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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 231 to 241]
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S. W. from Columbus, Ohio
(11/16/2004)
"Columbus - Average at Best" (about: 2004)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Columbus Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Maybe because it's my hometown but in this, my second running of the Columbus Marathon, I was bored. The course starts out fine in Bexley but the 6 mile drudgery up High Street with nothing to look at is terrible. The course is flat and fast but boring. I'm embarrassed for the out-of-towners who think this is a pretty course. The website is awful. Seriously - it's terrible. The race committee needs to take some tips from The Flying Pig and its marathon. | |
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J. A. from Chipita Park-Colorado
(11/13/2004)
"Terrific race, fast course and well organized." (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 First time here at the Columbus Marathon. Super organization; flat, fast course and a great community! The only glitch the lack of porta-potties at start. Outside the potties, cool course, real flat and fast through a pretty scenic part of Columbus. The autumn leaves and very supportive crowds didn't hurt either. Certainly this is no LA Marathon or Rock n Roll, or Boston for that matter, but it's faster... Keep a touch in the gas tank for a little incline at 18-19 miles. The trip around Ohio State stadium and the rest of this very supportive community was terrific. Would do it again. | |
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K. C. from Beavercreek, Ohio
(10/29/2004)
"Great Race" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I don't have much to compare it to, but thought a few people might enjoy the perspective from a first-timer at the back of the pack. I thought the marathon was great. The Course: Great starting area. You can establish your pace right away. I loved the course and felt that the few hills it did have were not intimidating even for someone who hadn't done much hill work like myself. The only part that seemed to drag on was the 5-mile stretch on High Street. I loved the first 10 miles. It just flew by as I ran through those gorgeous neighborhoods. I could hardly take it all in. The Organization: The water stops were ready for me even after serving 4,000+ people before me. None of them closed up early or ran out of Gatorade or water. The finishing line treats were a little anemic by the time I made it in, but I was so thrilled to have a medal around my neck that I was happy with one of the final yogurts and a cheese bagel. The Fans: They were great the first 17 miles. By the time I made it to the OSU campus, I think they had all packed up and gone home. This could be because I was so slow. I didn't see many people after that until towards the end. I am hoping to run it again next year. | |
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Ryan Mathews from Tega Cay, South Carolina
(10/27/2004)
"Glad I made the trip -- great marathon!!!" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I love Columbus, the state of Ohio and the Buckeyes but I was reminded why I moved to the Carolinas after that COLD/WINDY start. Great marathon. I enjoyed running in the greatest college city in the world. Go Bucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | |
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B. L. from Morgantown, West Virginia
(10/24/2004)
"Great experience for first-timers!" (about: 2004)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, so I really have nothing to compare it to. I had a wonderful time running it though, and I thought that the fans were absolutely incredible. Plenty of GU was handed out throughout the course, with lots of water stops to wash it down with. The course was mostly flat, with just enough rolling hills to make it interesting. There were definitely not enough porta-johns towards the end though; when I finally came to one I had to wait for what seemed like an eternity to get in. | |
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J. S. from Louisville, KY
(10/23/2004)
"Will run again" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I had a great experience at this marathon and will recommend it to anyone, whether it be their 1st or 50th marathon. The course is great, running through some very beautiful neighborhoods. Fan support is good overall, but pretty quiet in some sections. Walkers need to stay to the side. The vast majority complied but a few preferred to walk side by side in the middle of the road. Water stops were excellent, many thanks to all of the volunteers. My only disappointment is with the website. It needs to have a confirmation section that is much easier to locate. Also, the hotels are in great locations to both the start and finish line and should be advertised as such. | |
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J. C. from newport ky.1071
(10/20/2004)
"Volunteers were great, lots of support" (about: 2004)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Columbus Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Everything was well organized. The aid stations and volunteers were great. The police were at all the intersections to keep us safe. I can't think of anything bad to say - except the address for the expo was hard to find. I went to the wrong hotel and had to pay for parking twice... | |
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J. S. from Dayton, OH
(10/20/2004)
"'04: Feared for my safety- fought traffic at mi 2!" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 Wow - this marathon has some work to do. At mile two, a friend and I stopped to use the porta-john and while we stood in line, the end of the race passed us; the water stop packed up and the police officers removed the barricades and allowed traffic to resume. Mile two is located on a busy four-lane road and the traffic for that road was quickly on our heels. We were forced to the sidewalk, and we wondered why we paid the $65 entry fee to run along a busy road. As we attempted reconcile our pace (5-hour finish time as determined by our training plan) with the need to catch up to the pack, traffic barriers continued to be removed and water stations closed just as we reached them. Not only was this was a mentally demoralizing experience for runners who were just beginning the 26.2 mile journey, it also put our physical safety in jeopardy. The marathon needs to either correct this grave situation or make every effort to notify runners at registration that the course will close on your heels. If they plan to make the course available only to those runners at a 4:30 hour pace and under, then they should make that limitation known in their registration and promotional materials. It is my expectation that if each runner in the race paid an entry fee of $65, then they should be afforded the same accommodations for safety and water for as long as the course is open (the literature stated that the course would be open for 7 hours). I pray that no one was injured due to this regretful situation and cannot in good conscience recommend this race to other runners. | |
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g. m. from Cincinnati, OH
(10/20/2004)
"Nice - NOT Great!!" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Overall impression was nice. Fans that were out there were great. A lot of fun people. The course overall was okay - a few more porta-johns would have helped. A few more collectables would have been nice @ the expo. They did advertise music zone or band. I personally didn't see one. I did hear a lot of boomboxes & that was nice. The group @ mile marker 24 with the marching band music - give them 5 stars. The finish line volunteers were also super people. | |
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A. M. from West Bloomfield, Michigan
(10/19/2004)
"Disagree with comments from previous years..." (about: 2004)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have been running marathons since age 17, twenty-four years ago, so I really wanted to pick one I'd enjoy and run well. I went to school at OSU before moving up to the Detroit area, so I thought it would be a fun distraction to come back to Columbus to run. Previous comments really worried me about running this race. After finishing this weekend, I couldn't disagree more. The organization was terrific. Traffic control and safety were top-notch, and the spectators were very supportive. I heard no complaints about lack of facilities, and the medals were a nice keepsake. I did hear some disappointment with the shirt which was a long-sleeve cotton instead of a technical cloth. The aid stations were plentiful, and their volunteers did a great job making it clear what was water and what was Gatorade. There were two gel stops at 12 and 19 miles. The worst part of the whole race was a really strong and gusty wind. My guess is the organizers really took the complaints to heart and made a successful effort to shape things up. I would recommend this race both for the experience and as a good Boston qualifier. |
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