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Cleveland Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Cleveland Marathon Information & Reviews

Course Rating Course 3.9 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 3.9 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 3.3 
 
 
Number of comments: 299 [displaying comments 171 to 181]
More Comments: [ < 1 .. 16 17 18 19 20 .. 30 > ]

 

Jennifer Galyon from Fairfield, CT (5/22/2007)
"Great views and a fun weekend event!" (about: 2007)

First Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


I really enjoyed the course and was worried about it before hand, this being my first half marathon. I think it is laidout beautifully and someone put a lot of thought into making it challenging, but not overwhelming. I loved the bands and entertainment along the way, and thought everything was really easy - signing up, getting our numbers, putting belongings into storage, everything.

I will come back next year.

 

H. V. from Johnston, Iowa (5/22/2007)
"Great Race; Highly Recommended" (about: 2007)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


I ran the half marathon with a group of first-timers and it was wonderful. The expo was easy to get to; however, I would have liked to have more booths to visit. It was a small expo. There were plenty of porta-johns in the beginning of the race and the start was organized very well. The start was not over-crowded and neither was the beginning of the race. I have run in many large marathons (AZ, Marine Corp, Disney, Nashville, etc.) and this race was the perfect size. The course was lovely. Running through different areas of Cleveland and past such great landmarks was a lot of fun. The lake, stadium for the Browns and Indians, Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, etc. Spectators were encouraging; I wish there were more along the shoreway but it is a hard place to get to. The finish line was great. A lot of cheering. The water stops were very well organized and the volunteers were wonderful. PowerAde in blue cups and water in red. Easy and consistent - and much appreciated, too. The food at the end was good and plentiful. Medals are nice.

 

w. a. from GA (5/22/2007)
"Cleveland ROCKS!" (about: 2007)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


I only wanted to run this one for 2 reasons - check Ohio off the 50 state list and visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum. The Hall of Fame did not disappoint - it's well worth the trip to Cleveland. The marathon did not disappoint either. Starting with a small but good expo. Good vendors there. A nice short-sleeve technical shirt. (When is Chicago going to get with the technical shirt program?!) It's a great course - mostly flat, only a few small hills - and it goes through some nice parts of the city.

It gets a little lonely after the half-marathoners turn left to their finish line - but don't they all? The park towards the end is nice, and the breeze coming off the lake kept things cool. We lucked out with the weather this year as it ended up being overcast and cool all (most all!) day. Not a ton of spectators but the ones that were out were very enthusiastic. And even though I finished in over 5 hours there were still plenty of food and drink at the finish line and the band was still playing!

If you still need Ohio, this is a MUST DO!! Even if you're not doing the 50 states, this is definitely one to consider.

CLEVELAND ROCKS!!

 

R. J. from Bedford, NH (5/22/2007)
"Great destination city." (about: 2007)

11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


I ran the Cleveland Half Marathon this year and would rank this 5 stars. Beautiful half-marathon course which led us past Brown's stadium, museums, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Lake Erie shoreline. Fairly flat course with quite a few little bumps (going over bridges) along the way. Good weather, super organization, very friendly and helpful people, nice finisher's medallion and a good cotton T-shirt. We spent three days in Cleveland and enjoyed touring the city and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Don't miss the Sunday Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues either. The food and entertainment were awesome. We stayed at the Downtown Hyatt Arcade and would rate this hotel a 5-star as well. Although I did not run the marathon, I heard from many finishers that the course remained flat and well organized, but lacked the scenery. It seemed as though everyone had positive things to say about the half marathon and marathon races. If you have an interest in what the city of Cleveland has to offer, and you want a mid-sized half or full marathon on a fast course, you have got to try this one.

 

M. N. from Cleveland OH (5/22/2007)
"Hometown Race - First Marathon" (about: 2007)

1 previous marathon | 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 3


I ran my first marathon this weekend and chose to do Cleveland because it is close to home. I have nothing to compare it to, but there is a lot I would change.

First the positives:
- Crowd support seemed much higher compared to last year (I did the 10K last year)
- It highlights the east and west sides of Cleveland
- Plenty of porta-potties and water stops
- Mile markers with time clocks on them
- Expo was much better this year
- Volunteers at water stops yelling, "PowerAde in front, water in back." Very well organized.
- Parking was easy and it was nice to be able to go in the Galleria before it started

Negatives:
- Honestly, $8 just to park for the expo? Come on.
- Porta-potties by the start were a mess! You could not figure out where the line was or how to get to the bathroom. I think it would be better if they put them in several spots, instead of all smooshed together.
- Crappy t-shirt; even though I got a technical t (10K is just cotton), it's not very attractive and very wide and short (oddly shaped). They can do much better. My friend ran the Fargo one this weekend and got a nice, pretty tech T and an Adidas bag. Akron gives away shoes!
- I only saw Gels at 2 stops - good thing I brought my own!
- First couple of water stops were basically out of water.
- I thought that the long runs down Carnegie and Chester were just boring and awful; I would have rather run through the lovely neighborhoods past Edgewater park for longer.
- They advertised all these bands and DJs, but none of the bands, except for the one with the little kids singing by Edgewater were playing when we went by. When we passed the Browns stadium at the beginning, the band was still setting up.
- Finishing corral leaves a lot to be desired; it's not somewhere you'd want to hang out and all the food is junk food. How about some Gatorade and granola bars - not Twinkies and sugary fruit punch.

 

carol jakubowski from parma heights, ohio (5/22/2007)
"Thank you volunteers" (about: 2007)

First Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 4


First, I want to thank the many volunters who gave of their free time to support us. Your hard work and many words of encouragement are much appreciated. Thank you, again!!!

Thoughts for improvements: More music. I was a half-marathon walker and if you are going to tie the race in to the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame, why not have more great music playing throughout the course? I would pay an extra five bucks or so for you to hire some local bands. Heck, I am sure many would do it just for the exposure.

Good race though - I really enjoyed myself. Also, thank you for adding the walking divisions. I will be back next year!!!

Sincerely.
Carol Jakubowski
Parma Heights

 

C. S. from Fairfield, Connecticut (5/22/2007)
"I Loved It!!!" (about: 2007)

1 previous marathon | 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


I ran the half marathon with 15 of my friends and family. Most of us had never run or walked in a race before. It was awesome to have the whole family rally around something healthy like running a marathon. I thought the venue was great, it was very organized, and I was very happy with the turnout. I will definitely be running the full marathon next year.

 

a. n. from chicago (5/21/2007)
"Cleveland needs a major lift in morale!" (about: 2007)

6-10 previous marathons | 2 Cleveland Marathons
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 1


What is happening to Cleveland? I grew up here and ran the races before but the city seems dead - very few cheering spectators, although there were awesome volunteers. The Rock and Roll City had fewer than a handful of bands and the rest of the music came from little stereo boxes scattered about the course. DO SOMETHING, CLEVELAND!!!

 

A. T. from Lyndhurst, Ohio (5/21/2007)
"Great first experience" (about: 2007)

1 previous marathon | 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


This is the first race I have done and I thought it was a great experience. It started at the expo, where there was a wide variety of apparel for the race and very interesting speakers and topics. The course was great and the crowds that lined the streets were very encouraging. Overall, this was a great first experience.

 

C. M. from Cleveland (5/21/2007)
"Great experience" (about: 2007)

1 previous marathon | 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 4


Running my first marathon was not easy, but it was really rewarding to cross the finish line. I thought the couse was great - I've lived in Cleveland all my life and never really enjoyed the views like I did while running this. I got a hotel downtown and was able to easily pickup my race packet and only had to walk a block to the start line. After the race, I stuck around for a few beers and then just had to walk back to my hotel. It was a really great experience and an overall fun day.

 

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