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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 21 to 31]
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M. P. from Maryland
(5/26/2015)
"Highs and Lows" (about: 2015)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This was my first Buffalo marathon and there were many highs and some lows. When I add them all up, the biggest 'low' outweighs the biggest 'high'. I realize the race management had recently suffered two tragic losses, so I keep those in mind here. First the highs - Buffalo is a very friendly city. People were nice all around and the expo was no exception. Bib pick up was a breeze and most of my course questions were answered by volunteers. The half / full ran together but it was not too crowded (yet both sold out). Awesome technical shirt that integrated a classy recognition of the two individuals that had recently passed away. I liked that splits were recorded every 5K. Lots of water stops/ friendly volunteers. Relay exchange areas were not congested. The start also had a wonderful color guard presentation and live National Anthem, plus a moment of silence (again for the two individuals that had recently passed). Course elevation was as advertised. Starting temps in the low 50s. Good crowd control by police and volunteers. Parking was not a big deal, although two large surface lots (Chippewa and Washington Streets) were surprisingly closed on race day. I stayed across from the airport and drove about 15 minutes (on 33 West) to reach the starting area on race morning. Super easy and much cheaper than staying downtown. Plenty of porta potties. Now the lows - the start was a bit anti-climatic - an air horn blown by a Buffalo Bills player (sorry - no idea who he was) and a bit of confetti. The emcee seemed to be winging it before the start. Pacers were not really spread out that much in the corral so it was not easy to find your spot in the beginning. The U-turn at mile 26 was also a bit annoying. However - by far - the biggest problem with this race is how miles are marked (or not marked). The mile markers were not always on the same side of the road, they were not uniform in size or color (some white, some yellow) and they were not nearly big enough (maybe 2.5 feet tall). I missed the first two and really struggled to find the others, which was a huge distraction for me. I am not even sure all miles were marked. Not knowing where I was on the course really threw me off and my time suffered badly because although I knew my time I didn't always know where I was. The race needs to invest in proper (tall) markers for each mile. Sorry, Buffalo, but I won't be back. | |
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Thomas Podruchny from Oakville, Ontario Canada
(5/25/2015)
"Beautifully Executed Marathon (2015)" (about: 2015)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Buffalo Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Buffalo Marathon 2015 has to be one of the most enjoyable marathons I've done and this one was #208 for me. The EXPO was extremely entertaining ending with a fabulous pasta dinner on the same site. The entire marathon course was supported by jubilant viewers, the course was very well marked, the intersections were very well controlled by the volunteers and on-duty police, aid stations were in abundance and the timers at the finish line were in no hurry to shut down. Great organizational skills were very prevalent. | |
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E. K. from Westwood, NJ
(5/25/2015)
"Let's go, Buffalo!!!" (about: 2015)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Thank you for a spectacular experience!!! I highly recommend the half and hope to sometime soon run the full!!! Love the city, course, fans, and volunteers. I clearly see a huge effort to improve the experience as my last time running the half was almost ten years ago... Go Buffalo!!! Thank you!!! | |
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C. H. from Pennsylvania
(5/25/2015)
"Small, quiet event, full of heart and enthusiasm." (about: 2015)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran this race after running the Pittsburgh Marathon 4 years in a row. Based on that experience, I was disappointed by how meager the event amenities seemed; however, what they lose in size they make up for in enthusiasm. The organizers, volunteers, and spectators are all entirely focused on making sure the runners enjoy their experience. They are friendly and helpful. Pros: They say your name as you cross the finish line and someone puts your medal on your neck. Street parking on race day is convenient and free. (We only arrived 1 hour before the race started.) The course is flat, flat, flat! The medal itself is a neat design and well-made. The design on the t-shirt is cool. Cons: The course in my opinion is mentally exhausting. You run on one street 3 times, two other streets two times, through the same park twice, and the last .2 miles involve looping around a monument and then an out-and-back of 1/2 a city block before swinging around the monument again and making a turn to the finish line. (One runner was crying and saying 'I don't see it. I don't see it.' I didn't break down that much, but it was exactly how I felt.) Course support was also a little lackluster. They had the water before the gatorade at every station. Gels were only offered at 15 and 19. Vaseline was supposed to be at 10, 15, and 19, but when I asked for it at 10 I was told I would have to stop and wait because he had to get it from his car (what?!?). Luckily, 15 had their stuff together and I got it there, but again they handed me a giant jar of Vaseline that I had to run with as I applied it and then hand the jar back to them. While doing so I was unable to grab water or gatorade and ended up not hydrating again until the next station. No SWAG in the goodie bag. Unisex shirts (we all know unisex means cut for dudes, right?). I definitely wouldn't tell you to skip this marathon. It's an experience for sure and not a terrible one. Just go into it knowing that it's a smallish race on a 'pretty' but not 'exciting' course. I'd probably recommend you shell out the few dollars for the bus tour of the course they offer the day before. I didn't take it, but wish I had so I could have mentally prepared myself for the monotony. | |
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L. I. from Greenville, SC
(7/23/2014)
"Absolutely Amazing Race" (about: 2014)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Fantastic race! The spectators and fans made this race the best race I have ever run. Literally fans along every single part of the course. The water stops were plenty and had gatorade at every stop. The volunteers were friendly and enthusiastic. The course was almost completely flat and very scenic. I lived in the Buffalo area my entire life and experienced a part of Buffalo that made me fall in love all over again during this race. Running along the waterfront of Lake Erie was fantastic, so much so that I was tempted to stop and take pictures. The organization of the expo, etc. was very well done. The post-race refreshments were good - beer, pizza, and nutritional things such as bananas, bagels, etc. I didn't attend the pre-race pasta dinner but heard great things about it from others that did attend it. I will definitely be making this a yearly race, as I cannot say enough good things about it. This is my favorite all time race and recommend it to anyone looking for a flat course with a great overall experience. | |
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Chris Ballesteros from Orlando, Florida
(6/5/2014)
"Great May Race!" (about: 2014)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 My husband and I planned a vacation from Florida around the Buffalo Marathon. We had a wonderful time. He ran the half and I ran the full. I just loved running through Buffalo. The architecture is so much nicer than Orlando's. Forest Lawn Cemetery was beautiful to run past. When we met up at the end we compared notes on what we saw. We both finished with a PR and enjoyed a great post race party. | |
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j. g. from Buffalo NY
(5/31/2014)
"A First Class Event" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Buffalo Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Everything about this marathon is first class. The expo, packet pickup, social media, the pre-race communications, the shirt, and most importantly, the course. The course for 2014 was altered to avoid ongoing construction. The result is a fast, PR worthy course. The hills and steel grate bridge have been replaced with long stretches of straightaways and minimal turns, meaning you can actually run the tangents on this course. | |
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M. H. from Virginia Beach, VA
(5/29/2014)
"TOTALLY AWESOME MARATHON" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon is about as perfect of a marathon as you can get in a big city. The course had several sections of the city and everyone was absolutely beautiful. From the parks to the zoo to the lake side to the old architecture downtown to the beautiful green neighborhoods this marathon can't be beat. The only complaint that someone could say was there was some potholes on the roads but with the city getting around 100 inches of snow that is understandable. The volunteers at the aid stations were totally awesome. Aid stations were every 2 miles and some seemed even closer. The spectators out on the course were plentiful for the first half and were loud. The second half was less people but picked up as we got closer to downtown. And downtown was awesome coming into the home stretch. The post-race food included cold beer and cold pizza. The pizza was probably hot for the half marathoners but was cold if you came in after 4 hours. No big deal but it would have been nice hot. Plenty of fruit, soda, water, etc. I didnt see any chocolate milk which I love after the marathon. The race shirt was a black with white stripes down the side. Nice. Medal was nice but small with a buffalo on it. Very appropriate for this city! The packet pickup was downtown at the convention center and was easy to find. Expo was small but you could find everything you needed. They also had a free pasta dinner which was really good. All you could eat pasta, beer, bread, and salad. Some suggestions for runners of future Buffalo Marathon Runners and Race director: I stayed at the Red Roof Inn at the airport for 3 days for the price of one night downtown. It was 12 miles to downtown and easy to drive Stay an extra day or two to go to Niagara Falls and or Toronto. Provide some chocolate milk for the few non beer drinkers. Have the city fill in the potholes on the streets. In summary, as I am now over 1/4 through the 50 State quest, I am glad I ran I got shut out of NYC and picked Buffalo for my New York Marathon. | |
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M. G. from Cleveland, Ohio
(5/27/2014)
"Pleasant surprise" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I was looking for a late-spring, BQ attempt within driving distance to my home in NE Ohio. Buffalo may not be a glamorous destination, but the race and city were awesome. The course was so beautiful and diverse. The crowds weren't huge, but the enthusiasm was apparent. Staying at one of the downtown hotels made logistics so convenient. Minor rolling hills were sprinkled throughout, but were not tough. And yes, I did BQ! | |
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R. B. from Pittsburgh, PA
(5/27/2014)
"Two Thumbs up for Buffalo" (about: 2014)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was a well put together race. The expo was very spacious and easy to maneuver to pick up our packets. Parking was free for the expo and only $5 for race day. Both days were very easy logistically. We attended the free Carb Load Party the night before and it was wonderful. Wasnt sure what to expect, but was very happy we went. Weather for the start was a perfect 53 degrees, though you cannot give credit to the RD for weather. I think the temperature only got up to about 60-65 degrees by the finish which is the ideal marathon weather in my mind. Getting into the corrals is one of only two cons of this race in my opinion. Everyone was required to enter through the back and were not allowed to walk the sidewalks to enter the proper corral. We were stuck at the 5:30 hour pace group and would not have been able to get to the appropriate group had we not jumped the barricade fence. Please fix this for next year as it was a mess. The start through mile 6 was very congested, but that did not bother me too much as you can expect congestion at the start of a race. Course was phenomenal! Very fair and was beautiful throughout. The course never seemed to go through a visually poor stretch. The finish area was excellent as you eyed the finish line with a couple hundred yards to go. This seemed like a great course to PR (it just wasnt my day). The course provided tons of support pretty much the whole way with plenty of food and water/Gatorade at all stops. My second and final negative was the medal&very small. The design was cool enough, but in my mind needed to be bigger to be considered a good medal. Tech shirt is the nicest I have received in my 10 total races. Overall, great job Buffalo Marathon! By far my favorite marathon (out of 4) I have run. |
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