Wow! What a race! First marathon after the two years of pandemic life and it did not disappoint. Well, my time was disappointing due to having a 6 week old, … MORE
Wow! What a race! First marathon after the two years of pandemic life and it did not disappoint. Well, my time was disappointing due to having a 6 week old, no training and lack of sleep, but would definitely do this race again.
Expo was small but super efficient getting in and out, and had all the products you would need if you were happen to forget something at home, such as your race shorts.
Getting to the race was a quick affair, simple walk down the hill and through the park. Would recommend more portapotties, but you can never have enough of those on race day. We went off in waves based on bib number assigned to us at the expo, and definitely missed my wave due to those lines at the john. Course was the 2nd year of the double loop, which was still pretty awesome. Multiple bands and drum groups out there playing their hearts out for the runners. Super easy for spectators to see their runners multiple times around the starting line since we pass it about 4 times total.
Would recommend bringing sunscreen since you’ll be next to the water or out in the open a lot of the time. Few stretches of street where there is absolutely no shade and you will get roasty toasty.
Again, highly recommend this race for runners, and would even be a great first marathon!
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Listen to those drums!
Wow! What a race! First marathon after the two years of pandemic life and it did not disappoint. Well, my time was disappointing due to having a 6 week old, … MORE
Wow! What a race! First marathon after the two years of pandemic life and it did not disappoint. Well, my time was disappointing due to having a 6 week old, no training and lack of sleep, but would definitely do this race again.
Expo was small but super efficient getting in and out, and had all the products you would need if you were happen to forget something at home, such as your race shorts.
Getting to the race was a quick affair, simple walk down the hill and through the park. Would recommend more portapotties, but you can never have enough of those on race day. We went off in waves based on bib number assigned to us at the expo, and definitely missed my wave due to those lines at the john. Course was the 2nd year of the double loop, which was still pretty awesome. Multiple bands and drum groups out there playing their hearts out for the runners. Super easy for spectators to see their runners multiple times around the starting line since we pass it about 4 times total.
Would recommend bringing sunscreen since you’ll be next to the water or out in the open a lot of the time. Few stretches of street where there is absolutely no shade and you will get roasty toasty.
Again, highly recommend this race for runners, and would even be a great first marathon!
Brutal finish, but what a nice town!
Third marathon in less than 60 days, and I paid the price. Body wasn’t ready. But let’s take my sub-par run out of the equation and get to the race: … MORE
Third marathon in less than 60 days, and I paid the price. Body wasn’t ready. But let’s take my sub-par run out of the equation and get to the race:
Start Line: It was at Waterfront Park. Call me a dummy, but I couldn’t find that information on the website or race emails. Luckily, I stumbled on it the day before. Beautiful venue for a start/finish. Enjoy the lake and Mountain views!
Race route: 1) A mini uphill to start, then long and flat as you head south of Burlington’s downtown. Nondescript stretch, though not unpleasant. Make a mental note of the brewery and cidery options. 2) At three-ish miles, loop through a residential area and make the turn back north. Three miles northbound, with stretches on a bike path and along the lake. Enjoy those views…it’ll be uphill at mile 6. Which leads to 3), an uphill wind through downtown, taking you up Church Street on the brick street shopping area. Climb for a mile or so. 4) A 3-3.5 miles northbound stretch that tucks into a residential neighborhood. Loved the crowd support from homeowners. 5) Pivot south and finish loop one on a 3-mile, mostly wooded, gentle downhill back to Waterfront Park. 6) Lather, rinse, repeat for lap two.
Weather: Hoped it would be cooler. Started at mid50s, but in the 70s by race end. Eh…luck of the draw. Heat got to me (compounding other problems)
Swag: Expo was typical. Nothing much in the way of free goodies. Medal is okay, nothing special. Apparel (for sale) trumped what I’ve seen at some races. Bought a lightweight hooded tee.
Post-race: Medical crew got rave reviews from my friend who was watching. Food was basic, but plentiful. Park was a lovely place to relax and recover after.
The Town: Loved it. Shops, restaurants, bars…had a college town feel, but classy. Burlington has personality, but not the contrived “keep Portland weird” type. It’s a city that doesn’t need to call attention to itself. Worth 2-3 days for exploring. Spend a month there and you’ll probably get bored though.
Overall, a really nice place to cross Vermont off your 50 states marathon list.
Great views, amazing crowd
My first marathon and I really enjoyed this race. Overall would run again and thought it was a great race experience. Pros: - People cheering along the entire course. Can’t … MORE
My first marathon and I really enjoyed this race. Overall would run again and thought it was a great race experience.
Pros:
– People cheering along the entire course. Can’t go more than 200 feet during the entire race without someone cheering.
– Big race feel. Only 1.3K marathons, 8K total runners (relay, half, and marathon) with 30K spectators
– If you have spectators coming to watch, my family was able to see me 5 times – 4 times in same spot plus a quick 5min walk to the finish
– Plenty of hydration stations along the course. Many run by race but also plenty from locals with sprinklers, ice bags, water, ice pops, etc
– Views is Lake Champlain along the course were beautiful
– Lots of pacer times
– Relatively flat the whole way. 1 minor hill around mile 6 and 19 that is a gradual incline for about 1 mile
– Plenty of parking and good hotels in the area
– Big expo
– Cool medal and shirt
– Lots of bands and cheering along the way
Cons:
– Definitely not enough bathrooms. Over 1k people waiting in line for the bathroom at 6:50am for a 7:00am start. Missed my start time and had to catch up to people over the first mile
– The race is over Memorial Day weekend so weather can be hot plus need to travel for the weekend. In 2022, race started at 57 degrees at 7am, and finished around 72 degrees partially cloudy. Weekend before was in the 90s so we got lucky.
– Marathon and relays all run the same course so lots of people dodging around each other for the first few miles
– The Marathon course is two half marathon loops, so could get boring to some but I thought the energy of the crowds kept it entertaining the whole way
Could be tough on a warm weekend
A course with some good lake views and pretty good crowd support. Get to the expo early. They ran out of bags for bag check. Also ran out of bags … MORE
A course with some good lake views and pretty good crowd support. Get to the expo early. They ran out of bags for bag check. Also ran out of bags to put post race food in. The medal is thick. Very heavy, especially after a very warm race that sapped your soul! One last note, I was a bit disappointed that they didn’t go back to the original course. This one was two loops.
It was beautiful
It was beautiful but it was hilly! In a few parts it was really rocky and muddy ! The awesome part was my dad could bike the whole thing and … MORE
It was beautiful but it was hilly!
In a few parts it was really rocky and muddy !
The awesome part was my dad could bike the whole thing and cheer me. He also took pics .
It was fun !!
This race is ridiculous
3 years ago I did this race and they cancelled after a few hours because it got hot. In the summer...Seriously. WTH? After 3 years of being angry about it … MORE
3 years ago I did this race and they cancelled after a few hours because it got hot. In the summer…Seriously. WTH? After 3 years of being angry about it I signed up again, mostly because it was the only Vermont race I could make work with my schedule and as we’re waiting for the start they announce they need to evacuate the park, because rain is coming. Are you serious? The rain came and went and we started about an hour late so it was hot, but surprisingly they didn’t cancel again, but all those angry feelings came back. Only do this race if you want to go to Burlington for no reason, and treat the race as a happy accident IF it happens. This race is utterly ridiculous.
Memorable Marathon on Memorial Sunday
The Vermont City Marathon is a fantastic event. I came out a day or two early and did a shakeout run with Bart Yasso and a few of the pacers … MORE
The Vermont City Marathon is a fantastic event. I came out a day or two early and did a shakeout run with Bart Yasso and a few of the pacers the day before the race. They were telling me how this is a perennial favorite for how well the city supports the event.
The 2019 field featured a large number of invited elite runners, so it felt like one of the big-time marathons I have run in, like the Marine Corps. The course begins downtown and makes several passes by the park where the starting line is, making it very spectator-friendly. There is a long out-back stretch in the first third of the race, so we all get to see the leaders power through on their way to victory. The course also features several views of Lake Champlain as well as finishing the final four miles (this year) on the Burlington Bike Path.
In 2019 the race organizers made a judgment call 15 minutes before the scheduled start to call a weather delay as lightning was spotted in close proximity although it had not started to rain yet where we were. Everybody was able to take shelter in nearby parking garages or hotel lobbies etc for a half hour while the storm passed. Beginning 45 minutes late turned out to be fine–no complaints from me when it meant not starting out soaking wet. All that to say, the race organizers and police force on duty did a fabulous job. The finish at the waterfront was a great way to end the event. Highly recommended for spending a holiday weekend at this marathon/relay event!
Vermont beauty + a few hills
This was a fun race weekend. The race was held on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend (so that made it convenient for travel--didn't have to use up vacation days!). … MORE
This was a fun race weekend. The race was held on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend (so that made it convenient for travel–didn’t have to use up vacation days!). The weather can be unpredictable (it’s been cold and rainy and they also had to stop the race for heat a couple of years ago). This year was good weather.
There are some hills on the course, but they are mostly out of the way by mile 15. From there it is mainly flat to downhill. There are plenty of spectators out and–due to the course design (multiple points of up and back)–friends can see you multiple times throughout the race.
The pasta dinner the night before was well attended and fun (though this is the first time I’ve experienced the pasta being in a cream sauce instead of tomato). The medal was a good size. The shirt design was just okay–but it was a good material and navy blue.
There are plenty of hotels near the start/finish. If you do, you can walk/run to the expo (it’s a couple of miles away).
I highly recommend bringing bug spray! I definitely got bit a lot during the race.
Burlington, VT is a fun town. Church Street-closed to car traffic-is filled with stores and restaurants. You can barely walk 10 feet with hitting another craft brewery! The people are very nice and the area is very pretty. It’s a nice weekend away for you and any non-runners you might be traveling with.
Perfect day for a race
The Burlington City Msrathon is awesome. A few thousand runners on a course that winds its way in and around Burlington, Vermont. The closing 4 miles on the bike path … MORE
The Burlington City Msrathon is awesome. A few thousand runners on a course that winds its way in and around Burlington, Vermont. The closing 4 miles on the bike path along Lake Champlain is fabulous.
A top tier marathon!
There were a lot of great aspects to this race. The town of Burlington is awesome. They take such pride in the race. The way the course is designed (lots … MORE
There were a lot of great aspects to this race. The town of Burlington is awesome. They take such pride in the race. The way the course is designed (lots of various out and backs) means it’s easy for fans to see a runner multiple times. Plus it feels like the crowd support is huge because of it. The race strikes that amazing balance of large crowd support with the small town feel. The course is moderately flat by New England standards. It has some hills, nothing too steep, but a few that were long, steady inclines. It’s a fair course to chase a PR in the Northeast. The race is quite organized. It was easy to find my family afterwards. The food and drinks were what you expect from a race. The tech shirt is great. I am quite picky when it comes to keeping them (I hardly ever do), but I am keeping this one. The start/finish line is in a beautiful area, in a park on the lake. I absolutely loved the last 4 miles of the race. It’s on a flat, mostly shaded, bike path that has woods on the left and views of the lake on the right. If you are chasing a PR, those last miles will help you get there. This is my 9th marathon and only the second one I enjoyed so much I would consider running again.
Home Sweet Home!
This is my 5th VT City Marathon over quite a number of years because it is where I grew up and a lot of my friends and family make it … MORE
This is my 5th VT City Marathon over quite a number of years because it is where I grew up and a lot of my friends and family make it out to the marathon or as part of the Relay. The expo is medium in size, but a lot of great vendors and people that are welcoming while sharing their love for the product they are featuring. My favorites were the HOKA booth (bought some great HOKAs) and the Smuggler’s Notch Distillery (ok I had to try at least one shot of vodka) 🙂
On the course the opening singing of the National Anthem on Battery Park was a welcome send off. The only part of the course that doesn’t have as many spectators is the out and back on the highway. It’s a long stretch and a little boring. But when that is over you are back in town and headed the the bike path on Lake Champlain!
One of my all time favorite spots on the race is about mile 16-17 where you can hear the kettle drums playing in the distance. It’s the “only” hill in my estimation and memory – so the energy from the drums just pushes you to the top! Then out to the bike path along the water after a few neighborhoods serving Vermont Maple Syrup as the energy shot (super yummy but be sure to try it on your stomach prior to diving in!). The last miles are along the shore and the water gives me a sense of calm. Stayin in my zone to the end, keeping up my pace and then you can hear the crowds cheering from about a mile away! A beautiful finish area and after race treats! I would definitely do this one again! I have had some great times here and the nature and course profile is one that I do well! Thanks VCM for a great marathon!
Fun race, but not my day :(
It was 90+ degrees on race day that Mem Day Wknd '16, and no one in Vermont was prepared for it. They called the race about three hours into it. … MORE
It was 90+ degrees on race day that Mem Day Wknd ’16, and no one in Vermont was prepared for it. They called the race about three hours into it. I had already dropped out, however. At mile 15. I was totally bummed, as you can imagine, but I wanted to give a shout out to amazing race organizers and local EMTs and first responders of Burlington for making a tough but important decision. The crowds and music and scenery was great, in my opinion. I wish I’d finished but it wasn’t in the cards that day. I would like to go back and try again sometime. My family and I really enjoyed our stay in Burlington, VT. If you haven’t checked it out, it’s a really neat city.
Well organized, views of Lake Champlain
I ran this race in 2008. It was a glorious day, bright blue sky, puffy white clouds, good temps. Unfortunately I was sick as a dog and I slogged through … MORE
I ran this race in 2008. It was a glorious day, bright blue sky, puffy white clouds, good temps. Unfortunately I was sick as a dog and I slogged through it. I knew I needed to return and did just that in 2011. This time the weather didn’t cooperate nearly as much, so we ran under damp and cool conditions. Nevertheless it was a great experience. This is a medium sized event with an expo and nice race swag (I’m writing this in 2015 and I still use the tote bag we received). Start and finish areas are very near each other making it convenient on race day. The course is scenic with lovely views across Lake Champlain. The toughest climb is on the stretch known as “Assault on Battery” at about mile 15, a short but steep climb. The last mile is along the lake.