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Frederick Marathon or Potomac River Run?? (Read 786 times)

    I'm in training for my first marathon...my 18 week program puts me at the weekend of May 4 for a marathon. Lucky for me, there are two marathons in the DC area that weekend - the Frederick Marathon (http://www.frederickmarathon.org/site4.aspx) and the Potomac River Run (http://www.pvtc.org/marathon.html) Any recommendations? I'm closer to Frederick so I was going to run that one, however, I have heard it is hilly which may not be great for a first marathon. On the flip side the Potomac River Run is a double out-and-back course (half marathon course that you do twice)...psychologically, when I finish the first 13.1 miles, I doubt I'll want to turn around and run it again!


    go Care Bear go!

      I'd do Frederick only cause I went to school there (Hood College) and love the town. Hmmm... maybe I should think about that for next year. Have a great race no matter what you decide!
        I've heard good things about the Frederick Marathon. My neighbor is even planning to try to BQ there this year, so it can't be THAT hilly. Smile Good luck!!


        Just Be

          Wow, it's expensive. Sad I thought about doing the half-marathon till I saw the cost. Oh well.
            Wow, it's expensive. Sad I thought about doing the half-marathon till I saw the cost. Oh well.
            I was considering running the half marathon at the National Marathon as a tune-up, but that's even more expensive - $80 for the half ($95 for the full). Frederick is $25 less! But the thought continues to enter my mind..."I'm going to PAY someone else $70 for the opportunity for me to run 26.2 miles???"
              I did the Potomac River Run last year (my first marathon) and - though I haven't any other marathons to compare it to - I thought it was a well organized and friendly race, albeit a small one. Nice views of the river too. The out-and-back-and-out-and-back-again course didn't bother me - I quite liked the fact that I knew roughly where I was and how far I had to go during the second half.
                I haven't run either. However, you might want to check the comments on Marathonguide.com from runners who have run each race: Frederick - http://www.marathonguide.com/races/racedetails.cfm?MIDD=1917070506 Potomoc River - http://www.marathonguide.com/races/racedetails.cfm?MIDD=2078070506 Concerning the difficulty of the Frederick course, 13.6% of participants in the last two years have run a BQ time, as compared to a national average of 10%, indicating that the course at least isn't brutal, nor is typical weather conditions. The course's elevation profile at http://www.marathonguide.com/coursemaps/elevationchart.cfm?MIDD=1917080504 doesn't indicate much flat space, but it also doesn't show many really difficult hills. The most difficult hills appear to be a couple of 70-80 footers in the last 5 miles. The rest seem to be relatively small rolling hills.
                  Thanks Jim and Nick for your comments. I think I have just about settled on Frederick since it is closer to me. Since it is my first marathon and it's a local race, I'm not so worried about the Expo and food afterward (that seemed to be a big negative in the comments about the Frederick Marathon). I'm not going to sign up for a few more weeks, however, since I want to get some longer runs in and insure that my body will be able to hack it (so far my longest run has been a little over 10 miles...I'll see how I feel after at 15 or 16 mile run and then pull the trigger!)