Overall Rating
Overall Rating (12 Reviews)
3.8
(12 Ratings)  (12 Reviews)
DIFFICULTY
2.7
SCENERY
4.4
PRODUCTION
3.2
SWAG
3.7
The Maine Coast Marathon is coming to Wells, Maine for a full weekend of scenic coastal running! Take on either the Half Marathon or 5K on Saturday, then get ready for the grand return of the marathon on Sunday! Complete with scenic coastlines, white-sand beaches, and pristine marshes, the course … MORE
Local Historical Weather (May 04):
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L (°F)  41  43  45  46  44
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Recent reviews

    Profile photo of Michael Cohen
    divefin FIRST-TIMER '23

    I’m going to break this one down: Packet pickup was easy and they were really accommodating with swag changes Parking at the school was easy but we did get there … MORE

    I’m going to break this one down:
    Packet pickup was easy and they were really accommodating with swag changes
    Parking at the school was easy but we did get there early. The race it self takes you down the coast for 5 miles before zigzagging you back through a beautiful beach town. Now for the down side: The race started 40 min late due to parking and shuttle bus planning. The course is about a 1/4 mile long and when getting to the finish area the lines to get post race food were very long. With the late start and the weather I would have liked to see more aid stations on course, There were 5.

    Note the race directors have sent out an email saying that they are making plans to improve these issues for next year.

    DIFFICULTY
    3
    PRODUCTION
    4
    SCENERY
    5
    SWAG
    5
    My Media

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    Leading up to the race, the website was a little sketchy and it was hard to reach anyone via email due to the wrong info posted. Once I finally got … MORE

    Leading up to the race, the website was a little sketchy and it was hard to reach anyone via email due to the wrong info posted. Once I finally got through to the correct email, they were very helpful and told me everything I needed to know. In the future they should hopefully update the website so there is less confusion.

    On race day, everything was right on time, directions, or easy to understand, and even though I ran slow, there was course support throughout the entire marathon. It was unseasonably warm, but the aid stations had plenty of water, and luckily there were lots of beautiful scenery.

    The windbreaker was pretty awesome and the metal will look good with my other states

    DIFFICULTY
    3
    PRODUCTION
    3
    SCENERY
    4
    SWAG
    4

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    WillRunForBeer FIRST-TIMER '23

    Ran the May 6, 2023 half marathon. The race sweatshirts are sleek, but the sizes run small, and race organizers refused to allow runners to change sizes. Runners are shuttled … MORE

    Ran the May 6, 2023 half marathon. The race sweatshirts are sleek, but the sizes run small, and race organizers refused to allow runners to change sizes. Runners are shuttled from the junior high school to the start. Race was set to start at 0700. We were told about every 5-10 minutes that it would be a “few more minutes,” we are “waiting for the last few buses.” The race started at 0740. There are a few small hills along the course. Most of the race is run through neighborhoods and along a busy road. A portion of the race runs along the coastline. Some of the aid stations have people handing out gatorade underneath the “water” banner and people handing out water underneath the “sports drink” banners. At the end of the race, we waited over an hour for the gear check vehicle to bring the gear because it was “stuck in traffic.” We were given an extra beer ticket to use while we waited. No one announced when the gear finally arrived and there was no banner designating the gear pick up area at the busy and crowded finish area. Shuttles took people the 1.1 mile drive back to the junior high school from the finish line. We opted to walk, as the shuttle line was about a quarter mile long, and the buses were loading and departing very slowly. Several days later, the official race times have not been posted for runners.

    DIFFICULTY
    2
    PRODUCTION
    2
    SCENERY
    3
    SWAG
    5

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    Hamsco FIRST-TIMER '23

    The course was nice, flat and fast, and the volunteers were great. The logistics were a bit off. They bussed you from a school to the start line, except there … MORE

    The course was nice, flat and fast, and the volunteers were great. The logistics were a bit off. They bussed you from a school to the start line, except there wasn’t any parking at the school. Then there weren’t enough busses for the amount of people. The race started 40 minutes late. The finish line was chaos. They handed you a medal and you had to stand inline for a cup of water you poured yourself. They had plenty of room to setup a water station were you kept walking and grabbed a couple of cups. The only other issue was the gear check. The vehicle transporting the gear from the start wasn’t there at the end of the race, and you had to wait around for it. The rest of the after race festival was great, live music with an open field with bench’s and cold beers.
    The race itself was great, and with a few little corrections the whole experience could be as well.

    DIFFICULTY
    2
    PRODUCTION
    2
    SCENERY
    3
    SWAG
    4

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    yma98 FIRST-TIMER '19

    What an amazingly beautiful half! Such a scenic route along the coastline. Easy packet pickup, good course support, and just absolutely stunning views along most of the route. I highly … MORE

    What an amazingly beautiful half! Such a scenic route along the coastline. Easy packet pickup, good course support, and just absolutely stunning views along most of the route. I highly recommend this race!

    DIFFICULTY
    2
    PRODUCTION
    4
    SCENERY
    5
    SWAG
    3
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    portlandrunner FIRST-TIMER '19

    Arriving at the race, traffic was a nightmare so give yourself plenty of time! The logistics of parking around the UNE campus were a mess. The race ended up starting … MORE

    Arriving at the race, traffic was a nightmare so give yourself plenty of time! The logistics of parking around the UNE campus were a mess. The race ended up starting late but was well supported along the course with plenty of water, snacks, and cheers. The route is gorgeous and most of it is right on the water. If you are looking for a scenic race in Maine, this one fits the bill!

    DIFFICULTY
    3
    PRODUCTION
    3
    SCENERY
    5
    SWAG
    3
    My Media

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    Profile photo of Katie Starling
    starlingk2003 FIRST-TIMER '19

    We drove over 1600 miles (one way) to run on the Maine Coast and it was a great experience! The scenery was beautiful, not as much ocean views as I … MORE

    We drove over 1600 miles (one way) to run on the Maine Coast and it was a great experience! The scenery was beautiful, not as much ocean views as I expected! The course was challenging but not a killer. The communication was good and the volunteers were friendly. Were there hiccups? Yes. But as this was my 6th marathon I’ve at least had a little experience to guide my impressions.

    The shuttle buses were right where they were supposed to be and seemed ready to take runners even AFTER the published last depart of 6:30. Not sure HOW but two half marathon runners accidentally ended up on a bus to the full start- might need more volunteers checking the runners getting on the bus?? Anyway when we got over to the school there was a big backup of traffic so our driver let us out to walk over. Thank goodness because the lines at the portable toilets were HORRENDOUS!!! We waited and I stressed, and some runner or volunteer (not sure which) started suggesting/reminding that there are portapotties available at mile one, which to me is NOT a solution. I managed to finally get in one and of COURSE it had an issue. One roll was empty 👎🏻 but the other was full 👍🏻 the full one was a disaster 👎🏻 because someone before loading it had taken the loose end and wrapped it 3+ times through the center cardboard so I had to hold back the sliding plastic door, claw at the “tied” paper trying to tear through the layers to find a loose end. When I got one and pulled against the plastic case to tear it, the whole plastic casing popped open and fell towards me. It had been zip tied closed?? I couldn’t get it back up. All this happening while I KNOW the race is going to start without me.Eventually I got out and I was ALONE. I ran to the start. I did NOT miss it. I heard the anthem. I heard the conch shell. So it worked out. But it was a stressor that didn’t need to exist.

    Like many other people I went out faster than I intended, but I corrected that by stopping and taking pictures! This race was just “to finish” for me. To check the Maine box in a list of 50 states. I wish there was more running by the ocean, but I appreciated the villages also. The crowds were not overwhelming but they were friendly and supportive. I enjoyed the trombone player around mile 16. I hope someone tells him! The RaceJoy app was a great touch, it was for the most part pretty accurate (it announced to me every mile where I was, my mile split, my average pace, and my projected finish time!! And getting cheers from my family and friends back home through the app was brilliant!!

    I walked a bit around mile 20-21.5 with a younger guy who was struggling, but when I realized he wasn’t going to regroup I knew I wasn’t ready to walk the last 5 miles!! I struggled with some calf cramping and a revisit of a weird quad cramp that I’ve gotten in other races. I carried gels and I carried water (NO gels were offered on the course-they had other food instead). I ate the peanut butter pretzels offered. I would have had watermelon chunks but it was long gone when I got there?? By mile 25 I was running low on steam. I drank the Gatorade but was swaying a bit and medical started to approach me. I appreciate that they were watching closely, but I was not ready to give up. I appreciate even more that she honored my hand- holding her off as I restarted and pushed through the last mile and some.

    At the finish it was hard to tell where to go! It looked like two chutes which made sense to me (half/full) but no one told me where to go until i asked. When I entered the chute and got across the line I was given a water bottle (as promised) but the water was NOT cold as they promised. I was given a medal that was not specific to my accomplishment (half and full medals were the same). I then had to find my way to food (not terribly difficult but I mentioned I was flagging by that point) luckily a friend found me at the finish and pushed pretzels into my hands. I think the finish area could use some work. Gatorade bananas pretzels should be immediate. Other stuff like beer and ice cream can be Festival food stuffs. But immediate needs should be addressed immediately.

    I got my cookies. I ate pretzels. I had a half bagel with peanut butter. But I did NOT get my beers. They ran out. I read somewhere that it was a big mixup and more came out later after I left. I did get ice cream and they were EXTREMELY kind to tell Runners their ticket would be honored at their SHOPS as they had run out of all but one flavor. I ate my Cuban coffee and LOVED IT! I took pictures. I relaxed. I enjoyed the sun whenever the wind was not freezing my sweat! My brother hasn’t run Maine yet (he had Lincoln, NE the weekend before and Fargo, ND next weekend). I will recommend this one to him and maybe come back when he does. But otherwise this one will not be a repeat for me because of location. But I think it is a good value and a decent experience for other runners.

    DIFFICULTY
    3
    PRODUCTION
    4
    SCENERY
    4
    SWAG
    4
    My Media

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    Joerobe FIRST-TIMER '18

    Overall Rating: Really good, with room to improve. Course Difficulty: constant rolling hills and all paved surfaces. Fairly challenging. Course Scenery: Off the charts. Outstanding! Race Production: You’ll have to … MORE

    Overall Rating: Really good, with room to improve.

    Course Difficulty: constant rolling hills and all paved surfaces. Fairly challenging.

    Course Scenery: Off the charts. Outstanding!

    Race Production: You’ll have to decide: no shirt with race purchase, packet pickup was a breeze, lots of pre race info, tracking app that didn’t work for many people on the course, first announcement at the start line was that there would be no aid stations for the first 8 miles, aid stations didn’t really have any type of fuel, aid station volunteers were really good. Some really major issues, but also some gold stars.

    Race Swag: Nice medal, but again, no shirt with entry.

    My Performance: It was ok. About what I expected for the second day of a double.

    A really beautiful course with lots of support. There is room for improvement, but if I needed a check mark by Maine, I would definitely consider this one.

    DIFFICULTY
    3
    PRODUCTION
    2
    SCENERY
    5
    SWAG
    2

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    starlingk2003 May 15, 2019 at 7:04am

    in 2019 a shirt was included. Shirt was a tank top, male and female versions, but NOT half and full marathon versions. Everyone got the same shirt. Everyone got the… MORE

    in 2019 a shirt was included. Shirt was a tank top, male and female versions, but NOT half and full marathon versions. Everyone got the same shirt. Everyone got the same medal. I would hope that they correct/change this in the future. LESS

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    kgaule REPEAT RUNNER '18

    I love this course and this race. I was on pace for a PR and at mile 8 my mind took over, and before I knew it I was way … MORE

    I love this course and this race. I was on pace for a PR and at mile 8 my mind took over, and before I knew it I was way off! Sooo, I’ll be back at it next year because now I’m pissed! Lol! If you haven’t done this race I think you’ll really enjoy it. Great people, awesome scenery and a fairly easy course to run, even when your head takes over!

    DIFFICULTY
    3
    PRODUCTION
    4
    SCENERY
    5
    SWAG
    3

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    BrooklandRunner FIRST-TIMER '17

    I don't want to knock the entire race because a volunteer mistakenly sent us down a dead end, adding half a mile. But, that's what I most remember about the … MORE

    I don’t want to knock the entire race because a volunteer mistakenly sent us down a dead end, adding half a mile. But, that’s what I most remember about the race – that and how wet and windy it was. I added another state and collected another BQ, but I am left wondering how many minutes I lost doing that out and back that shouldn’t have been.

    DIFFICULTY
    3
    PRODUCTION
    2
    My Report
    SCENERY
    5
    SWAG
    4

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    bioprofsd FIRST-TIMER '16

    This was a point to point course from Wells to Biddeford, Maine, providing a thorough tour of the working class village of Wells to the upper-class resort community of Kennebunkport … MORE

    This was a point to point course from Wells to Biddeford, Maine, providing a thorough tour of the working class village of Wells to the upper-class resort community of Kennebunkport Maine. There were a few priceless views of the coastline , as well as good examples of summer vacation mansions near Kennebunkport. If you are thinking of running a marathon in Maine, this one should be given serious consideration.

    DIFFICULTY
    2
    PRODUCTION
    4
    SCENERY
    4
    SWAG
    3
    My Media

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    maxtonmcd FIRST-TIMER '16

    Probably 9 or 10 miles of this course is right along the coastline. Beautiful scenery in all directions. Plenty of volunteer support. Finishes on the track at the University of … MORE

    Probably 9 or 10 miles of this course is right along the coastline. Beautiful scenery in all directions. Plenty of volunteer support. Finishes on the track at the University of New England. Free Shipyard beer and pizza post race. This is a great race with a great atmosphere. Course is flat, but there are enough rolling nubs to get your leg’s attention.

    DIFFICULTY
    3
    PRODUCTION
    4
    SCENERY
    5
    SWAG
    4

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  1. Races
  2. Maine Coast Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K