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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 21 to 31]
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m. h. from Virginia Beach, VA
(4/30/2014)
"A tough rolling hill course" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This marathon is quite a challenge with many rolling hills throughout the course. The race website says flat and fast which it is if you are elite but most people would not find it flat or fast. If they changed the website to say that I wouldnt have a problem. The weather turned its ugly head with pouring rain, wind, hail, lighting, thunder and tornado watches for about 4 miles of the course. It turned the course almost into a tough mudder run in places. The volunteers at the aid stations were totally awesome. A big thank you to the aid station personnel at mile 23.5 who gave me a blueberry muffin which helped me get to the end. Not many spectators out on the course since they would have been in ankle deep water. Post-race food was good with a grilled chicken sandwich which was tasty. They also had yogurt, water and beer. They need to make sure all the yogurt is on ice and not left out in 70 degree heat. They advertised chocolate milk which I didnt see any. I was able to get it at a gas station on the way back to the hotel. The race shirt was a ok with the cowardly lion on the front. Medal was huge with the cowardly lion and the yellow brick road on it. I bet it weighs 5 lbs. Awesome! The packet pickup was a little disorganized. Way too crowded in the small rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn. Guest speaker was MEB who had won the Boston Marathon 5 days before. He was great and posed for photos and autographs for over an hour after he was done. The food at the pasta feed was really good. Some suggestions for runners of future Garmin OZ Runners and Race director: I would recommend staying in Overland Park which is about 10-15 minutes from the course. Hotels are nice and about ½ the cost of the ones in Olathe. Keep the yogurt on ice after the race and have chocolate milk. Change the course description to a rolling hill course on the website. In summary, as I am now over 1/4 through the 50 State quest, I am glad I ran this one for the Kansas Marathon. | |
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Tim W. from Charlotte, N.C.
(4/28/2014)
"Nice region, OK race" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 First off, thanks to Garmin for sponsoring and helping stage this race. I'm a longtime Forerunner user and I like the fact that they put their name on their hometown marathon. Thanks also to the race organizers for gutting out the 2014 race. A big thunderstorm rolled in about 80 minutes into the race, and many of us were worried about the race being black-flagged and runners pulled off the course. After about 45 minutes, the storm moved off and there were even bits of sun by the end of the race. As several others have noted, be sure to check the elevation charts, because the course puts the lie to notions of pancake-flat Kansas plains. Not hilly, per se, but plenty of up-and-down, particularly in the middle miles. Even the greenway sections, of which there are two, are pretty bumpy and they both got very muddy and slippery with the rain we had in the middle of the race. When you're not on greenways, you're mostly on boring commercial streets (at the beginning and middle) or residential neighborhoods (toward the end). I can't say the course is anything to write home about. Aid stations and on-course support were good. The marathon is marketed around an Oz theme and the tech T and (oversized and garish) medal both referenced the 2014 theme of 'Courage' with Cowardly Lion images. All that being said, there's a lot to like about Kansas City and the surrounding region (including great post-race barbecue options). I'm working on 50+DC and my schedule dictated a spring marathon instead of the fall city marathon, so this was a good option with easy airport access. | |
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S. J. from Iowa
(11/2/2013)
"My least favorite marathon so far" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was supposed to be my first marathon, in 2009, but the race was cancelled due to weather. I don't fault race organizers for that. They transferred my registration to 2010, said they would send me my shirt but they never did. Packet pickup was in an abandoned mall, in an empty store, and there was basically no expo. The course was essentially running around this mall's parking lot and then running on a local trail out and back. Not terrible, but cramped. There was no timing on the course, and there were essentially no spectators. The best thing I can say is that the race organizers are energetic and love their town. I wouldn't run this race again. | |
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L. P. from Dallas, TX
(8/22/2013)
"Great Race, but just needs a few improvements" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I ran this marathon in both 2013 and 2012 and would definitely do it again. The smaller size makes it very pleasant and I never had to wait in any long lines. The course did change in 2013 to include some hills. The medal is one of my favorites. It is large with a high quality ribbon. The Wizard of Oz theme also makes this race fun. The pacers were fantastic as well. I ran with the 5 hour pacer for most of the race and she was A+. There are also chicken sandwiches and beer at the finish line. My disappointments were that no one seemed to be helping runners at the finish. I never found the chocolate milk and it was a pain to find the finisher shirt. Also I came to the race with 10 other lady friends and not one of us could fit into the women's finisher shirt. It was teeny tiny! | |
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G. R. from Mesquite, TX
(4/30/2013)
"Great fun, but..." (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I'd agree with other comments that it isn't 'flat' from around 7 through the halfway point. I can't remember much of a flat section between those miles, although I have run more difficult courses. The volunteers were AWESOME, though - thanks so much! I would have been disappointed if I had run the half and received only the event shirt (seems that only full finishers got a tech shirt?)- the event shirt had a pretty feminine design. Thanks to Garmin for hosting the event and bringing in the speakers. I very much enjoyed the Oz theme, and would recommend it if you don't have big city race expectations. Pasta dinner was one of the best I've had, and certainly the best value. | |
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Ed Robins from Philadelphia, PA
(4/29/2013)
"Pleasant, small race" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I ran this race as my Kansas race and for the most part enjoyed the experience. The race plays up the Wizard of Oz-Kansas connection and that creates a fun atmosphere. There's a Hot air balloon at the start, many runners wore Oz related costumes and one of the aid stops late in the race just outdid themselves w/ costumes and scenery. Garmin is the title sponsor and the race begins and ends in their parking lot and the expo is held there. Parking for the expo was challenging. I saw many cars driving around trying to find empty spots. Well there was a lot around back with plenty of spots. Garmin should spring for some signage because this lot was not apparent from the front. The expo was fairly modest but it was nice hearing Desi Davilla speak! Pre-race there were plenty of port-a-potties. I do like the stress free logistics of smaller races (700 marathoners) like this. Lots of folks have commented on the 'hilly' course. I'm not sure I would call the race hilly but its not 'flat and fast' either. I admit I was expecting Kansas plains but I'm very glad I looked at the elevation chart the night before. The miles 6-13 had quite a few hills. Knowing that ahead of time really helped. There were plenty of aid stops and the gatorade flavor changed from stop to stop. Always a nice touch. The gatorade was a little watered down and each stop was organized differently. Every stop should be identical so late in a race runners know what to expect when they are fatigued (Houston marathon does this better than anyone). Miles 15-25 are on a paved bike path. This was the most scenic part of the race (the early miles are pretty boring). There is a long out and back (15-22) which can be a little mentally taxing. There's the standard problem of races on public trails when pedestrians are sharing the road with racers. Often these folks are resentful of runners. Other than that the section along here was nice. After the race they were out of mylar blankets when I finished (4:34 and still almost 300 folks on the course) and I couldn't find the finishers shirt. I assumed they ran out until I just read the previous comment about trying to find his. A runner who's just run 26 miles shouldn't have to search high and low for post race items! The medals were handed out right at the finish (we didn't have to search for these) and they were real nice. This year's medal had a tin man theme (they change it up every year). I stayed LaQuinta which was about 2 miles away, gave me a late check out, offered shuttle service to the race and had no minimum stay. An ideal host hotel! | |
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P. L. from Chicago, IL
(4/25/2013)
"Not Flat as advertised" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This was my 14th marathon and the most disappointing. The biggest disappointment is that the course was changed from prior years and while advertised as flat it was very hilly for the first half. Pros: Nice Medal, Friendly Volunteers, Adequate Aid Stations, Reasonably Priced Cons: Not flat and fast as advertised, little Garmin presence (no time clocks or splits on the course), Gatorade appeared to be watered down, hard to find port a potties on second half Glad to have Kansas completed but would not recommend race to others. | |
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K. J. from Colorado
(4/23/2013)
"Great race!" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I chose Land of Oz because I am working on the 50 states and was hoping somewhere in Kansas I could find an OZ themed race. I haven't run a full marathon for a couple years due to an injury so I was viewing this as more of a confidence builder to get me back into it. This was a great race! The volunteers were wonderful, everything was well organized, and it was the perfect size-not too many people but you were never alone on the course. My only suggestion would be to have the elevation gain noted somewhere. I searched and searched and never found it. The course was advertised as flat and fast but I wouldn't necessarily agree. But, it was a nice course and I PR'd! I would highly recommend this race. The finish line was one of the better finish line parties I have attended. Lots of spectators who stuck around for everyone-not leaving until the last runner crossed the finish line. | |
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Ben Keefe from Kansas City, Missouri
(4/23/2013)
"Fast, not flat, decent organization" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)s
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The course changed for 2013 but the website description didn't. They replaced the loop around the mall and industrial park with hills and main roads. Good aid station support, well marked, and people to run with even if you want to run fast. Was a little disappointed with the unexpected grade of the hills but I should have done my homework. Swag was fine but you have to find the finisher tent to get your stuff. Could do slightly better with communication. | |
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A. B. from Boston area, MA
(4/23/2013)
"Overall decent experience" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I am pursuing the 50 states and chose this marathon for Kansas because so many other Marathon Maniacs were going to be there. I wouldn't rave about the race but it was a decent choice for Kansas. Pros: -plenty of aid stations -nice to have running celebrities speak at the expo (Scott Jurek, Desi Davila, and Josh Cox) -nice personalized print-out of your results at the finish area -excellent traffic control; police were great -adequate food at finish; nice chicken sandwiches! -waited for the slower finishers at the finish line -plenty of hotels in the area (I stayed one mile away at La Quinta which was great) -race committee member made and displayed banners welcoming the Marathon Maniacs and Half Fanatics -race committee member wandered around post-race area asking those of us who finished in the back of the pack if we got our finisher's shirt and if we needed anything; nice touch -not many spectators but those who were there were awesome -received an email that day with my race results Areas for improvement: -race description on web site was misleading. Called it 'flat and fast' and said rolling hills started at mile 9. There were plenty of hills in the entire first half of the race. I've run 28 marathons and this was in top 10 hilliest. Drive the course beforehand if you can because you can't trust their description. (though you can't drive the trail, but really no significant hills there) -timing mats were a tripping hazard (be careful); they still use chips on your shoe that must be returned -expo and finish area not well-marked. (for example, difficult to figure out where baggage check was). -I ran alone for at least a mile on the path in the woods and didn't see any course markings (somewhere between miles 21 and 23). It was a little unsettling as I didn't know if I was off course. -advertised that chocolate milk would be available at the finish but nearly impossible to find -I didn't see many photographers on the course so if you like to buy marathon photos (like me) you might be out of luck -expo is small (not necessarily an area for improvement, but don't come expecting a big expo). And it's outside so if the weather is bad it would be tough. I didn't love the course as it was not flat as advertised and it wasn't all that interesting. But overall the organization was good. The weather was good for me (30s at start, high 40s at finish) but I think those from warmer climates were freezing. Would I recommend this race? Well, I wouldn't say it's a 'must run' race but it would be a fine choice. |
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