2025 Paine to Pain Reviews Come Rolling In!

And the reviews are rolling in.

Past reviews have been collected from Facebook, Instagram, blogs, Reddit, Twitter/Blueksy/Threads or anywhere else I can find them, to preserve the immortal (and occasionally poetic) writings of our athletes for posterity, before being lost to an ocean of obviously less important information on the intertubes. Those notes that have come in by email are only used with permission. (Paine to Pain reviews from 2009 to the present can be found here.)

This page will be periodically updated if I find more. (There are more, right?)

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 I have  run 170 different half marathons – at least one in each of the lower 48 states – without repeating a race. After six years, when my "lower 48 challenge" was complete, I decided to go back and pick ten or twelve favorites to run again. The Paine to Pain in New Rochelle was an easy addition to that list. From their unorthodox waiver to their apt revolutionary war-themed swag, they put nice touches on what is already a top-notch route for a trail run. To top it off, the race ends at the local high school with an impressively catered spread, plus access to the locker rooms and showers, which is very convenient for out-of-towners. Any fan of trail runs should add this event to their bucket list. – John Reisner, via email

#Bucketlist – Matthewknight via Instagram

Thanks for an impeccably organized event! — Ethan Koreff, 2025 Men’s Champion, via email

You and your team have a lot to be proud of - All the volunteers along the course were great, but I really want to give a shout out to whatever HS/college team (boys & girls) was spread around at a lot of the inner-trail winding turns giving directions & encouragement [Iona University]. As a hometown race, this is really a special one. — Josh, via email

Best. Medal. Ever! Thank you for all you do to make this an amazing race for everyone!! – Tara Rose, via Facebook

I've had the Paine to Pain Trail Half Marathon on my bucket list for the past 10 years and today, I finally got to run this awesome event despite the impending noreaster storm and when so many other events got canceled! This is a gnarly technical giant single loop that winds its way through the woods and trails of five different parks in lower Westchester County. "The only easy day was yesterday!" Special thanks to the Race Director, Staff & Volunteers for monitoring the weather accurately and for an excellent event! 💙🙏🏃‍♀️ ClimbingForADream, via Instagram

We just wanted to thank you guys for organizing a really challenging, scenic, safe & in the end, great day & race. Everything came together wonderfully for us from the seamless pre/post race logistics to none of us being injured on a very technical course & all finishing the race before the Nor’easter rolled in. We are all proud (but sore) to officially be P2P 2025 trail half-marathoners and we can’t wait to run it again next year with even more friends & family! Thank you for organizing such a great day & event. — Johnny Mendoza, Will Littman and Salsa Joy Pace

Still my favorite race! — andrew_r_booth via Instagram

Paine to Pain will always hold a special place in my heart. It's always a great experience. Thanks to Eric Turkewitz and all of the amazing people that year after give this race life. Oh and thanks for the non-alcoholic beer [Athletic Brewing] that was out on the course for the first time this year. I'm looking forward to next year hopefully I'll be better trained and the bald faced hornets will leave me alone. It's always challenging but then again they don't call it Paine to Puppies. — Michael Wolf, member of 10-year club, via Facebook

Everything from communication about the race, logistics, course itself, volunteers,post -race amenities—all fantastic. Except two things—it wasn’t treacherously muddy as expected, and all the beer was gone by the time I got to the finish. Next time I have  to run faster or there has to be more beer. All kidding aside, it’s exactly what a grass-roots race should be—so well organized and attention paid to runner’s experience! Thank you! Will try it lure more VCTC next year, away from all those NYRR races! — Bette Clark of Van Cortlandt Track Club, winner Female 70+, via email

The Paine to Pain Trail Half Marathon went off without a hitch and the threatened Nor'Easter never showed up. PPTC had a good turnout and came away with a few awards and as well as some "near misses” in our respective AGs. And this year, I didn't get lost!! Thanks again to the NewRo Runners and RD Eric Turkewitz for putting on a great run and not pulling the plug too quickly. – Murray Rosenblith, Mayor of the Prospect Park Track Club, via Facebook

Another fun and well-organized year - nicely done 👍 
Thanks for all you do/did and for the shout out as well!  -- Dave Long, member of 10+ club,  who ran with his three sons, via email

I love the Girl Scouts station. [Aid station 3, mile 10.8] I was waiting to get there as soon as possible for my cookie.—Yaqui Escobar, via Facebook

Love running Paine to Pain whenever I can. Gets harder every time but age is just a number. Grateful the body still gets me through and grateful to Eric Turkewitz and all the volunteers who go to extraordinary lengths to put this even on every year. — Wellfleets_finest, via Instagram

Ran another Pain to Pain trail half with my sister yesterday and it was super fun as usual! @ajmacaroni and I were worried about the race being canceled, but we were prepared for anything…no rain and it wasn’t even muddy! @painetopain put on another amazing even and we can’t wait for next year! — krissycat6, via Instagram

Running P2P reminds me that this stuff is fun and the energy at the starting and finish lines is euphoric. This is what Paine to Pain does as well as any other race I’ve been to the last three years. — run_farter, via Instagram

Hands down the best race in town every year — willdnyc via Instagram

A friend of mine had always raved about this race and i just had always thought, hmm that's a weird thing to be passionate about?  but i get it now.  your updates, the history, muskets and drummers, an unexpected athletic beer table hidden atop a hill, free food?  man that was fun to experience.  can't wait to hear my name called when i do my 10th consecutive one in 2035. — Tim Glynn, via email

Eric: the ESCOBAR’S [eight family members registered] will be running Paine to Pain for as long as our ability allows us, this was our 5 year, many more to come. Congratulations to you and your team for doing this awesome half marathon, we enjoy running the trail. — Mari Escobar via Facebook

THANK YOU for organizing the race, I loved every single step of it! — Fabio Friscia, via email