Overall Rating
Overall Rating (2 Reviews)
4
(2 Ratings)  (2 Reviews)
DIFFICULTY
1
SCENERY
4.5
PRODUCTION
4
SWAG
2.5
This fun event has something for everyone! The USATF certified course begins and ends at the Intervale Trail Head of The Jackson River Scenic Trail in Covington, Virginia. The trail follows an old railroad bed of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. The course has a smooth crushed gravel surface and … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Jun 08):
  2023 2022 2021 2020 2019
 
H (°F)  66  73  84  74  64
L (°F)  47  63  66  55  59
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):

Recent reviews

    kmerskine FIRST-TIMER '21

    This is an average race. That isn't a criticism. Most races these days check all the boxes: nice course, good support on the course, chip timing, post race snacks, etc. … MORE

    This is an average race. That isn’t a criticism. Most races these days check all the boxes: nice course, good support on the course, chip timing, post race snacks, etc. This race checked those boxes, with a few things better than average and a few worse than average.

    First, the course was great. You can’t see beyond the trees on the path for part of the race, but it’s a nice surface and you do have river views for part of the run. It’s almost completely flat, so if you are looking for a soft surface flat course, this is your race… I’ve not raced too many (any?) non-paved trails that are this flat.

    The aid stations were great. They had sports drink, water, and a few stations had gel. A few may have also had cut oranges. But the liquid was all in bottles which may have been a Covid-related thing. But it’s wasteful because runners don’t usually need more than a few ounces of liquid at each stop. Who drinks a 10 or 12 oz bottle of Gatorade or water? Wasteful, but again, it was likely Covid related. The post race food and drinks could have been a bit more robust. No chocolate milk? That’s becoming a fairly standard thing to see at races, and rightly so since it is widely considered nearly the perfect immediate post-race drink.

    Parking was good and there were porta-potties at the start. This is a small race and I don’t think they’d be able to get much bigger due to parking limitations. But the nearby town of Covington is a cute town, worth walking around in, but as cute as it is, it isn’t real tourist friendly. I think I saw maybe only one or two places to eat on the main street, and one of them was closed. The other was a hot dog and ice cream joint, which isn’t exactly what races are looking for pre-race. Still, I loved this little town and the race. I probably won’t do it again, but only because it was a 6 hour drive for me to get to Covington from my home. If I lived only an hour away I’d do this one again.

    DIFFICULTY
    1
    PRODUCTION
    3
    SCENERY
    4
    SWAG
    3

    3 members marked this review helpful. Agree?

    Please login to reply to this review.

    usamhall FIRST-TIMER '20

    After Covid 19 races aren't quite the same. We don't talk as much and get to know runners as well. The expo was a packet pickup. The shirts weren't there … MORE

    After Covid 19 races aren’t quite the same. We don’t talk as much and get to know runners as well. The expo was a packet pickup. The shirts weren’t there on time. The course is great… we had a warm humid day to run. The heat and humidity really got to me. But I ran a real marathon in June.

    DIFFICULTY
    1
    PRODUCTION
    5
    SCENERY
    5
    SWAG
    2
    My Media

    4 members marked this review helpful. Agree?

    Please login to reply to this review.

  1. Races
  2. Jackson River Scenic Trail Marathon & Half Marathon