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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 301 to 311]
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W. R. from houston, texas
(2/15/2005)
"It was hard" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Austin Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The Austin Marathon was hard for me and some other Houstonians. It was extremely hilly and hot. I think that if you live in Austin or if you live in a hilly area it will be a easy marathon, but I don't. If you run it, train very hard if you live in a flat area and be prepared for hills. The spectators were so-so. The organization was great; the police were everywhere to ensure safety. | |
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Jim Skibo from Cedar Hill TX (Dallas)
(2/14/2005)
"Nice downhill marathon." (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Austin Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Nice gentle downhill route with enough variety to keep things interesting. I gave the course a 5 for that reason. The course has 859 ft of descent and 476 ft of ascent. So you will do some climbing and some of that is right at the end. They are gentle slopes though, nothing to get too excited about. The course is fast with a net descent of 383 ft. Organization was good and what you?d expect of a major marathon. I have four ?pain points?. 1. I have never been to an expo before where there wasn?t bottled water! 2. If you say in your literature you are giving a finisher's shirt, then give one! None were handed out... or they ran out. 3. Crowd control needs some work. At two points during the race, spectators got a little too involved. At the University of Texas stadium, I (and several others) had to dodge little kids running right through the line of runners. Their parents were laughing, thinking this was somehow ?cute.? Later along the downtown streets, the spectators formed a really narrow ?chute? about 12 ft wide that runners had to navigate for several blocks. In a way that was a real rush, but also bothersome if you wanted to pass any other runners because you didn?t have the space to do so unless you wanted to crash into the spectators. 4. Water again!! If you didn?t grab the bottle of water along with your finisher?s medal and walked beyond the finish area to the tents with food, you were SOL because they didn?t have any water either! I will say that the neighbors in the area just before crossing the river were truly nice folks who went way out of their way to provide candy and things to runners. I was touched by that because the area is one of very modest homes and the folks took some of their hard earned dollars to do that. The weather made things unpleasant. This being Texas, weather patterns can change quickly and they did in Austin this weekend. I had hoped for a 40 to 55 degree race, but we got a 62 to 72 degree run with 90% humidity. You can?t blame the race for the weather, and I?m not, I am just saying it was unpleasant. This was my 13th marathon and on the 13th day of February. Jim | |
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R. S. from Austin, TX
(2/14/2005)
"Wonderful Race, Lousy Weather" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Austin Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was a very well done race. The organizers have corrected pretty much everything that people had complained about in the past. The start has been expanded to six lanes rather than three, and merges after about half a mile. The first half of the course is slightly rolling; mile one is gently uphill and crowded but not unmanageable. The second half is mostly flat with a nice two-mile out-and-back that lets you see the folk running around you. Water and Powerade are available at every stop; stops are at every mile except for 1, 3 and 5. The crowds were really nice and supportive. This isn't NYC or Chicago, but there was plenty of support. Volunteers at the start, finish, and all points in between were plentiful and friendly. Additionally, the whole town gets a little excited about the race, which is great. The finishing area was well organized; food and drinks were plentiful, drop backs retrieved quickly and easily, and the medal and ribbon were very nice indeed. The race ends on Town Lake for those wanting a quick (unofficial) dip into cold water. The downside this year? There had been rain overnight and a massive thunderstorm hit the start line from 6:15 to 6:45 - for a 7:00 start. Puddles were everywhere, as were some serious blisters. The temperature was 60 degrees at the start with ~99% humidity, rising to 70+ at the finish (and 80+ for the day); had the race been held a day earlier it would have been a very nice 40-50 degrees. All told this is becoming an excellent marathon, and deserves the recognition it's receiving in the mainstream running press. | |
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L. L. from College Station, TX
(2/14/2005)
"Good experience, but likely won't return" (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Austin Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This is my 3rd marathon and overall it was a good experience. I had just run the Houston Marathon a month earlier and got to see what how well organized a TX Marathon could be. First, the organization inside the expo needed desperate help. I couldn't figure out where to go to check-in! There were no signs! Not to mention the fact that the person checking me in was incompetent and I had to remind her what all should be included in my goody bag (i.e., shuttle wrist bands, bib, etc). We took the first shuttle bus to the start line at 5am so we had no problems there. It poured rain from ~6-7am, but cleared off just in time for us to start. The support from spectators was OK. Nothing to write home about. The heat was what really got a lot of runners. After the 17 mile turn-around, I saw a lot of runners walking and feeling the heat. Although there were a lot of downhills, there were also a lot of uphills - especially after the 21-mile mark. Definitely killed my quads! At the finish line, I was taken aback by a few things. 1: they had volunteers handing out Mylar blankets to runners... in 75-degree weather, and 2: although my support team found me quickly, there were no signs pointing me where the 'family reunion' place was! Again, poor signage and organization. After running in Houston, and seeing what a great job they did, I'm not sure I'll be coming back to this one. | |
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B. H. from Louisiana
(2/4/2005)
"highly recommend this" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Austin Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Austin was my 3rd marathon. Since then I have run 3 others. It was a super experience. The only race where I have gotten to the half marathon and said 'I am sure glad I don't have to stop running now.' We panicked when we arrived on Friday and snow was predicted for the next day. By Sunday the weather was perfect for running. The bus from the hotel to the start was not well planned. We were told there were traffic jams at the start area. They should have had more busses. We got off, jogged to drop off our gear and walked right onto the start as the race had already started. Great support along the route, aid stations every mile was nice. The backpack in the goody bag was a nice touch. Great spectator support. One guy was out with a sign saying 'You paid to do this?' The post-race food was disappointing. Biscuits with white gravy! We grabbed a bagel and banana. Also, no beer. There weren't even any vendors selling beer in the park. We walked back to our hotel and stopped at the Hooter's for hotdogs and beer. | |
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Demetrio Bolanos from Mexico
(1/10/2005)
"If you want a BQ... this is it!" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Austin Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I've run 13 marathons, and I'll be back again this year. Not too big, not too small, very fast and good organization. No complaints. | |
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R. S. from Austin, TX
(11/11/2004)
"Good run, better with changes for 2005" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Austin Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This is a very nice, friendly course. There aren't a huge number of spectators considering the number of runners, but they are spread out nicely along the course. Only a few bands - less than the website indicated. Volunteers were helpful, and the weather was great. My biggest complaints had to do with value for money, but now that the nickel-and-diming has stopped it should be better. The price now includes a finisher's shirt, parking at the expo, and a ride to the starting line among other items that weren't included last year for what is, after all, a relatively pricy marathon. | |
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mark lee from chicago
(9/3/2004)
"Well worth doing!" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Austin Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was only my second marathon (Chicago 1st one, 4 months earlier). I liked it a lot better because it wasn't the crowded mob scene Chicago was. Fans were sparse in areas but still ample. People were great. Course was mostly downhill, and ran along the river a lot. Hot food at the end was basic breakfast (eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy) and after 5 1/2 hours it was pretty good. Got a great backpack (wife snagged it for diapers and kids' things) as well as a t-shirt for the reg fee. Weather was perfect. Traffic was definitely a pain for my brother and his wife, who carted me there/home and met me here and there throughout the course. I'd do this one again though. | |
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D. K. from Illinois
(3/30/2004)
"Nice marathon but, WARNING!!!" (about: 2004)
50+ previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my 64th marathon overall. I registered for this one because of its reputation. The course was nice and fast, I set a PR there and would recommend it. But, The marathon was on Sunday and the pasta dinner - FRIDAY! A very unusual combination. So, if you are coming from out of town and are planning on arriving Saturday, DON'T pay for the pasta dinner. | |
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C. P. from Houston, TX
(3/24/2004)
"Thanks for ending the half at a beer garden!" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Ran 8 marathons, 6 Houston, 1 NY, and 1 Dallas Trails, but this was my first Austin 1/2 (and only 2nd 1/2). The good news: The half ends at a beer garden! Thank you for that!. The weather was great. The course as they say - mostly downhill. The bad news: Traffic nightmare at start (and I left in plenty of time). Plastic cups instead of paper at the water stops. Few crowds. Poor expo, park at Run Tex and walk over to save a lot of time and a few bucks, too. Thin, ugly yellow T-shirt for finishing. Party food: banana, bagel, orange, I think that was it. Organization of buses seemed chaotic, lots of long lines. Expensive overall. Best part: The half ends at a beer garden that has great service, cold beer and good, hot food. |
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