My first back-to-back marathons! AKA 2 marathons in one weekend!
The drive between Lowell + Hartford was slightly under 2 hours
I signed up for this race for two reasons:
I wanted to knock 2 marathons out in one weekend to save time and money
Someone in one of the Facebook groups I'm in wanted to transfer their bib due to an injury. I saw this as a sign that I should run!
I couldn't make the expo on Friday or Saturday due to the conflict in Hartford
Fortunately, I was able to pick up my bib the morning of the race!
Parking was a nightmare!
The most convenient spot to park was the George Ayotte garage, which was $5 cash! However, leaving was a nightmare!
The other spots in the area were much more expensive, but at least leaving would have been much easier!
We started at the Tsongas Center
All runners started at the same time: Full, half, and relay
There were only pacers up to 4 hours
There were about 3,000 people total, but less than 1,100 marathon runners
Since this was a small race, I was able to freely run and not have to zig-zag between people
The weather was 10/10! I have zero complaints about the weather and scenery!
It got a little quieter when the half-marathoners split from the marathoners around mile 2
We ran around the Merrimack River twice since the course 2 two loops
The view from the Tyngsboro Bridge was beautiful! After running across the bridge, we turn onto the Old Pawtucket Blvd and Old Route 113
I had a couple of main complaints
There were hardly any spectators sadly
We ran along the road with active traffic for approximately 10 miles (5 miles per loop). Because we had to run in the road with traffic, it was hard to pass runners since we had to make sure we wouldn’t get hit since the cars were behind us. We got to finally spread out once we cross the bridge around miles 8 + 18 and continued along Pawtucket Blvd
The volunteers were also 10/10!
Additionally, we had 15 aid stations! So, I took advantage of that since I ran the day before!
The afterparty had a lot to offer!
The free food were 4 types of soup (minestrone, tomato basil, veggie, and chicken noodle), bananas, oranges, PB + J sandwiches, and chips. There was sadly no beer.
I personally wouldn’t use this as a BQ/PR opportunity since there were some rolling hills and it was hard to spread out for a good chunk of the course.
Race Website: Baystate Marathon
Marathon Pictures!