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☰
Portland Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Portland Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.5 
Organization 4.2 
Spectators 4.3
Number of comments: 295 [displaying comments 101 to 111]
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S. A. from Wilsonville, OR
(10/7/2009)
"Portland is a Runner's Town!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Portland Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran my first marathon in Portland (my home town) in 2000 and have run 10 others since. I am still on my quest for my BQ and thought this was the time. While I enjoyed the weather on the day, the wave start, the changes to the downtown portion of the course and the increased number of bands and spectators, I fell short of my goal again (though that's no fault of the course). Alas, I will try again. Thanks, Portland; it was fun! | |
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R. C. from Redmond, WA
(10/6/2009)
"Great Marathon" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Portland Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I graded the course a 5. Why? Because it's perfect for a PR, if you strategize correctly. The hill at 16 is just short enough to go slowly. You can afford to lose a minute here, because if you can hold on at pace for several miles past the bridge, there is a long downhill where you can gain back at least two minutes. I just PR'ed by 6 minutes (3:08) and couldn't be happier. My wife BQ'ed. All of our friends PR'ed. The spectators were more vocal than from the past times I've run this. And the weather was great - just right. I really love Portland as a destination. Our group drove down from Seattle and we were very impressed with this city. | |
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B. J. from Seattle
(10/6/2009)
"Best marathon despite worst finish" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I bonked hard at 17 miles - at the one and only significant hill of the course (approaching the Saint John's Bridge). That was ALL my fault, and despite this being my slowest marathon, the course, organization, and overall hospitality makes me rate it as the best of the three that I have run. I HIGHLY recommend this marathon to ANY level of runner. The course is flat and fast, and the pace groups were spot on. The weather is usually great at this time of year in Portland, and you honestly will not find nicer people than in Portland. The crowds were good for the size of race (10,000 runners) and there was WAY more music at this race than at the one Rock and Roll Marathon I experienced. | |
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A. K. from USA
(10/5/2009)
"Watch Out for the Commuter Train" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This race is a lot harder than it looks. It is not flat. But the most disappointing and surprising aspect came at mile 24 for me when the four-hour pace group (half of us) were stopped by a police officer for a commuter train. If you are concerned about time, I suppose it is the luck of the draw if you happen to get stopped by the train. Another person in our group got stopped at mile 5. In any event, the town is nice, the spectators are nice, and the view over the bridge was nice. | |
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A. M. from Seattle, WA
(10/5/2009)
"So close!" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Five seconds... five seconds and I would've had a PR. Alas, I was stopped and had to wait for an Amtrak train within the last three miles. Ugh.... This race had the best fans I've seen. Nice people. And we got the best finisher's shirt I've received yet! | |
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N. R. from Los Angeles, CA
(10/5/2009)
"Great weather; great city race" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I have done 30 marathons in 5 different states and countries. This was one of the BEST moderately-sized city marathons that I have done thus far for a variety of reasons. It is very rare that I repeat a marathon unless I really like it, but I may repeat Portland. I ran it in 3:39 and my friend completed it in seven hours, so I have some advice to share that would help everyone. Negatives: 1. The race medal wasn't that great. 2. Porta-potties were an issue as we got closer to the race start. If you want to avoid this then get there early. I was there an hour before the start and had NO problem. When I was standing at the start, there was a bit chaos of people waiting in line for the restroom. It's a 10,000-runner race, so expect the lines as you get closer to the race start. Positives: 1. Weather was phenomenal for marathoning: 47 F at the start and 55 F at the finish. 2. The expo was great, with lots of free goodies like bars, granola, water bottles, etc. and there was plenty of exhibitors selling gear and racing items if you were interested. I left with a green pack completely filled with goodies instead of just fliers for other races. 3. Shirt: Long-sleeved, technical finisher's shirt for marathoners. 4. Spectator support is great for all runners: front and back of the pack. 5. Moderately-sized marathon of about 10,000 marathoners ONLY (no half-marathon :)), which is great because you won't get crowded by half-marathoners and they won't finish all of the finish-line goodies since they finish a couple hours before. The Portland race weekend is all about the marathoners! 6. Organization: Kudos to the race organizers!! They care about everyone equally, which is something very rare to find. They take care of all of the front-runners who are coming in in the 2:20's for males and 2:50's for females, and they stay out there to take care of all of the walkers who are coming in hours later; I saw it because I stayed out there waiting for my friend who came in at seven hours. They were so great that they were still hanging out there for any walkers until they stopped the clock at 10:55:55. Many marathons say that they have a course limit of 6:00:00, which means that is all that they paid their permits for so they start picking up everything at the finish line. Here they care about everyone and take care of everyone. My friend who came in at 7:00:00 said she still got plenty of food. 7. Volunteers of all ages were great - from little toddlers handing out gummy bears to grandparents cheering on everyone. 8. The finish line had tons of food, ranging from grapes, apples and bananas to cheese, bread, bagels, and chocolate milk. They do add their special touch by giving out space blankets, roses, a pin, and a tree seedling. 9. The course will be what you expect: A little hilly, but there is as much downhill as there is uphill. Just train and be prepared. Almost all of the complaints are about the industrial portion of the race, but it is not that big of a deal. It is a part of Portland that you get to see that you would not have seen otherwise. | |
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R. W. from Washington
(10/5/2009)
"Say MY Name" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I'm kind of surprised reading some of the other comments. This is my second full marathon and I really enjoyed it. My other was the Seattle Rock and Roll. I love the energy of a marathon - it doesn't matter where it is. There is nothing like waking up and seeing so many excited people heading for the start line. I liked that there was a wave start. I thought the course was good - I am not much for scenery, and I thought that Seattle R'n'R offered a BEAUTIFUL glimpse of the city BUT the hills were a killer. However, this race course did not have those same hills and I was very thankful for that. The race seemed well organized. I am not looking for anything special though. The best part about this race had to be the spectators. The fact that my name was on my bib and I had people cheering for me was great. (I kept thinking I must look really bad and in need of cheering if they kept saying it at times.) This was my favorite part of the run. I wish every marathon did this. I love that it is only a full, and you get your shirt at the end. It made me feel like I'd earned something. Seattle R'n'R spoiled me a little in the way of reunion areas; this one was too crowded and congested, but that is a small thing. I love the shirt - I have always loved the design. This is a good run. | |
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M. C. from Portland, OR
(10/5/2009)
"Perfect First Marathon" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Granted I have no other marathon to compare Portland to, but I can't imagine the race going any better for me. There were no organizational snags at all - from packet pickup to the finisher's chute, everything was super smooth. The spectators were great. I've never experienced anything like the last quarter-mile, with hundreds of people yelling my name and "Flight of the Valkyries" blaring over the loudspeaker. Just like their motto says, "Every Finisher is Treated Like a Winner" - even me, draggin' in at 4:26. The course was good as well. Granted I'm a Portlander, so I know the area - but really, running over the St. John's and Broadway Bridges is tres cool. And the out-and-back was great because I was able to see friends running who were both ahead of me (most) and behind me (a couple). My only nit is that while I love running the bridges, I wish they'd flip the course. The climb onto the Broadway Bridge (mile 23-24) was daunting - but I survived. Portland LOVES its runners and it shows. | |
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J. K. from Portland, OR
(10/5/2009)
"This is NOT the lovely city I know!" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have lived in Portland for only a few short months but already have found many gorgeous natural areas and cute, vibrant neighborhoods. This course shows you none of that. For much of the race, I felt like I could have been in any generic, industrial city. Aside from the St John's Bridge, this course is ugly. (And the bridge is torturous if you look south and see how far downtown looks... but that is not a criticism of the course). The out-and-back is weird; you finally break away from the pack, and 10 miles or so in, you're squashed into a mob again so everyone can be jammed into both sides of a two-lane road. The road up to the bridge is depressing - few spectators, a gradual climb, and the road is full of traffic. So, it is flat and fast, yes. Pretty and full of character? No. I wanted to tell out-of-towners, "No no... Portland really IS a great place, honest!" I know it costs money to close off roads, but it would be worth a try and you might even make up that lost revenue by having runners pay to return the next year! I, for one, will not be coming back. That said, the volunteers were great, parking was a breeze, the finish line food was good, space blankets are a great idea, and the shirt is my favorite ever! | |
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J. S. from Bay Area, CA
(10/4/2009)
"Nice weather, nice race" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The Portland Marathon is a homegrown race that the city is justifiably proud of. I like the fact that the marathon is the main event. No half-marathon here. Much has been written about the course. While it is true that the course is drab, I was able to run a pretty fast time. In the end, a fast time is more satisfying than scenery. Unlike last year's rain, the weather was a bit breezy but perfect for a fast run. For an event that touts itself as being the best-organized marathon in North America, I was not impressed at all. While the organizers were boasting about another large marathon field, the start area could barely handle the 9,000 runners. It was too crowded and there weren't enough porta-potties. The lines for them were long and there was lots of confusion about where the end of the line was. The volunteers were great at all of the water stations. Again, more porta-potties are needed early in the race. There were long lines for each one during the first 10 miles of the race. In the out-and-back section, I waited in line for several minutes to use one. Another negative is that the race atmosphere lacked energy. It was quiet out on the course. There were few cheers from the spectators and course entertainers hardly acknowledged the runners. All in all, this is an okay race. The worst thing I can say about it is there is nothing special about this race that makes me want to come back. |
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