Delaware Trail Marathon (formerly the Triple Crown Trail Marath

This was my first-ever trail marathon and I was very pleased to have completed it in the nation's first state. I found the course very doable for a road runner. Yes, there is some power-hiking involved (and wading through knee-deep creek crossings), but most of the course is easily traversable with street shoes. Nonetheless, I would suggest that road runners consider one extra layer of clothing. Much of the route is shaded and, because the path is replete with hazards (fallen trees, creek crossings, rocky and root-covered climbs), the slower pace means lower body temps than a typical road race. When I first got to the frigid creek crossing I momentarily considered taking off my running shoes before finally jumping in and getting the full trail experience. The water is less of an issue than the mud from the exit points; wet shoes dry but mud remains heavy. On my second pair of crossings I sought out alternate routes to get back on the trail. Also memorable was the single track above the creek, and the open meadows and series of trail moguls in the penultimate loop. And UDel coeds were serving up plenty of fun snacks at most water stops, including boiled potatoes, Swedish fish, donuts, M&Ms, pop tarts, cookies, pretzels, and potato chips. I don't train with any of the aforementioned foods but ended up eating potatoes on my second time around along with munching on some pop tarts. (Couldn't resist.) I have always found runners to be nice, but trail runners are even nicer - especially the leaders. I know this because the 10K group came charging at me on single track when I was nearly halfway done, and the front-runners all thanked me for standing aside in the forest. I wasn't terribly bothered by this, but a 50-stater within earshot mumbled, 'Poor planning.' Oh, keep the eyes on the ground. I met a runner who had tripped early in the 26.2 and was limping his way to the end, and I saw another gent turn to talk to his buddy while running in a narrow bike rut through a field only to scream out and grab his hammy after a misstep. Even tilting one's head back to take in fluids has to be done with care. The grill was closed when I finished (just shy of six hours) but I did manage to grab the last hamburger. Looked like quite a nice party when I passed by the pavilion at the halfway mark. Two small negatives: the medal is super-dinky, and there was no photographer at the marathon finish. For some reason the mid- and lower-priced Newark hotels all received negative reviews so I stayed in nearby Elkton, MD. Only a few more minutes away. My quads were pretty beat up (in some unusual places) post-race, but my knees and ankles and soles had no idea we all just did a marathon. The experience has me looking at trail shoes. Those darn trail dawgs might be on to something...

This was the first marathon in a back-to-back for the weekend, and I am very happy it was the first, if not, I'd probably still be in the woods, LOL. On the website, the RD tells 50 staters that this 'is the hard way' to get Delaware. Nonsense, I think this run was a perfect way to cross DE off my list, and I recommend everyone to do so. It was a challenge no doubt, but not my worse time, pretty much right in the middle of all my finishes. The course is very fun to run, and you will encounter a little bit of everything: Open medows, two track ORV trails, gravel roads, 12' wide deer paths, logs to jump, branches to duck, and of course the creek crossing (4X). With such a small field, I was alone a good deal of the time, but all the other runners were great! There are very steep inclines up the sides of hills that will kick your butt. I had to climb these (everyone else I saw did too), as opposed to running them, but boy were the downhills fun! My biggest complaint is that you will have runners coming right at you, and this can be very tricky. Especially when you are going up one of the steep hills, and other runners are flying down them, and the path is about a foot wide. We brushed by each other a few times, but there were no hard hits that I saw. John the race director was fantastic, as was the post-run spread. I finished with a time of 5:42:something and there was plenty of food still available. I'm sure that was the case for the people behind me as well. Overall a tough course (but not impossible), and very enjoyable. If you need DE for your 50, run this one!

Trail running should be on everyones list. My first trail marathon and it didn't disappoint. The Triple Crown is a must&the weather was perfect and the course was challenging, but delightful. Logistically everything was very convenient...getting to the start and parking was a snap. This race is a great value for your money! Fluid stations were plentiful and the volunteers manning them were awesome too&very enthusiastic bunch. The veggie burgers at the end was an extremely thoughtful gesture for those of us who don't eat flesh.