And the reviews come pouring in…

Some comments about the race on Sunday…

From Joe Garland at Run Westchester (Marathon PR, 2:29, NYC, 1983):

These are wonderful, varied trails of which the communities through which they pass are justly proud. This race can become one of the highlights of the Westchester running world.

Stephen Quirk (Happauge, NY):

It was really well run and brutally fun. I enjoyed the trail, other runners and the great job the volunteers did.

Matt Patrick (Larchmont, NY) 2nd place overall:

You put on a good show today.  Really good course and excellent staffing.  I (and everyone I saw) had a really good time.  When you feel like you’re going to puke with 6 miles to go and still finish with a big smile on your face… that’s the mark of a good event.   You’ve done a remarkable job getting this race off the ground and making people really psyched for it every Fall.  Double the size next year…..

Brian Vanderheiden (Bethel, CT), 3rd place, 30-39:

Thank you for putting on such a wonderful event! Although I’ve run on all of the trails in the race at one point or another, I’ve never run them in succession like that. It was much more challenging than I expected it would be with the rocks, the mud, the slippery cat walks, stream crossings, etc., but all part of the experience that a trail race should be. The trails were in very good shape as well despite the heavy rain on Friday night and Saturday.

Dan Tower (Eastchester, NY):

It’s a gem of a course and it was a well run, fun, small-ish race.

Carol Sebastian (Greenwich, CT)

It was my first trail race and it was pretty hard but I did enjoy it.  Great training for the marathon!

Katie Williams (New York, NY), 2nd place 20-29:

I enjoyed the raced tremendously; it was my first trail race.

Tom Liptack (Larchmont, NY):

Great race … one of the toughest runs I’ve participated in .. would do again …. one caution I would alert potential runners on the treacherous, hilly terrain … this race is not for the average street jogger …..  It is a trek for people who are in shape and know what they getting into ….

Dennis Noskin (Greenwich, CT):

An unbelievable trail run!!!  Well done!…I look forward to running it again next year!!  Thanks for all your efforts.

Mark Maritzen (Rye, NY), 3rd place overall:

Great event…Well done and thanks for organizing.

Zach Katz (Bronx, NY) 2nd place overall 2008; 1st in age group, 20-29, 2009:

the race was once again a ton of fun.  I just need to learn how to hold back on the first half so I dont bomb on those rolling hills near the Hutch.  I think having my name on the bib made me wanna push the pace and lead the first half….Thanks again for organizing a rockin trail race

 

Oscar Fernandez (New York, NY):

I have to admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect when the taxi dropped us off at the registration site last Sunday. I’d never been to New Rochelle, I’d never raced before, and I’d never run on trails before…. The trails were no joke. I thought I was going to die 30 minutes into the race! …living in Manhattan I only trained on flat surfaces; I will definitely be better prepared for next year’s race!

From an organizational standpoint, you and your staff really covered all your bases. The check-in crew was very helpful. The fact that our bags were moved from the starting point to the finish line was big. The IONA volunteers provided plenty of moral support. Their smiles and cheers really helped me psychologically. The refreshments provided after the race were a big hit. The massage therapists, the awards, the stories behind some of the award recipients, etc….

I will make every effort to participate in next year’s Paine to Pain trail race. Once again, thank you.

From the blog Wanderlust Runner:

It was challenging, exhilarating, fun, and, yes, painful….this course was waaay more challenging. Hills, mud, roots, rocks, people, catwalks, and on, and on. But then I would remember to look around me and with the fall colors just starting to creep in, everything clicked. One runner on the trail called it “running Nirvana.”

 I was a bit nervous about making the trek up to Westchester by myself, but before I even got on the train at Grand Central I found fellow racers. I met people before, after, and even during the race, and by the time we were all saying our post-race congratulations I felt like I had 50 new friends.

I will add more when they come in.

–ET