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☰
Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon) Runner Comments
Back to Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon) Information & Reviews
Course 4.0 
Organization 3.6 
Spectators 3.8
Number of comments: 222 [displaying comments 191 to 201]
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S. S. from Wisconsin
(5/26/2003)
"Great race, but where are the fans?" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first time running Mad City and I thought the organizers did a terrific job. There were plenty of water/Gatorade/potty stops, police to direct traffic, and race organizers to keep you on track. I am from the area, so I was expecting typical loud and obnoxious Wisconsin fans (think Packers or Badgers) to spur me on. There were few until the very end which was disappointing. The only downside was the amount of sidewalk we ran on at the end, which slowed things down considerably. I would definitely run it again. | |
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D. L. from New Hartford Iowa
(5/26/2003)
"Great weekend experience" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Madison is a great experience. Start with a really great, small city that has a beautiful lake/cityscape, and couple it with a vibrant university area that has great diversity. It translates to a great marathon course which includes lake views, some wonderful neighborhoods, college atmosphere, and some nice park running. The water/Gatorade stations were more plentiful than at many marathons, and the volunteers were great. The elevation of the course is mild, with only a handful of inclines and no big hills. Post-race area was great, with massage and access to a good selection of food for purchase (brats, tacos, beer). The town has so many great micro-brews and the State Street experience is a must. The long weekend meant we could enjoy some carbo-reloading after the race and not have to drive home. This was my 14th marathon and I highly recommend Madison. | |
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L. W. from Iowa
(5/26/2003)
"My first marathon experience - Awesome" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The course was beautiful. Lots of scenery, shade, some rolling hills, and residents out with their appropriately chosen music to cheer us on, all of which really kept me going. The loads of water stands and a couple of spectators with Vaseline helped get me through my first marathon. I will be back! | |
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L. S. from Milton, WI - USA
(5/26/2003)
"Good organization, nice course, no fans" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 If you like a quiet race, this is a good one. Fans are virtually non-existent until the finish. The course was nice and scenic, but somewhat hilly. It was well marked, and traffic was not a problem. There were a few long stretches of sidewalk, and some of the streets were in need of repair. The worst part of the course was a pedestrian overpass around mile 23. Organization was very good. Lots of water stops with water, gatorade, and Car-Boom. The water stop workers were the best fans on the course. I would probably run this race again. | |
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Kristi Kent-Bracken from Madison, Wisconsin
(5/1/2003)
"Message from the Race Director" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Greetings from Madison! We have a fantastic race planned for you this year including beautiful USATF certified courses, a move to Madison's downtown Monona Terrace (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright) for our Health & Fitness Fair and Pasta Dinner, and a bigger & better Capital Brewery Finish Line Festival. Thank you to those who submitted comments and concerns about the Mad-City Marathon. I am pleased to report that we have corrected, re-measured, and certified the 2003 Half Marathon course. The certification numbers are: Marathon: WI-98009-WG Half Marathon: WI-02108-16 Good luck with your training! See You Memorial Day Weekend! Kristi Kent-Bracken Race Director | |
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l. c. from rockford, il.
(4/30/2003)
"Good Race" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I thought the course was very good. The course and race gave me variety, support and enjoyment in running. I would recommend this Marathon to others. | |
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M. P. from Houston, Texas
(4/10/2003)
"Won't be fooled again" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I ran the race last year and won't be fooled again. Madison is a beautiful city and while the marathon talks a good talk it really makes you appreciate something that is well run and organized. All of the previous comments about the course and the mile markers were right. At some points we ran on small, beatup sidewalks, the mile markers weren't accurate, the course is poorly marked and staffed - at one point while going through the University we were told we were running on the wrong path and had to cut across the grass, there were multiple times when I would come to an intersection and not know which way to go, running over the pedestrian bridge over the road in the last 6 miles was poor planning, and I couldn't keep an accurate split because one mile would be 8 minutes and the next 6. I won't make the trip again. I would recommend finding another marathon. I also had to wait a long time for the bus to take me back to the hotel. | |
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A Runner from Illinois
(11/29/2002)
"Far from ideal" (General Comments)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I've now run 5 marathons and this was the biggest disappointment. (It wasn't terrible, but certainly the most amateurish.) I've had the fortune of running some extremely well organized runs, so, when I ran Madison, I realized that it's easy to take well-organized events for granted. In none of the previous marathons had the organizers managed to mismeasure the halfway point (it was too short) and then screw up the spacing between the mile markers, particularly the later ones. The upshot was that it was really hard to pace yourself. This kind of stuff might not matter to some, but, if you're looking to PR, it might matter to you. | |
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A Runner from St. Louis, Missouri
(8/9/2002)
"Awesome Marathon!!!!!" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I am forever grateful to this marathon. I was able to qualify for Boston at Mad City 2001. I credit the course with my success. It is a beautiful course with rolling hills through parks and along picturesque paths and lakes. Since this is not a huge marathon, we were able to plant our 180's the night before and had no trouble finding them as we ran the marathon. This was very important for me psychologically as well as physiologically. I have run Chicago and New York and still consider Mad City my favorite, my brother feels the same. Thank you for a wonderful experience. | |
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ran_it_in_2002 from Michigan
(7/24/2002)
"Enjoy the town, would like to enjoy the marathon" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Madison is a running, biking kind of town. But, the marathon doesn't really show it. The course is feable with too much nasty concrete, curbs, parking lots, sidewalks, pedestrian bridges, etc. You could call it suburban adventure running. The organizational setup is another adventure. The host hotel is in a difficult to find area of another town. Go figure? When the start is downtown surrounded by many nice hotels. Find another marathon if you demand a bit more precision. |
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