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Apr 27, 2024

Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.5

Organization 4.5

Spectators 4.4

Number of comments: 328 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 33 > ]

L. G. from AZ (4/30/2017) "windy race with enthusiastic volunteers" (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The weather reports were right on target that this was going to be a very windy, overcast day with intermittent rain showers and much cooler than normal temperatures. That made a PR impossible for me, but it was a fun race overall. OKC is a great town to explore with many museums and interesting areas of town. The race ran through many neighborhoods where the residents came out to cheer and support the runners. In fact, the entire city gets behind this race that remembers the OKC bombing. There is a lot going on on race day: marathon and half-marathon start at the same time; 5k starts a few minutes later, a marathon relay and a kids race. The organizers handled the crowds well, and while the course at times felt very crowded it never became a problem. I love the medal and getting a second, finisher's shirt is a bonus. The post-race water and food were great. I didn't like having to walk an extra 3 blocks back to pick up my gear check bag but that's the only negative to this race.
C. S. from Orlando, Florida (9/15/2016) "Tough but worthwhile." (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I think you must run this race because of the emotions you will feel being that it is the OKC Memorial Marathon. Just visiting the Memorial is worth the trip in of itself. To start and finish by there is a very special feeling. Seeing runners leave their bibs and medals on the Memorial chairs was very touching. The course was tough. The wind around the lake ended any chances I had of PRing. It's a warm time of year, the first day of tornado season and it's somewhat hilly. I don't normally comment about swag, but it was the best finisher shirt I've ever received. Carl's Jr burgers at the finish was cool. Very inspiring experience. Not a PR race, but one of the most memorable races you'll ever have.
K. V. from Kansas (7/12/2016) "Amazing race" (about: 2016) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I used this as part of my 50 starters, and Marathon Maniac entry. Great organization. Crowd support the entire length of the course. It wasn't my best race, as my hamstring cramped up, but they had several aid stations which staff was very helpful, and willing to help stretch it out. They had a 3D topographic map on display at the expo. So, no more reading about hills, or anything, you can see it to scale. The only downside to the race. We took the bus to the start, and once the race was over, some of the volunteers didn't know where the bus pickup was to take us back. They were willing to help us find someone who did know the answer. if you are looking for an April race, or for an Oklahoma race, I suggest this one.
J. S. from Fargo ND (4/26/2016) "Great Race" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I am an aspiring 50 stater and this is a great Oklahoma option. OKC is a very nice medium sized city. Everything I saw was new, clean and/or redone. Transportation and lodging options are easy and reasonable. The expo is well spaced and organized. The merchandise selection is solid. Be sure to take the time to go to the memorial/museum. It is beautifully done. The start is organized into corrals and has a gear check. It starts right at the memorial which is a great place to start. The 168 seconds of silence is a cool experience. The course takes you by interesting areas (Bricktown, Downtown), landmarks (Dodger Stadium, State Capital) and neighborhoods (Nichols Hills, Gorilla Hill etc). You also run along a big lake on a paved bike trail which is very nice touch. We ate a little wind there but that's part of marathoning. The finish area down automobile alley is fun and there is thick, vocal crowd support into the finish. There is consistent support on the course too. There were a lot of aid stations which were well staffed and had good offerings. The finish area was well organized and easy to navigate. I didn't get confused like an earlier commentator did. The medal is great and so is the finishers shirt. The organizers did a great job so did the 3500 volunteers and the community support was awesome.
M. D. from Georgia USA (4/25/2016) "April 2016 Race" (about: 2016) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is an excellent well organized race with no issues. The course is a nice out and back around OKC with no loops redundancy, or cutbacks In places fan support is outstanding. The hills can be moderately challenging. The wind, especially around the lake, is an issue to cope with. The morning devotional and race theme are inspiring. If I have any complaints, it is not with the marathon, but with the hotels around downtown OKC. They show runners no mercy, in fact, it appears they increase the prices. There is no public transportation to the airport; therefore, you are left with a taxi or car rental.
R. B. from Katy, Texas (4/25/2016) "Great city, tough course" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 We enjoyed our time doing the OKC half marathon: Pros: 1. The Memorial Museum. Incredible experience. 2. The OKC downtown experience. Great vib and great restaurants 3. The people of OKC. Friendly and helpful, small town feel for a big race. 4. Crowd support and great neighborhood routes. Cons: 1. You will never get a PR here with the current setup. 25,000 people in just 5 gates means that you will not separate from others even if able until perhaps mile 5. Arm to arm running for a good while. 2. Miles 7-9 is a tough experience, running uphill into a strong south wind will zap you. The course has its hills and this stretch is too long and unforgiving.
Tim Fisher from Pampa, TX (8/19/2015) "Motivation at its absolute finest!!" (about: 2015) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Without doubt the most motivating event I've been a part of since the parade in NYC after Operation Desert Storm! Seriously an awesome event to partake in and I look forward to next year!!!
S. H. from Atlanta, GA (5/10/2015) "Good course with needed improvements at finish" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Overall this was a good but not great marathon. The course was reasonably flat but there were a few kicker little hills in the last two miles that really kind of hurt. After the second or third of these I was asking the volunteers if the hills were ever going to end. I know the marathon is supposed to be a challenge but it would be nice if these hills could somehow be eliminated by a minor course change. There were plenty of water stations along the course, so no issues there. The remembrance portion and connection to the memorial was very moving. However, the finish really needs some work. I finished in just under 4 hours and the finish was very crowded with full and half marathon finishers. The crowd is not the organizers fault, but the finisher T-Shirt tent was poorly marked and the volunteers were scurrying around in an unorganized fashion. I know they are volunteers but they had really not been set up to succeed. There was no 'Men's Large' line or 'Women's small' line. Just each volunteer was getting a shirt for each separate person. Madness. I ended up with a Women's Large instead of the Men's large I needed and in my pained finishers stupor I didn't realize the mistake until it was too late to go back. Further on, I was unable to find a single sign that would lead me to the Gear pickup. I know it stands to reason that pickup would be where drop off is, but being unfamiliar with Downtown OKC, I didn't know which way to go. There really needs to be better signage and organization in the finishing area.
B. B. from USA (5/3/2015) "Overall good marathon." (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I completed the OK City Memorial Marathon as my 95th marathon, and had a few suggestions to bring every aspect up to a 5 star rating: Course: Please have 'roamers', on bicycles or walking nearby, checking the Port-O-Lets and restocking the tp. Many of the Port-O-Lets were without tp. Organization: Confusion parking at '0 dark' AM. Please provide clearer packet input about parking the morning of the race. Better inform all runners about no metered parking on Sundays, the best free lots to park in {more than shown on the map}, and parking access {street closures and routes}. Spectators: Indicate that the course will get crowded with the spectators: {runners pushing baby strollers and people walking side by side on the course with friends/family members. Other than the above items, it was a good marathon experience.
S. L. from Lubbock, TX (5/1/2015) "OKC does not disappoint!" (about: 2015) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I had heard amazing things about the OKC marathon. I'm so happy to report that all the rumors are true... OKC knows how to put on a great race. Pros: 1. Packet pick up well organized and fast! 2. Free entrance for runners to the OKC Memorial Museum. Well worth the extra time on your feet to be reminded of the purpose of this marathon. 3. Course support is amazing. Water stations were filled with volunteers. Later stations included bananas, oranges, pretzels, and different flavors of Gu. All stops had water and sports drink. 4. Lots of crowd support and people handing out everything from free hugs to donuts to beer. 5. Course is nice. Goes through downtown, scenic neighborhoods, and a jaunt by a lake. Small rolling hills throughout the course. It's definitely not a flat, fast course, but it won't kill you if you are a beginner either. 6. Nice tech shirt and finisher shirt. Medal was very classy looking. Cons: 1. I have to wait an entire year to run this marathon again.

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