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☰
Buffalo Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Buffalo Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 3.8 
Spectators 3.3
Number of comments: 315 [displaying comments 211 to 221]
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J. N. from Houston, TX
(6/5/2005)
"well organized marathon" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I qualifyed for Boston for the first time at this marathon, by 5 minutes, finishing in 3:55. The course was essentially flat and the temperature stayed comfortably in the 50's. I had no problems with any of the aid stations, or with the many street crossings. The volunteers were excellent and attentive. The police timed the cross traffic perfectly, so I never wavered in my pace. As expected, the spectators were sparse, but supportive. The course was scenic. The expo and pasta dinner exceeded expectations for a small marathon. Cytomax was an 'unknown' electrolyte replacement drink at the aid stations, but the lemonade flavor that they used worked fine. As in all marathons, it's best to carry your own carbohydrate replacement gels/GU. They announced my name and home town as I crossed the finish line. The post-race food was great: fruit, yogurt, bagels, pizza, soda, beer... This was my 24th marathon, and I would recommend it highly, especially as a Boston qualifier. | |
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D. K. from PA
(6/4/2005)
"One of the top 10 values in marathoning. " (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Buffalo Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 WOW, what a great time & great deal! Where else can you sign-up for a marathon for $40, 16 hours before the race? Top-notch pasta party with Molson (donated sauce from a top Italian restaurant) FREE for the runners & only $5 for guests and $3 for kids. The post-race party had pizza, yogurt, donuts, salty snacks, salad & fruit, Molson's & pop to drink. The race course is fast and makes for a Boston qualifier. It is a good idea to carry your own drinks & gel if you need to drink & eat something specific. No marathon is perfect... but Buffalo has a lot to offer! | |
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B. M. from Buffalo
(6/4/2005)
"Well organized but course needs work" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 The race was well organized. I thought that there was a good amount of support at the aid stations. The course needs some work. There was too much traffic to deal with. The intersections where we were running into on-coming runners was a first for me. Crossing the on-ramp on Delaware to Route 33 with no offical there to slow traffic was nuts. The first 13 miles were laid-out well. After that there was too much traffic to contend wtih. | |
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Andrew Thomas from Buffalo
(6/2/2005)
"so-so marathon" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 The Cytomax (cheap substitute for Gatorade) did taste like crap. Knowing this ahead of time I placed Gatorade at the park entrance. The Colvin entrance/exit of the park was hellish. I, as well as a friend of mine, almost went head-on with many half-marathoners. One word for the organizers: cones. We also thought it a bit redundant to have someone at every intersection in the cemetery and no one at the corner of Franklin and Tupper. Please close off Delaware Ave. at the S-curves. It's a bit frantic when cars are trying to pass you onto the on-ramp of the 198. One last thing: Ditch the wheelchair race. Most of us were by them before the first turn and many others overtook them by LaSalle Park. | |
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E. R. from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
(6/1/2005)
"Great potential, but some work to do" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 This marathon (and associated half) has the potential to be excellent. The expected weather at this time of year is good, the course is relatively flat, there is a gentle downhill in the last couple of miles, and most of the course is scenic. Having read last year's comments about the disorganized marshaling, I was a little wary, but hoped the organizers might have improved things. Unfortunately not. In the half marathon, just before mile 3 there was a turn that was not marshaled at all; the policeman on the motorbike realized his mistake when the second pack of runners off the lead was already 30-40 seconds up the road. I lost 20 seconds -- people in front of me lost at least a minute. The police marshaling the event were not completely attentive to what they were doing. As in previous years it seems there was little publicity for the race. Signs on the blocks leading up to intersections to warn drivers of the approaching race would have helped. | |
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Shannon Bell from Buffalo, NY
(6/1/2005)
"Second marathon does not compare to my first" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 On Sunday, I completed my second marathon in my home town of Buffalo, NY. My first was Disney in January this year and was AMAZING. I knew going into it that Buffalo was going to be a lot different than the one is Disney. The course was very nice - it should all the good parts of Buffalo, such as Downtown, the Waterfront and all the old mansions. If I wasn?t from Buffalo and I ran this race, I would have thought Buffalo was a great city. It was also a beautiful day. The course was pretty easy; the only hill was really through the cemetery. The only problem that I really had with this race was that it lacked some organization. I am not a fast runner, so I was not in the front of the pack. There was a group of about 10 of us and when we hit mile 24, there was no one to tell us where to go, no directions, no signs - so we got lost. How we found this out was someone's boyfriend called them on their cell phone and told her that we missed a turn. We managed to get back on track, but to get lost at mile 24 is very discouraging. And at almost all the refreshments stations from mile 15 and up, they were packing up and leaving. And we saw orange peels all over the ground at the one station but there were none for us by the time we got there. Apparently everyone forgot about the people who didn?t run as fast as the others. And there were still people behind me too. Buffalo did have good points, don't get me wrong. The course was beautiful and fast, the weather was great, at the finish line they were announcing EVERYONE as they finished, and the atmosphere and fans were great. My only real complaint is that not everyone can run a marathon in 3 hours. For some of us, actually completing a marathon is all that we do it for. There should be volunteers and police the entire race telling people where to go and handing out beverages. | |
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c. s. from NC
(5/31/2005)
"Great course but needs more aid stations" (about: 2005)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon but I have completed many endurance races. This course was great! But there were 4 places at busy intersections where there were no volunteers or police. I saw one runner almost get hit by a speeding car. Also there are aid stations only every 2 miles and they do not carry fruit or salt snacks...I am a big guy and sweat tons! I, like many other people, need more than water and energy drink. The course had one spot where you may get confused where to turn, it was just after the 20K pt. Overall great race!!! I will do it again! | |
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H. J. from Florida
(5/31/2005)
"bring your own food and sports drink!" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The course is absolutely beautiful and the weather was perfect: low 50's to start and upper 60's at finish. Not many fans, as you'd expect from a small marathon, but those out there are spunky and several along the course were even handing out water. Negatives: NO GATORADE. It wasn't until the first water stop at the 5K mark that we found out some off-brand electolyte crap was the only fluid besides water. It tasted awful and since I hadn't trained with it, I was worried about stomach problems the whole race. Even BIGGER NEGATIVE: NO FOOD UNTIL MILE 24!!! Folks, you have to be kidding me. Thank God I brought a couple gels or I'd DNF. Anything you eat at mile 24 is a waste - you can't even absorb it in time to get a finish boost. The website said you'd have fruit and Gatorade! Is it that hard? Post-race party was good; lots of food and beer (!). Great race to run for the scenery and weather; just count on about as much support as you'd have on a long run in the country (i.e., none...) and go prepared. | |
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P. B. from Wilmington, Delaware
(5/31/2005)
"Excellent Marathon!" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was my 10th marathon and I enjoyed it the most -- not only because I improved upon my personal best by 6 minutes, but because everything was great. The weather, the course -- which was not flat, but had slightly rolling hills, and the organization. I will definintely run this one again! | |
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M. W. from Webster, NY
(5/30/2005)
"A perfect Memorial Weekend Marathon!" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The weather conditions were absolutely perfect this year! Sunny, 50's-60's. The course had great scenic routes for a Memorial Day run. The Naval park on Lake Erie for example. The Forest Lawn Cemetery offered shade and beauty and the city of Buffalo had some awesome architectural buildings! From a running standpoint, the course was relatively flat and the downward slope to the finish was the best part. I would call this a race to run for a PR or a Boston qualifying time. I will be back! The volunteers were great and I enjoyed the music at the pasta dinner and at the finish line. I was worried I might get lost, but the directions given by volunteers and on-lookers relieved that worry. The water stops were well prepared. I would like to see bigger crowds to run with at this marathon. It has a lot to offer! |
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