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Five Points of Life Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Five Points of Life Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 4.4 
Spectators 3.3
Number of comments: 51 [displaying comments 21 to 31]
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P. B. from Gainesville, FL
(2/23/2009)
"2009 Five Points of Life Marathon" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Five Points of Life Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I thought the race was great. I did the full marathon. I've been to different marathons across the nation, and I would say that it's one of the better ones. Good water and medical staff. I'm definitely coming back again. Thank you to everyone involved - it was great. - Patrick, Boston Qualifier | |
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H. B. from Gainesville, FL
(2/23/2009)
"Great first half and volunteers" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 Five Points of Life Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I've run the half marathon in Gainesville twice and decided to attempt the full this year. I'm usually a ten-minute miler for marathons, so I'm slow, but not the very back of the pack. The half and full run together for the first 13 miles, and I really enjoyed this part - there were lots of runners to talk to, and some enthusiastic spectators. That all seemed to change on the second half of the course. With fewer than 200 full marathoners, the second half was LONELY. At many points, I couldn't see another runner in front of me or behind me! With the current course, I wouldn't recommend the full marathon to a first-timer. You really need some motivation to keep going at the end, and running alone makes it far to easy to stop and walk. I think I heard that they're changing the second half of the course for next year. I hope so. That aside, the police for traffic control were excellent (I was amazed that they were blocking every tiny side road), and the volunteers were enthusiastic. I appreciate that they were handing out Gatorade (rather than the nasty Cytomax I've been surprised with at other races), and the GU and Clif Bars were also great. Could've used a few more porta-potties in the first half; I saw two at each of the three stops on the course, and there were lines at the first two sets. Overall, great race! | |
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M. N. from Valdosta, GA
(3/2/2008)
"Overall, not bad for the 2008 race." (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Five Points of Life Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I have read some of the previous comments about the 2008 race. The comment about the port-o-lets? TRUE! Not enough at the start line. Water stations were ok; perhaps one or two more might have helped (not sure about the full marathon and the second 13 miles). The end ceremonies and activities were very good. The expo was excellent for a small race. Spectators were fewer than last year in my opinion. Organization is very good for a small race. Good support from police and EMS, as well as good volunteer support. Length of race is a question. I too use a GPS device and have run 5 half-marathons just this year, yet this was the only race that appeared to be somewhat longer (my device ended my session before I reached Hull Road). The medal was the same as last year; would be nice to see a little variety in the ribbon from year to year for those who enjoy the bling thing. Nevertheless, it was a good run and I would recommend it to others. | |
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Ken Pearce from Charlotte, North Carolina
(2/28/2008)
"Not bad, but not great" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Five Points of Life Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Decent little race for those who enjoy marathons with under 1,000 runners. Pros: Great, efficient organization. I especially appreciated being able to pick up my packet race day morning as an out-of-towner! Also, great volunteers and police assistance. Cons: Would have preferred the second loop to replicate the first loop. The second loop was not shady and it was also very boring. Out-of-staters need to prepare for hot Florida sun and humidity; maybe start at 6:30 a.m. next year? Not enough port-a-johns at the start. All in all, I would recommend it to any marathoner other than first-timers.... | |
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K. H. from Metro Atlanta, Georgia
(2/28/2008)
"Nice tour of the city" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Five Points of Life Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was my first run on this course and despite it being warmer than what I am used to, it was a fun course. I enjoyed the UF campus tour and running through the stadium was unique! I have never participated in a run through a building. The hills are a nice change from the otherwise-flat course. Overall great time! | |
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m. o. from Gator Nation, FL division
(2/27/2008)
"Good job and great small/college town marathon!" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 Five Points of Life Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Once again a nice job by the race organization. Overall, a lot of bang for your buck and many features you'd expect for a big-time, big-city marathon: professionally ChampionChip timed, large mile marker flags, and great finish area food and live music! The course was slightly altered to allow marathoners and half marathoners to start at the same start line which was one of my complaints before, so that has been fixed. The expo was larger this year though not on par with mega-marathons which is to be expected but I still found some good deals. The volunteers were great though the spectators were still sparse (but more than before). You get a really nice tour of Gainesville with a lot of tree shade until late in the marathon race. Coned running lanes and police at EVERY intersection kept it totally safe! Great finish area with hot pizza, Ben & Jerry's ice cream(!), fruit, bagels, Starbucks coffee - everything except beer! An abundance of medical staff and live music at the finish too. The finish area puts big races like Disney to shame. Great awards too; nice imprinted backpacks this year instead of the usual shiny plastic trophies! To JC, I've talked to the guys who measured this USATF-certified course and BOTH COURSES ARE CORRECT. A GPS device is NOT an accurate measurement device for race courses, especially compared to the Jones-Oerth counter used to measure the course. THIS COURSE IS ACCURATELY MEASURED AND CERTIFIED! Disclosure: I am listed on the race committee but worked on the companion 5K, not the half or full marathon. | |
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Sarah Batt from Savannah, GA
(2/27/2008)
"Had a great time" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Five Points of Life Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Although I will agree with the comment about the run being a little longer than marked (going by my pacing, not a GPS), I had a fun time. I suppose we all ran a little longer than expected so the length doesn't matter as far as placing goes, just the time out there was a little off. It was certainly hillier than Savannah, which is a nice change. I look forward to running it again next year and having my husband (a UF grad) be able to come along next time. The police along the route were great. I liked the placement of the water stations stops; having too many is sort of distracting. It might be a good idea for folks who need more hydration to wear one of those belts. | |
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S. S. from US
(2/26/2008)
"Excellent small marathon" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Five Points of Life Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 If you like really well organized small marathons, run this race! The course is excellent, but do train for a few hills. The standout for me was the course support and management. Plenty of water stops manned with the most enthusiastic volunteers you'll find anywhere. Every cross street had police officers, who were equally supportive - one of them told me what place I was in! The course is certified - the distance is accurate. No runner can run the exact tangents that are used to certify the distance so if you swing wide on one or two corners your distance will be longer. Overall, this one is a keeper - I'll be back next year. | |
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matt webb from Crestview, Florida
(2/25/2008)
"Awesome gator marathon!" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Five Points of Life Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a top-notch event from the beginning to end. The starting location was easy to find because it was just right off the interstate. The pre-race packet handout was well staffed and convenient. There were no long lines of runners waiting for their packs. The race itself started nearly on time, and the course was beautiful! The gators did a tremendous job of showing off their city. The run through the gator stadium was a very neat experience, especially seeing the pretty gator cheerleaders! There were plenty of water/Gatorade stations along with port-o-lets. The cops did a great job of controlling traffic, and they were nicely dressed. The spectators were numerous and very friendly, and the people at the finishing line were very helpful. Lastly, the finishing medal was very cool. Great job, gators! I'll be back next year! | |
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J. C. from Gainesville, FL
(2/24/2008)
"Second 1/2 marathon in G'ville - not enough water!" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Five Points of Life Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This year was much warmer than last year's event. Spectators were OK, not great, but the expo was better and the organization was good given the higher numbers of participants. THERE WERE NOT ENOUGH WATER STATIONS!!! I heard that they did not want runners to "over hydrate".... Not sure if this was true but it was a warmer day and water stations were few and far between. If you run this next year, bring a water bottle with you for your run. Overall I will continue to run it as long as they have it; the course is a good one, with only a few hills. One thing however: the course appears to be a little over 13.1 miles. For the past two years my GPS watch has reflected 13.25 miles. I thought last year it might have been a glitch, but two years in a row clinches it for me. It is a little longer than advertised. |
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