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Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 4.2 
Spectators 3.3
Number of comments: 51 [displaying comments 31 to 41]
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K. B. from Guelph, Ontario
(11/5/2009)
"Great, Fast Course!" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 As others have mentioned, the course is great, fast and scenic - from rolling country roads to the downhill parkway to the flat waterfront. The run was a good experience. However, the swag was the pits; there was no difference between the medals or shirts for the half and the full. The post-race food was pathetic, and get rid of the eLoad and bring on the Gatorade. I needed to visit the medical tent for a few minutes when I was done and the team there was great. The weather was perfect and I qualified for Boston by running my first marathon in seven years. Overall, I would say that I'll be back, however; you've got to improve a few things if you want people to keep coming back and if you want to be considered a quality marathon (for more than just the fast course). | |
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Cathy Doyle from Muskoka, Ontario
(11/5/2009)
"WOW!! Debut marathon and I qualified for Boston!" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I had a wonderful race. I ran it very conservatively with an eight-minute negative split. I didn't hit the wall until 38 KM. In the future, please keep bikes off of the race course for the last 5 KM (I almost got hit as I couldn't move fast enough). Thanks for everything else! | |
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R. K. from Oakville, Ontario
(11/3/2009)
"Not NYC, Boston or Chicago... but a nice PB course" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 If you are looking for thousands of cheering fans and all kinds of cool scenery, do NYC, Boston, Chicago or Marine Corp. However, if you are looking for a nice, well-run race where you have a very good shot at getting a PB or a BQ, then this is the race! | |
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D. B. from Georgina, Ontario
(11/2/2009)
"Great Emerging Marathon" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great race. The 21.5K-27.5K stretch on the Red Hill Valley Parkway has got to be my favorite part of any race course I've run to-date. Steady downhill on new pavement on a freeway closed for the race, and the view there is much, much better than one would expect on a freeway - great views of Lake Ontario, with fall colors and some of the natural rock formations cut into to make room for the highway. Rolling hills in the country for the first half, downhill on the freeway for 6K, starting with the only significant net downhill of the race - and for that first 4K on the freeway, you are flying. Then you have 4K through the city, 4K near the beach, and 6K on the beach. Organization was fine, including a warm school to stay inside until 60-90 seconds before the start. Fans were sparse as one would expect for a third-year marathon - but those out had cowbells, high-fives and banners from overpasses. Check this one out; there is a reason this one doubled in size from 2008 to 2009. | |
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Jill Pettit from Stoney Creek, Ontario
(11/1/2009)
"Amazing Race!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 There was lots of free parking at the finish area with shuttle buses to the start. The indoor waiting area at the start meant we were able to keep warm, which was really great! The race course had fairly flat country roads for the first half and then a long, beautiful downhill with amazing views of the water and fall color. The last section was along the waterfront trail. A really nice mix of areas covered kept the race interesting. The half marathon had a separate start in a different direction, which meant there was no bottleneck to get going. It doesn't get any better than this. Water/aid stations were well covered with very enthusiastic volunteers - thank you! The spectators may not have been plentiful in areas, but they were very encouraging (even the bicycle patrols cheered us on). The finish area served the usual fruit, cake, donuts, cookies, pizza, etc., but what I really loved most was the hot soup. The race organizers have done a fantastic job. I would do this race again in a heartbeat. | |
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M. W. from Owen Sound, Ont
(11/24/2008)
"Perfect race" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Lets see, where to start? This was my 2nd marathon (1st was Mississauga in 2008) and I PB'd by 15 minutes and BQ'd. What more can I say? What more could you want? Beautiful, flat, country roads for the start; there are no uphills anywhere. Then there was a nice downhill, and a waterfront finish. OK, so there was some wind. Not sure how the organizing committee controls that. No rain, cool - perfect. Water stations were well stocked, and having parking at the finish with buses to the start means that all of your dry clothes are waiting for you. Everything was great. AND the sponsor hotel (Holiday Inn) gave all runners FREE late checkout, and there was FREE breakfast. (It was 2 minutes from the finish... how could this be better??) One question: Was the lady on the bike "Elvira Gulch" - see another's comment - from the Wizard of Oz??? That got me laughing a lot every time I saw her. If it's not her, it's her twin sister. Room for improvement: finish photos could be better. All in all, a great experience. | |
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D. S. from London, Ontario
(11/9/2008)
"Small race; expensive for few perks" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 The course was nice - especially the country roads and the waterfront at the end. There were too few spectators - even ones at the finish were kinda quiet. Volunteers at water stations were just awesome, showing great enthusiasm. The gel stop at 28K was great, but too many half-marathon walkers were crowding the area. Gels should be for full marathoners first. Not much schwag for the $90 entry fee - no foil blankets at the cold, breezy finish area, and only a coupon for small fries at a Hamilton McDonald's. What's up with that? OK otherwise. | |
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B. M. from London, Ontario
(11/9/2008)
"Hamilton is a great running city!" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 2nd marathon and it was a blast. Yup, it was cold and windy. Suck it up, buttercups! I loved the course. Some might not like the long downhill from 22-32K on the Parkway, but gravity was my friend this day. I PB'd by 37 minutes over my first marathon in May 2008 and ran a negative split, so WOOHOO, HAMILTON!! The secondary school kids running the water stops were loud and encouraging. Was the mystery woman in the green coat on the bike the mayor? I saw her 4 times. People were cheering out in their driveways, on overpasses, on the streets. Drivers were patient and polite, unlike London drivers, OMG! The two bands rocking out were nice diversions. The band at 40K responded to my pumping fists by amping up the volume and the tempo. Thanks, boys. Didn't go to the pasta meal, so I can't comment. Bus transport to the start line was flawless. Bag-check, ditto. Lots of porta-pots in the start and finish areas, but I noticed a lot people opting to fertilize the corn in the first half. Quibbles: The medal should specify whether you did the full or the half, and so should the T-shirt. (I understand the pressure to economize with a new race.) Full marks to the sponsors/organizers! I would recommend this race to anyone. Hamilton is a great running city! | |
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D. M. from Ontario, Canada
(11/6/2008)
"2nd Year Improvements" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Having run the marathon in 2007, I have to credit the organizers with improvements year after year. The first half probably involved more rolling terrain than might be expected, but it was an improvement over spending time on the Linc (as in 2007). Ditto for only descending on the new portion (unlike 2007). The last 10K along the lake shore was an improvement despite the breezy last few kilometers. The water stops along the way were more than adequate and the supervision/support of the course can't be faulted. The finish area worked well and the weather cooperated. The spectators are sparse but so was the marketing beforehand. | |
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C. K. from Waterloo, Ont.
(11/5/2008)
"Worth a shot" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Given the unpredictable nature of November weather, runners couldn't have asked for a better day. OK, so the wind was a factor, but no precipitation was a bonus. Gotta like the course, which includes highway running, country roads, a bit of suburbia and the shores of Lake Ontario. Not sure why people think the course is boring... having lots of diversity and scenery on parkway is actually really nice. Lots of aid stations with water and sports drink, as well as energy gel at 28K. Volunteers were amazing, especially young people handing out drinks. Heck, everybody involved gets a thumbs up, including the couple I thumbed a ride with back to the starting area after I dropped out at 33K. DNF-ing sucks, but calf cramp wouldn't relent. Anyone looking to run this 26-miler next year should consider Hamilton, especially if crowds aren't your thing. Needless to say, bad weather would make considering race-day registration a good idea. |
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