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J. G. from Thousand Oaks, CA
(1/1/2008)
"Enjoyable small-town marathon" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Coeur d' Alene Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Didn't mind the double "out and back" course, as it was scenic along the lake, with nice and friendly fellow runners, some of whom were training for the Ironman a month later. Quaint town, easy access to start and finish, appreciated being able to wait in the WARM indoor gym before the start of the race. Not much crowd support or perks, but a pleasant, well organized, small-town marathon run, and a PR time, despite the hill that others have commented on and that I did not find particularly long or intimidating. | |
D. R. from Montana
(7/15/2007)
"No way for an out-and-back marathon!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Coeur d' Alene Marathons
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have run this marathon about 10 times, but chose not to do so this year due to the two runs at the tough hill I know so well. Out-and-back courses are anathema to most marathoners, running one twice with a big hill is a no-go. If they change it back, I will return, but would love to see that hill taken out. | |
J. H. from Tacoma, WA
(7/6/2007)
"Would never run this one again." (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Coeur d' Alene Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 While CDA is a beautiful and friendly town, I would never run this marathon again. The double out-and-back course was awful - especially having to fight your way through the spectators at the finish for the half. The course markings and volunteers were great. However, there was absolutely NO FOOD at the finish line. There was more food at the turn-around (when you didn't want to eat) than at the finish. For a race that was in its 30th year - I found that unbelievable! It's also time that CDA gave out a new medal - they are using the same ones from years past, with just a different lanyard with the new year. Definitely not a race I would recommend to anyone! | |
J. A. from Minnesota
(5/29/2007)
"Nice little marathon" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Coeur d' Alene Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I ran the 2007 version of the CDA marathon. My understanding was that it was a new course this year. It was a double out-and-back course with a half-mile, 6-degree hill just before the turnaround. We had a cool day, which was fine with me. Sections of the course were quite scenic, especially along the lake, but the second time around, the hill seemed much steeper and took its toll. Couer d'Alene is a pretty town with nice people. Don't expect a lot of spectators but if you bring friends and family, the new course is pretty easy to navigate. The awards ceremony got a little rowdy when they couldn't give away the raffle prizes (must be present to win), so we left before it was over. Overall I would give it average marks. This was my 18th state and overall I would rank it somewhere in the middle. | |
Claudia Cooper from Seattle, WA
(5/29/2007)
"Scenery Reduced by Half" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Coeur d' Alene Marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 While this course is scenic, it's only half as scenic as in years past. That's because a new course route has runners doing an out-and-back twice. That also gives you a second attempt at all the hills right before the turnaround. Nonetheless, much of the course is on the Centennial Trail, which borders Lake Coeur d'Alene. I'd vote for bringing back the old course. | |
Caroline Ang from Calgary, Alberta
(6/23/2006)
"Great course for my first marathon" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Coeur d' Alene Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I couldn't have asked for a better course to run my first marathon! I ran a sub-4 hour race on a scenic and mostly flat route. The reported "significant hill" was gradual and wasn't significant on race-day, didn't slow me down. I enjoyed the run so much I didn't notice the rain and wind. The number of spectators on the route was small; mainly family of runners. The rain probably had something to do with the number of spectators. Package pick-up was organized and easy. Nice (and tastefully designed) long-sleeve technical shirt. Parking aplenty on race day. There were a good number of water/aid stations, well-stocked with gels, water and sports drink manned by a great crew of friendly volunteers who braved the wind and rain! Thank you! I couldn't believe how many volunteers there were for a small race. Nice medal. Because it was a small race, I didn't even have to wait for my post-race massage. Could improve: - Copies of route map at package pick-up would've been nice. - Clearer markings and volunteers in the last 3 miles of marathon. If it weren't for following other runners, I might have gone off the course in the residential area. - Location of finishing line not clearly indicated as I was running back into the campus. A good, organized event. I'd recommend this to anyone. I will be back to run another marathon. | |
Dick White from Cocoa Beach, FL
(6/12/2006)
"Neither Rain, Nor Cold, Nor Angle of Hills..." (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Coeur d' Alene Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 CDA is #30 in my quest for 50 states. CDA is a beautiful town and the marathon well reflects the towns promotion of rugged outdoor living. Once we hit the bike path, the beauty of the course matched the beauty of the downtown area. I must comment on the fact that your "host" hotel would not give us an hour for late checkout on race Sunday forcing us to have to relocate to THE FLAMINGO HOTEL (GO FLAMINGO) after already having spent Friday night at your "host" hotel. It must be time to find a new host hotel that understands the meaning of the word host. | |
Ron Steinhilber from El Mirage, AZ
(6/11/2006)
"Not a bad run, could be better organized" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Coeur d' Alene Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was my first time running this race, and overall it wasn't a bad experience. The course was nice along the lake. The rest of it (the first half) was just OK. Lots of straightaway running, but I like to see the towns I run in, so I don't mind that too much. Signing up for the race, getting my packet and chip was great. The organizers were on top of that. There was one thing that really bothered my wife and I and that was there were no course maps at the expo. I had to write down the course on scrap paper so we could drive it the day before. During the race the water stops were well manned and stocked with Gatorade and water. God bless the volunteers who stood out in the cold and rain to support us. Unfortunately at the end of the race there were only bananas and oranges. I pretty much crossed the finish line and left. Overall, it was an OK experience, but not remarkable. | |
T. G. from Calgary, Alberta
(6/5/2006)
"A Great Half I'll Be Back Next Year!" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Coeur d' Alene Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first half marathon, and it was wonderful! I thought the weather was great even though it rained for most of the half but hey I prefer cooler weather runs. Package pickup was super fast, I was very happy with the long sleeve technical shirts. There was tons of parking at the Campus where the race started/finished. There were also lots of porto potty's at the start line and ample througout the course. There were also lots of water/aid stations, with bananas/oranges at the halfway turnaround point (which was chip timed). The hill on the half course was pretty easy with the turnaround point at the top. The course didn't really have mile markers, but that's about the only negative thing. I thought the course was scenic, and lots of police along the course both standing and in their cars. The volunteers were awesome! I was surprised at how many there were. Overall this was a great event! I can't wait until next year, the 7+ hour drive is worth it. It was neat at the finish line having your name and where your from announced. Nice medals, and good snacks, although not much left for the later marathoners coming in. Thank you so much to all the volunteers and sponsors! | |
Jim Daigneau from Calgary, AB, Canada
(6/2/2006)
"Friendly, well organized and scenic marathon" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Coeur d' Alene Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Despite the less than ideal weather (cool and rainy) this was a very enjoyable race experience. Appreciated the very friendly volunteers & local running community, scenic course with a nice route through town then out & back on the very scenic lake. This race would be an epic on a sunny, warm day and was still very worthwhile and enjoyable thanks to the friendly Coeur d'Alene locals and scenic course. Nice technical shirts & race medals too! Highly recommmend this race (and I have run Chicago Lasalle and Napa Valley in the past) |
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