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☰
Sarasota Marathon The Grouper Run Runner Comments
Back to Sarasota Marathon The Grouper Run Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 4.1 
Spectators 3.5
Number of comments: 85 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
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J. M. from Cape Canaveral, Fl
(3/17/2008)
"Great, Small Marathon - Definitely Try It" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Sarasota Marathon The Grouper Run
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my 11th marathon and it ranks as one of my favorites. The course was great and very scenic and went very quickly. I thought the spectator support was perfect for a smaller-scale race. There were supporters the entire way. Water stops were at every mile, and the water and Gatorade I had was cold. The only rough part was the second time over the bridge at mile 20 - that really wiped my energy, but the view was good! I do recommend, as others have, more lighting the first three miles - it was hard to see where you were running, but definitely keep the early start time! I didn't really like the expo - not much there but I am not a general fan of expos anyway. I definitely recommend this marathon and will run it in the future. It is a beautiful course, and it seemed like the entire city was supporting the runners. | |
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K. R. from Carrollton, Texas
(3/14/2008)
"The Cones!! The Cars!! The Dark!!" (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Sarasota Marathon The Grouper Run
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Overall, I enjoyed the race. But, those first three miles in the dark with cones in the "middle" of the road made no sense to me. Also, cars parked on those dark streets about killed me twice... could not see them 'til they 'were right there'! The food at the end of the race should be after they remove the chips. I don't think that the course was accurate. I have run over 60 marathons... including Boston 8 times... and I have a feel for distances. This course seemed long to me?. Overall... a nice run on a terrific day! This race will only get better with a little tweaking... like changing the pitch black dark streets with cars and cones on the course! | |
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C. C. from New Jersey
(3/13/2008)
"Flat, scenic, fast course" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Sarasota Marathon The Grouper Run
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The spectators were few but several of them were awesome - 5-9-year-olds giving high-fives - and there was one woman who met the marathoners (at least the back half of the runners) at 4-5 different spots on the course. What an effort to cheer on the runners. Thanks. Cones were a hazard rather than a help. Great course. | |
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P. C. from Columbus, Ohio
(3/10/2008)
"Fun and Lovely Course... But Get Rid of the Cones" (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Sarasota Marathon The Grouper Run
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Fun run on a nice warm day in Florida. The course was nice as well... and the big bridge made for a nice challenge coming back. Pace team was great and easy to spot, with the bright red shirts of the sponsor, State Farm Insurance. Just one thing: please get rid of the cones in the road. In the dark of the early morning, several runners had to dive out of the way of the cones and the sound of people yelling, "cone" could be heard by the course neighbors, I'm certain. | |
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M. E. from Kentucky
(3/8/2008)
"Small Event with Big-Time Flavor" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Sarasota Marathon The Grouper Runs
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Nice race, with about 3,000 participants, that offers all the amenities as that of the big events. Technical shirt, good expo with a variety of vendors, easy packet pickup, family events the day before, pace teams for both marathon and half-marathon, colorful medal, flat and scenic course, excellent post-race food, relaxing post-race area, and a picturesque approach to the finish line. Although dark, the early start beats the heat. Hotels within walking distance of start/finish line. Volunteers seemed to be everywhere. Overall a very well organized and supported event. One to put on your to-do list. | |
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A. G. from Sarasota, Florida
(3/8/2008)
"Great improvements!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Sarasota Marathon The Grouper Runs
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The Sarasota Marathon is a well kept secret! As you grow, you will continue to surprise the runners. Tee shirts, food, and volunteers were awesome! This is a race director who listens to the runners - great job, Sarasota Marathon, on another great race. Looking forward to doing it again next year. | |
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Brad Ross from North Port, Florida
(3/7/2008)
"Excellent course, but still needs improvements" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Wow! An amazing course with a beautiful view! I ran the full marathon, and I will run this event next year. The finish at Ringling was ideal, but the marathon needs to make some improvement for the future. The water/Gatorade stations, expo., and post-race entertainment were so-so. This is a newer event, and I am looking forward to seeing the changes for next year. | |
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R. C. from Ohio
(3/7/2008)
"Small Race/Support; Organization Questionable" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Sarasota Marathon The Grouper Run
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 First to be positive.... 1. The ending of the race is very cool. 2. Ocean is very scenic. 3. It is nice to finish the race and jump in the ocean; it really helps the recovery process. The cons: 1. Most people that do this race are half marathon runners, and there are times you wish they really weren't there. Example the 3 people that I had to deal with that were singing out loud while listening to their Mp3 players. 2. Organization was not that great. There were several cars still in the street when the race started. Doesn't sound like a big deal? Try running the first 3 miles in the dark, I actually watched several people almost run into the cars. 3. Running in the dark for the first 3 miles. Now I am an experienced runner, and running in the dark is not a big deal. However when you have tons of people running together in a cramped space, bad things happen. I saw people wipe out and take several others with them. 4. The course entertainment and support is a joke. The only entertainment I saw was a group of 6 people banging on the bongos and I don't think they were playing the same song. There was also another little girl from a HS playing an instrument. They said there would be mimes and light shows but I never saw that. 5. Aid stations were far apart at the end and everything was warm. Organization wasn't the best. | |
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D. Y. from Miami, Fl
(3/5/2008)
"Great course, friendly people, nicely organized" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Sarasota Marathon The Grouper Run
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The course is pretty fast. Lots of distraction with beautiful water views. The fans were great, but few. The pacers really made this race for me. They were friendly and supportive and brought everyone up around me. One thing I did not like was running the bridge for a second time so late in the race. Another concern I had was distance. It seemed that the distance was off almost a 1/2 mile according to my Garmin. In other marathons my GPS might be off by .1 or .2 of a mile, but never .5. Several times throughout the race others who had GPS's made comments about it. | |
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T. K. from Tampa, FL
(3/5/2008)
"Terrific marathon and a short-sleeve tech shirt" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Sarasota Marathon The Grouper Runs
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I don't know what it is about this race. I have run in all 3 "Grouper" marathons and each time I have felt fantastic afterwards - very energetic and pumped up. Maybe it's the combination of running through downtown Sarasota, along the Gulf of Mexico and through the neighborhoods. The weather has also been perfect for all 3 years (starting temps of 54, 57 and 55 degrees). The course was tweaked this year, and although it essentially covered the same ground as in the prior years, seemed to improve the overall flow of the event. This is the ONLY race where I have received a short-sleeve tech shirt. I know people seem to like the long-sleeve variety, but since I live in Florida, a short-sleeve is far more comfortable for training runs. I very much appreciate that touch. I will be able to run in this shirt often. There seemed to be fewer spectators this year, especially in the neighborhood near the start/finish, but there seemed to be a lot more race "officials" patrolling on bicycles throughout the race. All were exceptionally friendly and encouraging. Also, the parking was a little different this year. I presume this was due to increased participation. In the prior years, I was able to park adjacent to the start line in the museum parking lot. However, this year's was a 5-minute walk. I noticed some comments about the course being a bit long. My GPS showed that my total distance was 26.76 miles. However, noticed the mileage "creep" evenly throughout the course and believe it was due to the many turns in the course and that fact that we ran in many of the "outside" lanes around the curves. I do not doubt the the "official" course was exactly 26.2. Some of the highlights: - 6 a.m. start time (cool and not too humid). - Self-policed starting areas. I started mid-pack and there were no walkers ahead of me (thank you). - The bridge was a nice hill and not too challenging. - Short-sleeve tech shirt! - Plenty of water stops. - Plenty of GU. - Siesta Key Cocktail at the finish from First Watch (fruit, granola, nuts and yogurt parfait). Potential improvements: - Add a few portable lights in the neighborhood at the start. Even asking the homeowners to turn on their porch lights would help. - Signage on the road directing motorists to event parking. |
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