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☰
Houston Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Houston Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 4.7 
Spectators 4.6
Number of comments: 365 [displaying comments 211 to 221]
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K. R. from Oklahoma
(1/23/2006)
"Not ready for prime-time" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Houston Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I did the half. I won't go into the detail here that I did in their survey, but there were some major problems for a race this size. The interaction I had with the other runners was awesome! There were a lot of spectators, but many of them just stood there. | |
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J. V. from Scarsdale, New York
(1/22/2006)
"Houston, We Have Landed!!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my 24th marathon... and one of the best. Top 10 reasons to run Houston: 1. Terrific, well organized expo, friendly people, and a hometown-feeling with lots of giveaways (what NYC used to be!). 2. Flat, easy course that showcases Houston. 3. Friendly volunteers; good spirit along the way. 4. Wonderful finisher t-shirt - the best I have received. 5. Terrific amenities at finish: a full breakfast, yogurt, ice cream, fruit, etc. 6. Great place to take the family: Nasa, museums, aquarium, zoo.... 7. Best pasta party I have been to - with raffles! 8. No hassles; roll out of your hotel and walk to the start. 9. Terrific weather. 10. Post-marathon Texas barbecue at Goode's (recommended to us and fantastic!). | |
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R. H. from Chicago, IL
(1/22/2006)
"Overall great experience" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The organization, the course and the post-race goodies, including the hot meal, were first rate. The crowds were enthusiastic. If you are from out of town and stay downtown near the convention center, walking to the start and back to the hotel, along with the loop course, make getting to the race and back hassle-free. Nice job, Houston. | |
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Robert Gustafson from Chattanooga, TN
(1/21/2006)
"Houston, we have a problem!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Houston Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Let me start by saying I may not be a seasoned veteran, but I'm no rookie. (I've run 17 marathons.) This one, in my opinion, ranks down there as one of the worst courses. 99% concrete says it all. Brutal on the legs. Some race officials were downright rude - particularly in the medical aid facility. There were nowhere near enough porta-potties before the race. (Nothing like starting a marathon with 1000 people in line waiting to use the restroom!) I think I'm generous giving the organization 4 stars - this is due mainly to the packet pick-up/expo, which were nice. This brings me to the positives: Very nice expo. Very nice, quality technical shirts. Pretty good crowd support. My advice to organizers: go to Chicago, Disney, or other well run races and take notes. My advice to marathoners: if you can handle the concrete for 26.2 miles, ok. However, the course doesn't offer much for scenery, either. I don't recommend this one, but hey, I'm not from Texas - which I notice is where most of the positive feedback is coming from. | |
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Terry Pescosolido from Columbus, OH
(1/21/2006)
"Nice city course, some tweaks needed" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Houston Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my 30th marathon, and Texas my 15th state in my quest to run the 50 states. Pre-race: As others have said, the packet pick-up was a hassle, and the expo was terribly overcrowded. Please simplify packet pick-up and open up the area more next year. Race t-shirt is okay. At most races I like to buy some "official race merchandise," but here it was so bland that I didn't get anything. Race day: Again, as others stated, getting into the corrals was a mess, making us walk clear to the back of the corral, then fighting hundreds of others also trying to get in. Please add additional entry points next year. The first couple water stops were totally inadequate - need to be 2... no, make it 3 times larger to accommodate all the runners. After that, the water stops were great. The course was scenic for a city course. Also flat, just a few underpasses and a bridge. Biggest complaint is that there is way too much concrete. Mile clocks would've been a nice touch. The weather was a tad warm for me (high 50's, low 60's), but at least it was overcast most of the time. The spectators really turned out. Unlike another runner's comment, I was amazed at how many spectators there were after the half-marathon/marathon split. It was also pretty cool to watch the leaders of the half running back (the half-marathoners double back for a couple miles at the split). Post-race: The breakfast was awesome. Best post-race food I've ever had. The technical finisher shirt is very nice. Mug is nice. Medal is okay. Kudos to whoever put the finisher information on the web. It was neat to be able to graphically see all the runners who finshed near you. My wife and I stayed at the Club Quarters Hotel a few blocks from the race start/finsh. Although service was weak, the room was very nice. We also had a good time visiting the Space Center and Moody Gardens. | |
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M. L. from Tampa, Fl
(1/20/2006)
"Post-Race Problems" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Houston Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The weather was great, the support was energizing, the water stations were organized and plentiful, and all volunteers were awesome. But the post-race handling of the food could use some help. How am I supposed to juggle a bottle of water, banana, muffin, bagel, with eggs, greasy sausages, hash browns and a biscuit? Why is the water and fruit separated from the other food selections? There was a lot of good food, just not a very convenient way of consuming or enjoying it. The expo was too small and crowded, and packet pick-up was too time consuming. I was very disappointed that most of the downtown resturants were closed Sunday night. It was a nice night for a walk, but there was nowhere to go. | |
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R. D. from Wichita Ks
(1/20/2006)
"Great Texas hospitality!" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Houston Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first large marathon (the other 2 being very small races). I have to say I enjoyed the smaller races as far as the actual running is concerned. This race had so many people that there was a lot of jockeying for position. And I'm not talking for a mile or two, but more like 20! I will tell you, though, if you like big crowds full of wonderful people rooting for you, this is your race. Even the people at my hotel were supportive and excited. I should have looked at it as a fun run with a bunch of folks instead of some serious time goal. The organization was superb, except not enough port-a-johns pre-race. I got in line to pee 45 minutes before the race and bailed out with 7 minutes to race-time, and was not even halfway through the line. | |
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B. S. from Bay City, TX
(1/20/2006)
"Excellent Race" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Houston Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It was a nice race and the weather was excellent. The starting line was improved by using a gate system. It really helped in the traffic at the starting line. | |
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Alex Matskevich from New York
(1/20/2006)
"An outstanding marathon! Highly recommended!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Bravo! I have done most of the major marathons on almost all the continents, but I can't think of another one organized as well as Houston. Waiting for the start inside a convention center with the toilets and the baggage area was a very good idea. The finish at the same place was just great - a nice medal, excellent Coolmax T-shirt (in addition to a regular cotton one), and lots of free food - all-you-can-eat style (I wish there was something vegetarian there, but it's Texas!). The course itself was quite pleasant. Houston is definitely not the prettiest or the most interesting city in America or even in Texas, but still the organizers managed to make us run through the downtown with its skyscrapers, charming green parks with the canopy of trees covering the sky over our heads, past huge shopping malls, and through beautiful suburban areas with expensive houses and gardens. The crowd was terrific, lots of people actively cheering up. Texans, as the Southerners in general, are very friendly and hospitable people, and it was showing very well during the marathon. Based on my experience, I would strongly recommend this marathon to both the novice and experienced runners. | |
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C. B. from Tomball, Tx
(1/19/2006)
"My first marathon" (about: 2006)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon. I loved the experience. From others who have participated in other marathons, I had expected more. 1. The water stands were being dumped early in the race with many runners still on the course. There was also a lot of crowding and stopping and 1 person trying really hard to get many cups filled up in time. 2. Not enough porta-potties early in the race. (10 minutes to get to the front of the line is a waste of time). 3. There were some poor road conditions with some bad odors in areas. Also all the bananas on the road made it very slippery. 4 The merge of the 1/2 vs. the full marathon was very packed and hard to see a man in the middle of the road with a small sign showing which way to go. 5. I know Houston is fast and has a shorter finish time than other marathons, but there are people out there doing marathons to help raise money for research. It would be nice to allow some extra time so they can meet their goals too. Over all, I met my goal by completing the race in the time allowed. The crowd was wonderful with the cheering and calling your name. It was a wonderful experience. |
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