Back to Memphis Marathon Information & Reviews
Chris Ciamarra from Alpharetta, GA
(3/15/2007)
"A great winter marathon" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Memphis Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first Memphis Marathon and I was very happy with my experience. The course was nice, especially the finish in Auto Zone Park. The course was well marked and didn't contain any hills of consequence. The organizers covered every detail and I had no problems from the time I got into Memphis until the time I left. I looked at other marathons but decided on Memphis very late in the fall. I am glad I did and have already made plans to return in 2007! | |
a. g. from midwest
(1/1/2007)
"great event" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Memphis Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 As a first-time runner, I was really surprised at the quality of everything. The crowds were great, food was great, and the finish in AutoZone Park was excellent. I thought the course was well planned, with just the right amount of elevation. I look forward to next year. Even though I have been fortunate to not have a family member who has needed to utilize St. Jude's, it nice knowing this marathon helps supports a class organization. | |
K. D. from Louisville, KY
(12/30/2006)
"This was the best race" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 All I can say is that 13 of us went down from Louisville - 8 ran the half and 5 ran the full - and EVERY ONE of us had a terrific experience. We had a few PR's and a good time all the way around. The weather was a bit nippy, but the sun was shining and it was a lot of fun. The pictures of the children of St. Judes were very motivating and made the experience a heartwarming one. The course had rolling hills, but nothing that was awful. The wave start was the best organized wave start I had ever experienced. The expo was a bit lacking and the marathon souvenirs were only limited to t-shirts. I prefer a pin or badge from each marathon. I also like to have a finisher's photo with my medal and the race name behind, but no one seemed to know where the finisher's photos were being taken. (I asked several race workers.) The food at the end was terrific also. Who knew how good a warm cup of soup would taste at the end of a race? Kudos to you for a well organized and fun race. If you ask any of the 13 of us about this race, we all talk about the road trip we are going to take next year. (I ran the half.) | |
B. S. from Southern Illinois
(12/13/2006)
"Great race again!" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Memphis Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Colder than last year, but the whole experience is great. Finishing in Auto Zone Park where my friends and family can see me is just awesome. The food at the finish is great, though I do wish my pit crew could have gone in with me, for I couldn't have succeeded in this race without them. Memphis spectators are the best. The women on North Parkway that were cheering your husbands on, thank you for your kind words to all of us runners. That was so cool. Will be back next year. Running this in Memphis just does it for me! | |
A. W. from LR, AR
(12/12/2006)
"Great race for a great cause" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Memphis Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I enjoyed the small rolling hills. I really enjoyed being a St. Jude Hero. Running for a reason was especially rewarding, along with all of the perks we got, such as our own lounge, pasta party and two more free shirts. The singlet is nice. The support was also fantastic. The sideline is filled with appreciative friends and family of St. Jude patients. | |
G. Y. from Baltimore, Maryland
(12/9/2006)
"Worth doing" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Memphis Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The race was well organized. Packet pick up was easy and the expo had cool stuff to sell at good prices. Cheering from spectators along the course really keeps you moving. The pacers were excellent. It seemed like the whole town of Memphis really supported the event. I agree that too much of the course had a lean to it, my IT band was killing me and it usually doesn't. The city of Memphis is worth the visit. It is full of friendly helpful people. If you want to learn about the blues, see Smokey at the Memphis music store! I recommend this race. You contribute to a good cause, see cool sites, and have the oppotunity to eat REAL BBQ. | |
L. R. from Arkansas
(12/8/2006)
"More consideration by the people of Memphis" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 3 Memphis Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Overall the Memphis Marathon is great. My only huge concern is when as many as 20 participants had to wait at least 10 seconds for a traffic light. The police allowed all cars to pass this five-lane road and we were left to wait. The burnt orange and yellow t-shirts were just gross. | |
D. S. from Little Rock
(12/8/2006)
"An event not geared towards walkers!" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Memphis Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Overall, I was very disappointed in the St. Jude Marathon. I am a newer runner who has only run the Little Rock Marathon. I felt as though the course was cambered and the exhaust from the very close cars was not appealing. The spectators were few and far between for those who are much slower. The flyers they had showing what musical event was to be at each mile looked good, but I never saw it. The farther I got, the less I saw. At mile 17 I almost dropped out. When I finally got to the 20-mile marker, I was shocked to see a car drive up Parkway in the lane the leftover runner/walkers were in. The second half of the marathon was almost a ghost town. (You would think with a city of over a million people, there would be more supporters.) The MPD was sarcastic and rarely spoke to those participating. I was disappointed the finisher t-shirts were "FOR SALE," and more disappointed when I finally finished the marathon only to get my medal from a rude man smoking a cigarette while putting it on me, and who never once said, "Great job." The only positive thing I have to say about this event is it is for an excellent cause. (Oh, and I had a great visit with my family while there.) Definitely not going back for the next St. Jude Marathon. | |
P. N. from Medicine Hat Alberta Canada
(12/8/2006)
"Wow!!! That was fun!!!" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Memphis Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I loved this marathon!!! The course was fantastic. The weather was crisp but great for running. The fans were a real treat. I've read some complaints about the hills. I found that humorous. I live on the prairie and we have more hills than this course. It was really pretty fast. This was very well organized and the Southern hospitality was outstanding. Hats off for a job well done. I will run this again. I even qualified for Boston here. -Paul Nelson Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada | |
S. W. from Slidell, La
(12/7/2006)
"Fun marathon, hilly and a few curves" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Memphis Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was a fun marathon to do, with perfect weather, 30-43 degrees. Memphis is a nice and clean town with excellent food and spirits to make it a weekend mini-vacation. The marathon is well organized; it has a good expo, the route is marked with clocks at each mile marker and had plenty of water/Gatorade and Gu stations. The race starts and ends downtown with a double-loop out to Overton Park, which makes it nice for your cheering section to keep your motivation up. Tell your support team that they can go inside the park to see you cross the finish line. Thanks to all of the people that showed up to support all of the runners and a good cause. It was a nice marathon to do, and no, the half-naked man running wasn't cold. The route is a bit hilly; it has a few turns and some streets have camber to them (you just have to find the best flat spot to run). The finish line ends inside Autozone's baseball park and runs along the outfield wall with numerous turns, which makes it hard to start a final kick. They should think about allowing your support team inside the post-race area to help you celebrate your finish. Since this race was in Memphis, home of St. Jude Hospital and funding coming from the marathon goes to them, out of cuiosity, where was the news/weather support? I watched the news and didn't see a hint of the race taking place the next day. |
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