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☰
Route 66 Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Route 66 Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.9 
Organization 4.5 
Spectators 3.7
Number of comments: 254 [displaying comments 121 to 131]
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s. w. from Toronto, Canada
(12/26/2007)
"Commenting on just the positives" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Route 66 Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was my 10th and last marathon (retiring to the shorter distances). My original marathon swan song was to be, believe or not, the Beirut Lebanon Marathon, but 6 weeks before the start I bailed and had to find an alternative. The Tulsa Route 66 looked intriguing and the race director's prompt return of my email questions made me sign up. The preceding runners' comments are pretty accurate so I will just add the positive comments: -expo was easy to get around in and had the usual merchandise plus a couple of pretty good speakers. -the volunteers everywhere were great and made the race run smoother than I run. My 4:15 pacer was pretty upbeat all race. -there were a few bands that were actually better than the bands I have seen in other races. -the weather was great (mind you I'm a Canadian and have trained in all types of weather). About 50F (10C) at the start and maybe 68F (20C) at the finish and cloudy. -pasta dinner was fun with interesting table mates and speakers. (Note there are very few places to eat downtown.) -course has enough turns and diversions so it doesn't get boring (no comments on those hills). -organization was very good - better than last year's Philadelphia. -fellow runners were friendly, although it seemed that at least 50% were those 50 State crazies! Thanks again, Route 66. | |
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R. B. from Enid, OK
(12/12/2007)
"Loved it" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Route 66 Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I loved the hills at the end; don't change a thing. | |
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Robert Neal from Tulsa, OK
(12/6/2007)
"First time - best time" (about: 2007)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon, and I'm so happy that I made it. I'm the guy that wrote the column Dec. 3 in the Tulsa World. I was the next-to-last person to cross the finish line, so I didn't expect there to be any food left. But my foot started hurting terribly around Mile 9, forcing me to walk. It never stopped hurting, and I was hoping for some med help at the end. They had all packed up by then, though. But other than that, I loved it. I knew about the hills, and drive on the concrete streets every day, so they weren't as big a concern for me. | |
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J. L. from Kansas City, MO
(12/5/2007)
"Good Job, Tulsa" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Route 66 Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I love Tulsa. I've run all the big races... Chicago, Boston, Marine Corps, etc., but still enjoy the feeling of the smaller races. The positives: Very well run, and friendly folks in the fine city. Negatives: I am never a fan of out-and-back courses. Also, the medal is kind of boring. Not that I run for the medal, of course.... I will be back. | |
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J. C. from OKC, OK
(12/1/2007)
"Great race! Post-race area disappointing...." (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Route 66 Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 For my first marathon, and a very good race. The weather was PERFECT! I really enjoyed the scenery and the course layout and even running in the hills toward the end. Certainly a very positive experience for me but... ...the post-race arrangement was a big disappointment. I ran a slow pace and finished at 5 hours so maybe I shouldn't expect much, but many of my friends said the same thing and they came in around 4 hours. Little to no food and no beer available. With all the half and relay marathoners finishing earlier, there was no hope of the majority of the marathon finishers to enjoy the food/drink that was highly advertised. Frankly, I looked forward to it and it wasn't there. I hope the race organizers will address and find a way to correct the problem. Except for this, the race was great!! The route, expo, hydration stations, and especially the shirts were outstanding. I will definitely have this on my calender for next year. | |
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W. R. from Shreveport
(11/28/2007)
"Marathoners get the leftovers" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Route 66 Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I can understand the need for these smaller marathons to diversify and have more events to create a bigger buzz in the community. In this case, unfortunately, it seems like the marathon runners got ignored in favor of runners in the shorter events. The expo on Saturday was ok (what I expected from a race this size - mostly local companies or organizations). The one disappointment was there was no race poster offered for sale; other marathons I've been to have had an official poster. Race day conditions were almost perfect. Parking near the start area was easy to find, and I was able to move through crowds easily to get water and warm up, and there were no long lines for porta-toilets. The course was ok. Nice loop over river to start, and then out and back on the parkway along river. Got a bit monotonous at times, but the course entertainment (bands) every few miles helped break up the boredom, and the volunteers did a great job handing out drinks and cheering us along. Had isolated clumps of spectators, then long stretches with not much out there except the occasional biker riding the path along the parkway. The hills in miles 22-25 were tough, especially coming through the park, but that part of the course was probably the most visually stimulating and had plenty of spectators as ran through the neighborhoods. The bad part was there were a half marathon, quarter marathon, AND marathon relay. The half and quarter marathoners started an hour later, which meant that most of them were back at the finish before the marathoners. I finished in the top 100 in the marathon and would have liked to have gotten something to eat, but there must have been 200 people in line at the food tent by that time. Guess all the half/quarter marathoners and their friends were hungry. Judging from other comments, I should consider myself lucky there was some beer left after the hordes of locusts had passed through. It would be nice if the race organizers had a little more consideration for the people running the full marathon and set aside some food and beer for those arriving later in the day - maybe that'll happen in future events. | |
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J. S. from Tulsa, Ok
(11/28/2007)
"Great Race" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Route 66 Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The organization for this race was excellent. I signed up early (in June) and received emails all summer and fall with updates and info about the run. I knew exactly where to go and when to be there by the time race weekend came. I participated in the half marathon last year and will say that I like the new start finish area compared to last year. Although, I was very disappointed that most of the food was gone and the beer trailer had already shut down. I finished just under 4:30 and was really looking forward to a slice or two of pizza and a cold beer at the end. I had to settle for an orange and a bottle of water. They tweaked the course last year based on feedback from runners and the community so maybe they'll work on it again for next year and not have so much of the course on Riverside Drive. It definitely gets monotonous, especially after the turnaround and you're coming back on the same road you just ran on. But, enough complaining. This is a great race and if they make sure that the 1/4 and 1/2 marathoners save some pizza and beer for the full marathoners, then I'll be totally happy. That is why I run after all, for the free beer and pizza! | |
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B. C. from Minneapolis, MN
(11/26/2007)
"Good Marathon. Poor Post Marathon." (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Route 66 Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The Tulsa Marathon was mostly out and back on flat cement along the river. It got a tad boring. The fan and volunteer support was fantastic especially for a smaller race. The last few miles were hilly and enjoyable. They weren't that bad. Besides its hard to complain when the hills are clearly there in the elevation chart of the race. Two gripes, one big one small. Small Gripe: I didn't find a good map to the race start. Big Gripe: My wife finished in 4:05, I finished in 4:30. There was only Mazzios pizza. No Beer, no other food as had been touted online and in flyers. My guess is that the half marathoners got it all. BAD Deal. I know I wasn't the only one disappointed. That said. I'm sure it will be remedied next year. Right? The medal was nice and the shirts are nice - short and long sleeve tech shirts. | |
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S. J. from Texas
(11/24/2007)
"A very good race that can get even better" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Route 66 Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my 11th marathon and this was one of the better ones I've run. It still has some minor things that can be tweaked to make it great race though. Yes there is a lot of concrete and there are some hills miles 22-25 but the rest of the course is very flat. The size of the race did not leave the course crowded. Don't expect a lot of spectators but most of the ones lining the roads are energetic. It's also a good course for your family or friends to follow you. Getting two technical shirts (one race and one finishers) is virtually unheard of. Beats the heck out of the shrunken cotton tee I got at another race. Here's what I think can be improved. I ran a 4:06 but there was not a lot of food left at that point. It was mostly some rice & beans with seasoned chicken along with some cold pizza and bagels. Also, someone needs to remind the aid station volunteers to be consistent with water and sports drink arrangements. As I approached each AS I would hollar out 'WATER' but it seemed to be all over the place and sometimes the sports drink seemed to come before the water. No other real complaints. | |
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A. L. from Rabun Gap, Georgia
(11/23/2007)
"Great race... what a pleasant surprise!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Route 66 Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Candidly, I registered for Route 66 when I waited too late to sign up for Philadelphia (which was the same day), but I won't view Tulsa as a "second choice" again. This was my 22nd marathon, and at age 49, I presumed my PR days were over. Was I ever wrong! The course, even with a lot of concrete, was very forgiving. I got into a good groove early on and really never slowed down until the hills late in the race. The aid stations were well organized and the volunteers were energetic and cheerful. And spectators along the way got into the act, as well, offering fruit and water (and a lot of encouragement!). The on-course entertainment, I thought, was a little sporadic but so what? It's like that in a lot of races I've run. The (mostly) downhill final mile was certainly welcome, and I cruised in with a new PR, by a whopping 4-and-a-half minutes! The technical-fabric finisher's shirts were nice, too, although I kind of wished the design more prominently featured the word "marathon" under the trademark Route 66 emblem (but, hey, I'm being picky). This was a great race, and I thought really well put together. It may not be too high just yet on many runners "to-do" lists, but that is going to change. This is just year number two for this race (I think), and it's already a fine event (and I've run Boston, NYC, L.A., Chicago...). No, Route 66 isn't a mega-event, but it's a whole lot of fun and it is a perfect race for the first-time marathoner. I guess I should have registered for Philly sooner, but now I'm really glad I didn't...! |
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