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☰
Veterans Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Veterans Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 4.8 
Spectators 4.0
Number of comments: 65 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
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R. W. from Indiana
(11/19/2014)
"Nice small town race" (about: 2014)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Veterans Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This is a nice small town race at a reasonable price. Pros: -The parking is ridiculously easy! I was able to park within 2 minutes or less of the starting line. -The race 'expo' is quaint (it is located in a side room of a restaurant) ,however, they were very organized and I got my packet within a minute of arrival. If you are looking for a 'fancy' expogo to a larger race! -The food is great!! The amazing homemade soup was provided by a local church and they also had the usual fruits, protein bars, cookies, and water. -There were plenty of port-a-potties to go around at the start of the race and they were spaced adequately throughout the race. -The race director was available to answer questions before and after the race and is a Veteran himself, which I think adds to the authenticity of the race. Cons: -The crowd support was weak. Although I didn't expect to see many spectators, it was even more quiet than I imagined. By the second lap, most people had left the course area altogether. -Traffic control/course markings. In the last two to three miles of the race (while running uphill) there were several vehicles that plowed through the area, not even bothering to move to the other lane. I literally had to 'jump' in the ditch to get out of the way. This was a little rough at this point in the race. Furthermore, around mile 14-15 there is an area where you run through an industrial park. I could not remember exactly where to turn on the second loop, and the area was not clearly marked. At one point I thought that I may have turned the wrong way, because I was running by myself and did not see any spectators. Thankfully, I did turn the right way; but just a suggestion that they should consider marking this area more clearly next year. -The jackets are really nicebut it should be mentioned that they are Men's sized. I ordered a medium and it was HUGE on me! One small suggestion would be to do both Men's and Women's sizes. | |
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T. S. from Livonia, MI
(11/17/2014)
"Great small town race" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Veterans Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Fantastic small town, late fall race. Flat course, guaranteed cool temps, but the wind got tough out there. Columbia City is picturesque rural town America. I loved every minute of this race. Just beware, I ran almost all of the back 13.1 solo, except for the few people at the aid stations. | |
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D. T. from Madison, WI
(11/10/2014)
"Great small-town marathon" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Veterans Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is a nice, small marathon in rural Indiana. Spectators are great (but sparse) on a two-loop course that is mostly flat. Weather was perfect for a marathon (40s and overcast), although windy in some directions. Main disadvantage was the crowned roads. I couldn't find a flat place on most roads and it took a toll on my left knee. Course was rural. If you're looking for constantly screaming fans, fanfare, noise, this one isn't for you. If you love running for the sake of running, you'll enjoy this one. Miles well marked. Plus a reasonable $70 entry fee supports veterans and comes with a nice NB jacket. I stayed a 20 minute drive away in Ft. Wayne for only $50. Parking free, easy, only a 2 minute walk from starting line. As a 50 stater, I liked the Indiana-shaped medal. Good job, organizers! | |
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J. W. from Lafayette, IN, USA
(11/9/2014)
"Great small town race" (about: 2014)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Veterans Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my first year for this northeastern Indiana race. It's a fairly flat course made up of two times around a 13.1 mile loop that goes through town then out into the countryside southeast of town. A lot of local folk come out to cheer you on, which is really great. The only downer is the wind. Out in the country, with most of the fields plowed this time of year, the wind can be strong and cold. But it's a fun race I high recommend. | |
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J. E. from Indiana
(11/19/2013)
"Decent Small Town Marathon" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Veterans Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I've run 3 of the 5 Veterans Marathons. This year was different, though, with new RD and organizer. I thought the organization and attention to detail was a little lower this year. But, perhaps (and i get this as I'm an RD myself) they just had a hard time finding volunteers, so put the marathoners on a double loop of the course. A couple of ideas...give marathoners and half marathoners obviously different bibs. But, it's a nice, small race, so it's a good addition to the list. | |
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Steve Geller from Bloomington, IL
(11/11/2013)
"Great organization and execution, except one thing" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Veterans Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The new company running this marathon did a great job. Plenty of parking, a race start that was on time, a clearly marked course, and great soup at the finish. The only thing I didn't like was that they had us run the same half-marathon loop twice. Previously, we had two entirely different loops. But doing the same thing twice made the day more monotonous. It's not a show-stopper, but it made the experience less fun. | |
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N. B. from Churubusco, IN
(11/10/2013)
"Great small town event!" (about: 2013)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Veterans Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run in this event the past 3 years, with the last two running the full. This is a great small town event, friendly and very helpful volunteers and great organization by the directors and staff. If you are looking for your first marathon or to just get another under your belt, this is a wonderful event. Not crowded and good people throughout. Again thank you to all the staff and volunteers. | |
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M. R. from Naperville, IL
(11/10/2013)
"Excellent small race!" (about: 2013)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Veterans Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Very well organized race! Being able to pick up your race packet on Saturday morning is an asset but that's only the beginning. I arrived at 7am and was able to park within a quarter mile of the starting line, get my packet, use the restroom and visit with runners all with plenty of time to spare. The runners were by far the friendliest group of marathoners I have encountered. Lots of great conversations! The aid station volunteers were enthusiastic and, while there weren't a lot of spectators, the few along the course were fabulous! (Case in point, the lady with the sign saying 'Where are you from?' who recorded people's locations as they called them out and would let you know if they'd seen other people from your town. Fun!) The course wound through beautiful farmland and some industrial areas (but to me those added to the small town charm). Getting to shower at the YMCA was a capstone on a great race! Only three minor suggestions: 1) More aid stations. The stretch farthest away from the start needed one more. 2) Different bib colors for marathoners and half-marathoners so volunteers at the half finish knew who to give medals to and who to tell where to go to continue the full. 3) Food at the finish. When I finished at 4:33 there was about a quarter of a pot of one soup left. The soup volunteers are great but consider supplementing with other things too. | |
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J. W. from Virginia
(11/9/2013)
"Nice folks but the new organization needs work" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Veterans Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Just finished the 2013 Veterans Marathon. I signed up because I'm a veteran and thought this would be a good way to get a state,run to honor our vets, and enjoy a little midwest charm. Check, check, and check. About 240 runners signed up for the marathon with slightly more for the half and 5k each. Packet pick up was easy and Columbia CIty is super easy to get to from Ft. Wayne. The premium this year is a New Balance Sequence jacket. On the front right is the new Veterans Marathon logo and the bag is a giant reflective 3RRC reflective logo for Three Rivers Running Company. It's very lightweight and soft and pretty timely considering the conditions There's not much info on the race web site but as it turns out, their Facebook site had lots of good info. I'd recommend linking the two. I generally don't use facebook. The half and full started at the same time and the full just looped the half course twice. The day was brisk with temps at about 40 but winds were stiff at around 25 miles per hour. The race started on time and was not crowded at all. It was marked very well but there were just enough people to see where you were going anyway. The course has rolling hills but nothing really bad at all. The real problem was the water stops. The folks running them were awesome (thank you!) but there were 3-4 miles between some of the most important. Because it was two loops that extra gap in the first half was somewhat tolerable but not having a water stop every mile after 16 is just wrong. Where there were water stops some of them had styrofoam cups or worse... little dental cups. One stop had plastic. And one, correctly, had paper cups. After surviving the hydration issues, leg cramps set in around mile 20. The last 6 miles were about finishing. Upright. After crossing the line and getting my medal it occurred to me to get some water and food. Except all there were were a giant box of pretzels (serve yourself) and gatorade and water. Nothing else. It's not like I finished last ... 4:45. My time two weeks ago at the Marine Corps Marathon was 30 minutes faster. Five year streakers got a very nice 'large' version of the medal - nice touch. I can't recommend the full marathon right now but if you're local and want to run an OK half marathon or 5k honoring vets, this might be the ticket. | |
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C. A. from Fort Wayne, IN
(2/22/2013)
"Perfect!" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Veterans Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This is the perfect size marathon for those looking to just get one done. Weather was nice, people were great. |
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