2025 Holland Haven Marathon - Race Reviews

This was a well organized race. Buses took you from the finish to the start. They also had a bag check in and had bags available since I did not have one. It was not difficult to check in or get my bag at the end. Course had a couple of hills but mostly flat and mostly shaded. Although I am used to having all the road to run on, running on the blacktop bike path was very nice. There were a lot of spectators for a small town run, a lot more than I expected. They also had a lot of volunteers that made a huge difference. Having them to help with water points, traffic crossings, setting up/teardown etc. was great. Water stations and aide stations were every two miles and there was plenty of water/Gatorade. I think they could have had more food along the course. There were only blueberries somewhere around mile 20 and some candy towards the end. I was lucky I had my wife meet me along the way with oranges. Finish line was ok, could have had a little more food, spectators were awesome at the end. I will definitely run this one again.

For starters, the race director sent out lots of e-mails in the weeks leading up to the marathon, and an abundance of information was available to the runners. Of course, we had to sort it out to make use of the information. Packet pickup was at a sporting goods store downtown. It was slow driving through the business district, but parking was available. Packet pickup was a breeze. The finish line was right off River Street - still kind of in the downtown area, and that is right where the buses were waiting Sunday morning to get the runners to the start line. Parking was available around (near) the finish-line & post-race area. So the runners were bused to Rosy Mound School in Grand Haven - but the school is on Lakeshore Drive (between Grand Haven and Holland) and we were never in the 'city' portion of Grand Haven. Everyone congregated at the school, and at 7:30 the runners were sent off - from the sidewalk. The road was not closed, but there was virtually no traffic. Still, the sidewalk/trail was used. The runners stayed on the trail essentially the whole way - though some runners chose to run on the side of the road. It was residential area most of the way. Once we got into Holland, we started making turns through the community to get the distance correct. By then I was dis-oriented and had no idea where I was in town. Still, the course stayed on paved trail until about the last half mile. There, we were directed to run on the side of the road, which had the edge coned off for the runners. Finally we made a left turn across the road - with law-enforcement there controlling traffic for the runners. At the finish line, there was water available, with lemon-aide and Gatorade too. Snacks were available too: gummy fruit, pretzels, and oatmeal bars. This marathon was a bit on the expensive side, but they had to rent buses to transport the runners. A couple of other comments: The logo was a windmill (for Holland) and under it, a boat anchor (for Grand Haven). It was a cool logo. They put the logo on the volunteer shirts, but not on the marathon T-shirts. The shirts were plain blue that said 'Holland Haven Marathon 2021'. I was really disappointed with the shirt. But the medal was the windmill with the anchor, and it was really cool. I got a logo sticker to put on my car window. There were no bananas available afterwards. None on the course either. And it seemed like only every other (alternating) aid stations had Gatorade. And there were no gels on the course either. Carb snacks were not available on the course until late in the race. They could have done a better job on that. One station did have blueberries, and they were very good! In closing, I rode my bicycle on Lakeshore Drive between Grand Haven and Holland several times during junior high and high school - back in the early 1970's - and I did not recognize anything on the course - except the power-plant that was near Grand Haven. If you like point-to-point marathons, this is a good race that is scenic with hills that are not too aggressive.

This was my 30th marathon. The course was lovely, the weather was great. What made it an unusual organizing challenge was the pandemic. Under health department guidelines, the marathon start had to be broken up into 9 groups, with starting times spread out from 6am to 9am. It's a miracle it worked so well as it did. Spectators were discouraged from coming out this year, but various people waving from their lawns were very supportive.

Great Course, rolling, shady...lends itself to a good time and even splits. Perfect weather great location. Highly recommend to anyone who wants a smaller marathon which is VERY EASY for your family and friends to follow you for the WHOLE RACE!

This was my 1st marathon and I picked my hometown to do it in. This race was the inaugural race. It was well put on, communication was effective, and I was well prepared on race day. The course is rolling and beautiful. It is mostly shaded and you run on bike paths through the beautiful lakeshores of Holland and Grand Haven. The course support was awesome, lost of cheering at aid stations. The best part was cresting the last huge hill to the beach and seeing Lake Michigan as you headed into the finish line.

The Holland Haven Marathon is a small, no-frills races which is EXACTLY what you need sometimes. The course is beautiful with a large portion covered by shade. There are some minor rolling hills which add a little character, but don't really do any damage to the legs. The volunteers were organized and cheerful, seeming to really appreciate the marathoners visiting their city. If you're going for a fast time, this is a great course/event to consider. You can focus on your race and not get distracted by the logistical challenges of a big city race. Thanks HHM!

It is the best race combination I've experienced, with hometown flare and big race professionalismthe friendliness of volunteers and road marshals, but the organization, aid stations, and usual perks of a big run. I believe this Lakeshore Half/Full Marathon will be an epic run that will be hard to secure a spot in the near future. Im registering now for next year. Wont miss it for anything. And one important additional note for first timers: the after party is not to be missed there was food, like real food (bbq, cookies, fruit) and craft beer for the whole family, with a band and a climbing wall my kids loved it! We stayed for an hour to celebrate. See you in 2017!

This was a wonderful course. Shady with some rolling hills during the 1st half, flatter (and sunnier) for the 2nd. Not many spectators, but those who did come out were great. The best part of this race was the organization and the volunteers. They were amazing from start to finish. Police made sure the traffic stopped well in advance of the runners. Volunteers cheered you along throughout the race. If you're looking for a small, well-organized race, this is it!

I liked the course-mostly on shaded bike path next to a quiet road-which makes it very easy for family to follow you-cheer you on. Great organization, friendly staff, energetic volunteers-even for 'back of the packer' like me. Loved having showers avail. at end of race.

Course is a little rolling, but be patient on uphills and sail on down. Hit my PR on the course. Post race showers, and cook out was nice. Cool medal. Not a lot of spectators, but several spots your family could stop and see you running on bike trail.

This was a well run race for its inaugural year. There was a small field (at least for the marathon) and the entire race had a very relaxed atmosphere. Packet pickup was easy and they offered pickup on race day as well, which made things much easier for those of us from out of town. The t-shirt is cute but ran a bit small - I will likely be giving mine away. Runners were bused from the finish to the start, where we were able to relax indoors until the race began. There was some confusion about which buses were for the half and full so a few people ended up at the wrong start; however, the wonderful volunteers drove them to the correct start and made sure everyone else was in the right place. The majority of the course was on a bike path which was shady and cool. Although the course map looked like we would see Lake Michigan for most of the race we only had views for miles 24.5-25.5 or so. This was actually ok as it gave us something to look forward to. The aid stations were every 2 miles and a couple had blueberries and pretzels (thanks to the boy scouts for these!). My only complaint about the aid stations was the lack of gatorade, which was offered at every other station (~4 miles apart) - next year please make sure all the aid stations in the last half of the race have this! Additionally, another volunteer at mile 25.5 would have been great since there was a long (or it seemed long at the time!) stretch along a curvy road and we weren't entirely sure where to go. I should mention that a volunteer had told us to 'follow the road' but at mile 25 no one is thinking clearly and the idea of going an extra block is terrifying. :) Overall, there weren't many spectators (expected as this was the first year) but the ones who came out were great! The finish was in a small park and the weather was beautiful (mid-70s). There was a play area to keep kids entertained and the usual post-race food. The medals were ok, but as this wasn't an expensive race I wouldn't have expected anything more. I would recommend this as a great option for anyone looking for a low-key, low-cost alternative to other fall races.