Hatfield-McCoy Marathon

I was disappointed with the HMM. Despite what I read in various forums, I did not find the event to be very organized. There were errors with email communication and mild confusion with packet pickup. Route maps at packet pickup had visible corrections posted so this caused concern about accuracy from other medias (social media, email, websites, etc.). While the shuttle bus coordination was seamless (good job!), Runners participating in the 5k experienced challenges getting to their start line once the marathon started (the 5k started 45 minutes after the marathon). It was well known the marathon course would be extremely difficult (Mountain and hills). However, road closures were nearly entirely absent. The open roads were unsafe. Regular traffic was (often) on the course. There were few spectators and fan support. With less than 150 marathon runners, I often found myself running completely alone. Almost like glorified training run. The water points, however, were well staffed, plentiful, and wonderfully stocked (fruit, water, Gatorade). Cold wet towels. Great job! The finish area was underwhelming. I finished in 5:13. There were not many people at the finish outside of my family and (seemly) a skeleton race crew. Mr. "Hatfield" was at the finish; that was cool. Good job there! Overall, unfortunately, I would not recommend HMM. Expectations were high but I found most key areas lacking.

Course is hilly but organizers set up plenty of water stops throughout the race. Keep in mind race is scheduled in June so weather is humid with scorching heat later through the day. Volunteers were supportive and encouraging. Few crowds and a small community, but I still had fun completing this race. Overall wonderful course and beautiful scenanary, a must run course.