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☰
Air Force Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Air Force Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 4.5 
Spectators 3.6
Number of comments: 344 [displaying comments 31 to 41]
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Kami K. from Corpus Christi, TX
(9/21/2012)
"Outstanding!" (about: 2012)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Air Force Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Air Force Marathon Saturday, September 15, 2012 Dayton, Ohio The first Air Force Marathon was held on 9.20.1997, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Air Force & since then it has been held on the 3rd Saturday in September. Each year, one aircraft is featured & this year's was the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber which was displayed on all official marathon gear. The flyover by one at the start of the marathon was eye-catching indeed. The packet pickup at Wright State University's Nutter Center was very efficient. Each runner received a nice short-sleeved technical shirt, a runner's cap, & a few other goodies. Race morning temperature ranged from high 40s to low 70s. It was sunny & wind was not a factor. The start & finish lines were at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. There were 3 entrances into the two parking lots; be prepared for a long walk to start/finish area. Marathon & 10K started at 7:30 AM; half marathon at 8:30 AM. The scenic course was within the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. There were a couple of hilly sections around miles 1 & 21. There were sufficient water/sports drinks stations, sports gels, food items, & wet sponges throughout the course, as well as musicians who entertained us. There were pace teams. Splits were displayed digitally. Finisher's medal was really nice. There were plenty of recovery food items & drinks (beer too!) at the finish area. In short, it was a first class running event . There were 3298 (2233 males, 1065 females) finishers in the average time of 4:46:14. The winning times were 2:28:58 (overall male), 2:37:45 (masters male), 3:01:09 (overall female), & 3:17:07 (masters female). There were 5449 (2991 females, 2458 males) half marathon finishers. There were 1233 (711 females, 522 males) 10K finishers. There were 1443 (813 females, 612 males) 5K finishers. This was my 95th marathon & I liked it a lot! | |
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Cindy Finke from Dayton OH
(9/20/2012)
"Half Marathon Course Confusion (AGAIN)" (about: 2012)
First Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I was among the unfortunate mass that ran longer than the advertised 13.1 miles for the half marathon-according to my GPS I logged 14.6! I suffered 2 u-turns after following the crowd (and being directed the wrong way by volunteers) causing abrupt changes in pace and abundant frustration as each inversion forced me behind slower runners. The winner of the men's half, and personal friend, was somehow able to break his own former course record but even he was impacted as the sheer volume of the wrong-way crowd forced the pace car to divert leaving him and the other front runners yelling to clear a path as they struggled to weave their way upstream. (How much faster could he have run unimpeded?) I understand that this was the result of an unfortunate mistake, but a similar mix-up occured during last year's event when the pace car inadvertantly led the elite runners the wrong way extending their race by nearly a mile. I register for races in order to gauge my ability against that of other runners-I like to compete! Last year I had a great experience and was even honored as the fastest military female in the 10K. While I had no illusions that I'd even come close to winning this event, I have no way of knowing how I faired. For me, this race fell horribly short of all expectations. I do recognize and appreciate all of the hard work that was obviously put into hosting this event. The logistics supporting the parking plan alone were impressive and the events surrounding the race were a lot of fun! However, it cannot be ignored that there is a recurring problem with the half marathon that needs to be fixed! | |
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M. B. from Albany, NY
(9/20/2012)
"Excellent mid-sized marathon" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Air Force Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran this as my Ohio marathon on my quest to be a 50-stater. Overall it was a great experience. Pros: 1. Hydration stops were frequent, with gels at 3 places, and sponges at 2 places, and bananas at a couple. 2. Volunteers were awesome and plentiful. 3. Crowd support in Fairborn from miles 8-10 was great. 4. The course was mostly flat. 5. The baggage check was easy and efficient. 6. The flyover of the B-2 stealth bomber was awesome. 7. T-shirt and medal were nice (also got baseball cap). 8. Several bands along the course provided motivation. Cons: 1. There was very little shade on the course. If it was a hot day, the sun would have been brutal. 2. Parts of the course are desolate, not attractive and with no spectators, especially miles 13-20. 3. Getting out of the parking lot took nearly an hour. It seems there was one open gate (not enough). 4. Had to park a mile from the start, which was okay in the morning, but not a pleasant walk after running the marathon. 5. We had to get food and beverages immediately after finishing, without the option of going back. After running a marathon, I need to let my stomach settle a little before eating. I suggest checking out the Air Force Museum during your visit to Dayton. It was excellent and it is where the race starts and ends. | |
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D. F. from Huntsville, AL
(9/19/2012)
"Flat, but boring course with almost no spectators" (about: 2012)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Air Force Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Organization was good. Course was pretty but very boring. Since most is on a military installation, there are very few spectators. Much of the course is running the 'perimeter road'. Start and finish at the AF museum (and the pre-race fly by) is excellent. Unless you live close, this is a race to do once, just to say you did it. | |
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R. K. from TN
(9/19/2012)
"Enjoyable Marathon" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Air Force Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Thumbs up to a fun event put on by the Air Force! I would run it again. Pros: Flyover of the B2 Bomber at start. Excellent medal. Good medium sized expo. Very nice tech shirt. Runners cap and Air Force Marathon patch Plenty of water stations Plenty of porta-potties Around Miles 9 - 11 going through a very fun and patriotic town Good overall course. Cons 1) After finishing they asked us to keep moving which I did thinking I'll come back for food since I wasn't ready to eat yet. However once away from the area I was not allowed back to get food. My daughtor did the same thing and ended up buying pizza from a vender near the finish line since they wouldn't let her back to get food. 2) Long walk to/from parking area 3) Photos have the half marathon gun time in them which started after the marathon. 4) Some logistics of the race could have been helped with more signs. I saw in the news that 500 - 1000 half marathoners ran around 2+ extra miles because of the lack of good signs. The race director has apologized for that on the marathon site and stated they will fix that issue next year. Also a sign letting you know that either you get your food now or lose access to it once you cross a certain threshold would be helpful. | |
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C. B. from Biloxi, MS
(9/18/2012)
"Meh. Underwhelmed" (about: 2012)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Air Force Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Ok, brutally honest review coming up. I'm active duty Air Force, and I was really excited run this race. Unfortunately, a few key details spoiled it for me. Number 1, the parking was confusing. There were numerous lots with the same numbers used for the rows, but with different colored backgrounds. At six a.m. it's difficult to distinguish the colors, and I lost my car. For two hours. AFTER running the marathon. 2nd, the journey from the parking to the start line was a good 30 minute walk, and I don't walk slow. My hubby walked me to the start, and planned to go back to the car because his half marathon didn't start for another hour. He ended up running there, looking for the car for a half hour, then running back without any of his gear. Good thing there is plentiful water, Gatorade and gel on the course. Photo support is pretty minimal, and the run tracking was the same. There isn't staggered corral starting, so the beginning was a mess. The course was pretty, but a large portion of the roads were canted and my ankles were killing me. Oh, and BIG overpass hills. It seemed like about four of them. Fairborn at mile 10 was cool, but the last half of the race was kind of boring. Zero spectators... how about volun-telling some Airmen to come out and cheer? :-D I had so much fun in the Rock-N-Roll series marathons, and this was a let down in comparison. Bummer. :( I wanted it to be more. | |
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N. M. from Champaign, IL
(9/18/2012)
"Great Race!" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Air Force Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Loved the fly over prior to the start. At the start/finish area another runner described the porta potty area as porta potty heaven! I would have to agree - no wait 1/2 hour prior to the marathon start. Only issue was the last few miles joining back with half marathoners at a 2:30 or greater pace had to weave through a few. Other than that great job. Thank you to all who serve our country! | |
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S. M. from Ottawa, ON
(9/18/2012)
"Do this Race!" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Air Force Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 My 38th Marathon! Woo hoo! This was well worth the 12 hour drive from Ottawa. It is a well organized race with a few glitches. The course has just a couple of hills and is very flat and picturesque. The other runners are great and if you are a maniac you will find many to talk to. The best part is the food - pizza, bagels, gatorade, etc., There were water stops every mile and very friendly volunteers. The Stealth fighter launch to start the race was something and the Air Force Museum (free!) was good. There should have been a free shuttle bus from the finish line to parking and better signage for the running expo (missed most of the vendors!) | |
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D. C. from San Antonio, TX
(9/17/2012)
"Disaster in half-marathon" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Air Force Marathons
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 The half-marathon was nothing short of a disaster. The second pack of elite runners took a wrong turn at the 3.5 mile mark (no marshals at a key intersection) and more than 500 of the most talented runners followed. These runners became confused while running backwards on the half-marathon course intermixed with marathon runners running forward on their course before getting redirected back to the course in various directions. Most ran in the neighborhood of 14.6 to 15.6 total miles with essentially none of the potential age group placers getting a valid time. If you examine the results, you'll see a complete disconnect with the distribution of the finishing times and almost half of all the runners not getting their splits off the intermediate mats. Extremely disappointing when your training was essentially pointed towards this race and you were running well only to have it turn into a nonevent. A total waste of airline tickets, lodging and rental car expenses. | |
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D. M. from detroit, mi
(9/17/2012)
"Just a regular marathon" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Air Force Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 No jet planes this year, 1 fly over from the Stealth makes for just another dead town marathon. In the past the planes made this race great, now it's barely worth putting up with Dayton for. And don't get me started about the lame cargo plane fly over for the 5K, it was stupid. |
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