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Niagara Falls International Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Niagara Falls International Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 3.7 
Spectators 3.2
Number of comments: 172 [displaying comments 91 to 101]
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L. J. from Ottawa
(9/29/2007)
"Needs a lot of improvement" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Niagara Falls International Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 The falls are beautiful, but that's about it in this tacky, trying-too-hard-to-be-Vegas town. The expo, if you can call it that, takes a minute or so to pass through and the dinner, which we made the mistake in going to, was a waste of time. We left with many others in search of better fare. The race itself doesn't have anything to offer - no people or music, and it was very windy and cold. I heard about the wind, but until you experience it, it's hard to appreciate how strong it really is and how it can affect your running. The registration system is the worst - it's difficult to navigate with too many pages and they still didn't have us on the list when we got to kit pick-up due to some error in the system. Overall, this was an experience better missed. | |
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R. S. from Ontario
(8/23/2007)
"Positive people enjoy positive experiences!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Niagara Falls International Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I liked it! People who complain about the weather should pick a different date. And I have run close to 300 races in my life of various distances and have NEVER seen food or HOT TEA at water/aid stations - yes, gels would be a pleasant addition, but it is also easy to stick 2 or 3 in your shorts. Someone else commented that the course was boring! You run over the Peace Bridge into a different country, past historic Fort Niagara (the actual fort that the town is named after), and then follow the Niagara Parkway to the Falls! As for spectators, Boston is the only one I've been to with more. Some complain that between water stations there is no crowd support. However, the water (not tea) stations are only a mile apart and as others have stated you can hear the volunteers cheering before you can see them. Personally, I don't need someone cheering me on CONSTANTLY and find the solitude between stations perfect. Overall, it is simply a good solid event with a risky weather date. I will return often. Positive people yield positive experiences. | |
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K. M. from Buffalo, NY USA
(6/5/2007)
"Overall, a very good experience." (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Niagara Falls International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I felt that the race packet pick up seemed a bit disorganized, and it was a pain to have to travel over the border to pick it up. I don't know if there would be a way to make pick up available in Buffalo, but that would be great. The enthusiasm at the water stations was wonderful and helpful. | |
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B. R. from Burnaby, BC
(5/6/2007)
"Don't expect too much from this one" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Niagara Falls International Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 A tacky little town with only the falls to save it. The race was very poorly managed, with very, very few specatators. I heard the dinner was not worth the price of admission. The expo, shirts, medals, course support and finish area all need to be improved if this race is to survive. It is always windy and often rainy - not a good combination and I would not recommend this race to anyone at this time. | |
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D. S. from London, Canada
(2/6/2007)
"Decent, if your expectations are not high" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Niagara Falls International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The positives: This race was a week after the big ice storm that hit the area. Kudos to all the people for getting around this hurdle. Nice starting from the Albright-Knox museum and running across the Peace Bridge and along the river. Great crowd support at water stations. At the finish line, they had thermal blankets, decent snacks and good transportation back to hotels. Nice indoor water park and entertainment area for kids in town. Negatives: Niagara Falls is a gambling town - tough to get on a casino bus to pick up race packet (unless you have a gambler's ID). Between water stations crowd support is non-existent. Should have more participants - but timing (late fall) and logistics make this quite a difficult and expensive race to take part in. | |
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s. d. from Calgary, AB
(1/17/2007)
"You might want to consider this ...." (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Niagara Falls International Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 *POTTY ALERT*: transport from Niagara to Buffalo including waits at the border while they pull off internationals can absolutely kill your bladder - prepare yourself for a 1 hr. or more transport/wait time before you can get relief. The drama is augmented by school bus transport suspension. (You can start intake once you are well on your way or arrive in Buffalo). The Peace Bridge is a nice highlight and the bridge itself is the only hill, and early enuff in the race to easily overcome. I found the stations fine and amply stacked with provisions. No race director can address the weather year to year, so don't sign up if you don't like the odds and then complain about it here. However, finish area could have some shelter improvements, but I found the shuttle bus right handy to get back to the hotels when I had had enuff celebration. | |
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David Weiss from Middleburg Heights, Ohio
(11/28/2006)
"Falls Great, Rest Disappointing" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Niagara Falls International Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Race packet pickup was a NIGHTMARE, with crossing the border, etc.... I knew I could not arrive into town until that Sat. afternoon, so I emailed the race people one week before; when I got not response, I ended up having to get race stuff the morning of the race. I was told that the race shirt would be mailed, but that still has not happened (I've emailed twice with no result). The start and finish are in different areas, so I had to arrive very early to catch shuttles. My friend had to pay for the shuttle, and I didnt. The course itself was interesting, though it was very cold, windy, and rainy (wind was at our backs for most of race). There were a small number of fans out, good drink stations, and having the finish line with the Falls right there was REALLY cool, especially since I'd never been to the Falls before. They needed more shelter (a tent or something) at the finish - after I stopped running, I was FREEZING.... It took over an hour and a half to get back to our hotel from the finish line (due to crossing the border and Buffalo Bills-game traffic....). Overall, I will not deal with all the hassles to run this race again. | |
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R. K. from Germany
(10/31/2006)
"Course without highlights" (about: 2006)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Niagara Falls International Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 * No people on the course. * No food at the service points. * Only very cold drinks at the service points (missing warm tea!). * Each KM should be marked. * Course without any highlights. | |
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P. K. from Pulaski, NY
(10/27/2006)
"Great tailwind! :)" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Niagara Falls International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 My husband and I both ran this marathon. It is a small marathon and the point-to-point course was flat. I loved running along the river, but it was completely deserted except for the aid stations. The aid stations were awesome though, and I agree that the aid station volunteers can't be beat!! From Harley riders to a Mustang Club to crazed high schoolers, the volunteers were great fun and so upbeat! It rained and rained, but there was a tailwind most of the race. Lucky weather, really! The Albright-Knox Museum was used to house the runners prior to the start, and the live chamber music was a classy touch. Real bathrooms and heat were a definite plus, too! When you run across the Peace Bridge, take the sidewalk. Great view, and not slippery like the wet bridge pavement. It was an organized race and flat course, but somehow lackluster in spite of the majestic Falls finish. | |
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A. S. from Hamilton
(10/27/2006)
"Disappointed" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Niagara Falls International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 This was my first marathon, so I'm not sure if my expectations for this race were realistic or not. However, I am very disappointed with this race, and I can't believe that so many people rate this run highly. My thoughts: 1. First of all, I will agree that the high school students at the water tables were terrific. They were a great motivator, and it is true that you could hear their cheers from about 1/2 a mile away. The fact that they were able to keep this up for hours in lousy weather is really commendable. 2. However, I have to say that I am extremely disappointed in the aid stations themselves. All of the stations offered only Gatorade and water (no gels), and I found that the strength of the Gatorade was iffy. At some stations the Gatorade was extremely diluted, to the point where it tasted like water. 3. The race organization was very poor overall. First of all, this race was run a week after a major storm knocked out power in Buffalo. My family was contacted on the Thursday before the race to tell us that our hotel accommodations (in Buffalo) had been canceled because the rooms were needed for emergency workers. When we contacted race organizers to ask if the marathon was still on, to ask about problems that we should be aware of given the state of emergency, etc., they seemed annoyed that we were asking questions and did not seem to care about our predicament. But I'm sure other people in Buffalo had a similar problem - so why no guidance on the part of race officials? Also, it was very difficult to find the race expo in the hotel on Saturday (signs were few and far between), and the signs to the art gallery on race day were also few and far between. There were also no pace bunnies at the start, which may simply be because it was a small race (<1,500), but this seemed unusual to me. 4. The finish was pretty, with lots of spectators, but it was also poorly organized. The weather was awful throughout the run (some rain, wind, etc.), and many of us were feeling very cold at the end. Despite this, there was no place to keep warm at the finish line. Basically, you finished the race, were given a cheap plastic bag of food (bagel, apple, banana, chips), and left to fend for yourself in the rain. I came in much earlier than I had anticipated, and my family (and ride) was not at the finish line waiting for me. There was no place warm to wait for them. In retrospect, I suspect that I was mildly hypothermic after this run, and I am very concerned that the race organizers make no effort to ensure that people are OK after the run. We pay $80 for this run - can't the organizers 1) get a better bag of food (with something hot to drink, maybe), and 2) a hall or building for runners to relax in after the race? Paying to take a bus to the hotel was likely not an option for many people who were also expecting to meet family/friends at the finish. |
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