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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 151 to 161]
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J. S. from Glastonbury,CT
(10/23/2008)
"Great course, and good food and party after" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Hartford Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Loved the course/volunteers/food and after party in the park. To all of those who are whining about the start, yeah, it could have been done better, but after you ran out of Hartford and over the river, things spaced out nicely. And for all of you complaining about the "hills" at the finish... get real. You might want to put a little more effort in training for your next race if you thought those "hills" were tough. It's a MARATHON; it's not easy. If it were, everybody would do it. We marathoners are not everybody! | |
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C. S. from Springfield, Illinois, USA
(10/20/2008)
"Very good marathon; will get even better" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Hartford Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was one of the better marathons out of the nearly 50 I've completed. First the positives: if you looked at the elevation chart, you knew about the hills on the last 5 miles (this coming from a guy who did NOT study the elevation chart and probably missed a sub-4 hour marathon because of my oversight - please don't blame the course for things that you, and I, should have known about). The course was well marked, with great water stops and volunteers. The area where the half-marathoners split off was well marked and attended. The after-race area was very well done, with the best after-race massage I've ever had. With this being a "chip race," the amount of time it takes to get to the start line isn't as important as it used to be. Packet pickup and the expo were well organized. Room for improvement: Need to make a better way for runners to get to the start line before the race. We were coming up the road toward the start about 15 minutes before the start, and were required to go around the start line to get to the correct side of it. Except it was too jammed to get by. I actually ended up near the front, which isn't where I should have been. Signage may be the answer, and maybe a little bit of orange plastic fencing. Overall, a great effort by the RD and volunteers.... | |
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S. B. from Long Island, New York
(10/19/2008)
"Very nice people - easy, stress-free, small race." (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Hartford Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was a very nice, well-run, small race with good local support. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. The course was generally flat (I didn't mind the out-and-back from 4-19), except for the last 6 miles. I'm not sure why they would end an otherwise wonderful race with these hills. All in all, I had a great experience and would recommend the race. Just be prepared for the end. | |
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J. T. from Boston, MA
(10/17/2008)
"You won't be let down..." (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Hartford Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I agree and highly recommend this marathon. All of the convenience of a small race, with that big-race feel. Nothing like rolling out of bed onto the start. Sure, it was a little cramped at the start with some confused runners at the front (I also got stuck behind some walkers), but that seems to happen in all races, regardless of how the corrals are set up. Great organization, volunteers and an interesting course. (Well described so the hills were no surprise.) With the out-and-back portion, it was very cool to see all of the faster runners too. I hooked up with the 3:35 pace group and they were an awesome bunch. Hats off to our leader for doing a great job keeping it fun and on pace. Great for spectators too. It was easy for my wife to see me in a few spots. Great job, Hartford, and thanks to ING! Oh, Saturday marathons rule too! | |
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K. C. from Manchester, CT
(10/16/2008)
"GREAT race, but needs more bathrooms on half route" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Hartford Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I love this race; it was awesome!! However, you definitely need more port-a-pottys on the half-marathon route for us ladies! Also, the food lines were awful... maybe do two tents to help crowds. | |
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T. L. from SEast USA
(10/16/2008)
"Beautiful, Sophisticated CT RACE" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Hartford Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I only did the half-marathon, but I had done the full marathon in 2004 and 2005. The weather was great, the runners and spectators were great and the course was interesting. I love returning to CT for a homecoming race! I only did the half since I had just recovered from an injury. I will return for the full 26.2 again!!!! | |
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r. b. from NY
(10/15/2008)
"Well-run, medium-sized race" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Hartford Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is a nice-sized event in terms of registered racers. Yeah, it always boggles the mind why people who are slower (you know who you are, especially when many people have to zig-zag around you), especially walkers, feel that by inching up closer to the start they somehow will finish faster. Would you like having to waste energy and aggravation running around someone else? This is common in almost every race without well-seeded corrals, especially the more popular ones. But the rambling on this aside, it only took a mile or two to clear most of them. The volunteers were great, and fans were quite supportive along the course. They didn't just cheer their own people, although it greatly helps when you wear your name on the front of your shirt! They handed out hammer gels in at least two different parts of the course. I didn't notice the cyclists handing them out as well, but it's definitely a great convenience for those who needed it. The course was rather quick, with the exception of a couple of dips up to around the 15th mile. I was following the 3:45 pace setter, even though he was running a little bit faster for the 12 miles (10 seconds faster per mile), but somewhere around the 12th mile he just took off for whatever reason. At the halfway point I was close to a 3:41 pace and he was quite a bit farther ahead, so that kind of ticked me off. Ultimately we should be responsible for our own pace, so I just had to bear down and relax. I appreciate the smaller types of marathons where you can have a bit of space and can focus on the task at hand with a relatively scenic setting. Expect this course to be hillier than what the elevation chart displays, since there were quite a bit of rollers over bridges or up and down by the river over the last 10K. They were steep enough at that point of the race where a lot of people significantly slowed down or walked, like myself. At least the last mile wasn't or didn't feel like an uphill, and finishing under the Sailor Memorial Arch was pretty cool. They call your name out as you're finishing and have a big screen in the middle of the park of people crossing the finish line. The medals were quite impressive-looking, representing the arch and towers. Meeting family and friends after the finish was very easy, and it was spacious enough to find a place to relax and stretch out. Food was good, and beer availability, although at a price, was a nice option. Going green with the water fountains is a worthy enough sacrifice instead of resorting to bottles that just take up enough landfill space. I'll respond to some of the other comments made previously. The YMCA across the street was available for use to shower and change, in case your hotel didn't provide late checkout. For the runner complaining about the lack of organization of picking up their packet and t-shirt, well, there are so many marathons where you cannot pick up your packet on race day. I actually appreciate the service since I made a big blunder in '06 where I didn't tighten the plastic strips enough to hold my chip and it fell off just outside my friend's house on the drive to the start. They simply offered me a new chip and bib, so problem solved. I can't complain at all about this race-day convenience since I would've been devastated had it happened to me at the Paris, Berlin, Chicago, or NYC events (or really any other). Oh, this year they provided a more secure Velcro strap for the chip. I invested in my own chip and ankle bracelet with Velcro for the convenience and security; and I also used to it for my triathlons. I have to agree with the lack of the pre-marathon pasta party as a venue to meet other racers and feel like there's a big race the next day. Yes, the discounts were rather insignificant from the local restaurants, and I also didn't see or recognize many other racers out in the downtown area the evening before. My experience was a couple of pints ($2 cannot be beat for happy hour) at the Pig N Whistle and the rather free plain pizza they offered. ;) | |
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S. T. from Oakdale, CT
(10/14/2008)
"Excellent, well-organized race" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Hartford Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My congratulations and thanks to the organizers of this race. The support staff (volunteers, police officers, etc.) were incredible. The hydration stations were more than adequate (every mile after the first two miles). Multiple volunteers on bikes offered energy gels, drinks, etc. - I've never seen this happen before. I was a back-of-the-pack finisher, but there was still ample food at the finish line - and good food to boot (not the usual stale bagels). I didn't think the start was particularly bad - it only took me a couple of minutes to reach the start line compared with 20+ minutes in a race like Chicago. I'd do this race again in a heartbeat. | |
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D. I. from Gainesville, Florida
(10/14/2008)
"A great marathon experience!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The weather couldn't have been more perfect... not too cold, not too warm. The start was a little crowded and lacking organization, but everyone seemed to be understanding and having a good time! The route was well marked, and the police were very helpful and friendly. There were plenty of aid stations, and all of the volunteers were so encouraging! I was at the end, since I'm a walker, and I found lots of encouragement and support to the very end. I loved the finish line coming through the arches! The medal was also great. Congratulations, Hartford, on a marathon well done!!!! I highly recommend this one! | |
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R. T. from Alexandria, VA
(10/14/2008)
"Start needs a little work" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Hartford Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The City of Hartford is quite nice, the countryside pleasant and the volunteers delightful. While there were some inclines in the miles 20-26, a quick glance at the elevation chart would give you that information, so it should not have been a surprise. I took the Amtrak in and found everything within an easy walk, even after I ran the race. My only complaint is the start. I found it difficult to get into the start area because there were FUN RUNNERS in there as well!! And I mean a dozen or so children in their cotton race shirts, escorted by two clueless adults who refused to believe me when I told them it was the marathon and half-marathon start. Even discounting them, there were enough of both the full and half runners to make it uncomfortable for the first two miles. I started back with the 5:30 pace group leader, as it was the only place I could get enough room to keep from getting jostled. It did open up nicely after the split at mile 3. |
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