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May 18, 2024

Raleigh Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 2.9

Organization 3.0

Spectators 2.3

Number of comments: 38 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 > ]

A Runner from North Carolina (12/12/2002) "2002 Nice course" (about: 2002) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I personally enjoyed the marathon and thanks go to the race directors, volunteers, Raleigh P.D., sponsors, city officials for making it a truly nice event in such adverse conditions. Its unfortunate the media seems to miss the 'real story' of runners personal triumps from doing a first marathon goal to those trying to qualify for Boston. The long runs, figuring out what to wear, shoes, diet, injury prevention, weeks and months of training to complete one of these marathons in one piece and still be walking the next day. Some how the media rather overlooks all this. I did not see a single CP&L truck at any intersection during the race and it was very inspirational to see the many citizens with out power in their lawns on a cold Sunday morning out supporting the runners- all of us who run appreciate this very much, it helps us get through such a long endurance event. Many of the runners, volunteers, police, race officials also suffered circumstances of lack of power during the week as well. Personally I feel the course is great, its not a boring pancake flat route and you utilize different muscle groups. Also if you want to qualify for Boston this course will not give you a false sense of security like some of the easier flater courses (no one running Boston wants to be seen walking down Boylston in the home stretch with thousands of spectators). So come to Raleigh next year and run a nice qualifier course. I think all the elements are in place from the course layout - great touch with timing mats at 10k/half/20miles in addition to finish for a marathon of this scale. I think alot of negative coverage or this weeks weather kept many of the class A type runners away after looking at the results and that was unfortunate.
A Runner from Stratford, Ontario (12/11/2002) "These folks deserve the medals" (about: 2002) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Given the poor reviews of this marathon in the past, I entered with some trepidation. Then as I drove south through the devastation following an ice storm I wondered if the race would even be run. I bet half the volunteers didn't have heat in their homes, but they managed to pull off an exceptionally fine event. The course is tough so don't go there for a personal best. The course was also quite interesting and there was no confusion at all about where to run, even though half-marathon and relays were run simultaneously with the marathon. The volunteers were great. One other thing--the size of this event is perfect. Having just run Chicago where it took 13 minutes for me to cross the starting line and 20 miles to pass enough people that I wasn't tripping over the next guy, lining up in the third row after waiting for a line of one at the portapotty was wonderful. If you want a well organized marathon that gives you the opportunity for a challenging run, go to Raleigh.
A Runner from Phoenix, AZ (12/11/2002) "Nice small town race." (about: 2002) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 The race director and crew worked hard to put this race on only a few days after a major ice storm. The race crew removed power line obstacles and put salt down on icy portions of the course. The rolling hill course runs through historic downtown Raleigh and nearby communities. The pre-race pasta dinner had a variety of pastas, salad, brownies and cookies. Aid stations were well stocked with water, sports beverage, fruit and cookies. It was an enjoyable event.
A Runner from Summerville, SC (12/10/2002) "Great Comeback" (about: 2002) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I really enjoyed the race and the organization more than met my expectations. Congratulations to the race director and staff and to whoever designed the finishers medal. I'm glad you have a sense of humor. I really appreciated it after last years problem.
A Runner from Hillsborough, NC (12/10/2002) "New, more scenic course for 2002 is a winner" (about: 2002) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Last Sunday marked my sixth marathon, my third Raleigh Marathon. Enjoying perfect crisp running weather and a new course, I thought this one was the best of the three. Race director Butch Robertson deserves kudos for pulling off this major event under very adverse circumstances. It couldn?t have been easy to marshal volunteers and vendors in the aftermath of the state?s worst ice storm in 100 years, one that knocked out power for about 1.5 million households. But he and his team pulled it off beautifully. The course had been cleared of downed trees and power lines; all aid stations were staffed with cheerful volunteers with plenty of water and All-Sport; and if anything was missing (besides previous years? attendance levels), I sure didn?t notice. There were power gel stations where promised, peppermints and cookies as a welcome surprise, massages in the expo building, even a bevy of finish-line volunteers to wrap us in space blankets, put on our medals, hand out sports drink and water, and remove chips and re-lace shoes. Talk about service! The new course charted two loops through the downtown capital area, gracious in-town neighborhoods, and three college campuses. While I don?t usually like repetition on a course, the new loop through the cow pastures of the NC State vet school and the grand entrance of Meredith College certainly surpassed previous year?s tours of southeast Raleigh, for scenic value. Given that the race is associated with the Raleigh News & Observer, it seemed a shame that the reporter covering the event for the newspaper?s features section managed (in true popular media fashion) to turn a story about a triumph of athletic spirit into the usual media fare of specious scandal. With so much human interest to be wrought from a marathon story, the reporter chose instead to dwell on allegations that the race interfered with the comings and goings of CP&L crews trying to restore power. I ran every step of the 26.2-mile route and never saw a single utility truck anywhere, much less one trying to cross the race route. Neither did friends 30 minutes in front of me, nor those 30 minutes behind. I did, however, see police officers at every intersection judiciously letting traffic across the race route with minimal delay. Clearly the CP&L spokesperson was looking for any way to deflect criticism about the power company?s exasperatingly slow recovery progress. Even IF the marathon had caused any utility truck to wait a few minutes at a crossing, how conveniently absurd to point the blame at this six-hour event, when power had already been out for seventy-six hours before the first pesky marathoner stepped over the starting line. Too bad the reporter bought the line and probably eroded community goodwill for the marathon over naught. In all, this was a very good marathon, and I?ll surely run it again next year. I gave it a '4' for course, because of visual interest and low-traffic, rolling terrain, with just the right amount of turns for visual interest. I gave it a '4' for organization only because the finish-line party at Myrtle Beach has spoiled me. And I gave it a '3' for spectators, because there were few, but I certainly wouldn't have expected more crowds, given that 'perfect crisp running weather' is pretty nippy if you're just standing around cheering for zombies.
A Runner from Virginia (12/10/2002) "Good medium-sized, late-fall marathon" (about: 2002) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I would recommend Raleigh to anyone who wants a smaller, low-key, late-fall race, and who doesn't mind a hilly course. They apparently had some bad luck with weather and other problems their first two years, but the 2002 race went off without a hitch. The course is a hilly double loop (don't expect a PR) in settings that vary from urban to residential to suburban. Fan support was a little sporadic, but enthusiastic. Organization seemed fine, with good amenities and adequate police support. I would run Raleigh again, and probably will.
A Runner from North Carolina (12/9/2002) "Well Done" (General Comments) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 The race went very well this year. It's a shame that some persons have problems with a forecasted 2' of snow last year. If it had actually snowed the 2' as predicted, then the runner from South Carolina in a previous comment would have had to stay in a hotel for at least days with no hope for a hot meal outside of his/her motel or maybe even be stuck in an airport for 2 days struggling to find a flight along with hundreds of other stranded travelers. Would that still have been the race directors fault? I think this year proved that a marathon can be done and done well in Raleigh.
Stephen from Winston-Salem, NC (12/9/2002) "A good race" (about: 2002) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I ran the half-marathon course, which has half of the same course as the marathon course. Maybe it was the fact that a lot of neighborhoods were still cleaning up after the winter storm earlier in the week, but I just wasn't that impressed with the course, although some areas were very nice (such as downtown historic Raleigh). The organization was very good, the race director put on a great race and like the previous comment has been the victim of some bad circumstances beyond his control in past years. Good coverage by the local police. Not an overwhelming crowd, but very supportive and energetic (especially considering it was around 29 degrees at the start of the race). Very exciting at the finish line.
A Runner from Raleigh, NC (12/9/2002) "Very Well Done This Year" (General Comments) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 A good small race. The course is interesting, taking you through downtown Raleigh, the Governor's mansion, a couple of old neighborhoods, through a nice park, and a college campus. It is also moderately difficult with rolling hills throughout. The number of spectators is not great yet, but the ones who come are vocal and cheerful. The writers below complaining about the race director need to lighten up. He's done a great job under some unlucky circustances in the past. The weather event people complain about was not merely a 'threat' of snow: the weather service was forecasting up to two feet of snow and the police told the r.d. that they could not support the race. He had no choice. The race this year was well organized, and the r.d. deserves credit for working so hard to bring a marathon to our area. As a local, I plan on running every year.
A Runner from Raleigh, NC (12/9/2002) "Much better than reputation" (about: 2002) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is a small/medium sized marathon, very convenient start and finish, no problems with traffic, excellent volunteers, good aid and medical staff, challenging course, race-day registration, and friendly and encouraging fans. What's not to like? Give this one a chance.

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