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☰
Portland Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Portland Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.5 
Organization 4.2 
Spectators 4.3
Number of comments: 295 [displaying comments 181 to 191]
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E. M. from Brooklyn, NY
(10/3/2006)
"I had a great time running in Portland." (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Cons: -- Long stretches of the course are a bit dreary. -- The medal is somewhat chintzy. -- The shirt is ridiculously poorly made. The Pros: -- The parts of the course that aren't dreary are fantastic. The course is about 85% flat, with one hill that will bust your buttons. -- The people of Portland are great. The volunteers were incredibly enthusiastic. The water stops were always completely stocked with various drinks. -- They say it never rains on the Portland Marathon, and they were right in 2006. What a beautiful day. I'd run it again. | |
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T. C. from Wisconsin
(10/3/2006)
"Nice race but tough course" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Positives: Race was very well organized, especially at the aid stations, finish line and food areas. The volunteers are phenomenal. Beautiful medal and a nice shirt that I'm proud to wear. Negatives: Bottleneck at Mile 2 may be due to construction. Tough inclines Miles 3-5 and 15-17. Very congested family reunion area. | |
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J. E. from Colorado Springs, Co.
(10/3/2006)
"No Finisher Shirts :(" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 The spectators were fantastic!! Unfortunately, there were no finisher shirts left when several of us crossed the finish line. Although shirts will be sent to us at a later date, this was extremely disappointing. | |
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L. M. from Sammamish, WA
(10/2/2006)
"Now THAT was fun!!!!" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 In a nutshell, Portland, OR knows how to throw a marathon. Spectators were almost EVERYWHERE along the course shouting personalized words of encouragement, every mile marker was identified by a HUGE blue balloon floating high in the air, split times were called at every mile, every aid station was identified by a HUGE red balloon floating high in the air, and there was even entertainment along the way. I thought the course was fine. Of course, this was my first time visiting Portland so I don't know how they could have altered the course to show a "better" side of Portland. The finish line was well stocked for us back-of-the-pack runners. My only complaint being the Dixie cup of water just didn't cut it. I REALLY needed a bottled water. I'll do this one again for sure. | |
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T. G. from Fairview, Oregon
(10/2/2006)
"good race" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Portland Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my 5th Portland Marathon. The health expo was great. I think there were fewer vendors this year so it was easier to move around. As for race day, I thought this was supposed to be "the best organized race"? This was the 35th year so you would think these little things would be figured out by now. The placement of the porta-potties at the start was awful. The lines for the porta-potties were in the same space as the staging for the race. What a mess. The gear drop was a cruel joke. Please don't make me stand in line for 20 minutes just to drop my gear bag! They really need corrals or something at the start. There were a lot of people in blue jeans and jackets (and dogs and strollers) in the staging area before the start. It is crowded enough with just the runners. My last itty-bitty complaint: the finisher's shirt looks like a top to your jammies. The race itself was great. Nice course (I hate that hill!), plenty of aid stations, good crowds after you cross the bridge, and great food at the end. I'm sure that ice cream sandwich saved my life. | |
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D. S. from Portland, Oregon
(9/20/2006)
"Great organization. Course should be better." (about: 2005)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Portland Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I live in Portland and have done this race every year since I moved here in 1995. The organization is fantastic. Lots of attention to details... even giving out Douglas Fir saplings and a rose to all finishers. My only gripe is the course could be way better. It's almost like the organizers don't want people to like it so they don't move here! Why not go through some of the cool neighborhoods or up Leif Erickson trail? This is a great running city. It's a shame we don't show it off. | |
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Dora Melgar_Baldwin from Arequipa, Peru
(8/5/2006)
"As an Andean girl, running is my favorite sport." (about: 2002)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 2002 Portland Marathon: It was excellent for me. The weather was just right. Next time I will work in my downhill training. I hope I can do it again!!!!! - Dora :) | |
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C. Billhartz from St. Louis, MO
(12/8/2005)
"Lots of fun, great spectator support" (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my fourth marathon and because of a bad case of plantar fasciitis, I came into it way undertrained (total of about 20 miles running in last 5 weeks of training) so I didn't know if I'd even finish. (Only decided to go ahead and run it the week before.) I approached it with the attitude that I'd just go out and have fun; and have fun I did. I met a super nice woman named Sally from Seattle (Hi, Sally!) at about mile 4 and she and I ran together until about mile 17. BTW: That ramp up to that gorgeous green bridge is enormous!!!! The weather was perfect, the course was flat, as advertised, and I thought the scenery was fine and find it strange that people complain about scenery at all. Every city has its pretty parts and its ugly parts and it's kind of neat to see both. I didn't have any problems at water stops. I felt better than expected for most of the race, then hit the wall like never before at about mile 20, and from there on in it was run/walk run/walk. I could only smile and shake my head at about mile 25.7 when a spectator who saw me struggling yelled at me personally (thanks to our names on bibs) to keep running. It might have seemed easy to her, but I was a hurtin'. I appreciated her concern though. I finished in 4:24 and one of those medical guys looked in my eyes and almost pulled me off to the side for some aid because I was so wasted. But then I ate two ice cream bars and felt better almost immediately. So my favorite part was definitely the ice cream bars. And that little tree sprig they gave us. My only complaint is the loooong line to get t-shirts at the finish line. Apparently the runners didn't realize they could form four lines for the four different sizes and were all lining up in one line in front of the small booth. I would definitely consider doing this marathon again, non-injured and better trained. | |
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J. V. from Seattle, Wa
(11/13/2005)
"Portland has more to offer" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Very disappointed with the course. I felt the course was through industrial Portland. However, Portland has much more to offer for a much more scenic course. Organization was fantastic. Great water/food stops. | |
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G. Y. from Berkeley, CA
(10/26/2005)
"Fantastic crowd support and volunteers!" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and my overall experience was a good one. Spectator and Volunteers: The crowd support was excellent! I finished at 5:12 and there was great spectator support all the way to the end. Having your name printed on the bib (optional) was a great idea! It helped tremendously. Also the volunteers at the packet pickup and along the course were very friendly and helpful. I carried my own water bottle. The volunteers were very helpful and fast in filling up my water bottle. Course: The course had some scenic parts, much of the race was through the industrial park (6-11). The course was confusing and dangerous at Mile 1-2 b/c there was a fence that divided the course for a short stretch. During this short stretch, the options were to run through mud puddles or run along railroad tracks, both were not very good options. Hairpin turn at mile 10 could be dangerous with a big pack of people. Luckily, I had a lot of space when I turned. From Mile 14-16, I felt we were running too close to the oncoming traffic. The mile markers were confusing. I was timing myself and wasn't sure if the mile marker was the sign, the brick, the spray-painted marker on the ground or where the person actually called out the time. They were all a bit off from each other. Recovery Area and T-shirt: There was plenty of food! Better if we had a small bag to take some food with us and bottled water instead water in Dixie cups. Great t-shirt material (Dri-Fit); the sizes were like cotton shirt sizes though. My small fits like an extra large. Overall: The course overall was flat and partly scenic. The temperature was perfect for running. The music was great! The local crowd support was awesome! |
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