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☰
Baltimore Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Baltimore Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.9 
Organization 4.0 
Spectators 4.1
Number of comments: 443 [displaying comments 51 to 61]
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Sid Busch from Goose Creek SC
(10/15/2012)
 "FANTASTIC" (about: 2012)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Baltimore Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 6th BRF MARATHON.This event has maintained a high standard thru all 6 years. Support and organization is great,the course is tough,but the aid you get while out there sure helps. The Police are the BEST,not only keeping us safe,but being cheer leaders when needed. The neighborhoods I ran thru really came out to cheer us on. I found it funny that a runner complained because there were too many row houses along the course,well its BALTIMORE. Thats like complaining because there were to many Mickey Mouses at the Disney World marathon. The expo was held at the M& T Staduim,and even though it was cramped,signs were put up directing runners thru the 3 area needed to go to get their Goody Bags,bibs and shirts.The runners who followed the info put out prior to the Marathon Weekend in the RUNNERS HAND BOOK had no problems. | |
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A. A. from New Jersey
(10/14/2012)
 "Great race - would recommend!" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 My husband and I started off a little concerned about how this race was going to be, our experiences with parking for the expo and the race were both terrible. The organization there needs to be seriously worked on for next year. Nevertheless, the race itself went off without a hitch and we both had a great time! Pros: -The course showed all the different parts of Baltimore, I really enjoyed it (even the less 'savory' areas) -Food handed out on course (pretzels, bananas, candy, gels) -Adequate water and gatorade at stations -Friendly volunteers -Beautiful weather -Good crowd support -Nice shirts -Nice medals -Good post-race area Cons: -PARKING for expo and race (we arrived more than an hour before the start and didn't make it to the start until 7:59) -No signage on race morning and outside at expo (if there were signs I didn't see them...and that's exactly my point) -Lots of hills in the race, but that wasn't a surprise This is a good race, I'd definitely recommend it to others, but it's a challenging course and probably not one for setting a PR! | |
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J. R. from Lincoln NE
(10/13/2012)
 "Challenging course but bad organization" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 Quite hilly, but I was warned about that. Bag check and starting line were too far apart. At 16 they merged the marathon and 1/2 courses together, so I ended up with thousands of slower runners in front of me for the last 10 miles. Finish corrals took 10-15 minutes to clear, and lots of people were cramping up. Run through the zoo was cool, and the crowds at the end were wonderful. | |
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D. f. from Baltimore, Maryland
(10/13/2012)
"Challenging but fun !" (about: 2012)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 As a first time half-marathoner, I knew the course would be challenging. I was not running for a time, just to finish. Overall experience was very gratifying. But I do have a few suggestions about organization. Gatorade was not readily available at a couple of stops. It looked like they may have run out at one. But the main concern was at the finish where they bottle necked us into the finish area and we came to a complete standstill just after the finish. The blood pools into your legs and you are just standing waiting for medals or whatever. They need to open up that area for safety reasons. Also you are trapped in the finish area by fences and it is difficult to find your way out and to locate your family. This was probably the only real negative to the race, but it was a pretty big one for me ! I would recommend the race to someone if they correct this issue. | |
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E. C. from Midlothian, VA
(3/20/2012)
"Hilly, Hilly, Hilly" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and wouldn't you know I picked a hilly one. Under Armour and the folks at Corrigan Sports did a great job putting on the race. Of course you get a great shirt and the medal for the 2011 race was very cool (a crab, the skyline, and 'scratch 26.2 miles off the bucket list' inscribed on it. Plus you finish after going through Camden Yards...how cool is that? My biggest complaint was that for some reason they dumped the halfers in with the full marathoner's at the 13.1 mile mark. Just as the full was thinning out they dumped 10,000 or so people in with the full marathoners. They did give us a separate lane for the first mile of the merge but that's still a bad idea. Not recommended for a PR but definitely recommended. | |
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F. Y. from Baltimore
(2/2/2012)
 "Mixed Review" (about: 2012)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Newbie marathoner after having ran several halfs before. I was told the Baltimore course was 'a little hilly...'. That was an understatement. If you're looking for a PR, there are better options elsewhere. The run through the zoo was a nice touch. Crowd support was fairly good. The post-race corral was horrendous. If you ran The Frederick Half & The Baltimore full or half, called 'The Maryland Double', you had to wait in line for 15-20 minutes AFTER the race to get the Double medal. After running for 4 hours, I was very concerned about standing around that long. To Race Directors: mail the Double medals and bag the long line. We all have egos, want our medals, and will pay a few extra bucks for shipping if it means not waiting in a line. | |
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J. C. from Peoria, IL. USA
(1/21/2012)
"Mixed Bag" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my 10th marathon and I would say that this race had a few high and low points. On the plus side, it wasn't necessary to show up excessively early to get your spot at the start line. Also, The post-race support was one of the best of the races that I've run. The race course was fairly challenging. It does not make a good Boston Qualifier for those of you on the verge. There were plenty of toilets on the course. The crowd support won't compare to one of the large races such as NY/ Chicago/ Boston, but it was good for the size of this race. On the minus side, the lack of energy gels on the race course was frustrating. Also, I'm not sure that I agree with some of the other comments on the race shirt. I had high expectations with Under Armour as one of the major race sponsors. The material was so thin that I managed to tear it on the trip home before getting to wear it. This is a good race if you're in the area, but it wasn't outstanding enough to travel back to from out-of-state. | |
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T. P. from Philadelphia, PA
(1/10/2012)
"Good Fall East Coast" (about: 2011)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is a race with an good course and support. I concur with some of the comments about the staggered start of the half and full and the merge. Starting at different times is fine but the timing needs to be changed so that 10-12 min mile half runners don't merge with 9 min full runners. Also if you were running the full you could not find a potty anywhere near where the half starts (about a 5 mile stretch). This is easy to fix. I liked: the course (zoo, harbor, fed hill, fells, the lake) and they spent a lot of money to close streets and you get a good feel for the town (no out and backs either or stupid turn arounds like Philly), getting in and out and parking was good, using real bathrooms at Camden Yard's at the start, no out and backs. Areas for improvement we the staggered start time and the post race corral. It was crowded and it was hard to get out of it. | |
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K. B. from Baltimore
(1/5/2012)
 "Plan to run it again" (about: 2011)
First Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 This was my first half marathon and I was a bit disappointed at the crowded mess at the finish. I quickly decided to not stand in line for eons to get something to eat, but much to my dismay I still had quite a hassle working my way to meet up with family. I do plan on trying the full next year and hopefully the crowd problem will have been addressed. | |
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L. E. from Bishop, CA
(11/10/2011)
"Surprisingly great big city marathon!" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I did not expect to love this marathon. I generally prefer small rural trail runs, but entered this race because I was visiting a friend in the area. What a wonderful surprise Baltimore was! From the Little Italy district (for the pre-race pasta dinner) to the varied terrain and scenery along the marathon course (who knew Baltimore was so interesting and beautiful?) to the extremely friendly and enthusiastic spectators and volunteers, I thoroughly enjoyed the entire race experience. I particularly appreciated all the water stops (with food!) and the great job city police did in managing vehicular traffic and keeping runners safe. Baltimore put its best foot forward for this event, and I was impressed. Thanks so much for a really enjoyable race. I'll be back! |
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