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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 71 to 81]
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D. R. from Cincinnati, OH
(5/16/2011)
"Nice marathon." (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Cleveland Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Really nice marathon that is growing every year. This is the fourth consecutive year that I have run this marathon. Pros: - Spinning guitar medal - Technical shirt with women's sizing. - Good pasta dinner right at the hotel (Hyatt at the Arcade...THE place to stay as they provide a 3:00 p.m. checkout and runner breakfast box) - Well supported race with plenty of powerade, gels and water. - Friendly volunteers - Enthusiastic fans - Convenient shuttle to the expo (since this year the expo was about 12 miles from the hotel...usually it is within walking distance...it was great that shuttles were provided...I used these and they were really convenient) - expo was nice...very easy to get the packet Cons: - Event is growing every year so may be a good idea of corral and wave start for less congestion | |
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C. L. from Washington, DC
(5/16/2011)
"Cleveland rocks!" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I picked this race to click off OH on my quest for the 50 states because of the reviews here. I was not disappointed! Relatively painless to get to the start and to leave after I was finished, great medal with the spinning guitar and a very nice women's cut tech shirt that did not have any sponsor ads on it! Cleveland rocks! I knocked off a star from the course rating because the first few miles had a really bad camber to it, so bad my knees really started to hurt, and they really needed more porta pots on the course. I held it until after the half marathoners split off, but there were still long waits because they cut down the number of toilets at each stop. The weather was kind of crappy this year, raining or drizzling the entire time and in the low 50s. Strong headwind at the end. But the volunteers were fabulous and the on course entertainment was out in full force! Great time...really reminded me of Richmond marathon, so if you liked that one, give Cleveland a shot! | |
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C. N. from Akron, OH
(5/16/2011)
"Very well done, Cleveland" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Cleveland Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Ran Cleveland again this year after several years and was very pleasantly surprised. The start and finish by Browns stadium was excellent, the course was interesting and fast, logistics were handled well and my overall experience was very good this year. The race field has grown to make this a substantial event. All in all a great experience in Cleveland. | |
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C. D. from Columbus, OH
(5/16/2011)
"Love The Cleveland Weather" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Cleveland Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 After several days of mid-summer temperatures, the weekend weather turned. We had low 50's, wind, steady drizzle, and it was just fine. Give credit to the fans who hung in there. The new course layout worked well. Having the Brown's stadium open before the race was great. It got a bit congested at about 11 miles as some of the half participants were starting to fade, but after the half turned to the finish, it was time to steady in to a good pace. The Cleveland race is a good opportunity to get in a spring marathon. | |
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B. S. from Buffalo, NY
(5/15/2011)
"Not as good as I had Hope" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 Maybe I was a little spoiled because I took my bicycle to Boston a few weeks prior to this race and enjoyed watching that race and the course immensely. Although Cleveland did some good things. A number of disappointments happened on this course. The following are just some highlights: 1. The 'Pacers' for the race that I came into contact with seemed to be off w/ their splits. (This was the experience f my friends who ran also) 2. I thought I'd see more of Cleveland scenery.... A good portion goes through warehouse districts/borderline ghettos. 3. At the end of the race (about 1 mile) left... They let a big inner city youth group (about 600-800kids) run the last mile. This was sorta cool... But then when they finished instead of giving kids 'healthy' food most of them had chips/pretzels. 4. Both me and a friend have Garmin watches and BOTH came out different than 26.2 for the total.... We were both around 26.5??? 5. The tent area is not well organized. The 'Good' from the race was the other runners...Most were pleasant. Also, I'm Glad they used the football stadium, plenty of bathroom space in the beginning ad at end. | |
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M. Z. from Akron, OH
(8/15/2010)
"Flat Course, Nasty Headwind" (about: 2010)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I really enjoyed running Cleveland; it is a very flat course and I did get a PR, but between miles 14 and 17 there was a nasty headwind, which was pretty difficult to get through. The crowds were great, especially miles 4-8 - they had high school bands and everything! The medals are amazing! I doubt if I will ever find a cooler one. | |
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D. W. from Ohio
(5/24/2010)
"Must-do if you live in northeast Ohio" (about: 2010)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I got sun burnt, hit the wall at 18 miles, and experienced cramped muscles that I didn't know I had, BUT I still enjoyed the 2010 Cleveland Marathon. Positives: 1) I showed up 1 hour before the start and had no problem parking two blocks from the start for $5. Parking was my biggest fear and it became a non-event. 2) Course was interesting except for the 7 miles along the lake out in the sun with a headwind. Just a really long, boring area. 3) Many well stocked aid stations. 4) The homestretch to the finish line was exciting. 5) Results were posted very quickly. Things to work on: 1) The starting area is too congested to start full marathoners and half marathoners together. We had to make several turns in the first mile, which compounded the problem. 2) Other have discussed the layout of the aid stations. It would be nice for them to spread out over 50 yards and not hide around the turns. 3) There weren't any signs for finishers to know where the food, ice, and beer were - just a bunch of scattered white tents and I didn't feel like wandering all around while I was cramping. 4) Split marker for mile 11 was about 100 yards long; 12 was the same amount short. 5) The road surface is nasty for the first 10 miles or so. I was worried I would twist an ankle on the uneven road surface. At least it was shady in Tremont. Overall, this is a good event that is on the cusp of returning to its former glory. | |
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A. G. from Bridgeport Ohio
(5/22/2010)
"Nice weekend." (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was our 9th marathon, and while I always love running marathons, this was probably my least favorite. The organization and spectators were fine. The Hyatt Hotel was a great place to stay. (I thought the $22 for the pasta party was outrageous, though). I guess I didn't care for the course. We enjoyed the neighborhoods in the first half, but the second half was mostly concrete into a strong wind. I understand that the wind is usually at your back, so that's out of the organizers' control. The end was also just straight down the street, with no interesting sights. We're glad we did it, and our times were decent, but we'll probably look for something different for next year. I would recommend it as one to put on your list, though. Just don't expect great scenery... run for the joy of running! | |
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M. D. from Columbus, OH
(5/20/2010)
"Not a fun marathon" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 The headwind for many of the middle miles made the course quite difficult. Scenery was extremely poor, as was crowd support. Water stops had water and PowerAde mixed and it was quite difficult to figure out which one you were grabbing. Runners were not extremely friendly either. Someone spit directly in my face, which has never happened at any other of the many races I've run. In addition, downtown Cleveland leaves a lot to be desired. I expected a lot more. | |
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J. M. from Collegeville, PA
(5/19/2010)
"Set a PR on a great day to run a marathon!" (about: 2010)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 It was my first time running the Cleveland Marathon and I had an overall good experience. The expo was well organized and packet pick up was easy. Race start and finish locations are easy to get to from downtown hotels. Race start seemed a little disorganized with no real corrals - just one big mass of people. Too many walkers started up front. The course itself was average, with good parts and bad. I liked the downtown area, the strip along the lake, and the long, straight stretch to the finish line. I didn't like going through the neighborhood with boarded up houses, or the stench when we passed the waste water treatment plant. The marathon course gets a little lonely after the half marathon split. The spectators who came out were great, but there are many long stretches without any at all. Be prepared for the wind from about mile 9 to 17. It seemed like there were too many cross streets where police had their hands full with traffic control. I loved the chocolate milk at the finish line, but was not thrilled with the other food choices. If you are looking for a smaller marathon, this one fits. I was, and I got what I was looking for - plus I set a PR! Overall, a good experience. |
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