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Valley of the Sun Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Valley of the Sun Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.7 
Organization 2.5 
Spectators 2.7
Number of comments: 68 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
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D. T. from Colorado
(6/30/2005)
"Don't do the half, or even a 5K this crew puts on!" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Valley of the Sun Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 I know that its been said already, but allow me some catharsis... I've done 100-mile ultras in the mountains with better support along the way! Came to break 3 hours, and was well on course until the lack of water, gels, and stopping to get my own water after FINDING A CUP piled up on me and led to dehydration and bonking at mile 19 or 20. The lack of water at the finish, when I was one of the early finishers, had me quite concerned for those stuck toughing it out in the heat for several more hours. This has all been said, so let me point out 3 additional "niceties": 1: The organizer bloviating about herself and why she puts these things on when the start is already 20-30 minutes late... 2: the busses driving right towards the runners at the front of the start line Tianaman Square-style to keep the runners corralled at the start; and 3: after the race, at the local mini-mart, my brother-in-law saw the volunteer sent to get finish-line water for the 85-degree-plus runners hanging out and hitting on the clerk. A REFUND is highly unlikely, BUT an APOLOGY and perhaps some token gesture is apropos. If not, these organizers really should be ostracized for putting a bad face on the strong AZ running community. | |
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Jonathan Stewart from Ventura, CA
(4/24/2005)
"Worst race ever" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Valley of the Sun Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 As everyone says, this was the most poorly organized race ever. It was as though the race director didn't even care that she had a race to put on, since she overslept the morning of the race and forgot such important details as water at the finish, volunteers for the aid stations, and directions for the shuttle busses. And she was arrogant, defensive and non-apologetic. This marathon deserves to die. DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS MARATHON. I WANT MY MONEY BACK! | |
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Dawn Montgomery from USA
(4/15/2005)
"Lucky there were no lawsuits!!!!!!!!!!" (General Comments)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Valley of the Sun Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I live in the Phoenix area so I heard this race was suppose to be good. What a joke!!! Like everyone else said, we were dropped off in the dark with no direction and a late start. The worst was the lack of medical staff and volunteers at water stations. I am an RN, and I had to stop 4 times to help people throwing up!! Plus 2 bikers stopped to make Gatorade at around mile 16 because no one was running the station. My husband and friends ran water stations mile 20-25. They even had to wash out old cups because all the cups had been used!!! God Bless them!! I hit mile 20 at 3:30, but got awful leg cramps from dehydration. Because of the lack of water, and having to stop to help people, I finished in 4:55. No big deal in the whole scheme of things, but a disappointment in myself. I agree, the people who ran the full marathon should get their money back!!!!!! | |
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G. G. from Portland, OR
(4/11/2005)
"A very disappointing weekend" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Valley of the Sun Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Once is enough for this race. Unless you are local to the Phoenix area and are looking to get some race training don't sign up for this race with high expectations. Very few spectators on the course but what was worse the volunteers and the lack of organization of this event was unbelievable. Buses were not instructed where to drop off runners...no volunteers to meet the runners...race started about 40 minutes late...for the lead group there were no volunteers at the water stations. No water for marathoners at the finish (I think it was about 80 degrees). That's embarrasing let alone unsafe. Worst organized race of any kind that I've participated in. | |
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J. S. from Las Vegas
(4/8/2005)
"Worst race I've ever run!" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Valley of the Sun Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Do not even think about running this race! The disaster started when I took the shuttle bus out to the start. Throughout the ride, we got to listen to the chatter on the radio with all the bus drivers screaming and arguing over where to drop off the runners. Three separate times, our bus driver told us all to get off the bus only to tell us to get back on because we were in the wrong place. Ultimately, we were dropped off in the pitch dark, still not knowing where the start was and there was no one to take our gear bags. After what seemed to be an eternity, a big truck pulled up and apparently that was when the start line was set up. Again, we waited, and waited. Finally, I asked a person in front of me if he heard about when the race would start. Just as I asked him, everyone started to run. No announcement, no firing of a starter pistol and NO APOLOGY for the late start. Then things got even worse. Water stations that were poorly manned or not at all! At the end I waited over 45 minutes for the shuttle bus and nearly had to pay extra for my room! One of the volunteers saw me waiting and asked where I was staying. When I told him, he said, 'I'm not going that way,' and drove off. At the finish I heard the race director say that next year there would not be a full marathon, only the half. It seems to me she gave up a year early. INEXCUSABLE!!! | |
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C. L. from Lakeville Minnesota
(4/5/2005)
"OUCH! Where was everyone?" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Valley of the Sun Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 Like many of the other comments that follow, this is the most unorganized race that I have ever run. Like many of lead marathoners, I was counting on water stations to be staffed and was not expecting that the lead marathoners would have to stop and, well, tear packages to get to the cups, and tear open the water and then pour the water ourselves. Gel packs were not to be found... And the ones we got at mile 21 were a little too late to do too much good when many of us were looking for them at 6.2 and 13.1. And then when I got to the finish, no water... I was the third marathoner to finish... And no water!!!! Ouch... The course was fast and very scenic. The police did a good job of blocking traffic, but many of us were directed off course for up to a quarter mile before we knew we were not on the marathon course. And to have to run a 2:30 marathon to be in the prize money is sort of impossible when you don?t have access to water and no supplied gel packs at certain points along the course. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone that wants a full-service marathon. | |
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D. S. from Atlanta, Ga
(3/31/2005)
"what a disaster!" (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Valley of the Sun Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 It's obvious from everyone's entries that this race was a complete mess. There is no need for me to recount everything that happened. There are enough of those entries already. What really bothers me is that there was no sort of follow-up communication with an explanation or (gasp!) an apology from the race organizers. I sent them an e-mail about it and encourage everyone here to do the same. Just go to their website and find the contact e-mail. I'm not sure they realize just how bad and borderline cruel (no water at finish in 85-degree heat) it was for the participants. | |
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d. a. from arlington texas
(3/26/2005)
"More like Valley of Disaster!" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 This race went downhill quickly as you can tell from all the other comments. I took the bus back along with others upset and frustrated and never did run the race because I didn't know if it was even going to start. I did ask the owner of the race if I could get my money back and she refused. We all should get reimbursed; none of this was the our fault - it was all the owner's responsibility, so she should pay the price. This was such a disaster! Whatever you do, don't run this race next year! | |
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L. N. from Boulder, Colorado
(3/23/2005)
"Are you kidding me?" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Valley of the Sun Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 Fast Boston qualifier. Good thing I was fortunate enough to qualify in a fall marathon. Runners probably weren't prepared to factor in an additional 2 minutes to pour their own water! Also, if a race advertises an early start to keep runners out of the hottest part of the day (PHOENIX, AZ!!!), the race ought to start early. Especially if you plan on letting them finish in 85 degrees without water. Nice. Sorry to be harsh, but apologies at the start line don't make up for stranding runners in the desert at 5:30 am with no idea where they are, or stranding them at the finish line with no water but the nearest cactus root. | |
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J. G. from Quuen Creek, AZ
(3/22/2005)
"Kids 1K rocked" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Valley of the Sun Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Just wanted to thank the organizers of the kids' race. My two boys had a great time and the 1st place ribbons for all the contestants was really cool. Even though everything didn't run as planned for the marathon, I'll be comming back next year for sure. The course was great, the scenery can't be beat and the kids' run topped it off. |
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