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☰
Cleveland Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Cleveland Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.9 
Organization 3.9 
Spectators 3.3
Number of comments: 299 [displaying comments 131 to 141]
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R. S. from Chicago, IL
(5/23/2008)
"Don't take too much time...." (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 First, I loved having the clocks at every mile. The finisher medal is fantastic! I'm a "back of the pack" participant - I took just under 6 hours to complete the course (or as John Bingham told us, I ran a 5-hour marathon.) For the first half of the course, the crowd was great at the start and when I was in the residential areas. However, once I got to the second half, 98% of the support was from people helping with the event. At times I looked around and I was alone. It wasn't until the finish line that there was a crowd. I was disappointed that after I crossed the finish line the only food I saw was a banana and pretzels. I thought that since you had up to 8 hours to complete the course there would have been a little more food still on the table. Also the Hyatt in the Arcade had a high school prom Saturday night and the music went on until 11 p.m. So we got to listen to the music since the room door opened up to the Arcade where the prom was. Ooops... nice they said something when we checked in... maybe they should have warned us in advance. After all, they were the marathon's hotel. They should have guessed that people might want to get a good night's sleep for the race. Anyone staying there for a future race may want to find out if there is a function the night before the race, and if so, get a room that doesn't connect to the Arcade. | |
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J. C. from Cincinnati, OH
(5/22/2008)
"FAST COURSE!!!" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I don't have too much to base my reviews on, as Cleveland was my second marathon. This is one fast, fairly flat course!! If you are looking to qualify for Boston, which I was and did, then this is the race for you. The pace teams were incredible - both from keeping with the time (not getting too fast) to keeping those in the group focused on finishing. I will excuse the lack of fan support due to nasty weather. Although the conditions were wonderful for running, they were not ideal to stand out on the side of the road cheering. The support at the finish was phenomenal! It was windy and lonely along the waterfront airport, and I could only imagine what 20 mph winds would have felt like. If you are looking for an inexpensive, scenic, fast spring race, then this is for you. | |
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C. H. from Chicago, IL
(5/21/2008)
"First time in Cleveland, and I'll be back" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I'm from Chicago, and this was my 7th marathon and my first in Cleveland. The size is comparable to the St. Louis Marathon, both with runners and spectators. What a great treat to be in the Galleria out of the rain before the start. I thought the color-coding was great, the miles were clearly marked and the water stops plentiful and well-staffed. The expo was a good size, but a few more volunteers for bibs and shirts would have been helpful. I like the tech shirt. I stayed downtown and everything was within walking distance and convenient. I thought the spectators were light, but the weather probably had something to do with that. It was similar to St. Louis, and those that were out cheered loudly. The lack of spectators and the few volunteers at the expo were the only reasons the star rating isn't higher. I don't know the area, so I can't recommend a better route, but I don't have any complaints. No real hills and the downhill from 16 to 20 was welcome. And, the next day at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame capped off a great weekend. I'll be back for this well-done marathon. | |
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T. M. from Canada
(5/21/2008)
"Great marathon to qualify for Boston" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I found the first 4 miles a bit challenging and somewhat uphill but the rest of the race was more than fair. I honestly felt like I was running gently downhill a lot of the course. The course was quite scenic; Cleveland is a very nice city, from what I saw of it. So if you're around the 3 - 3:15 mark, this is the marathon at which to qualify for Boston. Way to go, Cleveland!! | |
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m. m. from michigan
(5/21/2008)
"Nice job, Cleveland... except the rain" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 It was 48 degrees and pouring rain at the start, so the 7-minute delay was magnified. There was GU at 12 and 19. I don't believe I ran down any alleys. The crowd support was more than I expected, considering the weather on a Sunday morning. I had no problems with traffic. My timing tag worked just fine, and my daughter received several updates on her phone within minutes. For 26 miles around Cleveland, the course greatly exceeded my expectations. My complaint would be all the headphones being used and the runners with the bike support, despite both being clearly forbidden. Nice job, organizers and volunteers (and musicians on the course)! | |
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C. B. from Maryland
(5/20/2008)
"Pretty good course for Cleveland" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 My 12th marathon - after a 4-year break because of injury (road bike during this time), and I thought the event overall was very well organized, with a pretty scenic course. The weather was tough, with rain the first half of the race, and there was a pretty strong headwind the last 10K along lake Erie. High praise from a Steeler fan in enemy territory. | |
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A. C. from Natick, MA
(5/20/2008)
"Start and Traffic Control Need Work" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Not a bad race, but not a destination race either. Granted it was raining at the start, so some things couldn't be controlled. Pros- -Very nice expo and easy to get to. -Tech shirts (but a bit hard to read logo). -Volunteers were GREAT! Everyone was very nice, from volunteers to police. -Plenty of water and PowerAde. -Start/finish were easily accessible from downtown hotels. -Fans actually out on the course were supportive. -Loved running by the cultural gardens on the parkway. Highlight of the race for me. Cons: -Nature of the course made traffic control tough. My family said they saw at least a few close calls between cars and runners. Drivers were not understanding. -First part of the second half of the marathon was very industrial and had a complete lack of fan support. -Run along water toward the end was pretty, but wind was tough. -Not much fan support overall. -Concrete on parts of the course was tough on the legs. -Start of race could be better organized. Items that could be improved: Yes, it was raining, but some kind of markings to line people up would have helped. Lots of faster people never made it anywhere near the pacesetters for their time. If possible, maybe try to hit more neighborhoods and less of that industrial section (may not be possible and would hate to lose the parkway part in order to do that). Overall, I wouldn't run the race again. The volunteers were great and I liked parts of the course, but I feel like if you're going to pay to fly to run a marathon, you want some great scenery for most of the marathon, while this only had about half of the course with good scenery. | |
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D. T. from Columbus, Ohio
(5/20/2008)
"Just one question..." (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran a PR, but I have just one question. What's up with the Kotex in the goody bag???? What are the guys supposed to do with that??? | |
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N. W. from United States of America
(5/20/2008)
"Course was nice; new timing system bad" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I enjoyed most of the course. I enjoyed the neighborhoods and the lake-front. It rained most of the night and at the start so there was lots of puddles. I followed the directions for the new timing bracelet, but the glue came loose and I held it in my hand after mile 15 or so. So I don't have an official marathon time. Oh well, at least I have my spinning guitar medal. | |
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J. S. from North Canton, Ohio
(5/20/2008)
"Great, flat and scenic course!" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 THE GOOD: - Great microfiber t-shirt - looks like what you'd get at a rock concert - Very scenic course running past Browns Stadium, the Rock Hall, Progressive Field, and along the lake shore - Course is relatively flat. The three uphills (2,10,23) were really very mild. - Accurate mile markers every mile - 18+ aid stations, 2 with gel - I liked the new ChronTrack timing system (didn't have to register it, or return it at the end) - Great post-race recovery area, with live band and lots of food - Good field size of around 8K people for both half and full marathon - never felt like I was running in a herd THE BAD: - Race didn't start on time for reasons unknown (and it was pouring rain at the start) - Aid stations were not where the map indicated they would be for first half of the marathon THE UGLY: - Crowd support dwindled to near zero from mile 13 to 24 OVERALL: Great race. Very enjoyable. Will do again next year. |
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