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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 251 to 261]
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L. K. from Strongsville, OH
(6/2/2004)
"Much improved course. Still room for improvement." (about: 2004)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Cleveland Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I was a little skeptical of the new course, having run this race 18 previous times and used to every turn and nuance. It did not disappoint. They were forced to add a couple of hills, but in return you get to see many of the sights that helped to make Cleveland a major metropolis back before the rust belt days. Among the attractions are the new stadiums, the R&R hall of fame, the west side market, Playhouse Square, the lagoon and art museum, and a long down hill stretch down MLK Drive where there is still beautiful statuary and parks from the early part of the 20th century. Needed improvements: Paper water cups. Whoever decided to go with plastic hasn't run in too many races. Consistency in the order of e.r.g. drinks and water. Each water stop was different. A more imaginitive finish. The last couple of miles practically wound around in circles as a way of getting the mileage right. | |
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J. L. from Youngstown, OH
(5/24/2004)
"Getting Better!" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Cleveland Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Last year we ran this marathon and were very disappointed but we came back to give it a second chance and we are very happy we did - instead of having nothing but bad memories about this marathon we have good ones. This year the marathon was a lot better than last year, they still need to fix a few things, but they are going in the right direction. The medals were a lot nicer and bigger - they also had enough medals for everybody this year. The t-shirt was a lot nicer too - not great, but nicer than last year. It was long sleeve this year and didn't start to fade after the first wash. The organization was better also - with a nicer expo and friendly volunteers. The course needs a few changes like getting rid of those silly loops at the end but it is much better than last year's course. This year's marathon was also more slow-runner-friendly with several people coming in over 6 hours. Altogether I am glad we came back and would recommend this marathon to anybody. | |
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S. J. from Parma, OH
(5/15/2004)
"Good 1st marathon experience; great potential" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This year's course was new, and I was disappointed about the change at first since I knew the prior route to be in a really pretty area. However, I found running through all the different areas throughout Cleveland and the surrounding suburbs a LOT of fun. Organizing neighborhood parties has a lot of potential, but will need a LOT more media attention to get it going. The only part that I would change is the long, boring (and painful, at least for me!) stretch down S. Marginal, and winding around in circles at the very end. Otherwise I think the course change was a great idea. (Also, it was fun running on a highway!) I thought the hills were short & manageable, and this was my first marathon. This being my first, I was also suprirsed how much spectator support really helps keep you going. Although not great in numbers, they were very friendly and supportive. There was a neighborhood church giving out water bottles, which was a nice touch. Again, media attention & advertising would really help with the numbers (of course, so would a nice sunny day!) Although I would have liked getting ANY medal at all, I really liked the design of this year's finisher's medal. Also, because I signed up early on, I got a really nice technical training T-shirt. I'm going to be moving back to my home state soon, and running the marathon through all the different areas of Cleveland will be some of my best memories of being here. Thanks to the new race director, organizers & volunteers for a great first marathon experience. I plan to come back to visit and run Cleveland again! | |
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W. K. from Appalachia
(5/7/2004)
"What Hills?" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Flat-landers seemed to complain about hills. I didn't notice anything on this course I'd call a hill. But there WAS too much hard concrete on this course, especially in the late miles. Organization was fair--they had run out of all liquids at the second water stop by the time I got there. Timing signs were sparse in the second half. The t-shirt and medal were both really lame. No offense to Clevelanders, but while the small crowds lining the route were enthusiastic and friendly, I found the city filled with very unfriendly people the rest of the time I was there. Despite these drawbacks, a generally positive experience. But next time, I'll run Columbus or Cincinnati. | |
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K. K. from PA
(5/5/2004)
"Flat Boston qualifer; whiners enter a 10K instead" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Cleveland Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Positives: Course - Very fast with the best blend of Cleveland, parks, residential, stadiums. Traffic control - Super. I never had to run next to a car or truck. If you want flat-as-a-pancake, run Erie, Chicago or Casino Niagara. (Beware: whiners will think '...too flat!') Fans - Sparse but vocal (need people go to NYC). Expo = Nice size; efficient. 17 aid stations - If you want more carry your own drink. Hotels - Limping distance to start/finish with a late check out. Medal - Quite nice. Post-Race food - Tasty buns! Improvements - Although nothing 'sucked'... Powerade should be one flavor over entire course not a mystery flavor at each table. Don't come here for the t-shirt. The winding finish is a little silly (course still gets 5 stars). If you train for a rolling course you will run great. Keep a positive attitude. It was raining hard at 5 am but rained only a little during the race. This is a marathon worth traveling to if you want to BQ or just have a great time. | |
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D. H. from Pittsburgh
(5/1/2004)
"Decent marathon, but the little things count" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Cleveland Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 There's not too much to add to the many comments already entered. The course is fair, but not flat, as many were expecting. There are a couple of significant uphills, including one in the 24th mile. I never saw an elevation profile for the course - if there was one, it was well-hidden. Most marathoners don't mind a moderately-challenging course, but we'd like to know when the hills are coming! This race has the potential to improve significantly next year - let's keep our fingers crossed. | |
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L. E. from Lakewood, OH
(4/30/2004)
"Great 1st marathon" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 As a 1st-time marathoner, I obviously can't compare this race to other marathons. However; I've run enough other races to know a well-organized event when I see it. The course was awesome, except for that 3rd St. hill at mile 23. MLK was beautiful! Since the course changed and took Lakewood out of the route, I believe the race lost a lot of crowd support. I live in Lakewood and spoke to many folks who have made a tradition out of pulling up a chair in their front yard to watch the runners. Of course we suffered in the spectator area this year because of the rain, and can ya blame them? I was happy to see the people I saw, and they were great. My favorite was the woman near the finish line who tore an orange sign off of the lightpost and folded it over to show just the 'NO STOPPING' part. I laughed. The water stops every 1.5 miles are totally adequate. At one water stop, the volunteers had trouble keeping up with the runners, but at every other stop there was an abundance of staff and drink. The porta-potties, which were also every 1.5 miles, seemed adequate also. I had to wait for 1 person when I stopped to use the potty. No big deal, I needed to stretch anyway. I would've like to see the clock time at every mile, but I also could've worn my watch, so I really don't have anything to complain about. Somebody mentioned the relay exchange point being right on the course and not liking that. It was a little disheartening to see those people stopping, but it's not like I didn't know I was in it for 26.2. I did lose my pace team leader at that point and never found her again, partly due to the fact that the pacers only ran half the course each, and I didn't know who the new one was... and partly because I WENT OUT TOO FAST and started to suck about then. The expo was not that exciting, and the guy at the chip booth on Friday night was a jerk. The girl at the packet pick up desk didn't know what to do about the fact that I have my own chip, which seemed odd to me as many runners have their own chips. Overall, I was impressed and... unless a miracle takes me to Boston, I'll be running again next year. | |
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B. A. from Akron
(4/30/2004)
"Good course, but..." (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 If you're looking for a flatter course, good luck. I've run in 8 different cities and this was far and away the flattest course. I agree with many of the comments. The expo and the T-shirt were lame, but who really cares about that stuff. The plastic cups and holes in the street were something that should just simply never happen. After the first hole, I didn't expect to see any more but there were at least a handful more. I just hope nobody was hurt because they were extremely dangerous. Definitely a lawsuit waiting to happen. Incorrect mile markers at 19 and 20 are bush league. How could this possibly happen? Did 8-year olds mark the course? The course was a nice run but the overall experience lacked the professionalism of any other race I've been in. I'll never go back until I hear that they've brought in a new race director and that many of the problems were addressed. -AH from New York | |
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A. H. from New York
(4/29/2004)
"More uphill than I expected" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I am a native Clevelander, so I loved the chance to run around my hometown. I was more than a little frustrated when I began to sense that almost the entire second half was uphill. I did love the run out to Lakewood, as well as up MLK and through University Circle. Luckily I didn't need to stop at the port-a-potties, but I think I only recall seeing about 6 altogether. Maybe this is not a big deal for men, but women don't usually have the option of the bushes. More port-a-potties please. I love my t-shirt and my medal. And the cinnamon crunch bagels from Panera are my favorite! And Twinkies too?! Yum. Please don't use the plastic cups again. That was a bit of a hazard at some spots. The weather was perfect running weather, in my opinion. And the few fans who 'weathered' it were awesome. It was the perfect kind of weather for those foil blankets--I was wishing they had those. Good expo. I was too tired for the after-party, so I can't comment on that. I probably won't run this course again--I need something flatter. But I did enjoy the race very much. It was a challenge, and I'd recommend it. | |
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T. M. from Cleveland
(4/29/2004)
"Cleveland Does Rock & Roll" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Cleveland Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Congratulations to Cleveland on their new course! I liked the old route but this new one is fantastic. I loved running along w/ all those views of Lake Eire, the Rock and Roll, the Browns Stadium, the Indian's Jacobs Field, Playhouse Sq., the West Side Market, the Art Museum, Case Western Reserve University, CSU, the mansions along Edgewater Drive, and especially the fast miles in the Cultural Gardens along Martin Luther King Blvd. Cleveland looked great! This is one of the best marathons in the Midwest and its organization is second to none. I ran w/ experienced runners from Virginia and New York, who also thought the new course upgraded the race considerably. |
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