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☰
Omaha Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Omaha Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.3 
Organization 3.7 
Spectators 2.9
Number of comments: 183 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
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M. d. from Minnesota
(9/16/2018)
"Not worth it" (about: 2018)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I hate to write this but I don't think other marathoners should repeat my mistake. I've done over 30 marathons and numerous other races. Spectators were great but very few out there. Course is awful. Flat but through the worst parts of Omaha. Post race is a joke, look for prior reviews for details, nothing has changed. | |
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L. A. from Nebraska
(9/22/2017)
"PR Course" (about: 2017)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Pros: 1. The course is pretty flat. If you're looking for something flat but scenery isn't important, this is your course. 2. Friendly people at the water stops. Once we merged back onto the half course, there were more water stops 3. Running into the 5k runners at the end was nice. I was mad when I saw them at first, but it was really nice to have company at the end. In essence, they pulled me through the last two miles. 4. They gave out Hammer gel which was great. I actually needed one more and it was nice to have it on the course available to me. 5. The volunteers were so nice at the water stops and pretty much anywhere I went. Cons: 1. The course goes through the absolute worst part of Omaha. If you want to see rundown homes, this is the place to see it. 2. Where were the water stops on the marathon course?? This is when runners really need water and they were more spaced out on the marathon only side of the course. 3. No prize money. This marathon would probably attract 20% more people if they offered something in way of prizes. | |
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C. L. from Florida
(9/18/2017)
"Well organized & flat fast" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The race is well organized. There are ample water stops which had water, sports drink and gels. Many stops had fruit. Police did a great job keeping vehicles off the course. This is a course where you could PR. Because only about 300 runners do the full marathon, the course is not crowded especially after the 700 half marathoners turn around. Many downtown hotels are within easy walking distance to the race start/finish. I stayed at the Hilton. That's a great choice. It has a restaurant on sight pulse there are several area restaurants to choose from. The hotel also provides an airport shuttle. So you don't have to rent a car. The race has a race day packet pickup. So if an out of town runner desired they could reduce the hotel nights and save some money. | |
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J. C. from Florida
(9/27/2016)
"Well organized, but much of course run on cement" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 PROS: The organization of this race, and coordination with the city of Omaha was great. The finish on the TD Ameritrade field was awesome. It was also a bonus that the downtown hotels were walking distance to the start/finish. I enjoyed the straight-forward, out and back aspect of the course. CONS: I wish I had not stayed at the host hotel, Hilton. While it was convenient to the start/finish, I was disappointed in the treatment I received. Part of the benefit is an extremely good rate ($139 per night). However, as a result of this rate, I do not feel that I got the treatment I would have received if my husband had been along with his Honor Program membership. I arrived an hour before 3pm check-in and asked for an early check-in. Instead of immediately saying there were no rooms available, the clerk asked for my name, looked it up... then said there were no rooms available. When I checked in after 3pm with a different clerk, got similar treatment when I asked for a later checkout. Because I was running the marathon, I would not be back from the race by noon checkout. One more hour would have made a big difference. Runners that I met that also stayed at the Hilton, received similar treatment. However, other runners staying in nearby hotels that were not even listed as a host hotel, were given late check outs. The room I was assigned was hopefully not indicative of all their rooms. It was not very clean, and had an odor that gave me a headache within 30 minutes of entering. I should have asked more questions, before booking the Hilton. While I did enjoy the course, I wish I had trained more on cement sidewalks as much of the course is on cement roadway, and bike path. It's important to know what the surface of your marathon is, and prepared accordingly! Lastly, it was a hot day and much of the course is in the open, so bring plenty of suncreen, a visor, and maybe even a camelbak to supplement the aid stations. | |
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K. V. from KS
(9/25/2016)
"Look elsewhere for a Nebraska race" (about: 2016)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Very disorganized. The packet pickup was outside, and had no signs directing people to where it was, we literally walked around the TD Ameritrade Park to find it in the parking lot. The 'Expo' was almost all torn down by early after lunch. The Pasta meal was good, with lots of food already made. Never found a volunteer who knew where gear drop off was located. The Race was forced to start an hour late due to a shooting on the course. No one was upset about starting late, as we understood OPD was busy working the shooting. The water stations were about every 2 miles. Water was cold which was a bonus. No Gatorade, they did have Heat, which tasted off. I understand volunteers are donating their time, but it appeared they had not been given instructions. Many water stations had little to no glasses filled prior to runners apporaching them, then the voluneers would get up, and then fill glasses. NO COURSE MARKING ON THE STREET. Most intersections had caution tape to block it off. during one portion of the race went through a park with no guidance. several of us took a wrong turn. Almost no spectators along the course, which was crazy. I found more spectators on my last race which ran through corn fields. Post race was sad. Walked out to find I had to go find a bottle of water, the food choice was make your own PB&J... just a few of chocolate milk. The vendors were tearing down as people were still running the marathon. The next week another marathon was to be held in Omaha, and the locals talked about how beautiful the course it will be ran on. | |
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C. C. from Northeast
(9/22/2016)
"The course did not display the best of Omaha" (about: 2016)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Although the race was well organized, the course was on some depressing areas of Omaha. Some areas looked run down, some industrial section, even areas with metal garbage. The best part was running by the Missouri River. It definitely did not highlight the best parts of the city. The finish line did not provide enough food. The chocolate milk was a special treat and the medal was big. Finishing inside the baseball park was different. Still waiting to hear if the the race will be certified after the last minute change to the course. No emails or apologies from the race director on the hour delay at the start. Although it was a valid delay it would have been nice to get some type of apology. The expo was almost nonexistent. It was great to have so many hotels near the start/finish area. It is a fast course with very few inclines plus a gentle downhill at the last mile leading to the park. | |
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C. A. from Des Moines, IA
(9/21/2016)
"Nice small race but needs improvement" (about: 2016)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 The course was mostly flat and had nice scenery. You start downtown and you run through neighborhoods, along the Missouri river, paved trails, along Carter Lake and finish running around the warning track of TD Ameritrade Park. You appear on the video board which was an awesome experience. Water stops for the most part were great with multiple drink options, snacks, GU, etc. However, at mile 16 water station they ran out of water and there was several runners still to reach that stop. Volunteers were nice. Omaha PD did a great job with the entire event. Spectators were slim to none the further you got into the race. The ones that were on the course were very energetic. There was not a lot of live music along the course. The Party at the finish was nothing to brag about. More options for food and drinks would have been really nice. If you are a 50 state runner and need to cross Nebraska off your list, I would go. Otherwise, I would suggest looking around. | |
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N. K. from Michigan, USA
(1/18/2016)
"Really liked this race!" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I very much enjoyed the marathon in Omaha. The Hilton hotel was so convenient to everything. I loved the pasta dinner, which was free! Great to talk with other runners, and the organizers were wonderful. I thought most of the course was beautiful, running by the river for much of it. It helped that we had perfect weather. The organization was excellent throughout, in fact I won my age group but couldn't stay for the award since my flight time had been moved up and I was pressed for time. They mailed me a very nice plaque afterwards, which was really kind. The expo was disappointing, with not much to see or buy, but I really enjoyed the time I spent in Omaha and would recommend this race. | |
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k. k. from St Louis, MO
(9/25/2015)
"Nicely done!" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 For a relatively small race, it was very well organized and executed. Course is definitely on the flat side but there are some hills, few gradual and few steep but short. There were plenty of water stops which were well stocked and they were at a good interval through out the course with great volunteers. The race started in downtown area, then to residential areas then to somewhat remote area by the river then back. Spectators were sparse, especially in the latter part of the course. Few that were out there were great. Many thanks to the one-man-band guy with a guitar and an amplifier who was singing reggae near the entrance to the path by the river. The finish area was excellent. There were plenty of food and drinks and chairs to relax in. This was my first trip to the Omaha area and overall it was a great experience, both the city and the race, and I definitely recommended it. The zoo is excellent as others have said so do check it out if you're visiting. | |
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Andy Kap from Detroit
(9/24/2015)
"Pretty quiet for a city marathon - needs water" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 This race sums up all of Omaha, and even Nebraska for that matter. The few people that live there are in one spot, and I really emphasize a few. Aside from the single-table water stops, this race is quiet. There were more cops blocking traffic than there were volunteers. If you were running behind 2 other people and they both wanted water, you were going without. Bring a hand-held if you are counting on it. The course was pretty scenic, with some neighborhoods, city-scape, paved trail, and waterfront park. If you need to cross Nebraska off the list, go. Otherwise, I'd shop around a bit more. Also, be prepared for more hills the 2nd half. Omaha is not as flat as some might lead you to believe (though I think the race director did look for the flattest streets in town). |
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