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☰
Baltimore Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Baltimore Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.9 
Organization 4.0 
Spectators 4.1
Number of comments: 443 [displaying comments 301 to 311]
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A. S. from Pennsylvania
(10/28/2003)
"Excellent Mid-Size Marathon" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 My 16th marathon and it was one of the best. The course isn't flat like Chicago, but there are plenty of other courses with more hills and with steeper hills. The end of the race is downhill/flat which is really nice. The race expo was well-organized. We stayed at a hotel in the Inner Harbor area so the expo, and the start and the finish were easily accessible. Plenty of restrooms at the stadiums to use prior to the start of the marathon. The volunteers were great. The spectators were sparse at some places, but many runners don't want 26+ miles of constant noise. There were some problems with cars being allowed to cross the course during the race. The half marathon created some problems for which there is no easy solution as long as the two races share the same course. Personally, the half marathoners didn't disturb my race (4:06 finish). Putting on a marathon is hard work and the organizers, sponsors, and volunteers for this race should be commended. | |
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Anoy Mouse from Maryland
(10/28/2003)
"Hills can be fun - I recommend this one" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Pakcet pickup was perfect. The start went off without a hitch. There was plenty of water/Gatorade, snacks, gummi bears, etc. on the course. I gave the course 5 stars because of the up and down hills. Folks, hills are fun, especially the gentle ones. Blasting down St. Paul Street was great. In fact, the only boring part of the course was Fort Avenue, mainly because it was flat. The spectators and police officers were great. I smiled the whole race because of them. I had one problem with the runner finish area. Apparently after you received your beer tickets you were not allowed back in. No one told us this and when I tried to get back in for some water, I was told by a police officer that I could not return. That was a bummer. I can udnerstand the problem with the 1/2 marathon merger. I was fully expecting a SNAFU. I'm sure I lost a few seconds here and there, but hey, it was FUN picking off 1/2 marathoners, looking at pretty girls, listening to conversations you never hear during a normal race. Moreover, it was better than the alternative of having the 1/2s start with us and mess up our pace by running too fast. Also, I probably needed to slow down a little at that point to conserve energy. Oh, my child did the fun run. The 'finishing medals' weren't medals at all. They were pins which are a pain in the butt. Stick with a medal or ribbon. Great job Baltimore. I will run again. | |
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s. c. from uniontown pa
(10/25/2003)
"No hassles, great run!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran the half marathon and found the rolling course very runner friendly. I stayed at the Hyatt and was able to walk to the expo, walk to dinner, and left the hotel at 9:15 for a 9:30 start time. Enjoyed having Gatorade on the course (no Ultima please). I hope they keep things as they are; it is such a no-brainer. Need to improve on how the two distances can merge more smoothly. Looking forward to next year already. This race is well worth the three-hour drive. | |
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P. B. from Baltimore, MD
(10/24/2003)
"Great improvment over past marathons in Baltimore" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 A great event! From the festival, to the volunteers, and the organization of the race and the course itself, everything was first class. This was my ninth marathon and it was a great experience. I will say that maneuvering through the half marathon with thousands of slower-paced runners blocking the way presented a surprising logistical problem. I came to the 13.1 mark approximately 6 minutes after the start of the half marathon. There were still some runners going through the starting line and thousands ahead of them. Most of these runners were running 9-11 minute mile pace while people in my area of the marathon were running 7:20-7:40. My next two miles were 9:00 minute splits. Going around people and looking for spaces to pass made the run on Eastern Avenue very difficult. I was excited for the turnout and happy to see so many people enjoy the entire event... Please give the marathoners their own lane for up to one or two miles past the start of the 'half' to clear that area. PB Owings Mills | |
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D. R. from rahway, new jersey
(10/24/2003)
"Great Race, Tough Course, Great Crowd" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The race was excellent. The course was challenging. The only criticism I have is that having the 'relay' marathoners zip past you as you're approaching the 24th and 25th mile mark was a bit disheartening. I am not sure what they can do about it, but I found it a bit annoying. | |
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P. O. from Baltimore, MD
(10/23/2003)
"Challenging, but rewarding" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 As a resident, I am proud of the fabulous support the city is giving to this race. As a marathoner, I enjoyed the challenging, but spectacular course. This 3rd version included course changes that improved the race once again. The city policemen and women were outstanding. They served the force proudly. Volunteers were topnotch. Thank you to Under Armor for the sponsorship and exceptional shirts. Best marathon shirt I've encountered in my 7 efforts. Finally, I set a PR of 3:01 on this course! | |
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Betsy Schnell from Macon, GA
(10/23/2003)
"Hilly..." (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I am glad that I prepared myself during training for the hills in this marathon b/c otherwise I would have never set a PR. The crowd support was okay, but nothing like the crowd support that I saw in the LA Marathon. It was surprising that there was not more crowd support with it being such a beautiful day. The organization at the end of the race was terrible. All of the runners were packed in like sardines. I wanted to stay moving, so that my muscles would not stiffen up. There was hardly any room for the runners to stretch and walk. Also, it would have been nice to have water first instead of the metals and blankets. Overall, it was a decent marathon, but I am not sure whether I would run it again. I am running the Seattle in Nov. and am interested to see how their hills will compare with Baltimore. | |
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J. L. from Maryland, USA
(10/22/2003)
"Loved it!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My first marathon and I couldn't have asked for more! The field was not too big, not too small, with about 2,000 running the full marathon. The spectators were GREAT! They came out with bells and whistles (literally!), fabulous volunteers at the water stops: some from local running clubs and some just plain neighborhood kids and folks. The port-o-potties were plentiful (I NEVER had to wait an instant!), the SAIC PACE group I began with was WONDERFUL, even though I did need to slow down and let them go on without me (but the wrist pace-band they provided with info on aid stations, an elevation chart, etc. was invaluable in helping me re-plan my race strategy!). GREAT weather, plenty of Gatorade, pretzels, etc, en route (and the gummy bears in the last 10K were a whimsical & fun surprise!). The varied neighborhoods made it an interesting route, which included some hills, but not anything too daunting. The police men and women in Baltimore are some of the most good-looking people I've ever seen! Fabulous support! The whole carnival atmosphere was fun and exciting! Plus there are several other running events for friends and family not into the full 26.2 distance! Good expo, nice finisher's medal, NICE Under Armour shirts to runners! Ample and free parking convenient to start/finish line. The final miles are an easy, moderate downhill! Chip timing, a complimentary massage at the end, on-time start, your name announced as you cross the finish line! Post-race bananas, oranges, energy bars, bottled water, beer. And vendors if you want some burgers, hotdogs, Subway, ice cream, etc. Live band & entertainment all day long (good if your family has to wait for awhile before you cross the finish!). And a generous time allowance before the race route closes (important for those running back-of-the-pack, like I did). Come on, RUN BALTIMORE!!! | |
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Mike Joyce from Ellicott CIty, MD
(10/22/2003)
"Great - Fun Run!!!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first 1/2 marathon, and while my time wasn't great it gave me the confidence to do it again and again. Great time. Thanks, Bawlmore!!! | |
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B. P. from Philadelphia, PA
(10/22/2003)
"A change for the worst" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 I ran Baltimore last year and was impressed by how smoothly the race went. The organization last year was perfect. This year, in an effort to increase participation, they added a 1/2 marathon and a marathon relay. I've run in a couple of marathons before which included the half and relay and never had any problems, but Baltimore made the mistake of starting the half marathon at 9:30 (the marathon started at 8) at the 13.1-mile mark. This meant most marathoners hit the start of the half marathon... this was a total inconvenience. The course shouldn't be designed to cause such commotion. If it's the same set-up next year, I definitely will find somewhere else to run. Other than the schedule of the races, this is a great marathon... great volunteers, traffic control, finish line... I could go on and on. Hopefully next year they start the half marathon at the beginning w/ the marathoners to avoid any bottlenecks on the course. Also, parking last year was a snap... this year the designated parking areas were changed... I'm sure some runners missed the start b/c of the traffic jam which resulted. |
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