Vermont City Marathon

Burlington, Vermont

Usually held the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend

If you want to run the Vermont City Marathon next year, here are the course secrets!

Mile 1: slightly uphill but you won't notice because you will be in the pack of starters surrounded by cheering crowds

Miles 2-4: slight downhill/mostly flat, up the pedestrian brick walkway through the center of town (Church St.) with more cheering crowds

Miles 5-8: the Intervale: a highway, divided by a narrow grass verge,  that goes out and back through a wide open wetland. Downhill then flat going out, uphill coming back. May be sunny, may be windy--it's unpredictable, but since it's an out-and-back you get to cheer the leaders and your faster friends after they make the turn-around, and you get to see and shout encouragement to your slower friends after you make the turnaround. You'll run past Sambutacada, the Brazilian-style band. If it's a hot day that uphill around mile 8 can seem tough, so be prepared to conserve a little.

Miles 8-9.5: back through Church St., more music, more cheering crowds (where do they all come from!)

Miles 9.5 10.5: straight shot down Pine St. where the bagpipers usually hang out. Pour on the juice: it's a long gradual slight downhill.

Miles 11-12.5: slight uphill and a couple corners, then a short steepish pitch heading into South Cove: try to ignore it while you enjoy the gardens and inhale the lilacs in this little community where you'll get your first close-up look at the lake.

Miles 12.5-13.1: Oakledge Park: good time to take ibuprofen or grab a Gu: they will kick in just in time to take Battery Hill. Also, just after the 13.1 clock, wipe off the sweat and smile: the photographers hang out at the curve so you can get a nice pic with the lake as a backdrop.

Miles 13.1-15: through a small community, flat along the bikepath (enjoy the lake view), then turn onto Battery. It starts out as a mild uphill but after 3 blocks (and just after the Taiko Drummers) the real hill kicks in. Take it easy! The real hill is only 2 blocks long. People who charge up it get to the top maybe 30 seconds faster than people who hold a steady pace--and they pay for that 30 seconds later in the race.

Miles 15-21: Heading North there's only one hill of any note. It's right around mile 17 by the High School (just past the cemetery.) There's also some traffic here as the roads are not completely closed. But you do get to duck into a small community where the residents will play music, offer sprinklers, and little kids will give you water. After a quick trip down the entrace road to Leddy Park you have a short path through the woods (not muddy this year--hoorah!) then through another community. The first bit of this has a rough-ish pebbly road but then it smooths out. Heading out of that community is the long mile to the northermost point of the race. There you will find a steep short downhill pitch, but around the curve is the water stop at the head of the bikepath

Miles 21.5-26.2: The bike path! People will start saying "You're almost there" "You're on the last leg." While that may be technically true, you know that being at mile 22 isn't exactly being "almost there."

Here's how to conquer the bike path: break it into 4 sections:

1) Top to Dog Run #1: realise that the first mile is a very, very gradual uphill. You won't see it but you may feel it. You are not running out of steam--it will flatten out and be flat/downhill once you get to mile 23. Just hang in there!

2) Dog Run #1 to Leddy Park: the 24 mile marker is just passed the Leddy parking lot.

3) Leddy to North Beach is .8 miles beyond that. When you go under the train trestle you are almost there. Just after North Beach is the 25 mile marker.

4) Once you hit 25 it really, really is downhill. It starts with an obvious downhill and then seems to flatten out. You'll pass the trains, and ahead to the right you will see the remains of an old brick building. When you get to that building you'll hear the crowds first, then around the bend you'll see them lining the route through Waterfront Park.

Don't slow down! The course goes along the sidewalk, down the baordwalk and almost to the bottom of the park. Then it cuts across some grass and heads north again to the middle of the park. It sometime seems longer than it is. The 26 mile mark is in there somewhere, but the cheering from the crowds and the knowledge that you made it may distract you from seeing it.

After the finish, head through the crowd of runners to the food tent: bagels, oranges, bananas, donut holes, cookies and Ben and Jerry's ice cream (of course!) By the time you munch those down your time will be posted--small race and hardworking staff!