For reference, I’m (26m) looking for a Spring marathon to race. I’m slowly coming back into form from an injury and want to find a good place to BQ.
Although, I actually live in Michigan… My friend who lives in Burlington, VT asked me to join him for the Vermont City, Marathon.
Not having ever been to the East Coast, I don’t know a ton about this marathon. For those who have run it, how did you like the course? What was the elevation like? Is hot weather a big concern in Vermont in late May? Is it a semi-scenic marathon?
Id just be curious to hear your thoughts! My other option (which is closer but also much sooner) is Glass City in Toledo, which I’ve heard is a great place to BQ (if weather cooperates). But I think it’d be fun to travel and meet up with a friend for this one! Lmk what you think!
I ran this race this year! It did get into the high 70s by the time I finished but with a proper prep/hydration plan it didn’t derail my race. A lot of great local support along the course including bands/drum groups, people handing out ice/freeze pops/etc, and sprinklers to cool off. I think the total elevation gain across the whole race is around 800ft which I didn’t think was too bad (although I am from upstate NY). A lot of the course runs along neighborhoods or the lakeside bike path so I thought those section were nice. The one weird part is they also do a relay (anywhere from 2-5 people I think) so there was a lot of people running different paces at any given time around me. I was never sure who else was running the marathon lol. I definitely enjoyed hanging out in Burlington for the weekend too.