Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

May 5, 2024

On the Road for Education Runner Comments

Back to On the Road for Education Information & Reviews

Course 4.3

Organization 4.5

Spectators 3.2

Number of comments: 62 [displaying comments 31 to 41]

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

P. M. from Iowa, United States of America (10/16/2007) "Great small-town event" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I ran the half marathon in 2007. Overall, a very good, small-town event. The volunteers were fantastic and the goody bag was better than what I've received in big-city marathons. I've never had a tube of summer sausage in a goody bag before. There just a few items I'd like to suggest to make the event even better: 1. The map in the brochure and website wasn't the actual course; specifically, we did not run on 15th St. SW nor did we enter the finish area on Taft. 2. In the Big Blue area (after mile 11 half/mile 24 full) there was a fork in the bike trail. There were old markings on the trail indicating a left turn but there was not a clear indication of which way to go. Again with the map not matching the course, I started the wrong way but when I didn't see any markings, I reversed course and then noticed arrows directing the runners. I suggest better markings at that fork of both painted markings as well as posted directions or perhaps volunteers at the fork. 3. Would like to see the results posted a bit faster. This is a fantastic event and you show off the best of Mason City. It's really too bad there isn't much support from the community. It seems the only support comes from families and friends of other runners. Maybe you could get neighborhoods to organize and provide some support and encouragement.
J. S. from Belle Plaine, Minnesota (10/16/2007) "Nice, smaller marathon" (about: 2007) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Considering what it was like the week before at Twin Cities and Chicago, the cooler weather and rain wasn't too bad. Rain quit just before the start and then there was only a mist a bit after that. The rain the night before left the Lime Creek Trail a real challenge. More than one runner commented on how their times fell off because of the wet, slick conditions. Still it was an enjoyable race. I would concur that a few more direction markers in the woods would have been nice. With 10-year age groups, I would recommend medals 3-deep instead of just 1st place. I will come back and do this one again some day.
T. W. from DAVENPORT IOWA (10/15/2007) "very well organized, scenic course" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I really enjoyed the challenging course due to the weather. The course was in town, in the county on gravel roads, and on the bike path and on trails that were muddy and slippery. I loved the scenic views! Even though my time was not my best, I thought the race was very organized and I would definitely run it again! This is a very small race with great support!
M. J. from SW Wisconsin (10/15/2007) "Nice course, except during rain... mudville" (about: 2007) 50+ previous marathons \| 2 On the Road for Educations COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This was my second OTR4E Marathon. In my previous 85 marathons I have never taken a wrong turn or gotten off course, until this marathon in 2007. When running in a trail laden nature area, the course almost has to be "over marked" to avoid what happened to our 15-runner pack. There were plenty of signs, arrows and volunteers at most areas. However, this was a critical juncture without any sign, arrow or person manning this point. On other areas of the course I could not see a single runner in front or in back of me and I found some other areas suspect. There were arrows on the ground, but then they switched to the other side of the road, making me wonder at a few points (in the latter miles) if I was actually on the course. I'm not the brightest guy in the world, but I haven't been lost at any of these past 85 marathons. I felt bad for the one young lady running her first marathon. Otherwise, everything was fine; it's just too bad that one course-marking problem really soured me.
D. P. from Milwaukee, WI (10/14/2007) "Excellent marathon for checking off Iowa" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Delicious spaghetti dinner the night before the race. Goody bag included nice running socks and a beef summer sausage (I'm not sure what that was all about). Morning buses drop you off at an indoor mall so you can stay warm and use the very nice restrooms before the short walk to the start line. You come across some Frank Lloyd Wright homes early on in the race. The course has all surfaces: cement and asphalt streets, bike trails, gravel roads, and a significant portion of trail running. On the boring straight-away sections they had little "Burma Shave" signs posted to keep things interesting. This race had everything but hills, and the variety kept it interesting. Post-race offered hot showers at the high school - they even provided towels, soap and shampoo! Here's why I didn't give all 5 stars: Course: Lime Creek Nature Center could use some serious wood-chipping on loop portion (miles 16 and 17) - this was actually sloppier than any of the ultras I've run on. I know of one woman who face-planted (unhurt, other than pride), and another guy who just gave up and walked the whole section. Organization: [Already addressed with race director - expect this to be corrected] Calmus Creek didn't have a sign pointing across the bridge. I wound up adding 6-7 minutes to my time by following a group that took a wrong turn along the river. Also, around mile 24.5 there was a split in the bike trail without signs and I lost another 2 minutes. The volunteers surfaced with signs for the guy behind me, and fortunately they called me back. Two wrong turns in one marathon - both preventable.
L. L. from Connecticut (8/1/2007) "Great Iowa race!" (about: 2006) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the half for the first time in '06 and loved it! The course is great - flat, fast, and shows all of the best parts of Mason City (the miles through Lime Creek Nature Preserve were especially beautiful). Organization was great - buses to the starting lines, course was well marked, showers at the finish line. The fans were also energetic, despite the cold weather. I can't wait to run the race again in 2007!
j. g. from cedar rapids, iowa (6/19/2007) "Horrible experience" (about: 2005) 3 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I ran this in 2005 and I will admit I am a slow marathon runner, but the organizers of this event screwed up royally. The said the course would be open for six hours - it wasn't; they said that they would have water at certain places - they didn't; and the course was not marked well and me and my partner ended up running four extra miles!!!! They didn't even know we were still on the course and only figured it out when my two other running partners told them we were still out there (they had already finished). When we did finally make it to the end, they had taken down all the finish line stuff and were not sympathetic about it at all. This was my first marathon and almost ruined me on doing more, but I did Chicago and Des Moines and really enjoyed those. I would not do this event again ever.
K. K. from Iowa (11/2/2006) "Anybody see results for 2006?" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 My 9th marathon... and overall, a good experience, considering the cold and windy weather that day. It's been almost two weeks since the race and I haven't seen the results. I may not be looking in the right spot.
P. Y. from Marion, IA (10/25/2006) "LOVE this event!" (about: 2006) 50+ previous marathons \| 3 On the Road for Educations COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 2006 was my third consecutive running of this race...and I continue to be impressed. From beginning to end, OTR4E is a top-notch, though small, event. There's a great bus shuttle to the start; a warm place to gather just yards from the start line; an interesting, challenging, but fast course; and who can complain about the clean towels and warm showers just a few steps from the finish? Even more amazing, this is the only marathon of the 50 I've run where all the volunteers thanked me for coming. Amazing! If you want the sheer spectacle of marathoning with a huge field and massive amounts of spectators, qualify for Boston (which, by the way, you CAN do on the Mason City course). But if you want to run a marathon without the madness; one that will have you leaving with a smile on your face; give this one a try.
D. J. from St. Louis, MO (10/25/2006) "1/2 Marathon is Beautiful" (about: 2006) 2 previous marathons \| 1 On the Road for Education COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is my 2nd half marathon. The first one I did was in St. Louis which was nice, but understaffed. If your looking for a good small town half marathon, this is the one. I could not imagine a more beautiful half marathon, if there were leaves on the trees it would have been even greater. I liked the variety of parks and streets, road and dirt etc. and running along the river was awsome. The only reason why I gave 4 stars for spectators is because there isn't a lot, it's a small town. You may care about the crowed size, but I don't. The people who were there manning the water stations were great and encouraging. I also loved the room I had to run, no rubbing shoulders with people. This would be a good course for a first time runner because it is fairly flat (I mean, it is in Iowa) but still has variety. The race was well organized and relatively cheap. I would do this half marathon again in a heartbeat. I can't imagine a better course and the people were great.

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

Quick Links

Marathon Search
Upcoming US Marathons
Upcoming International Marathons
Search Marathon Results
Latest Running News
Recent Newsletters
Race Director Tools

Become an Advertiser

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Become an Advertiser

© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC

Privacy Policy Refund Policy Terms of Use