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Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon) Runner Comments
Back to Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon) Information & Reviews
Course 3.8 
Organization 4.1 
Spectators 3.1
Number of comments: 147 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
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D. P. from Nebraska
(4/19/2016)
"Lonely" (about: 2016)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)s
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 Unlike other marathons I've run this one is pretty much devoid of any enthusiasm from the local populace. Not that it's necessary, but it's nice to have people lining the streets in the neighborhoods. The new course showcases the fact that Olathe simply puts up with the race. The fact that the last half of the marathon is run entirely on a greenway park trail shows that the city doesn't want runners on the streets, and the lack of people shows that as well. Runners who showed up an hour before the race were parked furthest away, while those who didn't plan were granted the closest parking. I'm not an elite, but I'm not a back of the packer - when I finished the full the finish line area was practically vacant and devoid of what I imagine the 1/2 finishers devoured. Not recommended. | |
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B. W. from South Lyon, Michigan
(4/18/2016)
"Well organized smaller marathon with Oz theme" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The organizers changed to a new course in 2016 to eliminate the 'muddy trail' scenario other posters have referred to. However, this made the course more challenging with fairly constant rolling hills throughout - even on the bike path used for the second half. Pros: 1) Very good race organization 2) Lots of committed volunteers 3) New expo location allows for easier packet pick-up 4) First half of course showcases lots of Olathe and surrounding communities 5) Large medal with changing Wizard of Oz theme 6) Good communication via email and Facebook leading up to marathon 7) Excellent new start/finish location 8) Good course support with water, Gatorade?, and Gu. Cons: 1) Expo was on small side with maybe 20 vendors 2) Marathon is over shadowed by half marathon 3) Second half of marathon course is extremely rolling 6.5 miles out and 6.5 miles back on an asphalt bike trail which is fairly boring 4) Insufficient number of portapotties at start 5) Community did not seem aware of marathon - few spectators beyond runners' families 6) Garmin reps at expo did not know their Forerunner product line very well Overall this is a good smaller marathon. The Oz theme is fun. The weather was a bit warm. That combined with the challenging course, especially the bike trail section, kicked my butt. It did allow me to complete Kansas on my 50 state marathon quest. | |
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J. S. from Washington
(4/17/2016)
"Overall B" (about: 2016)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Pros -Great race shirt and did NOT have dozens of sponsors all over the shirt -Medal large and unique -Course nice out and back section on the 2nd half, could be boring for some -Pace teams Cons -Having parking blocked off at the start that was NOT utilized by businesses -Finish area food/drink, really? H20, cheap granola bars, and bananas. Where was the sport drink chocolate milk, gluten free carbs? Come on we just ran a marathon have more food! -The town did not really seem to embrace this race many area few or no spectators -Hills are deceivingly hard, I thought Kansas would be flat -Garmin is the presenting sponsor and offers no discount for participants and when you go to the company HQ the prices are more expensive than on-line. Again embrace the participants and give us some perks incentives to run your event | |
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t. j. from iowa
(9/28/2015)
"well organized, but wet" (about: 2015)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Olathe is a well organized race and the logistics at the start and finish were excellent. The course had far more hills than I anticipated, but things flatten out later in the race. The volunteers were tremendous and they went out of their way to try to provide comfort during the rain. The trail through the woods towards the end of the race is flat and peaceful (even with the rain). The course is fairly non-descript, but it does include residential, agricultural, and some industrial scenery. Overall, a good marathon, but not one I'd do more than once. | |
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Holly Winchell from Shawnee, Kansas, USA
(4/29/2015)
"Rainy First Marathon, But Will Do It Again" (about: 2015)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I decided on the 2015 Garmin Marathon as my first full marathon for multiple reasons, including location, timing of the event, and other personal reasons. So, this was a Big Deal for me. The packet pick up was very easy and quick on the Thursday before the race at the Hilton Garden Inn. I obsessively watched the forecast the week before, and expected rain/storms, which was discouraging. The first half of the race was beautiful, but storms and rain began at about the halfway point for me. As others have mentioned, the trails in the latter half became muddy and slippery, and my feet felt like they weighed 100 pounds each, but attempts were made to throw hay down for traction. I was fortunate enough to preview the course and trails a few days prior, and race organizers had done a great job of clearing the trails of mud resulting from recent heavy rains. The spectators were sparse but enthusiastic, and I give them a '5 star' rating for toughing it out in the rain with us! Plus, having fewer spectators meant I could spot my own 'fans' more readily. I loved the course, which had a balance of residential, business, and historic 'old Olathe' sights, in addition to beautiful trails, which would have been delightful were it not for the rain. The post-race refreshments were satisfying, with goodies from Whole Foods and yummy chicken sandwiches from a local church. But, the advertised chocolate milk was notably lacking. :( As this was my first full marathon, the decision of running another or calling it quits was in the balance. The Garmin Marathon succeeded in hooking me on marathons...overall, my experience was fantastic as a first time marathoner, and this will be my second full marathon in 2016. My main hope is that the weather will be more pleasant so the runners can fully enjoy the lovely course in the Land of Oz. | |
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M. Y. from KS
(4/22/2015)
"Surprisingly hilly course" (about: 2015)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The course for the full marathon is actually made of constant rolling hills. There's also a couple mile stretch in the middle section where you will be running up a few very steep, but short bouts of inclines. Definitely do not expect an easy, flat course as advertised. Mile 15-24 or so are on trails, and it rained for most of the race day morning, making the trail section into a slippery and splashing muddy course. So make sure to check the weather beforehand and be prepared. The supporters were nice and the aid stations were adequate. Chocolate milk as mentioned in other reviews was absent at the finish line, but they did have free beer and chicken sandwiches. I didn't have any complaints with the packet pick up process myself. It was at a small venue (Hilton Garden Inn), but I was in and out of there with my packet in a few minutes. | |
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D. R. from Cincinnati, OH
(4/20/2015)
"Great small-town marathon" (about: 2015)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a really great event. Pros: 1) well organized 2) great and committed volunteers 3) easy packet pickup 4) great course support 5) great bling (medal large and well-designed) 6) great race director - did not pull us from course even though there were a number of miles with thunder/lightening (which stopped so would have been a shame to cancel) This is a really great small marathon with great course support. I loved the Oz theme and strongly recommend this marathon! | |
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C. G. from Lee's Summit, MO
(4/20/2015)
"Expect rain, rolling hills and great volunteers" (about: 2015)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 My comments are from the perspective of someone who has run 6 marathons in the 4:30 rangefor whatever that's worth. The packet pickup was held in the lobby of a hotel. Maybe there were a couple booths, but don't come to this pick up expecting to get anything for the race. Parking is plentiful near the race; and they had police yellow tape separating groups of porta potties to make the lines more manageable - worked really well: not sure why more don't do that. The race starts at 6:45. I like the early start. There were maybe 4500 runners signed up, so it's not a huge, crowded race. They don't have or need corrals at the start so it's kind of a mosh pit feel, but it's manageable. It is advertised as a flat course. From my perspective, while we're not talking giant mountains, we're also not talking flat. I'd call it occasionally flat with plenty of rolling hills. Part of the race is on streets and part is on trails. For the part on the streets, you were basically sharing the road with cars. If you ventured out past the orange cones too far, you risked getting hit. It seems to rain almost every year of this race, and for the portion of the race on the trails, it became incredibly muddy and slippery; and by the end of the race, I felt like I was carrying an extra 2-3 pounds of mud on my shoes. Despite the rain, which at times was heavy, the volunteers were there handing out water and Gu and encouraging the runners. They were great. There weren't many spectators at all (which doesn't bother me); but if you're looking for big crowds, this is not your race. The medal is pretty big, and there may have been lots of food after the race, but I was wet and didn't go in search of it. Overall, it's a well-organized race with wonderful volunteers. | |
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D. H. from Missouri
(5/13/2014)
"Fun marathon with passion from the organizers" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Overall, I liked this marathon. I felt the course was great, I liked the support. It was very spectator friendly, and the participation & costumes from the runners was fantastic. My only con was packet pick up. That was a bit of a mess. Not in terms of organization, but in terms of flow | |
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T. K. from Cincinnati, OH
(4/30/2014)
"Follow the Muddy-Brick Road (see #9 below)??!!" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Top 10 Reasons why this marathon (my 38th) is one of my most favorites: 1) Title sponsor is Garmin so the organizers are able to bring him big name, Garmin-sponsored elite runners to speak and mingle with interested participants at the Pasta Dinner. This year the guest was Meb Keflezighi, US Olympian, winner of NYC marathon and this year's Boston Marathon winner! Now, how absolutely cool is THAT!!! 2) Photos and autographs with Meb! 3) A true Oz experience: fellow runners really getting into the theme dressed as Scarecrow, Lion, Tin Man, Flying Monkeys, Witches. (In what other marathon, can you experience 5 Dorothy's pass you!). A yellow brick road finish line. Aid station volunteers in full costume. 4) Gutsy race director - heavy downpour with thunder and lightening for the second hour of the race, yet no cancellation! Turned out to be the right move, the weather cleared and the rest of the day was beautiful. But boy oh boy was that hour of thunder, lightening and black skies harrowing - almost like the first part of the movie!! 5) Cool medal - this year: the lion in front of the yellow brick road and Emerald City. 6) Cool shirt - this year: the lion with the word 'Courage' above his picture in navy blue with gold letters 7) Nice 'pasta' dinner - not truely pasta but nevertheless delicious 8) Small size - my wife and I were together at the start line until the gun went off - can't do that in Boston, New York, Chicago, etc. 9) Pretty course - miles 15-25 are on a bike trail along a creek. This year it got a little bit muddy (because of the earlier rain) in portions but not a big problem. Just made our journey to the 'Emerald City' more fun! 10) Pretty flat course - some very very small hills but this IS Kansas and this course is basically flat. A runner can have a fast time on this course (even though I personally couldn't follow through on that claim!). |
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