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Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.4 
Organization 4.5 
Spectators 4.4
Number of comments: 330 [displaying comments 141 to 151]
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G. J. from Iowa
(7/21/2008)
"Very memorable - worth the trip!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I had never been to Oklahoma City. It is a very nice city with an excellent marathon! The course is interesting, well organized and the fans were very good. I would recommend this one. | |
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J. S. from Kansas City, KS
(7/13/2008)
"A decent race..." (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I had a good time at this event. I enjoyed the loop course, with several miles along a lakefront and the start and finish in Bricktown. The expo was a bit difficult to get to downtown, as there were a lot of events and things going on that weekend. Pre-race was AWFUL. Even early, spectators were absolutely packing the roads surrounding the starting line, making it very difficult and taking A LOT of time for runners to get through to the road on which the starting line was. Then we were scolded by race representatives for jumping the barriers to get to the road on which the starting line was! Porta-potties were also scattered about in groups of about 5, which didn't seem too productive. Once the race started, however, it was a good experience. The spectators were great, and aid stations were supportive and well-stocked. The finish line was right at the OKC Memorial, which was beautiful. There were race pacers available for those who like to take advantage of them, and they did a good job of not letting the relay areas or other distances get in the way of each other. Downtown OKC also had a lot of options for pre- and post-race festivities. | |
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Amy Alford from Burdett, Kansas
(6/15/2008)
"OKC... you are the best!" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Oklahoma City was top-notch in every way. I was very pleased with the hospitality, organization and enthusiasm of the people and volunteers! The course seemed a little like rolling hills and it was quite scenic. OKC has a lot of beauty. I ended up getting a PR on this course which was exciting. The enthusiasm of the spectators helped me along! I would improve the starting line chaos though. Everyone crowded the entryway into the start corrals and I almost missed the gun going off because I couldn't get into the starting gate! This is definitely a marathon that I would do again. Very challenging and memorable. | |
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Eddie Hahn from Rancho Cucamonga, CA
(5/10/2008)
"Outstanding Event; Improve Bag Check Instruction" (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 One of the few minor flaws this year seemed to be confusion over where to check in pre-race gear. A friend of mine who has completed the event all eight times even admitted that was one of his only disappointments. We were to coordinate with a fellow runner to give him his race packet at the bag pick up, and none of the maps seemed to denote the spot correctly. We finally found the point by coincidence only minutes before the race start. While I was running, I observed a runner with a plastic race goody/number bag in his hand who admitted he had to run with it until he linked up with the runner it belonged to because he couldn't locate the check-in. The marathon itself was excellent. Support every two miles, motivated volunteers, plenty of re-hydrants and a lot of pretzels for salt. Banners posted memorialize each victim from the 1995 domestic terror attack. The course passes upscale neighbors with large mansions, the capitol, and more rural portions of the city; and it's a great urban-rural mix within the confines of a major city. Excellent variety of post-race food - and the only marathon I can remember where I received (two) shirts: one for entering and one for finishing! Also (two) hamburgers at the finish! The medal is a nice depiction of a tree that memorializes the bombing victims, and the packet includes a ticket to the memorial museum. I highly recommend this race. | |
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D. I. from Gainesville, Florida
(5/7/2008)
"A very emotional run!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Simply a wonderful marathon experience. The marathon starts in front of the OKC Memorial. I had visited the Memorial the day before and was still very emotional. There was a flag for each victim scattered about the course. The crowds were encouraging... even in the cold, windy weather! The aid stations were well stocked... everything was well organized! There was a 0430 start for walkers. It was a well-done event! Thanks, OK, for a fabulous marathon experience! | |
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J. C. from Oklahoma City, OK
(5/3/2008)
"Outstanding race. A must for any runner." (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've been waiting to run this race for 2 years and the wait was well worth it! I especially enjoyed the course layout as it takes you through many of Oklahoma City's highlights. I've only run 2 marathons and I find this race to be a challenge but not overly difficult. FAN/volunteer support and the water stations were right on the money - great job. The overall organization was exceptional except for maybe the start area. Runners of all abilities just filled in from the front to the back. Separating the 5K runners/walkers was a very good idea and maybe there is a way to organize the rest based on ability? Also, get rid of the pace "flip cards" at the mile markers - many were not being kept current. The above items were minor, in my opinion. The course, overall organization, focus on why we were there - 168 lives lost in 1995, and the support make this a "must" for any runner. I will always make it a point to be a part of this experience every year. | |
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P. T. from s
(5/3/2008)
"Moving Experience" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I think the people of Oklahoma City should be commended for the outstanding job they do for the Memorial Marathon. All along the race people were constantly thanking you for running in the marathon. I wore my finisher medal back to my hotel, and everyone who saw me thanked me for running in the marathon. The hospitality of the OKC people cannot be beat. The marathon is very well organized and fully prepared for all situations. All your running needs were fully met on the course. The course offered water, Gatorade, pretzels, oranges, bananas, and Gu. No runner would ever have to go without what they needed on the course. My only suggestion would be to have the marathon people start 30 minutes ahead of the other races; it was just too crowded. Congratulations on a well-run marathon! | |
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T. M. from Des Moines, Iowa
(5/2/2008)
"Excellent race" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I echo the comments about the high quality of this race. The medical support (which thankfully I did not need) was extraordinary. The people were friendly. The expo was well-run. Two areas for improvement (also echoed by others): (1) Please rank by chip time. Why rank by gun time when you have the chips (and pay the cost of renting them and the timing system)? (2) Please have a separate corral or lanes (example: the left lane of the starting area) or bib color for walkers. Having walkers line up in the middle of runners poses a hazard to walkers and runners of all paces. I have walked two marathons, and would never have dreamed of lining up with the runners. If a separate corral or bib number is inadvisable, please consider more forcefully emphasizing that walkers should line up in the appropriate spot in the corral. | |
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B. M. from Kansas City
(5/2/2008)
"A wonderful race... and an even better memorial." (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The rain stopped and the race was perfect for me, as I ran a personal best. I thought the course was very fair and thank the good Lord for a north wind rather than a south wind! The finisher's shirt is a very cool gift... especially since it says, "FINISHER," in big, white, letters across the back! Thanks to OKC for the marathon. And every time I go to the memorial, it is emotional. | |
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D. P. from Virginia
(5/1/2008)
"incomparable" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This will be the marathon to which I will compare all others from now on. What an incredible experience. It's the first marathon I've run that was for a cause. I'll never forget the 168 seconds of silence before the start, the Saturday evening service at First Church, visiting the memorial and museum, seeing the banners along the course with the names of the victims, and the rush of emotion upon crossing the finish line. The course itself was great; just enough hills to make it interesting, and a nice downhill finish. It was raining at the start, but that stopped early. The wind always seemed to be a headwind until mile 14, when it finally was a great tailwind as I ran along the lake. That tailwind was the difference maker in being able to run a negative split. Because of the reason for this marathon, I feel like I have no right to complain about anything, but two things that need to be improved: First, separate the full marathoners from all other participants at the start. It took eight minutes to cross the start line. Second, have a dozen people at the end of the finish-chute on bended knee, ready to cut the timing chip off your shoe. I walked right past who seemed to be the ONE person taking chips off shoes, because he was having a leisure discussion with a buddy and not paying attention to runners. When I walked back to him, I had to lift my shoe up to the chair he was sitting in so he could cut off the chip. Lifting my feet anymore than 1 inch off the ground was the last thing I wanted to do after running 26.2! |
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