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☰
Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon) Runner Comments
Back to Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon) Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 3.9 
Spectators 4.2
Number of comments: 338 [displaying comments 91 to 101]
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P. W. from Plymouth, MN
(12/27/2009)
"An Excellent Race" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first time running the Dallas White Rock Marathon, and I enjoyed it. The event was well-organized, and the weather was perfect. The AA Arena is an excellent locale for hosting the event. The expo was also very good. The course is relatively flat, and offers the opportunity for a good finishing time. My suggestions for improvement: the post-race food area was a little tight considering the number of runners, and the huge number of half marathoners would benefit from a separate starting chute and start time. Overall I liked the race and would run it again. | |
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J. M. from Houston, TX
(12/23/2009)
"Way too crowded!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The last time I ran this race with in 2002. I ran again this year hoping for a PR and I did accomplish it. I am shocked that I did because I had to work HARD during the first 6 miles until the split. Why don't organizers cater to the full marathoners anymore? Why can't the half marathoners start later? I just don't understand why those of us that are working so hard have to work even harder dealing with the half marathoners. And, the corral system was a joke! Why was I in C? I finished the race with A and B runners. And, please... why wasn't "finisher" written on the shirt??? Waste of my money! I will not be returning. | |
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J. E. from New York
(12/20/2009)
"Loved this race!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Pros: 1) Nice expo: many vendors with some good sale prices, tables advertising other races, and good product samples. 2) Race bib super nice touch to add each runners name to their bibs. It allowed spectators along the course to cheer for you by name... just the thing to give you a boost when you need it. 3) Course: Relatively flat with small inclines in the first half, but the last 6 miles were all downhill. Roads were closed to traffic and the course marshals and police officers did a really nice job. 4) Wave start with 20,000 runners; it was a great idea to add the wave start. I started in Corral B and it took a few minutes to cross the starting line, but it cleared out fairly quickly and the volume of runners was not an issue at all. 5) Crowd support: Great crowd support all along the course, even through the quiet residential areas. Many spectators created their own aid stations and provided oranges, bananas, water and even beer if you were up for it. There were some great homemade signs, including this one somewhere around Mile 18: " You paid to do this to yourself ." You had to laugh. 6) Aid Stations/Volunteers: the aid stations were large and well staffed. The volunteers were fantastic and cheered for you by name as you ran through. 7) Finisher photo and technical shirt: right after crossing the finish line, volunteers took your picture in front of a White Rock Marathon backdrop so that you could purchase it as a souvenir. The technical running shirt was also a nice gift at the end. Overall this was a great race. Dallas did a nice job managing the volume of runners, the community clearly supports the race and is very encouraging to all the runners, and the race organizers added some nice touches to make this a special race. It's also nice that the race is a benefit for the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. Its a pretty fast and forgiving course and I'd recommend this race to anyone. This was by far my favorite marathon. | |
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D. S. from Knob Noster MO
(12/19/2009)
"Worth running once, but needs work." (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 DWR had ups and downs. The expo was a highlight, so kudos there. The technical difficulty of the course was nice. Not too flat; not too rolling. The course would have received 5 stars, but having horses out in front of a crowded run meant you had to dodge road apples in the first mile... not easy when 20K people are trying to fit on the street. Add in the pothole risk in the 5-9 mile range and there was to much injury potential. The lake miles were very peaceful. The aid stations were spaced well. The organization only gets 2 stars due to the attempt at corral management. If this had been executed better, it may have boosted this score. There were entirely too many walkers and slower runners at the front of the race. I want everyone to enjoy the event, but it's tough when you feel like you're having to shove your way forward. Better corral discipline is a must if DWR is ever going to succeed. The aid stations although placed well, were confusing. The publications said it would be water, then Gatorade. Some stations did this, but others had the opposite order. Tough to stay on a fluid consumption plan when you get a surprise every station. Thanks for the porta-johns on the course... plentiful. Could use a lot more restroom support in the start area though. The finish was abominable. No water. No directions on where to go to get food. No massage stations. I can't get past the concept of making the finishers walk down arena stairs to get to the beer/water distribution spots. Brilliant. No food on the arena floor area... back up the stairs you go. The finish area earns a "1." As far as spectator support, mahalo to those who came out. Your enthusiasm was appreciated. The Dolly Parton Hills "gals" and the various aid stations crowds were energetic and involved. However, between aid stations in many of the neighborhoods it felt like there was nobody watching. A special thanks goes to the police officers and cadets that supported the race with traffic control. Well done, all, and thanks for the encouragement. Y'all were a "5." I'm glad I ran DWR. I won't be going back though. | |
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J. L. from San Angelo, TX
(12/18/2009)
"Great, but with growing pains" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 While I agree that the corral system is a great idea in theory, it just doesn't work well in practice. I saw folks with an "A" corral bib who were walking within the first mile. But slow runners/walkers starting too near the front is a problem all races have, and you really can't blame the organizers for that. If someone puts on their entry that the hope to run 8-minute miles... You can blame the organizers for the lack of water at the finish until you entered the food area and stood in line. There should be water bottles at the finish line, before entering the food area. But overall, I really enjoyed the race: Great course, great volunteers, great weather. I've run the full and the half, and enjoyed them both. | |
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Medicated Coconut from Dallas Texas
(12/17/2009)
"RacePhoto is crazy expensive" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The race was fine. Crowds were great. Relay runners made it less enjoyable. Really packed for the first 4 miles. RacePhoto prices are almost $100 for digital images. The cheapest thing is $20 - for a single print. That is just crazy. Please use somebody else and maybe I'll buy a pic. Otherwise I'll simply "Print Screen" and "Paste" into MS Paint. | |
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J. S. from US
(12/17/2009)
"Great course; organization could use some work" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 First, the good part the course is great. Just the right combination of hills and flats. Seriously, it may not be as flat as Chicago or as historic as Boston, but I think I prefer it to both (and I've run them). The loop around the lake really gives you the feel of a smaller, more intimate marathon, but then the big-city start and finish are great. (I'm a sub-3:00 guy; mid-pack runners might have a different experience.) Now, the bad news. The corral system needs work. Personally, I'd start the marathon a half-hour earlier, followed by the relays, followed by the half-marathon. You could also institute some sort of wave seeding policy like in Chicago. It doesn't need to be as comprehensive - maybe just sub-3:00, sub-3:30, and sub-4:00, along with the corresponding half marathon times. In any event, the way it currently is kind of sucks. I was dodging through a sea of humanity during the first mile - easily 1,000 runners - and fewer than 100 in all of the races combined ran a faster pace than I did. I'm also not sure I wouldn't bump the start up to 7:00 or 7:30. The weather was great this year, but that's not a guarantee in Texas in December. The post-race party also could stand to be tweaked. After my marathon, the last thing I wanted to do was fight the 2:00+ half marathoners for food and drinks. I gave up and just went home. If you're going to have separate finishes for the half marathon and the full (and thanks for that!), there's no reason that you couldn't let marathoners have at least some sort of food/drink station prior to the party tent. | |
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P. F. from Oklahoma
(12/16/2009)
"Great course; spectators, hit; organization a miss" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 This was the third time I've run White Rock. With each marathon, some things improve and some things worsen. The expo was very nice. This marathon is run on a beautiful course with great spectators, volunteers and bands along the route. Special thanks to police officers on traffic control. They were cheering us enthusiastically throughout the marathon. Some of the streets were very rough though. Major complaints: Start was very crowded. I think the wave start made it much better this year. Anyway, the start is still much too crowded - so much so that I will not run it again until they address this issue. Maybe separate starts for the half, relay, and full would help with the congestion on the narrow downtown streets. My other major complaint was the finish area. No water at the finish!!! We got our medals and shirts immediately coming out of the chutes, but had to walk a block through a packed crowd to get to the finisher's area. Crowd control was horrible through here. Get the water closer at the finish and keep the crowds away from the route for the finish chutes to the finish area! Probably a bit harsh, with my "2" rating for organization, but the start and finish issues need to be addressed. | |
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M. U. from Houston, TX
(12/16/2009)
"Good Marathon!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Ran the Dallas White Rock for the first time - and loved it! I very much enjoyed the diversity between the urban landcapes downtown, and the natural beauty of the White Rock Lake. While the hills were a bit of a challenge - especially the two "Dolly Partons" between miles 20-21 - they were conquerable and added to the course. I thought the logistics of the race were good, and really appreciate the corral system (I was in the "A" Corral, starting about two-thirds of the way back, and while there were plenty of walkers in front of me, it was relatively easy to negotiate. I appreciated the presence of the pacing groups (I ran with the 3:20 group), and while I wasn't able to hold onto them past the "Dolly Partons," I took advantage of the downhill thereafter and managed a 3-minute P.R.! Only minor minus is the understandable lack of strong crowd support around White Rock Lake - but considering the beauty of the course at that point, I'd keep the course as it is! Good marathon! | |
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J. M. from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
(12/15/2009)
"Not bad but could be better." (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The spectators are wonderful in Dallas. They weren't just blindly cheering, which would have been okay too. The Dallas spectators would read the names on the bibs and yell out their names, encouraging the runners on. I can't tell you how many times I heard my name being yelled from the crowd. As a runner, it was greatly appreciated. This marathon could be great with a few much-needed tweaks. The first six miles were way too crowded. I saw two runners take a fall because of this. They need more running lanes or more separation between the corrals at the start. More port-a-potties. I saw a lot of dudes taking a whiz in the bushes and in the lake. Hope that lake doesn't supply drinking water. The food was a joke: Plain bagels, a granola bar, water and plenty of beer. I loved having a cold beer, but a few more food choices would have been nice. Any day I get to run a marathon is a good day. The DWR Marathon was fun, but it could be much better. |
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