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Twin Cities Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Twin Cities Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.8 
Organization 4.6 
Spectators 4.9
Number of comments: 454 [displaying comments 321 to 331]
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P. A. from Minneapolis
(10/8/2004)
"Top Tier Marathon" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Twin Cities Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Sorry W.C. but I had to respond to your calling the TCM a second tier marathon. I have never run Boston, NYC or Chicago. However I have run others in different parts of the United States. From my experiences, the TCM crowd support is way out front and the course is stunning with all the lakes, and beautiful parkways mixed with the fall colors. It sounds as if you, or someone you know, had an unfortunate experience with a volunteer. I'm sure it was an islolated incident since not all crowd control volunteers can be 'extremely unfriendly.' If you're talking about the same marathon I ran on Oct. 3, it was filled with excitement and strong support from not only the smiling volunteers but also the thousands of screaming and yelling fans along the entire course. Just because it's not NYC, Boston, or even Chicago doesn't mean it's a second tier marathon. I couldn't (respectfully) disagree with you more. The TCM is not only a top tier marathon, It is a top ten in America, or very close to it. | |
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R. M. from Texas
(10/8/2004)
"The best" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Twin Cities Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've run marathons for 20+ years, and this is consistently the best one. They take care of everything, LOTS of cheering fans, and a beautiful course. This race is the highlight of the year for me. | |
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E. D. from St. Paul, MN
(10/7/2004)
"Great marathon; needs "back of the packer" support" (about: 2004)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Twin Cities Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The weather and course were beautiful. Fan support was great covering most of the race. Volunteers worked hard and were helpful. My biggest gripe was the lack of finisher t-shirt sizes for "back of the packers". At least 500 of us got stiffed with extra large shirts...very few marathoners are extra larges. I was told this is a chronic problem. Beware late finishers. You may get a t-shirt you can't wear. Otherwise, it is a great race. | |
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S. H. from Minneapolis, MN
(10/7/2004)
"Some good things, some not-so-good things" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Twin Cities Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 This was my 2nd TCM and 4th marathon. This year, I don't think the TCM even came close to living up to it's reputation. Before my points, let me say that I like the TCM a lot and I think these things can be easily corrected. First the bad... No gel of any sort. A disclaimer was buried in the website, but nobody would find it unless they meticulously scoured each page. The tie wraps for the chips were missing from most of the packets. This is an easy one. Not much food after the race. I saw chips, apples, bagels, and juice. Maybe I missed something. If so, please disregard. Cheap plastic bags...and I mean REAL cheap. When I first tried to open my bag, I accidently ripped it open like a kid on X-Mas morning. Luckily, they gave me another that I taped up when I got home. The number stickers for your check bag...they came right off. Again not a big deal, but this stuff shouldn't happen to 'one of the best'. The start area is still a problem. Not big enough for so many people. Then the good... Tremendous weather and course. Couldn't be more perfect. That says it all. Very cool medal this year! I wasn't pleased with last year's, but wow, they sure made up for it this year. The long-sleeve tee was nice. The other merchandise they had available was also much better than in the past. The crowd showed up big-time. Those last 5 miles are totally lined with fans! I hope the TCM organization takes note and corrects these items. Are they small complaints? Yes. Do a bunch of small complaints make one big complaint? I think so. This marathon has a big reputation, so people expect more. I wouldn't even mention these things for most marathons. The course is topnotch. I hope the organization can be, too. | |
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R. J. from Nashville, TN
(10/7/2004)
"Great race but question chip times" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Twin Cities Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Twin Cities 2004 was a terrific experience with a beautiful but challenging course (especially those last uphill miles) but I am questioning why our chip times changed 24 hours after the race. For people attempting to qualify for Boston 1 or 2 seconds can make all the difference and I would have appreciated some updated info on their website when our times were altered. | |
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T. L. from Los Angeles, CA
(10/7/2004)
"Beautiful, friendly, lacking in a few areas" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Twin Cities Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 First TCM. The course is absolutely gorgeous and the weather was good -- perhaps even a little warm towards the end. The dreaded climb between 22-24 wasn't bad at all. Biggest complaint: porta-potty shortage. Even at mile 23 there were lines outside them. Two complaints about the spectators: spectators should not use the porta-potties provided for runners if it means runners have to wait for the potty, and if running across the course, spectators should not run straight across and impede runners. Go on a diagonal to avoid getting in people's way. Light rail transport to start was a wonderful option. And the 'you're kicking the governor's butt' sign held by spectators was hilarious! Glad I made the trip for this one! | |
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William Diehl-Jones from Winnipeg, Canada
(10/6/2004)
"Beautiful, scenic race" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Twin Cities Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The new wave start worked reasonably well, although I found the first mile to be a little more congested than I would have liked. The course covered some truly beautiful urban scenery. The race was well-organized, and I found the water stations to be easily accessible. The spectators were at times sparse but were always supportive. The slow uphill grades in the last half of the course were a challenge, and a great reminder of the importance of working on core strength. Transportation from the finish back to the Metrodome was efficient. I will definitely be back! The T-shirt was really great, and the finisher's medal impressive (although one wondered if the design looked more like a 'brain' than the intended fall foliage). The 'Schwag Factor' I would rate as a 6/10. I did not attend any pre-race activities other than the sports expo, which I give a 7/10 (I would have liked to see more footware representatives). To my impromptu running partner 'Rob' (a Minneapolis social studies teacher) for approximately 11 of the 26.2 miles: thanks for the company, hope you had a good finish. | |
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K. S. from Ames, Iowa
(10/5/2004)
"First-Class Marathon" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Twin Cities Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Of the 14 marathons I have run, this is by far the best one. The race course is beautiful and runner support is topnotch. Also impressive is the way the good folks in St. Paul and Minneapolis go out of their way to support this race. | |
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M. G. from Minneapolis, MN
(10/5/2004)
"Best marathon by far" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Twin Cities Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race was awesome. I may be biased since it is my hometown, but I ran Marine Corps '03 and although it was fabulous, I think TC takes the cake. The organization was amazing and the course was beautiful. Not to mention the enthusiastic spectators. This race has it all. I would recommend it to anyone! And fall in Minnesota is just lovely. Every single moment of this marathon was great. If you run marathons, do this one! | |
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Geoff Martin from Winnipeg,Canada
(10/5/2004)
"Fantastic" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Twin Cities Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Thank you all for the wonderful race on Oct 3. It was a real pleasure to run in the best race in the USA. Everything was wonderful; course, spectators, superb water stations. The whole thing is a wonderful experience. Being a velocity challenged runner, I loved the crowd support, the enthusiasm of the spectators as well as all the loud and wonderful music made the miles that much easier. Thanks a bunch to the lady who was handing out cut up doughnuts. You saved my butt as I was getting very hungry. You cannot beat this race. This was my 8th TCM and it just gets better. That finish running down John Ireland, and the huge flag, as well as the whole mass of screaming fans was very emotional. I defy any one to run this course and not like it. Thanks again to everyone concerned. You put on a world class event. And to all the guys and girls from Canada on Terry?s bus, We ROCK. No matter where you are, there are two things that are great in this world: the TCM Marathon and the Grant and Kenaston Running Room. |
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