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.
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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.
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.