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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 Rating Course 4.3 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 3.9 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 4.2 
 
 
Number of comments: 338 [displaying comments 181 to 191]
More Comments: [ < 1 .. 17 18 19 20 21 .. 34 > ]

 

S. S. from San Antonio, TX (12/11/2007)
"Great first marathon!" (about: 2007)

1 previous marathon | 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 5


Although it was cold in my book, the organizers were ready - for cold and HOT. This was a very well-organized race, with tremendous police, crowd and volunteer support, even with the chilly and damp conditions. My only complaints would be the expo/packet pickup location at the convention center (downtown, $8 parking) and the finish-line food. My finish time wasn't spectacular, but I had to walk downstairs to the AA floor to get what was left - beer :-), bad pasta salad, and oranges. I know efforts were made to keep the HMs and spectators from eating all the food, but I don't think they worked. (And no finisher t-shirts.) Other than that, this was a fun, scenic marathon!

 

R. S. from Monroe, Louisiana (12/11/2007)
"Second time's a charm" (about: 2007)

3 previous marathons | 2 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)s
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


This is my second time to run this marathon, having run it in 2004 also. The crowd support is surprisingly good for a 4,000-person marathon, especially around White Rock Lake. The course is very nice and some of the other runners kept commenting about the beautiful homes on display. The race seems to be better organized now compared to 2004. Moving the expo to the Convention Center is a nice touch, the shuttle buses to and from the host hotel were more accessible and the runner tracking and analysis is very cool. Dallas should keep up the good work and this race will grow exponentially through the years. Congratulations on showing me another great weekend!

 

c. w. from dallas (12/11/2007)
"First marathon!!!! I love White Rock!" (about: 2007)

1 previous marathon | 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


My first marathon was an enjoyable experience. The start at Victory Park was reminiscent of Times Square in New York City, though on a smaller scale of course. The water stops were excellent; I did note have problems getting in and out of each station. Each water station had an abundant amount of water and Gatorade. The route takes you through some beautiful neighborhoods by White Rock Lake. It seemed like there was someone cheering for me at least every three miles. There were plenty of volunteers before, during and after the race to make this a fun experience. I really would like to thank all of them for making this a great event. The marathon was well organized, and even if I looked for something, I could not find anything wrong with this race.

RUN THE ROCK, BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

B. W. from Louisiana (12/10/2007)
"A well-managed race with a nice course!" (about: 2007)

11-50 previous marathons | 3 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)s
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 5


The race organizers did a good job from the beginning. The website provided the information necessary to navigate the weekend's events. Packet pickup and the good-sized expo were laid out well, accommodating everyone without being overcrowded.

The race itself was well done, and the course is one of my favorites. The start line is, however, crowded as the chutes are on a narrow street walled up between buildings (line up early if you have PR ambitions). The race director had decompressed things some with an earlier elite women's start and, more importantly, a later half-marathon start. The course does open up quickly once the race begins, and the remainder (i.e., 25 miles) of the course is outstanding - 9 miles out through a variety of Dallas neighborhoods (some really nice real estate!), 10 scenic (if windy) miles around the lake, and then on back in to the finish.

There were an amazing number of supporters out braving the cool and misty conditions. Garage bands (literally, as many took cover from the elements to be able to continue to play), pockets of enthusiastic people in a variety of neighborhoods, and frequent, well-stocked aid stations appeared with regularity.

Especially given the conditions, I appreciated the indoor post-race facilities, but the floor of the AA Center was crowded with marathon and half-marathon participants, and it was a challenge to get around. It may be that this race cannot grow much without significant changes to its infrastructure, but I look forward to returning to find out!

 

R. M. from Humble, Texas (12/10/2007)
"Post-Race Setup was a Joke" (about: 2007)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 2  FANS: 5


First let me start by saying this marathon was great all the way up to the point that we crossed the finish line. When we crossed the finish, we were handed our medal still in a plastic bag. Then when we wanted to pick up our checked bag they had no idea where everything was. They sent runners into a room with no volunteers and basically had to find your bag on your own. Then finally someone came by and said that if it wasn't there, then we should go to this other area where they had only two people trying to find the bags. Then the food inside American Airlines arena would have been nice if there was some organization on the floor instead of a free-for-all. They expected all of the runners to walk down all the stairs to the floor, and then back up. Bottom line is the post-race party was a joke.

Now that I have said what I wanted to about that, let me say that the course, volunteers on the course and the spectators were AWESOME! I would do this race again only because of that. There are a few hills that can be challenging, but nothing severe. I was able to get a BQ and was really happy about that.

Bottom line: Don't let the post-race party stop you from doing this race. Enjoy the course and then leave when you are done. If you don't have to check bags, then I suggest you don't. Dallas, if you would just fix those few problems, you would have a top-notch event.

 

M. M. from Frisco, TX (12/10/2007)
"Really well done for 2007" (about: 2007)

11-50 previous marathons | 4-5 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)s
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


Hard to be critical because I had a good race but they seemed to do a great job this year. They separated the marathon from the non-marathon runners pretty well, had tons of support, and the course seems pretty fast. The one complaint I have is small space at the post-race party in the AAC. Having to use stairs after the race is hard and it's just not big enough. Didn't seem like they had tons of food either.

 

J. W. from Alexandria, Virginia (12/10/2007)
"Outstanding Race" (about: 2007)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


Just finished yesterday's race. Can't say enough good things about this race. Extremely organized, great fan support on the course, really good course (although the hills between 18-21 weren't fun) and to top it off, a fantastic post-race party. They had Starbucks hot chocolate, sushi, pasta, popcorn, beer, and more inside the American Airlines arena... so families could actually get out of the cold and runners could get warm. All in all, an outstanding race that I am definitely going to run again.

The Hyatt Hotel (official race hotel) was great, with a ridiculously low rate, so it was packed with runners, which made for a great atmosphere. Customer service there was really good, especially giving runners an extended late checkout, which allowed us all to finish the race, relax at the post-race party, and watch the Dallas Cowboys game! A few improvements for consideration: (1) have the mile markers be more visible with large plywood signs instead of the canvas ones that spun around in the wind; (2) have the Dallas restaurants have booths around the arena so that families can eat as well; (3) have a shuttle bus service to take families to designated places on the course, and use the bus service as a fundraising opportunity for the hospital the race was raising money for.

Everyone should run this race!

 

A. H. from Shreveport, LA (12/10/2007)
"Fun race but horrible logistics" (about: 2007)

6-10 previous marathons | 4-5 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)s
COURSE: 2  ORGANIZATION: 1  FANS: 5


DWR is a fun place to run but but not if you have a time goal. The last 1.5 miles, expect to weave through a multitude of half-marathon walkers taking up the whole road who are oblivious to anyone behind them.

Until they put up a barrier between the halfers and marathoners, I will never run this race again.

 

A. G. from Dallas, TX (12/10/2007)
"GREAT RUN IN DALLAS" (about: 2007)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


I run in Dallas all the time, but I've never found a route quite as good as that one. Nice and easy, and the spectators were out in force! Everything about the race was really well organized, except for after you crossed the line. Then it got hectic and everyone was lost, and I didn't know where anything was. Did they even have finisher's shirts? Because I didn't get one!!! And how do I go about getting one if I didn't get it? That and the medal are what make it fun!

Thanks!

 

P. T. from Arlington, Tx (12/10/2007)
"Awesome!" (about: 2007)

11-50 previous marathons | 6+ Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)s
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 2


I live in Arlington. My first Dallas White Rock Marathon was in 2002. I ran my 1st Boston in 2003. Dallas White Rock course is... awesome! And I would like them to keep it just the way it is.

 

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