I recently completed the 2012 Vermont City Marathon. I chose this marathon because it was basically…read morethe biggest marathon in Vermont. Race morning was on 05/27/2012, during Memorial Day weekend. The travel to get to Burlington, VT was not an easy road for me, physically and financially. But once I got got into Burlington and step foot with the other marathoners on race morning, everything seemed to be better and the world seemed to be a smaller place. The Vermont City Marathon 2012 was my 40th lifetime marathon and 3rd of the year. Yikes! I've done alot! First time in Vermont and probably not the last, as I saw some awesome houses along the course and it makes me want to move out to Burlington someday when I am old and grey. In any event, the marathon is the premiere event in Vermont. There are other races held in Vermont, but VCM is the big one - like how New York City marathon and Chicago marathons dominate in their respective states. It is interesting to see that this race venue does not have a half marathon, since the half marathon is like a big draw for so many people - mostly due to its shorter distance. But for me, it has to be the full marathon, since its worth the $$ on airline tickets and hotel rooms to do it. The marathon expo was large enough, but small enough. There was an extensive expo separate from the packet pick up, which is similar to the Walt Disney World Marathon. I got to meet up with Laura Sklaudinski, the first youngest 50 State Marathoner from NY. That was bad ass! She inspires me to chase my dreams and to chase states. The marathon starts at 8:03am, with the wheeled athletes going first at 8am. The course itself looped around downtown Burlington, then on the Hwy 127 for a long out and back. Then onto a bike path with great views of Lake Champlain. From miles 13-19, we weaved in and around the residential areas of the North End, passing by Burlington High School. The rest of the course was on paved bike path from miles 20 to the finish. There was of families who were on bikes that day and wished me good luck as I streamed through. Though that was pretty awesome. Although the final push to the finish line was a long one, I felt that the bike path was just insanely long. Then again, 26.2 miles isn't a joke. It was a great venue to participate in and hope to come back to Vermont again to do it all over again. I heard that the men's winner clocked in at 2:30:xx, while the women's winner came in at 2:43:xx. That's crazy fast and wish I could do that some day. I probably would need to quit my day job and train hardcore full time. But I would probably miss the traveling. Give and take, I guess. Run more! A+

This review is from a spectator's point of view. I would love to hear how participants enjoyed it…read morebut, alas, I only watched. First of all, this is one of the premier events in Burlington. Burlington's population hovers somewhere just shy of 40,000 people. This year over 8,000 runners took the streets of the Queen City and it is truly an amazing spectacle. The Marathon begins at 8:05 a.m. with participants in wheelchairs followed by the throng of runners. I think the corner of Willard St. and Pearl St. is the best place to catch the start of the run. It's impressive to see the never-ending wave of runners come up Pearl St. with the Adirondacks in the distance. Everyone is still in high spirits as their less than 1/2 mile into the event. Finally, there's Future Man. Future Man is a perennial favorite and must see. His outfit (I use the term loosely) is a black danskin leotard, a yellow construction helmet with red flashing light and, of course, combat boots. Future Man entertains runners and observers by playing the accordion. This is quite amusing and very fun even though he only seems to know about 2 and a half songs. After watching the runners go by, head down to Church Street. While this is a walk of probably .3 miles for you, the runners will be coming up Church St. about 3 miles into their run. Church St. is the best place to watch people any time of year and the marathon is no exception. The streets are packed and lots of cheering. Lines will be long at almost all restaurants so bring something to eat or be prepared to wait. After that there are several good options. The beltline is completely closed to cars and some like to ride their bike on that part of the route. The end of the marathon at Waterfront Park is also worth catching. From a particpant's point of view it's great entertainment. I'd love to hear from the runners on how it is be a particpant.