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Marathon Details - Big-D Texas Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > TX > Dallas > Big-D Texas Marathon

Big-D Texas Marathon

Big-D Texas Marathon & Half-Marathon, 5K

Dallas, TX USA

~~March 18, 2018~~ - CANCELLED

http://www.bigdmarathon.com/

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2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 Top 3 Finishers

Race Details

Starts and ends at the Cotton Bowl on Texas State Fair Grounds with an up and down course with no major elevation and mostly flat running through historic neighborhoods in Dallas

Contact Information

Name:	he Big D Texas Marathon
Address:	P.O. Box 852856 Richardson, Texas 75085
Phone Number:	817-706-0368
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (173)

Course 3.4

Organization 3.2

Spectators 2.8

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Number of comments: 173 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 18 > ]

C. A. from DFW (4/6/2017) "2017 Rain Out" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Big-D Texas Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This year the full was cancelled due to storms but the half was allowed to go on. I understand the police were the ones to decide it was cancelled so I can't hold that against the race. Yet the organizers failed to update the website or FB page with this info which led to many family members (and from what I understand) volunteers to be literally left out in the rain on the full course waiting for marathoners. No excuse for that. I have a love/hate relationship with this race, having run the full many years now. While I love the heart and soul the race director has for his race, every year there are major snafus. One year the course was 2 miles long, numerous years aid stations have run out of water in the heat/humidity. The new course took out most of the beautiful neighborhoods and replaced it with the much hated Santa Fe trail. At least we could always count on hot food at the finish line but this year that was taken away too and replaced with granola bars and pork rinds(?!!). No more burritos or pizza. There are many things to like about this race: easy parking, no expo, lack of crowds, run around White Rock Lake, however the cons are outweighing the pros more often than not lately. I'm going to have to think hard about entering this one again and that makes me sad.
W. J. from Texas (4/14/2015) "Good course to run" (about: 2015) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Big-D Texas Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The new course was great except for having to dodge the bikers. It had less organizers than last year. Overall, the event was good.
D. C. from USA (4/12/2015) "Bad Organization, Not enough Aid Stations" (about: 2015) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Big-D Texas Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 It was nice to run around the White Rock Lake, but the end of the marathon was through a really rough area. Worst were the Aid Stations, only water and gatorade the whole race, no bananas, gels, oranges etc. Aid stations were spread too far out, very disappointing. For the money paid, figured they could spring for some nutrition.
E. D. from Dallas (6/28/2014) "I wish I could give 0 stars!!!" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 Worst race ever!! Horrible organization and an extremely rude and crude staff. The announcer was drunk, he announced this over the PA system. Who does this at a supposedly family event in the middle of Fair Park? The weather was horrible but that is not an excuse to act this way. I was there to cheer on a friend but the announcer's drunk ramblings made it unbearable. He was even making fun of people's names. Totally unprofessional. The staff also forgot to keep the generators running so the finish line collapsed on runners and onlookers. My friend said that this was the 2nd Mellew event she had run in and that the 1st one was just as bad. At the first race when she tried to look her time up it said she was a 52 year old man that had finished approximately 30 minutes later than she had(she's 28 btw). She said she will never run with Mellew again. I advise you to save your money as well and find a decent promoter.
Tom Schuberth from Alabama (4/9/2014) "Organizer should be fired...AWFUL" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Big-D Texas Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I'm not sure if anyone reads these comments, I know someone who doen't...the organizer of the race. With all the bad reviews from years past, you would think they would take pride and try to improve...shame on the people running this event. It's DALLAS Texas, a great city. I don't set records, and I'm not a great marathon runner, but I've done over 25 and only signed up for this because it was during the Final 4. The shirt and Medal do not even have a date on it...that is criminal. Are you kidding me. The entry fee was 100.00 dollars...not 10. What is the excuse on that. I did read all the bad reviews, but was in town for the Final 4 and thought that they would improve the race, since it was so badly reviewed in the past years. The guy announcing the runners coming across the finish line was awful he would only call out a number half the time...try looking up the person's name and call it out. Does anyone associated with this race have any pride. No clocks on the course, Only half time split and final time...even small city races have more.
R. B. from Pittsburgh, PA (4/8/2014) "Well Done Big D!!!" (about: 2014) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Big-D Texas Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Reading the reviews from last year, I did not know what to expect. Big D delivered a great race this year. Packet pickup was very easy at a local sporting goods store. Arriving at the race was smooth as there was an indoor holding area with short lines for the bathroom at the State Fair Park. The weather was a steady rain to start with thunder and lightning. Hats of to the RD who made an an annoucement about the weather and stated use caution, but did not appear to consider cancelling the race...WELL DONE!!! The rain let up for about an hour and then turned into a down pour with some thunder and lightning for the remainder of the race. It really added to the difficulty of the race. Can't blame the weather on anyone, no one can control that. The course was great as it was a bit hillier than I had expected, but it wasn't an extremely hilly course. The portion of the course around the lake was nice and you could tell this would be scenic if the sun were out. After the lake we headed into a neighborhood before going back to the lake. After the lake was a step hill at mile 20. One more serious double dip around mile 21 before it flattened out. Right before mile 26 had a short steep uphill before rounding the bend for a half mile flat finish that brought us right back to where we started. The indoor finish area was 25 yards from the finish and had tables and chairs for us to rest. Some food provided at the finish. The finishers medal was excellent. Shirt was nice. No additional swag and if I were to have anything negative to say about the race, that would be it. I read the finishers of the marathon received a finishers mug last year and I would have really liked that, but it was not provided this year. Fans were great when I saw them. You'd go a mile or two without seeing any fans and then there would be a crowd of people. The fans on the course were great, having wonderful words of encouragement and there were two fans in particular that seemed to pop up 6 or 7 times along the course that were going nuts for the runners! It helped motivate me on a tough day to run. I thought this was a great small race and would recommend it for someone looking for a low key simple race.
B. B. from Pittsburgh, Pa (4/8/2014) "Good job organizers" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Big-D Texas Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 When I woke up race morning to the sound of thunder my immediate thought was 'is the race director going to wimp out', and the answer was no. Even though there was lightning at the start line, the race went on. The director treated us like adults and let us decide for ourselves. Logistics were easy with close parking,near an indoor staging area in which to stay dry before the race and warm-up afterward. There was plenty of food and drink both before and after the race. Course was O.K. with some challenging hills and nice views around the lake. It was also well marked. Results were available shortly after the race. Nice tech shirt and very nice medal. Overall, a nice low-key race.
Ken Ashby from Dallas, Texas (4/8/2014) "One of my favorite marathons each year" (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Big-D Texas Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I have run nearly 200 marathons and every Big-D from the first in 2004, except in 2009 when I was injured. Course: I helped design it, so I love it. There is a wide variety of urban scenery, parks and neighborhoods, with hardly any traffic. The mixed terrain is moderately challenging, but easier on your legs than a perfectly flat course. In 2013, there were problems with sign placement, adding an extra mile. That never happened before, and both the turn and mile signs were perfect this year. Organization: Good on the basics. Convenient registration and pick-up, ample parking, indoor S/F facilities, plenty of aid stations, portalets on course, chip timing, post-race food, quality T-shirt and finisher medal. But no expo, no goody bag, and no post entertainment or beer unless you BYO. Spectators: Normally few, and even fewer this year due to all-day rain. But the aid stations are usually festive, and I actually enjoy a quieter race. Overall, this is a good mid-size race. No mob scenes as with big events, and more professional than most small ones. Be prepared for all kinds of weather.
E. M. from Texas (5/2/2013) "Horrible Race and Race Directors Don't Care!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Big-D Texas Marathons COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 This was a horrible race. I have run this race several times and it keeps going downhill. The course was long, 27.3 miles. A marathon should NEVER be off on mileage. Especially 1.1 miles in Texas in the heat. Those who say this happens all the time and we should get over it are clueless. It NEVER happens at a marathon and if Mellew would have accepted responsibility and apologized it might be different, but they just don't care about the runner! They blamed the lead car, but because it happened at the begining of the race, they could have easily fixed the end of the course and kept the mileage correct, they had at least 2 hours to fix it. The first water stop was not until mile 4. The course is hilly and difficult and if you don't have water as advertised, you can hurt someone. The water stops, plus the extra mileage made for a difficult race. Horrible experience. Everything from not having the parking gates open as advertised to water stops messed up to wrong mileage (the 5K was short!), don't go to these races, these guys are a for profit company and only care about your money!
L. M. from Houston (4/27/2013) "I just wish they had got the milage correct!" (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Big-D Texas Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I trained hard for this course and was so angry when at mile 2, I realised, along with many others with a Garmin that we were going to have to run a mile+ further!!! The course is beautiful and everything else was perfect but this ruined my experience and I had made the effort to fly in!!

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 18 > ]



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C. A. from DFW (4/6/2017) "2017 Rain Out" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Big-D Texas Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This year the full was cancelled due to storms but the half was allowed to go on. I understand the police were the ones to decide it was cancelled so I can't hold that against the race. Yet the organizers failed to update the website or FB page with this info which led to many family members (and from what I understand) volunteers to be literally left out in the rain on the full course waiting for marathoners. No excuse for that. I have a love/hate relationship with this race, having run the full many years now. While I love the heart and soul the race director has for his race, every year there are major snafus. One year the course was 2 miles long, numerous years aid stations have run out of water in the heat/humidity. The new course took out most of the beautiful neighborhoods and replaced it with the much hated Santa Fe trail. At least we could always count on hot food at the finish line but this year that was taken away too and replaced with granola bars and pork rinds(?!!). No more burritos or pizza. There are many things to like about this race: easy parking, no expo, lack of crowds, run around White Rock Lake, however the cons are outweighing the pros more often than not lately. I'm going to have to think hard about entering this one again and that makes me sad.
W. J. from Texas (4/14/2015) "Good course to run" (about: 2015) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Big-D Texas Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The new course was great except for having to dodge the bikers. It had less organizers than last year. Overall, the event was good.
D. C. from USA (4/12/2015) "Bad Organization, Not enough Aid Stations" (about: 2015) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Big-D Texas Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 It was nice to run around the White Rock Lake, but the end of the marathon was through a really rough area. Worst were the Aid Stations, only water and gatorade the whole race, no bananas, gels, oranges etc. Aid stations were spread too far out, very disappointing. For the money paid, figured they could spring for some nutrition.
E. D. from Dallas (6/28/2014) "I wish I could give 0 stars!!!" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 Worst race ever!! Horrible organization and an extremely rude and crude staff. The announcer was drunk, he announced this over the PA system. Who does this at a supposedly family event in the middle of Fair Park? The weather was horrible but that is not an excuse to act this way. I was there to cheer on a friend but the announcer's drunk ramblings made it unbearable. He was even making fun of people's names. Totally unprofessional. The staff also forgot to keep the generators running so the finish line collapsed on runners and onlookers. My friend said that this was the 2nd Mellew event she had run in and that the 1st one was just as bad. At the first race when she tried to look her time up it said she was a 52 year old man that had finished approximately 30 minutes later than she had(she's 28 btw). She said she will never run with Mellew again. I advise you to save your money as well and find a decent promoter.
Tom Schuberth from Alabama (4/9/2014) "Organizer should be fired...AWFUL" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Big-D Texas Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I'm not sure if anyone reads these comments, I know someone who doen't...the organizer of the race. With all the bad reviews from years past, you would think they would take pride and try to improve...shame on the people running this event. It's DALLAS Texas, a great city. I don't set records, and I'm not a great marathon runner, but I've done over 25 and only signed up for this because it was during the Final 4. The shirt and Medal do not even have a date on it...that is criminal. Are you kidding me. The entry fee was 100.00 dollars...not 10. What is the excuse on that. I did read all the bad reviews, but was in town for the Final 4 and thought that they would improve the race, since it was so badly reviewed in the past years. The guy announcing the runners coming across the finish line was awful he would only call out a number half the time...try looking up the person's name and call it out. Does anyone associated with this race have any pride. No clocks on the course, Only half time split and final time...even small city races have more.
R. B. from Pittsburgh, PA (4/8/2014) "Well Done Big D!!!" (about: 2014) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Big-D Texas Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Reading the reviews from last year, I did not know what to expect. Big D delivered a great race this year. Packet pickup was very easy at a local sporting goods store. Arriving at the race was smooth as there was an indoor holding area with short lines for the bathroom at the State Fair Park. The weather was a steady rain to start with thunder and lightning. Hats of to the RD who made an an annoucement about the weather and stated use caution, but did not appear to consider cancelling the race...WELL DONE!!! The rain let up for about an hour and then turned into a down pour with some thunder and lightning for the remainder of the race. It really added to the difficulty of the race. Can't blame the weather on anyone, no one can control that. The course was great as it was a bit hillier than I had expected, but it wasn't an extremely hilly course. The portion of the course around the lake was nice and you could tell this would be scenic if the sun were out. After the lake we headed into a neighborhood before going back to the lake. After the lake was a step hill at mile 20. One more serious double dip around mile 21 before it flattened out. Right before mile 26 had a short steep uphill before rounding the bend for a half mile flat finish that brought us right back to where we started. The indoor finish area was 25 yards from the finish and had tables and chairs for us to rest. Some food provided at the finish. The finishers medal was excellent. Shirt was nice. No additional swag and if I were to have anything negative to say about the race, that would be it. I read the finishers of the marathon received a finishers mug last year and I would have really liked that, but it was not provided this year. Fans were great when I saw them. You'd go a mile or two without seeing any fans and then there would be a crowd of people. The fans on the course were great, having wonderful words of encouragement and there were two fans in particular that seemed to pop up 6 or 7 times along the course that were going nuts for the runners! It helped motivate me on a tough day to run. I thought this was a great small race and would recommend it for someone looking for a low key simple race.
B. B. from Pittsburgh, Pa (4/8/2014) "Good job organizers" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Big-D Texas Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 When I woke up race morning to the sound of thunder my immediate thought was 'is the race director going to wimp out', and the answer was no. Even though there was lightning at the start line, the race went on. The director treated us like adults and let us decide for ourselves. Logistics were easy with close parking,near an indoor staging area in which to stay dry before the race and warm-up afterward. There was plenty of food and drink both before and after the race. Course was O.K. with some challenging hills and nice views around the lake. It was also well marked. Results were available shortly after the race. Nice tech shirt and very nice medal. Overall, a nice low-key race.
Ken Ashby from Dallas, Texas (4/8/2014) "One of my favorite marathons each year" (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Big-D Texas Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I have run nearly 200 marathons and every Big-D from the first in 2004, except in 2009 when I was injured. Course: I helped design it, so I love it. There is a wide variety of urban scenery, parks and neighborhoods, with hardly any traffic. The mixed terrain is moderately challenging, but easier on your legs than a perfectly flat course. In 2013, there were problems with sign placement, adding an extra mile. That never happened before, and both the turn and mile signs were perfect this year. Organization: Good on the basics. Convenient registration and pick-up, ample parking, indoor S/F facilities, plenty of aid stations, portalets on course, chip timing, post-race food, quality T-shirt and finisher medal. But no expo, no goody bag, and no post entertainment or beer unless you BYO. Spectators: Normally few, and even fewer this year due to all-day rain. But the aid stations are usually festive, and I actually enjoy a quieter race. Overall, this is a good mid-size race. No mob scenes as with big events, and more professional than most small ones. Be prepared for all kinds of weather.
E. M. from Texas (5/2/2013) "Horrible Race and Race Directors Don't Care!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Big-D Texas Marathons COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 This was a horrible race. I have run this race several times and it keeps going downhill. The course was long, 27.3 miles. A marathon should NEVER be off on mileage. Especially 1.1 miles in Texas in the heat. Those who say this happens all the time and we should get over it are clueless. It NEVER happens at a marathon and if Mellew would have accepted responsibility and apologized it might be different, but they just don't care about the runner! They blamed the lead car, but because it happened at the begining of the race, they could have easily fixed the end of the course and kept the mileage correct, they had at least 2 hours to fix it. The first water stop was not until mile 4. The course is hilly and difficult and if you don't have water as advertised, you can hurt someone. The water stops, plus the extra mileage made for a difficult race. Horrible experience. Everything from not having the parking gates open as advertised to water stops messed up to wrong mileage (the 5K was short!), don't go to these races, these guys are a for profit company and only care about your money!
L. M. from Houston (4/27/2013) "I just wish they had got the milage correct!" (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Big-D Texas Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I trained hard for this course and was so angry when at mile 2, I realised, along with many others with a Garmin that we were going to have to run a mile+ further!!! The course is beautiful and everything else was perfect but this ruined my experience and I had made the effort to fly in!!

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Marathon Details - Big-D Texas Marathon