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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 21 to 31]

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M. K. from Austin, TX (4/30/2015) "Really Nice Mid-Sized City Race" (about: 2015) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a very well put-together race for a good cause. Packet pick-up expo was perfectly organized. Corrals were easy to access, water stations were always well stocked and the volunteers tremendously helpful. Listen, Oklahoma City is not the most beautiful city in the world so the course won't take your breath away. But it does go through some lovely tree-lined neighborhoods. Some inclines throughout the race but it's mostly flat. This was my second marathon and I had a terrific experience.
K. S. from Albuquerque NM (4/29/2015) "Toilet Paper" (about: 2015) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The race was amazingly well done, however, not long in to the race ALL the toilet paper was gone in ALL the toilets! Very frustrating for someone who needed to take care of business!
R. L. from TX-Texas (4/28/2015) "Everything about this race is good" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 4-5 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Arrived at the EXPO, plenty of free parking. Sunday morning, pancakes at the First Church. Easy access to the corrals. Started right on time, meandered through downtown areas, then by the State Capitol. Lots of cheering spectators. Great volunteers all along the course. Great water stations. Good food and drink at the finish line. Wonderful finishers medal and finishers shirts. Looking forward to 2016!
R. H. from FL (4/30/2014) "Good event with one simple but major oversight" (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran the inaugural in 2001 and came back to share it with my son who is a 50 Stater and this was his halfway point race. It was not to be because of the situation at the Half/Full split. With something like 20,000 runners transiting that point there was no advance warning on the course except some plastic pipe 'stickmen' along the course bearing an H or M sign which one soon came to ignore when focusing on navigating the congestion we were in. On approaching the split there were no cones, no chutes, no arrows or signs at road level alerting runners to the upcoming Half/Full split. I am told there were Course Marshals directing runners at the split point but with the incredible crowd at that point and running on the left (1/2 turn side) I heard or saw nothing and ended up in the Half, too far to backtrack to rejoin the Full. With 192 marathons behind me, I am no virgin and would support the premise that one is responsible for their own actions on the course. Having said that, a dozen cones starting a hundred meters out from the split with arrow signs pointing Full and Half directions (and a course Marshal monitoring) would have certainly avoided my problem and,probably, for many others who got sucked into that issue.
D. B. from B'ville, OK (4/29/2014) "Spectators and Volunteers MAKE this event" (about: 2014) 2 previous marathons \| 2 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 2014, Oh My! A race to remember. After a 1 hour and 45 minute delay (storms, handled exceptionally well by the race crew) I hit the start mat at 8:28 am on the dot. It was VERY humid from the storms and VERY crowded until the split to the half. I blew up at 9, held on til 13 and then did a TON of run/walk with a slower-than-2012 finish. Nothing can be done about the weather, I learned a lot about nutrition this race (and sunscreen). MAJOR kudos to the volunteers and spectators, who took the delay in the stride and were out there in force. Without them, I would have been far slower. I have never seen so many people walk. It was humid, it was hot, it was dry (once the dry line blew in) and it was WINDY. Lake Hefner and Classen were brutal. Absolutely brutal. All of that said, I'm happy I ran, it's for a fantastic cause and the course is really nice (3 'hills' of any note). Things that HAVE GOT TO BE FIXED: I ran this originally as a half in 2007. Even then it was a mess starting. They've learned and moved the 5K after the full/half, but they REALLY need to move the half after the full AND enforce corrals. At mile 2-3 I was passing COUPLES walking holding hands. WTH? It is just too crowded. The other big issue is the weather. Always unpredictable and the last 4 years have involved rain (all), storms (all) and delays (2 out of 4). Late April in OK = storms.
R. P. from Texas (4/29/2014) "Excellent course, fun event" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The 2014 OKC event was my 44th marathon finish. I ran the inaugural OKC marathon in 2001 which was a smaller event. Good: The course follows an interesting scenic loop, turns were well marked, and road camber was tolerable all along the course. Traffic control was great. Crowd support was very good Race timing services were excellent and response to my appeal about disqualification was immediate. The course volunteers did an excellent job. Not so good: The weather caused a 2 hour rain delay this year, then, after lining up yet again, we were treated to 20 to 25 minutes of announcements. A 6:30 start means that the gun fires at 6:30. An 8:00 start means that the gun fires at 8:00. Announcements, moments of silence for the victims, danger warnings, messages from the sponsors, etc. can come before the gun goes off (at 6:30 or 8:00). The starting miles were crowded and chaotic. Legions of walkers in lock-step who either started from the first corral or entered the course in front of the runners. This is a persistent problem for all races but in OKC 2014 it was terrible after the rain delay. Many of the early mile markers were not visible (to me) Although first 8 miles (until the half marathon turnoff) were very crowded, there was only one set of port-o-lets in this segment. Most of the early water stations were serving from one side of the road (but I had to go so bad, I did not need more water). The high winds blew litter from the runners all over the place - except the Gu packets which were glued to pavement. Runners tend to throw trash everywhere and this occurs in almost every race. But it seemed disrespectful for a marathon that was a memorial to victims of a tragedy. Kind of like if you discarded your fast-food trash on the grave site during a cemetery service.
K. B. from Colorado Springs, CO (4/28/2014) "Run to Remember" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 If you've never visited OKC, here's your excuse! The people are gracious and warm, and there is plenty of fun stuff to do. The marathon commemorates the victims of the terrorist attack on the Murrah Building in 1995, and the proceeds support the very moving memorial. The starting line is next to the memorial, so before the race, it's fitting to spend some time thinking about how senseless violence is while marveling at how people overcome evil. This year, the race had to be delayed several times because of severe weather. This was a first for me, but the organizers did a great job communicating and keeping runners sheltered and safe. The late start meant that a lot of people were hungry with nutrition plans off balance. Still, it seemed like aid stations offered a lot of food and Gu. Conditions at the start were pretty decent with overcast skies and fresh cool air coming with the front ... but an hour or so later, the sun and humidity and wind put in their appearance. It made a late start even more painful battling some tough conditions. Oklahoma in April is just going to be a bit of a risk from a weather perspective. The course is great, with lots of interesting neighborhoods, and the lovely Lake Hefner. Great support including many house parties along the way celebrating the marathon. How I wanted to join the many brunches! The ONLY con with this race that the organizers could control is the fact that marathoners and half marathoners all started together, and the corrals were not clearly organized. This meant a huge glut of runners at the start, with many walkers and slow runners boxing in the faster ones. Regardless, this is a tremendous race for anyone who wants to run in a great city with an important story to tell. Join the run to make sure we do not forget the victims, the first responders, and all those affected by that terrible day.
B. S. from Reno, NV (4/28/2014) "GREAT cause, but organization missed mark in 2014" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This is my second OKC marathon. It is a GREAT event, and I expected flawless organization, but there were some problems in 2014. The race started late due to weather. Nothing the organizers could do about that, but it was 70 when we started and forecast for 80 at finish. It was BRUTAL. The evening news reported 14 were transported to hospitals. They told runners to arrive at 5, and scheduled a 5:30 service at the memorial; however, bag check was not ready to go at 5:30. This should have been open at 5 when they told runners to show up. Their bag check system was good, but they were not ready. They also made you walk almost 2 blocks at the end to get your gear. That needs to be moved much closer to the finish. As hot as it was, the SECOND aid station at mile 4 was out of water when I got there. They were totally unprepared. They had ONE water hose trying to supply hundreds of runners and it was a disaster. Picture 10 volunteers with pitchers waiting to be filled by one water hose. This was a critical aid station because it was so humid. The rest of the aid stations did not have this problem. I arrived well after 5 hours and to their credit they were still well stocked at the finish line. And they had ICE ready - very smart. The finisher shirt and medal were both excellent.
K. T. from Chicago, IL (4/28/2014) "A Race to Remember" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a race to remember victims of the 1995 bombing. The start, with 168 seconds of silence, was very moving. The race was delayed nearly 2 hours because of a storm, but the officials did a pretty good job informing people. The late start and the headwinds for the last half of the race made this one a challenge. The organization, expo, fans, aid stations, support, shirts, and medals were all top-notch. Oklahoma City was a very nice place to visit with museums, botanic garden, ballpark, Brickyard area, convenient hotels, and friendly people. Just do NOT eat at Flint restaurant! All in all, the OKC Marathon experience is a great one.
S. F. from OKC (6/6/2013) "Great race!!" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I'm from OKC, so perhaps I'm a little partial, but this was my favorite marathon that I've run so far. PROS: -OKC is a developing city, and the course shows off a lot of that. You'll see downtown, the thunder arena, bricktown, nice neighborhoods, classen curve, and be around the lake for a stent. The course does not have an out-and-back section, which I love. No daunting, multiple mile-long stretches where you see where you'll be in 5 miles. -The course was well organized, well marked, courses were full of aid. Towards the later miles, the heat was starting to kick in a little bit (70s), and many aid stations offered wet sponges and water sprinklers which was appreciated. -Great spirit and lots of active spectators (I love when spectators cheer for everyone, not just the one runner they know!) Gorilla hill was fun. Not a super challenging hill, and the signage there and the costumes (monkies and bananas!) were hilarious. -This event occurred right after the boston bombing, and I felt very safe. Many additional safety measures were taken (clear plastic gear check bags, tons of security, helicopters following us throughout the race lots of security on course). -I went to the expo Friday at 5pm and things were great. Awesome vendors, tons of cool speakers, and while it was crowded, it wasn't overly packed. -Plenty of parking in nearby lots that made it easy to walk to the race. -Race corrals were good; I was in corral B and run at about a 9 minute pace- didn't have any issues with walkers or slow runners in front of me which is always appreciated at the start. - Love the silence to start the race in memorium of those lost in the bombing, the race directors also added a nice touch for Boston Victims. This race is very meaningful! -OKC does a nice job putting this race the same weekend as the Arts Festival, which is a short walk from the finish line- great food and vendors, lots of cool art and entertainment really close to the finish line. - I love having a 'finisher' shirt (tech material) that distinguishes the marathoners and provides an additional reward designated for the 26.2 finishers- so many races have done away with this, so I'm so happy OKC is still doing them. And, i actually like the color being white because the logo is so colorful. The cotton T everyone gets is also super comfortable and soft, albeit a Hanes white T. Two shirts for marathoners is becoming rare these days, so I was quite happy. -Barry Switzer gave me my medal at the finish, which was fun. Great Job OKC! Don't miss this one.

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