Mad Marathon

Positives: 1. Beautiful course! Not the most beautiful, but definitely in my 'top ten' of most scenic marathons I've run. ...idyllic farm scenes, iconic barns and covered bridges. 2. Convenient. Our Air BNB was only 5 minutes from the start/finish. 3. Fun. Loved the activities in Waitsfield associated w/ the marathon: Friday night concert/BBQ; Saturday farmer's market, etc. The maple 'creamees' [soft-served ice cream cones] were the bomb! Our kids also LOVED swimming in and jumping into the Mad River. 4. Aid Stations. Well-stocked and manned by kind/energetic volunteers. 5. RD. Dori was helpful and responsive to my questions, and even offered us help in securing lodging. Negatives: 1. Brutal course, hill-wise. This was state marathon # 48; however, if this had been my first marathon, these hills might have scared me away from running a second. 2. Roads were not closed (that I could tell.) This made for some close calls when cars drove by quite fast/close. I didn't always feel safe, nor did some of those running alongside me. 3. No shirt in my size. Though my buddy and I registered many months beforehand, neither one of us got a shirt in our size, as all the Mediums and Larges were taken. (The volunteer at bib pickup was super apologetic, but there really should have been one reserved for each of us.) All things considered, I was glad to run and finish the Mad Marathon. It was fun AND brutal. The finish area was picturesque with all the various flags of the many countries, and the medal was classy. I won't run it again, but I'm really glad I did it once.

Great organization and super volunteers.Definitely a race for the BOP. Party in the back. Unless you run in the mountains you will not come close to the mile-long steep climbs. The downhills are rewarding for those with good knees. There are no shoulders to run on until the last 10k and not much of it. I walked backward at the famous dip to stop the knee pain. Bad race decisions make for better stories. Go for lt.

The course was every bit as hilly as advertised, but also just as beautiful, and I had let go of any time goal and just planned to walk the hills anyway. Once in Waitsfield, the logistics were SO easy - you could easily park almost at the start line even 20 minutes before start. The volunteers at the many water stops were so helpful, and I also appreciated how the late-in-the-race water stops continued to be well stocked even for the slower runners such as myself. The scenery was amazing, and what the spectators lacked in quantity they made up for in quality (people sitting out in their front yards encouraging all the runners individually, individual water/orange slice stops, etc.) We rented a condo nearby, and luckily the pool heater was broken, so a dip in the bracing water was perfect for post-race recovery - I imagine a dip in the nearby natural watering holes would have been even better. This was my first Mad Marathon, but I chatted with another runner who does it annually and said it 'kicks her butt' every year. It kicked my butt, but in such an enjoyable way. Highly recommended.