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Vermont City Marathon? (Read 1606 times)

Seanv2


    I am running the Vermont City Marathon at the end of may. Anyone else out there running it? Anyone who has run it in past years have any advice?

    Have you qualified for Boston? I want to interview you!

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    www.miloandthecalf.com

     

    Jill_B


    I fly.

      I'm supposed to be running it.

      Bring it on.

      Seanv2


        Have you done it before?

        Have you qualified for Boston? I want to interview you!

        Message me!

         

        www.miloandthecalf.com

         

        Jill_B


        I fly.

          Nope.  And I don't know anything about it.

          Bring it on.

          xor


            I have.  And I gotta say... people that live up there seem to think that VCM is "the shit" (as in, folks looooove that race).  I thought it was a fine race, but I showed up expecting extra primo great and it was ok.

             

            • Roly poly.
            • Very well supported.
            • The last miles are run on a bike trail which gets quite crowded if you are a midpacker.
            • Odd shuttle before and after, though I think many people parked close.
            • Some miles are gorgeous, others are so-so. Which is a great ratio for 26.2 miles! No butt ugly miles.
            • Tons of spectators at the end. This is cool. It's also weird because they squeeze onto the packed bike trail. But overall cool.

             

            I ran it pretty fast for my level of fitness at the time, so it isn't what I'd consider a slow course.

             

            This is the only race besides Maui where I actually walked between the hotel and the airport.

             


            an amazing likeness

              From my experience with the VTCM:

               

              Things to like

               

              • Atmosphere...its an event in the midst of a cool college town.
              • Size...just right.  Not too small, not too big.
              • Lots of first timers...so people are really in a good mood.
              • The 'cloverleaf' shape of the course brings you through the town center 4 times.
              • Organizers have lots of experience, it runs smoothly.
              • Course is primarily (trends) downhill after mile 16.
              • Bands, bagpipes, drummers, beer, lake views, Vermont hippies, Vermont cheese.

               

              Things which may not be so great

               

              • It can be crowded and chaotic at the relay exchange points.
              • The bike path course can clog up (as SRL notes), especially the section at the 1/2.
              • The weather can be anything from cold (40F), rain, wind off the lake to hot (80F), humid and you wont know 'till race day.
              • Burlington is pretty quiet Sunday PM after the race, compared to its usual self.

               

              Here's an elevation map if to show the rolly-polly. Pay attention to the scale, its not a lot of change, just steady.

               

              Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.

              Seanv2


                Thanks for the feedback. I'm a little worried about the hills, but if srlopez says it isn't that slow, maybe I'll be alright.

                Have you qualified for Boston? I want to interview you!

                Message me!

                 

                www.miloandthecalf.com

                 

                xor


                  Well, ponder The Milkman's chart above (including the scale on the y axis).  Hills are relative to each person.  I come from out west and so VCM seemed pretty tame. Though it didn't have a lot of flat.  But as you can see, the second half is a lot calmer.

                   

                  Anyway, it was my PR for exactly six days until I lowered it again.

                   

                  Seanv2


                    Well, ponder The Milkman's chart above (including the scale on the y axis).  Hills are relative to each person.  I come from out west and so VCM seemed pretty tame. Though it didn't have a lot of flat.  But as you can see, the second half is a lot calmer.

                     

                    Anyway, it was my PR for exactly six days until I lowered it again.

                     

                     

                    Oh of course. Obviously, I'm not expecting a super flat course, but it seems that there are a lot of reasonably moderate changes in elevation, and not any huge ups and downs. I'll take that.

                    Have you qualified for Boston? I want to interview you!

                    Message me!

                     

                    www.miloandthecalf.com

                     

                      I've done this one twice and really liked it.  The posts above hit the good points about the race.  The town itself is a great place to spend the Memorial Day weekend, so that's a plus as well.  Both times I ran it, I was what I'd consider mid-pack (3:45 and 4:15) and didn't run into any problems on the bike path section.

                       

                      Some thoughts on the race:

                       

                      The hill at mile 15 (Battery Hill) isn't as bad as they make it out to be.  The first time I ran I was waiting for it to get hard, and then found myself at the top.  There is a whole lot of crowd encouragement there, so that may have provided a mental boost.  My second time, I was just running for fun.  I took the vibe there in a little more, and still found it to be fairly easy.

                       

                      The finish line is just a little further than you think it is when you hit the park at the end.  You'll hit the crowds, see the clock and think that you're just about done.  Then you overshoot it a bit and come back.  The overshot isn't much really, but after 26+ miles, it's a bit of a wtf moment if you don't expect it.

                       

                      Crowd support is excellent at this race.  in 2007 it started pouring, and people stayed outside making noise and cheering, even outside of the downtown area... it was pretty cool.

                       

                      There is a brew pub in town.  That afternoon, it will be full of finishers wearing their medals.  I was convinced that it'd be weird to wear my medal to dinner, but ended up being the only one not wearing one.  So, go there... there will be a wait, but you'll be in good company and have good food and beer.  Remember to wear your medal!

                      -------------------------------------
                      5K - 18:25 - 3/19/11
                      10K - 39:38 - 12/13/09
                      1/2 - 1:29:38 - 5/30/10
                      Full - 3:45:40 - 5/27/07


                      an amazing likeness

                        Just for fun...my annotated version of the VTCM course elevation:

                         

                        Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.

                        Seanv2


                          Just for fun...my annotated version of the VTCM course elevation:

                           

                           

                           

                           

                          Very helpful, milktruck, thanks. Battery Hill looks like it'll be... fun?

                          Have you qualified for Boston? I want to interview you!

                          Message me!

                           

                          www.miloandthecalf.com

                           

                          xor


                            Ooo!  I do like the annotated elevation chart.  What a hell of an idea.  We should do this for lots of races.

                             


                            an amazing likeness

                              To totally take this too far, and since I'm waiting on some tax stuff to print...here's some photos from various sources to give you a flavor for sections of the course....

                               

                              First, the start chute. To the right is Battery Park with bag drop and porta potties and pre-race hangout:

                               

                               

                              Next, shows the flavor of the "Intervale" out and back section, miles 4ish - 8ish.  This is on the outbound, towards the Samba band and turnaround at a cone:

                               

                               

                               

                              This is the downhill you see on the elevation chart before right before mile 10.  Running from downtown towards the lake. Gives a pretty good perspective that the hills are rolly (rather than steep) as you'd expect for a lake side town.  UVM is at your back (up the hill), the bar where Phish plays is in that block ahead on your right, and there's a beer store on your immediate left (before the Shell) if needed:

                               

                               

                              Here's the first bike path section, right along the lake.  This is just past the half and heading towards downtown and the "Battery Hill attack" section.  This gives perspective on the width of the path (6 or 8 feet).  (Take note: this first section of the bike path has some potholes...watch your footing)

                               

                               

                              This is the Church St section through the middle of downtown.  You go through this section twice, at about mile 4 and then again at 9.  The first pass is "up", the second pass is "down". This is down, so you can see it is just a slight grade.  Good spectator area, water stops are in, and people just wandering on the course:

                               

                               

                              This is what you're looking for at the end.  The finish chute.  At the end you'll actually run past the finish, take a sharp left (on grass) and then hook back to the finish as in this photo:

                               

                              Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.

                                Those photos are making me a bit nostalgic... I'm not able to run it this year, but I think it's definitely back on my list for 2011.

                                -------------------------------------
                                5K - 18:25 - 3/19/11
                                10K - 39:38 - 12/13/09
                                1/2 - 1:29:38 - 5/30/10
                                Full - 3:45:40 - 5/27/07

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