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☰
Columbus Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Columbus Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.4 
Organization 4.1 
Spectators 4.2
Number of comments: 335 [displaying comments 101 to 111]
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Henry Mentrak from Columbus, Ohio
(10/21/2008)
"Great Race" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Five stars across the board, since this is my first marathon. The medal is the least of my concerns, after finishing 26.2. To be honest, I can't even tell you what the thing says apart from being round. This was my first marathon (bib 4084) and I am now intimately familiar with the "WALL" that everyone has been talking about. Mine occurred at mile 22, and no matter how hard I tried to go to my "Happy Place," it didn't work. FORGET THE MEDAL; I JUST WANTED TO FINISH - AND FINISH I DID, WITH MY DAUGHTER ON MY SHOULDER. "Above The Best." | |
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j. k. from Dighton, Kansas
(10/21/2008)
"half-marathon runner" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was well organized and fun marathon. The fans were the best. In my whole 13.1 miles I probably only took two steps where I didn't hear someone cheering. It was a little crowded, I was trying to beat 1:45, and I had a lot of runner traffic to contend with. | |
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B. P. from St Louis, MO
(10/21/2008)
"Well Organized, Great Race for a PR" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Good, fast course for a PR; I actually qualified for Boston. There are slight hills, but nothing hard and the hills probably provided good variation for the legs. The t-shirts were great and getting a Nike sack bag was a pleasant surprise. I ran the entire race with the 3:40 pace group; the leaders knew the course and were fun to run with and definitely were a reason I qualified for Boston. Columbus is also a great city for a weekend trip. Overall, I would definitely recommend this race if you are looking for a PR or to qualify for Boston. | |
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D. K. from Chicago, IL
(10/21/2008)
"Not bad. Hills were tough. Just OK." (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my 15th marathon, and 1st Columbus. Gear check was a disaster. One truck, one person - totally overwhelmed. I lost my bib, and there was no help desk to help solve the problem. The first 13 miles fast and flat. The last 13.2? Hills. Long, turning, gradual hills. Much, much tougher than anticipated. The final .2 miles are excellent. Crowds were good for a smaller marathon. NO Mylar plastic wraps were available when I finished, under 4 hours. That's bad. Good medal, but a cheesy ribbon came with it. But overall, I liked the race. I had a great time. Stay at the Drury Inn. Fantastic people there, and they opened breakfast early for runners. | |
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M. M. from East Peoria, IL
(10/20/2008)
"Fast Course, Beautiful Weather" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I demolished my PR by 14 minutes on this course, so I am slightly biased. Pros: Fast and interesting course. Well stocked and staffed water and aid stations. Good spectators; I had lots cheering for me by my team shirt (from the the cross-country team that I help coach). Nice t-shirt. Great finish at the end, taking you downhill and through an arch of balloons. Cons: Expo was overly crowded. They had more area to expand but didn't making it an unpleasant experience. Merchandise was decidedly second rate. Many runners commented that the previous sponsor had better clothes, etc. Finish set up and "herding" made going back for more food/water hard for runners. The 3:40 pace leaders went out CRAZY FAST. I was lucky, but I know a number who did not make Boston because of them. | |
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r. m. from louisville, ky
(10/20/2008)
"Fun, mostly flat/fast. George the pacer was great." (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran it yesterday and we had great weather. I thought it was well organized and the course was relatively easy. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was that there were several bottlenecks on narrow streets, which caused runners to bunch up. Otherwise, it was very enjoyable. I qualified for Boston yesterday and a lot of it is due to George the pacer (for 3:30). I didn't get a chance to thank him - so, thanks, George!!!!! | |
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N. G. from NYC
(10/20/2008)
"Definitely a PR course" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Good: Flat and fast course. Bad: Water stations were not long enough. Medal sucked, but who cares? I ain't gonna walk around with it. The t-shirt is a bit dull. Overall, a great course to run for a BQ or PR. I finished it in 3:17, nearly 10 minutes off my PR! | |
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D. B. from Maryland, USA
(10/20/2008)
"Flat & fast; do it if you want a PB or BQ" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race exceeded my expectations. Yes, the medal as a previous commenter mentioned is pretty cheesy. Personally I don't like the shirt material (it is a performance material, but still eh). Start is crowded due to combining it with the half-marathon; however, it is more than manageable. BUT the course is very flat as evidenced by the average finish time and times skewed to the low end. Course is well supported, with hydration stations every mile (more races should do that), and gels included at least at couple of locations. Runs through several nice neighborhoods (Bexley, German Village, Upper Arlington, Grandview, etc.). Plenty of spectators and lots of music (actually pretty nice). Post-race area is crowded, but has adequate food and drink. Plenty of parking close by (although some gouging). Weather's likely to be good for running. Race doesn't sell out immediately - no lottery, no exorbitant fees. All in all, positive. I'd do it again. Again, looking for a PB or BQ time, this might be the ticket. I'll return. | |
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t. b. from toledo,oh
(10/20/2008)
"Great course but the event needs improvement" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 My second year running the half-marathon, and number 11 for 2008. The half had 6,014 runners while the full had 3,867. Enjoyed the new course in 2008, which was mostly flat (except miles 11-13) with moderate elevation. It lacked adequate signage directing runners to seeding areas and mile makers. But there were plenty of volunteers and fluids on the course. Among OH marathons, Flying Pig has the most runners, while Cleveland, Akron, and Columbus have similar number of runners. Easy online registration with an average expo, but there's an easy process for packet pick up. They need to improve the medal, marathon shirt, and marathon merchandise. The main sponsor dominates the medal and shirt, which in 2008 looks like a cheap, gray, cotton shirt, despite its Nike Dri-FIT label. Gear check and gear recovery both need improvement too - along with the self-seeding areas - before this events earns a first-class classification. | |
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J. B. from Mason, OH
(10/20/2008)
"Nice Course Change" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Columbus Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I've run this marathon 7 times and really liked the course change this year. Ran a 7-minute PR. Spending less time on High Street and having the route go through Grandview are big pluses. So I'd give the course and organization 5 stars. The spectators seemed a bit down this year but not sure if that was due to the course change or just my perception. Weather is usually good this time of year in Columbus and this year was fantastic. So congratulations to the organizers and the City of Columbus for pulling off another great race! |
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