Erie Marathon at Presque Isle
Erie, United States · September · Independent
Why people love it
- Flat, certified two-loop course in a state park, with about 76 m (250 ft) of gain.
- Held the weekend before Boston registration, so many runners chase a qualifier.
- Water every 1.6 km (1 mi), staffed by local student volunteers.
- Small field of about 1,000, with quick packet pickup and short toilet lines.
- Open entry, capped at 2,000.
Watch out for
- Spectators are few except near the start, miles 12 to 14 (19 to 23 km) and the finish.
- Early September can be warm and humid: 18 °C (65 °F) and 90% humidity in 2023.
- Wind picks up on the exposed lakeside stretches.
- No cars in the park; parking at Waldameer is a 1 km (0.6 mi) walk.
- Gain figures disagree between sources, from 76 to 142 m (250 to 466 ft).
Race
How racers feel about it, how well it is run, and how it treats a first timer. Counts for 28% of the overall score.
Toughness: Moderate
- Racer satisfactionLoved3.6
Few reviews. Runners like the flat, fast, well-run small race; the one MarathonGuide rating is 3.7, with warm weather and sparse water late. · Low confidence
- OrganizationWell run3.8
Low-budget but well run: quick packet pickup, smooth pace-group start, short toilet lines. Faults were an unmarked cone in mile 1 and pacer confusion. · Low confidence
- First timer friendlyDoable3.2
Flat with a 6 hour cutoff, but the field is Boston-focused, spectators are few and one review reports many non-finishers in warm 2023 weather. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- PR potentialFast4.2
Flat, fast and certified, with about 76 m (250 ft) of gain. A third-party listing says 32.6% of 2025 finishers qualified for Boston. · Medium confidence
Course
Scenery, road surface, closures, and room to run. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Course sceneryPleasant3.3
Park roads with lake and bay views, about half shaded. Quiet, and you run the loop twice. · Low confidence
- Room to runSome pinch points3.4
Small field of about 1,000, but a narrow road, hairpins near halfway and the finish, and one aid station bottleneck in 2015. · Low confidence
- Road surfaceGood3.9
Paved park road. Reviewers made no surface complaints. · Low confidence
- Road closuresPartly closed3.2
A 2015 review reports one lane closed for most of the course. The park is closed to cars on race day. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Course flatnessPancake flat4.6
Most sources show about 76 m (250 ft) of gain; one listing says 142 m (466 ft). Either way it is flat. · Medium confidence
- Net downhillEven3.0
Two loops ending where they begin, so no net drop. Boston qualifier. · High confidence
Support
Crowds, aid stations, the start, and pacers. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Start logisticsSome waiting3.2
Cars cannot enter the park, so you walk about 1 km (0.6 mi) from parking. Pace-group corrals worked; park traffic was slow in 2015. · Low confidence
- Pacers and timingGood4.0
Pace groups from 3:20 in 2023, chip timing and results posted online. · Medium confidence
- Crowd supportSparse2.2
Reviewers say spectators are light, mostly at the start, around 19 to 23 km (miles 12 to 14) and at the finish. · Medium confidence
- Aid stationsGood3.6
Water every 1.6 km (1 mi) from student volunteers, gels at some stops. One runner found a gap at miles 18 to 20. · Medium confidence
Conditions
Air temperature, how predictable the weather is, setting, and spectating. Counts for 14% of the overall score.
- WindSome wind3.0
Wind noticeably picks up on the lakeside sections. · Medium confidence
- Air temperatureWarm or cool3.2
Usually 15 to 20 °C (59 to 68 °F), but humid 18 °C (65 °F) days cost a 2023 runner a BQ. · Medium confidence
- Weather reliabilityVariable2.8
Reviewers call the weather a toss-up: storms the night before in 2015, warm and very humid in 2023. · Medium confidence
- Spectator friendlySome viewpoints2.7
Spectators walk about 1 km (0.6 mi) from parking and can watch from only a few points. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Low altitudeSea level4.9
About 175 m (575 ft) above sea level on Lake Erie. · High confidence
Stay and travel
Hotels, walkability, getting there, and the town around the race. Counts for 10% of the overall score.
- Hotel availabilityGood3.8
Small city with hotels nearby and a small field. No direct reports. · Low confidence
- Hotel valueGood3.7
Erie hotels should cost less than big-city races. No rates found. · Low confidence
- WalkabilitySome driving2.6
You drive to the park, then walk about 1 km (0.6 mi) from parking. Hotels are not walkable to the start. · Low confidence
- Travel easeOne connection3.0
Erie's airport is small. Most runners drive in via I-90 or Route 79. · Medium confidence
- LogisticsSome complexity3.4
Packet pickup is quick and easy, but parking restrictions complicate race morning. · Low confidence
- Town and foodFine3.0
Mid-size Great Lakes city. Reviewers wrote little about it. · Low confidence
Entry
How hard it is to get a place, and what you get for the fee. Counts for 8% of the overall score.
- Getting inOpen entry4.6
Open entry with a 2,000 cap and no lottery. It did not sell out in 2024. · Medium confidence
- Value for moneyGood value3.8
Reviewers like the shirt, goodie bag, medal and post-race food at a no-frills fee. Price not confirmed. · Low confidence
Key facts
- Location
- Erie, Pennsylvania, United States
- Typical month
- September
- Latest or next date
- 13 September 2026
- Organiser
- Independent
- Field size
- About 1,000 athletes
- Distances
- 42.2 km (26.2 mi)
- Course type
- laps
- Climbing
- 76 m (250 ft)
- Cutoff
- 6 hours
- Boston qualifier
- Yes
- Surface
- Paved park road
- How to get in
- open
- Sells out
- Rarely
- Air temperature
- 14–21 °C (57–70 °F)
- Humidity
- Can be high, 90% reported in 2023
- Altitude
- 175 m (575 ft)
- Nearest airport
- Erie International (ERI), 12 km (7 mi) away
- Where to stay
- Presque Isle area, Downtown Erie
- Booking
- Hotels sit nearby; cars cannot enter the park on race day.
What racers and reviewers say
- MarathonGuide race reviewsRaced 2023 · aggregator · mixed-positive
3.7 out of 5. Very flat course, local event. Humidity rose by halfway, the reviewer missed a Boston time, water at miles 18 to 20 (29 to 32 km) was too sparse, and it felt no frills. The reviewer reports many non-finishers in 2023.
“Great course, Weather is a toss up”
- Wee ViewsRaced 2023 · blog · Positive
About 1,000 runners, flat and fast, paved park road about half shaded, water every mile, pacers from 3:20, light spectator support, low-budget but well run, quick packet pickup, fast toilet lines, walk of about 1 km (0.6 mi) from parking.
- Running With RockRaced 2023 · blog · mixed-positive
Warm and humid, about 18 °C (65 °F) and 90% humidity, taking a toll in the last 10 km (6.2 mi). Shaded roads, hairpins at halfway and the finish, sparse crowds except at start and finish, aid every mile. 3:09:47 finish, a 13 second BQ margin.
“This is where it got hard. Real hard.”
- Marathon Training AcademyRaced 2015 · article · Positive
2015: flat and fast, one lane closed, a cone caused a fall in mile 1, the first aid station at a narrow point caused a bottleneck, friendly volunteers, rain the night before and wind near the lake, affordable with good swag, slow one-way park traffic, uneven spectators.
“This flat and fast course will fit the bill”
- Running With Rock training recapRaced 2023 · blog · Positive
Two loops of a flat park along the water with no hills; forecast of 14 to 17 °C (upper 50s to low 60s °F) at the start before the humid race day.
Show 1 more
- Marathon IndexRaced 2026 · aggregator · Positive
Course page: fast, scenic, mostly flat lakeshore loop, gain 142 m (466 ft), about 19 °C (66 °F). Gain figure disagrees with reviewers.
Raced Erie Marathon at Presque Isle? Your notes on the course, conditions and logistics help the next athlete decide.
Sources
Pages we used for facts and ratings. See how we rate.
Training for Erie Marathon at Presque Isle? Moku Coach builds your plan around race day.