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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 61 to 71]
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C. C. from Atlanta, Georgia
(10/27/2011)
 "ANOTHER great Baltimore marathon" (about: 2011)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Baltimore Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Returning after a 2 year hiatus due to injuries I found this race to be what it was before, very good overall. Great course (though i do miss the Fort McHenry loop) and somewhat challenging with some hills especially during the second half of the race. The jaunt through the zoo was nice. Two passes through the downtown was invigorating with all the crowds there. Water and gatorade stations were well placed and stocked. The merge didn't affect me as I was past that point by the time they started. New venue at the Convention Center was better spacewise and ease of getting in and out race morning was good. Weather was near perfect though the wind around Lake Montibello was gusty. Great finish coming past Camden yards. I would recommend this race to anyone, no race is perfect but this one does most things pretty good. I will be back in 2012... | |
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D. W. from Virginia
(10/21/2011)
 "Course CHAOS!" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Baltimore Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I swore after doing this race in 2009 that I'd never do it again because of the fact that the 1/2 marathon merges with the marathon course at miles 3/16 for the rest of the course. I only did it this year b/c I had zero time goal as it was a training run for JFK 50. Even going 'slow', I was super annoyed. The organizers have staggered the start times to maximize the crowds at the finish area, but this only hurts the runners on the course. Even average marathoners are slowed significantly by the below average half marathoners in front of them. It feels like you're starting a mega marathon in terms of crowds at mile #16, except the runners around you are not going your pace. I mean it this time, I will not do this race again until they separate the courses completely or figure out the staggered start. If they figure that part out, it'd be a good one b/c it is well run and a really nice/challenging course. | |
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Peter S. from Virginia
(10/20/2011)
"Fun, Hilly Course; Crowded Finish Corral" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Baltimore Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Pros: - Mile 4 had a fun trip through the zoo this year. Overall, the course is hilly and takes runners through a variety of urban neighborhoods. Probably not the ideal Boston qualifier, but there's enough variety in this historic city to keep your attention. - Temperature was near-perfect - 50 degrees at the start line and sunny, although the wind got gusty later in the morning, especially on the hills. - Crowd support has grown in each of the past three years... great to see the community coming out to support the runners. - The Under Armour sponsorship of this race really pays off with the top-of-the-line technical shirt. Easily the best race event shirt I've received. Cons: - The Finish Line corral is a small enclosure (about the size of a football field) within a giant parking lot. If race organizers expanded the corral and worked to improve traffic flow, runners would have a much better opportunity to savor their accomplishment. As laid out in 2009-2011, you feel like cattle getting pushed through a crowd. | |
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D. g. from Cornwall, UK
(10/19/2011)
 "back for more" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Baltimore Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I have run 21 Marathons and 3 of them were this one. Nice downhill finish into Camden Yards and this year the city were far more supportive. The Expo has moved to the enormous Convention Centre, which is a massive improvement, and the Zoo is incorporated into the course at Mile 4 which replaces the old road towards Fort McHenry - also an improvement. Plenty of water and gatorade and bananas etc; Back next year...... | |
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Sid Busch from Goose Creek SC
(10/19/2011)
 "RUN THRU THE ZOO" (about: 2011)
50+ previous marathons
| 4-5 Baltimore Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 5th BRF MARATHON. The support is AWESOME,the course challenging and the Volunteers amoung the best any were. They improve it every year. This year the Expo was moved from the RAVENS Stadium to the Baltimore Convention Center because it outgrew the stadium. This made packet pickup fast and easy,also more vendors could be there. The race support was the best,and new this year was adding a run thru the Maryland Zoo at mile 3. Handlers had two ravens,a penquin, alligator hugh rabbit and rooster,and a skunk( oder removed). I HIGHLY recommend this event. | |
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S. O. from Alexandria, VA
(10/18/2011)
"Solid race, room for improvement." (about: 2011)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This course is as tough as advertised - the hills are pretty brutal! A lot of the course is quite beautiful, though, especially the addition of the zoo this year. I thought the integration of all the races was actually OK, though they kept the marathon-only area very small for about half a mile after the merge with the halfers. I appreciated the friendly Baltimore residents, but there weren't that many of them over a lot of the course. The water/Gatorade stations were also a little random in their placement, but there were plenty of stations. I would recommend this race more to experienced runners looking for a challenge, and less to younger runners looking for a great race experience. | |
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A. S. from Columbus, Oh
(10/18/2011)
"Nice challenging course" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Nice course with lots of hills and great support. Only negative was the 1/2 marathoners starting at mile 13.1 at 9:45 am. They were merged with the full at mile 16. So for the last 10 miles you are dodging the slow walkers who are 2 to 4 abreast and would not move out of the runners way. I ran a 4:28 time and the finish area is so crowded. Long lines at the food tents. Not worth standing in lines for a banana. I won't run this one again until they separate the two events. | |
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D. F. from Baltimore, Maryland, USA
(10/18/2011)
"Challenging but fun" (about: 2011)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was a great race. An uphill start, and for the first time inside the Maryland Zoo at mile 4-5, a flat middle few miles going through the Under Armour Campus, and then the hills from 16-23. Finally a downhill finish through Oriole Park at Camden Yards and the finish line right in front of M&T Bank Stadium. I had a great time with this marathon, my 2nd overall. The hills in the second half are tough and they took their toll on me. But I learned a lot in this marathon and know this will make me stronger for other marathons. | |
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C. L. from Tampa, FL
(10/17/2011)
"Neat Race But All Hills And Windy" (about: 2011)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my first time running this marathon. I trained really well for this race except I am from Florida (very flat) and underestimated the hills. Pros: -Lots of spectators on the course and support from the locals. -Neat run through a big city. -Packet pickup efficient and organized. -Race generally well organized (lots of food, water, etc.). Cons: -At mile 16 they merge the half marathoners in with the full marathoners. This wasn't a problem for me (probably because I was really slowing down at this point) but my boyfriend was going along at a good pace and then had to zig zag around people the rest of the race. He found it frustrating to have to alter his pace because of the crowd 16 miles into the race. -Complete chaos at finish. I couldn't find the reunion tents with letters on them to meet up with family and it was really packed with people and hard to navigate. -Finish line was weird. There were tons of spectators throughout the course but then at the finish is was very light because (I was told) there was no way to get to the finish area to watch. There also wasn't much support (people showing you where to go etc.). You had to sort of figure it out yourself. Thing to consider: -Almost entire course was hills. Only major flat spot was a lake loop near mile 20. There was one other small flat spot because I remember thinking 'I feel weird, oh it's because I'm not on a hill'. -Very windy. Not sure if it is always like that but made it even more challenging and kept my arms cold. | |
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t. m. from maryland
(10/17/2011)
"the cheering crowds will keep you going!" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Baltimore Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Beautiful tour of many highlights of the city, including the world headquarters of underarmour. Hilly yes, but gradual not steep inclines. The downhills + uphills did not add up, more uphill then down, but manageable. Incredible crowd support through every kind of neighborhood imaginable. Great shirt (underarmour duh!), gloves and excellent area post race for runners, so run with someone to enjoy the after stuff with them because your support team is not allowed in the area. |
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