The Lake Placid 2018 marathon was a wonderful experience. Running it to cross NY off my state list, I picked a great year as the weather was flawless (sunny, mid-60s). … MORE
The Lake Placid 2018 marathon was a wonderful experience. Running it to cross NY off my state list, I picked a great year as the weather was flawless (sunny, mid-60s). Logistics were a breeze as we stayed at Crowne Plaza hotel which was literally right next to the marathon expo, starting and finishing point. Packet pickup couldn’t have been easier…walk down hill to the expo, get race bib, walk back to hotel (haha). Communication leading up to the race was clear as well.
As for the race course itself, the first 3-4 miles take you around Mirror Lake and it is really pretty. Then it is back into town for a few miles before heading downhill past the Olympic Ski Jump area and into the back roads running along a river…which was very nice. However, once you head back into town, you have to run uphill for a good ways which is challenging…but if you are doing the marathon, you have to turn-around, and run back out of town and do it again! The positive is that you get to enjoy the scenic river / woods area again. The course ends with a steep uphill that leads back to the Olympic Speed Skating Oval area (now a track). That last hill is tough, so be forewarned.
I cannot speak to the aide stations as I carried my own hydration / gels…but I remember them being quite stocked full of drinks and food. The finishing medal was really nice, and the after party provided food was great too.
The cool thing about this marathon is you can make a family vacation out of it as Lake Placid is a beautiful area with plenty of things to do…from exploring the main street that goes through town, site-seeing the Olympic areas, to plenty of hikes / outdoor activities close by.
Highly recommended!
Scenic and Challenging Marathon
The Lake Placid 2018 marathon was a wonderful experience. Running it to cross NY off my state list, I picked a great year as the weather was flawless (sunny, mid-60s). … MORE
The Lake Placid 2018 marathon was a wonderful experience. Running it to cross NY off my state list, I picked a great year as the weather was flawless (sunny, mid-60s). Logistics were a breeze as we stayed at Crowne Plaza hotel which was literally right next to the marathon expo, starting and finishing point. Packet pickup couldn’t have been easier…walk down hill to the expo, get race bib, walk back to hotel (haha). Communication leading up to the race was clear as well.
As for the race course itself, the first 3-4 miles take you around Mirror Lake and it is really pretty. Then it is back into town for a few miles before heading downhill past the Olympic Ski Jump area and into the back roads running along a river…which was very nice. However, once you head back into town, you have to run uphill for a good ways which is challenging…but if you are doing the marathon, you have to turn-around, and run back out of town and do it again! The positive is that you get to enjoy the scenic river / woods area again. The course ends with a steep uphill that leads back to the Olympic Speed Skating Oval area (now a track). That last hill is tough, so be forewarned.
I cannot speak to the aide stations as I carried my own hydration / gels…but I remember them being quite stocked full of drinks and food. The finishing medal was really nice, and the after party provided food was great too.
The cool thing about this marathon is you can make a family vacation out of it as Lake Placid is a beautiful area with plenty of things to do…from exploring the main street that goes through town, site-seeing the Olympic areas, to plenty of hikes / outdoor activities close by.
Highly recommended!
Beautiful but hilly
The Lake Placid 1/2 marathon also includes a full marathon which I was happy to not be running because of the elevation profile of the course. I drove up to … MORE
The Lake Placid 1/2 marathon also includes a full marathon which I was happy to not be running because of the elevation profile of the course.
I drove up to participate in the race and had a hotel within walking distance of downtown Lake Placid and the start/finish. The town is cute and not overly touristy. Most hotels overlook one of the area lakes and I had a great view from my hotel window.
Packet pickup is down where the Olympic oval was and really is not an expo, but it’s efficient.
The course for the race starts uphill which should be a sign for how the rest of the course is. Some of the hills are quite steep, the worst of which (in my opinion) is the final hill up to the finish…which means some downhills are steep so be careful not to overdo it. The scenery on the course is quite beautiful, so don’t run this one for time (the hills will prevent it anyway), stop to take photos.
Aid stations on the course feature water, but also orange slices and granola bars. They should have bug spray as well for dumb people like me who didn’t apply any. I removed my calf sleeves after the race and my legs were covered with black fly bites. People also had bleeding fly bites on their bare shoulders. The bites didn’t hurt and weren’t felt when they happened, but my lord did they itch about a week later.
The finish line is on the olympic speed skating oval, which you have to run a lap of after climbing the hill of doom, so don’t think you’re done once you reach the top of the hill…you still have a lap to go.
The medal wasn’t huge or super high quality, but it was nice and you get a dry fit tee.
I can’t remark on the post race spread aside from water because I left for lunch with my mother once I finished.