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Marshall University Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Marshall University Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 4.4 
Spectators 3.0
Number of comments: 208 [displaying comments 161 to 171]
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A. A. from Virginia Beach, VA
(11/10/2006)
"Great, flat race!" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Marshall University Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This marathon was a great one, especially for such a small race. I really enjoyed the area of the course through Ritter Park. Thank you to all the volunteers! My only suggestion is to let the finishers walk a few yards before you try to remove the time chip. I had to come to a dead stop right after crossing the finish line and somebody lifted up my leg! After running 26.2 miles, standing on one foot is not pleasant or easy. Other than that I thought the race was great. The late checkout at the Radisson was a bonus (always nice to shower before a long drive home). | |
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C. S. from Beavercreek, OH
(11/10/2006)
"Great small-town marathon" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Marshall University Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Very well done. The race director is obviously responsive to comments I saw on this website from the past two years. THE GOOD STUFF: The course is flat and fast as advertised; real PR potential. Good aid stations, well spaced on the course; staffed by friendly volunteers. Excellent start/finish location with plenty of close parking within 100 yards of start/finish line; no need for clothes bag drop. Strolling up to the front of the start line two minutes before gun time... priceless. Great food after the race! Pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs in addition to the usual fruit, cookies, etc. Great race-schwag. Unique age group awards. After seeing the fleece pullover, I was really bummed I hadn't signed up before the deadline. Free massage, are you kidding?! That was awesome.... Thanks to the volunteers! OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT (in my humble opinion): Standardize aid stations; i.e. always have sports drink first, water second or sports drink left, water right, etc., and have the volunteers call it out as runners approach. Consider at least one energy gel stop late in the race (perhaps around mile 20?), about 100 yards before a water station so people can take the gel then wash it down. There was one "T" intersection late in the race where I had no idea which way to go - no volunteer, no arrow, no cones. Had to jog around looking for a clue until the guy behind me came up and shouted, "Left!" Paper cups, please, so we can do "the crush" on the top of the cup and take in some fluids without inhaling it or losing half of it down our shirts. OBSERVATIONS (not complaints!) for potential MUM runners to consider: A lot of the roads do have some serious crowning, which made my left hip a bit sore, but it helps that the course (cones) alternated sides of the road at times. I ran 3:08 and spent most of that time by myself after 5 or 6 miles. Probably not a factor if you run a little slower? If you need lots of running company or a lot of spectator support, this may not be the race for you. I'm OK without that sort of thing... just something to consider. LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Thanks to the race director, all the volunteers, and the police officers that spent their day making our run an enjoyable experience!! | |
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S. H. from Simpsonville, SC
(11/9/2006)
"One to Run!" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Marshall University Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 What a great race! For a small marathon, this one was wonderful! The spectators - though few - were enthusiastic. The volunteers had smiles and kind words. The food at the end was delicious! I don't know of other races that offer hamburgers, hot dogs, or pizza! I do have two suggestions: one is to have a mat at the beginning of the race to activate the chips, and the second is to have paper cups at all of the water stations. The pretzels at one of the last water stops were great! Thanks to the race director for a wonderful job. We have a group of moms who pick out races (one is a 50-state marathoner!) and road trip a couple of times a year. Not only do we get to bond, shop, eat and of course, run, but we have the opportunity to see other parts of the United States. This is one marathon worth the drive! | |
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D. G. from Richmond, VA
(11/8/2006)
"I would recommend this race" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marshall University Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was a really good find of a small marathon. The course was as flat as they say and we got lucky and caught a perfect weather day. Kudo's: 1. The fleece. 2. Lots of water (etc.) stops, and the people working them were the tops. 3. Well marked course, even in the late stages when you are running alone. 4. The finish. 5. The start. Being right outside the building and across from parking made the start so easy. 6. Real easy for my wife to hop around the course and crew for us. Downers: 1. You need someone at the top of the ramp going into the stadium warning braindead people after 26 miles about how steep the ramp is. 2. The out-and-back between mile 13 and 14 was flat-out useless and ugly. Find a better place to go than there. 3. Spectators were great, but as a small race, you don't expect and didn't get a lot of spectator support. Suggestions: 1. My wife did the five-mile walk and got the same shirt as a marathoner. One pet peeve of mine is that if I do a marathon, my "reward" should be greater than that earned by someone doing a shorter race. 2. I like the idea of going through campus and showing off the school. But at mile 25 you are not looking around at the school. Do it earlier when people can enjoy the campus. 3. The one on-course clock (that I remember) was at mile 13. If you only have one clock, at least put it at the half-marathon point. Mile 13 does nothing for me. 4. Gu/Power Gel on course. You told us there was none provided so we carried our own. But almost every race (even a 70-person one I did in the spring) has Gu somewhere on the course. 5. The clock at the finish was perfect, as you were running to the finish. But as friends finished, we had to run practically to midfield to see their time. Now, if you could somehow have a clock running on the scoreboard, that would be cool. Good race. Enjoyed it. Already talked at least one person into it for next year. | |
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C. E. from Virginia
(11/8/2006)
"Overall a very well organized small-town marathon" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marshall University Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was a very well organized marathon. All details that were within the race organizer's domain were taken care of: flat course, friendly folks, lots of water stops. This marathon has great potential, but the town of Huntington and the university have to jump on board, and do their part. How about some more civic organizations manning water stops, the town filling in some potholes and fixing the railway beds, local buisinesses putting coupons in the race packets, and some students guiding runners through their campus? The race director does an outstanding job, and this race has great potential. But, the city of Huntington and the university need to do their parts, too, and showcase their town and university. | |
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Mike Davi from Richmond, VA
(11/7/2006)
"Great course for fast race" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marshall University Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This is an excellent course on which to run a fast time. I have run over 30 marathons and this is one of the fastest courses I have experienced. It was very scenic. Finishing inside the stadium was awesome. The only downside is there were 1-2 spots on the course with no marshals and it wasn't clear where to go. The organization was fantastic. There were plenty of well-staffed water stops. The volunteers did a wonderful job at the expo, and on the course in directing traffic. There was a little confusion on race morning about whether or not there was a bag-drop. For a small race, this is what I would expect for spectators. Those that were out there were very supportive and friendly. All in all, very much worth the 6-hour drive. I would highly recommend this race. | |
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J. W. from Elkview, WV - United States
(11/7/2006)
"I was surprised by how flat the course was." (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marshall University Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I had not run this race before, but was pleasantly suprised how flat the course was and how well organized it was for a small race. I really like the finish onto the football field. Other races have finished in stadium parking lots. I had not expected food at the end, and this was a good surprise. | |
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B. C. from Asheville, NC
(11/7/2006)
"Fast, urban course with friendly volunteers" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Marshall University Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 What I liked: 1. The fleece pullover! Register early. I didn't, and was lucky enough to purchase one of the few extras. The t-shirt is great, too. 2. Free pasta dinner. Free is good! 3. Radisson allowed a late checkout. Thanks!! 4. Tom's correspondence prior to the event. 5. Friendly hosts. Volunteers were VERY nice and always offered water and Gatorade. 6. Post-race food. Good and plenty of it. What could be improved: 1. Use paper cups rather than plastic. 2. Awards were confusing. I was told that awards were given out as people crossed the finish line and that there were no awards left from my age group. However, based on results, it looks like I won something...? I recommend this marathon to anyone looking for a small, fast marathon. A great one for those on the 50-state quest... | |
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A. H. from Columbus, OH
(11/6/2006)
"A flat course in WV? What more could you ask for?" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marshall University Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Huntington has already garnered some decent coverage, as being "the flat course in West Virginia." A friend training for her first marathon asked me to join her. She downgraded to the half at the expo, but I continued on the full. It must be recalled that this is only the third running of this event. They had some details right-on, and others could still use some work. POSITIVES: 1) Fleece pullovers for marathon runners were really nice. My friends regretted telling the organizers they were only running the half! 2) Good volunteer coverage. A lot of this course was on open roads and there were volunteers seemingly at every block to deal with traffic and to guide runners. There was one place around mile 22 where runners had to guide themselves, but the rest of the course was well-marked. (This could have been more important to me as I'd actually dreamt the night before I was going to get lost!) NEGATIVES: 1) If you are going to chip-time, put a mat at the start as well. I lined up near the front (the 6- 7- and 8-min pace signs were only a foot or two apart) but this could be a negative for those starting further back. 2) Paper cups, paper cups, paper cups. It is very difficult to drink on the run in general, but all but impossible with plastic cups that cannot be "folded" over. A FEW SMALL SUGGESTIONS: A personal preference would be to use one type/flavor of energy beverage and stick to it. My stomach was never sure what to expect when handed a cup. Also, look at having a recovery drink at the end, and more non-meat pizza. I finished sub-four and got one of the last pieces of cheese pizza, and I know others were looking for some after me. Overall, this was a good race with great potential. And heck, it's a flat course in West Virginia - what more can you really ask for? | |
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W. M. from Iowa
(11/5/2006)
"This is how you do a small race." (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I can't say enough about this race and the awesome organization. The aid stations were frequent and well stocked. The amenities at the finish were great. Mt wife worked the food table at the finish line and she told me that they went out of their way to make sure the back-of-the-pack crowd (like me) still had plenty when we finished (pizza, cookies, chips, fruit, hot dogs, drinks, etc.). Apparently they sent someone to the store to get more provisions. I don't know of many races that will do that. The course was great. I was able to shave some off my recent times. The spectators were at times sparse, but those that were there were enthusiastic. This is a must-do for those coming to West Virginia. |
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