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Dublin Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Dublin Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 4.0 
Spectators 4.2
Number of comments: 267 [displaying comments 91 to 101]
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S. M. from Kildare, Ireland
(10/31/2007)
"Unbelievable!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Dublin Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Every marathon I do I read and laugh at some of the petty and pathetic comments made about it. The comments made by the second review for this years race is one example. First, it may seem ike a half a mile walk to get your medal and T-Shirt but it wasn't anywhere near that far. With regards to the baggage area I did Boston in April and the walk from the baggage drop off to the start was as long as Dublin. Did I complain? No, Instead I proudly walked through the streets of Lovely Hopkington and enjoyed every step, took up my position and ran the marathon. At the end there was a foiled sheet wrapped around me, was it enough to keep me warm? No. I had to wait ages to get my bag. Did I complain? No. You see when you have thousands of people running 26.2 miles through and around a city your going to have organizational difficulties. To me it's about covering 26.2 miles in the best time I can. All I ask for is food stations which there was plenty of in Dublin, mile markers first aid and portoloo facilities, which there were also. Whats the problem?? Maybe some people just aren't happy unless their unhappy! Oh and one other thing if you want scenery jump on a city tour bus. The Boston marathon doesn't pass many scenic sites but it is without doubt the undisputed champion of marathon courses. | |
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T. M. from New York City
(10/31/2007)
"'Well Done Lads!'" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Dublin Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I am amazed that anyone would have anything but praise for this marathon. The course is relatively flat except for a few tough hills. We all train for that. The weather this year was PERFECT ... temperatures in the 40s throughout the morning of the race. The expo was well organized and fun. Is it the BIGGEST marathon in the world? No. The fastest? No. The strongest elite field? No. Would it be nice to have more water stations, or metallic blankets at the end? Maybe. The most fun I have ever had running? YES, without a doubt. And the reason is the people of Dublin and Ireland. I heard a hearty 'Well done lads!' at least 1000 times throughout the 26.2 miles. My name was called literally hundreds of times. I was greeted and cheered and urged on by every runner, official, and spectator I saw. I had the most satisfying pint of Guinness in my life at a happy, crowded, friendly pub not two blocks from the finish line. I cannot fathom a single serious criticism of this race. I would do it again in a second, no matter what the cost. Only problem is that it is 6 days before New York, so you probably can't do both. In my opinion anyone who seriously criticizes this race, the organizers or the city of Dublin and the wonderful Irish people is just not open to the true joy of running and competing and wanting to have fun. There is no 'perfect' race but I had a memorable, life-changing experience! | |
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B. R. from London, England
(10/31/2007)
"Organized - A+; Post Race - C" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Dublin Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 i know it was very organized. Baggage check was easy, though there could be more port-a-potties. No cobblestones, contrary to what I was warned. Hills weren't daunting at all. Not a very pretty race, but not a very pretty city. NO FOOD at the end of the race, and this is what I think about in the last 6.2. Good wicking shirt. Made you walk about a mile to get out to meet your friends. Probably would not do it again, but it was good to do once. | |
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Peter Friel from London, England
(10/31/2007)
"I might beback" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Dublin Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The start seemed a little chaotic to me, got over the start mat quick as anything but then virtually ground to a halt for the next mile and a bit. Not putting barriers up to stop the crowd 'joining in' seemed a little naive, I got hit by a couple of women pushing pushchairs down O'Connell St. Have to agree with other comments about the course itself, took in none of Dublin's landmarks bar the very start and very end, just endless mile of dreary suburb. The bit exiting Phoenix park was pretty special though. Also I could do without the section on the motorway and the UCD flyover, felt like I was going to be run over. Other than that the organizers were pretty spot on, baggage and medals etc right at the finish and God bless the National Physiotherapy Association of Ireland. All those that ran know what I am talking about, the perfect end to the race. | |
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Michael Cryan from Paris France
(10/30/2007)
"getting better every year - needs music" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 6+ Dublin Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Feel it's getting better and better, including the souvenir top. I was one of the slower runners and was impressed with the provisions, water, and gels along the way. Adding some music groups along the way would be good. I was a little disappointed last year when I wanted to move my 2006 entry to 2007 due to injury (especially when I had done 5 previous Dublin Marathons). The organizers said no. But it's still a great marathon. | |
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S. L. from California
(10/29/2007)
"Not very good, but not very bad" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Dublin Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I am from California and this was my 9th marathon and my first European marathon, so I noticed quite a few differences between this and American marathons: GOOD: - Flat course, and decent spectator support - especially in the cities. - Bottled water at water stations, and water was plentiful (take note, Devine Racing and LA Marathon!). BAD: - The course does not pass by any of Dublin's landmarks. Just endless park and residential area. - Port-a-potties every three miles (although the lines were amazingly short). - At the start area, they make you walk at least half mile through bag drop off, port-a-potties, etc., before you actually get to the start line. - At the end, they again make you walk half a mile for the medal, bag pickup, etc. They really should put them all in one small area. - At the end, no blankets/food (at least none when I finished). If I had not taken my sweater, I would have caught hypothermia during my mile-walk back to my lodging in the wind. The goody bag at the finish contained a chocolate bar, a bottle of water and a bottle of sports drink. I was left wondering where my 80 Euros/125 dollars registration fee has gone. This was by far the most I paid for a marathon. Did I have fun? Absolutely. Will I do Dublin again? No way, when there are countless other marathons out there, and this one failed to impress. | |
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Michael Prince from Orlando, Florida U.S.A
(6/18/2007)
"Bring your Gatorade!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Dublin Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Having a great love of Ireland and of running marathons, this race was a natural fit for my first international marathon. The organization was decent, if not nearly as good as some of the big races, such as Chicago or New York. The course was also good. Some hills, but usually accompanied by some declines to lessen the blow. Be sure to save energy for the long straight-away going uphill through Phoenix Park. I can tell you, seeing that long of a hill from base to peak can make your eyes grow wide if you're not expecting it. But my best piece of advice for marathoners from the states is if you're used to having Gatorade, or sports drink of some kind, and a few energy gel and/or food stops about half to three quarters of the way through, be sure to bring your own. Dublin only had 3 stops for Gatorade and 8 to 10 water stations. While I'm more of a water person overall (than sports drink and gels), this was quite a shock to me. I will say that there were some nice Dubliners handing out gummy snacks, some food, and some water through the route though. But definitely come prepared for that. Crowd support was pretty good throughout and the areas the race went through were very nice. Oh, and do pass on the people handing out pints of Guinness along the way. But definitely have a few after! | |
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N. S. from Milwaukee, WI, USA
(2/11/2007)
"Dublin is lovely but don't do it as your first!" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Dublin Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Dublin is a great city and I really enjoyed having such a neat destination for my first marathon to look forward to. We came early which allowed us to avoid jet lag, but unfortunately, when we were touring, my running partner strained something in her back. This made our slow running even slower, but we both managed to finish! Negatives: To check your bag at the start took 45 minutes of walking (it seemed) in circles. This was not helpful to those of us trying to stay off our feet as much as possible so we could attempt to finish the race at all! Brisk wind was frustrating and seemed to always be in the wrong direction to help us. There were a few hills that we weren't prepared enough to deal with. We are slower runners so we encountered more than the usual negatives including: No garbage bins after water stops meant bottles were on curb and in street where we could easily trip. Garbage also on the street, including banana peels!! Street opened to traffic way too early so we were forced to run on uneven concrete sidewalk with manhole covers that are unbolted or run against traffic in the street! Few if any spectators remained by the time we got there, which was disapointing. Low/no supplies at some water/Gatorade stops. I brought 1 euro and stopped at a convenience mart. We had a coach with us at the end, which was helpful or we'd still be running in circles! It was very poorly marked at the finish and several times during the course we had to consult our street map. Usually we could just go the direction with the most water bottle garbage on the street. There was nothing for us food/water-wise at the end, but we had packed our own supplies in the checked bags, thank god. Postives: Hotel was great and accommodating. Great expo, with lots to do and see and eat. We had our own private pasta party for the fundraising group I participated with, which was excellent. Locals were very friendly. I want to especially thank the race photographer for staying so late so that we got official finish line photos! Race course is historic and gorgeous! Lots of green in the parks, zoo and grounds that are included in the run. I also really appreciate the long finish time, but would hope that they can keep the streets open longer then to accommodate us slower runners. Next marathon I plan on painting my name on my jersey so spectators can cheer me by name - my white electrical tape fell off fairly soon. I also wish my friends and family could have been there for me, but that is why I am doing marathon #2 close to home and having much more training under my belt. Even with my limited experience, this was not a US race as far as organization and logistics. I was suprised that it's been around as long as it has and yet has not worked out some of these kinks already! | |
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M. E. from Phoenix, AZ
(1/9/2007)
"Good race, but be prepared" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Dublin Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my second marathon (Chicago was my first). I loved the course, but it is not flat. There are hills from about mile 6 to mile 21. If you want to run this race, carry your own Gatorade and gels. The race support consists mostly of water stations that few and far between. Also, get to the expo early. The traffic in that part of the city was pretty bad. We really lucked out with the weather in 2006. There was a lot of sunshine, but a bit of a stiff breeze. All and all, I had a great time in Dublin. I will definitely run this race again... but next time I will be better prepared. | |
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Mark Long from UK
(1/1/2007)
"Good course, friendly crowds, good atmosphere" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 Dublin Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I have run this race three times, and compared to other marathons I have run (i.e. New York), it could be organised better. The water/Gatorade stations and the toilet stops could be better. But the crowds are very friendly and there is a great atmosphere. The Irish are very friendly and the course is relatively flat and fast. The negatives are outweighed by the positives. Run this race - you won't be diappointed. |
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