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☰
Hartford Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Hartford Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 3.9
Number of comments: 306 [displaying comments 131 to 141]
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B. C. from Worcester, MA
(10/14/2009)
"Hartford has the Marathon Cure" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Hartford Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I've done fast Hartfords and I have done slow Hartfords as long runs for future races... and my point is: do Hartford. This race does not disappoint. It has the big-race feel within a manageable event. I love the same-day packet pick up, under 60-minute drive to the start, competitive athletes, flat course and one of the best finish line set ups I have experienced in my over 37 marathons. The medal alone is worth the price of admission. Bravo, Hartford. Quite the show. | |
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S. T. from Atlanta, GA
(10/13/2009)
"I should have PR'd this course!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Hartford Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I should have PR'd on this course, but I ended up being sick and struggled just to finish. But it is flat, beautiful and the weather was perfect! Seeing the farm houses with the green lawns and lovely autumn leaves was truly inspiring. The expo was small, but a quick in-and-out. The Marriott and several other in-town hotels were extremely easy to get to and just a few blocks from the start and finish. There are a couple of great restaurants and bars in Hartford to entertain you for a day or two. My complaint was that no one at the expo had any information on the pace teams. It ended up being easy enough to find the leaders on the day of the race though. Being that I was so slow in this race, I noticed that some of the water stations were closing up before the time limit and I know that there were still many people on their way in. Again, due to nausea, I wasn't interested in the post-race food, but I saw that there really wasn't anything even though the time had not expired. There were plenty of volunteers who stayed through to the end, which is greatly appreciated. But all in all, I would highly recommend Hartford. If you have trained on any hills at all, you won't mind the on and off ramps that compose most of the ups and downs on this course. And Connecticut in the fall can't be beat! | |
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J. H. from Tennessee
(10/13/2009)
"Good event but always room for improvement" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Hartford Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Overall, I enjoyed this past Saturday's Hartford Marathon. I was thankful that the rain passed through the area before the start, but coming from the south, I was hoping for cooler temps. Temps in the 60's were about 20 degrees cooler than I wanted, but that's no fault of the race crew. The cloud-cover was very welcome! Now for my thoughts about the event itself: Pros: 1) Host hotel (Hilton) gave 2:00 p.m. checkout times and free parking in the garage. 2) Course was mostly flat with 5-6 hills (mostly overpass inclines). 3) Volunteers at water stops were plentiful, enthusiastic and always available. 4) Fans along the course were in good number and very encouraging. 5) Music along the race course was plentiful. 6) Nice medal (if you're "into" that). Cons: 1) I prepaid for the pre-race dinner only to get there and find out that they ran out of food! Spending all day getting there, I sure didn't need to start searching for another dinner location. At least I got my money back! 2) The host hotel (Hilton) had no Wi-Fi in the room and other in-room internet service cost $9.95 per day. Only free service was Wi-Fi in the lobby. 3) The race website said emails would be sent around 10/03/2009 with pre-registration material to bring with you, in order to make registration smoother. I received my email containing this information THE DAY AFTER THE MARATHON! 4) I signed up for text message alerts to be sent to my wife's cell phone, so she could monitor my progress (since she was not at the event). Those text messages never arrived! 5) I asked six different pre-race volunteers how to get to the starting line before I found one who knew the correct answer. 6) Get "with the program" and do away with the cotton long-sleeve t-shirt and go with a technical shirt (save money for this by not handing out "finishers' water bottles after the race"). | |
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William Tichenor from Dallas TX
(10/12/2009)
"Faster than I expected" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Hartford Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first race of a double-race weekend (the second being Steamtown), and I overdid it! | |
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D. D. from Connecticut
(10/12/2009)
"You can do it. The pace leaders can help." (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Hartford Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Kudos to the HMF for yet another great event. The course is magnificent and the organization is superb. When we think about the volunteers we often think about the folks dispensing water, fluids, food, etc. But we usually forget to extend out thanks to the pace leaders who help so many of us to achieve our ultimate goal as non-elite runners: qualify for Boston. Thank you to all pace leaders, specifically Josh Adams, the 3:30 leader who helped so many of us realize our dream. It is worth mention that Josh agreed to lead a 3:30 group having just run a 2:45 in NYC last year and Providence this past May. Thank you volunteers, HMF staff, pace leaders and thank you, Josh. | |
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T. L. from Dallas, Tx
(10/12/2009)
"Great Fall Marathon" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Hartford Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 26th different marathon. Overall, I would highly recommend this marathon. From a logistical standpoint, it's an easy destination city for a marathon - everything is centrally located and within walking distance from any downtown hotel. (Or use of the Star shuttle.) Runners received their packet material in a nice drawstring bag. Runners received a long- sleeved T shirt as well. There was plenty of Hartford Marathon apparel and novelties available for purchase. The race starts and finishes in Bushnell park, which is gorgeous. The organization of the start could be improved. They need to place porta-potties at the top of the hill where the half and full are staged. This would help clear out the traffic below. Starting the half and full together was a little crowded in the first few miles, but not too bad. Please note that nobody stages themselves according to the pace signs. The first 20 miles of the course are relatively flat. The marathoners split from the half just shy of four miles in, and run out on a long, pleasant out-and-back along a tree-lined, primarily residential road. Hartford residents appear to embrace this event. Lots of people out on their lawns to cheer. There are ample water stops on this course, as well as Hammer Gels being handed out. Hartford, A++ on the stops! The last 10K have some hills! As you head back into town be prepared for the hills and the seemingly never-ending rounding of the park to the final turn through the arches. Even so, the last 10K has some scenic stretches along the river, and that finish under the arches is just incredible. The finish line was pretty well organized, except for running out of beer early on. I'd like to suggest that they put some aside for the marathoners ahead of time. The finish line water fountain is a neat idea... but... when I finish I need a full bottle of water and prefer not to hover over a fountain. They handed out plastic bottles for you to fill. I'd like to suggest they fill the bottles beforehand and hand you those instead. The finsher's medals are large and pretty. They had an awesome band at the finish line! A very nice day - thanks, Hartford! | |
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C. T. from RI, USA
(10/11/2009)
"Great course, green race, and amazing spectators!" (about: 2009)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Overall, the Hartford ING Marathon is a great marathon! My husband and I ran the half-marathon last year, so we decided to try the our first full marathon back in Hartford again! The course is very nice, despite some unwelcome hills in the last half. The organization is great and it is amazingly green event! My hat is off to the awesome volunteers! There were lots of great spectators who keep you motivated when your tank is on empty! The biggest disappointment is that they ran out of cookies, mac 'n' cheese, and beer in the beer garden! So for mid-packer marathoners, pickings were slim!! After 26.2 miles... I was looking forward to that cookie and beer!! | |
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D. B. from New Jersey
(10/11/2009)
"A Great New England Race" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Hartford Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Hartford was the 5th marathon I have run in my young career, and it represents my first Boston qualifier. In summary, this race was wonderfully produced, the course is nice, and the race is nicely supported. Course - The course is fast, pretty flat, and brings you to some scenic New England countryside. Hartford makes a great choice in running this race in October, as the trees are approaching peak color. The course is well marked with good mile markers. One minor flaw is that the course backtracks - it has an approximately five-mile out-and-back, so you see the same thing twice. It also has some minor hills in the last three miles. The course has a spectacular finish under the "arch." There's nice variation in scenery, with the city, the river, farms, and the country. Organization - In one word: spectacular. This race is better produced than a lot of the larger races. The expo was good, the food was great, and there was plenty of water stops and support. Organized start/finish. Most important, plenty of bathrooms at the start. Spectators - Having run some smaller races, I don't mind not having lots of spectators. The course did have a good number of spectators for a smaller race. There was a good crowd at the finish. | |
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T. M. from Atlanta
(10/11/2009)
"Good Course and Excellent Volunteers" (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Hartford Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I found running with the half-marathoners for the first four miles congested. Otherwise the course was fine. The post-race food had long lines to get into the tents. There has to be a better way. Try to do it like Boston. Give each runner a bag after the medal and let them go. I did not even bother with any of the amenities because of the long lines. The Marriott hotel only allow a late check out of 12:30, so I hustled back to my room and did not have time to stand in a long line for food. I thought that the expo was OK. Nothing of importance. I think the race should give out technical shirts and not cotton shirts. They make you pay extra for a technical shirt. Medals don't make much difference to me, but this was huge. The volunteers were excellent. They could not have done a better job. There were more than enough fluid stops, and there were several gel stops. Overall, I think the race directors did a good job. | |
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A. Z. from Saranac Lake, NY
(10/11/2009)
"Well organized, decent course, below average food" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Hartford Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Overall the race well very well organized. The expo was easy to find, efficient, and friendly. Overall it was a good course but not my favorite. The cheering was good in places. There are a few things that could be improved upon. One is the start corral. The signs need to be located higher. Also, the pace signs should be different for full and half marathoners. Example: I started in the 3:40 marathon start, and there were half-marathoners who were running a 3:40 in the corral. Their pace is much different and it causes chaos when the race begins. The second complaint, and the reason for this entry, was the post-race food. There is a ton of talk about organic, great food. I finished before noon, got my bag and went to get food. There was no mac and cheese, and very, very small portions of everything else. There was also no beer. Don't brag about having great food if there won't be enough for everyone who did the race. I've been much more satisfied after a race with races that had simpler food but were able to supply you until you weren't starving. |
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