Customer Reviews

The Traveling Marathoner: A Complete Guide to Top U.S. Races and Sightseeing on the Run (Special-Interest Titles)

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I didn't know what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised at the readability of this travel guide. There are inspirational stories in each chapter that make lies out of every excuse I've ever given for not running a marathon. As a cheering section member, this guide helps me show support while having a good time. I especially love the section 'Forget Sightseeing, Get me to a Spa'. Next time you want to run - I'll be at the spa waiting to hear your stories.

This is a great book for any budding marathoner who is looking for special places to run acrosss the country. There are 12 locations listed -- one for each month of the year -- some on the the East Coast, some on the West, and others in between. Each chapter tells about the race course and offers helpful tips about where to stay, wherer to eat, and things to do after the race depending on your energy level after you finish. The book was written several years ago, so some information has no doubt changed, but accessing the Internet will give the reader the most up-to-date facts. Enjoy!!!

As an avid endurance athlete myself I was hoping this book would capture the "soul" of the 12 marathons presented in this book. For the Boston marathon, for example, the author captures none of the excitement when seeing the Citgo sign for the first time, the deafening cheers as you pass Wellesly College, and being treated like a celebrity all weekend.

The author shares little to none of her personal account with the 12 marathons covered in this book. Indeed the author herself claims she has only run 7 marathons and doesn't mention which of the 12 she's personally experienced.

This book is more of a sterile dining/lodging guide to 12 semi-random cities rather than a book about 12 marathon experiences.

The title promised a lot more than the book delivered. There are only 12 marathons reviewed here, and the author didn't even run every one of them. The format of the book chooses ONLY one marathon per month of the year and gives details about the particular marathon and the cities/areas they are held in. At only 12 marathons, that severely limits the utility of the book. It also leaves out a bunch of marathons that deserve to be included such as Big Sur, Grandma's, CIM, Philadelphia, and a whole ton of others. The Stowe Marathon which is included as the marathon of September isn't even a marathon anymore as it's been cancelled and is kaput, so that chapter is useless.

On the positive side, there is a lot of information on each particular race that is covered. The maps are nice and there are a lot of hotels and restaurants highlighted to check out. However, a lot of the local info could be dug out of travelling guides for the particular city instead. Overall, what content there is in the book is good, but there is just not enough of it.