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☰
Baltimore Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Baltimore Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.9 
Organization 4.0 
Spectators 4.1
Number of comments: 443 [displaying comments 121 to 131]
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P. B. from Dallas, TX
(10/13/2009)
"Beautiful course! Respect the hills." (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great expo - easy to get in, through, around, and out. I love the shirt, and the crab on the medal is a cool touch. The course was beautiful; the seedy industrial parts that you usually hit around mile 23 when you hate everyone came earlier, when you were still optimistic and happy. Spectators were loud and all over the place. The lake at mile 20 was a welcome respite in the midst of a seven-mile climb. The downhill back towards the line and the raucous crowd near Camden Yards made for a memorable ending. I'm on my way through the 50 states (12 marathons in 11 states so far), so it will be a while before I think about a Maryland race again, but if I were a local, I'd run this every year. Friendly crowd, great organization, friendly runners. I raised money for the Ulman Fund for Cancer Research, and I'd recommend that others find a great charity to help for the 2010 Baltimore Running Festival. | |
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Dotty Maddock from Phoenix, AZ
(10/12/2009)
"It was the best of times, and the worst of times" (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was an interesting race. First, the logistics are pretty good. You can get good flights into and out of BWI, and then there's the light rail that takes you right from the baggage claim at the airport to the expo for $1.60! There are plenty of hotels near the expo and race start/finish, and lots of food options. The expo is kind of "sprawling" and forced you to navigate around vendors to get the basic race items (bib, shirt, etc.), but I guess that was nice for those who wanted to shop. The shirts ran more true-to-size than I expected for Under Armour, but I was able to "trade down" to the right size. Race morning brought humidity and sprinkles of rain here and there. While it wasn't "hot," I was comfortable in shorts and singlet while waiting (which I knew meant I'd feel the heat on the course). It was fun having photographers catching candid shots pre-race, and the REAL restrooms as part of the Baltimore Oriole stadium were more pleasant than the normal port-a-potties. I expected the course to be more scenic, but it was basically urban areas with an occasional park and a loop around a small lake. There were some "interesting" portions on the race, when you loop around "downtown," and you see all of the half marathoners preparing for their 9:45 a.m. start (and frequently dashing across our course to get wherever they felt they needed to be). The loop toward Fort McHenry was a let down, since you didn't get to see really anything due to the construction and rerouting of the normal course. The half marathoners merged with the full at around the 16-mile mark. I felt both a shot of energy from them and then some frustration with the inevitable weaving around them over the last 6 miles. And some of the water stations couldn't keep up with the volumes of combined half and full marathoners. Several times I poured my own drink or grabbed a cup off the table (because there weren't enough volunteers to hand them out). Finally, there were the hills! I felt the hill in the first three miles and was fresh enough to conquer it, but it was the ones that just didn't stop in the last six miles that killed me. I usually like some hills to break things up, but these were relentless and right when you didn't need them. The finish line was the worst part. Since I finished in a little over four hours, that meant I was finishing with the half marathoners at their 2:15 time (large numbers of people). It was a mass of humanity, with no separation between those running the half and the full. I was able to spot a volunteer near the middle in the finishing chute who had full marathon medals (in little plastic bags). The medal is nice, but you really had to have your wits about you and be looking for the correct medal and who had them. Then, I couldn't get out of the finishers' corral! The crowds were so big, I couldn't determine where the exit was and it was just a huge bottleneck. I finally ended up climbing UNDER the fencing to get out (very pitiful on tired legs that didn't work well) so I could rush to my hotel in order to make late checkout and catch my plane. Maybe this wasn't as much of a problem for the locals who just wanted to hang around and celebrate, but to me the congestion was just horrible. So, there were some good points to the race. As always, the volunteers and spectators who showed up in spite of the "drizzly" weather were super! The hoopla at the start was exciting. If this is your first time visiting the Inner Harbor, that's fun. But I hope they continue to work on how to manage the full and half marathoners, and specifically the congestion at the finish. | |
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B. M. from USA
(10/12/2009)
"Well organized with a challenging course" (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 2 Baltimore Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The course was good, but it can be challenging if you're not prepared for hills. The scenery was nice, even through the rough neighborhoods. Water stops were grossly undermanned, and could be improved if they were on both sides of the street when allowable. They were overcrowded with runners, especially when the half-marathoners joined the marathoners. When the half- and full-marathoners converge, it is too hard to maintain a consistent pace when trying to weave in and out of people at mile 16. I'm disappointed in the rules not being enforced about headphones. Once again, here's a marathon that states that no headphones are allowed but then allows them. | |
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B. H. from Richmond Virginia
(10/12/2009)
"Diverse neighborhood course with two hilly areas" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This had the feel of a much bigger marathon, even though there were only 3,118 finishers. You are never alone due to the half and relay participants. It is billed as a running festival, and the marathon is NOT the focal point. The half is the focal point, with more than 10,000 runners, and the relay has plenty too. I would really have appreciated a separate finish area for the full marathoners; we were all corralled together after the finish line. The promoters were very careful never to divulge the exact number of marathon participants prior to race day. Also, the medals were wrapped, in boxes, with someone telling us to take a black ribboned one for the full and blue for the half; and the plastic blankets were hanging on fences. It was rather anti-climactic. It is hard to put on when tired from 26.,2 and it would have been a nice touch to have someone place the medal over the neck, rather than having to unwrap it myself. Not a deal breaker but attention to details makes a difference. I grabbed a bag of Utz chips and H20, but the line for the crab soup and other stuff was way too long; that still needs better organization. They hype the Phillips crab soup, but I looked over and saw they were using Dixie cups, so I decided not to wait five minutes for a Dixie cup of crab soup. Overall, though, a unique urban experience, and thanks to all volunteers and organizers. The expo was laid out great, and the bathrooms in stadiums were open before the race, which was also a positive. | |
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T. D. from Ohio
(10/12/2009)
"Horrible Planning" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 The course gets a three because of the terrible conditions of the streets of Baltimore. That's not really the organizer's fault, but I spent a lot of time looking down to protect my ankles. Otherwise, the course itself was nice. My complaints: (1) It's inexcusable to think the merging of 10,000 half-marathoners with the marathon after 16 miles is a good idea. (2) The post-race organization was a disaster, probably because there is such a concentration of runners finishing between 3:45-5:00. Why wouldn't you start the half at the same time so the finishers can be spread out? This is by far the most idiotic thing I've seen in 20 marathons. | |
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B. F. from South Florida
(10/11/2009)
"Decent Race. Many Hills. Half-Merge BAD!" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and it was a good experience. Pro's: - The route was enjoyable and mostly takes you through the nice parts of the city. - The expo was really good and well organized. - The shirt is cool. - Spectators were good and a lot of them brought their dogs leashed with them, which, being a dog-lover, I liked. - There is nothing quite like being cheered on by a crackhead, which made me laugh. - Weather was in the high 60's, which, coming from Florida, was a treat. - There is a guy who buys gummy bears and gives them out around mile 23. SO GREAT! Con's: - The hills just kept coming and the only "really" flat area was the two-or-so-mile Lake Montebello run around mile 20. It was made up of hills just about the whole time and I wasn't expecting that. - I ran the race in 4:10 and, frankly, the half-marathon merge at mile 16 sucked. The weaving and bobbing that usually happens at the beginning of a race happened at mile 16. I was working extra hard for about 2-plus miles (16-18) trying to get around half-marathon walkers, slower runners, etc. to keep my pace. It hurt my time in the end. - Due to the half-marathon merge, I often had to wait 15-30 seconds to get a cup of water or Gatorade at the water stations during the later miles. That was very annoying. - Bag check was a good .25 - .50 miles away from the start. I am happy that I ran this race, but would not do it again. If you run this race be sure to get plenty of hill work in! | |
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M. H. from Cincinnati, OH
(10/11/2009)
"A fine urban marathon experience" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 If you like the urban marathon experience, Baltimore delivers in fine style. Race hotels are convenient to the start and finish, your family and friends can see you easily at several locations near the hotels, there's plenty to see and do before and after the race, it's got a reasonably interesting (if hilly!) course, there are well-equipped aid stations, and there's surprisingly good crowd support throughout. My only complaints would be: 1) in the race, there are a few long stretches on concrete, but at least that is less slippery than the asphalt in the rain; 2) the expo a bit disappointing for a race of this size; 3) the pasta dinner voucher for $5 off at local restaurants was not much of a deal; why bother? Be prepared for the hills, and be warned that Baltimore is a bit less safe than other US cities of similar size, especially if you venture away from the popular tourist attractions. Even if you stay around the Inner Harbor and in a group, you still need to be more careful than you might in other cities. | |
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M. T. from Washington, DC
(10/11/2009)
"Confusing" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Pros - Challenging course (great mix of hills), stocked water and aid stations, and the accessible start/finish areas (good ending). Cons - Awful expo, invisible road cones (2' high) throughout the course, and it goes through places you'd see on "The Wire" (zero spectators). I know that marathons are a for-profit endeavor, but this felt a bit much. From overpriced carnival food at the finish to the mayhem that was the half/full meeting point, it was clear that the race was too big for what could go into it. By the way, it was strange to run through "Under Armour" Headquarters. The fact that Fort McHenry for appeared to be removed for this was insulting. | |
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P. M. from Glen Ellyn, IL
(10/11/2009)
"Well Organized - Tough Course" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a well run event by the organizers. The expo was well organized and enjoyable. I got the sense that the people of Baltimore take pride in this event and show off their city. The course itself is challenging, and in my opinion, it's more difficult than Boston. The course support was great. I have never been offered more food at water stops than at Baltimore. A special shout out to the gummy bear gang at mile 23! The weather was ridiculous, but out of everyone's control. The only complaints are that the finish area was disorganized because the full and half both end at the same place. Lastly, please get rid of the orange cones placed in the middle of the street! They were everywhere throughout the length of the course. I saw numerous people trip over them, and a few took spills. | |
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j. e. from usa, pennsylvania
(10/10/2009)
"Hills, hills, hills. Organized. Great shirts." (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I trained intently for this to be under 4:00, and have never been in better shape. However, the hills just kept coming. They weren't steep, but very long. You did not usually get a downhill as a reward when you got to the top. Often it was flat until the next hill. I recommend hill training, including on your long runs. The elevation changes aren't that impressive, but they just keep coming. The kids run was kind of a mess according to my husband. The expo, shirts, volunteers, and water stations were excellent. Thanks to all of the volunteers; I couldn't do it without you. |
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