Jesse Philips's Staging Area

The Lincoln Marathon is a great choice for your NE marathon. The entire production is well-run with great communication from registration to post-race.

The course includes one long descent and several longer ascents. The out and back of the second half is the hardest mental challenge. If your conserve your energy in the first 10 miles, the ‘underpass hills’ on the trail path is manageable.

The weather was perfect in 2024. Be prepared for sun exposure for most of the course though. I carry by own hydration, but it seemed like some of the aid stations were quite spread out. All the spectators and volunteers were helpful and excited to support. The wet sponges at the turnaround were clutch.

Sioux Falls Marathon is a fine race, but I would suggest looking at all SD options before committing to this race. The organizers provide adequate communication about the race, and the expo and finish line are no frills. My family commented that it was difficult to know where the race finished from across the track and with no signage.

My primary disappointment was the mile marker accuracy. I ran with the 4-hour pace group. The mile markers were spot with all our watches ticking off at each marker – until Mile 20. The mile 20 marker was a quarter mile long and the additional distance wasn’t absorbed in the last 6 miles. We tracked just ahead of our goal only to realize that we were actually one minute behind pace. I finished with 26.63 miles.

Be prepared for direct sun exposure from mile 18 to the end with too few aid stations from mile 22 to the finish.

Louisiana Marathon 2023 was a bonus for me. I registered before a stress fracture and IT Band Syndrome halted my training. I did not plan to run, but when my bib came in the mail four days ahead of Sunday, I booked my flight.

With just an 11-mile long before the race, I anticipated walking the second half. However, I pulled off a negative split with no walking necessary. The flat course kept my interest and the weather was perfect for a race. Be prepared for a long out and back in the second half of the race. It’s good to know you will see many runners ahead of you heading back to finish line. The crowds and fellow runners were super friendly even though the were a bit sparse after the last 6 miles.

The post-race food and beverage was spectacular. It reflected LA and flowed easily from stand to stand. Family and friends get to join in as well.

Grandma’s Marathon is one of the best executed race weekends that I have attended. All communication leading into the weekend was clear and consistent. Particularly appealing is the many transportation locations around Duluth to get to the start and return busses to the pick-up spots at the end of the race.

The course is flat, but one should expect a steady, slow uphill for most of the second half mixed with a few down hill reprieves. I was able to maintain a consistent pace throughout the course, so flat is an adequate description.

The crowd support was consistent and enthusiastic! Multiple large cheering sections broke up the course so that your had beautiful Lake Superior views or hundreds of people supporting you to make the miles pass quickly.

One suggestion is that you familiarize yourself with the finish area and the celebration area. They are not near each other after having run a marathon. The finish area was a bit hectic and bag pick up was far past the food, so you end up carrying the food/swag when you are spent. It’s minor for sure.

The Rt 66 Marathon is a great size marathon that has big city race amenities without the drawbacks of a large running field. I would highly recommend this as a first-time marathon course because you have the excitement of an excellent production: great start/finish line atmosphere, specific/helpful communications and website, great course support. The crowd support is consistent and energetic from start to finish. You will not be on the course alone because of the great block party atmosphere and enough runners make up the field so you are not our there alone in the later miles.

I would recommend preparing for the course that they describe as rolling hills. The total ascent from my watch was 702 ft, which is half the ascent I have on long runs in my hometown. However, this course felt like one ascent after another. This should not push you off from the course, though! Again, the crowd support through the many residential areas was a great distraction.

I would also suggest using the marathon lodging link to find your hotel etc. My reservation included the marathon rate and an automatic 3pm check-out for race day. I was able to walk to both the start and finish lines without issue. You have quite a few options that will allow you to do the same.

This marathon is a good choice to take West Virginia or Kentucky off your 50 States list, but it is not an easy course. In the first ten miles, a mile long steep incline is the hardest challenge that was only outdone by the temperature and 90%+ humidity. The packet pickup was smooth and the volunteers were extremely helpful. The course was not overly scenic and at times I was the only runner in sight in front and behind. It made it difficult to know if I was still on the course as you run through the middle of the woods on trails and through a golf course.

This was the first in-person race offered that I could attend during the pandemic. The race was well organized and the director communicated what to expect give the additional Covid precautions.
If you’re looking for 26.2 miles of beach, this is your race. If you are mentally prepare to see the miles you have ahead, the race is not challenging. The biggest hurdle was the out and back in the last two miles of the race that includes a highway on/off ramp that feels like a mountain at the end of a otherwise flat race.

Overall, I enjoyed this race. With Under Armor as the title sponsor, the tech shirts were great. The race directors clearly communicated the different starting line locations prior to and the day of the event. My one major issue was that I was stopped two times for traffic to pass in front of runners. It seems as if this was happening at regular intervals near the downtown finish. I was stopped for at least 20 seconds before the traffic officers stopped the traffic.

The WDW Marathon Weekend is great experience for any Disney fan who happens to run. I would suggest running this for the full experience of photo ops with characters and theme park backgrounds, but avoid the race if you want to PR. You do get to run though all of the parks and see behind the scenes of many of them as well.

Much of the race is not in one of the parks, and a lot of mileage is covered running to and within the Wide World of Sports Complex. Although this is not the most exciting portion of the race, Disney does place key characters along the route to break up the monotony of those miles.

Be prepared for unexpected weather/temperatures. As a native of PA, I assumed/hoped my FL marathon would be a warm reprieve in January. However, I storm rolled through on Saturday before the marathon and them temperature was below freezing at the the start. Disney provided outdoor heaters at the start with many runners huddles together for as long as possible. In addition to the temps, the wind was aggressive that day making the finish line feel like the Artic. With that said, a friend ran the year prior in nearly opposite conditions of high heat and humidity.

My first trip to San Francisco was to run this marathon. This large race was very-well organized and easy to navigate given the many course/distance options for runners.

Do not let the hill climbs intimidate you from registering for this race. I am writing this review a few years since running it, and I recall only one hill being a memorable challenge. This challenge hill was in the first 8 miles when runners climb from the waterfront to the Golden Gate Bridge. Otherwise, the scenery of the city and water is a great distraction. Do be prepared for a mile or two before Giants’ stadium to be in the industrial section of the city.

I would run this marathon again after I see all the other states first.

Among PA marathoners, Steamtown Marathon is a must-do race. Although much of the course is down hill, be prepared for a climb to the finish line. Although much of the course is in rural areas, the locals come out in great support of runners!

For the many fans of The Office, there is plenty to anticipate at the finish in downtown Scranton – including the famous pizza that is not a hot circle of garbage.