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Nov 17, 2024

Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.1

Organization 4.4

Spectators 3.7

Number of comments: 81 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

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J. R. from Vienna VA (7/11/2017) "Mixed reaction to this race" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Race day was largely a success, with the important things done right. Race organization could use a lot of improvement. What went well: The marathon course was 2 loops with the 2nd loop run in the opposite direction. Although I ran only the first loop for the half marathon, running the second loop in the opposite direction seems like a vast improvement over having to cover the same territory in the same direction twice. The course was only moderately interesting in terms of visuals, with only one standout landmark, the William and Ida McKinley Memorial. This course differed from previous years due to construction at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and may revert to the original course in 2018. There were enough spectators, at least for the half marathon, to provide encouragement. Thank you, Canton. The race day staff and volunteers were cheerful and helpful. For the half marathon at least, the water stops were adequately manned and the cups were full enough to provide sustenance. An adequate supply of portapotties at the start. No lengthy waits. Yay! The finishers medal, a football ticket replica, was great. Different and better than the run of the mill medal often offered. The race premiums were nice. Free entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a blanket supplied at the finish. The blanket is just the right weight and length to keep my long legs warm while I am reading or watching TV on my sofa. What needs to be improved (none of which affected the race itself): First and foremost for me was the race director's and staff's failure to respond to my requests for information. Before the race, I sent a couple emails asking for clarification on race details. I never received a response. What really sticks in my craw, is that after waiting several weeks after the race director said age group awards were expected to be mailed (the week of May 15), I reached out 3 times (twice by email and one phone message in mid and late June and early July) to find out the status and whereabouts of my award. I received no response to any of these messages. This is inexcusable. Even if the award was lost (things happen), the race director could have at least expressed regret and I would have graciously accepted the apology. But getting no response whatsoever leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Getting out the race location was a mess. I chose the premium parking, which was inside the course loop. I believe that the shuttle buses for those who chose fairground parking also dropped off and picked up runners inside the course loop. Consequently, after the race it took about 20 or so minutes to inch my way outside the loop because of the runners on the course. I don't begrudge giving runners priority (my daughter and I were runners, too) but the logistics of getting out was frustrating, especially as we faced a 350-mile drive home to get my daughter back in time to get to work somewhat rested the next day. The race T-shirt has a long way to go. The shirt for the half marathon was a pleasing maroon. Mine fit well. But my daughter's shirt did not come anywhere close to fitting her. The staff at packet pick-up said that she could exchange her shirt after the race, if there were leftovers in her size. We tried and there weren't. Second, the design on the front of the shirt said "Pro Football Hall of Fame" and had a graphic of a football with the race distance (e.g., 13.1) inside. I suspect that most onlookers would intuit that the shirt was advertising the Hall of Fame and not the race. The race missed a chance for some free advertising. Finally, the shirt was 50% cotton blend, which means that I am not going to wear it to run in. To view race photos, one had to establish an account with the photo provider. Presumably, this allows the provider to send me advertisements and perhaps sell my name to other advertisers. I have never seen this at other races. I passed.
K. C. from TN (7/11/2017) "Unresponsive race director" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 I had reviewed this race shortly after running it and given it and the race director very good reviews. I had set a new age group record but emailed the race director that I wanted to donate my $100 check to his favorite charity. He emailed that day to say thanks. He promised to send age group awards soon. That was 10 weeks ago. I have repeatedly emailed him and left a voicemail but have not gotten another response. There was something on the website weeks ago about awards being available for pick-up at a local running store, but as an out of state runner, that did me no good. I have no idea what he did with my $100 check , no age group award and no response from him. I find this all very troubling and wonder what is going on.
E. K. from OH (5/9/2017) "Awesome Runner Perks and Fans, Terribly organized" (about: 2017) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I loved the medal and shirt for this half marathon but everything else was very poorly organized. The expo address was not listed directly on the website and many people ended up at the wrong location, the parking was a mess, you had to pay $5 PER PERSON to park (never experienced anything like this), the on course entertainment was slim to none, and some water stops were not manned and it was a VERY hot day for April. There were some other small details that were not thought through. Considering this was a large race (7,000 or so runners) I expected more. What made this race fun were other friends running and there was great crowd support!
L. S. from PA (5/1/2017) "This race was a let down" (about: 2017) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I was excited to run this race as a friend had a great result there from 2016. Race day was forecast and turned out to be unusually warm (85* & humid). The organizers were ill-prepared for the quantity of runners & the heat. After mile 17 I came upon water stops with no gatorade, water stops with only very warm water, and water stops with watered down gatorade. Very disappointing considering I needed the fluids to continue at MP. The race started 15 mins late because of shuttling delays from the fairgrounds. Spectator levels were adequate but I was disappointed only one person at mile 25 had a sprinkler going in their yard for runners (which I've even seen at 5k's) and thought the marathon itself could've had a few misters on the course & increased water stops knowing it was going to be so warm. Then I cross the finish line and they immediately heap a giant fleece blanket on me? IMO the blankets needed distributed at the expo, race day was warm enough. The course itself was super, it's a shame it played out the way it did. Probably would've been a really great race had it been a cooler 'normal' spring day.
m. s. from mansfield, TX (5/1/2017) "Hot & Steamy in 2017" (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Two loop course through residential area of Canton. Mostly flat course. A few choke points with a lot of frustrated drivers who were honking & trying to turn around - which happened in front of me. Maybe course should be re-routed? Aid stations were often but offered only water/Gatorade/goo, no fruit until mile 23 where some generous folks were handing out orange slices & popsicles, perfect refreshment at that point! Heat had many runners dropping out and aided by EMT's. Overall a good marathon.
K. C. from TN (5/1/2017) "Not so small, well run marathon" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was very impressed with this race. Apparently, it had increased significantly in size this year, and it was still very well organized. I had not known that Canton was a college town, having thought that it was all about the Hall of Fame, which, ironically was not part of the course. Getting into town was fairly easy, with a cheap flight to Cleveland and an hour's drive to Canton, mostly interstate. The Expo was okay, although after 28 previous marathons, I don't pay much attention to these. Bag pick-up was quick and easy. I had opted for the VIP package, which allowed parking very close to the start/finish area and access to the gym before and after the race. Otherwise, it was pretty much a no-frills package and not really worth $75, although the volunteers were very nice. The start was delayed 15 minutes due to an accident on I-77 that delayed a lot of the buses from the fairgrounds where most people had to park. Apparently there was a $5 fee for the bus, which you would have thought they could have rolled into the price of the marathon, although it appears that they did not. Race day was warm, 57 degrees at the start and up into the 70's by the time that I finished (3:12). I believe that it hit the high 80's later in the day, but I was at the airport already. The course through Canton was a surprise, as it was a prettier city than I had anticipated. We started out running around and through a park by a river and headed up to the McKinley Memorial. Otherwise, it was through downtown and neighborhoods. The road surface wasn't great, but there were no huge potholes. Water stops were approximately every 2 miles, with Gatorade first and water second at all but the first water stop. Volunteers were knowledgeable, balancing cups on their palms. Cups were wax paper, so you could crush them and control the flow as you ran, and they were appropriately filled, not overflowing. Gu was available in 2 areas. The course wasn't flat, with about 600 feet of elevation gain, but there were no monstrous hills, generally only relatively long, low level grades. Unfortunately, the longest series of hills were the last several miles though. The marathon and half-marathon shared the same course, although it did not feel too crowded. Whereas the half-marathon was a loop course, the marathon turned around at the halfway point and did the loop in reverse order. I have run double loop courses before and hated it, as well as some out and back races, which were deadly due to headwinds, but I didn't mind this. It actually allowed me to have a good idea as to what was coming, and I didn't get bored. It helps that I hit my target time despite the heat and won my age group, which always makes a marathon experience better. As for swag, the medal was huge, and my wife and kids were impressed when I got home. There was also a fleece blanket, which was beautiful but not terribly useful with the heat, but it will be nice on cold winter nights at home. The tee shirt was soft cotton short sleeve. As for age group awards, I have no idea yet. The major snag with the race was the results. Apparently, they confused some of the half-marathon finishers with marathon finishers, so I didn't know where I placed until I got home and checked the website in the evening. It's my understanding that my award will be mailed to me. I had a plane to catch, so I did not have time to hang around for the award ceremony. Suffice it to say that the 'rolling awards' ceremonies that they described did not occur in a timely fashion. It was also a bit of a nightmare trying to get out of Canton and back to my hotel to shower before driving to the airport. I stayed at Home2Suites, which was pretty nice. I ate at Bravo, a local Italian place with pretty good food, but I had to eat at the bar because it was also prom night. Leaving the hotel, I had to deal with church traffic. I barely made my flight out of Cleveland, which I had booked for just over 4 hours after I finished the race. I would opt for a bigger window if I had to do it again. I have to take a moment to recognize Jim Chaney, the race director. He answered all of my emails in a timely fashion. He was alone at the solutions booth on Saturday, patiently and tirelessly answering questions. He made the decision to delay the race after he had sworn in all pre-race postings that he would not do so, which I thought was the right decision. He has managed to grow this race without turning it into one of the unmitigated disasters that occur at many other races going through growing pains. The volunteers were great, and someone must have coached them in how to organize water stops and hand out drinks and Gu. There were plenty of course monitors, lead bikes and police controlling traffic and making sure no one got lost or even had to hesitate on the course.
Joe Appel from Pittsburgh, PA (10/4/2016) "Small Well-Run Marathon" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran this marathon 3 weeks after another race in Charlottesville. I felt like I had something to prove to myself after a disappointing experience. This was a similar size race to that earlier one, but they provide a far better experience. The roads around the Pro Football HOF were under construction in 2016, so the start and finish was at a local high school stadium instead. The expo was on the field of the stadium, too. It's not a big race, but I was very happy with the efforts of the organizers. The first half of the course is mostly in the downtown area in Canton. The second was mostly residential areas which weren't as interesting. But I must say that the route was laid out in a way that kept you somewhat sheltered from the wind, which I thought was clever. There weren't a lot of spectators, especially on the second part, but those who were there were great. The last mile or so was uphill, which was tough. I've already signed up for next year. The course has changed for 2017, with the residential area eliminated. The hill at the end will also be gone because the HOF construction is complete. The medal, commemorative blanket and race t-shirt were all first-rate items. The race entry also gets you into the Pro Football HOF. This is a fun race that I am looking forward to running again.
C. J. from Western New York (9/28/2015) "First time was a great experience" (about: 2015) 2 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I'm very glad that I did this race. I always wanted to go to the NFL Hall of Fame. This killed 2 birds with one stone. Packet pickup was easy to find and get through. The race day shuttles from the mall were great. For the people that complained about the busses running late, is because 'of course' several people thought the could catch the last busses. Get there relatively early and there was no problem. The raceday volunteers were great and PLENTIFUL! The race was tougher that I was expecting , but no complaints. As with any experienced marathoner would do. Go into it properly prepared and execute your plan. You'll be fine. There were several small hills and it was pretty windy on race day. I would recommend this race, it was a lot of fun for our whole family.
J. D. from Ohio (4/28/2015) "Holy Hills!" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 It's too bad they cap the marathon at the size they do because every facet of this marathon could handle a bigger field. Excellent organization, the BEST volunteers, decent fans. The pkt pick up was easy, nice stuff to buy, but a little small for such a 1st class event. Gear bags w/zip ties were handed out at the expo. The race shirt is ok, seemed to be a little gaudy though. Great idea at the expo though. There was a group that would let you 'rent'a sweatshirt then drop it once the race started. They picked up the discarded clothes and it went for a charity. The host hotel had a very good free/included breakfast that opened for the runners an hr earlier than usual. The trip to the parking area was about a 1/2 mile away (Belden Village Mall). We were able to easily catch a shuttle bus to the start which was at the Hall of Fame. Buses seemed to be on time and they were lined up waiting to take people from the mall to the start. Plenty of porta potties at the start. It was a little chilly on race morning and there was not really any way to stay out of the cold other than to be dressed for it. Gear bag check was easy and well organized and right at the stadium so you could wear plenty to stay warm then bag your stuff, drop it, and walk right to the start. The race started about 10 minutes late, no big deal. The course was 26.2 miles...some neighborhoods, some parks, some 'sketchy'areas but it all had one thing in common....hills. If you are reading this...why...you should be running hills! I hoped that the first 13.1 would be the worst part and it would flatten out. Nope, it was very hilly until mile 20. A nice little down hill then the last 6.2..constant uphills. Even the downhills seemed to go up. The volunteers were probably the best I've come by. There were plenty of help at each stop, gels were handed out at different spots to keep the confusion of gel and water and/or Gatorade to a minimum. Overall, the best marathon I've run but it was very tough. Run it for the great event it is but don't be upset if you don't PR.
L. I. from Greenville, SC (7/23/2014) "Impressively Organized Inaugural Race" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This race was very impressive in terms of: - Medal, T-Shirt, and Finisher Blanket - Organization - Venue of expo - Information and communication prior to the race (everything was very specific and easy to figure and the pre-race updates were fantastic) - Volunteers This race could improve upon: - Course (it was challenging in terms of hills and not very scenic, albeit they made the most of the area they had to use for 26.2 miles) - Refreshments along the course (water stops towards the end of the race were starting to close down while the race was still going on and I don't recall receiving much other than GU during the race) - Fan support (there were few fans along the course cheering on runners, although this was the race's first year so I can imagine it will gain support as it goes on) I am still up in the air about running this race again in the future. Overall, it was a good experience and the updates and communication before the race showed how well prepared the race organizers were to put on such a big event.

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