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☰
Sunburst Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Sunburst Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.7 
Organization 4.1 
Spectators 2.9
Number of comments: 197 [displaying comments 91 to 101]
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M. M. from Arlington, VA
(6/2/2008)
"Great run through SBN" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Sunburst Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Yes, I had the same thing between mile 6 and 7. Not sure if the course was mis-marked, but I was right on with the Garmin through 6. Then something happened at 7 and it stayed that way until the end. Organization was great - that is what makes a race!! Course was scenic - not too hilly, but rather, just right. Awesome finish into ND Stadium - even if you are not a ND fan, it's still cool to run onto the field. But one thing for the RD: it was a pain for marathoners to weave/dodge other racers from the other races when the courses merged. Having a 90-degree merge of courses is not a good idea, and then have to weave through was pretty bad. | |
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S. L. from Iowa
(6/1/2008)
"Worst marathon, or any race, I have ever run." (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Sunburst Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 As a veteran of 17 marathons and hundreds of other races, I have lots of experience to rely on, and the 2008 Sunburst was the most poorly organized, and worst overall, race I have ever seen. The less significant, but still meaningful, issues include such things as (1) not having an organized pasta-thon the night before the race (or even having local restaurants offer a pasta buffet, etc.), (2) providing marathoners the same basic cotton t-shirt also given to those running much shorter races at this event, (3) giving out extremely small cups of warm water and Gatorade on a very hot day (no ice anywhere), (4) having a volunteer harass me for keeping a cup past the immediate vicinity of the water stop, and (5) having an expo that was really not much more than a packet pick-up stand. These are just a few examples of the problems I encountered that rank below the huge problem that follows. The marathon race course itself on race day was not properly administered. There were dozens and dozens of places on the marathon course where it was not clear where we were to go. Sometimes they used cones and/or volunteers to mark the turns, but in a majority of cases, all we had to rely on were, at best, some painted marks on the pavement. It was so bad that around mile 10-11, at least a handful of us ended up running an extra mile before a volunteer spotted us and got us going the right way again. Particularly on a day that started at 70 degrees and ended the race well into the 80's, having to run an extra mile was inexcusable. In addition, many of the mile markers themselves were improperly measured. I wear a Garmin 305, which, while not 100% accurate, confirmed the problems I noted with the course. I know the vast majority of race directors do a great job and don't get the true thanks they deserve. This is the one and only time in my 30+ years of running that I thought a race was badly mismanaged. As a result, I have to strongly recommend to other runners out there, particularly those in the two 50 State clubs who have to pick from what little is available in Indiana, to avoid this marathon even so. I have not run the Indy Marathon, but I have to hope it is much better organized than Sunburst. | |
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B. E. from Michigan
(6/1/2008)
"Well supported, good course, but hot and lonely" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Sunburst Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I just ran my first Sunburst yesterday (May 31, 2008) and greatly enjoyed it. The course runs mostly through scenic residential areas and parks: unlike most marathons it does NOT go through the warehouse district or past the city's water treatment plant. Much of the course is out-and-back, which I like because you get to see all the other runners several times. There is the "run around the cones" (but, to correct other comments, it is not in a parking lot, but more like a private street). The worst part of the course is a short section where runners and cars are mixed together on a 4-lane street - one lane should be coned off for the race. My favorite part of the course is from mile 14 to mile 23, which follows the river and crosses the river (twice!) on a wooden foot bridge. Others like the finish at the 50-yard line, and that is nice, too. Aid stations were EXCEPTIONAL - 6 stars. They had 24 aid stations in 26 miles, all had water and Gatorade, nearly half had GU, and a few had bananas. Food at the finish was great - I really liked the Popsicles and fresh fruit. The biggest drawback to Sunburst is the likelihood of it being warm and humid - if you do not do well in those conditions, consider yourself warned. It is a small marathon (under 500 in 2008), so the expo is tiny, and there are few spectators - but packet pickup is a breeze and there were no lines at the porta-potties! Overall, a good race. Well done, South Bend! | |
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G. H. from Milwaukee, WI
(6/1/2008)
"Comments from 2008 Runner" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Sunburst Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Worth the money, but there's the good/not so good. Good: Low cost, hassle-free, no worries about "getting in" before registration closes, fairly pretty course. Great volunteers, good expo, nice racing socks. Not so good: 6 a.m. Eastern start (that meant rising at 3 a.m. in the Cenral zone where I live to run a marathon). Humidity (more than hot temps). This likely called for a 6 a.m. start, though. If possible, I would prefer the date to be 6 weeks earlier and an 8 am start. Course: With numerous races going on at different times, marathoners at one point had to literally INTERSECT with runners from another race. Very dangerous, in my opinion. | |
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John Reed from Parma, MI
(6/1/2008)
"Nice, Small, Scenic, River Marathon!" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Sunburst Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The course was nice and varied, with much of it on scenic river trails. Just enough hills so as to make it challenging. Many well stocked water/Gatorade stops with plenty of GU packets. Great finish at ND stadium, with plenty of food and refreshments. | |
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T. O. from Ohio
(6/1/2008)
"7-mile marker?" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Sunburst Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 My split from mile 6 to mile 7 was under 5 minutes - and, no, I'm not that fast. No mile splits after that were excessively slow. Was the course short, mis-marked, or what? Anyone know? | |
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M. C. from Dayton,Ohio
(5/31/2008)
"good race; I recommend it" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Sunburst Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 The course was scenic, along the river. The finish line is on the 50 yard-line of the Notre Dame football stadium (SPECTACULAR). They handed out wash cloths soaked in ice water at the finish line, which was refreshing. I think it is well organized and will run it again. The only negative is that they need more clocks at the mile markers. | |
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P. J. from Valparaiso, Indiana
(5/27/2008)
"Hoping for improvement" (about: 2000)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Sunburst Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 It has been 8 years since I ran this marathon, but due to its proximity to my home and the time of year, I'm finally going to try it again. I'm most concerned about a couple things - making sure the course is marked clearly, running into the 5K walkers at the end of the race, and then having to battle walkers and runners from shorter races for refreshments afterwards. Marathoners should be treated better and not have to fight for position at miles 25 and 26 with a bunch of people who are out for a Saturday-morning stroll in their brand new T-shirt. I have a good feeling that organizers have corrected this, but I will report back after the race. | |
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D. W. from Michigan
(5/9/2008)
"What can you do about weather?" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Sunburst Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 As I prepare for Sunburst '08, I thought I would read comments from '07 event (also ran). In my opinion, a few of the remarks posted are unwarranted. Yeah, the water was warm, but it was a really, really hot and humid day. The water stops were well prepared for the heat (unlike Chicago '07) and well staffed. Friendly volunteers! The course changes slightly every year. Now, '07 was not my favorite, but since I live right over the state border and get the South Bend paper, I knew in advance that there was a lot of street work near Notre Dame and at other points on or in the vicinity of the marathon course. As for the t-shirts, really, I have more tees than I know what to do with! Who cares whether it says "Marathon Finisher" or not when I'm mowing the grass? This upcoming edition, 2008, will be my 4th time running the full Sunburst Marathon (did the half and 10K many times) and I'm looking forward to it. It's a quiet course (not for everyone) but a great little race. | |
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C. S. from Columbus, Ohio
(1/16/2008)
"Poor organization; not welcoming to marathoners" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 4-5 Sunburst Marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 Sunburst has dropped its standards. We had to fight through crossing paths of walkers and cars throughout the race. A pathetic effort to call this a marathon! If they don't really want the real runners to come, they are going about it the right way! |
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