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☰
Houston Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Houston Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 4.7 
Spectators 4.6
Number of comments: 365 [displaying comments 191 to 201]
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M. C. from Austin TX
(1/15/2007)
"Superb organization, excellent spectators" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Houston Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Everything about this marathon was organized so well that it was a totally stress-free, fun experience for runners. Packet pick-up was fast and efficient. Convention center set-up both pre- and post-race was excellent. Course is basically flat - a lot of concrete, which was a bit tiring towards the end. Other marathons may have more interesting/pretty courses, but I doubt that there are many with crowds as plentiful or as enthusiastic as Houston's. Warm support all the way around. Aid stations were terrific. Great finish-line set-up with bleachers for spectators. I really enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone, beginner or veteran marathoner. | |
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S. H. from Austin, Texas
(1/15/2007)
"Houston Does It! Again!" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Houston Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Once again, a great, well organized race. Plenty of post-race food for the marathon runners!!! Course was crowded until the half marathon split, especially in sections where the course narrowed. The corral system worked well separating the faster and slower runners. But it was very difficult to find and then get into the corrals. There was way too much fencing. The post-race feeding area was a little to small and crowded, but I really appreciate keeping a large section of the hall just limited to runners after the race. | |
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B. N. from Houston
(1/15/2007)
"Great Race" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Houston Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 2nd time running the Houston Half. I never sign up for the full because the Houston weather can be unpredictable, as it was this year. As mentioned by some of the other people, my only problem was finding my start. I was late getting to the GRB, and then everything was fenced off. With the marathon starting at one place, the half-marathon starting at another place, and the 5K starting somewhere else... it was a little tricky. I ended up being in the back of the pack and never really gained momentum until around the Montrose area. All in all, a good race, with lots of crowd support, and good neighborhood support and aid station rapport. Will run it again in 2008. | |
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D. P. from Houston, Tx
(1/15/2007)
"Fast, Spectator-Lined Course" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Houston Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Let's get the negatives out of the way first. The start area needs major help. Signs director runners to the marathon start were wrong (unless you were in the fast corral). For those of us in the back corral, we had to walk back the way we came and either squeeze through a walkway that can fit 1 person (imagine the backlog with thousands of people trying to get through) or you can walk around and hop over the chains blocking off the parking lot. Either option puts runners at risk for injury right before the start. The other negative was that their one-time-use-only chip didn't register chip times for everybody. I know I did not receive a chip time and a few people I ran with did not receive one. I am still awaiting a response to the email I sent about that issue. Once you fight your way into the corral, the fun begins! Everyone is upbeat and ready to go. Fighting your way forward to the proper pace group is not any more complicated than any other large race. After about mile 2, the congestion is light enough that you can hit your goal pace fairly easily, and once the half-marathoners break off around mile 9, you're in the clear (it would be nice to keep the 2 races on separate courses to help with congestion, but not a huge deal). The course itself is very fast with only 1 hill of significance. The scenery isn't the greatest you'll ever see on a marathon course, but to see it you'll have to look through a solid wall of spectators the whole way. Granted I have never run Boston or New York, but I couldn't believe the number of people who were out. They were solid the whole course, all had signs, handing out food, and all were VERY supportive. They really helped carry me through the course. Both years I managed to post a PR. Then the most important part, finisher's premiums. I bow before the most powerful force in the universe, the free t-shirt. I LOVE Houston for their finisher's items. You get a top-notch medal, a beautiful Under Armour Dri-Fit shirt, and a beer mug. What a great bag of loot to haul home after your triumph. Register early for this race as it fills up fast, and for those in Houston, register at the Kick Off Party in Memorial Park, where you can register on the cheap, get an extra free shirt, and enjoy FREE BEER, food, etc. Houston really strives to make the marathon a top-notch event and they do great! | |
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D. L. from Houston, Texas
(1/15/2007)
"Not the best Houston marathon, but still fun" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 Houston Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my third time to run the Houston Marathon and second in a row. This year the new starting corral set up was a huge mess. Everyone I talked to complained about it. It was based on construction issues. Other than that, though, it was still a very well-organized and well-executed event. Houston fans are good, although they needed to get a little noisier this year. I ran by countless fans just staring at the runners. I guess they were just waiting for their participants. The weather wasn't ideal, but you never know what you're going to get in Houston. Also, several people besides me noticed the conditions of the roads this time around. Especially Memorial Drive. There were some crazy grooves running down the middle of the street. I really had to pay attention to my footing. | |
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l. r. from Texas
(1/15/2007)
"Houston is America's fourth largest city..." (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Houston Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Did you know that? I did. But running the first four miles of the Houston Marathon brought it home - it was crowded. I could have been running NYC, with the crowd and the bridges. I knew the race had sold out, but somehow didn't anticipate the scrum of runners. The crush eased up at mile nine, when the half marathoners went their separate way. If you don't mind crowds and get lined up correctly, this can be a fast race. Logistically it is easy. There are lots of downtown hotels near the race start, which is near the expo. The organizers have everything clearly marked, with plenty of services. The course isn't pancake flat, but it is pretty flat. Weather can be a wildcard in Texas. Other interesting points: this was the first year of the Hydration Initiative, to make sure no one gets too hydrated or dehydrated. I am sure someone is doing a study on this, too. Everyone weighed in at package pick-up. Many but not all people weighed in at the finish, and were told how to proceed based on the change in weight. (It was a little warm for a marathon day, 50s to high 60's. I was deemed a little more dehydrated than normal, despite taking water or Gatorade at every water stop.) Runners were sprinkled with holy water at about mile ten, which I loved. Communion was also offered, but I thought lightning would strike me dead if a sinner like me took any. Pretty funny. The first five miles of the course aren't too pretty, but it gets more interesting after that. There seemed to be more walkers/Gallowalkers lined up incorrectly than I'd seen in awhile. I don't remember hearing much about walkers in this race. Maybe they weren't as carefully briefed as runners? Another funny sight was the big "Bandits Exit Here" sign right before the finish line. It was an official race course sign! | |
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A. A. from Houston
(1/14/2007)
"Unbelievably runner-friendly." (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 3 Houston Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I can see why this race sells out. Besides being a fast course (half marathon US record shattered this year), the whole organization is geared toward the runner. Nice finisher awards, plenty of food for runners, loop course so there are not logistical issues with getting back to your vehicle, corral system start, free massages for marathoners, plenty of good fans, and the list goes on. Though I may not have other races to compare it with, I can't imagine and city doing a better job. Plan to run it again next year. | |
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Jeff Wang from Humble, TX
(1/14/2007)
"Soggy Houson Marathon, But Could Be Worse" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Houston Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The biggest question for this Houston Marathon was the weather, and it turned out OK. For a week, we had been expecting the cold arctic front to go through Houston somewhere around Sunday. The biggest question was when. So, we were expecting a warm marathon, a wet marathon, or a freeing marathon. Thank goodness that the temperature was quite nice, in the 50's, and while soggy and foggy, not raining, and not yet with a cold front yet. Again, I echo my comment from my prior 5 Houston Marathons. I think that Houston Marathon is one of the best marathons all around. The organization is top rated - everything from registration to the website and email to health expos to the running to the race to the post-race event. I had done many other marathons, in total of 5 states thus far, and not a single marathon stands out better than Houston in my book. The registration started in June and filled up quickly. My only comment for that was perhaps they should open more slots for marathoners, as a couple of my friends who procrastinated and were unable to sign up. I was not sure whether they included the walkers as part of the 16,000 limit, but if they did, perhaps they could add more slots, since the walkers really did not jam up the starting line (they started 1-2 hours prior to start). They had a sign-up party in September, and that was fun. So was the expo, which was well done, with easy package pick-up. The bonus this year was that we got to keep the time chip, which was very nice. It went without a glitch at the expo. The main problem again this year was the corral system, which basically fenced the street, so it was difficult to get to the starting line. I left GRB at 6:35 and barely made it to the starting line at 6:55. That was after passing a lot of people-jams. They really need to work on that to get it easier for the runner to get to the start. The rest of the race was good; basically a flat marathon on the road. Got a couple of potholes, but I saw that at other races as well. There were plenty of water stations, a Gu station, and a beer station. Lots of medical tents as well. Scenery was pretty good, considering that we were in a not-so-touristy city. The medal this year was NICE. I was glad someone heard my complaints from before. It is huge, beautiful, and worthy of display. That and the mug and the tech finisher shirt were just the best prize from any race I had run. That and the warm breakfast with egg, sausage, potato, cookies, cakes, bagels, banana, and yogurt made the post-race fun and rewarding. Last year, we even got the result on a DVD, as well as a clip of us crossing finishing line at the website. All in all, this is the best marathon I had run. Six down, and many more to go. I highly recommend this to any runner, beginner or experienced. Good job to the organizers. | |
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j. k. from Houston
(1/14/2007)
"Great running weather and an even better time!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Houston Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I actually ran the half. It had the usual great organization. This event is the most efficient of any marathons at moving the people through the pre- and post-race rituals. You don't feel rushed and everyone is soooo helpful. The start was a little confusing or maybe is was just me. Good thing for the timing chips. The course is good but some of the roads need repair. Unfortunately I got caught in the back and could never make up the time - the streets were packed. Oh yeah, in the half, the mile 10 and the 15K signs were mixed up. No big deal for a middle-of-the-packer like me. The fans were wonderful! Encouraging, nice and funny. Great fun. | |
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A. A. from Houston
(8/10/2006)
"Hot for January, but the crowd made up for it!" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Houston Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It was SOOOO hot for January - around 70 degrees by the time I finished. The spectators are AWESOME. Of the 5 marathons I have run, the crowd here was the best. Support stations were good, and hey, the temperature isn't their fault! |
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