calendar icon Nov 15, 2024

Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon) Runner Comments

Back to Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon) Information & Reviews

Course Rating Course 4.3 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 3.9 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 4.2 
 
 
Number of comments: 338 [displaying comments 151 to 161]
More Comments: [ < 1 .. 14 15 16 17 18 .. 34 > ]

 

H. G. from Dallas, TX (1/21/2008)
"Great marathon for first-time marathon runners" (about: 2007)

1 previous marathon | 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


This was my first marathon. I thought that this race was very well organized, with the right number of aid stations throughout the course. I liked the Gatorade endurance drink. It was a very cold day and it felt very windy running by the lake. Liked the finisher's medal design and also received a finisher's cap.

Only complaint was descending the steps in the American Airlines Center to get post-race refreshments. This was especially tough after running a marathon. Keep it up.

 

Kevin Lyons from Fort Worth, Texas (1/8/2008)
"I love it" (about: 2007)

2 previous marathons | 2 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)s
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 5


This is a great race, from the organization to the fans. There is entertainment at nearly every mile for those looking for motivation to keep going, and there are plenty of port-o-potties and water/Gatorade stands.

 

J. S. from Austin, TX (1/4/2008)
"Tough weather but great vibe" (about: 2007)

1 previous marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 4


This was my second marathon and first White Rock, so my opinion is from a relative newcomer. That said, here are the things that I felt were best and worst with this year's race:

PROS:
- Course was awesome. With slightly less windy and rainy weather, this would have been beautiful, especially around the lake. Hills were not an issue for the most part, except around mile 19-20, where the "last hill" went on for about 2 miles it seemed.
- Fans were great. Lots of cheering, especially through the neighborhoods.
- Live bands were really cool. They were rocking out at several points during the race, and there was even a garage band playing that I'm pretty sure wasn't a "real" scheduled band.
- Post-race food was good. Lots of chips, sushi, grilled chicken, yogurt smoothies, etc.
- Medal was well-crafted.
- Water stations were everywhere! Seemed like I couldn't run five minutes without hitting one, which was great.

CONS:
- Can't really fault anyone for weather, but wow. Wind off the lake and rain was not ideal.
- Difficult to find a poncho pre-race.
- Post-race it was VERY hard to find family.
- Walking down about 100 steps into the post-race party at the AAC was incredibly difficult after running a marathon.
- Cotton shirt as a finishing prize. Not okay, especially with such a tacky design. That's personal preference though.

Overall, I had a great time at the race and ran 20 minutes faster than at Denver in October 2006. The finishing logistics could definitely be improved, but everything was great all in all.

 

j. t. from houston tx (1/4/2008)
"merging of the half & whole marathoners" (about: 2008)

11-50 previous marathons | 4-5 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)s
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


This was my 4th White Rock. The race improved over 2006's race with regards to the half and whole merging; however, I maintain that there needs to be either a more staggered start, a later start for the half, or a way of keeping the half marathoners separated on the course - either with barriers or by having them run on the other side of the street.

 

C. K. from Phoenix, AZ (1/2/2008)
"Nice race route and fantastic spectators!" (about: 2007)

4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 5


I thoroughly enjoyed this race. The route was scenic and had good variety. The weather was a bit brutal, but preferable to something warmer. The spectators along the race route were awesome. Good idea to have names on the race bibs - the spectators shouting encouragement were great! I especially enjoyed the spectators who provided the free beer in the small cups - it provided much needed sustenance at mile 20!!! Fantastic finisher's medal. Overall a great race that is highly recommended.

 

L. R. from British Columbia, Canada (12/28/2007)
"Great Marathon Course/Finish Needs Work" (about: 2007)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 4


Pros:
Great medal; good, mostly flat course; excellent volunteers and music; shirt logo was very nice; beer and food at post-race party were great.

Cons: Some water stops had very little water in the cups - needed to take 2 or 3 cups to get an adequate drink; merging with half marathoners was difficult and caused me to lose my pacing group; cotton finisher's shirts are so bad - a technical racing shirt would be much better; difficult to link up with family.

Overall, two thumbs up.

 

J. D. from Dallas, TX (12/26/2007)
"Response to commentor below" (about: 2007)

1 previous marathon | 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


I finished the marathon in 6 hours and got a finisher's hat, so I don't know what the guy below is talking about. They hadn't run out of anything when I finished.

 

J. H. from Houston, TX (12/21/2007)
"Awful Post-Race Party" (about: 2007)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 2  FANS: 5


Everything up until crossing the finish line was great. The problems started with the volunteer who took my chip then losing it. They only had enough keepsake hats for people who ran under 4 hours. Followed by a single-file line to the bag drop. Then getting to the floor of the party was a rather difficult - you walked down flights of stairs only to find out that they ran out of most of the food. Band was pretty good, though they took more breaks than most of the runners.

 

L. S. from Dallas (12/17/2007)
"Post-race needs help." (about: 2007)

11-50 previous marathons | 3 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)s
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 5


This race was great and the crowd support was even better! However, the post-race needs some work. There was no water to replenish you until you got into the AAC and it was almost impossible to get to it there. If you ran the marathon is anything over 3:30, there was no food left, as the half marathoners and relay teams had already been there. It was very difficult to find your family.

 

J. T. from Plano, Texas (12/17/2007)
"Getting better every year" (about: 2007)

6-10 previous marathons | 2 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)s
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 4


I ran the White Rock Marathon in 2004 and didn't have a positive experience, but ran it this year and really enjoyed it. Part of it was due to a PR, but most of it was because of the improvements I've seen in the past three years. I'll just list the pros quickly and get onto how they can further improve the race.

PROS:
-2 day expo means you can go Friday and stay off your feet all day Saturday.
-Great course (it's NOT that hilly - my fastest mile was mile 21 which was uphill).
-AA Center is a great staging area for pre- and post-race events.
-Good weather this year (can't count on that every time, though).
-Half marathon starts later so you only have to deal with those runners at the very end.

CONS:
-The official "Rock Shop" where they sell official marathon merchandise had a very meager selection and I was at the expo Friday night. No non-running gear to speak of (I like to get a polo from all my races), and of the running gear, there were very few selections in both design and size. Maybe I was spoiled by the expos at London and New York this year, but the selection was a disappointment.
-How about starting corrals? I started right in between the 3:20 and 3:30 pace groups like I was supposed to (and I ran 3:24), and I found the start more congested by far than the New York City Marathon. This was due to people starting much too close to the front of the race.
-I read in the Dallas Morning News that they're trying to totally eliminate the half marathon merge at the end, which would be fantastic. Running a steady pace all race and then finding yourself amongst people running 3 minutes per mile slower is not an easy thing to deal with.

That said, the race gets better each year. And I had voiced some initial complaints with the registration process and the website, and the race director replied to my email personally, and took my suggestions. I seriously doubt that many races this size can boast that. I can unequivocally recommend this race to others.

 

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