barnwood. Sweet AG awards carved from wood too.

It rained heavily the entire race but that sometimes comes with the territory. This was a great race on a beautiful course in a cool remote part of the country. It is a hilly tough course. This is exactly the type of race I wanted. Challenging, difficult and gorgeous. A true adventurous marathon. Train hard.

Rain or Shine, this course is always awesome. Today in the pouring rain, volunteers and race support were unmatched - including help to get some parked cars out of the mud! Certainly the most natural/remote environment for a road marathon. This tough course holds a steep climb for the last 2 miles...Not a PR course but no one will mind if you walk the hills.

The New River Marathon is a beautiful race with great support. It is essentially 2 lollipops. One that is about 11 miles long (1 mile out-9 mile loop and the same 1 mile back) that will take you back to the start/finish. The second lollipop is 6 miles along the river with a tough 3 mile loop and the same 6 miles back. However, those 6 miles out to the loop and the 6 miles back to the finish are absolutely flat and actually felt downhill, both ways. In terms of hills, the 2 majors ones are at 8 and 19. A couple of smaller hills get you ready for them at 5 and 17.5 respectively. We were 4+ hour marathoners, so most people were walking up the second hill. However, I wouldn't consider it especially hilly (minus the 2 big hills) and highly recommend it. Great support along the course and beautiful views. Not too many spectators, but this is going to be expected for a marathon with 200 runners. The only thing I would think of that I didn't like was the lack of food by the time we finished towards the end of the marathon. That is expected with a 5K and much larger half-marathon before us. Also, make sure you order the tech t-shirt instead of the cotton one - pay the extra $5. Boone is a nice little college town - great place to stay the night before and explore after the race if you legs allow for it.

As described - tough course...start is at 7:30, late enough to drive up in the morning and get there on time. Beautiful, incredibly beautiful course. Except for a few (spectators crew) cars the course is all yours. very scenic and unique nature views. but the best is the superb organization and atmosphere at the start / finish. well stacked for the price, band and PLENTY of food at the finish. very well organized. Not everyone might enjoy the course if they don't know what to expect, hills and heat...be prepared as always, this was #85 for me, it might not be your best choice for a 1st marathon :) but if you make it to the finish, your family and friends will remember this area forever. if you can carry your camera on the course...my only regret, but I will be back next year.

Originally I had intended to run the half but decided 8 weeks out to run the full. Some things may have changed since I ran in 2012 but here is my review. First, spectators. There are none, except for at the start/finish which you also pass after a 7ish mile loop at the beginning. This race is in almost the epitome of nowhere, Christmas tree country of rural NC where the closest hotel is in a small town 20 minutes away. The course is spectacular, the reason that this race should be run. Some, not much, of the course is unpaved but it's hard-packed gravel, not bad at all. There is one rather challenging hill at mile 17 but the views at the summit more than make up for it. I walked the hill then but in hindsight it is runnable for more experienced runners. (It was only my 2nd marathon.) Be careful on the downhill though or it will shred your quads. The remainder of the course runs along the New River and is thus flat and eminently runnable. The finish line 'swag' is not typical. The year I ran we received a hand stamped wooden medal. Other years have been different and if some reviews are to be believed, less than satisfactory. There was plenty of refreshment at the finish line and general store. They were even kind enough to open up a different section of the store so that I could get a chocolate shake, a typical post marathon craving for me. This is not a marathon for those who desire any sort of frills. However, I thought that it was a well-run small town marathon, an excellent option for those who want to cross NC off their 50 states list.

Gorgeous scenery. Tough climbs. Not a PR race for the average human but defintely worth the effort. Great organizers.

When I was picking a May marathon I was looking for a low-key, scenic race. The New River Marathon exceeded all of my expectations. The course was challenging, but this was indicated on the race website. Personally, I loved having a goal like this so I knew what type of training (hard, hilly) I needed to be doing. It's the kind of race you train for, not just decide to do at the last minute. Aid stations were well-stocked and well-manned. I was able to go through the portapotty line in less than five minutes. This alone makes it one of my favorite races. The thing that got me about this race is that it was COLD, as in sub40s. I didn't even have a long sleeve shirt because I was expecting hot and humid. Just a heads up to fellow Southerners: May isn't summer in the mountains. Pre-race dinner was tasty, though I was surprised that there were no sports drinks offered, only soft drinks, tea and water. Post-race there was a colorful band and adequate snacks. I got to the dinner late and was too cold to stick around long after the race, so I don't know if I just missed the expo or if there was none. There was a tent with shirts and some local crafty stuff after the race. I feel certain that local vendors (maybe from the nearby college town?) could easily sell stuff there if they were invited and I would have liked to have seen more of the local atmosphere. The staff was second to none! At the pre-race dinner I asked someone for directions to a local business and at least five people came to tell me directions and even draw me a map! Officials were attentive during the course (always pointing if there was a turn, saying encouraging things). Tip: We stayed at Laurel Ridge, a place advertised on the race website. It was absolutely phenomenal in every way BUT it's about 45 minutes from the race. There are hotels closer in Boone. A lot of people whined about not having a medal, but I liked the magnet. Seriously, what do people do with medals? I put my magnet on my car and enjoy talking about the race when people ask me about my spiffy magnet. If you want something really awesome then run faster and get one of their unique prizes (my goal for next year!) This is definitely a race for serious runners, by serious runners. Every important detail (hydration, course signs, logistics) was attended to and the frills (expo, medal) were not. I love it!

New River Marathon is just wonderful. The organizers and volunteers clearly work very hard to cover all the bases and provide runners a special, memorable experience. The course is truly beautiful and has a good variety of terrain. It's tough, no doubt about that, but I was able to run the entire thing and the climbs and descents aren't ridiculously difficult. I have nothing but praise for this race and hope to return and get around the course a little faster next time!

I wanted to really challenge myself and run a beautiful course. That's exactly what you will get. You cant train for a course like this, unless you live in the mountains. I live at the beach so challenging is an understatement. Very hilly, the down hills were harder on my body than up. The scenery is beautiful and I was never board. No frills, very few people cheering, I did run alone most of the race. I did end up qualifying for Boston but this is not a course for a PR. This is a course to enjoy running in the mountains. I highly recomend this marathon, this was my 9th and one of my favorites.

I ran the half marathon in 2013. As expected the course was hilly and challenging. There were few spectators, but the course itself was nice. There seemed to be an adequate number of water stations offering Gatorade and water. The course was not closed to traffic, but I felt perfectly safe, since I saw only a handful of cars and they kept their speed slow. At the end, they had a local band playing, which was a nice touch. The t-shirt was nice. However, the 'medal' was disappointing, since it was a magnet.

Wow, what a tough course. The elevation map really doesn't do it justice. I had to walk up two hills. Saw tons of marathoners go out the first half too hard and paid dearly in the end. Amenities are limited with this race. The finisher's medal was a magnet attached to a lanyard. Only food at the finish line were bagels, oranges, and bananas.

I enjoyed this race very much although I believe that the staff could have done a better job with providing more pre-race activities and giving out 'real' medals. That being said, I would still enjoy running this race again. The hills are challenging, especially around miles 13 to 20. The course has an elevation gain of 1700 ft. Be sure that you are prepared for it. Read my full review here http://www.forkstofeet.com/2013/05/new-river-marathon-review.html .

This was my fourth marathon. The course was beautiful but it was a very difficult run for me. I am from Florida so it was hard to find many hilly places to train. I read some reviews that said it was mostly flat. I did not find this to be true. Most of the run was up a mountain. The last 6 miles where along the river and that was flat. The hills around mile 17 were the most difficult but you were rewarded with a amazing view at the top. There were plenty of water stops along the way and everyone was super friendly. Even though this marathon was hard for me to do I would do it again, just with some more hill training.

Plenty of hotels about 10 miles away in Boone but some runners camped in the field behind the start/ finish (Riverside Restaurant). Don't count on your Garmin to find the venue though! You are seemingly out in the middle of nowhere, but that is part of the fun. It's a scenic route spent mostly along the New River. If you take away the one significant 'up and down' feature in each half of the course, it's a fairly relaxing, rolling and pastoral jaunt. Very good organization throughout the race (portapotties, water/Gatorade, mile markers). Volunteers filled up my water bottle and I saw what few people who lived along the course step out and assist the stations! I was a little disappointed at the finish line though. A tired volunteer sat off to the side, next to a box, and handed me a piece of wood on a ribbon (the same piece of wood/ ribbon that the 5K and 1/2'ers received). There certainly wasn't the post race food and 'festivities' that was advertised either (or maybe I missed it? water and bananas was all I saw). I enjoyed the camaraderie of the eclectic group of racers that this run enticed. I do recommend this run, but that downhill pounding in the first half really takes it's toll later on!

This is my 3rd marathon and I had run the half last year (2011). I knew what I was in for with the hills and came back anyway. Great race, well organized, very friendly spectators. Yes - the hills will hurt you if you're not prepared (and even if you are). The rain at the beginning? Well - nothing the RD could do about that but smile. Would I run it again? Yes, someday, but probably not next year.

This has got to be one of the prettiest courses on the east coast. Great scenery everywhere. Friendly, caring people who take care of all your needs. Some of the best volunteers anywhere. Top-notch organization; no detail overlooked. Easy parking at the start/finish line. GREAT tee-shirt; not a technical one but a really pretty one. The only negative is hills hills hills. But the thing is in the mountains; what do you expect...Some of the hills are not runable, so be prepared to walk and enjoy it. Overall this is the 2nd slowest marathon I have done (out of 100+) but one of the most memorable. My sincere thanks go to Ken the Race Director and to the volunteers for all their hard work.

If you are not an experienced and elite runner, then I would not recommend this race. The course was difficult to me and I've ran 13 marathons, however, the scenery was beautiful and the spectators were supportive and very friendly. If you decide to run this marathon be prepared to run up a mountain (literally). Good luck!!

This was my first marathon, which I thought I was conditioned for, but I soon learned that was not the case. The hills killed me, especially the monster incline gravel road around mile 18 or so. The scenery is spectacular and picturesque. Part of the course runs through some Christmas tree farms and the views almost seem unreal. I would DEFINITELY recommend this race, but only to an experienced runner. PS- Take a camera with you!

Inaugural marathons are often a risk; this one was all reward! The good: Everything! Specifics: 1. Porta-potty to runner ratio: First race of any size I've seen get this right. Lines never more than a 3-5 runners deep, at most. 2. Scenery was beautiful! Running by the river was perfect, and the whole thing was just gorgeous. I'm not from the area, so maybe it's all old hat to locals, but this was really one of the prettiest courses Ive seen. 3. Locals were supportive. When I hear roads open to traffic, I worry. They're right when they say there's not much traffic to worry about. For those cars I saw, most gave a friendly wave or rolled down a window to say something positive. 4. Volunteers were AMAZING. I was in the back of the pack in this one and the aid stations were still stocked. (Great number of aid stations too!) The volunteers were all quite friendly. The on-course medical/fire support was up and down the road, keeping an eye on all of us. Great group of people! 5. The medal is fabulous! If you're running for something heavy, shiny and cheaply-made by the thousand, this isn't your race. I have tons of those. This medal is a handmade, wood ornament, branded with the race logo. It's wonderfully unique! 6. Mile markers were always at the mile marks! 5Ks were marked too. It always amazes me how many races manage to lose the mile markers. They fall over, tip over, get run over, and who knows what else happens, I just want to see them. And at this race I did. Every mile. Every time. Seems simple, but it's not, so shout out for a well-marked course! 7. Love the race shirt! It's purple - very nice change from white! Plus, they had gals' and guys' sizes. The needs tweaking: There's only one road to the parking lot, and we all got there all the same time. Bit of a traffic-jam getting in to park, but the RD handled this very professionally. The 15-minute delay at the start seemed to get everyone in and ready - the best solution with the least inconvenience. Well handled! If you're running next year, plan to get there a bit earlier than you might typically for a smaller race. The heads up: Can't say they didn't warn you. That hill at 17 is as steep and technical as the course description and elevation chart describe. The view at the top is great, but you'll do some work to get to see it!

This was the first edition of that race but everything was perfect. I ran 8 marathons in the last 8 months in 8 different states, and this is the most beautiful one. Really, though; it was really like running in a dream. I gave 5 stars to spectators: birds, horses, cows... I will come back for sure with my family. Thanks for everything.

I thoroughly enjoyed the New River Marathon. It's put on by the same folks who organize the Blue Ridge Relay. The course has four major inclines before mile 18 as well as some flatter sections. The scenery is breathtaking and is a nice change from city marathons. Most of the other runners I encountered were chatty and our conversations provided a nice distraction from the sensation of lactic acid building up in my legs. While the spectator turnout was minimal, the course design and the open roads provided easy access to supporters to drive (or bike) around and cheer for runners. For the 2011 race, the turnout was around 200 for the marathon. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this for a first-timer, but it certainly deserves a spot on the future marathons to-do checklist.

The inaugural New River was my 6th marathon, and was one of the most seamless I have encountered. It's not an easy course; don't be fooled into thinking 'flat and fast' factors into the flat parts. But the scenery and volunteers made the race well worth it. We lucked into great weather, 40 at the start, about 60 over 4.5 hrs later at my finish. The first half is fair then the second half you encounter mile after mile (after mile after mile) of uphill, some steep enough I deemed them 'unrunnable' as did those around me, and just walked up (that stretch was gravel road). The view at the top is spectacular and the downhill stretches, now paved again, were not as steep as the elevation map had me believing; they were runnable. I was wishing for shade on the last 6 miles. The volunteers were some of the best I've seen. One lady handed me a cup of (undermixed) orange Gatorade already pinched to make it easily drinkable. Another was waiting outside the portajohn for me around mile 18 with a cup each of water & Gatorade, my choice, so I didn't have to backtrack the 20 feet to the cup tables. Now that's service! Not many spectators to speak of, but the few I recall encountering were enthusiastic. Good rowdy crowd at the start/finish line, which you also encounter around mile 11 when looping through the figure-8 course. But you dont run this kind of course if you need to feed off of spectator energy! Shirts were cotton but pretty and had men's and women's sizes. Might be too pretty for the men? The medal was cheap with hand-glued ribbon and a square of wood with the race logo and year burned into it. Refreshments at the finish line were, as far as I found, water, more undermixed orange Gatorade, apples, oranges and bananas. I would have liked a bagel or some pretzels. All that said, even considering my almost-personal-worst time, the race was outstanding and I recommend it. The pros absolutely outweigh the cons. Do some more hill training and come back next year!

First annual race was 2011. Marathon started about 15 min prior to the half, which is always appropriate in my mind. It allowed all the half runners (and 5k) to cheer on the marathoners at the start. I did the half, so my review will go to that. I would normally leave the review to a full marathoner, but since there aren't any reviews, I wanted to add what I could. Packet pickup race morning was a breeze. T-shirt was better quality than most races (not a tech shirt tho). There was no water at the start, which wasn't an issue for me since I had my own. I heard some people mention it tho. The start line announcements were not very loud, but I assume this will be fixed next year. Pace group signs went up to an 11 min/mile, but I didn't see 'official' pacers. There were some cars that drove through the start line while everyone was lined up, so that was odd. This is not a closed course. Some people wearing headphones were veering too far into traffic, in my opinion. Beware of headphones in this race. Doing the Flying Pig the week prior, my legs were a little mushy from the hills there. This race has even more hills. I would say two major hills (on the half), but with switchbacks it seems like there are more. In my mind, its pretty comparable to Knoxville's race. Water stations on the course were well staffed with friendly, encouraging volunteers. Not a lot of spectators on the course, but you come here for the scenery and frankly, it was nice to run with nature after last week's pig. The course consisted mostly of pavement and gravel roads. Finishing in the field was a little rough, considering there were uneven spots. Finish line food consisted of fruit, but the restaurant hosting the start line had BBQ for sale. Finisher's ribbon had a homemade wooden 'medallion.' Personally, I think this is a nice contrast to the sleek medals you receive at bigger races. I plan to do this race again, either as a half marathoner or a full marathoner.

If you'd told me they'd been running this for 20 years, I'd have believed you. Awesome organization. Scenery is unbelievable. Hills are tough: thought I was ready but wasn't. But that's a Me problem. Can't recommend this one highly enough.

This was my fourth and, hands down, the most scenic marathon I have run. It happened to be a beautiful day and much of the run was along the South Fork New River. At the beginning of the marathon, parking was ample, there were plenty of port-o-potties, and the organization appeared tight with many happy volunteers who came out during a relatively chilly morning. Many more runners showed up for the half marathon and the fewer of us marathon runners were walked to a bridge where the starting line was located. The start occurred approximately 15-minutes late but I don t believe any of us minded. Given that this was a small marathon, the start was quite graceful with very little bottlenecking. The organization during the marathon was superb and there were eager volunteers happy to supply the runners with water and sport drinks. My goal at this point is to qualify for Boston and although there were long sections of fast and relatively flat terrain, it should be noted that there were a couple of hills (and they felt like mountains) that would make the likelihood of someone achieving a PB improbable. Since many marathon runners need a mile or two to feel their groove, it is important to state that the first hill appears very shortly after the start. But most of the runners appeared to have plenty of reserve at this point and it really didn't seem all that bad. HOWEVER, the hill at around mile 16 was a completely different story. This hill was a killer and it seemed it would never end. But it did of course and the rest of the run appeared to be relatively smooth sailing. Although there were not many spectators, the ones that showed up were very energetic and encouraging. Some of the volunteers rode bicycles and held up funny signs along the way. Nice touch. During the race normal yet sparse motor vehicle traffic traveled along the marathon course. It wasn't really a big deal but I did think that some of the locals at times could have been more mindful of the runners. At the end of the marathon there were fruit and drinks waiting across the finish line. It would have been nice to have some carbs and protein available but this was the inaugural year so I would imagine the organizers had a limited budget. There was a bluegrass band playing at the finish, which was nice. It was definitely the most interesting race medal I've received. Mostly because the medal was not metal, but wood. But hey, why not? I actually thought the medal sort of fit in with the Boone, NC vibe. Would I run the New River Marathon again? Absolutely. It was a beautiful and well organized run. But with only one runner completing the course with an under 7-minute pace (3:01:57), this run will really test your limits. And that's a good thing.