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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 71 to 81]
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T. B. from Salem, Oregon
(11/1/2010)
"Good marathon but needs some improvements" (about: 2010)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 Portland Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This is the third time I've run Portland, and it was by far the worst with respect to weather. Surprisingly, once I started running, the rain didn't bother me except for the sheets of water on the roads. I think the rain really kept the music and bands away this year because there seemed to be far fewer than in years past. Crowd support was good for the most part but thinned out after the St. John's Bridge . Pros 1. Fairly well organized. 2. Great finish area with lots of food options. Cons 1. Ultima fluid on the course, The stuff is nasty and is only electrolytes, no calories. 2. Most of the cups were plastic, which didn't allow for the usual squeezing necessary for drinking on the run. 3. Hyped up the date of the run as 10-10-10, but that was not to be found on the t-shirts or medals. I was disappointed. 4. Expensive. 5. This year they required packet pick up the day before the race. No day-of-race pickup, which is extremely inconvenient for those who don't live in Portland or aren't staying in a Portland hotel. | |
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K. W. from Milan, Italy
(10/30/2010)
"Rainy and bleak - but great fans" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I came expecting a flat and fast course - which is what I got. I also got a downpouring of rain, outpouring of support, and uproariously few porta-potties in my wave start. "A" wave needed far more porta-potties. I loved the bands and support (not to mention the flat course), and did not see a single train. I probably won't run this race again - too crowded, too boring, and too focused on the gimmicks and the stories rather than the actual running. | |
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P. L. from Ohio
(10/20/2010)
"My thoughts on Portland Marathon" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I will try to be fair in my comments. Pros: 1. Great volunteer support from start to finish. Thank you! 2. More thanks to the spectators who came out on a rainy day. 3. Good race day organization. Plenty of water stations and porta-potties. 4. Plentiful entertainment along the course. Cons: 1. Nobody can control the weather, but it rained practically the entire morning of the race. One of the wettest races I have run in a long time. 2. This is an expensive race: $135 for the marathon. $125 for the half marathon. 3. The course. There have been enough comments about the industrial parts of the course; but, with the addition of a half marathon, I believe the course is near capacity. It was crowded out there. 4. The quality of the race shirts was not as good as in previous years. Last year's shirts were technical shirts by Nike. 5. Ultima drink and Tiger gel were hard to stomach. | |
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R. M. from Boise, ID
(10/18/2010)
"What an amazing experience!" (about: 2010)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first-ever marathon, so I have nothing with which to compare, but I did enjoy it. The rain was miserable (followed by days of sunshine, of course); the course had more hills than I expected; the volunteers were great; the fans definitely deserve a huge "thank you" just for showing up in such crappy conditions and being so positive; the Ultima electrolyte replacement tasted horrible; and the entry and finisher shirts were nice but seemed to run a little shorter than other running shirts I've purchased that were the same size. I will return next year to improve on my time. | |
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A. W. from Boston
(10/18/2010)
"Great spectators, but needs MORE start porta-potti" (about: 2010)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Given the rain, there was a ton of support. The Ultima was disgusting, and because the cups they handed it out in were (I think) eco-plastic, you couldn't squeeze the top to drink, so it spilled all over me. Thankfully, it wasn't colored like Gatorade. There were seriously 300 to 500 too few porta potties at the start, especially by the A and B waves. How could they not consider that? It's unforgivable. I saw many miss the start waiting. Great atmosphere if you don't ever need to use the bathroom and don't drink or eat their handouts. | |
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C. P. from Texas
(10/17/2010)
"So Much Potential, But...." (about: 2010)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This race had some high points, but was overall a big disappointment. The pros: 1. Fans and bands were quite enthusiastic despite the POURING rain. 2. Support stations were well run and had plenty of great volunteers. 3. Miles 18-24 were quite scenic and had a lot of excited spectators. 4. Lots of good photos. 5. The variety of food at the finish line. 6. PORTLAND is fun and easy to get around on the public transit system. Now for the cons: 1.The start line felt chaotic and was very dark. 2. The clothing drop-off at the start was jam packed, they ran out of bags, and the staff was incredibly rude. They had known it would be raining for days, yet seemed very unprepared. An unsettling way to start the race. More about the clothing drop later. 3. Miles 5-11 of the route was an out and back through a boring and frankly ugly industrial area. Miles 12-17 was a uphill climb on a major highway with no fans allowed. 4. The course was .2-.3 miles too long. This was verified by several Garmins. 5. Ultima and gel tasted pretty bad. 6. "Checkpoint Charlie" felt like airport security on the steepest part of the course! Having officials dart through runners looking for bandits was so distracting! No one likes bandits, but to distract runners in the middle of a marathon on a tough climb was ridiculous. 7. Finish line was chaotic felt disorganized. We waited an hour, freezing cold and wet, in order to retrieve our clothing bags. What a mess! | |
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D. B. from San Diego, CA
(10/16/2010)
"Really good race but Ultima is so nasty!" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Although it rained pretty much the whole time, I had a lot of fun running in Portland. Some of it was very scenic, and the industrial areas were hideously fascinating in their own way. The spectators and volunteers were so enthusiastic even though they stood in the rain for hours. I loved the shirts and the trinkets and food at the end of the race. The aid stations were plentiful and the gummy bears were a fun way to take in carbs. But: Ultima is the most vile drink ever! The gel they gave out on the course was bad! For the high entry price, those were real disappointments. | |
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C. B. from Portland, OR
(10/15/2010)
"Overpriced and not for seasoned runners..." (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Portland Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my 11th time running Portland, and while I like the event due to location (home town), I've become increasingly disappointed by the fees ($135), that they've brought in a 1/2, that they focus so much on MP3 friendliness, and that their on course drink is awful (Ultima). The organization is good, and course is OK, but I sure would like to see them focus more on runners and less on the gadgetry and accessories around marathons. | |
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P. R. from Portland
(10/12/2010)
"Great Marathon" (about: 2010)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Portland Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my second time running Portland and I appreciated it much more this time after having run a different marathon a couple of times in between. The course has distinct sections to it and is somewhat rolling as opposed to a flat out-and-back. Mentally, I liked the breaks and physically my legs like the changes. It's fairly easy to get to the start. The crowds and music are great. The aid stations are numerous enough to accommodate any fueling plan. The medical tent and staff are very helpful if you're in need after the race. I'd prefer if the half were a separate race. Winding your way around slower half runners and walkers at the end is too much. I still can't believe how many walkers I saw in the middle of the course 2-3 abreast strolling along as if a race weren't occuring. I'd give the course and organization 5 stars if you didn't have to navigate around walkers and slower half runners. Overall, though, great race and great weather! | |
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M. M. from CALIFORNIA
(10/11/2010)
"Rainy with underground expo" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Portland Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 It poured down hard during most of this marathon, which reduced the crowd support considerably along this largely industrial area course. Yet some faithful bands, cheerleaders, and other well wishers came out. The expo was in a parking garage and was very tight and uncomfortable. It was somewhat hard to find the starting places in the dark, rainy weather at 6 AM. There were numerous puddles along the course, making for wet shoes and socks, slower times, and being too cold at the end. The volunteers were fantastic with water and Ultima. Jeff Galloway, as usual, did great seminars about training and running strategies. The finish line had great refreshments. Overall, I probably will not return because this was the second year (including 2008) that I had to run in the rain, and these were by far the worst weather conditions I've had in my running career. |
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