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Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO) Runner Comments
Back to Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO) Information & Reviews
Course 3.8 
Organization 4.1 
Spectators 3.3
Number of comments: 105 [displaying comments 41 to 51]
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D. g. from St. Louis
(9/15/2008)
"Race should have been canceled due to flooding" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I have run the L&C Half Marathon twice, and this was going to be my first time in the full. I will probably not attempt a full again. First, let's start with the traffic and parking: every year it gets worse. I live at 5th St. in St. Charles - less than 3 miles from the parking/start. It took me 45 minutes to get parked, and I left home at 5:20 a.m. The parking needs to be improved or the time adjusted for the race. When I finally arrived at the parking lots in Riverport, parts of them were flooded and they were still allowing people to park there; I pulled way out and parked somewhere that was not flooded. When I returned after the race the water was halfway up my 33' mud tires on my Jeep, and others had water to their door handles in some areas. UNSAFE CONDITIONS. We should have been told when we arrived the race is off due to flash flooding, with rain coming down still. So the race goes on, and we start again - this year 15 minutes late - and the race officials started the race knowing the streets were flooded coming off of 370, cutting the race three miles short. Therefore, this was no longer a Boston qualifier for those running the full. If I would have known this, I would have never started the race to begin with. Why would an athlete who trains for this type of event put themselves on the line to get injured in these types of conditions, knowing the race will be canceled after 10 miles? I know they knew this when the race started because my wife was under the 370 underpass, waiting for me, and was trying to call my cell phone (which was in my vehicle) to let me know that they were not letting us run that stretch. So disappointing. Better luck next year, and maybe people will return after the disaster this year. | |
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Albert Mauro from Kansas City
(9/15/2008)
"Amazing volunteers save drowning race" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The remains of hurricane Ike hit the course with punishing winds and torrential rains, forcing an early end. The start was delayed 20 minutes for public safety reasons, while the runners huddled like pathetic refugees bearing the brunt of 30 mph wind and stinging horizontal rain. Those who stuck around for the impromptu start were rewarded by heroic dedication of race volunteers. Every aid station was fully manned and well-stocked by smiling, cheery (to us at least), soaking wet, wind-whipped volunteers - I have no earthly idea how they got water cups filled and kept them from blowing away (winds gusted to about 40 mph!), but these folks deserve GIANT KUDOS for getting out there when we were too stupid to stay in bed. Cheers too for the handful of spectators. The organizers cut both races short, finishing everyone at 10 miles, apparently due to flooding on the course (not a real surprise). I'm sure there will be a lot of griping (we waited for 20 minutes for the race to start with very little information and no shelter; we didn't find out that the race was called until we hit the last 200 meters, and some other failures of contingency planning), but hey, it was raining 2.5 inches/hour for hours before and during the race, and the winds wrought havoc. The finish line area was literally floating away - plywood boards near the food tables were floating like lily-pads. The conditions were so bad they were hilarious, and I ended up enjoying a (hopefully) once in a lifetime event. A friend walked into a chest-deep "puddle" near the start line (she got duathlon honors after "swimming" out). There were literally waves rolling through the flooded parking lot at the start line. I had a great Boston qualifying race here last year and loved the flat, fast course. I was hoping for a repeat, but today was just a freak of nature and hopefully next year will be back to normal. I'd give it another shot. Parking is a real hassle - access is limited to a couple of roads and cars were lined up to get in well after the start (same thing happened last year, though this year, flooding did play a factor). Arrive VERY early next year or fix the traffic issues. | |
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Ann Smorado from Cleveland, Ohio
(9/15/2008)
"Shortened by Tropical Storm Ike" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I tried to run the 2008 Lewis and Clark Marathon but it got cut short to 10 miles due to tropical storm Ike. The morning greeted us with 5 inches of rain and wind gusts of up to 53 mph. This was what many called a 50-year rain in St. Charles. In spite of it all, race organizers did their best and we had smiling volunteers and everything we needed. Buses from the finish back to the start were plentiful. While it was disappointing not to do the full marathon as planned, continuing would have seemed ridiculous while area families were being stranded in flooded homes and cars. City and county manpower was needed for things other than this marathon. My hat is off to the organizers. Great job, given the circumstances. It really looked like a nice post-race party was planned. Too bad Ike ruined it! | |
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Tom Detore from Lenexa, KS
(9/14/2008)
"Very Disappointing" (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 This one at very bad weather at the start and the start was delayed 30-45 minutes, because we had to wait for the police. After about an hour and 15 minutes or so, the very strong winds stopped and the rain lessened. Then in another half-hour we were told that everyone was to stop after 10 miles. The rained stopped completely sometime around 11:30. Of course, it did not matter; I was off the course after running 1:53 and 10 miles. My feelings: why was an alternative not available to us or at to be able to complete the half? I have run marathons before that gave us and option of an alternate course. I have run 265 marathons before this one without once being taken off the course. My time and money will not be wasted here again. Since I was pulled off the course after 10 miles, I did not run the entire course, so I was not able to give a fair rating of the course itself. The fan rating may not be very fair either, since the weather was so poor. | |
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Roscoe Douglas from Macon, Georgia
(9/14/2008)
"No back-up plan when the course flooded" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 The 2008 run was cut short at 10 miles. The organizers knew that we could have a direct hit from tropical storm IKE days before it hit. Instead of a contingency plan, someone chose to shorten the run from a marathon to 10 miles. If we can come prepared to run, the organizers should be equally prepared to hold the event. Many runners wasted thousands of dollars on travel expenses to participate in this event. Water on the trail was a pitiful excuse to cut the event short. I will do a run in Missouri again, but I can assure you that it will not be this one. | |
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v. s. from Springfield, Missouri
(9/14/2008)
"Marathon 2008" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO)s
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 This is one of the worst events that I have ever participated in. I asked several race officials if there is a chance that the race would be canceled, and they all assured me that that would never happen. The organization was very, very bad. We waited over an hour and 30 minutes to get to the parking lot. It was the most disorganized setup that I have seen. It poured and poured rain, and the wind was extremely strong. No one knew if the race would start or not. Finally they started the race and decided to cancel it at mile 10. This was not announced anywhere on the course, but on the very last 1/4 mile. They did not have any mile markers. An absolute mess! The finish area was extremely disorganized. Everything was covered with water and all the race bags were in the middle of it, with no one helping you find your bag. I would never recommend this race again. I did run the course in 2007, and it was not bad, but you have to be extremely lucky with the weather. The trail (miles 9-10) was under water, and this is why they decided that the race would be canceled. It would be nice if someone could check the course before the race is started. Missouri had plenty of rain in the spring of 2008 and I have hard time thinking that they could not check the course then and adjust it before the start in September. This is just not acceptable. | |
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Steve Jackson from St. Peters, MO
(9/14/2008)
"Still Traffic Issues" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO)s
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 For the second year in a row the traffic was a complete mess. The problem is that the course crosses the entry of the cars. They desperately need to route the course around the traffic so that cars arriving late won't delay the race. Last year it was 15 minutes and this year it was 25-30 minutes while everyone froze and shivered with the rain and wind from Hurricane Ike lashing down on us. Unacceptable. If people can't show up on time, then tough. The race was shortened to 10 miles because part of the course was washed out (under several feet of water). I understand there's nothing that could be done about that. The weather was off-the-charts bad. I have to hand it to the volunteers who did a great job standing out in the horrible, horrible weather. The course is very flat and fast. There's not much scenery apart from crossing the Missouri River. There aren't a lot of fans. I run this race because it's close to home. I wouldn't travel too far for this if I didn't live in town. | |
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Steve Mathews from Kansas City, Missouri
(7/30/2008)
"IMPROVES WITH AGE" (about: 2002)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I have run this event every year since its start, and I look forward to it every year. Did the marathon in '02, '06, and '07, and the half in '03, '04, and '05. The organizers have consistently used participant feedback to improve this course. In 2007 there was even a river crossing! Still mostly flat, with the marathon offering about 15 miles on the finely-crushed gravel of the FLAT Katy Trail, but still enough topography and scenery to make it interesting. I'm running this year and, God willing, will be back in 2009! | |
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L. T. from Kirkwood, Missouri
(4/20/2008)
"My first marathon" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and I planned on walking it. The first half was great, but I felt like I was by myself for the second. (Granted, I was slow; I finished the whole thing in 7:08, but I still needed support.) The gravel part of Katy Trail went on forever. I ran the last bit to get it over with and there was someone there to take my picture; nice touch. I was not sure that would happen. There was nothing to snack on; everything had been put away and I was not the last one either. It would be nice after all that work for people yelling, "Way to go etc." I will do it again, but I will be running the 1/2. The course was not that good, going through the business area. | |
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William Tichenor from Dallas, Texas
(11/8/2007)
"Good training marathon" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I liked the trail basis for the last half, and I enjoyed the weather. I thought the organization was pretty spot on for a relatively small race. Not much of an expo, but that's expected. |
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