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☰
Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon) Runner Comments
Back to Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon) Information & Reviews
Course 3.8 
Organization 4.1 
Spectators 3.1
Number of comments: 147 [displaying comments 71 to 81]
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C. F. from Wilson Lake, Kansas
(4/4/2008)
"The usual Kansas wind on a flat course." (about: 2008)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 i actually ran in the half (my first ever) and everything about the race was very well organized it seemed to me... except one thing: There were only 2 porta-potties at the starting area for the half. With over 600 people there to run, that was huge problem. Also, the man on the PA system did nothing to help this by not explaining what to do about it. with the last shuttle getting there about a half hour before the race's start, I would expect that I wasn't alone in planning on using the bathroom before I ran. Besides that major problem, everyone was very helpful and encouraging along the course, and i would definitely run this race again. | |
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B. S. from Missouri
(4/4/2008)
"cold and boring" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was my 14th half marathon, and my take on it: Packet pickup was fast and easy, and I loved the mall! We got a good deal on a hotel in Lenexa, which was a short drive to the start. There was plenty of parking and plenty of buses to take us to the halfway point where the half marathon began. But at that point, it was terrible. We were so cold waiting on the race start that our teeth chattered and we shook uncontrollably! We sought refuge from the bitter, fierce winds next to a building but it was of little help. Our "quads" were frozen from the start. There was no timing mat at the start... didn't like that. There were plenty of aid stations, porta-potties and water stops with friendly volunteers. The course was very boring, which, in conjunction with the brutal winds, made for a long race. Some of the roads were in bad shape, but traffic control was good. Post-race food was lacking - to say the least - but the massage was very good. The t-shirt was plain but the medal was ok... although, not everyone got the same medal for the half, which was weird. | |
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J. G. from Asheville, NC
(4/3/2008)
"We shall not talk about the wind" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran the half and thought I would add my two cents worth since I haven't seen any comments about it. Organization was good. Police and traffic control were excellent. Aid stations were great even though the wind and cold disoriented some volunteers who couldn't tell water from red Gatorade ;-). Having only two port-a-potties at the start was unforgivable. Having no place to get out of the cold and wind until the start was bad until some kind soul let us in the main building for 5 or 10 minutes. The post-race massage was like showers and dishwashers (a gift from God). Medals and T-shirts were ho-hum, but okay. If you are in the area, run it. | |
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Honest Feedback from Midwest
(4/3/2008)
"Few reasons to run this one" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Course was pretty flat and could be fast without the wind. Plenty of water and Gatorade. Few fans, but no big deal for me. T-shirt was cruddy. Seriously 100% cotton? Post-race food: plain bagels and very green bananas. Not that I eat a lot after 26.2, but that was ridiculous. Pre-race bathrooms were very inadequate. | |
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L. B. from US
(4/3/2008)
"No Headphones? Disqualified??" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Their website said that those with headphones would be disqualified, but the picture of the female winner crossing the finish line clearly shows her listening to her iPod. Why wasn't this an issue? | |
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Aaron Pendergraft from springfield, Ohio
(4/2/2008)
"What a fun freakin' race!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 Yep... the Kansas scenery was a blast: Beautiful open sky, spacious country roads. I had 2 problems, both of which could be construed as my fault. First, screaming like a girl at the sight of a dead deer on the side of the road. I just saw it out of the corner of my eye and I nearly soiled myself. And there was a good-lookin' lady there to see my unfortunate reaction. :o( So much for being studly, eh? Then came the guy who almost hit me with his truck around 22-23. Still, the police did a good job of protecting us, and the course was well marked. I really liked the medal. I also liked how the last 1/4 mile on an uphill kind of separated the winners from the losers. Freakin' awesome! I have crossed Kansas off my list and probably won't be back because it's so far away from home, but the race itself and cool medal make it worth returning. If you're thinking about doing Kansas, do it in Olathe! The sunrise and open country in the first few miles seemed to epitomize what this race was all about: Splendor and hills. This was my first of 2 in 2 days, and it was a great warm-up for the race in Xenia, Ohio the next day. | |
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L. B. from Riverview, MI
(3/31/2008)
"Well organized, great support" (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 The organizers went all out. Excellent volunteers and police support, and a well marked course. There was a very high wind and the course is not particularly scenic. I came to run and collect this state though, and I couldn't have asked for a better welcome. | |
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C. E. from Olathe, ks
(3/31/2008)
"1/2 marathon needs a lot of work." (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 After completing the 2008 1/2 marathon, I was very dissatisfied, but to be fair, most of my negativity resulted from the ridiculously poor preparation at the start of the race. (1) The idea of being transported to the start is silly; just create a course where you start and finish in the same place. Or at least organize the pick up so the lines of people are broken up by race (marathoners to the right, 1/2's to the left, etc. - we got on the bus for the 1/2 almost by accident). (2) Having only two restrooms available at the 1/2 marathon start is beyond ridiculous; anyone who has attended a race in their life knows there is always a run on the restrooms prior to a race, and many (30) racers did not get to use the restroom prior to start and some stayed after the start to use it. (3) Of course, this wouldn't have been a big deal because we have chips, right?! Wrong - there was no "mat" at the 1/2 start, so the chips were useless to us - but we were responsible for them. The organization for this race has to improve; it has been going on for too many years now to have these types of problems. | |
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A. S. from Omaha, NE, USA
(3/31/2008)
"Not bad, but not great..." (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 As another comment states, the 2008 race was very cold and very windy! The wind was so bitter that I wore a hoody with the hood UP for the entire 26.2 miles due to the chill! The first 80% of the course was through the country on highways with traffic, which can get boring and irritating after a while. There was a lot more uphill running than I expected. There were NO spectators aside from aid station personnel and a few family/friends of participants here and there. On the positive side, the aid station organization/supply, event staff, and police presence were all EXCELLENT! Overall, it was worth running once, but I probably won't repeat the Olathe Marathon. | |
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L. R. from Los Angeles, CA
(3/31/2008)
"High headwinds, but friendly and nice" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Very friendly volunteers and helpful policemen. Course gently rolling but cold headwinds slowed things down and kept long sleeves on for the duration. Not too much to see along highways - town was more interesting toward the end. Nice medal and massage tent at the finish. Cheap generic cotton t-shirt and lack of food at finish were minor complaints. All in all, a nice run. |
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