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☰
Cleveland Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Cleveland Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.9 
Organization 3.9 
Spectators 3.3
Number of comments: 299 [displaying comments 151 to 161]
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Ryan Bloom from Canton, MI
(5/19/2008)
"Fun Race, But How About Some Traffic Control?" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I had a lot of fun yesterday, I beat my goal time, and met some great people along the way. Cons: (1) Other than yesterday, I've only run in the Detroit event. Cleveland is definitely lacking when it comes to general organization. (2)Pass out GU prior to mile 19! (3) Please add some cops for traffic control. Traffic is not a big deal for the first half, but during the second, there were a ton of intersections we had to cross and cars were trying to race through to beat the runners. The majority of the intersections were staffed well with police/security, but a few spots had cops that didn't know what they were doing. In downtown right before Mile 12,a pick-up came through a pack of us with NO COPS in sight. Someone could have EASILY been hurt; one runner voiced her frustration with by heartily punching the driver's window! PROS: (1) Very clear / visible mile markers and time clocks at every mile. (2) Solid fan support from those that braved the elements! (3) GREAT post-race recovery spread: water, juice, chips, bananas, and of course Miller Lite! | |
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A. H. from Lorain, Ohio
(5/18/2008)
"Great race, but not sure about timing system" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 Cleveland Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I ran this race several times, and they used a new timing system. Somewhere after the start and before the 10K mark, the timing tag fell off. I followed the instructions for putting it on, but it was really wet - I wonder how many people aren't going to get official times now? | |
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M. H. from Cleveland, OH
(5/18/2008)
"could be better" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Cleveland Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This race has been around for quite some time. One would think that the directors would have some things mastered. Like having the correct-size shirts available for runners. I got stuck with a large shirt rather than the small I signed up for. This is common practice for Cleveland. The course was also changed this year - running through Ohio city was one of the better parts of the race which was cut out. Cleveland has so much potential... but it is not quite there. I do think the spectators that were there were great (it was raining). The new timing system was also a plus. Overall, if you are from Cleveland, run it for convenience - otherwise, you may want to pick a more exciting race. | |
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L. M. from Toledo, Ohio
(5/18/2008)
"No shirt... No medal... Not walker-friendly" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I have run two full marathons and many half marathons, and by far this was the worst organized race I have ever done. We got there to pick up our packets on Saturday and they had run out of shirts. They had nothing but XL for half marathoners. Their reasoning was that they had many marathoners drop down to half marathons and told me to email them in two weeks and they would send me a shirt. I was there to lend support to my brother and sister who both had personal goal and reasons for walking this race. My sister who had trouble finishing - but did in fact finish - had to watch as they were tearing down stuff for the half marathoners way before the time was up that was alloted. And then to cap it all off, when she and others in our group finally did cross, they had run out of half marathon medals! I am so disappointed in this race. I will never run Cleveland again... and I will tell everybody I know not to go there. I will NEVER EVER again give my $80 to that race. | |
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Ceren Arik from Boston, MA
(12/27/2007)
"Great Marathon" (about: 2007)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a great first marathon for me. The volunteers and the spectators along the way were great. The course goes through residential areas with beautiful, beautiful homes and the residents were out and about, cheering and offering water. I thought the drink and port-a-potty stations were frequent and numerous enough. The course is relatively flat and takes you from the city to the western suburbs back to the city and to the eastern suburbs and back to the city for the finale. It was pleasant all along. The last few miles are uphill, though, and challenging. The temperature in the 2007 marathon was in the low to mid 50s; I was very comfortable with a long-sleeved shirt worn over a tank-top. The perfect weather to run a marathon. All in all, it was just great. I am planning on running Cleveland again in 2008. | |
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D. L. from Alexandria, VA
(10/14/2007)
"Forget Chicago, Pleasantly Surprised in Cleveland" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Cleveland Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 For all of you recently disappointed by the recent events of Chicago's 30th Marathon Anniversary run Oct 2007, try Cleveland Marathon next year (May 2008). I've done both now, and I can can say without hesitation that I will be back to run Cleveland Marathon in 2008. This was my 2nd running of Cleveland (1st back in 92) when it left something to be desired. However, the 30th running was fun all around. No hassles and post-race party is at the finish line. Having run my last 3-4 marathons of more than 25,000 runners (Marine Corps/Chicago), I'm of the opinion that 10-20K runners is the ideal size - any larger and the race logistics become unmanageable. Cleveland's course is mostly fast and flat, the few exceptions being at the race start/end as the race travels from the city to suburbs and back. Race entry offers something for runners of all types - 10K, half and full marathon - and is very inviting to race walkers. Fanfare wasn't as great as in Chicago or Marine Corps, but in every race there are always stretches where you have only your fellow runners to rely on to get you to the finish. See you in Cleveland. | |
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B. H. from Akron, Ohio
(7/18/2007)
"Great first marathon" (about: 2007)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and it was great! I can say I will run it again. I had so much fun. There wasn't very many spectators along the course but I enjoyed the scenery. I got to see alot of Cleveland that I didn't even know existed. It was a good flat course - great for my first marathon. | |
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S. B. from Cleveland, Ohio
(7/16/2007)
"Great First Marathon" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I heard a few days after the race that there had been a problem with the mileage of the 10K, but the marathon I ran was spectacular, and problem-free! I'm a native of Cleveland and the race course took us through all the beautiful city areas that I never would have seen on foot otherwise. The crowd support was great, and a lot of the local residents came out to cheer runners on, and a gospel church even had its choir out singing for the runners! It was such a friendly event that encompassed everything that is great about our city that it made me proud to be a Clevelander. The finish line commentators were just as enthusiastic announcing us back-of-the-pack runners coming in at over 5 hours as I can imagine they were for the first few coming over the finish. It was an all-around great experience, and it inspired me to run more marathons! I will be back in 2008! | |
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Lisa Herbert from Wadsworth, Ohio
(6/7/2007)
"First marathon but not my last!" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and I had so much fun I will absolutely do another. I thought the course was great and the volunteers were outstanding!!! I loved the rock bands on the course and would like to see more of that. Some of the course got sparse in terms of fans, but it did allow you to refocus during the quiet time. The finish line announcer tried to call out finishers' names, which made it more personal and memorable. My only critique was that the logo on the t-shirt was a little lame. It looked like something from the 70's. This is supposed to be the Rock-n-Roll city! More should be done to reinforce the rock-n-roll theme, more bands, utilize the Rock Hall of Fame some how, have some rock star runners, etc. I did appreciate there was a woman on the shirt though. Many races just have a male figure. I would definitely do this marathon again! | |
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K. P. from Chicago IL
(5/30/2007)
"Nice Course, Good-Size Field, Fun" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Cleveland was my fourth marathon and I enjoyed it. The course was very nice - not as flat as I had anticipated, especially along the highway during the first half, but very scenic. The marathon has a nice-size field. Crowd support was okay. Be aware that there is very little crowd support in the tough miles from 20 to 23.5 (Browns Stadium). Having run some of the larger marathons, it was nice to walk (5 min. walk) from the host hotel 45 minutes before the start of the race without any hassles. Porta-potties were no problem at all near the start. Expo was easy to get in and out of. The official race jacket that I purchased does not have the year on it. The finisher's medal is nice, as was the post-race party at the finish. |
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