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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 201 to 211]
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D. K. from Dallas, TX
(1/2/2007)
"Good half, but 2005 was better" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I ran the half in both 2005 and 2006 and I think the organizers made the half a little worse this year. In 2005 both the half and full started at the same time, meaning the facilities at the start were terribly strained at the beginning, but if you were interested in running a fast time, you could get out in front and not worry about traffic down the line (I'm definitely not in that category, however). This year, the half started an hour after the full, which meant that at around mile 22 when both courses came back together to the finish, the traffic between the 2-hour halfers and the 3-hour marathoners was not so good. I would not have been happy if I were one of those running a 3-hour marathon pace only to be suddenly behind a whole bunch of slower halfers (me). Hopefully they won't do this again next year. Also, the finish at the half was not laid out very well compared to 2005 as the finish line was situated about 50 yards around a corner and the crowd (the crowd was great, by the way) was starting to close in on the corner, making a logjam within sight of the finish. The switch from PowerAde in 2005 to Gatorade in 2006 was a definite plus for the aid stations. Overall I really like this race, although it's the only one I've run (so I don't have much to compare it to), and I'll definitely do it again in 2007. | |
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J. W. from Oregon
(12/25/2006)
"Nice Urban Course" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I entered the White Rock Marathon this year with some initial trepidation, but in the end I was very pleased that I made the trip from the Pacific NW. The race organization was quite good, and it sounds as though the expo has improved dramatically from years past; I also stayed at the host hotel (Hyatt Regency) and found that to be a good choice and value. But these aforementioned things aren't all that important to me, as what I care most about at a marathon is the course: I like middle-of-the-road stuff when on the roads (not too nasty but not too easy either) - and this course was just that. A tad rolling, a nice big lake to circumnavigate, and some smallish hills late in the race where they can be a real test. And the wild card here will always be the wind: I thought the wind was a bit rough around the lake during the marathon, until I came back to Dallas the next Sunday to fly home and ran the lake that morning, and man did I feel stupid thinking that it was windy during the marathon, because it was REALLY blowing the next weekend. I'd say enter this race planning to deal with wind around the lake this time of year. The only other thing I'd like to add here is that I'd like to see more truth in advertising for race events like this one - this is, in reality, the Dallas White Rock HALF Marathon first and foremost, with an associated marathon on the side. When you have over twice as many half marathoners as marathoners, then that's the focus of the event. It is what it is. And if you're on the edge of running a BQ time, then you need to be very aware of the mass of half marathoners that you will encounter on the course during the 4 mile-stretch on Swiss Ave. between miles 21 and 25. My heart sank when I saw it, but you just need to stay composed and stay way to the left and just keep on keepin' on as best you can. They have every right to be there, and I'm not knocking them or the race for wanting to get as many runners involved as possible, but I wasn't fully aware of the magnitude of this merging of the courses, and it really caught me off guard. If you're looking at a 3:00-3:45'ish finish, then you better be prepared for this 4 mile-stretch where you go from running with a sparse group of runners to all of a sudden sharing the road with roughly 5,000 halfers. I wish there was a way they could re-route the half folks, but I understand it would pose quite the logistical quandary. But that said, the half marathon merger didn't ruin the overall feel of the event for me and I'll be recommending Dallas White Rock to others for sure. | |
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C. G. from Overland Park, KS
(12/23/2006)
"Great race; will do it again" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Really well organized race over a nice course, with a big enough field that you don't have to run by yourself, but not so big that you're crowded. The course is pretty fast, with enough variety to avoid monotony. There are a couple of inclines that seemed a lot less severe than advertised on the profile from the race website. When the half-marathoners merge with the marathon course the last 4 miles, the congestion is a hindrance, but dodging between the half-marathoners certainly takes your mind off of your other problems. I really enjoyed most of the bands; it'd be better to have the high-energy bands more towards the end of the race, instead of near the beginning. All in all, this race was among my favorites and I'd definitely recommend it for those looking to PR. | |
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Nelson David from Fort Polk, LA
(12/21/2006)
"A fantastic marathon that's worth every mile!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 A positively memorable first-timer's marathon, especially if you want to get your friends hooked onto this sport. A truly remarkable high-profile marathon. The organization was simple and user-friendly. The expo was definitely well organized that took into consideration the entire family. The finisher's shirt (dry-tech) was exactly what I was looking for. The spectators, crowd support, and entertainment were unbelievably outstanding and made every mile worth the effort. The aid stations were stocked with the right kind of stuff. If this marathon and its folks are a reflection of Dallas hospitality, then I would love to come back to this city. | |
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D. T. from Southlake, TX
(12/20/2006)
"Great 1st Race" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my first race ever and won't be my last. I ran the 1/2 marathon and loved the staggered start times. The 1/2 marathoners got a great start complete with the fighter jets flying over to start the race. The crowds were great! The volunteers were outstanding. Inside the American Airlines Center after the race was great -- lots of food and stuff to do. Will be back again next year! | |
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J. L. from Dallas
(12/20/2006)
"If you can run 2:50-3:20, think before you enter" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)s
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 If you can run marathons pretty fast, but you are not elite, you might want to pass on this one. The half marathon started 1 hour after the full marathon, and the two races merged at about the 21.5 mile mark of the marathon (and then split about a half mile from the finish). At the merge I was suddenly trying to run 6:45/mile through a crowd of 10+/mile half-marathoners. I estimated from the results that I had to pass over 1000 half runners before we split off. By then I was with the half runners who were doing about 9:00/mile. In the narrow part of Swiss Avenue (before Fitzhugh) I accidently collided with someone who (understandably) was not expecting someone else to be flying through. After a few minutes of weaving through people, I lost my rhythm and focus, and I fell apart in the last 2.5 miles. If you are trying to qualify for Boston with a time of 3:20 or faster, or you just want to run a fast time, do your homework and figure out how many people you will have to pass after the merge based on this year's results. Then make an informed decision on whether to enter. If the organizers change the courses or start times, take that into consideration. | |
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C. L. from Dallas, TX
(12/20/2006)
"Great Event!" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and I thought it was well organized. Victory Plaza is a great place for the start finish. The jet fly-over is a nice touch. The medal, shirts and cold beer at the finish line were great! | |
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J. G. from Chicago, IL
(12/19/2006)
"First marathon - had a blast!" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and I had an awesome time. I thought the expo was great but my husband just doesn't enjoy looking at Gu and talking about running shoes like I do. The course was fine but very crowded! I was a solid middle-of-the-packer at 4 hours and 25 minutes. Too many bottlenecks at the aid stations and where the marathon met back up with the half. I loved the live music and the supporters were AWESOME! Favorites were the Dolly Parton guys handing out beer and the woman with the "SANTA SAYS NO WUSSIES" sign. Can't wait to run my next marathon! | |
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J. H. from Olathe, KS
(12/19/2006)
"Fix End of Course" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Don't get me wrong, this is a good solid race: organization, course, goodies, medals, etc. I liked the race generally, but I have one major beef. Somewhere around 21 miles they merge you back in with the half-marathon runners who started an hour later. So, doing the math it's not hard to figure out that if you're about a 3-hour marathon runner (~7:00 pace) you'll be running the last 5 miles of the race in a sea of 2-hour+ half-marathoners (9:15 pace). This is almost intolerable when you're fatigued and fighting hard to stay on pace. Major bummer. | |
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M. C. from Austin, TX
(12/16/2006)
"Well organized, good support and fast course" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Host hotel, the Hyatt, was great. Shuttle bus service from Hyatt was super-efficient. They opened the American Airlines Center so that runners could wait in the warm until close to the start. Bag drop was easy, as was getting to the start. Plenty of aid stations and enthusiastic spectators all around the course. Clif Shots handed out at least twice in second half of the race. Running around the lake was cool - figuratively and literally... quite chilly, with wind off the water. Course is mainly flat; there are some hills at mile 20, but nothing scary. A good course for a PR. Nice medal. I am a slower runner, so by the time I finished, the post-race party at the AA Center was too crowded. But that is a minor issue. Overall, a very good experience. |
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