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☰
El Paso Marathon Runner Comments
Back to El Paso Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.8 
Organization 4.1 
Spectators 3.4
Number of comments: 51 [displaying comments 41 to 51]
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Mark Cervantes from Bellingham, Washington
(10/1/2007)
"O.K. for a first marathon" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 El Paso Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 It's run on slow incline at the beginning (paved roads), then on a rocky, sandy levee, and then back on paved roads... where a police officer on a bike got hit by fellow police officer in a patrol car??? If police officers are not safe, what about the runners? They ran out of water, and Gatorade - only beer at the end of marathon. (??) I'm from El Paso, TX but live in Washington; I will give a second marathon a chance and run again, but I hope I don't get hit by a police car. | |
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J. W. from El Paso
(9/16/2007)
"I liked running along the Rio Grande" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 El Paso Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I thought this course had a bit of everything... a bit of city through downtown, a bit of "suburb" in the valley and near UTEP, and a bit of country running along the Rio Grande (how many races let you run along a river that divides two countries?). The river levee was a bit rocky, probably due to the rains last year, but that can be fixed easily enough for 2008. I do hope the locals get more excited about the race in the future, and I agree that some mariachi, Tejano and Latin rock bands would really make it more of an event. And yes, the last couple of miles needed better traffic control. But it was a nice inaugural that bodes well for the future. | |
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F. A. from El paso
(6/6/2007)
"big disappointment" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 El Paso Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Being that this was my second marathon, I don't have much to compare it to, but I'm pretty sure that water/Gatorade, porta-potties and medical staff along the course are pretty common among other races, and with this one they were hard to find. This is beside the fact that many of the streets were not closed off completey so at times during the run I was running next to cars either coming at me or alongside. When the course finally got back to downtown, I almost got hit. Real sloppy not using some of the El Paso landmarks! Chamizal, Zoo, the mountains?? Loredo Academy something? The city is beautiful - no need to run along the makeshift dirt road along the Rio Grande, let alone the rocky trail between miles 10-16. Talk about boring and heaven forbid you twist your ankle on the loose gravel. The amount of fan support was disappointing also, but that's the city's fault for not promoting enough. Volunteers were great, and the start of the race was well organized. Tough, tough course. Won't run again unless they change the course and fix the safety issues - and I'm from El Paso. Really disappointed! | |
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B. R. from El Paso
(3/23/2007)
"Great! Everything the big races have!" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 El Paso Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I have run races in big cities and El Paso had all of the great things the other cities have but in a smaller (not overwhelming) environment. Since it was the first one, there is room for improvement, but I feel like it will only get better each year. I thought the course was great because it was varied. I agree that they need more Gatorade and some water at the finish. I'm sure they will have Mariachi's next year and more fan support. I plan to run it next year for sure. | |
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B. D. from usa
(3/17/2007)
"Gatorade?" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 El Paso Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Hmmmm, I don't mean to be snide, but I did not learn that there was any Gatorade at all on the course until I read the other runners' comments here on MarathonGuide. I broke 5 hours, so how fast did you have to be to get some? At mile 7 we ran a stretch of busy road; we had a dedicated lane coned off, but it was down the middle of the road with cars going by quickly in both directions and turning in front of us. Then, at the end, there was a lot of activity in the downtown area, perhaps a little too much for safety's sake. I can't offer a good solution to these situations, I merely bring them up as a point of information. I did see volunteers at every turn and was happy to see that! Again, I did finish in a bit under 5 hours and, from other runners' comments, I am gathering that some may have left soon after I passed. Since there were so many turns, I did carry a turn sheet with me. I'd recommend that any runner in a strange city carry either a turn sheet or a course map. | |
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V. G. from El Paso, Texas
(3/11/2007)
"Hope it's better next year!" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 El Paso Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 First of all, yes it was scenic but why run on a horrible, rocky levee instead of in a dry river bed. I'm sorry I'm the only one who thought that was dangerous! Then to make things worse, we ran Paisano with only one lane closed for us and another lane open for people to drive by as fast as they could. Lastly, I feel sad for those runners who were forgotten within five hours. There was nothing left for them. Even those that were holding direction signs were gone. What's worse is there wasn't even water at the end of the race.... Oh yeah, there was beer - yuck! Shouldn't there be at least a full six-hour dedication from the city? | |
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S. H. from Austin, Texas
(3/9/2007)
"Nice Course, Friendly People, Few Problems" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 El Paso Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Starts out hilly, but nothing terrible if you take it easy for the 1st 4 miles. Some of the water stops ran out of Gatorade and in the later miles water. Cool temperatures made it feel comfortable. Police support was excellent and very friendly. They missed a few cross streets in the last mile in town. A bus pulled out in front of me at the final turn. Fan support was sparse. Much of the course ran through industrial areas and cars were speeding by very closely to the runners as only one lane was closed. Very good post-race support: Bean burritoes, beer, water, energy drinks, fruit and massages. | |
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J. d. from Hobbs America
(3/6/2007)
"Great course and great weather" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 El Paso Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The course was really great one of the best I have run. The weather was great, as El Paso weather usually is. I would recommend anyone who wants a fast course and great blend of downtown and rural running to run this marathon. It's one of the best. | |
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J. S. from Texas
(3/5/2007)
"Beautiful scenery but inadequate support" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 El Paso Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 This was our first marathon as well as El Paso's first marathon. We love desert scenery and it was breathtaking. Unfortunately the half marathoners get cheated on the best views. Regarding support: water stops were only every 2 miles up to mile 18 (every 1 mile thereafter), and at mile 10 they had run out of water, which resulted in a 4-mile fluid support gap. We run about a 10-minute pace, so I guess if you are an elite runner you may have had water. We do carry our own Camelbak but many runners were relying on fluid support. They also miscalculated the amount of Gatorade needed and ran out. My husband and I ran the full marathon seeing the first Gatorade at the El Paso Airport. :( Fortunately at mile 19 they had Gu support (Honey Stingers) - much needed and delicious. Spectators were few but full of enthusiasm for us and their city, and support staff were friendly and apologetic. No problems that cannot be overcome. | |
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J. G. from albuquerque
(3/5/2007)
"Great run - well organized with interesting course" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 El Paso Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 We loved our trip to El Paso this weekend to run the half marathon. The Camino Real Hotel was wonderful and it was so nice to be right next to the starting line! (No lining up at porta-potties in the cold.) The course was varied and fun - the historic neighborhoods, the BAND playing, the views of Mexico... it was all fabulous. And so was seeing the Tarahumara Indians in native dress and sandals, coming in at the front of the pack! It was really great to have them there. I'm sorry I didn't see any female Tarahumara runners (though I know they run separately from the men). Perfect weather and regular water stops. The ONLY thing I would add would be a Mariachi band playing a couple of blocks before the finish line - like at Paisano? Would there be any way to set that up next year? |
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