Paul Bunyan Marathon

The Good: -Really cheap entry price -Expo was great for such a small marathon -First 10 miles were really nice, along a quiet road with lots of trees -One nice volunteer at the end drove us back to the start because the end was 2 miles away -The medal and t-shirt were neat. Plus the Paul Bunyan statue at the start was tourist kitschy, but still neat -Someone left a waterhose spraying the street to cool the slow pokes - thanks!! -I think I remember a big guy and a fire hose, spraying cooling water from a funky-looking truck. But I could be confusing marathons now. -Nice volunteers, just not enough of them. Some enthusiastic kids were out there helping. -Saw a white-haired gentleman wearing a really old Ironman Hawaii shirt near the beginning. I think the shirt was 25 years old. This guy must have been in his late 60s. Very inspiring. The Bad: -No bathrooms - not a single porta-potty! Thankfully a house had one in their driveway from constuction work they were doing. That provided relief. -No gels - They advertised some, so I didn't bring enough. I didn't get a single one! -Insufficient Gatorade/sport drink - although I did get a few sips of a very watered-down drink at only one stop, and that was hardly enough for a hot and humid day. I'm lucky I didn't get hyponatremia. -Not enough ice. Only one stop had it by the time I got there. I think the volunteers bought the bags themselves, as opposed to the race providing them. -Warm water bottles near the end at one stop. It seemed as an unplanned pity offering by two nice runners near the end, rather than something organized. -Dear Race Organizer, please remember that while some people walk or are just slow runners, they still need support! We really appreciate it when we get the same care as the fast people, since we're paying the same amount. -Unorganized shuttle for the slowpokes. Took a bit of asking to get a ride. Some volunteers/competitors didn't want to help us get back to our car, but maybe we were too stinky and sweaty. The thought of walking 2.5 miles myself was disheartening in that heat. -Last several miles were along a busy road with no sidewalk. Not very safe. -Food? There was food at the end? There was food on the course? Didn't see or get any of that! Would I do this marathon again? Nope. For a Maine marathon I'd pick another one (I didn't have any say in the selection of this ME marathon). I would have paid more money for better stuff at the aid stations, like a bathroom or two, gels, ice, and Gatorade (remember to save enough for the slowpokes). You get what you pay for. I bet it will be better for 2007, though, since it can't get much worse. Hopefully the town will support a bit more since so many out-of-towners showed up. I assume the different course will make a difference, plus having more people than planned (or so I read) might help with planning for this year. With the river ending, hopefully no shuttle will be needed. Was Bangor nice? It was nothing special. Nice river view and brewery, but the town was boring and not really worth a stop compared to the quaint little coastal towns, the lovely Portland and gorgeous Acadia NP. We had the most delicious soft-shelled lobster in some nearby coastal town where we stayed at a nice little bed and breakfast. We could bring our dog on the outdoor patio and watch the boats in the harbor. Lovely! Overall, the marathon was poorly run and I'm surprised more people didn't have heat issues based on the lack of stuff on course (I saw one high school-aged girl looking like she needed medical attention, but she was just left in a chair to recover).

This was my 87th marathon and for the first time ever I feel compelled to give an unfavorable report. I feel the race director was very inexperienced and possibly incompetent. The advertisement for the race didn't come near discribing the actual conditions encountered. Finding the location of the expo turned out to be some kind of treasure hunt. No national anthem prior to the race start. A total of two porta-potties for about 300 runners resulted in impossible lines and some short tempers. The finish line was about two miles from the parking area where the race started. It was suggested we "thumb" rides back to our transportation. I don't blame locals for not being real enthusiastic about loading marathoners in a clean car after they just finished perspiring for 26.2 miles. I still don't know where the awards ceremony was held. I qualified for a 2nd place age-group award and would like to obtain it somehow. I e-mailed the race director about the possibility of having someone pick it up for me, or me sending some money so the award could be mailed, but no answer to my request. I have done inaugural marathons before, but have never seen overall quality as poor as this one. My wife ran the 15K and was promised a finisher's medal within two weeks. She didn't receive it and has not been able to get an answer to her inquiry as to how it could be obtained. I send in my registration fee and only expect a decent effort on the part of the race organizers. No way did it happen at Paul Bunyan, 2006.

Anyone signing up for a marathon should factor in signing up for a first-run marathon - there are always going to be some problems. I enjoyed this marathon despite some of the roughness of the course. It appears that the course will change for '07, so I am glad to see that runner's comments are being listened to. Overall, the one item that sticks out in my mind is that if a statement/promise is made by the organizer they need to deliver on it (shuttle from finish back to start, porta-potties, gel). Fortunately, I was not affected by many of the glitches because my extended family was cheering for me from mile 17 until the end, leap-frogging me every mile and handing out water and Gatorade. Suggestion for future - have folks park at the finish before the race and shuttle them to the start. The timeframe for having to provide this service is much shorter and more predictable (you can have a start and stop time for running the shuttle). I do not remember ever being offered any gel from the water stations. Also, at least one set of porta-potties along the route would have been appreciated. Fortunately, it's Maine and Maine has some woods. I have looked at the information for the '07 race and am confident that other minor issues will be corrected in future marathons. I am on state 11 out of 50, so I don't anticipate being back to ME soon for a marathon, but this one will soon be a great marathon!