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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 11 to 21]
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R. B. from Pittsburgh, PA
(5/19/2016)
"Quite The Experience This Year" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I liked the Cleveland Marathon. The weather was the most harsh I have ever encountered during a marathon, which now makes a cool story to tell. Course was very scenic, and never had a bad stretch. I can imagine it would have been even more scenic on a sunny day. The streets were pretty beat up for the first half so you do have to watch where you step. Got a lot better in the second half. Unlike many marathons, the second half was nicer than the first (I liked the first half just fine). Volunteers and spectators that showed up deserve a round of applause. To endure that weather and still be encouraging was amazing. Nice medal and shirt. Tons of snacks at the finish line. | |
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B. B. from Pittsburgh, Pa
(5/18/2016)
"Except for the weather, pretty good" (about: 2016)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The most memorable part of this race was the weather. We endured rain, snow, hail, and wind which made for an interesting, and at times comical, experience. My thanks to the dedicated volunteers and spectators who braved the weather. The course was scenic with changing scenery and some very nice views. My only complaints are that the first few water stations should have incorporated both sides of the street, and that a few holes in the road could have been better marked. Otherwise well organized. On a good weather day, a fast time could be had in Cleveland. Very nice medal and high quality shirt. A good race overall. | |
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c. i. from Painesville, ohio
(5/18/2016)
"Volunteers deserved medals" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Cleveland Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 48th marathon. Best and most faithful volunteers by far. Rain, snow, sleet, hail and high winds...and there they stood serving us runners. All in...I bow before each one of you. | |
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Jim Norton from Pennsylvania
(5/17/2016)
"Tough day, but still well done." (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Boy, what a bunch of whiners. Apparently, Cleveland needs to be re-graded so that there are no 'hills' at the end. Plus, you need to get more musicians to play during the hail storms. These people need to either toughen up or stick to 5K's. All in all, nice job on a very tough day. | |
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L. K. from Pa
(5/16/2016)
"Will never forget this one." (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This had to of been the most mentally challenging marathon I have ever run due to the crazy weather. At the start of the race it was slightly windy and nice. That was short lived as the weather turned for the worse on and off the entire marathon. We had rain, snow, sleet, and hail, then add gusts of wind up to 30mph. I can't tell you how many times I had enough and wanted to quit. I was freezing, wet, and my face hurt from being pelted with wind and hail. The thing that kept me going was the fact that I knew I had to get to the finish to get dry clothes. It will be my most memorable marathon for that reason. CONS: 1st half of the course was boring and the roads were in terrible conditions, no email updates, convention center at finish line was not open for athletes to unfreeze or change, too expensive for what you got, expo was small PROS: 2nd half of the course was beautiful and scenic, volunteers were amazing for helping in such horrible conditions, start was easy to get to and organized, finish line area was nice. | |
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P. N. from Buffalo, NY
(5/16/2016)
"Run from the freezing" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Cleveland Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Winter training in Buffalo prepares you for running in frigid conditions, so my biggest fear was that it would be 77 and sunny on race day. Lucky for me it was a winter wonderland (some sarcasm there). You'll hear a lot about the brutal conditions, and to be fair, the headwind from around 12-18 sucked. The hail was a particularly painful touch. the wind gusts blew my visor off twice, which I needed to keep hail from flying into my eyeballs. But the turnaround at mile 18 offered great relief and with the wind at our backs it was a nice payoff for the struggles. The volunteers and spectators were AMAZING. They must have been absolutely freezing, but they were still out there and in good spirits. Well-manned water and aid stations, no confusion. There was truly a sense of 'we're all in this together' that the weather brought on. Pace leaders were great - I hung with the 3:40's for the most part and enjoyed the camaraderie. We all just sort of laughed at the ridiculousness of the weather and used each other as protection from the elements. Start and finish were well organized. As I was walking (and shivering) back to my hotel a staffer stopped me to tell me that they opened the Convention Center up as a warming station (nice touch!) The expo was unremarkable, but I'm not an expo person - I like to get my packet and get out. The location was easy and right near the start/finish area (nice visual to help give you an idea of where you need to go in the morning if you're not familiar with the area). The course, I felt, was fair. I was worried about running on the overpass the last few miles. It was rough with the inclines and being that high up there was absolutely no hiding from the gusts coming off the lake. The first incline was short but steep, the second was more of a slowish climb. Knowing that the end was very near kept me going. Unfortunately, I saw a lot of runners walking this stretch. I ran Cleveland twice before when the course was very different (the direction was reversed). I'll take an incline at 24 over a headwind for the last 7-8 miles any day. My opinion may be a bit biased because I had a good race with a possible BQ (beating the PR that was set in Cleveland marathon 2006) but I'm surprised to say that I actually liked the new course. On a warmer day there's no doubt that running on the shadeless blacktop of the thruway would have gotten the better of me. All in all, I really like running Cleveland. It's small enough that you're not cramped but big enough that you're not alone. The people are great, the changing scenery kept it interesting (when I was able to see). | |
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E. M. from PA
(5/18/2015)
"I would run this again!" (about: 2015)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Pros -the course was flat, scenic, diverse -very well organized -hotels within a block or so of the start and finish line -cool medal -great expo, lots to see -great crowd support Cons -hard to enjoy the views as some of the roads were not in great shape. many cracks, holes that could ruin an ankle -although both sides of the roads were closed throughout, the water stops were only on one side of the road in many places. Became congested in those places. maybe have fluids on both sides? My only other comment is courtesy based and is no reflection on this particular race. Starting in corral E based on expected finish time, I had to pass MANY people walking within the first 3-4 miles. If you know you're going to be walking early, please start in the waaaay back. | |
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R. S. from Dayton, Ohio
(5/25/2014)
"Best Medals This Side of Disney" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 1 - Top shelf EXPO. Free health screening included glucose, cholesterol, BP, etc. Just Super! 2 - Rough pavement as expected. No surprises there. 3 - Fans. What fans? I don't need them but many runners do. 4 - Course needs more porta potties especially with more women runners participating in all races. No sexism here, just practical observation. 5 - I have my Boston Marathon medal from 2010 but I rank my Cleveland medal as 2nd favorite behind my 2009 Disney for the 'bling' factor. 6 - Your definition of flat? My Garmin shows mile 18 on is all uphill, especially so the last couple of miles. As they said in the Princess Bride, 'I'm not sure that word means what you think it means'. 7 - Bottom Line: You Guys Rock!!! | |
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P. B. from Cleveland, Ohio
(5/23/2014)
"Unorganized and Disappointing" (about: 2014)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 Cleveland Marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I ran the 2014 Cleveland Marathon and was not impressed. Compared to previous years I have ran it, it was the worst. I would categorize the race as unorganized. The expo was very good and the best part of the experience. Unfortunately, it went downhill (except for the course) from there. The t-shirts were Nike but we're short sleeved. I paid $100+ to enter the marathon and received only a short sleeved shirt. Pretty cheap if you ask me. Next, the race started five minutes late. How can a big event like that be delayed by five minutes? I was also worried about the number of port-o-potty's at the start, knowing they were starting the full marathoners with the half marathoners and the 10kers but it didn't seem to be too much of a problem. Along the course the hydration stations seemed very unorganized. Usually PowerAid is located on one side and water is on the other but this wasn't the case. I just had to rely on the volunteers to tell me if I was getting one versus the other. The course also didn't have any clocks! Big let down for me. Couldn't they gather up enough oversized clocks for at least each 5k or so? I was disappointed with the entertainment too. Unless you knew someone along the course, you didn't get much encouragement. What happened to the bands and the cheer sections I thought we were supposed to get? Pretty lonely along Lake Road except for my family. The worst part of the course were the hills on the highway along miles 25-26. Who in their right mind would create a marathon course that included a hill of that magnitude during that point of the race? I don't know about you but I rarely have anything left at that point in the race let alone enough for a huge, drawn out hill. Overall, Cleveland was a disappointing experience and I'd be hesitant to race it again. P.S. The pace leaders for the 3:25 group were very encouraging and I appreciate their help. | |
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R. S. from Cleveland, Ohio
(5/20/2014)
"New course, same fun run and city" (about: 2014)
3 previous marathons
| 3 Cleveland Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is my 3rd time running Cleveland and the first on this new course. Some folks didn't like the portion that was out and back but I thought it was great because I had the opportunity to see the leaders go FLYING by. * very flat but the finish was a big elevation gain on the highway - great view - tough ascent * great crowd support * the first 10 miles was a loop around the city and some cool neighborhoods. The next 12 was an out and back through flat, residential areas. The final 4 or so then covered new ground including that highway run uphill. * the expo was typical. Lots of good vendors. Some nice speakers. Free parking at IX Center. * half, full and 10K all started together but had 3 different courses. 10K peeled off quickly and half peeled off at about mile 9 or 10. * easy access for your family and friends, especially around the out and back portion * volunteers were plentiful and there were lots of water stops. I only needed 1 porta potty and it was there for me... not sure how many more there were. * weather is always a question mark in Cleveland. in '12 it was in the 80s, in '13 it was in 60s and 70s by the finish. This year? upper 40s to mid 50s and clear skies. PERFECT this year. Perfect! |
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