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Napa Valley Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Napa Valley Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.7 
Organization 4.7 
Spectators 3.9
Number of comments: 160 [displaying comments 91 to 101]
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A. M. from San Francisco, CA
(3/18/2006)
"Dubious weather, great people" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my second marathon and I picked it mostly because it was close to home. The worst part was the weather; it rained every step of the way. I nearly drowned. The best part was the volunteers. I don't know how they kept smiles on their faces throughout the foul morning, but they were unfailingly cheery and enthusiastic. They were a darn sight happier than I was. Aid stations were well stocked and I'm sure that, in better weather, the course would be quite attractive. I'll probably be back. | |
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s. m. from Northern California
(3/11/2006)
"Enjoyable race in so-so conditions" (about: 2006)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Well, Napa 2006 was sure memorable. Not only was it my first marathon but it was also run in pretty much a constant rain and headwind. But since you can't control the weather, I'll review the other parts of the race. First, the organization was great. Race started on time, aid stations were set up in about 2 mile increments and the later aid stations had GU, fruit and even sorbet. Each mile had a visible marker. The only thing I wish they would do is go to chip timing in the future. The expo was small but not overly commercial. Speakers were fine. Tech shirt and backpack were very nice. Course itself was extremely scenic as you run through vineyards for the first 22 or so miles. It does have rolling hills but they are not that bad. I had done all my training runs on a flat course so I was a bit worried. Don't be. The toughest hills are probably in the first 6 miles. There is an ascent around mile 20 but it is such a gently sloping hill that I really did not notice. The map topography says the last 6 miles are downhill. They felt more flat to me. Crowd support was enthusiastic but small. The only place for spectators is at the major intersections and they only have about 5 or 6 of those throughout the race. The finisher's medal was very nice. They also had hot showers and massages available post-race. The food afterward was soup, fruit and bread. I wish there was something a bit more substantial but what they had was good. Overall, I had a wonderful time and even managed to beat my target time in less than ideal weather conditions. A special cheer for all those volunteers who had to stay out in the rain and wind to support us. I warmly recommend this race to both experienced marathoners and newbies. I hope to be back soon. | |
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Jimmy Freeman from Los Angeles, CA
(3/10/2006)
"Majestic marathon suited for" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 There are so many things to LOVE about this race, and a few critical things that went wrong. I start by saying I had three distinct perspectives on the race.... 1. As a participant. 2. As a family member supporting my sister & brother-in-law in their first marathon. 3. As a coach of a handful of first-time marathoners who chose this as their first attempt at 26.2 miles. PARTICIPANT: As someone who regularly logs sub-3:30 marathons, I plan to come do this race EACH and EVERY year that I can. Napa is beautiful. The people are amazing and hospitable. The course is super-fast and the weather doesn't get any worse than in 2006 (45 degrees and rainy, one of ONLY three years in 28 that it has rained, or so I'm told). That is pretty mild, and I'd always rather run in cold and rain than in HEAT. So if you are FAST, this race is for you (in 2006 you had to run FASTER than a 5:30, with weather conditions AT THEIR WORST, you honestly better be about a 4:45-5:00 performer to not miss the cutoff). FAMILY MEMBER: I was thrilled to be in Napa, and excited that my baby sis and her husband chose this race. I'm from Northern Cali originally, so I'm quite familiar with one of the most amazing wine growing regions in the world! MY fiancé and I were both really looking forward to THE YEAR when the LA Marathon and Napa were on different dates. Thank you Oscars! My sis and her hubby did awesome, both coming in under the 5:30 wire. My bro-in-law ran 4:47 and my sis logged a 5:15. I am SO proud. Neither of them had raced before, but RIGHT from the get-go, they were running 5K's in the 22 to 27 minute range, a good gauge and predictor of marathon potential." If you aren't able to run UNDER a 30-min 5K, pick another marathon (for now), until they relax their course time limit. COACH: I couldn't have been more disappointed with myself. I let my team members down. I had 5-6 athletes at Napa (one previous team member, 5 current), and NONE of my current team members finished in under 5:30. I firmly believe that AT LEAST 4 of the 5 of them would have come in under 5:30 had the rains and 20+ mph headwinds held off. The participants who were swept off of the course at various points were given the SAME medal as people who finished the FULL distance in 5:31+, something I really feel reflects poorly on race organizers. [MarathonGuide.com Editor's note: because of the Napa Valley Marathon's strict 5h30m time limit, race directors decided in 2006 to give a "partcipants" medal to slower runners who had to be picked up by the sweep vehicles. The same "participants" vs. "finishers" medal was also given to runners who were not swept up but made it to the finish line in over 5h30m] But you've gotta do what you've gotta do, and you can't be ALL things to ALL people. I understand, but I won't be recommending this race to first-time marathoners again, and I'll be recommending that our group stick with the LA Marathon in future years. Shame. WISH it could be different. Wrapping up.... If you are FAST and you've run a marathon before, GO TO THIS race, you'll enjoy it. If you are unsure, go run another race, come back to this one when you are SURE you can make the cut-off times. | |
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Greg MacDonald from Alameda, CA
(3/10/2006)
"Well organized, but really wet socks!" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Rain. Wind. Rain. Other than that, I had a good time. Great organization: Water & Gatorade every 2 miles, and Gu every 2 miles in the 2nd half of the race. (I carried 2 GU packs for the 1st half of the race. I would have preferred GU throughout the entire race.) It appeared that any runner was able to leave a special drink for themselves in the boxes at the start that were placed throughout the race. I left a small bottle of Gatorade for the 13th mile. This allowed me to drink more than I would otherwise drink at the water stops, because I ran about a 1/4 mile with the bottle. Nice backpack for all runners, which doubled as a sweats bag to get your stuff to the finish. I threw a towel in for the free showers at the end, and a cell phone to help find my family. Also, free massages at the finish line. The finisher's medal was very nice with an 8-color landscape scene on both sides, and a rotating center piece. The long-sleeve, Dri-fit shirt was also very nice. The course was more rolling hills than downhill, but none of the hills were very steep. The mile markers were all uniform, which made them visible from about 500 feet. This was great at the end of the race when you are really looking forward to seeing them. My leg cramped up at mile 25. I probably should have left out another bottle of Gatorade. Anyhow, I was so close to the finish that this wasn't a major concern. I kind of wished it didn't rain, but I knew I was taking a chance with an early March marathon. On the other hand, I heard that it only rains on about 1 out of every 5 races. Overall, I had a good time and met my goal of finishing in under 4 hours. I think I was 406th out of about 2,000 runners! I'll be back next year! | |
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Eddie Hahn from Tacoma, Washington
(3/7/2006)
"A Classy Event" (about: 2006)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The two largest factors to be aware of regarding this race are the 5:30 cut-off time, which is strictly enforced for logistical reasons, and the cost of lodging in the area (the marathon start coincides with the "spring" rate for many local hotels). That being said, there are more positive things that can be written about this race than there is space for on this review. The pasta dinner, though pricey in my view, was worth every cent. A la cart wine, beer, pasta, fruit and desserts. Guest speakers spoke from many famed running circles. The mid-size marathon expo was concentrated for dedicated marathoners. The long-sleeve, multi-colored technical shirt is nice, as is the colorful "spinning" finisher's medal. Also issued were embroidered sports bags with the Napa Valley Marathon logo and a bag tag with a pre-printed permanent marking of one's number. That had to be the best marathon sweat retrival system I have ever seen - all stacked neatly in groups, and all matching and properly numbered. Crowd support along the point-to-point moderately rolling course was located at major intersections, and was amazingly concentrated considering the inclement weather and the fact that it's a mid-size marathon - obviously the race promoters got the word out to the locals! The post-race fare consisted of hot soup, yogurt, bread and the like, and was well organized. Don't miss this race! | |
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J. H. from Fresno, CA
(3/7/2006)
"Would have liked to run this course dry" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my 4th marathon and coming off of doing CIM in December I looked forward to getting a PR. I had heard how wonderful the course is and what a perfect race it is. Then I arrived and it was ruined by one day of really unfortunate weather. Rained the entire race with headwinds of up to 20 miles per hour. It made for a miserable experience but I could see the potential this course had and despite the weather I got a PR. This is one I would love to do again in more favorable weather. The organization was very good and even added hot soup to the post-race goodies after finding out the weather was not going to cooperate. | |
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Jeff Wang from Humble, Texas
(3/6/2006)
"Running of the Plastic Bags" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Running of the plastic bags... that's my experience of this marathon. The reason? It was in the low 40's, raining throughout the marathon, and the wind blew right into your face for a big part of the race. As a result, there were the standard black trash bags, the white ones, the blue, the yellow, and, oh, I didn't know they make a pink trash bag. My tip for all runners: go to your local dollar store and buy a $1 kid's raincoat - it's cheaper, better looking, easier to take off (due to buttons in the front), and if you did throw it away, consider it as a donation for the local homeless.... Other than that, it was actually wonderful. Truly, the horrific conditions were no fault of the organizer. They joked about the threat of bad weather every year, but this time, it was true. We all had the pasta dinner the night before and dreaded it. The weatherman came up and talked. The organizers came up and talked. The masters came up and talked. All we could talk about was the impending bad weather. And it was all true. Just hate it as this is the only time I wished the weatherman was wrong. The organization was spectacular. The expos was well organized for a small marathon as this. The goodies included a BACKPACK as well as a running long-sleeve shirt - very nice. The pasta party was fun, except the motivational speakers weren't that motivating due to the weather. There were a lot of water stations during the race. The crowd was small but very enthusiastic - the quantity of spectator was small, but the quality was good - and everyone who showed up in the rain to cheer deserves a pat on the shoulder. The medal was cool looking. The post-race events were good, including warm soup and lots of water and food, as well as a SHOWER. Now that's a new concept, to provide shower at the end of the race. The other tip I have for that? Bring lots of towels. As for the race, it was a mixed feeling. The course was challenging, with banking and rolling hills, but it would have been very good if it weren't for the weather. There were potholes on the road, which became very obvious in the rain. After the big one I stepped on at mile 6, resulting in totally wet socks and shoes, I must have stepped in at least 5 more. I swore that my shoes were at least 2 pounds heavier. It was very scenic if I could actually see. For at least half of the course, the runners had the entire streets, but the crowds tended to line up in our running lane, which could have been controlled better. Again, the constant rain, low 40's, with strong wind blowing from the south as we ran southward made this the most miserable marathon I have ever done. Other than that, I loved it. The only other complaint I have is that there is no chip time, which means I am having a hard time calculating my speed. Surely there's electricity in the Valley for a computer for chip time...? Overall, it's a very good marathon. I would consider running it again, but will have to check with the weather guy before signing up... | |
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C. C. from Hayward, CA
(3/6/2006)
"worth every penny..." (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The course is fantastic, and the hills look much worse on the course profile than when you're running up them. All ups/downs are really gradual, with the steepest decline being on mile 2. The rain and wind made things difficult this year, but the support at the aid stations was phenomenal (lots of free GU). Bring your friends, and remember that they're waiting for you to finish so that they can go drink wine - that thought certainly helped me grind through the last few miles. | |
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M. G. from Washington
(3/6/2006)
"Would've been even better w/ Mother Nature's co-op" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 A great time, despite constant wind, chill and rain in '06. Very well organized race, expo and general communications. Scenery and course were great, even if weather was miserable. Schwag/shirt/goodie bag/finisher's medal all were top-notch. Runners were a very friendly group. And I'd give specators a hand.... They were great and many of them showed up at numerous points along the course. That was especially appreciated, since the weather was so awful; every bit of encouragement helped. Ample hydration/food at aid stations. Definitely recommend for new and experienced marathoners. | |
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J. C. from Santa Rosa, CA
(1/22/2006)
"Beautiful course - great organization" (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon last year and it was awesome. Definitely recommended for 1st-timers or people looking for a PR, even though the number of runners is not so big, and you may finish the race on your own. Beautiful scenery, perfect conditions last year, spectators at all major road intersections only and toward the end in Napa. I signed up again this year, now with 3 marathons behind me. |
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