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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 11 to 21]
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J. L. from Duluth, Minnesota
(10/30/2016)
"There's so much potential here." (about: 2016)
50+ previous marathons
| 3 Niagara Falls International Marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 This was the loneliest race I've ever run. There's no reason why this shouldn't be a huge destination marathon but the organization is lacking. Little to nothing available at expo as far as 2016 race apperal and the participant shirts have no date or indication which race you ran. Might seem insignificant but to someone who has completed 50+ races, it's a red flag. Cutting corners and going cheap will not attract people who'll come back year after year. This race needs to define their target runner demographic and promote this event more. Communication was zero. | |
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S. W. from Buffalo, New York
(11/9/2015)
"Could be a lot better!" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Niagara Falls International Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 The course is nice and flat although this year was quite windy - can't do anything about that though. Found the expo very disappointing, and the food at the finish line was sparse - small bagel pieces, a banana and water. This has the makings of a premier event (location, course) but it seems as if the organizers can't decide if they want it to stay as a small race or increase its'recognition factor and give those running a bit more. For what you pay vs. what you get, there are so many better options around at that time of year. | |
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C. F. from Ottawa, Canada
(11/8/2015)
"Beautiful, but WINDY run!!" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Niagara Falls International Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This is a beautiful run along the Niagara Parkway, crossing the Peace Bridge. The day was beautiful, but very windy (over 40 km/hr). PROS: - Excellent expo with lots of vendors and very efficient volunteers. - The start was at the Albright-Knox Museum, where we could go inside and stay warm and relaxed before the race. - Best Finish with all the fans and Falls in your view - Very good volunteers at the water stations (really pumped you up) CONS: - Start time is very late (10am)! The organizer can easily start the race at 9am. You have to wake up early to take the bus to the start, so by the 2 hour mark in the marathon, you are starving. - Organization of water stations along the course is very inconsistent. The water stations should be evenly spaced out instead of bunched up in the last few miles. - Please use normal sports drinks like Gatorade or Powerade. Cytomax is very rare. I have done 25+ marathons, and have never seen Cytomax as the sports drink other than this marathon. - Finish Line food was very skimpy for the marathoners. More variety would be nice (oranges, yogurt, chocolate milk, etc..) - No gels provided in the marathon, which is pretty standard in most marathons. | |
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C. F. from Brooklyn, NY
(11/3/2015)
"Pretty, well run race" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Niagara Falls International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I really enjoyed this race. You get to run in two countries! Race marks are in miles and km. Half and full races don't start in the same place (no running around walkers or big groups of halfers). Beautiful scenery and really easy logistics. Bus to Buffalo The race expo and packet pickup is in Niagara Falls on the Canadian side. The morning of the race, they bus you to Buffalo, after a stop at the border for passport inspection. They were super casual about this. The border agent asked everyone to hold up their passport, then just waved people through. Something about riding a bus to the start makes 26 miles feel really longit feels like you're driving FOREVER. I just thought this was a splendid well-run race. The expo was a hoot not a lot to see, but they loaded up your bag with samples and freebies, including two boxes of pasta, a huge bag of candy, boxes of tea, a little Canadian flag, and some granola. The start Amazing! Possibly the best start line experience ever. Located in a park near a lake and the Albright-Knox art museum, they opened up the museum so racers could wait out of the cold. But they didn't just open the lobby. The WHOLE museum was available for wandering. There were racers checking out the video installations, taking a gander at the good selection of modern icons, from Jim Dine, to Mark Rothko, Kiki Smith, Fred Tomaselli and Louise Bourgeois. It was amazing - just so nice and what a cultured way to start a race. The race was small enough that there were no waves, though there were a good smattering of pacers, so you could align yourself with one of them if you liked. The course CLOSED course. For all 26.2 miles. That in itself is pretty great. The first four or five miles wide through residential Buffalo, eventually making it's way to the Peace Bridge, the same bridge we'd been bused over earlier. A special lane had been set up for us, so no passport check. Border agents just made sure everyone was wearing a race number. The bridge was the only hill on the course. People honked at us as they passed, which was cute. Off the bridge, you do some cloverleafs to blow some mileage before eventually turning north along Niagara Blvd, which runs alongside the Niagara river. So for the entire last 16 miles, you've got a lovely river view, with fall trees along the water. Occasionally, in the distance, you can see the spray from the falls in the air. That's the finish line! Roads were in good shape, with no tricky potholes or weird surfaces. Aid stations were about every two miles, stocked with water and Cytomax. There was one station that had gels, and another that had gummy blocks. Spectators There really weren't any, just occasional homeowners on their front lawn. But, if you were inclined, it would be a spectator-friendly course if you had a car. It would be pretty easy to see your racer after the bridge, then zip ahead and see them periodically throughout the race. But if you need lots of cheers, this isn't a race for you. Finish The peaceful Niagara river eventually starts to get a little choppier, and you starting thinking 'we're getting close!' Then suddenly, there you are. The finish line is right at the Horseshoe falls, with an announcing calling out names. The medal is a little boring, but does have a little middle bit that flips from the US flag to the Canadian one. Standard stuff at the food table: pretzels, bananas. From there, it's an easy walk back to your hotel. Highly recommended a pretty, serene course. It was fairly windy but that's always a risk when you run near water. I didn't find it that bad, but others were complaining, and I saw it described in the next morning's newspaper as 'challenging.' | |
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T. C. from Syracuse, N.Y.
(11/4/2014)
"Nice course, fun town to visit" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Niagara Falls International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Pros: 1) flat fast course. 2) interesting scenery 3) visiting the Niagra region for the weekend was fun. 4) Size of the race was comfortable. 5) Finish, start and baggage well run. 6) good weather in terms of temperature , but windy. Middle of the road: 1) the expo was an expo, the medal was a medal. 2) the bus trip from the finish through customs to the start wasn't comfortable, but it was no worse than Boston. 3) The crowd support was often sparse, but the people who were there were enthusiastic and I appreciated them. Cons: 1) No sports drinks at every aid station - this is a must. 2) Food/drink at finish was the skimpiest of the ten marathons and twenty halfs I have done in the last decade. I would come back for the course and the trip to the falls, but some Gatorade, please! | |
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E. K. from Jacksonville, Florida
(11/3/2014)
"Overall good, but needs better course management." (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Overall this was a very good marathon, but I think the slower runners were short-changed: Pros: 1. This was my 19th marathon and this was a great, flat, beautiful course. 2. The pre-race 'shakeout' run on Saturday morning was great, with a nice breakfast at Planet Hollywood afterward. 3. The transportation to the start line and the starting line itself were well organized and well done. 4. Lots of cheering spectators in Buffalo. Cons: 1. I was running at a pace for a 5:15 finish (before a knee injury near mile 19) and finished to get a medal, but there was no HoneyMax on the course from the mile 15 water station on, until the last mile. I suspect the half marathoners used it up and no one planned for the rest of us. Pretty tough when you have no energy replacement for the last 11 miles. 2. Strong headwind from mile 11 to the end - but we were just unlucky that a weather front was approaching (the temperature was perfect). 3. Very few spectators on the Parkway, but again that was expected. The few that were there were great. | |
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P. M. from USA
(10/30/2014)
"Nice but WINDY!" (about: 2014)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Niagara Falls International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 PROS: -Flat & Scenic Course -Relaxed start of race -Expo is small/nice w/local vendors -Nice medal, recovery jacket and participant shirt CONS: -Windy 20/mph head wind, can't be controlled but expect it -Plastic cups on course at hydration stations couldn't be crimped to drink while running -Pace groups- I contacted organizers before race for pace group times, on race day pace group times were different or some were not present, causing me to change my race strategy five minutes before start of race -Finish line food was disappointing My Experience:I had read the comments from prior years and planned accordingly such as staying at hotel in USA to avoid race morning transportation, border crossing and pre race wait time; carried my own gels only relying on water to be provided on course; brought disposable garments (gloves/arm warmers/headband) to deal with cooler temps early on; had my family bring food/drink to finish line for me. Overall an enjoyable experience and smaller race, fast course time expectations were somewhat offset by windy conditions (which seem to be normal for this race) and some frustration on having planned to use a specific pace group which wasn't present as had been confirmed by race organizers. If you plan around the known shortfalls the rest is very nice! | |
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K. K. from Orlando, fl
(10/29/2014)
"Not for first time slower runners" (about: 2014)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Niagara Falls International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 I have experience with several half- marathons but this was my first full marathon. The course and organization overall was adequate. I had read previous reviews so i was prepared for inadequate hydration stations and long lonely miles. What i wasnt prepared for was abandoned water stations, early road openings( before the time limit of 7 hours), and early finish line breakdown.. Like the other reviewer stated we payed the same fees and expect same finish right up to the 7hr deadline... Very dissapointed... | |
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B. K. from Ontario, Canada
(10/28/2014)
"Chilly, windy race down the Niagara River" (about: 2014)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Niagara Falls International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Definitely this race could be a better one. The weather was miserable - chilly day with strong head wind - this factor was beyond control of the organisers. Expo was excellent with many vendors. Marathon runners had to be cleared by Canadian Border Service before obtaining the bib numbers. Technical long sleeve T-shirts were available in another room. So called goodie bags with very limited supply of samples were distributed in yet another location in the mall. The bus transportation from Niagara Falls to Buffalo was OK with the exception of more than half of an hour of waiting for the personal interview with US Border Service. The start was well organised; we had a chance to stay warm under the roof of the Albright-Knox Gallery and view the exhibition of paintings. The race course took us through residential area of Buffalo, across Peace Bridge and a very long and windy Niagara Parkway towards the finish line just before the Falls. Aid stations were manned by helpful and smiling volunteers who offered cold water and cold honey drink and NOTHING else. This was a total failure and disaster. I expected much more for the price. At the finish line we got heavy medal, wind breaker, more cold water, bananas, apples and oranges. Again, the selection was not impressive. Spectators were visible at the start, finish and not many in between. | |
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S. J. from Toronto
(10/28/2014)
"What happened this year!!!!" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Niagara Falls International Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Wow what a diference a year makes! Such a disappointment from last year and previous years. Pros Medal was great Spectators although sparse were great and you can't beat the course - it's flat and scenic even though windy but; Cons Having an expo in the hallway of a mall was just ridiculous. Echoing other comments what happended to the food at the end? Plastic cups I have never seen during a race and the Honeymax used just tastes awful why not stick with gatorade or powerade? The shirt while a great design why would it not have the year on it. Hopefully they are not saving the extras for next year and using the same design/colour. This is my 12th year running either the full and the half in Niagara and I have seen significant improvements in the organization etc of this race but this year just seemed to go downhill. Hopefully that trend will not continue. |
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