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☰
Melbourne Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Melbourne Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.9 
Organization 3.5 
Spectators 3.4
Number of comments: 29 [displaying comments 21 to 29]
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Gordon Duff from Scotland
(10/11/2004)
 "Hot, hard but worth it!" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Melbourne Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Being from Glasgow (Scotland) the heat for this run was more than I was prepared for. The start is great as the thousands fill the street. I did feel the hills at half way but the supporters from the 3/4 mark were great. Most of all, as a first timer, I would like to thank the Spartans who were an inspiration. Best Spartan quote (said in a fun tone): 'You might as well walk for a bit because you won't be able to tomorrow.' Thanks for that. | |
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T. B. from Albury, NSW Australia
(8/9/2004)
 "1st-timer" (about: 2003)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Melbourne Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Melbourne is my hometown and my first marathon experience, having never run any thing over 15kms in race conditions I was particularly nervous but the calm environment of the bus trip to Frankston was perfect to relax the nerves. Found the crowd light on but those that were there were vocal and helped me along the home stretch some people's encouragement came in the form of lollies. I also found the encouragement of my more senior runners particularly helpful. I would encourage any 1st time marathon runners to give Melbourne a go. Weather was great and some nice views of the sea. Can't wait to tackle it again. | |
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P. M. from Singapore
(3/3/2004)
"Great course for a PB" (about: 2003)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Melbourne Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran the Oct 2003 marathon and ran PB of 3:12. Fast, flat course. Didn't find the bumps in the middle a problem. Superb temp, sunshine, lovely scenery, great organization. Ensure you buy a bus ticket as part of registration to get you to the start. More supporters as you approach halfway to the finish. Agree that the medal was very disappointing. Didn't even say, "Melbourne Marathon". Definitely recommend this one. | |
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g. m. from Melbourne, AUS
(11/15/2003)
"Better conditions than last year" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Was a great day. The weather was nice. Done better than last year. It is not an easy course as the rolling hills in the middle seem to go on for ever. The last stretch goes along the beach front at Elwood and St. Kilda. There are always many people around there (some tourists too) and I heard a few say, 'Come on, mate' or 'Nearly there'. We can thank the kids who every year have lollies for us along the way. | |
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P. K. from Singapore
(10/13/2003)
 "Quite average" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The weather was fine for running. There were not many spectators though. On thing that puzzled me was how come the markings for the marathon and half marathon were different? We started at the 21 km mark and we finished at the 42.195 km mark. So by logic the 22 km mark is our 1 km mark and so on. Yet after hitting the 26km mark I saw the 5 km mark about a hundred metres off ( maybe it is not that far because I tire easily, but you get the point). Anyway if you follow the marathon markings, you get 21 km of running. The medals could be better (meaning bigger). The bus ride to the start was quite well organized. The expo was small. The runners were fast. | |
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Scott McCamish from Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
(6/26/2003)
"My first and favorite marathon" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Melbourne is where I was born, and although I now live in the US, I will be going back there very soon. I ran my first Melbourne Marathon in 1991, and ran 4 more consecutively after that. I am VERY pleased to see that they returned to the original Frankston-to-Melbourne course, instead of looping around the city. Those bayside suburbs and beach views are spectacular. I am hugely biased, but I would choose this marathon over any other, if I could pick any marathon in the world to run. When I ran it, it was in June, but October is a beautiful time of the year to do it; warming up a bit after winter, but not too much. It's the best marathon in Australia, so go for it! | |
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B. S. from Washington, DC
(3/18/2003)
"first marathon... from my experience it was great" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon, and I really enjoyed it. The course is really flat in the beginning, but for the middle 10 miles there are rolling hills. The final 6 miles was rough this year, seeing as there was a strong headwind... Probably added a couple of minutes to my time. The fans are enthusiastic, but rather dispersed. The course goes along a highway, so there are stretches of no fans as you run your way from township to township. Like someone said before me, Melbourne weather is notoriously unpredictable... raining and cold at the beginning... sunny and warm for the middle... and windy at the end. Just be prepared for weather changes. All in all though, it's a good course and efficiently run... | |
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A Runner from Cleveland, Ohio
(10/20/2002)
"Smaller race in a great city" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This is a point-to-point race that starts in the outer suburbs and follows Port Phillip bay to a park close to downtown. The course runs on the road with the RHS lane closed to traffic. It starts flat but includes rolling hills that seem to go on forever in the middle stages of the race. They aren't tough but they do add up. The final third is flat. This year much of it was into a headwind - Melbourne is noted for unpredictable, changeable weather. Organization was generally good. My only complaint was the massagers ran out of oil by the time I got there. The crowds were sparse but supportive. The aid stations were well manned and there were a few unofficial stations handing out candies and water. The course is not very scenic although you do get sea views, especially as you run those danged hills. If you are going downunder, October is a nice time of the year to go and this race would be an added bonus. | |
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A Runner from Sydney, Australia
(10/16/2002)
"mmm...nice!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was number 11 for me and I liked it! Course was point-to-point, flat but perhaps a little boring as it doesn't really go through the city proper. Organisation was good except for a minor wait at the start, no hanging around at packet or baggage pick-up and buses to the start. Crowd support was pretty thin on the ground except at the end although some kindly souls handed out lollies/sweets/candy just when I needed them (thank you thank you thank you...). A good one to run but don't expect crowds of people roaring approval at your every tortured step. |
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