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☰
Catalina Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Catalina Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.9 
Organization 4.4 
Spectators 3.0
Number of comments: 40 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
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Z. Z. from San Diego, CA
(3/14/2010)
"Amazing Views - Challenging Course" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Catalina Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 That course is tough: Up, down, up, down, up, more up, down.... I thought I'd like the last 3 miles with the downhill, but by that time, my legs were so fried that it was painful. Good event all around. Well stocked aid stations, helpful volunteers, good medal and shirt, neat tradition with year bars, and cheering spectators at the finish. The amazing views are better when you have to run up to 1,500 feet to see the blue water and waves on the beach. The boat ride to the start was quite an adventure - thanks for the new story. | |
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J. W. from Park City, Utah USA
(4/6/2009)
"Avalon Looks So Beautiful!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Catalina Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This race was superb; an easygoing but professional crew organized my nicest off-road (good gravel, though!) run yet! Beautiful scenery and colorful waves crashing on the beaches from many points of view along the way. Great runner support along the way for those hills: thanks to the marvelous, wonderful and always-there-when-we-needed-them volunteers!!! My first Catalina Marathon will be the first of many, God willing. Thank you, Pacific Sports!!! | |
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J. G. from New Jersey
(6/29/2008)
"Spectacular" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Catalina Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 To me, this marathon transcended running. Scenery was breathtaking - what an amazingly beautiful place! Mountains were tough, but agony in paradise doesn't hurt as much. A lot of logistics to think through, but well worth the extra planning. One suggestion: Race packet pick-up could be more organized and held in a larger facility. If you have the chance to experience this very special marathon: Do it! | |
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Charles Wilform from San Diego, California
(3/23/2008)
"My 1st Marathon, and I will be back next year..." (about: 2008)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I reserved this marathon as my 1st marathon, and I was not disappointed. What memories it has created, especially after running the Buffalo Run 5 weeks earlier. It was a bright clear day and the scenery was outstanding. The runners, volunteers and spectators were all first rate. And I was able to see a buffalo. I went to the Catalina Marathon for a finisher shirt, finisher medal, finisher bar, hat, ATC shirt and pin - and came away with so much more. The Catalina Marathon Experience (TCME). This is a marathon that you have to run really to understand, since there is so much involved. Boat rides, nauseated runners, hills, hills, hills, scenery, wind, dirt, rocks, stories, buffalo, Rolaids (bike volunteers), and tradition. Our family had a great time and our kids enjoyed the Catalina Marathon Kids Run (and maybe one day they will run the "legend." | |
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M. L. from Missouri
(3/19/2008)
"Beautiful scenery for marathon" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Catalina Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon is like no other; the scenery is breathtaking - almost takes your mind off the constant elevation changes. There are many repeat runners; they're almost cult-like in their devotion to this event. The only drawback for me was the transportation issue. I took seasickness medicine for the boat ride from Los Angeles, but the boat ride marathon morning at 5 a.m. was a shorter ride and I didn't want to be sleepy for marathon. But the seas were very rough and I spent the ride in the bathroom with others, getting rid of my marathon nutrition. However, there was an hour between the time we landed and the marathon start, so I was able to get a few PowerBars in me, and water, so I felt much better by start time. But even after all that, I loved this marathon... the scenery made it all worth it and the people are very friendly. | |
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V. C. from huntington beach, california
(3/17/2008)
"26.2 of pure hell BUT I loved every minute of it" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Catalina Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My first Catalina Marathon - grueling, very tough, horrible, BUT I will come back and do it again. The Catalina Marathon is like no other marathon - very steep uphills and downhills, and no flat land. I'm proud to have done it and I'm proud of the people who finished it - it takes a different kind of marathoner to accomplish this run. Roads are un-paved (dirt/gravel). From the beginning, it's all steep uphills and steep downhills. The scenery is beautiful. You must train in advance - very hard on the knees and the entire lower half of the body. | |
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John Ball from Whittier, California
(3/16/2008)
"An exquisite run through pristine terrain" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Catalina Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 My first time to run a marathon I've heard about for years, always with a tone of respect bordering on intimidation. It lived up to its reputation in every respect: colorful, continual ascent or descent, over 4500 feet of elevation change, three or more major climbs (depending on what you consider major) and a thrilling downhill run into town to close it out. I had been warned to add at least half and hour to my LA Marathon time for goal-setting purposes, and it was almost an exact estimate. I finished 28 minutes slower than LA. All in all, a wonderful race with some of the nicest and friendliest racers you'd ever hope to meet. Most of them have been coming here for fifteen to twenty five years, and they wear caps with long chains of annual award bars they call ladders. They wear them proudly despite their goofiness to the outsiders who don't have a clue what they mean. The first person I encountered wearing such a "ladder" was John Ganahl, a multi-year winner in my exact age group. He looked at least ten years my junior, but we found common ground quickly. This is one I'll be doing again and again. | |
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H. D. from Fallbrook, California, USA
(3/19/2007)
"A Very Special Race!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Catalina Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is a fabled race. I know of no other quite like it. Only for well-trained marathoners who can deal with the long sustained ups and downs. This year we ran from sea level into the clouds and eventually rising above them to finally crest at 23 miles only to rapidly descend to the finish at the water's edge. Many runners partake in the tradition of dipping in the cool ocean water to soak the legs. This race requires a lot of planning, so start early. Skip the spaghetti carbo load party, but the post-race party is pretty good. Read a review on your prospective hotel before booking... some are better than others. With fewer than 800 marathoners, this race is a well-kept secret. | |
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Eddie Hahn from Rancho Cucamonga, CA
(3/18/2007)
"Hardest I Ever Fought For a Finishers Shirt" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Catalina Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I have done about 5 marathons as tough or tougher (in my view), which include: Haulin Aspen in Bend/Crater Lake in Oregon, Whiskey Row in Precott, Arizona and Equinox in Fairbanks Alaska. All of the others gave the shirts before the start. I was going to earn this one. (The cotton long-sleeve shirt has a small logo on the front, and a map of the course profile on the back, along with a bunch of advertising. I thought the 30th anniversary black fleece vest for $25 was a great deal, and a nicer souvenir than the shirt.) The course is correctly described - very challenging, mostly trail (dirt rock road and very hilly.) The canyons we ran through were mostly socked in with fog this year, but the beauty of the rocky cliff bluffs overlooking the island's aqua blue Pacific on the South side more than compensated for the earlier foggy canyons. Aid stations were plentiful and had energetic volunteers - handing out everything from Gatorade, water, Gu to M&M's and Clif Blocks. If you don't mind camping, "Two Harbors" is a great deal for a $12 camp site, and you can sleep in an hour - they even arrange to transport your camping gear to Avalon. What a deal. There were free Mexican appetizers and beer at the celebration for the 30th anniversary at a Catheryn Hotel in Avalon in the afternoon following the marathon. When I was running into town, with about 1 mile to go (after a very grueling hilly "long" 5:13 marathon experience), I saw a guy with a very small "micro" medal around his neck. My first thought was, "Hmmmm, maybe that's the (accompanying) 5K or 10K medal?" When I crossed the line, I realized it was for the marathon. Later I saw someone with a bigger medal suspended by a yellow ribbon, and I inquired where she got it. She told me it was an age group award. (The finishers medal has the image of a buffalo with the roman numerals XXX depicting the year, suspended by a green ribbon). I don't run marathons for the medals. In fact, I have run probably 6 or 8 that didn't give them. I just felt that it was ironic - such a small medal for a pretty big accomplishment. The "goody bag" included gel, Cliff Bar (no advertisements: there's a perk), a nice 30th anniversary coffee mug, and a year "pin" to hang from a plaque for repeat runners to employ.... | |
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D. M. from Lubbock, TX
(3/18/2007)
"Beautiful, difficult course" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Catalina Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This course is as beautiful as any I've seen in 20 marathons around the world. The organization is very good. The logistics are somewhat difficult, since Catalina isn't the easiest place in the world to get to. The hills are indescribable. If you can, put a lot of them in your training before you go - steep, both up and down, and sustained. Plan on almost an extra hour. Still, as destination marathons go, this is just about as good as it gets. Do plan on a couple extra days to take in Catalina - it's a special place. |
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