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May 17, 2024

Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.6

Organization 4.4

Spectators 3.5

Number of comments: 205 [displaying comments 81 to 91]

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Bob Kroeger from Home of the pitiful Bengals (11/17/2008) "Historic marathon, but very late start" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 A wonderful mid-sized marathon, especially for those interested in history. Be sure to go through the battlefield visitor center - plan on spending a few hours here and then drive through the park to look at some of the 1,400 monuments, a tribute to all the states, north and south, whose brave soldiers gave their lives in the Civil War. Ohio seemed to have the most. This battle turned the tide of the war. The charge up Missionary Ridge has to be one of the most spectacular military charges of all time. The pros: 1. You run over sacred ground on the country's first military national park. 2. Great tech shirt and wonderful tech running hat. 3. Lovely course through the wooded park (some sunny spots) 4. No severe hills; just gently rolling 5. Lots of runners on the loops so that you never feel alone 6. Fine pasta dinner with a chance to talk to other runners 7. Another glimpse into history at the packet pickup - Lt. Dwight Eisenhower taught trench warfare here in 1917. 8. You run on sacred ground where our forefathers shed their blood for our country. The cons: 1. Late start - over a 15-minute wait. I hope it was something serious and not waiting for late registrants. There are only a few excuses for a late marathon start and that is not one of them. Probably will not happen again is my guess. 2. The Best Western - not much worked in our room. The heat, the phone, the alarm. The "indoor pool" is outside but enclosed. But they gave us a late checkout, although begrudgingly. I would run here again.
Benn Paletz from Atlanta (11/14/2008) "Beautiful Course" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 Very confusing course direction at the halfway point. The arrow pointed runners needing to complete the second loop back to the finish. This would have been a good place for a course official to help direct things. Wonderful, friendly and helpful volunteers.
R. H. from Raleigh, NC (11/13/2008) "Best History Marathon" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The race was very scenic with great views of fall foliage and monuments. Try running with someone who knows the history. The shirt and medal look great. The post-race banana pudding alone was worth it. The course was not that difficult for the area. On the down side, the first 2 water stops did not have water ready for the mass of runners, and spectators are not present on most of the course.
K. W. from Florida (11/11/2008) "Beautiful course!" (about: 2008) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Beautiful course in a great location. I enjoyed the race - good organization and everything. Not a lot of spectators because of the layout of the course, so you can't rely on much extra encouragement/motivation. It challenged me, though, and I'd like to try it again!
m. m. from ms (11/11/2008) "Beautiful course" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was a good race, with a beautiful course, although it is hilly. (The hills didn't seem bad the first time around, but did the second loop!) The organization was good in general, but there were three negatives though: race started 15 minutes late, not enough people at some water stops (had to get the water myself), and there was nothing to drink at the end of the marathon!!! They had coolers of water set up, but no cups when I finished. Organizers should have volunteers handing out water/sports drink after the race, and never let something like that happen. One of the best parts about the race was staying at the Captain's Quarters B&B, which was literally yards from the start line! Very nice owners and good accommodations. Reserve your room early for next year.
R. F. from Woodstock, GA (11/11/2008) "Great marathon for a first-timer." (about: 2008) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The course was perfect... a fall run through a heavily wooded course. And the trees were peaking in color! I think I'm spoiled, as this set the standard for marathons. It's going to be hard to beat this one. There were frequent aid stations with friendly and encouraging volunteers. The organization of the event, the perfect fall weather, the after-race food and festivities, the special pictures after the race and a FIRST-TIMER GIFT of my BIB NUMBER in a FRAME with the marathon name/date made this event even more special. The spectators who were there were great; but it's hard to have a lot of spectators in the woods. :o) I will definitely be back for this one, though. Race in this one before it gets too big! Almost everything in town was about the race!
M. H. from Cincinnati, OH (11/11/2008) "Great, smaller marathon in historic area" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I had a great time at this race. Beautiful course and even better running the second loop in the sunshine. Much flatter than I expected. I come from a hilly place (Cincinnati) and I would describe this as mostly flat with some very gently rolling sections. My only criticisms would be for the late start (about 15 minutes late! not sure why), and the line for the finish line food. They let the "Junior Marathoners" run their 1-mile loop through the finish line at about the same time that the 4-hour marathoners were finishing. While the Junior Marathon is a worthy idea - encouraging kids to be physically fit - I would have been personally irritated to have to share my finish line with kids who were just running a mile as I finished the marathon. Since I got there around 4:30, they were done, but the kids and their families (and that was the most irritating part!) were all on the line for the supposedly great finish line food. I waited a few minutes in line and then gave up. So I would suggest maybe a separate food line for marathoners. Otherwise, a very nice event that I would come back for, if I were in the area.
J. V. from Flowery Branch, GA (11/11/2008) "Perfect Fall Marathon" (about: 2008) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Scenic course amidst peak fall foliage; deer actually stand on the side of the road and watch the runners. Great support. Great shirts and medals. First-time finishers received framed duplicate race bibs with their names on them - a really nice touch. Highly recommended.
H. B. from Elberton Georgia (11/10/2008) "I'll be back!" (about: 2008) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I traveled all the way from Elberton, Georgia. I had tried to make arrangements to come up the night before only to find out a little too late that I did not have a reservation. I didn't let that stop me from running my first marathon. I had to leave home at 3:00 a.m. to make it to the race by 7:00 a.m. When I made it to the race, everything went very smoothly. I was able to pick up my number and chip and head to the start line. When the race finally started, I was a little overwhelmed by the 1,300 runners. I have never participated in a race that had more than 500 people. All worked out for the best. I met a lot of nice people and had a wonderful time. My time was not anything to brag about, but I will definitely be ready for next year. Thank you to the organizers. I appreciate all of your hard work. I will be encouraging friends to do this one next year.
Tim Marquardt from Chicago (11/10/2008) "This one is worth doing!" (about: 2008) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I have run 2 marathons - this one, with 1,400 runners, and Chicago with 45,000+. The good: You got to run your own pace, the runners were friendly and the volunteers were great. There were plenty of aid stations with more than enough hydration and fuel to keep you going. The leaves still held their autumn color and the weather conditions were ideal. (It was 38 degrees to start and 62 at the finish.) More than half of the runners ran the 1/2 marathon so there were far fewer people after 13 miles. The course does the same loop twice so you know what to expect the second time around. The long, slow, gradual hill from 5 - 7 miles welcomes you back at 18 - 20. The bad: really nothing at all. The race was a little unorganized, with a 15-minute delay at the start, and packet pickup seemed to take longer than necessary, but not a deal-breaker. The pasta dinner is served in a grade school cafeteria and is catered by Tony's Italian Restaurant. Tony's happens to be located 1/4-mile away so you could save the $10 and eat at their location instead. We were only allowed one pass through the food line. I would run this one again in a heartbeat. Very much enjoyed!

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