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Calgary Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Calgary Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.6 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 3.2
Number of comments: 53 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
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Fergus Hodgson from Fort Collins, Colorado
(5/27/2024)
"Sharp Organization, Solid Course in Great City" (about: 2024)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Calgary Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Calgary is one of my favorite cities, with the lovely Bow River through town and views of the Rockies. This marathon sells out because it is well organized and responsive to participant needs, with more than 1,000 volunteers helping. For example, the full marathon has pacers from three hours down to 4:30 at five-minute increments. (I led the three-hour group.) Further, the Calgary Stampede grounds have a lot of room for hosting a good crowd. The course has a few rolling hills and a couple of hairpin turns, but it is not bad for speed. This year there was wind and rain, so that made it a bit tougher. There is a slight downward gradient for the second half of the course, which helps you come home strong. As far as crowds go, they were a touch light, at least when you consider there were 10,000 participants (1,000 in the full marathon). However, they might also have been low on account of the weather. I would love to run this one again, primarily for the location and positive atmosphere among the runners. | |
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B. K. from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
(7/5/2018)
"Sunny marathon in sunny Calgary" (about: 2018)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Calgary Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Calgary Marathon 2018 was a loop race with start and finish in the famous Calgary Stampede Park. There was a large crowd at the simultaneous start of 50 km, marathon, half and 10 km runners. The course was not very exciting in mostly residential areas and a nice flat section along Bow River. Organization was above average with one exception: on a hot May race day there was NO ice-cold water at the stations, especially at the final kilometres. Only after the finish line we could cool down. | |
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R. P. from Calgary, Alberta
(6/2/2015)
"Impeccably organized in every detail" (about: 2015)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Calgary Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was my second marathon and the first in the city where I live. (My first marathon was in Paris in 2014.) First, the race is superbly organized in EVERY way. Advance communication, logistics, route marshals, water stations, medical support and volunteers were all amazing. These aspects are world class. The course is NOT AS FLAT as some people expected. There is bit of a climb from 10 to 15 km. It gutted a number of people I talked to after the race. Since I train here, it was not a surprise. The course is A LITTLE BORING and with only 900 or so runners in the marathon, it gets a bit lonely. (I train alone but loved the 42.2-km mob of the Paris marathon.) There are water and Gatorade stations every three kilometres but no calories. (Paris had oranges and bananas, which was delightful.) The Calgary crowds are light but growing. (I did the Calgary half marathon in 2014.) The T-shirt was odd: a new design with heavy, rubberized screening that seemed unlikely for a running shirt. The FINISHER MEDAL IS IMPRESSIVE. The website did not convey the size and weight of a medal that doubles as a belt buckle - an appropriate and iconic choice for a city known for its western hospitality and Stampede. Some people complained that the ultra marathon, marathon and half marathons all start together. It may be a fair comment but with fewer than 5,000 people in total and excellent signage and sorting, it is managed well. (I missed the half marathoners when the marathon takes a turn to add the extra 21.1 km; the running group thins by about 80 per cent.) Overall, it is a very fine event. (The half marathon is really excellent: 5-star course.) | |
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S. S. from Calgary, AB
(6/1/2015)
"Tough course" (about: 2015)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Calgary Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The Calgary Marathon has tripled in size over the last 10 years and is starting to look and feel like more than a local race. The race is very well organized. The location for the start and finish provides ample space to move around before and after the race, and there was never a lineup for anything (except the indoor toilets). The volunteers are amazing, which is typical of Calgary. Parking nearby is a challenge, so use public transit, bike, or take a cab/car share. The first 2/3 of the course itself is not easy, but the last 15K is mercifully flat. We locals who train at this altitude (3400 ft+) don't notice it, but sea level runners will find the hills tougher. For that reason, Calgary will always struggle to attract serious destination runners. Faster runners may find themselves running alone for long stretches (see the results and you'll know what I mean). The fan support along the way is sparse, but apparently growing each year. I see below that some don't like the belt buckle medals, but I love them and will wear mine at the 2015 Calgary Stampede! Only complaints are: 1. The food selection after the race was a bit limited. 2. The expo needs more space - way too crowded and not enough space for the speaker series. | |
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D. S. from Spokane, WA, USA
(11/30/2014)
"Let down at the end." (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Calgary Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The people of Calgary were great. I was really excited to be running this as a destination race. Unfortunately, when I finished the race, I was not doing well. I wanted a banana half or an orange slice. I was told that those were only for the 50K runners. I have never been to a marathon that treated the marathoners as second class citizens. Sadly, I won't be back. | |
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P. R. from Calgary, Alberta
(9/23/2014)
"Calgary Marathon is Coming of Age" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Calgary Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Fifth time running my home town marathon, and finally, with a few minor concerns, the Calgary Marathon is at last coming of age with an event worthy of the city. Pros: - good registration and package pick-up. - fast, efficient gear check on race day. - Good start and finish areas, decent attempt at seeding runners at the start. Still a bit crowded getting to the start, but nice wide roadways for the first couple of kms is a big improvement over the cramped starting conditions at the previous location. - excellent water stations, great course marshalling and traffic control. Okay, but could be better: - the new route is a step up from the previous one, but there is still room for improvement. Sections through the older parts of the city, 17ave and Mt. Royal/Elbow Park are enjoyable, but the middle part around Mt. Royal University is uninspiring and at times somewhat ugly; it would be nice to have more of the race routed downtown or through more inner city neighbourhoods. The final section along Memorial Drive continues to be unenjoyable, pounding along the hot asphalt within site of the much more runner-friendly river pathways. Overall a decent route but could be better. - Spectators seem to be growing year by year; nice to finally see some neighbourhoods getting out to support the race. Organizers seem to be making an effort to involve the community and it appears to be paying off. Cons: - cramped Expo, not so much from crowds of people but rather from a poor layout that forces everyone through narrow aisles and numerous 'pinch points'. It would be nice to have the option to pick up your race package, T-shirt, etc. without having to negotiate the entire maze of the Expo. - butt ugly medal; even Liberace would be embarrassed to wear that tacky, over the top piece of bling. I know that some like it, but compared to the classy medals of many/most other races, Calgary's comes off as garish; bigger and louder is not always better. Celebrating our western heritage is fine, but those tacky medals have to go. Time for a redesign to something classier that we all can be proud of. Overall, this year's marathon was a step up, and with a few small tweaks could join the ranks as one of Canada's premier events. | |
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Justin Abbott from Charlotte, NC
(6/6/2014)
"Great overall experience!" (about: 2014)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Everything about this marathon was a fantastic experience. The weather in Western Canada this time of year is phenomenal. Coming from the southern US, I've been training in heat/humidity and the air up north allowed me to perform MUCH better than I did in training. The expo was great, although a little crowded on Saturday. The race itself was great. All the volunteers were fantastic and very courteous. My only complaint is that the last 2.5 km I came across people finishing the 5k and they clogged up my path to the finish line. I would recommend they get rerouted so they don't interfere with the marathon runners that are coming in late. Otherwise, a GREAT experience and I will come back in the future. | |
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D. M. from Franklin, ID
(6/3/2014)
"Good experience that could have been better..." (about: 2014)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Calgary Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I'm very glad that I ran this race, my first 50k (after over 100 marathons). It was the perfect way to bridge to a longer distance on a road surface (rather than trails). There were so many positives: lots of port-o-potties at the start, on time start, awesome finisher's belt buckle/medal and 50k beer stein, and nice high tech shirt. However, there were so many things that put a damper on the whole experience. First, the expo was not well marked (no signs at all) and was not well laid out (for example, the ends of some aisles were blocked for no reason and you had to 'squeeze' around barriers). The speaker stage was right on the expo floor and for the mandatory 50k meeting (where 500 people needed to attend) crowded out the race shirt pickup area and made movement difficult. These are just some examples of organization that needed work. Also, they made a big deal about 'going green' and carrying your own water bottle to refill at the water stations. But then they 'hid' the spigots behind all the volunteers standing out on the road with cups. I finally just took the cups, as it was easier. And considering the great job with all the port-o-potties at the start, the number on the course for that many people was inadequate. The worst part though was that for the last 2-3k of the race (marathon and ultra), we were 'dumped into' the course where the 5K families and kids were running. Imagine on very exhausted legs while struggling to have a strong finish, suddenly you have to avoid all these kids, strollers, and walkers to get to the finish line. I actually stopped and asked one of the volunteers if I was still on the right course to finish the ultra. One woman pushing a 'racing stroller' with her toddler in it hit me in the back of my foot and almost knocked me over! There really should have been a dedicated lane for the long distance runners, so we wouldn't have had to deal with that. I'm sure this was the first time they has so many long distance finishers on the course at the same time as the 5K (because it was the first time they offered the 50k), but that should have been thought through. Then, once I finished, there were no water bottles (only cups of tepid water which were difficult to get to), and the post race food area was a mess (because all the 5k finishers were crowded in). I just walked away from it. I also never found the beer tent. From a spectator standpoint, my husband said the finish area was disorganized and the family meeting area was one of the worst I've ever seen. We did finish in the stadium, with a jumbotron screen that was cool, but my husband said you couldn't tell where the runners would be coming out and the material explained things differently than reality. In closing, it was a worthwhile experience and as always the volunteers are my heroes. It's just a shame that some areas lacked organization and therefore left me with an overall impression that it could have been so much better. | |
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Robin Werbecky from Prince George , B.C.
(6/1/2014)
"Awwwwesome" (about: 2014)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Calgary Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 So organized and efficient! | |
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J. M. from Calgary, AB
(5/27/2013)
"Course felt like a rat maze" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Calgary Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This course seemed to have too many twists and turns and you never get going in any one direction for very long. I even prefer the old course that went out to Bowness and back. You had a better sense of direction which helps with pacing and knowing where you are during the race. Also the cobblestone road in the East Village is not suitable for running on and you actually go over it twice, and the second time at one of the most crucial points of the race. The half marathoners should not be starting with the marathoners.....I thought this was established for various reasons. The lack of parking at the start/finish makes getting to the race a pain for runners/family members etc. and the only real option is Calgary Transit. Things that were great : the weather, the bag check, the people cheering along the course, the mayor starting the race. All in all a good race. |
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