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☰
Little Rock Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Little Rock Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 4.6 
Spectators 4.2
Number of comments: 409 [displaying comments 121 to 131]
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K. L. from Shawnee, OK
(7/3/2010)
"Great for the size" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Little Rock Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon. it was a great experience for a first-time runner. Like some have said, the course can be kind of dull, especially for people who are unfamiliar with the area. I loved the experience of having the crowd yelling for me by name. However, at the end, being pushed through the finishers' area was really frustrating. All I wanted to do was sit momentarily and I could not get a moment to catch my breath. Overall, though, it was a great first experience. It gives a very individualized feel and makes everyone feel like a winner! | |
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G. B. from San Antonio, TX
(5/15/2010)
"Coming back for more!" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Little Rock Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 LR was my 25th marathon. Recently I had decided to retire from marathoning, as my better days are long gone. A friend of mine asked me to run this one with him, as we have never run one together. So I agreed. I came away challenged, sore, tire, but best of all, a reborn marathoner! I qualified for Boston and will now train for the 2011 Boston. Great race, great course, great medal - I'll do it again! | |
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J. E. from Eden Prairie, MN
(5/12/2010)
"Great Race!" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Little Rock Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The start of the race was the best of the marathons that I have run to date (9 marathons). Usually there are issues with the first 5 miles with the inability to run a consistent pace. The corrals were well organized and starting the runners that wanted to go at a slower pace was a great idea. The finish could not have been more organized. A good variety food and drink, having the multiple station with plenty of volunteers resulted in no waiting. The hot dogs was a nice touch. The marathon course, while challenging (the mini hill at about 25 was a killer), had a lot of scenic variety. Tech shirt great and of course the HUGE finisher medal (which is the hook to get a lot of people to go for it) could not be better. Hats off to the many volunteers; they looked like they were having a good time and sure made a great marathon. First time I have been to Little Rock; hotel prices are very reasonable and there are enough close to the start/finish, which helps. I stayed at the Holiday Inn. While it wasn't a host hotel, they had free bananas, yogurt and water the morning of the marathon and had bananas and water out all day. I really enjoyed everything about the marathon. | |
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D. B. from Maryland
(5/12/2010)
"Kudos on a great race" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Little Rock Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 We thoroughly enjoyed our first trip to Arkansas and the Little Rock Marathon this weekend! We've done more than a dozen combined half and full marathons over the past couple years and this was both our smallest race as well as the only one that was coordinated by a group that is not one of the "powerhouse" race organizers. We didn't know what to expect and were very pleasantly surprised! Everything - from the race course, to the weather (feel free to take credit), the goodie bag at the end (who gives hot dogs?!), the lipstick stop, the course marshals, the bodacious bar-b-que, and of course, the MEDAL - were primo! We took the early start, finishing in about 6:30, and it was such a treat to run and finish the race with people who were still racing and with crowds that were still cheering. I'm really enjoying telling all my friends how I ran a few paces (a very few paces) alongside a Kenyan gazelle! What fun that was! As someone who works in economic development for a county government in Maryland, you should be proud of the impact your race has on the local economy. We built a mini vacation around our marathon weekend and left about $1,200 in your community because of this event. Thanks again for a great weekend and a job well done. By the way: I wore my medal to work today and my colleagues commented that it was "obscene," "ridiculous" and "way over the top." My answer: "I know!" Cheers! | |
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Aaron Peeks from North Carolina
(4/14/2010)
"Mixed-bag but mostly mixed-below average..." (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Little Rock Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Overall, this race is a mixed-bag. I will add that my comments below are for a marathoner who drove 13 hours from North Carolina to complete the race and who finished just shy of 5 hours. Because we had to leave right after the race (work the next morning), I did not get to enjoy the post-race dinner. Positives " The t-shirt is amazing! The brand A4 really creates great quality technical shirts and the huge logo on the back of the shirt along with a smaller logo on the front is fabulous (I am sick of shirts with the back listing all the sponsors). " The medal is fantastic. As gaudy as expected! " Receiving a race booklet in the mail 3 or so weeks before the race was a nice touch - it was full of local advertisements but I was nonetheless excited when it showed up in the mail. " The expo was a nice surprise! I expected something small but it was a good size with a lot of vendors for a race this size! (But the goody bag they provided you with at the expo was very disappointing, as there was NONE.) " Little Rock has a lot of local food establishments downtown and our inexpensive hotel was located within walking distance to the race start/finish. We were unable, however, to find a place that served spaghetti even though there were a plethora of pizza joints - strange! " I have never been to a marathon where the aid stations were so overly stocked. For example, usually when I get to an aid station that has oranges, there are few to no oranges left. Not so at this race! They had oranges and bananas aplenty. In addition, the amount of gel they had available was unbelievable and a nice touch. " Having your name on the bib so that people can see it is great. I don't know why more marathons don't do this. " Having pacers for people finishing in 8 hours is a nice touch and shows that the race organizers are interested in all types of marathoners, not just fast ones. Negatives " The course is the most boring course I have ever run. You run throughout a long stretch of dilapidated neighborhoods (e.g., boarded-up houses) and do a very long stretch on an out-and-back along a road in a park (i.e., no fans and no view except for seeing runners running the other way 20 feet to your right). You run through one nice neighborhood where the mayor or governor lives (he was outside cheering people on which was a nice touch) and run past the Little Rock high school that was the first school in the South requiring racial desegregation. " The VIP area is a trend that illustrates that some runners will be willing to pay extra for VIP treatment. What kind of statement does that make about the race itself? I prefer a race where ALL runners are provided with VIP treatment. " After the race, you are sent down a single lane that branches off to the left and right. I wanted a massage and hopefully some real food (rather than the 4 junk-food items they put in a grocery bag, although it could be that the post-race dinner takes away funding from the goodies provided just after the race). To the right looked like stands, etcetera. No food and no massages. So I thought to myself that they likely turned the pre-race VIP area into an open area for runners afterward. I got to the area and a sheriff (i.e., bouncer) who was smoking a cigarette (nothing like cigarette smoke after a marathon) asked me for my VIP band. So apparently, VIP people get massages and food afterward and the regular runners do not. If this is NOT the case, then have volunteers making sure that each person who finishes the marathon knows where to go to get their non-VIP perks. Since I had to drive 13 hours back to North Carolina right after the race, I wanted a massage! I also still have my free beer ticket because I could not find the place to obtain my beer. " I have NEVER seen so many homeless people in one city before. I have been to Washington D.C. and New York City where there are plenty of homeless visible, but for a small city like Little Rock, I was taken aback. " The fans, in the areas that they tended to congregate, were okay. A pattern I am noticing with marathons that have a relay is that those participating in the relay or spectators for those doing the relay, tend not to care about cheering on others. " Five of my seven photos were of me crossing the finish line. What this means is that there are not many photographers on the course itself. | |
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J. E. from Minnestoa
(4/11/2010)
"All Around Just a Great Marathon" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Little Rock Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Hotels were within walking distance and reasonably priced. I was at the Holiday Inn, which was not a host hotel, but they put out bananas and water the day of the marathon. The expo was small but had everything I wanted. The short tees were $10 (a bargain and nice change from some of the other marathon organizers), and the packet pickup went off without a hitch. Nice touch at the start of the marathon: the mayor spoke and had a convocation. I was in Corral B. This worked great. Although it was a little packed, the runners ran a similar pace at the beginning of the marathon. I could run a nice, consistent pace from the beginning. The course itself was a little more challenging than most and more scenic than I expected. Mostly flat except for a 2-to-3-mile hill at the 15 mile-mark. The hill wasn't that bad but at the 18 mile-mark ran along the golf course one way for about 2 1/2 miles.There was one other double mini hill at the 25 mile-mark that was a killer. The congregation out at about mile 9 were great. The finish area was great - well staffed with people handing out blankets, food and water. The finisher medal was huge and the tech shirt was nice. Overall, a great marathon; if you have not run this one, you should. | |
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B. L. from Denver, CO
(4/8/2010)
"I loved the LRM" (about: 2010)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Little Rock Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I really enjoyed this race, the Peabody Hotel was wonderful, the organizers were awesome, the course was ok, and the crowd was very supportive and friendly. Also, I was able to PR because of the great supporting crews. The medal is the best part. I will probably come back to Little Rock again. | |
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Stacy Hunt from Little Rock, AR
(3/30/2010)
"Fabulous race!!!" (about: 2010)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Little Rock Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I cannot say anything more than that this is an awesome race and it has become a tradition for me. Rock on, LRM!!! Great spectators, great volunteers, great everything!!! I cannot express how nice it is to have the encouragement of the volunteers, spectators, and race workers during the race. | |
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T. S. from Superior, WI
(3/29/2010)
"Great destination marathon!" (about: 2010)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Little Rock Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Really enjoyed the marathon. There were many good hotels to choose from close to start and finish, and great restaurants also. The expo was fine, shirt OK, and the medal was ridiculous. OK, it was fun... but enough already! The course was laid out well, and we had great volunteer support and spectators. They even had chocolate milk at the finish - now that I enjoyed, with my beer.... Glad to say I've finally run the LR Marathon!! Keep up the good work! | |
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D. B. from indiana
(3/21/2010)
"Great organization and care for runners" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Little Rock Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was a series of marathons I am using as prep for an ultra in May. The course is fair and the spectators are ok. The pre- and post-race care were above my expectations. As long as they do not lose that touch, they will be a great destination marathon. It did not hurt that I ran a personal best there (of my 12 marathons) and a BQ time. |
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