This was my first marathon ever, and I'll admit I wasn't 100% prepared in terms of training. This course was phenomenal, and the organization/water stations were even better! I would … MORE
This was my first marathon ever, and I’ll admit I wasn’t 100% prepared in terms of training. This course was phenomenal, and the organization/water stations were even better! I would recommend the Mohawk Hudson Marathon to anyone interested in a quick, flat course.
What stood out most:
-Water stops frequently included gatorade, water, and a few had a variety of “GU”s to choose from.
-Each water station was manned by many volunteers, many of whom appeared to be high school runners! It was great to have their goofy and enthusiastic encouragement 🙂
-Spectators along the way with some awesome signs, and sometimes pump up music!
-Beautiful course along the bike path – some may find that boring and redundant, but I found it to be so beautiful with the surrounding trees, changing leaves, tunnels, bridges, views of the river, and FLAT terrain.
-Consistent and clear mile markers each mile, with cute quotes on each one.
-Phenomenal weather. 45 degrees at the start, and no more than 65ish by the finish.
-Free massages provided at the end
Cons:
-There was apparently a medical tent at miles 18 and… 20-something. I was desperately in search of some icy hot or something to cover up a sharp nagging pain in my ankle, so was looking forward to stopping. I saw a sign for “medical tent ahead” (I think) and didn’t see any tent – just a couple cop cars – so kept going. I must have missed it, which was kind of a bummer. I wish the tents had been actual tents – would have been easier and more welcoming to just pop in to get assistance. Also, it felt a little late to have the first med tent at mile 18, but there didn’t seem to be any issues.
-This did not affect me in any way because I was not trying to qualify for Boston… but there is a set of railroad tracks around mile 18 and the race directors did not seem to know whether trains would come through. It was worded as “there is a timing mat before the tracks, so if a train comes through you will stop and then have your time adjusted”… but that would not be accepted by Boston. That may affect those looking to use this race as a qualifier, but it didn’t look like there were any issues with that.
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The best "first marathon" course.
This was my first marathon ever, and I'll admit I wasn't 100% prepared in terms of training. This course was phenomenal, and the organization/water stations were even better! I would … MORE
This was my first marathon ever, and I’ll admit I wasn’t 100% prepared in terms of training. This course was phenomenal, and the organization/water stations were even better! I would recommend the Mohawk Hudson Marathon to anyone interested in a quick, flat course.
What stood out most:
-Water stops frequently included gatorade, water, and a few had a variety of “GU”s to choose from.
-Each water station was manned by many volunteers, many of whom appeared to be high school runners! It was great to have their goofy and enthusiastic encouragement 🙂
-Spectators along the way with some awesome signs, and sometimes pump up music!
-Beautiful course along the bike path – some may find that boring and redundant, but I found it to be so beautiful with the surrounding trees, changing leaves, tunnels, bridges, views of the river, and FLAT terrain.
-Consistent and clear mile markers each mile, with cute quotes on each one.
-Phenomenal weather. 45 degrees at the start, and no more than 65ish by the finish.
-Free massages provided at the end
Cons:
-There was apparently a medical tent at miles 18 and… 20-something. I was desperately in search of some icy hot or something to cover up a sharp nagging pain in my ankle, so was looking forward to stopping. I saw a sign for “medical tent ahead” (I think) and didn’t see any tent – just a couple cop cars – so kept going. I must have missed it, which was kind of a bummer. I wish the tents had been actual tents – would have been easier and more welcoming to just pop in to get assistance. Also, it felt a little late to have the first med tent at mile 18, but there didn’t seem to be any issues.
-This did not affect me in any way because I was not trying to qualify for Boston… but there is a set of railroad tracks around mile 18 and the race directors did not seem to know whether trains would come through. It was worded as “there is a timing mat before the tracks, so if a train comes through you will stop and then have your time adjusted”… but that would not be accepted by Boston. That may affect those looking to use this race as a qualifier, but it didn’t look like there were any issues with that.
Great scenery!
This was my fifth marathon and I thought the scenery was wonderful. I grew up in Ravena, NY, just south of Albany, and there were many areas that I had … MORE
This was my fifth marathon and I thought the scenery was wonderful. I grew up in Ravena, NY, just south of Albany, and there were many areas that I had never seen or been to before. I loved the views of the rivers and the course was very easy to follow. The first 3 miles you run on paved roads in Schenectady before hitting the bike trail next to the Mohawk River. For the next several miles you are running on a nice bike trail with views of the river and the trees and houses along side. Virtually no traffic at all and there was plenty of help from the volunteers to tell you which way to go. There were aid stops every 2ish miles with water and gatorade. I was getting hungry around mile 10-12 and it would have been nice to have more than just Gu (I don’t really care for Gu). Maybe half a banana or bagel? Anyways, I think it was around mile 14-15 we got into the paved streets again and this part was a little rough in the city streets but everything was marked. There was traffic here but there were many volunteers and police helping to make sure nothing happened. I always felt very safe and secure during the entire race. Around mile 19 I hit the bike trail along the Hudson River and followed that to the finish. This trail has beautiful views of the Hudson River and there are picnic areas, trees, and other walking paths. The path was very wide and flat. Around mile 23 I went under a bridge and around some trees and then there was the city of Albany! The Corning Tower and The Egg in front of me. The crowds start to grow and it definitely helped me forget the horrible blisters on my feet and go faster to the finish at Corning Park. All in all it was a great course with lots to look at the whole way. The only complaint I have was that around mile 17 I saw a sign for a medical tent and I really needed some band aids for my blisters and I never saw any medical people or a tent? Weird. I would do this race again. I recommend it to anyone looking for a flat course with nice river views and trees. Albany is a sizable city but is easy to get around with plenty of parking, trails, shopping, site seeing, and fall apple picking!
Fast course on paved bike paths
This marathon was run mainly on bike trails along the Mowhawk and Hudson Rivers from Schenectady to Albany, NY. There were some nice fall colors in the leaves, but I … MORE
This marathon was run mainly on bike trails along the Mowhawk and Hudson Rivers from Schenectady to Albany, NY. There were some nice fall colors in the leaves, but I was a little disappointed that there weren’t more views of the rivers. The course had a couple of gradual uphills in the first half of the race, but it was mainly downhill clear to the finish. I didn’t think the multi-colored medals were anything special, but overall I thought it was a well-managed race.
Great first marathon!
This was my first marathon, and as a local to the Albany area, this was a great choice for me. The course is very flat and can be fast if … MORE
This was my first marathon, and as a local to the Albany area, this was a great choice for me. The course is very flat and can be fast if the weather is cool. Some years it can be pretty warm and humid, but others it can be cool with highs in the 50s. The year I ran it the weather was ideal. There is very little crowd support and several sections are on bike paths with hardly and crowd support. The last 5 miles are on a bike path and at times I was alone during those tough final miles. This can be challenging. It is a smaller race and the logistics are easy, which makes is great for a first timer.
First marathon with actual training
First marathon that I actually put some effort into. The pacer was a little rough, but got her crew in time - I did not as the pacer was up-down … MORE
First marathon that I actually put some effort into. The pacer was a little rough, but got her crew in time – I did not as the pacer was up-down with her pace in the first 5 miles sub7 at one point and 740s the next