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"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 71 to 81]
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Scott Webb from Cincinnati, Ohio
(2/3/2004)
 "Wow was this race cold....but worth it!" (about: 2004)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran this race as a trainer for the Boston Marathon. I actually signed up for the half (which is part of the event as well) and added a few extra loops to get in 16 miles. The course is not bad at all...slightly downhill for the first half mile and slightly uphill for the second half mile. Water and Powerade just after the start/finish line which made it nice. No troubles with lap counts as far as I could see with laps being called out to runners based on their chip as they crossed the mat each lap. Organization was outstanding as each marathon and half marathon participant received a wind shirt and medal. Great food before and after. If I would change anything about this race, it would be to move it to 10:00 AM instead of 8:00 AM due to the extreme cold. It was posted on a bank sign near the starting line that it was -2 degrees when we started and warmed to around 10 to 15 by the time I finished. Race director stayed outside the entire race and cheered each of us on as we completed the laps. Would be a very good race to qualify for Boston as it is flat and fast and is a great race to train for other marathons as well. | |
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T. B. from Cleveland, Ohio
(2/3/2004)
 "The miles just roll on by " (about: 2004)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I have run this as a relay for 2 years, both times a great way to tune up for Boston with every quarter mile marked so I can check my splits, perfect for the new runner in a half or marathon as they can try the distance without feeling left behind. The hotel is right next to the start, plenty of places to eat within walking distance. | |
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l. l. from ohio
(2/2/2004)
"Hope this continues, though with new name" (about: 2004)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Okay, so it isn't the last chance any more--Boston is open until the cap is reached. But it is a darn good race. The race is small, it has a limit of about three hundred participants. It starts from a hotel, so runners have access to warmth and indoor bathrooms until right before the gun. And that is important for a race held in February in Ohio, when the temperature can be (and was) in the single digits. It also allows there to be warmth and warm drinks afterwards. The course is through an office park, not the most scenic, not the least. But the streets are closed, and the road was cleared of ice and snow. Because it is a one-mile loop, the water stop is predictably there. (And the water and Powerade weren't frozen)! There were surprisingly many spectators, lap counts were announced to all interested runners, and there was music for most of the race. The .2 is run upfront, a great touch to have that over with so we can settle down and just count laps. It is a freaky little race, and not as mind-numbing as one would think. The field has grown faster from the first year it took place. | |
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S. C. from USA
(2/2/2004)
"Actually - this is a GREAT race!" (about: 2004)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Okay - admittedly, a little apprehensive about this going in. 26 one-mile loops (plus .2) - the monotony. Ohio in February. Cold. And it was to be the smallest race in terms of participant numbers I have ever run. This was a wonderful race! Some may balk at the 5 stars given to the organization and spectators, but I am rating this race based on what is - not comparing it to a Marine Corps or an Austin, but rating it on what it does with what it has to work with. We had a conference room in a hotel to gather in race morning, and warm indoor bathrooms. Pre-race instructions were given to the group inside by the race director, giving the race some sort of 'family' feel. These are hearty individuals - it was about 2 degrees at the start, and warmed to around 19. The '.2' was run first, and then you knew to just pass the finish 26 times. The course - it's actually quite fast. The left hand turns start to wear on one after a while, but it is fast. Marked every quarter mile - I'd love to see this in even the first five miles at the larger marathons. If you were out fast, it could be corrected within a quarter mile. Pretty cool. Does the loop get boring? Surprisingly, not too. It does seem to get longer toward the end... Volunteers were topnotch, and just as brave as the runners. They were standing still in that cold, yet they always had a smile and encouragement. Music at the finish, but when you pass it 26 times, that's 26 times you get music on the course. Lap counts called (as best as could be done) as each runner passed the mats each loop, and full chip splits (all 26 for the marathoners) posted on the website. If you are a hearty soul, and can prepare mentally for a bit of monotony, I highly recommend this race. It's small, but has a 'feel good' nature to it that you won't forget. | |
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M. C. from Butler, PA
(2/25/2003)
 "Really enjoyed this race" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I ran the half marathon. Really liked the start/finish right outside the hotel. The one mile loop made it very easy to keep track of miles and pace. I thought they could have had a 10:00 start, it really warmed up by then.I will definitely do it next year, hopefully the marathon. Very well organized on a low budget and the wind shirts were nice. | |
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A. H. from Boston, MA
(2/13/2003)
 "Friendly people, inaccurate, dreary course" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 In 2003, this race ballooned by roughly 10X from 2002, changed day-of-week and time-of-day, and moved to a new course: 26 times (plus a little) around a one-mile loop. Given those challenges, the race was credible if not exciting, on a near-flat road course through a deserted office park. Race amenities were thin but adequate, with water and PowerAde on each lap. An added bonus was getting to know the volunteers, whom one passed 26 times. The fundamental flaw however, was with the lap-counting system. Despite using ChampionChip, some (but not all) participants were credited with a lap they did not run, meaning that many Boston 'qualifiers' actually ran 25.2 miles. If they are able to fix that problem in future years, this could be a decent 'alternative format' race, especially for those brought up running on the track. | |
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P. D. from Cleveland, OH
(2/8/2003)
"Much better than it sounds" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I ran the marathon relay and had a great time setting a PR for the distance. The 1 mile loop made it very easy to track your pace and stick to your target pace. The course was flat - a 3' foot change in elevation but not very scenic. However, lapping and being lapped by runners across the whole pace spectrum helped make it interesting. We started and finished outside the race hotel, which was very convenient. This year the race began at 8am, so we only had to contend with a slightly chilly morning. I wore the race wind-shirt for the first 3.2 miles. This is a classy blue micro fiber wind shirt that I'm going to wear on lots of spring and fall runs. Much better than the usual cotton that nobody would want to run in. Crowds were sparse, but it wasn't a big event style race. Water stops were well manned and served water and powerade (IIRC). Post race food included bagels (cheese, plain and a sweet flavor I skipped) and bananas, plus stuff I didn't eat. Our group of seven had a real nice time and will definitely do it next year. And if we need a late BQ we know where to come. There were quite a few happy qualifiers at the end of the day. | |
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A. S. from Detroit, MI
(1/11/2003)
 "I'm coming back!!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Definitely an interesting idea - 26 x 1 mile. But it worked well last year (even though I cramped up at 22). I've already qualifed for Boston, but am running again in 2003. Great race last year, and now I see we're running on the street, and in the daylight!! Hoping for no wind this year. | |
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A Runner from Fort Wayne, Indiana
(11/10/2002)
"Awesome race to get qualifying time for Boston." (General Comments)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was an awesome race. It seems insane as previously mentioned. But it is a great way to get your qualifying time. This was the only marathon where I was able to run in group. There was 8 of us that ran through mile 21 hitting a 7 minute mile each time. Five of us made it under the qualfying time. The course was poorly lit and there was some problem with the championChip but worth the $40. | |
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A Runner from Cincinnati, Ohio
(2/18/2002)
 "Quite unique" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I agree with the Columbus runner's comments. You might think that 26 one-mile loops would drive you batty, but the course was interesting and pretty, for still being winter. This year, it was 37 degrees with a 20 MP wind that hit you going up the 100 yard long hill. That combination took its toll, so the course wasn't as flat and easy as you might expect in Columbus. The race directors thought of the little things, like posting the quarter and half mile marks. The arboretum let them and the runners down by not lighting the course better. However, it was a change of views after a couple hours, and not bad at all. One bad experience was the snafu with the Championchip losing a couple of my laps. The race director quickly assured me (during the race) that my lap count would be accepted. |
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