The Sugarloaf Marathon, a Boston Marathon qualifier, draws global runners to scenic Western Maine. Certified by USATF, it’s one of the nation’s fastest courses, with a 1,500-runner limit. The Sugarloaf Marathon is an official qualifier for the Boston Marathon and certified by the United States Track and Field Association (USATF) …
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The Sugarloaf Marathon, a Boston Marathon qualifier, draws global runners to scenic Western Maine. Certified by USATF, it’s one of the nation’s fastest courses, with a 1,500-runner limit.
The Sugarloaf Marathon is an official qualifier for the Boston Marathon and certified by the United States Track and Field Association (USATF) as an official sanctioned event. Over the years the Sugarloaf Marathon has become extremely popular among running enthusiasts from around the world. With a strict limit of 1,500 participants, the race is expected to sell out quickly. In 2024, 34.3% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon making Sugarloaf the fastest course in Maine and one of the top in the nation.
Located in the mountains of Western Maine, the Sugarloaf Marathon follows scenic Route 27 as it passes by the Bigelow Mountain range and follows alongside the Carrabassett River. The course starts in the town of Eustis, traveling through Carrabassett Valley, and finishes in the town of Kingfield. The first 5 miles of the race are relatively flat, as miles 5-10 consist of rolling hills with a steady two-mile climb at mile 8. The last 16 miles have a gradual descent with an elevation loss of 980 feet.
The Sugarloaf 15K takes place on the last half of the marathon course, starting in Carrabassett Valley and following the Carrabassett River to the town of Kingfield. The course has an elevation loss of 300 feet from start to finish. The course stays on scenic Route 27 with no turns or intersections until the finish line.
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Beautiful and fast race
This is a great race! Sugarloaf is one that many try to BQ and PR at. I had just run a marathon the week prior, so I was unable to … MORE
This is a great race! Sugarloaf is one that many try to BQ and PR at. I had just run a marathon the week prior, so I was unable to test my speed and race to my full potential, but I think this could have been a PR course for me as well. Would definitely recommend for a Maine race!
Downhill mostly, nice people
This is an easy course, mostly downhill, winds along a pretty river. It's way out in the middle of the state, 3 hours from Portland or Bangor if you're flying … MORE
This is an easy course, mostly downhill, winds along a pretty river. It’s way out in the middle of the state, 3 hours from Portland or Bangor if you’re flying in, but it was worth it. Nice people volunteering! Lots of people trying to qualify for Boston, and realizing it at a high percentage. Pretty area. Weather cool and perfect here in May, 40s or low 50s for most of the race.
Beautiful, hilly Maine marathon
After reading other reviews I thought the first part would be difficult and then after mile 10 you just coast to the finish. Not so!!! It's hilly all the way, … MORE
After reading other reviews I thought the first part would be difficult and then after mile 10 you just coast to the finish. Not so!!! It’s hilly all the way, up and down. Just more down after mile 10. Prepare for hills!!! The shuttle situation must have gotten straightened out because we didn’t have any issues. We also enjoyed staying warm on the bus before the start!
Sugarloaf - Fast but challenging course.
Getting there is the first part! Located in western Maine, the closest airport is Bangor, which is still a 2-hour drive, so better plan on traveling most of a day, … MORE
Getting there is the first part! Located in western Maine, the closest airport is Bangor, which is still a 2-hour drive, so better plan on traveling most of a day, unless you’re somewhat local of course. Good website describes the course accurately. It is a fast course overall. The climbs from mile 8 to 10.5 were more difficult than I expected. This may have been due to the weather though. We had 60 degrees and extreme humidity in 2022.
The course is scenic, with nice views of the Carrabassett river flowing next to route 27 most of the way. I’ve eyed Sugarloaf for quite a few years and am glad to have done it for Maine. There was no expo or course photographers, which I was perfectly content with! The overall production was handled very well. I did the Pasta dinner and enjoyed it. The RD and staff and course volunteers were awesome. Now for the negatives….. the mile markers were short, which normally isn’t a big deal for me, but if you’re trying to run a specific time, it would be nice to count on them being accurate. Because most of them were off, the last .2 was closer to .4. Running on the local country highway wasn’t bad early Sunday morning, but by about the 3 hour point, traffic picked up…..I’m just not a fan of running with automobiles. Not much the organizers can do about this, I’m just sharing for information. Same with this last point…. there was a fair amount of road camber…. I spent a fair amount of time navigating around it, but there are sections you just have to live with it.
Beautiful mountain views - unsafe course
I chose this race for the mountain views. I went with my family and we stayed at the Sugarloaf Mountain in a condo, which was beautiful! The athlete pasta dinner … MORE
I chose this race for the mountain views. I went with my family and we stayed at the Sugarloaf Mountain in a condo, which was beautiful! The athlete pasta dinner was disappointing- the pasta was cold- in hindsight we should have made our own pasta meal in the condo. Race day was pouring rain but it was nice to have the shuttle to the start and there was a tent to stand under to keep dry. The course was open to traffic, which would have been ok if there was a safe shoulder to run in. The shoulder was broken up for most of the course and I had to run in the road among speeding cars and even some big rig trucks. This was a no frills race, which is ok, but I wouldn’t recommend it mostly because of the safety issues with the course.
Great PR course
Sugarloaf is a net-downhill course in an average temperature in the 50s Fahrenheit (~12 degrees Celsius). In 2017, a little over 700 people finished the marathon. The course is flat … MORE
Sugarloaf is a net-downhill course in an average temperature in the 50s Fahrenheit (~12 degrees Celsius). In 2017, a little over 700 people finished the marathon. The course is flat for about 5 miles, rises over the next 5 with two challenging hills coming at about mile 8 and 9.5 (my slowest mile was mile 9, a 7:01, 29 seconds slower than my overall average), then descends for the final 16. The drop is steep at first (6:15 and 6:05 miles for 11 and 12), but then becomes gradual, with an especially good stretch between miles 14 and 20. There are some very slight inclines in the last 6 miles, but all of them are paired with accompanying downhills right afterward. It’s a great course–it’s rated something like the 30th fastest marathon in the US.
Depending on your speed, it may be tough to find people to run with. I was alone from mile 12 onward (2:50 got me 6th place). If you’re hunting for a BQ, though, there should be a good pack to settle in with. I would definitely recommend running with someone else if it all possible, because it’s a lonely road from the start to the finish–you’re on the shoulder of a major route in Maine the entire time. I never ever felt unsafe (and I didn’t find the camber too much trouble), but it can get monotonous, even though you’re amid a lot of natural beauty.
Organization is great–the packet pick-up is very simple with no unnecessary frills, and the staging area at the start is perfect. Room to jog around, plenty of restrooms, and buses to sit in that will keep you warm. I highly recommend staying at the Sugarloaf Mountain Resort because the shuttle buses to the start leave from there, and the buses at the finish will bring you back. Don’t procrastinate on reserving a room or you’ll be out of luck.
Sugarloaf is definitely a wintertime area, so not a lot of stuff is open at the time of the race. There’s a market at the finish line, and I suggest bringing your own food. If you’re inclined to go out, eat at the Looney Moose cafe or the tavern at the resort.
I loved this race. I’m sure that my view is biased because I ran a good race, but I’ve also run enough marathons to know what makes one a positive experience. There is no stress associated with getting to the start line of this one. Head up to Maine on Friday, stretch out your legs, drive the course, and relax until you have to make your way to the shuttle buses. When you cross the finish line, relax in the field at the end and watch everyone else come in. I desperately want to go back next year to give the 15k a shot.
Extremely Impressed!
You definitely need to go for the full weekend (or even just the night before). Since the marathon is a straight shot, it is super easy for your supporters to … MORE
You definitely need to go for the full weekend (or even just the night before). Since the marathon is a straight shot, it is super easy for your supporters to follow along, cheer you on, give you some food, etc. The volunteers and people who cheered us on were fantastic. I wish there were clocks and/or pacer teams along the way. There were plenty of water stations and gu stations. The starting line was a little disorganized but it worked lol. The finish line was awesome! The course was good….rough the first half but great the second half which was what I needed by that point. Can’t wait to run it again!
scenic
last several miles are unfortunately shared by traffic on a two lane road and it included a lot of big trucks with diesel fuel. smelly, loud. MORE
last several miles are unfortunately shared by traffic on a two lane road and it included a lot of big trucks with diesel fuel. smelly, loud.