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Run for the Ranch Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Run for the Ranch Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.5 
Organization 3.7 
Spectators 3.2
Number of comments: 57 [displaying comments 31 to 41]
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Anonymous Runner from Midwest
(12/20/2010)
"A steal for $45" (about: 2010)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Run for the Ranch Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Let's start with the course. It was new this year. There were 8 loops around the MSU campus. In each loop there were 28 turns (224 turns in all then) - 21 per loop (168 total) of those turns were right angles or sharper, the worst being right before entering the track/football stadium. That aspect was quite annoying and made for a challenge. Aside from that, I loved the idea of running 8 loops for many reasons. First, the familiarity was great. Second, the distance was well-known to each aid-station (2 per loop). Third, after a couple of loops, you were always in the company of other runners. Congestion did become a problem on the couple loops after the 5K/10K/half had started. Also, the loop idea made it difficult to know if you were lapping someone, passing a person, or being passed for placement. Next, the organization. Registration was a breeze as was packet pickup. I did packet pickup the night before and was in and out and got my shirt and size even though I registered past the shirt cutoff timeframe. The morning of the race saw the organizers arrive early and well-prepared. The course was incredibly well-marked. The aid stations had ample volunteers and supplies. The results came through in real-time with several updates posted frequently. The clocks were well placed, and the music in the stadium was enjoyable. There was a post-race meal of sub sandwiches. Despite the 45-degree weather I was still shivering for half-hour afterward and would have welcomed the chili from previous years. One gripe is that I would have put the finisher's medals at the finish line instead of handing them out indoors nearly an hour after some had finished. Finally, the spectators. I did not come to this race expecting a lot of spectator support. I knew it was a small event and would likely feature a crowd similar to that. Those who were there were family/friends of other competitors. They were supportive nonetheless. Overall, I had a blast! I qualified for Boston and enjoyed the extra plaque I received that commemorated that fact. The massage tables and the therapists working them were also amazing. The $45 entry was a steal and I won't hesitate to recommend the race to my friends. | |
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D. H. from Phenominal Midwest
(12/20/2010)
"Good, Small Event" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Run for the Ranch Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Run for the Ranch is a good, small event. The 8-loop course provided a nice tour of the SW Missouri State University campus. The course was easy to follow and provided lots of opportunities to see your fellow runners. Due to the small size of the event, there were minimal volunteers and it is run completely on the honor system, which guides runners not to short-cut the course (and themselves). Although it is a small event, the small town hospitality and volunteer graciousness were missing. Not once did I hear an encouraging word from a volunteer or the RD. This event has a lot of potential and could be really amazing... with a few small improvements. The weather was perfect. The location was nice. The organization was average. The spectators that were there only cheered for their own runners. You have to run this one for yourself, not because of the perks, the crowd support, or the amazing scenery. It's a great way to get in a December event and check off the state of MO (if you're a 50-Stater or a Marathon Maniac). | |
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M. C. from Illinois
(12/20/2010)
"8 Laps Seems Like It Would Be Boring; It's Not!" (about: 2010)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Run for the Ranch Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The one race where I would really like to see runners take responsibility for their iPod usage. There are parts of the course where you run on sidewalks. When they release the herd of turtles (5K, 10K, 1/2'rs) who walk and blare their iPods so loud that they can't hear you screaming "on your left," it becomes a problem. IF YOU WALK, PLEASE STAY ON THE GRASS OR TO THE RIGHT - AND TURN YOUR IPODS DOWN!! There are some runners going for a good qualifying time. Good venue and well marked course. | |
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D. E. from Cassville, MO
(1/29/2010)
"Dark and Cold" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Run for the Ranch Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 This marathon was an interesting experience. It was so cold that I felt almost hypothermic by the end. The weather played a big part in the experience. I enjoyed the loops and running with the 5K, 10K, and the half. However, after the half marathoners had finished, it became very cold and lonely in the dark. This was my 6th marathon for 2009, and my worst showing. I didn't adapt well to the 23-degree weather. During my final 3 loops I had times when I could not see anyone for blocks either ahead or behind me. The neighborhoods were nice but not well lit. Several streets where not monitored for traffic and could have been a real problem. At one intersection, I witnessed a car that didn't have a stop sign go through doing at least 40 mph. I witnessed 2 different runners cut the course significantly in the dark on an unmonitored course. I was a little disappointed that I had to beg for a finisher's medal at the end. I was asked where I lived and that was to determine if I got one. I work in Springfield but live 60 miles to the south. The organizer who was distributing awards and medals told me that they wanted to give out of town participants the medals. I asked if I would be able to get one later and he frowned and reluctantly handed me one. I had just run a marathon in the dark and cold (26 degrees at the start and 22 degrees at the finish) and I wasn't even going to get a finisher's medal I paid for. The race could be fun, but I question it being a BQ, because although it was chip timed, participants only crossed a timing mat at the finish line and the course was largely unmonitored. Did I mention that it was dark and cold? | |
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E. E. from Chicago
(1/12/2010)
"Small but fun" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Run for the Ranch Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 For a small marathon - and this is a very small marathon (95 finishers) - I thought it was a well done and enjoyable race. The course was 8 loops through a nice residential area. There were no sharp turns and the road was in pretty good shape, but for some ice. Because it overlaps itself so much, there seem like many more runners than there are. Fluids were available at what amounted to 3 points on the course - a single point passed at roughly 1.5 and 2.5 miles through the 3.275-mile loop, and at the finish of the loop. There was one official clock at the start/finish area and miles were otherwise not marked. It would have been nice to have them marked in some form, though two things make that difficult - first, the 5K and 10K start at different points from the marathon, so the markings wouldn't be the same for each; and second, because each lap ends in the middle of a mile, it would be very difficult to mark each succeeding mile through the race. That said, marking miles in some form to guage pace would have been helpful. Though the course was not closed to traffic, cars were not a problem for the most part. I don't think they put signs to alert drivers at some intersections without stop signs that they should slow down and look for runners - that would have been a good touch. I'd never done a marathon with an afternoon start, but found finishing in the moonlight to be a fun twist. The volunteers, who had to be freezing, couldn't have been more friendly. At times, the race could have used more people to hand out cups, but especially later in the race, it was a non-issue. Logistics in getting to and from the race was about the easiest I've ever encountered. The post-race buffet, including chili, soup, pasta, bananas, breads, cookies and various other goodies, was really satisfying. And if you're looking to place in your age group, and potentially get a trophy or plaque, they're very generous with the race bling. So, if you set your expectations appropriately for a race of this size, I think it's a great choice. | |
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S. L. from Washington, Iowa
(12/28/2009)
"This was a great end-of-the-year race." (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I was surprised how much I enjoyed running the loops. I was able to see the other runners, which kept me going. This is a low-key race, but it had a hometown feel to it. I was able to meet some other great people as well. | |
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J. V. from The Great State of Texas
(1/8/2009)
"Great way to end the year!" (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
| 2 Run for the Ranch Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 My favorite part of this race was the finish line food! Excellent hot homemade food! Chili - tons of it. Enough for friends, family, volunteers, strangers, etc. Homemade chicken noodle - same, enough to feed a least two or three armies. The second most fun part of the race is the start time! It is on the last Sunday of the year, and it starts after all of the other races have finished. This means the the starting temperature is the high for the race... and it cools down as the sun sets. I guess the new course is fine. I truly loved the out-and-back sections of the old course so that you could see your friends... and the other runners. But I guess removing the turnarounds and the out-and-back for time seemed like a good idea to most runners, so there you have it. One of my three top features of the race eliminated. No more out-and-backs. We could have gotten rid of the cone turnarounds and kept an out-and-back, you'd think. Was the half course long? I don't know. The old course was easier to get right (as we did an out-and-back) than eight loops... and the half did a different out-and-back and four loops. With the elimination of the initial out-and-back in favor of a final short loop, you could probably only get one race distance correct... either the full or the half. Seeing that I could care less about a half, I am not offended if the half turned out long... four tenths does sound like more than not running the tangents. Okay, there have not been medals for runners finishing after four hours during any year that I have run the race. Not sure why. Running out of medals really does suck. I mean, really I have to support those complaints a bit. I have run races that had no medal, so actually not getting medal did not bother me... but it IS a valid gripe, as it happens regularly. I used to love the WAVA scoring. There were age group awards this year... maybe every year, for all I know. I even got one. I preferred a few better trophies based upon WAVA grading than lots of age group awards. Come on, this is a small fun race for charity. Don't make them waste money on 50 trophies! I'd like to see the fee raised and have more medals ordered and fewer trophies. I mean, I did not get a medal, but I got a trophy??? Still, a great way to end the year. The rest stop volunteers were wonderful! You had so many chances to see the sign for the final loop that it did not matter that you hit it after dark, but still I liked the out-and-back of the good old days. Maybe I am just too old for change. Thank goodness that they did not change the food, though! That WAS wonderful. | |
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T. D. from Springfield, MO
(1/4/2009)
"Great Improvements to the Course in 2008" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Run for the Ranch Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is a low-key, low-stress marathon. The crowds are small, but there are plenty of people at the church cheering for you each loop. The course was dramatically improved in 2008. Previously, there were two sharp cone turnarounds on each loop, plus an extra one for the half and full marathons. That meant 16 cone turnarounds for the marathon. The course was slightly revised in 2008 and these turnarounds were eliminated. The lines before the race were also much shorter as people were encouraged to pick up their packets the day before the race. As for the loops, you can really get in to a pretty good rhythm running the 5K loop 8 times plus a little extra. You are always surrounded by other runners and you get to know exactly where to expect the aid stations. The course is also great if you have family and friends that come to watch, as they can wait inside the church for you to come around each loop. They can see you 9 times without driving anywhere. How many other marathons can deliver that? The afternoon start is a little different, but for late December in Missouri, that usually means there is a better chance at warmer temperatures. In 2008, the weather could not have been better. All in all, this is a very enjoyable marathon and a great way to finish the year. | |
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C. M. from Springfield, MO
(1/1/2009)
"Great Potential, Bad Organization" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Run for the Ranch Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 I was very excited to run this race. I liked the idea of a looped-course and, having worked at the Boy's Ranch for a summer, I supported the cause. However, the organization was poor. There were some smaller issues, such as the lack of a sound system, a shortage of medals, and some confusion involving the shirts. The biggest problem was with the course itself. For the half-marathon, there were 4 loops and then a short loop. This was not clearly marked on the course. In fact, it was marked with an old cardboard box with some writing on it. The biggest issue was the length of the course. The half-marathon course turned out to be 13.5 miles. Maybe I am being cynical, but it seems that with all the Garmin's and Google Map products out there, course distance should NEVER be a problem! Although they went back and adjusted the times for the extra distance, I have a hard time finding this acceptable. I will give props for one great aspect of the race: Several of the boys from the ranch were working the water tables. They did an amazing job! | |
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J. K. from Oak Creek, WI
(1/1/2009)
"Call it the" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Run for the Ranch Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 If you like a race with few volunteers and a flat, boring 5K course that you repeat over 8 times, then this one is for you. Without a doubt, this is the worst race that I've run in. I've run in 10 marathons and this one was the first where I suffered an injury. No one really noticed or came up to me asking if I was OK. Also, this is one race where you could cheat and get away with it. In addition, my wife ran the 5K run. She completed the race with her chip and her time was never posted. This is a race that should be discontinued. Very disappointing. We won't come back. Run away from the Ranch! P.S. The race was run at the Trinity Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod). My wife and I got a kick out of a church member coming up to us and asking us what our religion was. When we told him we were Presbyterian, he told us, "Well, at least you're not Catholic!" |
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