Hudson Valley Marathon at the Walkway Over the Hudson

No you wont find spectators and bands and whatever else you'd find at a major but wow this is an fantastic course. Mostly flat and fast and through the woods with an epic finish line. getting in an out before an after the race was a breeze. No big lines, no fighting the crowds. I would absolutely recommend to anyone who's looking to PR on a fast and beautiful course.

Book a hotel in Poughkeepsie and get to the race early if you want to find parking close to the start/finish.

I'm going to make this detailed because there aren't many reviews of this race out there. TL; DR, I don't regret having signed up. I'd consider it in the future as a goal race (aiming for PR) but wouldn't do it just for the experience.

Liked:

The paved trail is nicely paved - I didn't feel like I had to watch very closely for potholes or cracks in the paving. And it felt as flat as advertised.

The trail also was really pretty, with a few blooming trees and a lot of green. The bridge was long! at the end, but running over that was a cool experience.

The aid station volunteers were great. When runners spread out they'd even ask what you were looking for so they could hand it to you or help you grab it. We carried a water bottle and my partner was able to fill it up a few times from big water jugs; they were nice and accommodating.

It didn't feel like the aid stations were too far apart. (Granted, we had a cool day, and were carrying water.)

Because it's a smaller race, there wasn't much bottle-necking at the start. I felt I could run my pace without any weaving.

Out and back meant no need to hop on a bus two hours before the race.

There weren't many spectators, but most of the ones out there were cheering for everyone/not just the people they knew (thank you!). After 4.5 hours, there were still people cheering at the finish (in the rain!).

Finish line bagels and 16 oz water bottle. Gatorade protein bars.

I know 26.2 stickers are dorky but I do like the one that came in the swag bag (it's not obnoxiously big and says Hudson Valley Marathon on it).

Vendor at the expo handed out free safety vests. Happy to now have one in the car for emergency roadside stops.

Disliked:

This is just my personal take, but it felt like the focus was on the half, not the full.

The half started 10 minutes after the full. I'm a midpack marathoner so that meant I kept getting passed by half runners. I expected that but it was still pretty demoralizing, and I had to keep reminding myself that I had 21 miles to go, that it wouldn't be smart to speed up then.

The course was pretty monotonous. Out and back often feels satisfying, because on the way back you can mentally click off stuff you'd seen on the way out... but it was a lot of the same. (Full disclosure, I was getting over food poisoning and was not loving my life; it's possible on another day that this would not have bothered me at all.)

The aid station cups were tiny. Smallest I'd ever seen at a marathon. If you're relying on on-course hydration, you'd likely need to stop and drink a bunch of cups in order to get fluids in.

Just one portapotty at each aid station. I had to stand and wait to use one after passing several that were occupied.

No safety bins at Sat. bib pick up. I honestly don't mind a race not providing them in favor of sustainability and/or cost-cutting, but if you're not going to have them, you need to tell people so they remember to pack them. This was an unnecessary source of stress race morning (a bib with no way of attaching it - luckily there were safety pins at Sun. bib pickup but there'd been no email or social media update confirming that).

Poor communication at bib pick up. We signed up early (when shirts were still guaranteed) but when we checked in for our bibs, they were out of men's mediums. My partner wasn't that disappointed, but they told us there'd be more shirts in 5 minutes... in 5 min... in 5 min... We stood around for far too long just for more shirts to never arrive. Again he was OK not getting his shirt size, but neither of us appreciated standing around waiting for nothing.

Note:

YMMV with weather - had been hot a few days prior - but we had temps in the 50s in 2024. Humid, rained for the second half.

No "Hudson Valley Marathon" merch at the vendor expo. Because of that, I'd be hard-pressed to recommend this race to someone looking to run their first marathon. The 26.2 sticker does, but the free pint glass, shirt, and medal list all the distances.

Pack your own safety pins.

I would consider carrying your hydration if you can.

Be ready at 7a but expect that the start time may be delayed a few minutes, then delayed again. My watch says I crossed the start line at 7:14a.

Ate at Lolita's Pizza the night before the race - flatbread was great for extra carbs, server brought us a second water for the table. Stairs to the Walkway over the Hudson are right next to the restaurant so we got to check out that part of the course after dinner.

Race morning, arrive an hour before the start time for a parking spot.

Look for portapotties (might be past the finish line) for a pre-race bathroom stop or get in the long line for the bathroom right away. (I didn't see the portapotties until after the race and am not sure if there was a similarly long line at them in the morning, but I sort of think if there had been, I'd have noticed them...)