Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

May 17, 2024

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 71 to 81]

More Comments: [ < 1 .. 6 7 8 9 10 .. 45 > ]

D. S. from TX (10/17/2011) "2nd half and finish line chaos" (about: 2011) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Baltimore Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Merging the half marathon mid way through the marathon is ridiculous, you have to run a sub 3:30 to avoid. 2nd half is jam packed and the finish line area is chaos. Huge line to get any food, mostly half marathoners. They have got to change this. Hills are worse than advertised. Overall this could be a great marathon if they would change the half marathon merge.
C. M. from Baltimore, Maryland (10/17/2011) "Challenging marathon" (about: 2011) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Baltimore Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I ran the half marathon in 2010 (1:40:23) and thought that the 5+ mile uphill challenge was great. I came back this year to do the whole 26.2. After a really good start (first 13.1 - 1:41), my legs had had enough of hills. By mile 22 I was reduced to jog-walk-jog-stretch (last 13.1 - 2:06; last 6.2 - 64:24). Granted, this was my first marathon, but I felt I had trained hard for this race, topping off at about 48 miles a week, with plenty of 20 mile runs before race day, and a sufficient 3 week taper period (as by-the-book as I could do it). Alas, I fell short of my goal of 3:30. The course was fun - especially the front half which took us up through the zoo, around Hopkins, down past the half marathon start, and out to the Under Armor HQ before meeting up with the half marathon pack. There was lots of music and huge crowds along the course, especially Druid Park, Patterson Park (live band), Lake Montebello (live band), and 33rd and Gilford (Man in Tiger suit dancing on car and free beer and gummy bears). Celebration village was more crowded than I remember it being last year - maybe getting too large for the area organizers have set up. Take my advice, when you go to get your complimentary beers, get both at the same time to avoid long lines. Packet pick-up this year was great at the convention center, and everyone was helpful before-during-and-after the race, from volunteers to organizers to other runners. If you want a challenge, Baltimore is a good destination.
R. R. from New York, NY (10/16/2011) "Friendly, well organized, and endless inclines" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Overall, a very good experience. PROS * organization * decent expo * minimal onlookers, but super friendly * course well maintained by friendly cops CONS * endless, challenging inclines (I guess I missed that in my pre-race research) OVERALL * a great experience, although I would not suggest this course for someones first marathon .. great job Baltimore!
Jake Voytko from Jersey City, New Jersey (10/16/2011) "Good course, good organization" (about: 2011) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Baltimore Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This course took us all over Baltimore, from the zoo (the ravens were a nice touch!) to the inner harbor, to tons of random neighborhoods. Prepare for this race by running lots of hills! The second half of this race was tough, especially with the 20+ mph gusts in our faces on the back half. Even though I got a PB, this is not a PB-style course in the least. The organization was great, except that the half marathon start was staggered 1h45m after the full, and started at the halfway point. Thankfully they didn't merge until mile 15, which eased crowding and was some nice foresight by the event planners. The post-race area was well-organized (easy to get drinks, lines too long to wait for food). Lots of people had trouble finding their families/friends. Every spectator in the second half of the race swore you were at the top of the last hill. They were always wrong.
C. C. from Buffalo, NY (10/16/2011) "Great experience!" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Baltimore Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 There were a lot of hills and wind this year! The food on the course was great. They gave out bananas at least 3 times. There were pretzels, gels and larabars on the course as well.
D. C. from South Carolina (10/16/2011) "This marathon changed my opinion of Baltimore!" (about: 2011) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Baltimore Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Baltimore Marathon was my third. I used to live in Maryland and really did not like the city, but my opinion has been forever changed. The course is absolutely beautiful- it shows you the best and 'worst' parts of the city. In the poor neighborhoods, the spectators are out cheering and kids are lining the streets for high fives. No matter which part of the course you were on, the fans were enthusiastic and excited that you were in their city. I loved running through the zoo, past the harbor, around Lake Montebello, and through the many beautiful and historic neighborhoods of Baltimore. Yes, the course is hilly, but you know that going into it. The organization was great and I knew exactly what to expect and where to go on race day. I had no problem at the finish line. I thought the half marathon merge was smooth - much better than others I have experienced. The expo was on the small side compared to other marathons, but it didn't bother me. I really had a great experience with this race. I am aiming to do a marathon in every state, so I probably won't come back, but if I was ever to repeat a marathon, this would be the one. Thank you Baltimore for a wonderful day!
G. L. from Florida (10/16/2011) "Great people but hilly coarse not for a PR" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Baltimore Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Wonderful weather and sites but hills at mile 21 to 24 kills any chance of PR. Nice running through part of zoo, lake and stadium.
Lori Glebocki from Maryland (10/16/2011) "Could be better..." (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 3 Baltimore Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I run this race every year b/c it's so convenient for me but it has a little room for improvement. The finishing area was a mess and I had to wait about 45 minutes to get out of the runner exiting area and into the community area (where the beer and vendors were). When I finally made it thru, it turns out it was just because the friends/family members were standing in the way blocking the runners from exiting. There needs to be some crowd control. Also, the post race food is weak compared to what the other marathons that I've done offered. A little soup would go a long way but I would settle for pasta or anything warm! Not sure who wants a bag of unhealthy chips during the run but I kept seeing them offered. Also, when I had to go to the bathroom during the race there were always lines full of spectators and relay runners and no one offered to let me go first. Maybe you could designate one or two just for the people actually running the race at that particular time. Otherwise, except for the hills, the race is wonderful. Love being able to use the line-free bathrooms at M&T stadium before the race.
M. B. from DC (10/15/2011) "Fix the finish area" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Baltimore Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I have completed this race twice now. I love the tour through the city, especially the animals at the zoo! 4 hour pace group leaders were outstanding, kept me with them from start t finish. But please, please fix the finishing area. It's a mess. Marathon and Half Marathon finishing together does not work. You have way too many people crammed into a small area with lines for food that are very long.
Dave Berdan from Owing Mills,MD (10/12/2011) "Top Elite-Amazing course" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Baltimore Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This one was my 10th marathon , so it was special.I was dreaming of getting a top 5 place , but it wasn't to be , went through halfway in 1:10:30 , but I cracked over the last 10 km and ended up in 2:29:01 , the hills took their toll , I could get a personal best but it was awesome. Someday I might come back , all in all , is a nice marathon, especially for someone who wants to try something different from a very flat marathon.

More Comments: [ < 1 .. 6 7 8 9 10 .. 45 > ]

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