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Quebec City Marathon/Marathon des Deux Rives Runner Comments
Back to Quebec City Marathon/Marathon des Deux Rives Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 4.7 
Spectators 4.1
Number of comments: 87 [displaying comments 31 to 41]
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M. K. from New York
(11/6/2008)
"it was ok... nothing spectacular." (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Quebec City Marathon/Marathon des Deux Rives
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This course is definitely NOT flat or even slightly hilly. It's EXTREMELY hilly (and the most painful marathon I had ever run). Furthermore, it was definitely not as scenic as I had thought. (The majority of the time, you're running in suburban Levi.) The only pluses of this marathon: 1) Pretty nice medal. It lights up. 2) Expo and the finish were very well organized. 3) Host hotels were great. I stayed at the Chateau Laurier. 4) This will definitely help you prepare for a fall marathon. 5) You get to go sight-seeing in Quebec City afterward (but of course, you don't have to do the marathon to do this). | |
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d. k. from Florida
(10/22/2008)
"Just as Runner's World said: A must-do" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Quebec City Marathon/Marathon des Deux Rives
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I read the article in 2007 and ran the race in 2008. I totally disagree with C. R.'s comments. This race is great and extremely well organized. Here is the lowdown. The expo is well located, for a tourist anyway. Getting our things was easy and the volunteers were very patient with all our (stupid tourist) questions. Although this is definitely a French city (it's the charm of it), we never felt lost. Transportation to the start is fine-tuned and we loved the ferry ride. The 8:30 start is fine with me (I hate getting up at 4 a.m. for a 7 a.m. start). The course is just beautiful with about 70-75% along the St. Lawrence River. We had seen the profile and trained consequently. There are plenty of supporters before the bridge, much less after the bridge, and then plenty again 2 miles before the finish. Water stations are well-spaced and well-staffed. Even with the heat - which was very unusual, we were told - there was plenty of water and Gatorade. They even had showers! The finish is the best we experienced for a race this size. The decor, the ambiance and the supporters help me cross the finish line (I was beat). They even had a red carpet for the last 100 feet or so. After we had the chip removed and were given our medal, getting to the food area was fast enough and there was plenty of it, but here is one bad comment: it is a bit crowded. More space is needed. The medal's very unique: it has lights! We fell in love with the city. Just walking around is like being in Europe. So, like Runner's World said: this is a must-do! | |
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C. R. from New York, NY
(9/16/2008)
"Bad course, sparse second half support" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Quebec City Marathon/Marathon des Deux Rives
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This marathon was not as advertised, and lacked the attention to detail that really needs to be there if you're going to build it from year to year. The course was difficult and poorly laid out, with only two timing instruments along the way (at the halfway point and late in the race). Having to get to a dock, take a ferry boat and then a bus to get to the start is a little much for the morning of a marathon. I would have gladly taken it at the end, if need be. Also, 8:30 a.m. is too late for a marathon race to start. Great spectators at the beginning. No spectators for the last half of the race to speak of, except at the very end, but I think that those were more tourists out of curiosity/happenstance. I spoke to several veteran runners and none had much good to say about this race. Quebec City is beautiful, but I was visiting for a good event and didn't get it. | |
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D. P. from Toronto, Canada
(9/12/2008)
"The 8:30 start is fine" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Quebec City Marathon/Marathon des Deux Rivess
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have run this race a few times, and the 8:30 start is fine. This year, the weather was highly unusual for Quebec City and an earlier start wouldn't have changed much. The organization actually deserves a medal for having reacted so well. Other marathons would have run out of water, as Chicago did last year. It may seem impossible, but this already-great marathon keeps getting better and better: - New location for the expo - New course for the first 8 kilometers - Great finish line with a red carpet! | |
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d. w. from rochester, ny
(9/8/2008)
"humbled" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Quebec City Marathon/Marathon des Deux Rives
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I am writing mainly to reply to a couple of writers who noted the course to be "relatively flat" or "flat." Thirty years ago, I was pretty good at geography.... This was the most challenging course I have run (yes, I did review the elevation profile before entering). During the entire race, I cannot think of a time that I was not going up or down. Interestingly, I started the first 10-12 miles believing I was BQing on the course. It was relatively downhill (yet rolling); and there was shade and it wasn't too hot. Pride comes before the fall, and so, a little before the half, I labored as I ran uphill for (what seemed like) five miles. Up, up, up - and where's the shade? By the time I reached the middle of the bridge, I was overheated and beaten. The next 10? Miles were in wicked heat, with the sun beating down. The hills and the heat truly humbled me. Will it make a better runner out of me? Perhaps. But, I must admit that when I crossed the finish line (besides being overheated), I felt beaten, not relieved or grateful. I don't quite know what that means except that I felt an immediate need to train and run a "redemption race" (I have responsibly began retraining). Everything else I read here about the city and the organization is true. Absolutely fantastic. Loved Quebec City and celebrated my 10th anniversary in what felt like a European city - beautiful. Expo was decent; organization was good, race officials efficient and prompt with email questions; locals were friendly. | |
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J. V. from New York
(9/4/2008)
"Lovely city, but the 8:30 start is way too late!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Quebec City Marathon/Marathon des Deux Rives
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Why you should run Quebec: 1. Lovely, friendly city 2. Great sightseeing 3. Fun to travel to start by ferry 4. Nicely organized start and expo 5. Basically flat course; mostly scenic 6. Terrific medal Areas for improvement: 1. 8:30 start way too late for a summer marathon. It was very HOT and humid. Coming off the bridge back into Quebec was like running into a blast furnace. Not enough water stops during the second half of the race when it was especially stifling. (Ottawa is a great example of terrific water management.) 2. T-shirt was dull and not festive, especially given the fact that the city was in the midst of a huge 400th anniversary celebration. 4. A better job could be done with the race merchandise. | |
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s. b. from clarion, pa
(9/2/2008)
"started too late, got way too hot" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Quebec City Marathon/Marathon des Deux Rives
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 My only complaint is how late it started (0830); by that time it must have been 80 degrees F. Why start a summer race so late? The first 2/3 of the course were beautiful, and the people in their front yards with garden hoses were wonderful. But the website greatly underestimated the temperatures for the race. By the time my fat behind made it to later water stops, the water was usually warm, with no cold sponges, and no coolers full of ice. It was as if they weren't expecting summer heat in August. | |
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L. L. from Canada, Alberta (north)
(8/28/2008)
"Ca vaut le cout! It's worth it!" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Quebec City Marathon/Marathon des Deux Rives
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Being French-Canadian, this marathon was a real treat for me in 2008, as Quebec City celebrated its 400th anniversary! The course is gorgeous; the people, as usual, are super friendly and supportive; organization, food, finish line, photos, and post-party,were all seamless. No complaints - not even one! (Ok, maybe one: it was really hot, but that's just the way it goes....) Definitely worth it. Our medals even had little lights that flashed on them - very cool! | |
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R. G. from Chicago, Illinois
(8/26/2008)
"Heartbreak Bridge" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Quebec City Marathon/Marathon des Deux Rives
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Don't train only on flats like I did. The 3 miles of uphill running start just before mile 15, and by then I was already depleted from lots of rollers. The geography amplifies the heat of the day. The final 8 miles were in direct sun at that time of the morning, with no shade. I suspect this hurt the Canadians more than us "southerners." And no one expected 82 degrees, sunny and humid. In point of fact: My final 5K was the third fastest among the 25 folks who finished around me. But it was just 32:20. Lots of debris on the road at the end. Incredible support all along the way, except during the seemingly endless pre-span, span and post-span of the bridge. In this region I saw a runner ahead of me beg for water from a med-aid on a bike, and he just ignored her. The papers reported 90 people were treated for dehydration, and there was one fatality (heart attack). I don't think it reflects badly on the organizers, though. Good thing there were a 5K, 10K and half to siphon off less experienced runners. This was a tough course for beginners, made tougher by wildly unusual conditions. My hopes for a cool August run were dashed, but finishing felt much more meaningful. And the tourism couldn't have been better, what with the 400 year celebration. Chicago, October 12 will be a cool one in 7 weeks, right? | |
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T. K. from Florida, United States
(8/26/2008)
"Probably the best town in which to finish a run" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Quebec City Marathon/Marathon des Deux Rives
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I had registered for the full marathon, but due to life getting in the way of training, I decided to run the half instead. At the expo, I asked if I could change down, and within 5 minutes and $5, I was fully registered for the 1/2 and out the door. The run was nice and the course was well-described by a previous commenter. After getting through the photo and crowds to get a beverage (30 minutes in total), the city of Quebec is truly a terrific place to be. The mix of food, people, sidewalk cafes and general European flavor of this city make finishing here a lifetime memory. No large parking lots to deal, and no rushing to find the car and get home. I will go again next year if only to enjoy the beer on the sidewalk cafes on Rue St. Jean and one of the many bistro's for excellent food. The race organization, in general, was quite good and it is clear the organizers know how to run an event such as this. I only have 2 complaints: 1. The late start. Sunrise was around 5:50 a.m., the race started at 8:30, and there were what I thought a large number of people "down" on the course (I saw 4, but read about more, including the women's winner the last 3 years. I assume some of the problems were probably related to the heat, but I really do not know). The race easily could have started at 6 a.m. in full daylight or 7 a.m. at the latest. I am not sure why the organizers believe it is a good thing to run an endurance race during the noon hours on a summer day. 2. The medical tent refused entry to my running partner. She was very dehydrated and was in danger of collapsing from the heat. They told her that there was ice on outside of the finish area and to go find that. Because of the crowds, she was forced to sit next to the photo stand for about 15 minutes using the Quebec flag for shelter from the sun while I scrounged for ice for her. I do want to point out that other than the person in charge of the medical tent, the people of Quebec, race volunteers, spectators and athletes were all very friendly, inviting and overall a very pleasant group to be around. I speak no French, but anybody I asked quickly spoke in English the best they could throughout my entire 3-day stay in Quebec. |
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