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Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Information & Reviews

Course Rating Course 4.4 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 4.5 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 4.4 
 
 
Number of comments: 330 [displaying comments 191 to 201]
More Comments: [ < 1 .. 18 19 20 21 22 .. 33 > ]

 

A. H. from Dallas, Texas (4/30/2007)
"Little things could make this race better" (about: 2007)

3 previous marathons | 2 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathons
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 2  FANS: 3


Here are a summary of good and bad comments:

Good
1.) Water station well stocked and plenty of stops.

Bad
1.) Once again someone messed up the shuttle schedule from the hotels. In 2006 I got to the start line 8 minutes before the race. 2007 I had about 30 minutes. If they are going to post a shuttle service it needs to be on time or at least provide a contact number to call if there are problems.
2.) Small expo. I was expecting more clothing options. It seemed like there were more boothes for shorts, shirts, etc. in 2006.
3.) Too many relay runners. I know they need to have as many people as possible to make money, but it just seemed like the majority of runners were relay.
4.) Poor starting line organization. Getting there late did not help, but the organizers need to have a separate area for marathoners and halfs and another for the relay and walkers. It took me 3 minutes to get to the start line and a few miles to weave through the slower people. I have run the MarineCorp and it did not take nearly as long to get to the start line.
5.) Finish tent. No decent food. Lots of water and powerade. I could not find the yogurt person and all the other little 'snacks' were thrown out on a table. Plus for the second year the organizers had Carl's hamburgers. Who wants a dried out plain burger after a long run.

Overall it was a good race with a good course. The weather was good. It was a decent race that is close to Dallas and right before the weather starts getting hot.

 

T. T. from Seminole, OK (4/30/2007)
"Very well done again this year!" (about: 2007)

3 previous marathons | 2 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathons
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


OKC is my hometown, and I come back every year for this race. It's one I plan to do for as long as I can still keep putting one foot in front of the other.

The half-marathon course is beautiful; it has all of the good parts of the full marathon course, without the trip all the way out to Lake Hefner and back.

Either way, this is a race to put on your calendar every year!

 

A. H. from Texas (4/30/2007)
"Loved running through downtown!" (about: 2007)

First Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 5


I live in a small town, so running through downtown OKC kept me very entertained. I will say that if you are going to make a rule, enforce it. I read online that no ipods or mp3 players were allowed, so being the rule follower that I am, I did not bring mine, but saw thousands with theirs on. If you can't enforce it, don't have it. My only other criticism is the organization at the starting line. There were walkers at the front, and I swear I almost ran into people 20 times in the first mile. There were marathoners passing me as I was trying to pass walkers and slower runners. I guess you really can't be too picky about organization when there are 15,000 runners involved. This was my first race, so I did not run the marathon, or even the half. I ran the 5k, but had a blast doing it. Even when I turned the corner and saw a HUGE bridge up ahead, right after the first mile. I thought it was going to sap all my strength, but the energy of the people around me and the great crowd and volunteer support was inspiring. There were more inclines than I thought there would be, but for every incline, there's a decline...well, almost. I am looking forward to a half marathon next year!

 

D. H. from usa (4/30/2007)
"Start 5K walk after the start of the marathon" (about: 2007)

4-5 previous marathons | 2 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathons
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 5


Two comments on the 2007 marathon. The start was bad - they started the 5K walk at the same time as the marathon. I was passing walkers for 2 miles before they thinned out. The age bracket awards were based on gun time, which meant that slower age bracket runners were try to stage up front. On the results the age bracket place, splits and overall pace were based on gun time.

If you are going to use chips, then use them.

 

K. L. from Bixby, OK (4/30/2007)
"Course and finish were great!" (about: 2007)

1 previous marathon | 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


Started at 4:30 a.m. The big trees in the neighborhoods provided great shade. The fans were great - especially the second half of the course. The finish line was set-up nicely where you could see the finish line for awhile and the anticipation built as you got closer.

 

J. L. from Starkville, Mississippi (4/30/2007)
"Inspirational" (about: 2007)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


This is an absolutely terrific race. My two friends and I have never been surrounded by so many positive running mates. The race director and his team were excellent, friendly and encouraging. You can really tell that the team that puts on this race really runs for those killed in the OKC bombing and the survivors. We were so touched by the 168 seconds of silence. This is a race that will renew your running spirit. I encourage everyone to run this race... it is truly memorable. Thank you also to everyone we met in Oklahama City. You are so friendly and welcoming!!!

 

C. R. from Indianapolis, IN (4/29/2007)
"Inspirational" (about: 2007)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


I was quite moved by the memorial and the pre-race tribute to the victims. Thank you, Oklahoma City, for an outstanding inspirational marathon that exceeded my expectations. Lake Hefner was absolutely beautiful and the volunteers were superb. Best wishes for many more.

 

D. W. from Longview, Texas (4/29/2007)
"A really memorable experience" (about: 2007)

3 previous marathons | 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


This marathon was my third. The pre-run ceremony was very spiritually uplifting and life-affirming to me. Walking around the memorial in the predawn hours gave me a sense of both sadness and gratitude.... A sense that life is not to be taken for granted and that we should live in the moment and help others. Not a bad way to be before a marathon! All water stations were great. I wish they had gel earlier in the race though.

All in all, a great experience.

 

M. T. from Charleston, SC (4/29/2007)
"Great Marathon!" (about: 2007)

1 previous marathon | 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


Just ran the OKCMM today, and this was my first marathon, so please keep in mind that I don't have a basis for comparison in any of this. Overall, I think they really did a great job with this.

Course: Probably better than you'd expect. OKC has totally renovated its downtown in recent years to the point where it's really quite nice, and the memorial is a great starting and ending point. And the run along Lake Hefner is really nice and scenic, and some of the residential neighborhoods you run through are really scenic as well. But there are definitely portions where you're just running down streets full of gas stations and strip malls. And I was surprised by how much elevation there actually was given the Great Plains setting - I'm sure it's not New York, but there are some hills, including a really long, gradual hill after Mile 20 that was pretty rough on me.

Organization: Great. It's not overly crowded, and the water stations are generally staffed well enough that after the first few you don't have to stop and barely have to slow down to stock up on PowerAde and water. Down the stretch there were stations every mile, although one minor complaint I would have is that I would have liked Gu at more than one station. The expo was well-stocked and easy to navigate, and things were generally pretty well organized after the finish line as well. Finally, the best single thing about this marathon were the volunteers. They all cheered the runners enthusiastically and seemed really serious about helping you out. They just really went above and beyond. If you were a volunteer this year and happen to be reading this: thank you, thank you, thank you.

Spectators: The spectators themselves were all great, but the fact is that this isn't in a big city, and the sides of the route aren't packed with spectators. Still, OKC may have the friendliest people in the world, and the amount of people that did come out just to give enthusiastic encouragement to the runners was truly touching.

Overall, I just had a great experience, would definitely run this one again. If you have questions feel free to contact.

 

B. M. from Springfield, VA (7/25/2006)
"Great Organization, Marathon" (about: 2006)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


I thought I was in my best "marathon" shape for this one, but the many mini-hills and the heat got to me. In spite of that, I did finish with my best time. The wind that I thought would be a problem was not. Very moving pre-marathon moments. I went to high school and college in OK, but have not been to see the memorial until now. OKC, you should be proud of the memorial, the marathon and downtown in general. It has really changed for the better. I will be back in 2007.

 

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