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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 151 to 161]
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D. A. from Batavia, IL
(5/1/2008)
"More Than Just a Marathon" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This event stands out because of the volunteers. Friendly, warm, polite and hospitable are how I would describe the Oklahomans I met over the weekend. You can't help but be moved by this event. The happiness I felt from being a part of it will be with me for a long time. Mile markers were hard to find after mile 7, asking those around with GPS was the only way to know where you were. I don't understand why results weren't done by chip time. When we took out the slower runners who finished ahead in the final results, I had jumped ahead by a lot. This made sense since it took 8 minutes to reach the start line. Finish time based starting corrals (ex: Nashville Marathon) would also help to avoid getting around slower runners. Overall I think hardcore runners might be frustrated, but it was well worth the time and effort for this amateur. The expo was well run and information in the goody bag was very helpful. The church with the pancake breakfast really showed the true class and spirit we encountered on race weekend. In summary, a few technical points could be improved upon, but everything else was superb. | |
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T. T. from Edmond, OK
(5/1/2008)
"Good race, bad weather" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Well organized marathon. Very windy, cool and rainy (all beyond organizer control). Course was well marked and well manned. I would have liked a sports drink choice other than lemon lime PowerAde (grape, fruit punch, etc.) during the run. Plenty of fluid and other items on each stop. Water stops were numerous and enthusiastic. Finish line was great (a second shirt is not bad either). Finish line food/fluid was plentiful, enough for an army. I guess my biggest gripe would be the expo. Much of the items were priced at retail or slightly below. I guess I was expecting it to be similar to other expos I had been to which had sales of 50% or better on a lot of the merchandise. Only one booth I saw had significant sale items. It would also be nice to get shirt, number, chip, and activation at the same place rather than 3 different places at the expo. All in all, great marathon, so-so expo. | |
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C. B. from Ontario, Canada
(5/1/2008)
"6 days after Boston... fantastic race!" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 From the moment I arrived at the airport, I felt the warmth and hospitality of the Oklahoma City people. The pasta dinner was excellent, with volunteers coming to every table, asking where we were from, and thanking us for being there. Race morning was just as great with a memorial prayer service and a pancake breakfast before the start of the race. The 168 banners along the course were a constant reminder of the reason for this race and it was very touching. The volunteers at the water stations also thanked me for being there (I'm not used to being thanked during a race). The finish line was stocked with plenty of food/drinks and hamburgers. It was a real bonus to receive a technical finisher's shirt. This race was well organized, and the volunteers were outstanding. I highly recommend running this marathon! | |
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B. M. from Yukon, OK
(4/30/2008)
"Inspirational event that can be improved" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first half marathon event after running several full marathons, including OKC twice. You can't run this event without thinking of what inspired the event in the first place. You start by the memorial and there are always 168 seconds of silence before the race, one for each person who died. There are also banners along the course with each person's name. The volunteers are the best. They made a big improvement this year by staging the 5K walkers separately from the runners; however, they refuse to post results by chip time and instead post by gun time even though they do not have corrals to stage the runners. It makes the chip pretty much useless if someone has the same chip time as you, but gets a 4-minute gun time head start. No other event I've participated in does it this way. Since I ran the half, once you cut off from the full course, it was impossible to know where you were unless you had a functioning GPS. There were no mile markers or clocks after the turn west on 50th, and the flip cards were not changed either, so they were displaying predicted finish times that were inaccurate (even accounting for half marathon times). At the finish, I got my medal and food, but never saw anyone to take my chip and ended up leaving with it still on my shoe. I had to mail it in. Better process at the start and finish are needed if this event continues to grow. An assembly line at the end would make this a smoother process to get your medal, remove your chip, get your T-shirt, and then get food. | |
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M. M. from Arlington, VA
(4/30/2008)
"Great Cause" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 All races come down to organization but it is hard to fault this marathon for anything that was not perfect. Just the reason for this marathon is enough to make up for any shortcomings. It was my first time to OKC/memorial and was the reason I ran the memorial. I had no connection to what happened there that day but it was still important/touching to go there and run the race/see the memorial. Organization: One thing, regarding the start, don't have one way into the corrals (from the back). Have side openings for people to get into the starting area or increase the size of the corrals (stretch it out more). Also, keep people who are not running out of the corrals. I saw two friends/family members inside the corral holding umbrellas to keep runners dry. Corrals are for runners, not spectators. Overall a 9.5! | |
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Roscoe Douglas from Macon, Georgia
(4/30/2008)
"Great - very emotional memorial run" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I absolutely loved the run and the city. The memorial was very emotional as were the banners for the victims on the course. The rest stops were the best I have seen. The people were encouraging and all stops well stocked. I would recommend this run for anyone. As a note for the race director, I was pacing three girls who were have a difficult time because of health issues. We targeted 7 hours because this was the posted course time. At mile 22, the cones and all direction signs were removed. We got lost getting to the finish and still finished with a chip time of 7:01. Apparently the 7-hour time was from gun time - not when the last person crossed the start line. Forty people finished behind me, and I am sure others also got lost. I would suggest that you leave the arrows up until all the runners are in. Other than that, the run was great. Thanks for a good weekend. | |
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s. m. from Juarez, Mexico
(4/30/2008)
"Beautiful" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This could be the most beautiful urban marathon in the USA. The course is amazing, and the weather was great despite the early showers. The only minus was the crowded start line; they must separate the events: full, half, relay, 5K, walkers... all together it's a mess. The water stations were fine, volunteers were really helpful, and it was a great event from the expo to beyond the finish line. They even give you a burger for breakfast at the finish. Great! | |
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J. M. from California
(4/30/2008)
"Excellent race" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I thought the city was beautiful, the people were friendly, and the race was extremely well organized. The course was hillier than I thought it would be and the wind made it extremely challenging. | |
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Steve O'Donnell from Boston, MA
(4/30/2008)
"One of the Best" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I visited the memorial/museum the night before the race and had tears in my eyes. I cried during the 168 seconds of silence before the start. This is an emotional event. It's also a very well organized marathon. Water and PowerAde are available at every mile. Gels are handed out every few miles after 14. The course has more hills than I expected but that's fine with me because I hate flat courses. I have nothing negative to say about this marathon. The people of OKC are wonderful and really support this event. I plan to return. | |
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R. H. from St. Charles, MO
(4/29/2008)
"A Great Experience" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Thank you to the race organizers and the residents of Oklahoma City. I have run several marathons in various cities and normally don't plan on running them twice, but this one I probably will. The course has multiple rolling hills and the rain and wind in the first half were tough, but a marathon isn't supposed to be easy. The expo could have been better organized. The shuttle from the Marriott NW was a half-hour late. The finisher's shirt is nice, but the writing on the back is a little overboard. But I'm nitpicking. I highly recommend this marathon. The memorial itself is an extremely moving experience. A special "thank you" to First Church for the Saturday-night services and the morning pancakes and restrooms. This was a great marathon experience. |
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