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Nov 14, 2024

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

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

Course 4.3

Organization 3.9

Spectators 4.2

Number of comments: 338 [displaying comments 41 to 51]

More Comments: [ < 1 .. 3 4 5 6 7 .. 34 > ]

D. M. from Fort Collins, CO (12/13/2011) "time waster" (about: 2011) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The weather (cold with hard rain during 95% of the race) really sucked - but you can't blame anyone for that. (Well, I understand that it is typically a pretty sketchy time of the year for weather.) The biggest hassle was the packet pick-up and getting to / from the race from the hotel. It took almost 2 hours to pick up my packet: wait for the next bus, 30 minute bus ride, pick up packet then be forced to wind through a maze to get t-shirt - being treated like dumb cattle to be hearded around for the convenience of the expo sellers and promoters . . . it should be optional whether you want to shop or not - wait for the return bus, another bus ride home. It's really a shame they don't have packet pickup at the hotel or the near-by convention center. It took me longer to pick up my packet than the flight took to get to Dallas. The race announcer went on about the good race weather (it wasn't raining yet at the very start) . . . saying there might be some moisture later but all you'd need to wear is shorts and a shirt. That was a dangerous thing to say . . . I saw people ditching soon-to-be-very-needed clothing / garbage bags / poncho's based on that bad weather and clothing advice. Fans and aid station staffers were unbelievable - especially considering the horrible weather! The course should have been very beautiful (around White Rock Reservoir) + running through some very attractive neighborhoods . . . but the rain and bad weather sort of ruined all of that.
l. R. from TX (12/9/2011) "I'd like to blame the weather" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)s COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 but it was my own fault. I ended up running the half instead of the full due to undertraining. Sad because I ave run this twice before with the old course and loved it. Pros: Nice expo, good variety of stuff, a children's play area DART worked well for us. No need to drive and fight traffic, which I had heard was bad. Nice course. Pretty darn flat and easy. Pretty course. Scenic, Xmas decorations. Two shirts. Pancakes and soup. Cons: I do prefer the old AA start because it was easier to get to from hotelsI could walk. If it hadn't been so rainy and cold, maybe I could have walked to Fair Park? The weather. Volunteers who didn't show due to weather. Congested where the full and half merged at the end. I was running the half with no goal, but had I been running the full with a time goal....I hope no one had trouble. Overall, it was positive and I'll do it again.
j. m. from oklahoma city, ok (12/8/2011) "Wet, cold but overall fun" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I ran a 9 min PR in foul weather and frankly spent to much time dodging puddles! Silly enterprise... Pros: 1. Packet pick up and getting to start were a breeze on DART, why anyone bothers with trying to drive in I just dont know. 2. Outsatnding volunteer support, the weather was filthy and standing out there in it and providing us water/gatorade etc Kudos to all 3. Nice course, mostly flat, hills negilble 4. Love post race graphic tool showing race breakdown Cons: 1. Weather but really moaning here, nothing can change it 2. Total chaos inside bulding after the race no clue, I got my medals and left 3. Ok, this is a disturbing trend I see repeatedly. The half marathoner merge. They need their own lane coned off, otherwise the 4 and 5 abreast nonsense that blocks the course occurs. Really frustrating when you are trying to sprint to finish when you have to literally go through a wall of people, one 'wall' is enough tyvm 4. Random non-runners on the course, to include vehicles backing up out of drive ways, really? Come on now. Overall DWRM is a good event but they need to tighten up race course security and post race event.
E. J. from Texas (12/7/2011) "AAC is far better especially for out of towners" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)s COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my 4th White Rock, I believe the AAC gives the race a more prestigious feeling especially with the TV station right there. We can grow Dallas marathon into one of the greatest in the circuit without the larger organizations taking over, if we return it to AAC. We have everything right there with the arts district and soon the park over the freeway. We want to encourage out of towners to come to the city and enjoy a clean and safe place to visit and show the best Dallas has to offer by way of the great hotels, restaurants and museums all within walking distance or short taxi ride away. As for Fair Park, it's not the easiest place to get to, and the sprawling distance to get from one building to another is further than someone wants to walk following running a marathon. Then following that with another long walk to the car. However, the chicken broth this year, was...well THANK YOU, it was the best!
D. C. from South Carolina (12/7/2011) "Miserable weather, amazing volunteers!" (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 As I'm sure many others will comment, the weather for this race was miserable - 40, raining, and windy. That being said, there's nothing race organizers can do about it. The race has a nice size expo and I attended the race-sponsored pasta party at the Omni, which was the host hotel. I did not notice any organizational issues until the start. The corrals were not enforced at all, and many people went to the earlier corrals because the entrances to the corrals were few and far between and it was easier to go to the front. This caused a great deal of congestion in the early miles. I started in Corral D, which did not cross the start line until 25 minutes after the start. I know this was better than last year, but it still seemed ridiculous. The first 9 miles were incredibly crowded because of the half marathoners (happens in a lot of races) but because of the puddles and conditions, it was actually dangerous. My pace group had a hard time staying together and on the right pace because of the congestion, but that was substantially improved after mile 9. Probably because of the poor weather, there were not many volunteers at the early water stops, resulting in people having to stop to get cups filled, get their own cup off the table, etc. With the congestion, it was sometimes easier just not to stop. Again, this was alleviated in the later miles. I found the course to be very fair and generally pretty. I have run some very hilly races (Atlanta, Baltimore) so I did not think this course was hilly at all. The 9 miles around White Rock lake are beautiful. The spectators and volunteers who braved these conditions cannot be thanked enough! They were enthusiastic and cheerful and I was so appreciative of each one. The finisher's medal is good quality and MetroPCS is a great sponsor- they handed out free ponchos, gloves, and chapstick at the start and had cell phones available for runners to call their families at the finish! I've never seen anything like that before. I was so cold when I finished the race that I wasn't thinking coherently and missed the finisher's shirts entirely. The layout of the area where runners get their medals, food, bags, etc, is somewhat confusing. Basically, if you didn't have a checked bag (I didn't) you would never have seen the beer or finisher's shirts. Overall, I enjoyed the race and I came close to a PR despite the conditions. The city really gets into the marathon and there is a ton of news coverage about it. The host hotel was great. If I wasn't trying to complete the 50 states, I would probably come back.
G. P. from Kansas (12/6/2011) "Great Marathon" (about: 2011) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was a great course. Relativly flat, but a challenging hill at about mile 21. Weather was horrible, but thats part of the game. This was my first full marathon and had an extremely positive experience. Three quick comments to improve for next year 1. More port-a-potties before the half marathoners break away, there was quite a wait for one before then. 2. Faster start: Waited almost 30 minutes after the gun before I crossed the start line, but I know it is difficult with 25,000 runners. 3. When running by the relay stations for the relay runners, they tended to crowd the route making it difficult to get through. This was worse at the station at mile 21. I had to stop running and ask people to move out of my way so I could keep going. Traffic control, or a gate off to the side for the relay would be great. I would reccomend this marathon to anyone, great course, plenty of water points, and awesome volunteers!
J. D. from pa (12/5/2011) "Let down" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 It was cold and raining and I understand volunteers maybe did not show so I can overlook waiting at some water stops to get water poured into a cup or having to stop, go to a table and pick one up. What I don't get is why there were not at least signs pointing out which building to go to for package pickup. And why the wait for over 35 minutes to cross the start? Also for $100 I would have expected at least a bottle of water at the end. There was some dinky little cups way off the one side. The post race was a huge cluster of disorganization with no easy flow to move. The food, what there was of it, had a huge line. And to promote pancakes as a post-race food only to find out the were being sold for $5 outside in the rain is disgraceful. And please, $3 for a 6 oz cup of coffee with no lid? What runner comes with money. There should have been some thought to a setup for changing, esp. given the advance notice of the rain. At least the course nice even in the rain with huge puddles that couldn't be helped. Really long walk after the marathon especially when adequate food and water was not provided. This could have been a really great experience in spite of the weather.
J. M. from St. Paul, MN (12/5/2011) "Contradictions" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 I am writing this review for the 2011 race, as a middle of the pack finisher. The race expo was very well organized and put on well. The pasta dinner was very nice. Race Day traffic and parking was a mess and chaos. I left my hotel at 6 a.m. Traffic was gridlock approaching Fair Park. Once in Fair Park I did not see anyone directing traffic and helping with parking. I found a place to park on my own at 7:55 a.m. The race started at 8 a.m. I had to run to the start. At the start it was very difficult to enter the corrals. I think with a race of this size, multiple shuttle pickup points should be utilized with large buses. During the race many 'water stops' were out of fluids or had totally run out of cups or could not keep up, mostly the first 10 miles or so. Sometimes 'water stops' were on both sides of the course and other times on one side or the other, which made it confusing. Where they did have fluids, sometimes water was first and other times sports drink was first. Plus in my opinion the 'water stops' were not long enough. I do not know what happened with this aspect of the race, but it seems like something went really, really wrong with this aspect of the race. The race course itself was nothing special, but it was fine. Fairly uneven surface at times. The volunteers and the spectators that were out were wonderful. It was raining and cool, so my hats off to them!! The post race food was a let down. The cup of warm soup was good. This was my experience. Happy training everyone!
M. B. from Missouri (12/5/2011) "Dallas Rocks? NOT!" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I'll start with the good. The expo was nice. For such a large event it was pretty quick and easy to pick up your packet and get your t-shirt. There were lots of vendors giving away all kinds of free samples: yogurt, energy bars, coffee, etc. I enjoyed taking the time to walk through and see what there was. You get a cotton t-shirt and a technical finisher's shirt at this race. Both are nice, but for a $125 entry fee that should be expected. Medal was also nice. For the marathon they use the Clif Bar pacers who are the best. Areas where this race needs improvement. The corral system was one huge disaster. Either the race directors have no clue how to organize and execute this system or 75% of the runners lined up incorrectly. I was in corral D. It took me 25 minutes to cross the start line. Then for the next 8 miles I had the worst running experience of my life. It was nothing but weaving around other participants (I hesitate to refer to them as runners, as they were not running) and coming to abrupt stops, in order not to plow into someone. This went on constantly from the start of the race until the half marathoners broke away from the marathoners at mile 8. Never again! Second area in need of improvement are the water stations. Once again, this was primarily an issue in the first 8 miles. I often had to wait in line, serve myself, or go without. I don't know if it was due to the weather and volunteers not showing up but aid stations in this section of the race were not good. I wish I would have carried my own water. You have to be very careful in the first few miles of the race because of all the train/trolley tracks and the brick streets. With the combination of the rain it made for some very dangerous footing. In general, Dallas roads are not the best. In many areas you had to be on the lookout for potholes. Nearly missed getting my finisher's shirt at the finish, as they had those tables tucked away, off to the opposite side of where they were routing us all to go to meet family members. Some better signage or instructions would have been helpful guiding runners to where they needed to go. Not impressed by this race. It was my 32nd marathon and easily ranks in the bottom five.
T. K. from USA (12/5/2011) "Great experience despite the weather" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 OK, the weather this year is probably the worst, freezing rain/wind then entire course! With that said, the organizers put on one of the best marathon experience! The Runner's Instruction Packet was super helpful. I loved the early bag drop off the day before. Packet was a breeze, and I went Saturday afternoon. I like the fact that I can just wait indoors before the race starts, and hang out indoors after (which helped since I was cold and soaking wet!). Course support was great. Course itself is beautiful and mostly flat. I stayed at the host hotel, which has shuttle to and from the hotel for both packet pick up and the race itself. Thank you Dallas and I will be back (may be weather will be better next time)!

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