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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 251 to 261]
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P. H. from Michigan
(1/22/2005)
"A fast, well-organized, fun race" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Houston Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The course suffers, as does any urban marathon, from some less visually appealing areas, but is a fast course and the sights are better later in the marathon. The organization is great at both the start and finish. Lots of good eats around for those that look. The weather was perfect. I would strongly recommend this race for those seeking to qualify for Boston. | |
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Ryan Nied from Norwalk, CT
(1/21/2005)
"26.2 doesn't get much better than Houston" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Houston Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was marathon #5 for me in five years. I traveled from Connecticut to run it, because I wanted to run a large race with a lot of spectator support. It was a great decision. I PR'd again -- and truly had a blast. I have to say that it was colder than I expected -- didn't believe that South Texas could get to the mid-30's at the 7AM start time. It did, but I didn't mind. Fans were great. Course was pretty flat. Great Texan hospitality on every mile. Organization was superb. Tremendous pride in the city. Had a Grammy-winner sing the national anthem (Shawn Colvin) with an air force fighter jet fly-by overhead. They gave a T-Shirt with the pick-up packet and then a finisher's sweatshirt. Could have combined the money into one and made for a better quality shirt, but nonetheless a nice gesture. Plenty of food at the finish for runners (didn't matter to me, as I can't eat after pouring my blood, sweat and tears onto a marathon course). Honestly, you can't ask for more than this... except for perhaps more live music on the course. (Maybe that's the one thing to put this race over the top.) But they did have Elvis impersonators during the final miles! Overall, I would do it again without a doubt. Put this one on your to-do list. | |
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B. B. from Houston, TX
(1/19/2005)
"Houston: The Runner's Marathon" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Houston Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run all of the big marathons in the country: Boston, Chicago, New York, Marine Corp, etc. and what differentiates Houston from all of those is that this is truly an event that caters to the runners. Instead of waiting outside in the elements for several hours before the race, as you have to do in nearly every other large marathon, the runners can wait inside the heated George R. Brown Convention Center. There is a great expo that is easy to get in and out of that occurs Friday and Saturday before the race. The course takes the runners through many of the diverse neighborhoods of Houston. The first few miles are over a viaduct and not very scenic, but it only gets better from there. Yeah, the surface can be a bit uneven and well over half the course is on concrete, but what would you expect from an urban course? The crowd participation is great. It is not Boston or New York, but there are people throughout the course. This year the crowd was thinner than normal in some places, probably due to the cold weather - which was nearly perfect for the runners. A nice touch this year was a couple of live bands playing on Montrose Avenue. There were also Elvis impersonators on the course this year. Houston does not have Heartbreak Hill, but there is Allen Parkway between Mile 23-25, which has several underpasses and is far from flat. This is where many people often hit the wall. Post-race is back in the convention center where hot food is available - again this is a marathon that caters to the runners. People complain about the size of the medal, but this is what I got for my early entry: An 'In training' T-shirt (received in Sept.), an official entrant's shirt (received with package), a finisher's sweatshirt, a finisher's mug, and a finisher's medal. All of this makes Houston not only one of the best marathons, but also one of the best values. Finally, the marathon is truly an event in Houston. In some cities, you can hardly tell there is a marathon in town when you read the local paper. In Houston, there is an article in the paper about the marathon everyday during the week before the marathon. There is live TV coverage of the event and there are at least 4-5 pages of coverage the day after the race in the Houston Chronicle. The rest of the country seems to be getting the message - this event has grown rapidly the last three years. There are three running events: a 5K, half marathon and marathon, and over 14,000 people finished one of the three events. Actually, 5700 people finished the marathon, which is up from around 4000 a few years ago. In case you cannot tell, I highly recommend running this marathon. | |
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S. S. from St. Louis
(1/19/2005)
"Nice January Race" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Houston Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 An enjoyable experience in Houston. The race organization is great with hassle-free packet pick up and instructions. Having the huge convention center to use before and after the race makes the start and finish quite comfortable. It was cold and windy at the start, but became fine once the sun came up, although it remained windy. The course is typical urban but seemed like we were often running on the highway system with the overpasses and underpasses and ramps. Aid stations were great, spectators enthusiastic, and the bands inspiring. The breakfast at the end was a nice deal. Two T-shirts could perhaps be combined into one nice non-cotton shirt that can be actually used for running. The medal is eminently uninspiring, in its size, color and design. All in all a good experience. | |
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T. A. from Texas
(1/19/2005)
"One of the Best Marathons in the Country" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Houston Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Houston Marathon is one of the best because the amazing number of fans that line the course. And, the organization is terrific. The organizers send text messages to your friends so they can meet you along the course as you pass markers. The only downside is miles 2-4 as you leave downtown, the area needs work. However, with every mile the course gets better going through West University, Tanglewood and Memorial Park. I plan on doing it again. Also a great value, many finisher's gifts/awards. | |
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J. S. from Atwater, MN
(1/19/2005)
"I loved this marathon" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Houston Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I live in Minnesota and wanted to do a winter marathon, picked Houston and loved it! Nice course and a very good symposium. I would do it again and again if possible! It was larger than I expected but still fun! | |
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M. J. from Houston TX
(1/19/2005)
"great race" (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Houston Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I live in Houston and this was the first time I ever ran the HP Marathon (I have run Dallas and San Antonio in previous years). I have to say this race wins the prize hands down. The support, the crowds, the food, the expo are all top-notch. I ran the 1/2 this year with little training and did awesome; the course is flat and definitely a PR waiting to happen. My only gripe is the finisher shirt line. The race starts and ends at the convention center... which is a huge building. The finisher shirts were at the opposite end of the building from the post-race party food, and lines to get the shirt were very long and disorganized. You stood in the line, which was almost 30-40 people deep only to realize when you get close enough to see, that its segmented by race number, causing you to have to switch lines. Other than that, this is a first-rate race and I'll be back! | |
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J. J. from Arlington,Tx
(1/19/2005)
"great organization, urban course lacking" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Let me start off by saying that I only ran the half. So I hope you can still take my comments into consideration. The organization for this race given the number of runners is amazing. From the text message/email update for splits to the split start and use of the convention center. The aid stations were top-notch as well as the entertainment. The finisher's sweatshirt was an added plus to the 30 degree start and 40 degree finish. Having never run outside the Dallas/Ft. Worth area (I'm still new to running), I found the course urban and kinda dull. (If you love the half distance, you'll love 'The Half' in Dallas around White Rock Lake in November.) Which is not to say I didn't enjoy the race. I did; in fact I shaved 3 minutes off my half time. I would love to return to Houston to run the full next year to see more of the city. | |
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M. M. from Cypress, TX
(1/18/2005)
"The crowd was the best." (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Houston Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, but I can't imagine any better support. The crowd was numerous and enthusiastic, right from the cold (37F) start and right to the finish line. The organization was very impressive too. My family could track progress electronically (e-mail & text messages) at a half dozen points along the way. The course is flat and the weather was cool and clear. I will definitely run here again. Well done, Houston! | |
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Sam Balandran from Bedford, Texas
(1/18/2005)
"Our Texas Pride - The HP Houston Marathon!" (about: 2005)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Houston Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This MARATHON continues to get better each year! This was my 95th marathon and my 12th Houston. You TEXANS do an excellent job in every aspect of a marathon (expo, course, planning, volunteers, packet pick-up, etc.). The finisher's sweatshirt is another great idea. Keep it going! - Tuxedo Man, 'The Shadow' |
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