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Manitoba Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Manitoba Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 4.0 
Spectators 3.9
Number of comments: 81 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
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Peter Pazerniuk from winnipeg
(12/7/2011)
 "I ran it more than 20 times." (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Manitoba Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 Years ago, the pasta fest was a good time. In more recent years, the food, music, entertainment, cash bar, etc. has been dropped. The same has happened with the marathon course. Sadly, cup sizes of water have gone down, warning signs about high heat have disappeared. A guy even died in '09 shortly after running the marathon. I was dehydrated to the point that I should have been pulled from the course in '09. Medics were not around. The most recent 2011 course did not allow the full marathon finishers to relax on the grass in the track area at the finish line. We had to walk into a gravel parking lot where nobody could sit down in a comfortable area. Unlike in previous years, we could no longer watch others finish the course or look for people in the stands. Sadly, conditions of this marathon and the treatment of full marathoners has been getting worse every year. I have run this marathon over 20 times. | |
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S. S. from Texas
(8/27/2011)
 "I am going to finish this race!" (about: 2011)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The race was great but I have one piece of advice.... Be sure you can finish in the time allowed! I was told at about mile 18 to walk, not run, because it was getting 'hot'. The temperature was 26 C - which is less than 80 F. I live in Texas and grew up in Louisiana so I know what 'hot' is - and less than 80 is not hot. Race officials were starting to close the course but I was assured of being able to finish the race. Imagine my surprise when I was told to stop half way between mile 24 and 25. I was instructed to get on a bus that was picking up runners who had gone pass the time allowed. I was told if I refused to get on the bus I wouldn't be able to run the race next year. (In my opinion, that is just bad PR.) But having travelled so far I was determined to finish. And that's exactly what I told the policeman and race official who stopped me. After I told them where I was from they let me continue. I had a police escort to the finish line complete with lights and sirens as we approached the finish line. I came in dead last. I understand the safety aspect, etc. of having to close the course after a certain amount of time but come on... when a runner is so close to end - let them finish! Yes, I have a great story to tell people about my marathon in Manitoba but I feel very bad for those who didn't make it to the finish line. | |
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S. S. from Winnipeg
(6/27/2011)
"Disappointing experience" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 I ran the half marathon this year. I realize most of the comments on this site relate to the marathon, but I thought it was important that I tell of my experience running the half marathon. This was my 5th half marathon, and I have run 5 marathons as well. My husband and I were extremely disappointed with the organization of this event. We used the park and ride system, and despite getting to the lot by 6 am, we waited over 30 min for a bus to come. By then, the line-up was so long, the 2 buses that came could not fit all the runners on it, so there were at least 50 runners left in the lot. Once we arrived at the drop-off we had very little time to get to the start line. We were assigned to Wave 2, however, we both had qualifying times that put us in the 1:50 or faster category, which was what Wave 1 of this race was said to be. To our surprise, on race morning, we saw pace groups of 2:00h half marathoners going out in Wave 1 as well as walkers. We also saw several Wave 2 runners in Wave 1. I had emailed the race director prior to the event to ask for clarification on the wave starts, but I did not hear back from him/her. We started with Wave 2 because we didn't want to risk being disqualified. The majority of this race was spent passing people. This is not usually a problem in most races, however during this race we had to pass people that were walking 10 across the course, or groups of 5 people lined up running on the course. I have run in the Boston marathon and other races that are crowded at the start and along the course, so I don't consider myself to be inexperienced or overwhelmed running in crowds. In other races I have found that most people running have a sense that there are others around them. I did not find that to be the case with this event. The relay runner exchange was chaotic to pass through. We were crowded in on either side by runners waiting for their team-mate, creating a bottleneck on the course. Furthermore, relay runners who couldn't find the person they were supposed to hand off to suddenly stopped in mid-course, or in some cases were actually back-tracking along the course and running into us. I almost ran into 2 women as they were exchanging their relay belt in the middle of the course. In other races I have run where they have a relay as part of the event, there is usually a cap on the number of relay teams. However, it does not appear that this race has a cap on any runner numbers. I have given the course 3 stars because, while scenic and flat, I found that there was a significant lack of aid stations and lack of volunteers at aid stations. I missed getting water twice because the course was crowded and the aid stations were not long enough/stocked enough to aid the number of runners coming through. I gave the organization one star for the reasons mentioned above. They absolutely need to provide a better bus system to the start, and they need to consider capping the number of runners, because they are over capacity for what their organization can accommodate. The spectators were great, and more numerous than what I expected. In my opinion, they are the best part about this event. As with any race, the volunteers are also great, although for the size of this event, they need more volunteers, especially at the aid stations. | |
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S. S. from Washington, DC
(6/21/2011)
 "more people should run this race" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Manitoba Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I don't know why more out-of-towners don't run this race. Winnipeg is no harder to reach from the U.S. East Coast or Midwest than races in the U.S. Mountain or Pacific Time zones, and is an interesting enough place to spend a weekend. The people are friendly, and the course is not challenging (though maybe not as pancake-flat at the website makes it out to be; and the price for that flatness is a lot of time along boring commercial strips). So overall, I recommend it. But there are things they need to improve: 1. DO NOT STAY AT THE RACE HOTEL. I second what the prior commenter said. I could add more details of the dysfunction regarding the hotel shuttle, but you get the idea. You're better off staying at an unaffiliated hotel close to one of the public shuttle pick-up points. 2. No gel on the course. Maybe 30 years ago runners didn't fuel midrace, but it's the 21st century, and we know better now. If they can manage to have sponges and misters on the course (helpful in surprisingly humid Winnipeg), providing gel shouldn't be difficult. 3. The shirt and medal are among the least attractive in my collection. | |
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D. O. from West Des Moines, IA, USA
(6/20/2011)
"Nice race/course, lousy host hotel logistics" (about: 2011)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Manitoba Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 Nice course, much of it tree lined. Spectators were sparse but the ones that were there, were very enthusiastic. Host hotel program was dysfunctional. Race warns of limited access to start line, strongly suggest you shuttle in. As an out-of-towner, I decided the safest route to getting to the couse on time was to book a room at the host hotel which has a shuttle to the race. The hotel was very nice. Marathon material said shuttle would leave host hotel at 5:40 AM, need to sign up for a seat. When checking in, asked about shuttle and they said 'no sign in, just show up'. I asked how do I know there will be enough seats? They said, 'don't worry, just be in the lobby at 5:40 AM for only shuttle from host hotel'. Then I asked for late checkout on race day from the hotel. They said Noon was the latest I could have. I replied 'the first return shuttle doesn't leave finish area until Noon so I can't get here until 12:20'. They were unaware of any return shuttle to the hotel after the race. The night before race, there was a sign in hotel lobby that said race shuttle would be leaving at 5:20 AM. My confidence in getting a ride to the race start on time was gone. Decided not to rely on host hotel shuttle as it appeared there was very little planning or oversight. (I had driven 11 hours to get here, I was going to get to the start line on time one way or another). On day of race, local newspaper had an article on the race and noted that few out of towners came for race. This may be part of the problem. | |
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M. S. from Alberta, Canada
(8/10/2010)
 "Fast, flat, organized and scenic!" (about: 2010)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Manitoba Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 An excellent course on which to qualify for the Boston Marathon; VERY flat, with supportive crowds, and well-stocked and spaced aid stations. If you are looking to BQ, yes, the heat can get up there, but you'll probably be finishing by the time the heat kicks in (like others have said, somewhere around 3:15/3:30 into the marathon race). | |
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Dan F. from Ralston, NE
(6/26/2010)
"Fantastic!" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Manitoba Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I can't say enough good things about this marathon. The Manitoba Marathon was not only a great race, but a fabulous Canadian experience for me, as I've never been to Canada before. Winnipeg is a lovely, historical city and the marathon course reflects that. For a summer marathon, this race has several advantages - generally cooler temperatures (cooler than the Midwest U.S. for June anyway), lots of shade, and volunteers handing out sponges! I've seen a few scattered sponges before at previous races, but here the sponge stations are almost as frequent as the water stations. Plus the sponges are the larger, brick-shaped ones - perfect to cool you off for when the temperature began rising later in the race. Also, a number of the local residents had makeshift showers set out along the course. Nice. The spectators are enthusiastic and obviously proud of their city and the race. Some commented that the actual numbers of spectators are not at the level of, say, New York or Chicago. That doesn't matter; Winnipeg is much smaller city, and the spectators who were out were pumped for the runners. Plus, the marathon has a huge relay contingent; when you run though the relay points, the relay runners waiting to start their relay legs are cheering you on in a wall of sound... and there is a long line of relayers on both sides of the course. The volunteers were well organized - from the expo to the water stations to the finish areas. I thanked every one of them who I came in contact with. For a good majority of the race, the marathoners and half marathoners are split up. Near the last few miles, they converge, but it was a good idea to split the marathoners and the half-marathoners to separate, adjacent paths about a mile before the finish to keep things going smoothly. I loved finishing in the university stadium outdoor track of the University of Manitoba - you run into the cheers of the crowd from the bleachers for your finish. Run this marathon - you will love it! Take care and God bless, - Dan | |
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Mike Bromilow from Surrey, BC, Canada
(6/25/2010)
"Hospitality on a Flat, Scenic Course" (about: 2010)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Manitoba Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon. I chose it because it is my home town and it is flat. I loved the course and it is indeed very scenic. Beautiful Wellington Cres., through Assiniboine Park, over the footbridge, downtown past the Golden Boy, and along the river with a stadium finish! The race can be HOT and HUMID so be prepared - 2010 was getting up there at the 3-hour mark. Mosquitos welcomed the first 3 or 4 miles. The spectators were fantastic - not deep, but plentiful and very encouraging. Cons were the relay participants who followed the marathon route. Lots of high school students flying past, but not a big deal. Brings up the enthusiasm. I would recommend it to anyone. It can be hot, but the course is scenic and flat, the people are great, and who doesn't like a stadium finish? | |
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K. P. from Winnipeg, MB
(6/25/2010)
"The best volunteers and spectators!!" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Manitoba Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This is the second time in 2 years that I have run this race. I had a great time last year and looked forward to doing this race again. This year as well as last, I found that the speaker system at the start line was facing the wrong direction. It was loud and clear after the start line but impossible to hear in the starting gates. The wave start for the half marathon definitely needs some work, but due to the fact that people couldn't hear the announcer, it was understandable. As for the actual course, I enjoyed it every bit as much as last year. The volunteers are so supportive as well as being the best spectators around. Overall, a great race and I'm looking forward to next year already. | |
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K. M. from Winnipeg, MB
(5/21/2010)
 "Sprinklers were a godsend!" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Manitoba Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I ran my first half marathon in Calgary only 3 weeks earlier. Hoping to beat my race time at MB, the heat was not on my side. I was disappointed when the race didn't start until twenty minutes past 7 a.m. (I am not a morning person), as the day was just going to get hotter. Volunteers were great, except for the part where I am pretty sure I saw them picking sponges up off the ground and soaking them to hand them out again - but I am really hoping I imagined that. Near the end of the race the course had much less shade. There were many people being attended to medically because of the heat along the course, which was a good reminder for me to slow down and just finish the race. Popsicles were great after the race; I passed on the plain bagels. Chocolate milk would have been a nice touch. |
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