Burlington in may and in mass. the Around the Lake Mary in july?? looking for an east coast mary, like the small-medium sized races.
I haven’t done Burlington but friends of mine who have say it’s a tough course with plenty of hills. Burlington is a fun small city that would make for a great visit (be sure to check out the Vermont Pub Brewery if you go).
The Around the Lake race is in the next town from me and the course is dead flat. Multiple 5k loops and you are also dealing with walkers, rollerbladers, strollers, dogs etc as Lake Quannapowitt is a very popular spot for those types of activities. Roads are also open for traffic so you’ll have that to deal with if you decide to venture into the street to avoid everyone else. The 24-hr race that starts at the same time is a qualifier for Badwater since it always seems to be the hottest weekend of the summer when this race is held. It’s a great training spot as I run up that way quite a bit but I don’t know that I’d want to do it as a marathon.
Hi,
I haven’t run Burlington but I’ve watched it while friends did it. It’s a nice marathon and Burlington is a GREAT town. Very pretty and green. There are some hills in but nothing too bad. I think the only unpleasant part is one section where you do an out-and-back on what amounts to a small highway. The rest of it is gorgeous.
We actually stayed at a campground less than a mile from the finish, maybe 2 miles from the start. If you want cheap accomodations that are convenient, that’s the way to go.
As for Around-the-Lake – that race is put on by my club - the Somerville Road Runners. It is actually run as part of a larger event. The marathon starts at the same time as a 24-hour relay (teams of 8) and a 24-hour ultramarathon. It starts at 7:00 PM so the heat of the day has faded quite a bit by the time you get going.
It’s run in loops around Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield. Each loop is 3.16 miles so you go around 8+ times. Might not be what you are looking for but ideal for a relay and ultra. Good news is that the course is extremely flat with an almost imperceptible slope for about 400 meters at one point, flat the rest of the way. You have the same aid-station every 3.16 miles. If you are the type of person who likes to just zone out and do your marathon, this is a good race for it. Plus you are constantly going by ultramarathoners who are forced to run much slower so you always feel like you are making progress. The course is USATF certified.
The scenery is nice enough. You have the lake on your right and suburbia on your left. But it is New England suburbia so it’s fairly nice. Wakefield is a nice town
I ran it myself in 2004 and loved it. I want to run it again but other plans keep getting in the way. Still I will be there volunteering.
The funny part is, since the relays and ultra people keep going, it’s the only marathon I’ve ever done where I felt like a slacker when I finished. It was as if I hadn’t done anything.
The race starts and finishes in the parking lot of the Lord Wakefield hotel. Get yourself a room there and it’s a matter of seconds from your door to the starting line.
Wife ran the Vermont Cities Marathon in Burlington. Great town. Nice time of year to visit the area. Not too far from Lake Placid. Also consider the Clarence DeMar Marathon in Keene, NH - very small with a profile that is quite similar to Boston. You may also want to consider the Bay State Marathon in Lowell, MA - flat and fast.
it does sound like my kind of race. i like just zoning out and running. did a 25k that ran at the same time as a 50k recently. so we did 7 loops they did 13. it went by so quickly. i thought i would get bored but i really thought it helped.
oh and congrats on winning the race in 2004 speedy
I ran the KeyBank Vt Marathon in 2006 (Burlington) as my first marathon and loved it! It does not have a lot of hills, it has some inclines and declines as does every marathon, but there is no large hill in it. There is a climb that is similar in a way to “heartbreak hill” (Boston), but not nearly as long. I believe it comes around mile 15, can’t fully remember. There is great crowd support, and the out and back on the interstate has plenty of fan support as well and (it’s a great place to relieve yourself along the woodline!)
Sign up, you’ll love it! I’ll be running it, and I travel to Burlington monthly so if you are ever going to be up that way, let me know, and I’ll run the course with ya.
Good luck
thnx speedy
.
Mount Desert Island
AWESOME race, field limited to 1000.
And yeah it’s “east coast”
lemme know if you come to my home!
Hey JoeO, you were kind enough to give me some advice on this marathon a while back. While I have not yet done this race I am seriously considering it this year to attempt qualifying for Boston. Having never run a nighttime marathon before, what advice would you give for eating during the day? Are you running/volunteering this year? would love to have a pacer if you are around or know anybody
Pete
I haven’t run those 2, but I’ll throw 2 more onto your list to look at: Adirondack Marathon in Schroon Lake (Aug/sept), and Lake Placid (june i think?).
Adirondack is small, in a small town on a lake. It’s fairly close to Burlington (on your way to Lake Placid from Burl.).
My wife and I have both run the Vermont City Marathon. Nice race,nice course. Kinda cool running down Church St on the cobbles/brick street and amongst all the stores and shops. Theres one decent hill,that was mentioned before. But its not that hard. Weather can be chilly ,rainy or hot,you never know. The last few miles are run from north Burlington on the bike path to the waterfront finish. I think you’d enjoy yourself,and yes theres good beer in Burlington and Shelburne with the Magic Hat Brewery.
Burlington in may and in mass. the Around the Lake Mary in july?? looking for an east coast mary, like the small-medium sized races.
I have done the Burlington marathon (2009) and have nothing bad to say about it. I even liked the t-shirt I got, which is rare.
How is the MDI marathon? Hilly and windy? We’re usually out there in late August for a week or so and I usually do a cross-island trek/run on the trails and many park loops/Cadillac climbs on the bike. I doubt I’ll be able to get back up in mid-October but I imagine a road marathon there would be amazing!
Let me know when you’re there this summer!
It is hilly but it’s not usually windy. “Amazing” is a good word for it 
I’m not sure I can give you any advice on how to eat for this. My taper for the race was exactly 1 day because I wasn’t taking it seriously at all. In fact, I ran 3.5 miles the morning of the race too. I just ate normally but think I had pasta for lunch.
This year I actually won’t be able to be there for the race. Normally I would volunteer but this year I’ll be in Germany. The good news is that you don’t really need a pacer for the race… It’s flat enough that you just have to find the pace once and stick with it. About the only variation is a slight headwind on the mile on the far side and a slight incline as you are heading back to complete a loop.
-Joe
I think you’d enjoy yourself,and yes theres good beer in Burlington and Shelburne with the Magic Hat Brewery.
FWIW, there is far better beer in Burlington than Magic Hat. I can think of about 5 breweries with better beer. There’s a reason that all of the locals drink Switchback…
Thanks for the advice JoeO. Enjoy Germany