Overall Rating: Excellent. Logistics were all good, course was nice, volunteers were fantastic. Course Difficulty: Pretty tough for a flatlander. Lots of hills and a mountain to cross in the … MORE
Overall Rating: Excellent. Logistics were all good, course was nice, volunteers were fantastic.
Course Difficulty: Pretty tough for a flatlander. Lots of hills and a mountain to cross in the middle; it’s West Virginia, and the course description was accurate.
Course Scenery: Nice. Constant views of the rolling hills, tons of shade the first half of the course, running along the river the second half.
Race Production: It was excellent. No frills expo (which I love), local girls club helping with packet pickup (excellent), volunteers everywhere who were knowledgeable and willing to help out. If I have one complaint, and it is tiny, the RD opened up a campground at a local community center which worked well, except there were no bathrooms…I was ok, but my wife didn’t love this…I’m sure, based on what I saw at the rest of the event, this will be corrected by next year.
Race Swag: Good. Unique medal, tech tee, branded Mason jar, and ear buds in the custom drop bag.
My Performance: Ok. The first eight miles were really good, but my knee started to soften on the downhill side of Blackberry Mountain (really steep), so the rest was a little slower and more painful. Eventually the knee won’t be a problem, but for now, still being cautious.
This is a small race, but really enjoyable, certainly one of my favorite runs to date. If you’re looking to cross KY or WV off this list, I can highly recommend this run.
Tough, but enjoyable.
Overall Rating: Excellent. Logistics were all good, course was nice, volunteers were fantastic. Course Difficulty: Pretty tough for a flatlander. Lots of hills and a mountain to cross in the … MORE
Overall Rating: Excellent. Logistics were all good, course was nice, volunteers were fantastic.
Course Difficulty: Pretty tough for a flatlander. Lots of hills and a mountain to cross in the middle; it’s West Virginia, and the course description was accurate.
Course Scenery: Nice. Constant views of the rolling hills, tons of shade the first half of the course, running along the river the second half.
Race Production: It was excellent. No frills expo (which I love), local girls club helping with packet pickup (excellent), volunteers everywhere who were knowledgeable and willing to help out. If I have one complaint, and it is tiny, the RD opened up a campground at a local community center which worked well, except there were no bathrooms…I was ok, but my wife didn’t love this…I’m sure, based on what I saw at the rest of the event, this will be corrected by next year.
Race Swag: Good. Unique medal, tech tee, branded Mason jar, and ear buds in the custom drop bag.
My Performance: Ok. The first eight miles were really good, but my knee started to soften on the downhill side of Blackberry Mountain (really steep), so the rest was a little slower and more painful. Eventually the knee won’t be a problem, but for now, still being cautious.
This is a small race, but really enjoyable, certainly one of my favorite runs to date. If you’re looking to cross KY or WV off this list, I can highly recommend this run.
Get lucky in Kentucky!
BOTTOM LINE: Don’t sleep on Kentucky — Hatfield McCoy is a hidden gem of the marathon (and half marathon) scene. Even if you’re not a 50 Stater, I’d recommend the … MORE
BOTTOM LINE: Don’t sleep on Kentucky — Hatfield McCoy is a hidden gem of the marathon (and half marathon) scene. Even if you’re not a 50 Stater, I’d recommend the race for its low-key ambience and peaceful, bucolic course that thumbs its nose at the modern, anxiety-ridden American lifestyle. Hearing only your own breathing and footfalls on the quiet, densely wooded back roads will relax your mind and make you feel like you’ve run back in time to a simpler era. The rustic setting is surprisingly scenic & beautiful, with the least appealing part being the start in the Food City parking lot. Plus, the people are among the friendliest you’ll meet anywhere, from the organizers to every volunteer who selflessly donated their time to stand out in the heat so the rest of us could run — especially the two good-natured fellows who played the roles of Hatfield and McCoy, wearing long sleeves + long pants and agreeably standing under the sweltering sun for HOURS to greet finishers and pose for pictures. Every man, woman & child was amazing.
The ever-changing course is challenging in that it rolls quite a bit, with notable hills in miles 7 and (ouch) 24. Luckily the first 20 miles are well shaded, since heat was a definite factor this year as indicated by a winning time of 3:13:22. In an age of ever-escalating registration fees and new events that don’t merit the expense, the HMM is also a tremendous value — I paid only $80 (plus a $6.20 inconvenience fee) two days before the race.
Granted the race’s remote setting — the closest “city” is Charleston WV, 80 miles away and we stayed in Pikeville KY, 25 miles away — works against it, making it difficult to attract first-timers and the more casual runners targeted by large urban marathons. On the other hand, that remoteness is a huge part of its charm. So if you’re willing to travel a bit out of your way, and unless you’re a runner who absolutely needs screaming spectators and rowdy on-course entertainment, do yourself a favor and check out the Hatfields & McCoys.
PRODUCTION: On point, from pre-race to post-finish. Race-day packet pickup couldn’t have been easier, though as a courtesy I’d avoid parking in the Food City lot if you plan to leave your car there all morning. But at 6:30am there was plenty of parking there as well as in the nearby lots recommended by the organizers. And while “More porta-potties!” is typically the race-day rallying cry of runners everywhere, there were more than enough of those at the start as well, with a relatively small group to accommodate.
Luckily traffic was sparse on the narrow roads and so not much of a concern. The course itself was well marked for the most part — even with my subpar sense of direction I never took a wrong turn, though more signage in a couple of spots (e.g. the end of River Rd in mile 18 where the course enters the golf course) would have been helpful. Thanks to the heat I made frequent use of the aid stations, where awesome volunteers were always ready with ice water, Gatorade, and even icy sponges. Given the lack of shade after mile 20 a couple more aid stations in the last five miles wouldn’t have been unwelcome, particularly for those who didn’t have a Katie taking care of them.
Hats off to the dedicated folks manning the post-race grills in the 90°F heat, making hot dogs & hamburgers available to hungry finishers. It being 2016 and all, a veggie option would have been a nice addition to the post-race spread, though in fairness my own stomach wasn’t ready to tackle solid food anyway.
SWAG: The finisher medal is unique in being shaped like a mason jar, even if it is an odd milky gray color (maybe that’s the white lightning?). And rather than the cheaply made, unflattering race tee I’ve come to expect from smaller races, the white HMM tee with stylish mesh side panels fits beautifully. As a complement to the standard shirt-&-medal combo provided at every road race, all finishers even received a nifty mason jar adorned with the race logo — another cool hometown detail that sets the Hatfield McCoy Marathon apart.
For more details — including a first-person account of Muhammad Ali’s memorial service, held in Louisville the same weekend — check out my blog report at https://blisterscrampsheaves.com/2016/06/29/hatfield-mccoy-marathon-race-report/
A Bucket List Race
Hatfield and McCoy Marathon has always been a bucket list race for me and a bit of a mystery. Everything I had heard and read about this race had 3 … MORE
Hatfield and McCoy Marathon has always been a bucket list race for me and a bit of a mystery. Everything I had heard and read about this race had 3 common themes – 1) The Heat, 2) The Hills, and then 3) One of the most fun marathons out there.
Wait after reading about points 1 & 2, how was 3 possible? That was the mystery.
So this year I finally got to experience it first hand. And yes it was HOT. It was in the mid 90s by the time I crossed the finish line. Most of the race does provide shade however the last few miles are on open road. However, at mile 25 there is a Dairy Queen. I skipped the Dairy Queen but did take advantage of the aid station in front that soaked by my visor in ice water! Ahhh….
And yes the hills are killer – Blackberry Mountain is no joke. Take a close look at the elevation chart. See that little blip of a hill at mile 23? That’s actually a fairly large hill but compared with Blackberry Mountain it looks like a speed bump!
And finally yes this is absolutely one of the best and most fun marathons I’ve ever done (this was #17 for me). The volunteers are amazing. The people who live along the course are great. The aide stations had fresh watermelon, popsicles, ice, etc.
Would I do all again? In a heartbeat!!
Fun-Filled Race Weekend
This is a marathon with a reputation for being a difficult course run under difficult conditions, and the Hatfield McCoy Marathon did not disappoint. I started the weekend by taking … MORE
This is a marathon with a reputation for being a difficult course run under difficult conditions, and the Hatfield McCoy Marathon did not disappoint. I started the weekend by taking the tour of the Hatfield McCoy historical sites and I highly recommend this, as you may not have time to notice them when running the race. I stayed at the Williamson Fire Department the night before the marathon, which was a little awkward, but I did get some sleep. I’m glad Blackberry Hill, the largest hill on the course was in the first half. I didn’t think the hills on the second half were very bad at all, but the heat got to me at the end. It was probably 92 to 93 degrees by noon of race day. We received a nice medal at the finish, a white lightning jar with the HM logo, and a set of ear buds in the race packet. All in all a fun-filled weekend and I highly recommend.