Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Apr 28, 2024

"Last Chance for Boston" Marathon Runner Comments

Back to "Last Chance for Boston" Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 3.7

Organization 4.0

Spectators 3.6

Number of comments: 81 [displaying comments 51 to 61]

More Comments: [ < 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 > ]

David Terrill, Sr. from Tarentum, Pa. (2/13/2007) "Winter racing at its best." (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ "Last Chance for Boston" Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The 2007 version of the LCFB was similar weather-wise to the 2004 edition. Only real differences were in '04, the temp was negative single digits and there was no glacier to contend with. This year, we enjoyed balmy single digit temps on the positive side of zero. And a freakish glacier, allegedly the byproduct of a water main break. And again, those are the kinds of things that can and do happen in winter in central Ohio, and we deal with them and we run. And we don't complain. I found 400 lbs. of sand at Lowe's was enough to cover the surface of the unexpected ice visitor, and we ran. And had fun. I love it when a plan comes together. Coming back from an injury, training through pain, ignoring the elements, and then crushing the course on race day is as good as it gets in this game. When so much can and often does go wrong, it is sweet to be hitting on all cylinders and never miss a shift. I knocked 12 minutes off my previous best on this course. While still weaving through folks and avoiding the sand-covered ice and wondering why the robins were back from wherever they go to in the fall. There were hundreds of them looking for worms still 3 feet under the snow. Hope they can improvise. Many folks looking to BQ did just that. Obviously, they also came to run, to take care of business. Nice to see so many succeed. Another huge advantage of the repeating loop course is that one can make equipment adjustments as needed. Add a layer, shed a layer, change gloves or head-gear - no problem. Have a bag near the finish, and you can be ready for anything. After 8 laps, I changed from the full face knit cap to a standard cold-weather knit cap. Easy as that. I like this race. I like the organization, and the host hotel at the finish line. I'd like to be healthy next year, but either way, I'll be back. Count on it.
Paul Vanderburgh from Dayton, Ohio (2/12/2007) "Unique, flat, 1-mile loop course - well organized!" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 "Last Chance for Boston" Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great race... well run and organized. I was freakin' out about the weather beforehand but found that, with proper attire, the 5 - 15 deg. (F) temps weren't bad at all. The 1-mile loop with 1/4-mile markers was much better than I expected. Very spectator-friendly. Time really seems to fly and you have no excuse for poor pacing. Volunteers were awesome, especially in the cold temps. Hotel has late checkout and sits right on the course. Missed my BQ by about 7 min. but that was my fault. I'd do it again. Anyone looking for a great Midwest BQ opportunity should give this one a look!
David Terrill, Sr. from Tarentum, Pa. (1/15/2007) "My chip was defective, also." (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 "Last Chance for Boston" Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I also experienced a chip that was sporadic in communicating with the antenna mats. But these things do happen occasionally, and while frustrating at the time, we get over it and get ready to race again. I hope that all the defective chip devices have been removed from service so as to avoid a reoccurance. I have given favorable comments each year of this race, but forgot to do so in '06. I was also excluded as a finisher due to the intermittent operation of that chip. I thought I was the only one victimized, but the last comments spurred me to submit these. I will be back each year this race is held. I thoroughly enjoy it. I'm sure the chip issue will be addressed.
D. S. from Ohio (1/4/2007) "Chip did not record my time" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 "Last Chance for Boston" Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 Was extremely disappointed that my chip did not work. I am aware that several runners experienced this issue and even heard race volunteers comment that some timing chips were not recording times. I was not recorded as a finisher although I kept track of my laps and time. I will run this race again mainly because I love to run. Please get the timing chips to work properly.
Bryan Harmon from Mentor, Ohio (5/3/2006) "What are you other people talking about??" (about: 2006) 2 previous marathons \| 1 "Last Chance for Boston" Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I ran it as a true "last chance" to run Boston. It was my first-ever marathon. Yeah it's flat, completely flat, but it's 26 times around a 1-mile loop - a little monotonous. I could never get in a rhythym during the race because people were walking the race and taking up the entire street, not to mention the water stop was not to the side of the road and people would come to complete stops. I ran into someone two different times because they just stopped right in front of me. Then the water that was being spilled started to freeze on the ground and mini ice patches formed. The organization was terrible. I finished and they gave me a 3rd place plaque. Then the next day the results had me winning, and then two days later they had me in second. I still haven't gotten the right plaque after frequent emails, and the pictures that they have on the website that are supposedly of me, are not even close and are of some old dude. Run this race only if it is your last chance to qualify for Boston. It will be too cold to run a PR and the "loops" will eventually get to you, and you will probably break down mentally.
J. M. from Medina, OH (3/9/2006) "Great PR course" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 "Last Chance for Boston" Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I'm amused by runners (this race and all other races) who are obsessed by food issues, before, during and after a marathon. Here's a bulletin: you can live for several weeks before starving to death. You don't need a constant supply of food to keep you going. You don't need all that food - just run. And don't use food as an excuse for performing poorly. I never heard of any top runner complaining about the pre-race pasta party or the brand of gel used. Anyway, the race was as expected - a nice, flat, but cold run, ideal for a PR. There is no scenery to speak of, just a shot at at good time, which is all that concerns me. Boredom? It's 26 one-mile laps, but you're not running by yourself; there are plenty of other colorful runners around to keep you entertained. Wear an iPod and a heart monitor.
Chris Demain from Rockville, MD (3/4/2006) "THE perfect race to achieve your goal time!" (about: 2006) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 "Last Chance for Boston" Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 It didn't have the crowds of Chicago or the bands and cheerleaders of RNR San Diego or the magic of Boston - but it was PERFECT as advertised: the Last Chance For Boston (both with the fast course and when the race was held). Interestingly, the Boston Marathon attained 20,000 registrants - the stated limit - some 5 days after LCFB, so no subsequent marathon would necessarily allow for qualifying this year. I was injured last fall and unable to run Marine Corps but still wanted to qualify for Boston again once I was healthy. LCFB offered a flat course (okay, 4 feet of elevation change per mile) in cold weather - a great combination for speed. The quarter miles were all marked, which really facilitated pacing. In fact, 19 of my first 20 miles were all within 5 seconds of each other! The crowds weren't large but seeing 200 people 26 times equates to some 5,000 spectators - pretty darn good for a 100-person race. My only beef about the crowds was that hardly anyone cheered me by name - even though it was prominent on my shirt. The predictability of each lap really helped me stay focused. For example, as I hit the windy spot (last third or so), I always knew it would subside within about three minutes. Also, there was never any guessing when I'd next encounter the energetic volunteers handing out water and Gatorade. The host hotel couldn't have been more convenient since it was less than a minute from the start/finish. I would heartily recommend Last Chance For Boston to any runner seeking a specific goal time!
Mike Knobler from Atlanta, Ga. (3/1/2006) "Unique course, unique challenge" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 "Last Chance for Boston" Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Running 26 times around a flat one-mile loop works well, except... if you're trying to qualify for Boston, you'll be passing a lot of people over and over, and even if they're trying to stay to the inside there will be other only marginally faster people passing them by running wider, complicating things. It got better once the 5K, 10K and half-marathoners were done, but that takes awhile, and you're expending mental and physical energy passing so many people in the meantime. Race winners stuck to the outside and probably ended up running 26.7 or 26.8. I loved having the quarter-, half- and three-quarter mile marked off. You always knew where you were and how you were doing pace-wise. The 26-split chip timing for the results is great, too, letting you know exactly how you did mile by mile. They were supposed to shout out your lap count after the first hour or so. That was very hit and miss, but it was a non-issue for me. I knew my lap count. It was 19 degrees at the start, 26 when I finished, with winds of 14 or 15 mph that I was running into directly head-on for about a quarter of the race (remember, it's a loop). I knew the weather risk when I signed up; I'm not complaining. It's often cold at 8 a.m. in Ohio in late February. When I picked up my race packet, I asked what gel would be available. GU, I was told. Uh, no. Turned out there was no gel at all. Had I been told that, I would have carried my own. There was nothing but water and Gatorade, though of course they were available every mile. There was one really great spectator at about the three-quarter mile point. The rest were pretty scarce and pretty quiet, but I didn't expect much given the weather and the nature of the race. Logistics couldn't be much easier, with a $78 hotel room available a few yards from the finish and .2 miles from the start. I didn't qualify for Boston. I did get a PR. If you like a cold-weather race, don't need a lot of fan support and don't mind a lot of traffic on the course, this race might work for you. It is fast. It is flat.
Tamara Smith from Cincinnati, OH (3/15/2005) "Great small marathon experience!" (about: 2005) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 "Last Chance for Boston" Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 My running buddies were training for the marathon in Antarctica, and I needed a marathon of my own to test out the success of my training. I found this one which was at the perfect time (our marathons were one week apart), convenient (2 hours from home), well priced (only $45), and interesting (the one mile repeating loop matched our frequent training course of repeated .9 mile park loops). I was not trying to qualify for Boston, I was just hoping to finish (I did) and to finish in 5 hours, if possible (I ran a 4:49:07), so I felt it was a rousing success. The temperature was reasonably comfortable, with light, intermittent snow. I liked passing the start and aid station (well stocked with water, Gatorade, and gel) and hearing how many laps I had finished. My family was there to support me - my husband couldn't run because of a foot injury, but he walked opposite the runners the whole time, taking pictures, cheering me on, and telling me how great I was doing. I appreciated the great support staff tolerating the cold (it's so much harder to be out in that weather when you are standing still). I thought the race was friendly and well organized. Because I finished close to the end of the pack (90/99), there were only two people left to help at the finish line, but I didn't mind. They were also out of pizza, but again, they offered generous helpings of bagels, orange slices and good-tasting sport-type bars. The wind shirt is very nice, and the medal fine also. I had not run a marathon since 1987 (when I was 31), so here I am, at age 48, able to do one again. And it wasn't even my slowest time! This is an enjoyable, low-key winter marathon - try it!
D. T. from Tarentum, Pa. (3/3/2005) "Another great job by the staff of Premier Races" (about: 2005) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 "Last Chance for Boston" Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I commented in detail last year on the LCFB experience, so I'll be brief this time. Kudos to Jeff Glaze and all the staff and volunteers who have helped to make this event another success. The enthusiasm and encouragement offered each lap is truly uplifting, especially when things aren't going as you had planned. The weather was a non-issue, with 20's and flurries and breezy. All in all, not unpleasant, even in shorts. I didn't come close to my target time as a result of severe shin pain. A more prudent runner would have bypassed this day to heal and try again later, painfree, but that wasn't an option this time. I wanted to keep the streak going here (4 for 4 @ LCFB), but more importantly, I dedicated my efforts to the memory of a co-worker who passed away in November. So those reasons kept me going mentally when the shins were failing me physically. I'll be back, no doubt about it, because the folks who put this together really make you feel comfortable and appreciated, kinda like a valued customer. And I again thank them, for their generous efforts make it possible for us runners to put forth our best efforts.

More Comments: [ < 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 > ]

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