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☰
Frederick Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Frederick Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.9 
Organization 4.2 
Spectators 3.8
Number of comments: 116 [displaying comments 51 to 61]
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David Trevino from Arlington, VA
(5/7/2007)
"Frederick Marathon has a bright future" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Frederick Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I true believe that some of the best marathons are right here in Washington DC, Baltimore, and now the Frederick area. From picking up your bid number to coming across the finish line, I walked away with a very satisfying experience. The crowd support, though scarce in numbers in some areas, was great. The police officers were just as great, In fact, the whole experience was a good one. Just having run the Boston about 3 weeks ago, I had another successful run - I set a PR at Frederick by shattering my last PR by 8 min. 9 sec., and I came in 2nd in my age category. The only downside is that I think I earned an award, but did not learn about it until I got home - I had to leave right after the race for another commitment - I read on the web page that awards are not mailed out. But all and all I had a great time and experience and plan to return next year. | |
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C. L. from Germantown, MD
(5/7/2007)
"Nice small town feel, challenging course.." (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I ran the 1/2 marathon and shaved 15 mins off of my Wirefly 1/2 time. Pros: 1. Smaller field, easy to get to the start and get dropped off 2. Friendly, enthusiastic spectators, saw many of the same folks over and over again, so they got around the course easily to see their runners 3. Nice temps (obviously not something that is controlled by the director, still..) 4. Plenty of well stocked aid stations had water & Gatorade, and at some they had granola bars, and UTZ potato chips. Saw a few runners actually stopping and opening up a bag of chips 5. Nice technical shirts, cool medal and a finisher's shirt Cons: 1. Used plastic cups, made it harder to make a spout and not very environmentally friendly 2. The port-a-potty line and line for restrooms at the stadium start, were long...put more pots on the course too! 3. The half and the full had different finish lines, which I liked, BUT then, you had to go back to the finish line for the full marathon to get your shirt and any food. Why not set up the half finish line with the half marathon finisher shirts and some snack? 4. They ran out of foil blankets at the half finish...and I finished well before the last runner. with the wicked strong winds, it didn't take long to get a chill. good thing we were parked near by 5. They need to put a better course map online or at least in the packets. The ones we got were printed in 6 pt font, I swear and the elevation map was not accurate - the spots which indicated big climbs didn't seem too bad, and other spots where I wasn't expecting anything, there were steep inclines. Overall, a nice challenging rolling course that was made a little harder by the VERY stiff headwinds. I would do the half again, not sure if I would do the full - a lot of it is just running around subdivision neighborhoods. | |
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F. P. from Sterling, Virginia USA
(5/6/2007)
"A great race marred by only a single glitch" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Frederick Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I think the race organizers were unprepared for the number of people who showed up for the 2007 run. A decision was made to start the race on time, which caused the last three bus loads of runners and spectators (yes, even though it was published that the buses were only for runners, a lot of spectators were allowed on - maybe this was part of the problem?) to be stuck watching the field run past them while they were stuck on the buses! But it was a chip run, so despite being at the starting line 15 minutes after the beginning of the race, off we went. The crowds had dispersed by then, so fan support was minimal. The benefit was that there was no jockeying for running room! It was quite windy (a walk across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on the same day was canceled due to high winds), and I felt sandblasted by the time I finished. Nonetheless, the plentiful water stations were in evidence, and at some, bananas and other goodies were available (I know one of the sponsors was Utz, but really, potato chips? I can't imagine eating dry, salty chips when I'm already in need of hydration!). The course was scenic and well-staffed. As noted, it's a hilly course! The police were great at traffic control, and the volunteers were helpful and prominent. The expo was a bit lacking, and the post-race refreshments seemed a bit absent. But by then, it was time to pack up our aching legs and hit the road for home. All in all, a terrific race. The weather was gorgeous, except for the wind (and who can control the weather, right?) and the glitch with the commuter buses (which we were required to ride after 6:00 a.m. that morning), I give this race four stars. The shirts, medals and hats were all first-rate. If you want an early May marathon, this is shaping up to be the one to run! | |
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E. B. from Gaithersburg, MD
(5/6/2007)
"Needs Improvement" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 My understanding is that this year, Frederick chose a new race management company. I ran the half and it was easily the worst managed race of any distance that I've run. The shuttle service brought us to the start line late, about 300 runners started at about 10-15 minutes after the official start. We arrived at a local mall as we were told at 6:30 a.m. At the half marathon finish, they ran out of space blankets and food. Then to add insult to injury, they made us wait 45 minutes for shuttles back to the stadium while runners shivered in the cold. | |
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D. R. from Arlington, Virginia
(1/23/2007)
"How to run a Marathon" (about: 2006)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Frederick Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is how marathons should be run. 1. Race started on time 2. A great course that was well marked (a little trepidation on my part after seeing the seemingly complex route map) and extremely well staffed (race volunteers had shirts that said: "OBEY ME" emblazoned on the front; there was no mistaking where you needed to go). 3. Friendly people, polite police officers, and nary a honking horn (in anger) in site; 4. And last but not least, there was a fluid station every mile for the last 5 or 6 miles. If you have read my recaps before, then you know that to me, this is the mark of a great marathon. Kudos to the Frederick Marathon. | |
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W. B. from Baltimore, MD
(5/12/2006)
"Great half marathon" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran only the half. I used this half as a tuneup for a full marathon later in May. I thought everything about the organizational team was terrific. Frequent emails to let you know about changes, etc., and little jokes here and there to keep it light-hearted. Great room at the Sleep Inn for not much money, parking at the course was simple, although getting out of the stadium parking lot at 10am was hard as runners were using the same road! Turns were well marked. The course elevation map needs some work. For a small marathon, the pacers were a nice surprise. Thanks much. Mine was great (thanks, Dane!). As for running out of or not finding gu, it's just not smart to run a marathon and not take your own! Get shorts with pockets and put the gu in! Only gripe: the 'technical' shirt doesn't work well for me. I ran a few miles in it the next week, and the sweat just piled up on my skin. The hat and the finisher shirt are great. | |
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R. A. from Falls Church, VA
(5/12/2006)
"Fun run, lacked community support" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was a fun race that seemed to be well organized. The elevation profile of the course was pretty easy until about mile 20 and then the last few miles of rolling hills just killed me. Perhaps you can reroute the course to start in the rolling hills and finish in the areas of town that are less hilly. There were plenty of water stations and some occasional food throughout the race which was great, however for next year, PLEASE NO PLASTIC cups. I have to concur with an earlier comment that fan support was pretty awful during the LAST 5 miles of the course. Although the community-based fan support wasn't what I had expected, the Frederick Police and local Sheriff's department were terrific at handling traffic and routing the runners. The marathon course passed 2 high schools and I was surprised that I didn't see a single band or cheerleading squad. Perhaps the communities could be more involved next year by having them compete with one another (2 trees donated from a local nursery are awarded to most vivacious community). | |
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K. M. from Mount Airy, MD
(5/9/2006)
"1/2 marathon was an almost perfect event!" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Frederick Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great organization, lots of freebies, plenty of food and drinks, a well-marked course and beautiful weather. Can't get much better than that. Hills, IMHO, were insignificant. Kudos to organizers and spectators. Can't wait to run the full marathon next year. One thing that I had a problem with was trying to leave the stadium parking lot. Took almost a 1/2 hour to get out. Perhaps there should be lot recommendations for those running the half and full so that expectations are set. | |
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B. K. from Maryland
(5/7/2006)
"First-Time Marathoner - Had a Blast!" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Frederick Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 My first race of any kind was the 2006 Frederick Marathon. The experience could not have been better. Outstanding website. Outstanding, interesting, and even funny communication via email prior to the event. Packet pick-up was easy. Parking was a breeze. The course was challenging but very fair. Course volunteers including the local police were great. Fans kept the spirits up. Weather was perfect. Pacer was incredible (thanks Bruce!). I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Words of advice for 2007 first-timers: do your training and include some moderate hills late in your training runs. | |
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G. G. from Gaithersburg, MD
(5/6/2006)
"Outstanding event" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Frederick Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my 10th marathon (ranging from big-city to rural trails), and this by far was the best. All mile markers were clearly visible; there were plentiful fluid stations; it was a memorable finish in the stadium; they gave out two t-shirts, a running hat and a colorful finisher's medal; they were lightning-quick about preparing results reports; and there were humorous, informative emails sent out, all of which set this event apart from the rest. Outstanding! |
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