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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 31 to 41]
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E. T. from Chicago, IL
(10/15/2013)
"Great course, but a few flaws" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Overall I enjoyed this race and enjoyed Baltimore. It was great to run through Baltimore, particularly the parks, different neighborhoods and by the ballparks. The expo was fairly well-organized and the medal was great. There are some serious issues however. When the half marathon runners join the marathon it is an absolute mess. There are too many half marathoners running or walking 3 or 4 across slowly in the middle of the street, with two groups of 3-4 (for a total of 6-8) at some points. I was not running very fast at this point, but I still had to weave back and forth to get around for miles. It's bad enough that it is a serious consideration for not running this race. The finish was also a bit disorganized - no separate finish lines for half and full and medals were handed out at the very end (after food, water, etc.). Also, the kids race, which my son ran, was literally the worst organized kids race he has ever run, to the point that it is not worth running. If they could fix the half marathon issue and organize the finish a little better this would be a top-notch race; one of the better 'urban' marathons. | |
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W. O. from New York
(10/15/2013)
"an ok full... but really a half and a relay race.." (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The hills are there from miles 0-21. Great starting/finishing area (camden yards)..they did a good job merging the full runners with the halfies and relay people... the finishers village needs work .. too small and the medal area was a free for all....the power gel tables were scarce and volunteer support at times was undermanned (runners were pouring their own water at one table)... also no sponges (that I saw)... I will say that this race will probably improve because the race director does listen to feedback. .. | |
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C. E. from NYC
(10/14/2013)
"Sorry Baltimore..." (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I'm really sorry, I know how much work it takes to put on such a big event but Baltimore your marathon is not good. First the course: this is a very hilly course. The first 3-4 miles are uphill. And then about 10 other hills through out the race really made this race not fun and very annoying. Also, why are there cones in the middle of the road the whole way. Maybe the marathon is only supposed to be in half of the road but that's not what actually happens. Runners take up the entire road. I wiped out hard on a cone just before the 4 mile marker. Ok, my bad maybe... but why are they even there? You don't need them. The bottleneck onto a side walk from a busy highway was outrageous... From about 19-21 or somewhere around there is a loop around a lake that is dreadful. You can see everyone running around the lake and realizing you have to do a lap is an awful feeling. Organization at the finish was not good. They don't really have the medals out. I felt like I had to go look for someone to give me a medal. It was some guy standing behind a table and then you have to make sure you get the correct medal since the half, relay and full are all ending there together. I saw food lines but they so long I decided not to wait. I don't even know what they had. The half marathon seems to be the main race for this festival. There seems to be too much going on with the marathon relay, the half, the full and a 5K somewhere. I think Baltimore would do better if the cancelled their full and just focused on the half marathon. The half seems much bigger (more runners) race and it just gets too crowded for the marathoners once the half marathon runners merge. This was the worst experience I've ever had at a marathon, from the $300/night to stay in Baltimore to the expo and the terrible course. The best part about this race was the fans. They are proud of their city and are happy to have the runners. The law enforcement presence is amazing and the cops were actually the best fans. I asked several how to get places and they were all very nice, respectful and seemed very well organized with race booklets detailing each mile. Thank you to the BPD. | |
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E. L. from DC
(5/12/2013)
"Soft spot for my first marathon" (about: 2012)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 Couldn't get much closer than Baltimore for my first marathon. I loved running through the city and seeing spots I never saw living so close. The course was difficult, but I had no point of comparison. Its definitely a bit easier than Pittsburgh. There are stretches of the course that are barren and unattractive. But with all due respect, that's the reality of Baltimore. It wasn't unbearable but not scenic either. The crowd support was fair. Some of the most run down neighborhoods had the funniest and most motivating folks. The organization was not good. Empty water tables and lack of volunteers made it an unhappy time at a couple of points for me. The finish line was a pile up with bad medal distribution. I have no plans to run it again, but if the time works for you and you are in the DC/Bal area, do it. | |
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P. S. from New York, NY
(3/27/2013)
"Good Crowd Support" (about: 2012)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I really enjoyed the first half of this race. Going through the zoo was great fun. I also enjoyed running through some of the less affluent areas, which had some very interesting architecture (and even spectators!). Some of these places would have been undoubtedly dangerous, but with police presence what felt like every few feet it felt (and was) perfectly safe. I also enjoyed the merging of half-marathoners with the marathoners, since it seemed to inject a lot of energy into the race. Don't let the whiners tell you this messed up their times - if anything it boosted mine. The second half was less interesting, and the run around the lake was kind of a psychological heartbreak. It comes into view just as you think you are getting close to the end of the race, and since you can see the entire huge loop it's pretty discouraging to realize how much you have to run before you are back on the streets and heading to the finish. The biggest negative was the ridiculous Expo setup - you literally had to walk thousands of feet through a hall on the inside of the stadium, past all the vendors, just to pick up your shirt and bib. Overall, this was a great 'big city' race with a lot of energy, and I recommend it for anyone getting tired of running races with small crowds. | |
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S. D. from VA
(3/27/2013)
"Great...for the half marathon" (about: 2012)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 For good reason, this is called the Baltimore running festival. I would have been pretty offended if they called it the Baltimore marathon given the lack of interest/resources for the full marathon. I think in 2012 there were 3,000 running the full and 12,000 running the half. They really need to re-think merging the half and full for the last 13 miles. For runners in the 3:30 - 4:00 range, expect to hit a huge wall of half marathoners that you'll have to run with for the last 12 miles. But overall, the course was cool and hit all the major areas of Baltimore. Logistics were good too. | |
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d. j. from MD
(11/27/2012)
"course merge problematic for marathoners" (about: 2012)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Baltimore Marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 The first 16 miles for the marathon is very nicely done. The setup of this marathon of having half marathon merge with full at 16 mile mark in marathon causes major issues for full marathoner at 3:45 pace or slower. The half starts 1 hour 45 minutes after the full marathon starts. Not enough volunteers from 16 to 22 mile aid stations for this greatest number of bodies on the course. Expect a lot of frustration with constant stop and go at this point with half marathoners. Also stopping and waiting for volunteers to pour fluids into cups in this section of aid stations because of needed extra volunteers. The marathon field is 1/3 size of the half marathoner field plus a large number of relay runners. After reaching 22 mile one can run in to the finish nicely. Ideal weather conditions for 2012 but warmer weather will present severe issues on this course. Finishing with half marathoners & relay diminishes your effort at this event for the full marathoner as there is no separating the events into separate finishing chutes. The line to get to the food was 15-20 minutes wait after crossing finish line. This marathon is also a battle with loss of needed support for the miles 16-22 and 11000 additional bodies thrown at you at mile 16 point in the run. It is nice money is made by having half marathoners in this event unfortunately the marathon finishers suffer for this event's integration setup of the full marathon with the half marathon runners. | |
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M. H. from Pennsylvania, USA
(10/22/2012)
"Great Day for Running" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I was pleased with this marathon. Weather was great, you couldn't ask for a better day to run. I was told the course was really hilly, but I guess that is relative. It is not nearly as hilly as Pittsburgh but had some hills on the second half. I found the water stops were more difficult to navigate after the half marathoners merged. But, overall was pleased with the course and the race. The expo was a little frustrating. I understand spacing things out so vendors get the foot traffic, not thrilled about it, but understand it. Picking up Pasta Tickets was frustrating, volunteers for Shirts and Bib Numbers didn't know where the Pasta Tickets were. Finally found them, and they were worth the purchase. Stayed at a hotel on Inn Harbor which was really convenient for the start and finish. My wife and I spent the afternoon after the race around Inner Harbor and it was very enjoyable. I will run it again if it fits my schedule in the future. | |
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R. H. from Maryland
(10/19/2012)
"Loved every minute..." (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've done the half marathon now every year since 2004 and I loved the race this year, from the weather to the crowd support to the course. Training for the MCM in 2 weeks really helped improve my performance and recovery too. Next year I plan to move to the full. | |
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R. A. from Leesburg, VA
(10/19/2012)
"Great marathon - lousy expo" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Baltimore Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Well run marathon. Terrific and interesting course, good spectators, solid aid stations. Better yet parking was a breeze. Baltimore is a much better organized marathon than many others I have run. A very solid big city marathon. The expo organization however, did not meet the marathon's standard. There were no big issues, the expo was simply irritating. |
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