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☰
Vancouver International Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Vancouver International Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 3.6 
Spectators 3.9
Number of comments: 227 [displaying comments 161 to 171]
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T. H. from Chicago
(5/7/2004)
"Run the half for the best scenery" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I ran the half due to injury and enjoyed the best part of the full marathon course, but with the bonus of seeing Lions Gate Bridge and a fun (but long) hill. Stanley Park, Gastown, Chinatown were fun, but even in the half marathon, we ran through some rather dull industrial train track riddled terrain and bland commercial areas. My partner ran the full, and had similar complaints (along with water stop inadequacies and smog-filled bridge sections). The traffic flow afer the race was horrible, channeling everyone through tiny gates, but the food was good and plenty of it. The volunteers were eager and plentiful, but some seemed a bit under-trained. The race is welcoming of the walkers, but they really should be reminded of a bit of course etiquette, as some of the narrow course areas were quite blocked by 4 and 5 across walking packs (there seemed to be too many walker groups very close to the start, and as many started 1/2 hour earlier, it took a few miles to get through them all). I am glad I ran race, and the half was fun overall, but I am not entirely sure what all the raving is about... the Napa Marathon in California has this one beat hands down for scenery IMHO. I think these issues could be worked out with a slightly better course for the full marathoners (the city permitting) and better after race crowd management. Many positive things here, but not the super 'perfect' rave run some other runners (and great race marketing) had me look forward to. | |
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J. R. from Vancouver, BC
(5/6/2004)
"Awesome" (about: 2004)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Vancouver International Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This marathon was great. Although the course had quite a few small rolling hills, it made running it more fun and safe. The organization was great. Although I only saw about one in four mile markers, someone I know says she saw every last one of them. So I guess they must have been there. The volunteers were great, also lots of crowd support due to the better weather this year, which was sunny but not hot. Also they had plenty of toilet facilities at the start this year. In additon, they improved by having a ChampionChip mat at the half way point recording the halfway split. They had another mat about 100 meters before the finish line mats, so everyone's name was announced before they crossed the finish line. Picking up the shirt after the marathon finish had the advantage that I got something (long-sleeve) to put on after the race, which I did not have to check-in. So it worked out for me. One problem with the pasta party was that the dishes were too small, and there were huge line-ups for the one buffet table. They should have had either more buffet tables, or bigger dishes (as in standard dinner plate size, not dessert size). Overall a great time. | |
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Mary Diaz from Miami, Florida
(5/6/2004)
"Beautiful Vancouver" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Vancouver International Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 The expo was great, however I'm surprised New Balance was absent. Marathon start was a disaster. Three different starts and none were specific. Volunteers leading the runners didn't know which way to send the runners. Water stations were not sufficient specially in Stanley Park. Gatorade or electrolytes were missing throughout the entire marathon. I ran with a bottle of water, otherwise I don't think I would have finished. Medal was very small, needs to be improved in size. Other than that I think I will be back. Vancouver is beautiful!! | |
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Gina Ramirez from Sacramento, California
(5/6/2004)
"Nice, but too hilly to be flat & fast?!?" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Vancouver International Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I agree with the prior comments about this race. I chose it because they stated it was 'flat & fast' and I beg to differ. I've seen San Francisco's and Humboldt, CA courses and it matched those courses well. It's not that the elevation of the hills was high, it was that they were very long and gradual so subsequently hard on the quads both uphill and downhill. I would have definitely trained for hills if I had known this so I wouldn't of hurt so much afterwards! Also, it was not as pretty as they say in the beginning of the race, but nice in the park and great crowd support. I could have done without the slow song at the start and all of the extremely loud music (and drummers) throughout the course! The expo was nice and the city was fun. Thanks. | |
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a. k. from California
(5/4/2004)
"Highly recommended" (about: 2004)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This (2004 marathon) was my third and most enjoyable marathon. Vancouver is a beautiful city, as is the course. You cover different parts of the city and 3-4 miles in beautiful Stanley Park, which is a nice contrast to the city. The organization is great and you can tell that the organizers think first and foremost about runners. It's not some big corporate event. The start time is perfect (7:30) and the race started on time. (The same was true of the half marathon, which started at 7:00). Every water stop also had a sports drink. Sponges were given out at 4 stations, the first at around mile 18. There were about 4,500 marathon runners, a size I find ideal. (My prior marathons were L.A. and N.Y. Although there is something to be said for the spectacle of a large-sized marathon, personally, I prefer something smaller.) There are not tons of crowds, but I find this to be a plus too. There certainly are enough, especially at the latter stages of the race (from around mile 16). My chip time was very accurate. Weather in 2004 was perfect (cloudy and cool, but not cold). I highly recommend this one! | |
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M. C. from San Francisco, CA
(5/4/2004)
"Course is very mundane" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Vancouver International Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Very little of the course features beautiful vistas. Too much of the course goes through ordinary commercial and ordinary residential areas. Prime running courses like the 'sea wall' and Stanley Park were used at a minimum. What little of the bay I saw was littered with marine fuel platforms (featuring their corporate logos) and tankers. Too much of the course was 'hairpin' filler-miles (run in a straight line to a point and run back). So you see a lot of looking at other runners coming back from the road cone you want to run around. At one point in the race, the volunteers had no idea where the course was and steer us 2 blocks off course. That was incredibly lame! Make sure to bring your own gel and electrolytes. No gel is provided. Small portions of bars were provided halfway though. Diluted Ultima was provided throughout. The climate was perfect the day I ran. High overcast. Temperature ranged from the upper 60s to lower 70s. The 2 days before the race the temperatures were closer to 80. This is a good race if the race is just a small feature of your vacation in Vancouver. Flying in on Saturday and flying out on Monday is a waste. This race should give you better appreciation of your past races that you might not have been too impressed with. It is my understanding that pre-2003 Vancouver Marathons featured more cities on the north side of the bay and more of the bay. It is my guess programmers had problems getting permits to race through those cities. | |
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C. M. from Michigan
(5/3/2004)
"Nice town, tough course" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Vancouver International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Organizers said in the promotional material the course was relatively flat, even flatter than previous years. For someone from the Midwest, this was very deceiving. Most of the course has rolling hills, with the last seven miles the most difficult (including the steepest grade at mile 25 over the Burrand Bridge). The city itself was a great travel destination. It's very scenic, especially North Vancouver, Stanley Park and Lyn Canyon, with great hotels and restaurants. | |
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tom mcdougall from WhiteRock, BC
(5/3/2004)
"Perfect day in the most beautiful city" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 Vancouver International Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I found the water tables poorly manned and the kilometers and mileage poorly marked. Needs to be improved!! Getting your shirt at the end of the marathon is not a good idea, just put it in the race package. The food/drinks were excellent. Thank you for all your hard work. | |
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J. R. from Vancouver, BC
(12/22/2003)
"Fun, Homey" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon. After training here in Vancouver all winter, the marathon was a very homey event. Knowing a lot of runners in the race made it comfortable. The rain was very annoying, but the temperature was not too bad. The course, however, was well chosen. Too bad they have taken the Prospect Point hill out of the course for next year. It was a good break in the pace, and good scenery. The free CD with Quicktime movies of the race, including our finish, that was mailed to everyone, was a very nice souvenir. It captured the magic of running this marathon. The volunteers were great. Not enough toilet facilities at the start, lots of men and women relieving themselves in a garden in the start area. Someone I know started 15 minutes late because she was lining up to use the toilet. Chip timing credited her for lost time. The shirt pickup area was way too crowded because they let friends and family of runners go in the area. I wish they would keep them out. Overall a great time, I look forward to doing it again on May 2nd, 2004. | |
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V. V. from Houston, TX
(11/11/2003)
"Valerie" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is an absolutely beautiful marathon! I did it for the first time in 2002 and came back in 2003. This is one of those races where you can see the entire city by running through it! Volunteers and spectators are wonderful! |
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