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☰
Columbus Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Columbus Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.4 
Organization 4.1 
Spectators 4.2
Number of comments: 333 [displaying comments 201 to 211]
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W. S. from South Bend, IN
(10/26/2005)
"Great Organization - Very Poor Pace Teams" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This race offered great organization/administration. Course was mostly as advertised, although second half was much more uphill than advertised. My gripe is mostly with the 3:20 pace team. Miles ranged widely from 7:12 to over 8:00 with no regularity! In addition, pace leader did nothing to offer support/encouragement to runners. I have emailed race administration about my experiences twice and have yet to receive a response. In short, great race organization, reasonable course, good fan support, very poor pace team. | |
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J. B. from Washington, D.C.
(10/26/2005)
"Wow" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Columbus Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I agree with R.R.'s comments. I ran this race three years ago and came back primarily because it's a fast course. I didn't run a PR/BQ like the first time (I was still pleased with my time), but I enjoyed the race more. Kudos to the race director for making this a 'runner's race.' He seemed to know what we want, even down to the t-shirt. What I like most about this marathon is that everything is easy - no long lines: just a pleasant, fast, well-organized course with a lot of spectators. The way I figure it, I've been training hard all summer and don't want hassle on race day - at least if I'm trying to qualify for Boston. My only suggestion is improving the web site. It should be more informative. Other than that, I give this marathon two VERY enthusiastic thumbs up. | |
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S. B. from Toronto, Canada
(10/25/2005)
"Boston, Here I come!" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 My second marathon and I was able to qualify for Boston. Used the pacer since my GPS wasn't working. He was bang on! The hills people talk about were nothing. They actually were a relief on the legs after running on flat surfaces for so long. Only complaint is the porta-potties. Had to go behind a tree (okay for guys) since there were line-ups and didn't want to waste time. Again, did I mention the pacers? Thanks to my 3:50 pacer, I'm going to Boston! | |
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E. M. from Normal, Illinois
(10/20/2005)
"A fun and well organized event!" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I was originally going to run Milwaukee, but when that race filled I moved to Columbus, and I could not be more happy with that piece of luck. I found Columbus to be a fantastic city with lots to do for my family and many good places to eat. The race itself was really the best I have done or been a part of. The course matched with the layout on the web page, the weather could not have been better, good spectator support throughout the course, well marked mile markers, and a great finishing area. The PACE team was fantastic! I grouped up with the 3:10 and held on up to mile 20 and then did a slow fade, but still ran a 3:13 which was a PR and qualified me for Boston. So the pace team deserves a lot of credit for getting me there. Overall, great weather, great city, great course, great organization. I already plan on going back in 2006! | |
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J. S. from Grand Rapids, Michigan
(10/20/2005)
"Great PR Course, Packet PU could have been better" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The course was great for PR's and for family who came to watch. The fluid stations were well manned. It was overall a very nice race to run. My biggest issue was with the late packet pick-up. I understand that when you pick up your number and shirt during the late pick-up, you run the risk of your shirt no longer being there. However, I stood there in line watching the shirt person allow people to change sizes from what they ordered and then I get there and my size (or even the next size up or down) is gone. Since we specify a size when we register, it seems reasonable that people should be given the size they ordered. When I inquired about this with one of the people at the number pick-up table, my inquiry was met with a less-than-helpful response, to say the least. I could go on and on about the many things that were organized extremely well but I thought the above feedback was important for the race organizers to hear because I know others were also talking about it. | |
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R. R. from St Louis, MO
(10/20/2005)
"Highly Recommended!" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Highly Recommended! Positives: * organization (it doesn't get much better) * weather (mid-40s start, 60ish finish) * course layout (fairly flat with a few gentle inclines) * fan support (sporadic, but wonderful... somewhere between Des Moines- and Chicago-type support) * expo (excellent presentation by Jeff Galloway) * finish (final 0.5 mile is a real downhill thrill along lines of Hospital Hill finish in KC) * early start (worked out great -- please keep!!) Potential Areas of Improvement: * website (difficult to find basic info) * # porta-johns (need more, given # runners) * # gel/Gu offerings (possibly an additional gel/Gu stop) * course overlaps with full, half and relay runners (sometimes seemed crowded with faster/spirited relay runners) Overall -- a wonderful experience!! | |
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Valerie Sigler from Pittsburgh, PA
(10/19/2005)
"Fantastic First Marathon!" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Columbus was a fantastic place for me to run my first marathon. The course wound through some really attractive neighborhoods, including Bexley and German Village. The fan support in these places especially was excellent! The course was pretty flat, just as advertised. The section of the course that was run on High Street between miles 13 and 18 was slightly uphill, but wasn't bad at all. The volunteers were wonderful. All the water/Gatorade stops were well organized, and everyone was so kind and helpful. The Carb-Boom station was well-organized too. I was pleased that I had a choice of flavors, as trivial as that may sound. I've run in races where volunteers just throw packets at people. I guess at that point (mile 19), it doesn't matter what it tastes like, as long as it will do the trick, but I still appreciated the organization. I left my jacket with someone at the gear truck before I began, and found it in a plastic bag, marked with my bib number, at the finish area with no trouble at all. This could have been chaotic, but the volunteers handled it well. The finish area was very well organized, with plenty of choices for food (spoons for the yogurt would help though) and drink. Even though I was alone, it seemed like it would be easy to track down family and friends. My only complaint about the organization was the small quantity of porta-potties at the starting area. I waited in line for 20 minutes and had just enough time to get to my starting position before the race began. The weather was great: sunny, cool at the start, and slightly breezy throughout. I really couldn't have asked for a better first marathon. Columbus does it right: great course, volunteers and spectators. The City of Columbus, though large, is quite easy to navigate. It was easy to find a hotel nearby, park, and exit the city after the race. I appreciate that Columbus is a big city, but still has a small-town feel to it. Where else can you exit a city and after three miles be in a cornfield? I will definitely do a repeat of Columbus in years to come. Great race! | |
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e. j. from Oregon, ohio
(10/19/2005)
"Best of both worlds!" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon offers runners the best of both worlds. It affords runners just enough spectators to keep them going and just enough runners to make it feel like a big-city marathon. The packed start line gets you pumped up and the race course is an awesome jumble of the city and suburbs. The course is mostly flat with the exception of two very long stretches that increase in elevation gradually. I would definitely recommend this marathon to everyone. A special thanks to Steve, Bill and the woman who shared a kiss with me at the 18th mile marker!!!!!!!!!!!! | |
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D. T. from USA
(10/18/2005)
"Beautiful, quaint, and well done!" (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This race is so well organized; even the clothes we tossed were in a pile waiting for us when we finished. For many other reasons, you will not be sorry if you choose Columbus. It was terrific. | |
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D. A. from INDIANA
(10/18/2005)
"Great mid-sized marathon!" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is a great mid-sized marathon. Not cramped liked Chicago but big enough (5,000 +) that you always have runners around you for support. Course is mostly flat and nice with miles 16-21 more challenging (mostly uphill). Finishing miles through the Ohio State campus. Very enjoyable experience. |
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