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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 241 to 251]
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A. M. from West Bloomfield, Michigan
(10/19/2004)
"Disagree with comments from previous years..." (about: 2004)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have been running marathons since age 17, twenty-four years ago, so I really wanted to pick one I'd enjoy and run well. I went to school at OSU before moving up to the Detroit area, so I thought it would be a fun distraction to come back to Columbus to run. Previous comments really worried me about running this race. After finishing this weekend, I couldn't disagree more. The organization was terrific. Traffic control and safety were top-notch, and the spectators were very supportive. I heard no complaints about lack of facilities, and the medals were a nice keepsake. I did hear some disappointment with the shirt which was a long-sleeve cotton instead of a technical cloth. The aid stations were plentiful, and their volunteers did a great job making it clear what was water and what was Gatorade. There were two gel stops at 12 and 19 miles. The worst part of the whole race was a really strong and gusty wind. My guess is the organizers really took the complaints to heart and made a successful effort to shape things up. I would recommend this race both for the experience and as a good Boston qualifier. | |
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T. M. from Edinboro, Pa
(10/19/2004)
"pasta party a disappointment" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Columbus Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Hard to imagine that the pre-race pasta party ran out of pasta. Many people had to wait a long time while food was being prepared. | |
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S. W. from Cleveland, OH
(10/19/2004)
"Great Marathon For 1st Timers" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The Columbus Marathon is a great marathon for 1st timers. It was my first one (2004). The course is extremely flat and is spectator friendly because of the layout. The course allows family and friends to see you multiple times throughout the race. I definitely recommend it for first time runners. | |
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l. r. from ohioland
(10/19/2004)
"Another solid race" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Columbus Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Another great Columbus. Somehow this race always lucks out on weather (not to jinx it). The expo was better than it has been in recent years, although some booths were a bit odd (Purina Cat Food? I hope no one got confused...). The start and the race are always well organized, this year the finish was better than usual. In the past there haven't been enough medals and food for slower finishers (5:00 plus). This year there were plenty for all, even though the race seemed to have grown quite a bit from the past. This has long been a great race for fast runners: fairly flat, not too crowded, a truly crack team of pacers. This year it offered more for the runners at the back of the pack as well. My only criticism would be that the shirt wasn't the best: long-sleeve COTTON. There have been nice dry release shirts in the past; why not now? | |
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J. S. from Rockville, MD
(10/19/2004)
"Great day for 26.2" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Thank you, Columbus, for a wonderful marathon experience. We had great weather, and we ran through some great neighborhoods and the Ohio State campus. We even went right by the governor's mansion, where the governor was out to cheer us on (both the Kerry and Bush campaigns were out there as well). There were actually more fluid stops than advertized--almost one every mile--and the people manning them could not have been more supportive. Also, as always, a big salute to the various law enforcement officers for giving up their Sunday mornings to protect us at the intersections. I would highly encourage other marathoners to run Columbus. | |
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S. B. from Ohio
(10/18/2004)
"Overall enjoyed running the course" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I've run 4 full marathons in the past, but this time ran the 2-person relay. This was my first time in Columbus. Overall, I thought it was a great course, but as far as the relay goes, I thought it was very disorganized. There was no information in the packet as to where the exchanges were. If you're not from the city, it's difficult to figure that out. In the future, it would be nice if that were clear to all relayers. I heard many complaints in the travels of trying to find the exchanges. There also needed to be a better delineated space for the exchange as there was too much congestion and it was difficult to find our partners. You might want to see how Cincinnati does the Flying Pig, as the relay centers there are much easier to find. | |
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R. N. from Western NY
(10/18/2004)
"Everything you need for a PR" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Great race with everything you would like to see on a course. Plenty of water and Gatorade stops, cheering spectators and nice tour of Columbus. The only traffic problem on the course was running into the group of walkers that had started the race an hour ahead of the runners. I encountered walkers three abreast and in the middle of the street. I'm sure this could be easily fixed. I'd definitely do it again. | |
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Pat Dooley from Cleveland, Ohio
(10/18/2004)
"Great BQ race. Loved pace info each mile." (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was marathon #5 for me. My PR was 3:59 from St. George and I was hoping for 3:55 and dreaming about a BQ (3:45). The day was cool, fairly clear and quite windy. The course was mostly flat but there was one stretch which combined a gradual incline with a nasty headwind. The crowd was pretty vocal in parts and great at the finish. Organization was good. The really good feature was that they called out the pace at each mile marker. That was much better than the time because you didn't have to do any mental arithmetic or squint at a pace band to figure out where you were. If your target pace was 8:37 and you heard faster than that, you knew exactly where you were. I kept hearing 8:30 which translated into a finish time of 3:42:21 and a BQ. | |
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M. V. from Westerville, OH
(10/18/2004)
"Great Race. Fun Crowds. Great Course." (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Columbus Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I liked everything about this race. From touches like leading the veterans (those who have run all 25 of these marathons), to the great food, bands on the course, the group handing out the life savers - I loved it. The only thing I would change is the early start for the walkers. Too many of these walkers do not stay to the side of the road. Try passing some of them when they walk two or three abreast on some of the narrow streets in Bexley and Arlington. Let them start off after the runners. | |
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K. F. from Morgantown, WV
(10/18/2004)
"First half great, second half not great" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 The first half was very nice and had crowds as needed. They were very enthusiastic. The second half of the race was rolling hills that I did not expect. I also wish there were more bands and crowd support in the second half. There were sections in the second half with little or no life. The water stops were nice and organized very well. |
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