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☰
Austin Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Austin Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.0 
Organization 4.0 
Spectators 4.1
Number of comments: 421 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
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J. D. from Austin, TX
(2/20/2023)
"That mile 26 hill..." (about: 2023)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Austin Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I moved to Austin 8 months ago and was destined to run this marathon. The packet pickup and website were well organized and prepped you for race day. It was a Sunday so finding free parking all over was pretty amazing. While there were many more half-marathoners, than full, I'd encourage folks pursuing their PR to wait 15 minutes to allow the majority of runners to spread out and start running before you follow, otherwise they may slow you down. Outside of the starting block, the race was smooth, relatively flat with a modest hill between 10/11 and then a massive one within the final mile that takes every ounce of your tank out of you. The fans were awesome, so many non-race locals providing oreos, oranges, beer, champagne, gu, waters, high fives and support at every turn. I enjoyed the run and look forward to doing it again. | |
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T. S. from PA
(2/22/2022)
"Great city of Austin!" (about: 2022)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Austin Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I traveled from PA for my first time in Austin. I had a lot of fun exploring the city as there is a lot to see and do. The race overall was extremely well organized. The Expo was very nice with a lot of vendors. They gave us shirts, mugs, hats, and a scarf in our swag bag. The race has a terrific website that gives plentiful information. There were plenty of hotels in walking distance but prices are high so weigh your options. There are more half marathoners so you are running together and the first half is very hilly. Once they break off, the course is rolling with some flatter stretches. Like a lot of combo races there are a lot of spectators for the half and at the finish but as not many in the second half. There are many aid stations with ample opportunities for hydration or to grab a gel. I didn't think the hills were too bad overall but in the last mile there is a huge uphill that despite my hillwork slowed me down so be prepared, but then you cruise downhill to the finish. The medals are beautiful and also belt buckles and they gave us Under Armour long sleeved finisher shirts. The food bag contained a granola bar, fruit cup with no spoon, and a bag of popcorn, so bring something with you since it's not much. The after party has live music and beverages if you choose to stick around. Overall I think this is a fun race worth doing! | |
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E. S. from TX
(1/12/2022)
"More of a half experience" (about: 2019)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Austin Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 As many have said, the focus here is on the half. The energy immediately dropped after the first half, and the course didn't have full roads blocked off at that point. I still had a great race and PR'ed. I also barely noticed the hills. | |
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K. U. from Fort Worth, TX
(3/3/2020)
"Not what it used to be." (about: 2020)
50+ previous marathons
| 4-5 Austin Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 Poorly organized. Full and 1/2 medals almost indistinguishable. Still an ambiguous answer for the late start - sounds like a spin on disorganization. City of Austin is great; the race organizers were not. Over a week later and still no finisher shirt. Is someone from the company deleting negative comments? Lots of neat 'bling' but forgot the basics. Won't be back until they fix it. | |
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D. T. from Kentucky
(2/28/2020)
"Late start very frustrating" (about: 2020)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Austin Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 We started 40 minutes late due to traffic safety concerns. When runners asked why the delay on facebook, the posts got deleted. Pretty sure they were unorganized or forgot to shut down part of the course. The 5k runners were supposed to go off 45 minutes after the original marathon start. Since we started late, marathoners were still crossing the start line at that time. The few 5k runners that didn't realize the delay were on the wrong course and really had it rough. | |
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L. G. from AZ
(3/10/2019)
"hilly run through Austin" (about: 2019)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Austin Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I loved starting the marathon and the half together; my sister ran the half and she and I were able to run the first 12 miles together. There weren't many spectators, but the water stop volunteers were fabulous. The course isn't pretty or interesting as you're basically running through a city. The expo had a lot of exhibitors and the food trucks at the finish were fantastic. I ran this race more to have fun seeing Austin and listening to music; the marathon was secondary. | |
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N. F. from Albuquerque, NM
(2/23/2019)
"Good support, rough course, halfers galore." (about: 2019)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Austin Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 As other people have already stated, the course is constant hills, but the roads are terrible too. The streets have a large cross slope so you're running unevenly the entire time and there are holes everywhere. People stole the covers off almost every shut-off valve so there are scads of open pipes big enough to break an ankle in. There are regular potholes and also manhole covers that are a few inches beneath street level thus creating a sort of pot/manhole. They made a big deal of all the scenery you'll see on this run, but I was staring down the entire time trying to avoid all the holes. The other problem with this race is all the half marathoners. There were 10,000 of them and they were everywhere. I was constantly zigzagging around them and tripping over them. There were several groups running together that you have to maneuver around, they step in front of you and stop short and are completely oblivious to how much pain and fatigue their actions can cause full marathoners. We ran an extra mile according to our watches just from all the zigzagging around the halfers. They do not have their own course at all; they run with you the entire first half so there is no escape. When they finally broke off and headed to the finish line, they got loads of fanfare, crowds & music and then the race basically evaporated after that as if the full marathoners didn't exist. On the plus side, there were water and electrolyte stations at almost every mile. I liked that the course was a giant loop with no out-and-backs or repeats, but I stared at the ground the whole time and didn't get much out of it. There were several live musicians although there was definitely room for more. And the street support was pretty good. But I doubt I'll run this race again. | |
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J. S. from New Hampshire
(3/1/2017)
"Very well done" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Austin Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Thanks to the race organizers for a safe and fun race in challenging conditions. 2017 was hot and humid, many racers DNF. Warnings were abundant to take it slow and hydrate, volunteers were attentive and emergency personnel continuously scanned the course on motorcycles and golf carts making sure everyone was safe and providing aid. So well done. The race was scenic, the city friendly, the belt buckle medal, awesome. Highly recommend. Thank you!! | |
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G. B. from Dallas
(6/5/2016)
"Better when Livestrong was the sponsor." (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Austin Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Austin is my hometown (I live in Dallas now) and I love the beautiful views but the course is brutal. So many hills. That said, I ran my first 1/2 ever there in 2010 and race support was amazing. I even received a sweet laptop bag as the swag! Then I ran my first full marathon there in 2011 and I couldn't believe how many treats were along the course including Honey Stinger products. We didn't get a blanket because it was at least 75 degrees and very humid (they did give out those blankets in 2010). As part of our swag we were given a sport backpack which I STILL use today to schlep all of my running gear in. A glutton for punishment I ran the full again in 2014. On-course and post-race fuel was very basic with chips and bananas. I don't care for the medals or t-shirts anymore but I admit I was p*ssed off when after paying the high entry fee I was given a key chain as my swag. Really?? It felt like a 5K race. So much better when Livestrong was the sponsor. | |
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B. B. from Pittsburgh, Pa
(2/18/2016)
"I really liked it!" (about: 2016)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Austin Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 After reading the complaints from last year, I had low expectations for this race but was pleasantly surprised. Except for a high entry fee (I registered late) and congested early water stops (which could be remedied by having water on both sides of the street), I thought that the rest of the race was great. Expo was a good size with nice merchandise to purchase and plenty of freebies. It was close to downtown in a nice facility and it was easy to get your stuff and go. Pre-race organization was excellent with good signage and plenty of port a johns. Water was available pre-race and bag drop was right in the middle of the action. Free parking within a short walk of the start/finish. The course was hilly for the first half, but that shouldn't be a surprise for anyone who does their research. It was scenic through the first half, and the second half was filled with cool neighborhoods with very supportive neighbors. Tons of official and unofficial aid stations. More food than you would ever need and lots of encouragement. Lots of live music as well. A great finish line near the capitol and plenty of bagels, cookies, bananas, and chips. Nice shirt, great medal, and a bag that I will use. I have run in some bad races, this was not one of them. I enjoyed the race, the city, and Hops and Grain and South Austin breweries. A great destination race. |
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