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Nov 14, 2024

City of Oaks Marathon Runner Comments

Back to City of Oaks Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.1

Organization 4.3

Spectators 3.7

Number of comments: 85 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 > ]

S. W. from North Carolina (12/7/2013) "Easy race..." (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 City of Oaks Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The course was difficult however. I thought the organization was very well through out. The expo was quick, there was plenty of parking near the start/finish line. Lots of water/sport drink stands that were well ran by the vols. The pace people during the race and the multiple chip sensors for review after the race were nice touches I have only seen in the big city races. I would do this one again.
D. L. from Charlotte nc (12/7/2013) "well organized, hilly course in a beautiful city" (about: 2013) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 City of Oaks Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Expo was simple but nice, volunteers extremely friendly for the check-in, the race itself was well organized, parking easy, start process was good and aid stations were stacked with Accelerade which from my perspective made a big difference reducing cramps. You get a nice long-sleeve shirt and custom hat, and the medal is gorgeous. It was a well organized, hilly course in a beautiful city.
J. R. from Washington, DC (11/21/2013) "Challenging course, friendly supporters" (about: 2013) 1 previous marathon \| 1 City of Oaks Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I knew that this marathon was going to be small, but I was shocked when I found myself completely alone on the course. I found this concerning from a safety perspective as well as morale. Medical support on the course is close to non existent. Other big gripe- food at the finish lacked healthiness or variety. I did enjoy the chicken soup, but so many bread products! Pizza, Krispy Kreme, more bread... No fruit (maybe bananas), juice, chocolate milk or yogurt. Everyone has different preferences for recovery food, but the organizers should have at least attempted to provide real, no processed food. This is an event for athletes or at least people trying to lead a healthy lifestyle! Pros- ideal weather, friendly volunteers at aid stations. Cons- hills throughout the course, the double whammy at mile 22 is soul crushing. Food at the finish lacked healthy options.
G. S. from Chapel Hill, NC (11/20/2013) "More Like a Pleasant Training Run" (about: 2013) 1 previous marathon \| 1 City of Oaks Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 First, great volunteers (enthusiastic) and good organization. Plenty of water, accelerade and gels on the marathon course. Good spacing of various stations. Second, plenty of food. I, too, saw previous comments. I finished in 5:10 and there was still plenty of food when I made it down to the food area. There were bananas, bagels and breads when I entered the area after finishing in addition to the doughnuts and pizza. Third, great medal. If you want bling with some heft to it, this is definitely one of those medals. Fourth, because of the greenway use the course was not overly crowded. Pretty well-controlled with the combination of the half and full marathoner start and the eventual merging of the 10K run. And the volunteers did a really good job of making sure people got to the correct place particularly when the full-marathoners left the road course. Fifth, somewhat limited spectator viewing and support. More people at the 10K finish at Cameron Village. And a pretty good crowd out at Crabtree viewing area. Maybe the half-marathoners had more spectator support because they finished earlier. It was pretty empty as I came down the last 2 miles. Nothing you can do about the hills. It would have been better to publish the total vertical rise in addition to the course profile. My Fitbit said more than 1150 feet, with 140 feet of vertical at mile 22. For a flatter course, it is still pretty intense. I heard a lot of comments by the HM runners about how hilly it was. Yes, the first 11 miles ARE quite hilly. But my long runs of 20, 23, and 26 miles had more than 1500 feet of vertical over those courses so I felt well-prepared. The health and fitness expo is small but suitable to the number of entrants. Packet pickup went smoothly. Glad it was a disposable timing chip for the shoe. Finally, I was impressed with how long the organizers left the timing system up so that last runners could get their official times and medals. The street may have been open but the timing system was left running for 1:15 beyond the 'official' cutoff time. I'm sure those finishers appreciated it. The use of the greenway system limits the number of people who can compete (rather than running a pure road course). If you want to run a marathon without the crush of people that has some real challenges for you, this is a nice one to run. As my first marathon, it was a great experience!
c. w. from pottstown, pa (11/10/2013) "Very nice rac" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 City of Oaks Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 On my quest to complete the 50 states, I decided to go with the Raleigh marathon since I have several friends in the area. I really wanted to do the Outer Banks race but chose my friends and that turned out to be a good decision. Yes, the course is very hilly. There is not much that can be done in North Carolina to avoid the hills. Lots of people think that North Carolina is pancake flat but that is only true on the coast. The organization was very good. I would have like a few e-mails and some facebook updates. There are several hotels within walking distance and you get to see most of the high points of the city. Lots of gels are available and there are lots of enthusiastic volunteers. Variety of food at the finish could be improved. I enjoyed the donuts and pizza but some bagels and banannas would be appreciated. Going into the race I was concerned by past comments about lack of food. I finished just under 4 hours and there was food present but I did see people walking off with large boxes of pizza and large quantities of donuts. Hopefully there was something left for the later finishers.
W. J. from Coral Springs, FL (11/9/2013) "Beautiful Fall Marathon" (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 City of Oaks Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I loved this marathon! The Expo was a nice size and race bag pickup workers were very friendly. Parking for the race was close and easy to get in and out of. The temperature was 40 degrees at the start and clear skies (absolutely perfect). The race started on time and ran through downtown Raleigh and around NC State University. About the 12 mile mark we entered the Greenway on an 11 mile rolling path with colored leaves blowing off the trees as we ran. (I live in southern Florida and never get to see something as wonderful as that). Gu's, water and Accelerade were provided every 2 miles here as were 2 stops with bananas and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (a absolute marathon treat). Lots of hills but not too awful bad, except mile 23, but it provides character to a race. Hot pizza and huge medals at the finish. The volunteers could not have been nicer or more helpful. What's not to like?
E. B. from Baltimore, Maryland (11/4/2013) "Challenging Course, Sparse Fans" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 City of Oaks Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 This was my first City of Oaks Marathon. Expo: Obtaining my packet and premium was super easy. Wasn't overly impressed with the shirt -but appreciated receiving the hat (something different). There weren't many vendors at the expo - and my group actually went to REI (about 10 minutes away) to obtain more GUs. Parking: As advertised - parking was super easy and plentiful. We stayed at a hotel ten minutes away, parked at the shopping center and made the easy five minute walk to the start/finish. Course: The marathon course was incredibly challenging. I had run Baltimore in October (which is also very hilly and the net elevation gain on this was just slightly less) so I thought I'd prepared well for the hills. I quickly discovered I had not. These hills are no joke - this may be the 'fastest' course City of Oaks has prepared - but I don't agree with the 'flattest' part they advertised, as there was almost no flat terrain - I was always running up or down. The first half of the race is on city streets and is a constant up and down. Not to mention they put an out and back in the first three miles - so the race course is very crowded initially. I was also surprised that the marathon and half share a portion of the course with the 10K, which started a half hour later - but allowed strollers. The second half of the marathon is on a paved trail - which showcased Raleigh's fall foliage (really picturesque). However, the trail is a pretty steep out and back, which make the hills from the first half look like child's play. The hill at mile 23 was brutal. Support: There were plenty of water stops. There was no gatorade, rather something called Accelerate - which was not pleasant. There was plenty of GU offered on the marathon course - however, there was only one food stop (you hit it on the out and back) - I would really have loved to have seen one a bit earlier in the course. The fans were pretty sparse - both on the street portion of the race and the trail - however, those who were there were great. Post Race: Race bling was great (huge). Finish area had Papa John's pizza, Krispy Kreme donuts and bananas. I had no issue grabbing my bag from gear check, but was disappointed there was no change area - only port-a-potties. The sparse fans and challenging course left me a bit disappointed. Overall, this race was just okay - so, I do not plan on running it again.
Martin Harrison from North Carolina (11/4/2013) "Pretty Much As Advertised" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 City of Oaks Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 See the other folks with pro and cons. They are pretty much accurate. The course is advertised as 'Our 2013 marathon course will be our flattest and fastest course ever.' however note this is NOT a 'flat' or 'fast' marathon course. You climb from elev 220 to elev 450 from mile 20 to mile 24 and there's some downhills so you are actually runnign up hill more than the 230 feet. from 22.6 to 23 you climb 80 feet! You must plan for this. My pros are: 1) VERY well organized race. 2) Great information provided beforehand 3) Course well marked 4) Started on time 5) Entusiastic volunteers 6) I really liked the greenway run through the woods feel 7) Enough of an expo for last minute details. I don't expec thet expo to be the bargain hunter paradise. Just want my number, race bag and chance to pick up a few gels. 8) Like the runners hat in addition to shirt that came with packet, It's a nice little add that's something different. The cons: 1)A little upgrade of the food at the finish would be nice. I know Krispy Kremem is a corporate sponsor and I thank them, but that's too much of a sugar shock for me after runnign 26 miles. 2) They don't start handing out on course gels until half marathon folks split off. Fortunately I carried a few from the start, but if you haven't started taking calories before mile 11, you're in a bunch of trouble. 3) The aid stations are huge when you hit them but they are spread out at two mile plus intervals. Maybe smaller stations at one mile intervals would be nice. Overall it's a great race and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a mid-sized Fall marathon. I'd do it again but there's so many great options and so little time.
A. M. from Richmond, VA (11/7/2012) "Challenging, low-key race" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 City of Oaks Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my 10th marathon and my 1st time to run City of Oaks. PROS 1. Nice, BIG race medal. 2. Very easy to find parking within walking distance to the start. 3. Little, if any, traffic concerns out on the course (helps that about 2/3 of the course is run on the greenway) 4. Well-organized spectator viewing locations along the greenway, complete with spectator parking. My husband was able to stop at multiple locations to cheer during the race. 5. Spectators and volunteers were friendly and energetic. 6. Ample hotels and restaurants in the area for out-of-towners like me. 7. Small expo, quick in-and-out to get your race number and technical shirt. Enough vendors that I was able to pick up last minute gels to carry along the course. 8. Chip timing mats provided at good, strategic locations to prevent people from cutting the course along the greenway. CONS 1. The dreaded long lines at the Port-a-potties. I don't know if they didn't order enough, or if they initially did but did not account for the influx of displaced NYC marathoners. 2. We got caught in traffic going to the expo Friday, didn't anticipate rush hour. 3. No signs directing you to the expo entrance, we just followed other runners. FOR CONSIDERATION 1. The greenway portion is a long out-and-back. Not a bother for me, use your judgment if that's too monotonous for you. 2. I underestimated the hills. I have to warn future participants to especially control their pace for the first 2 miles (you will regret not doing so later). 3. Basic finish line food plus a beer garden. 4. Ipods were allowed, so long as you could still follow race directions. Overall I have a good impression of the race. I would recommend it for 50 staters looking for their North Carolina race.
M. F. from North Carolina (11/7/2012) "Well Done Raleigh!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 City of Oaks Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I was worried when the race grew to over 5,000 participants but was pleased with the outcome. I have run the full in the past, but did the half this year. Positives: - Parking was nearby. - Convenient porta-potties. - Great post race beer. - Started on time. - Clear and loud announcements before race. I knew exactly when the race was starting. - Great sponsors. - Long sleeve tech shirts Could Improve: - Get the mile markers up higher. I missed three of them. At least consider tieing large baloons so you can see them coming up.

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