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May 3, 2024

Whidbey Island Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Whidbey Island Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.1

Organization 4.1

Spectators 3.5

Number of comments: 90 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 > ]

P. U. from Shoreline, Wa (4/12/2011) "Wind" (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Very high winds this year, with a temperature of about 50F (much lower with wind chill). Thankfully, there was no rain. All in all, a nice event. Pros: Scenic country roads for the most part; nice tech shirt; the island is a nice place to visit; the race is well-supported by the Gold Wing Club and spectators throughout route; and the aid stations excellent. Cons: The out-and-back sections of the course, especially the last one at miles ~19-22, are unpleasant; it's no fun to run by the finish line at the start of a ~7 mile-out-n-back; it would be better not to have to weave amongst the half-marathon walkers in this area, too; and they gave a dime-store medal this year.
M. C. from Keyport, WA (4/15/2010) "A Beautiful Day" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Whidbey Island Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I really like the scenery, but the hills are tough. I would suggest doing this event on a year when you cross the Deception Pass Bridge. We didn't this year and it just isn't quite the same. They mention on the website that this is a Boston Qualifier course. When I looked it up on the USATF cite for certified marathon courses in Washington, the only course I could find was the Deception Pass Bridge course. That would explain why my GPS showed that the course was 0.2-miles long. Still, I qualified for Boston. I hope the BAA accepts my time.
J. R. from Seattle, WA (4/12/2010) "Great choice for my first marathon!" (about: 2010) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I absolutely loved this race - it was a wonderful first marathon! Waste Management did a great job as sponsor. Volunteers were well organized and encouraging. Water, Gatorade and GU were plentiful. The course was generally very good, but the multiple out-and-back sections were a bit frustrating. Also, there were a few idiot drivers on the last six miles of the course with way too little regard for runners. All in all, though, a great race! I loved the small marathon atmosphere, and the tech shirt is gorgeous!
Ghost Dog from PDX (1/30/2010) "Whew... toughy" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 Definitely hillier than advertised. Trying, long hill up to mile 11 or 12. Very tough mental section on the military base. Second half out-and-back to the south was torture. Great finish area in the park and a Dairy Queen nearby for recovery. Great transportation the start by bus. Beautiful island with a worker's marathon.
J. M. from MD (4/3/2009) "It was great... until learning they reset clock!" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Great, challenging course. Good support from volunteers. Learning that your time is nearly a minute off was crazy! I can so appreciate how N.S. feels. I usually don't write in, but, what a disappointment for those who trained hard and ran this particular 26.2 hard - no chip time from the chip that ran with you on 26.2 miles to correct or confirm a messed up clock time! So, to all 354 who started, congrats! To all 282 who finished, yahoo! To all who ran, finished and qualified for Boston, YOU ROCK and YOU DESERVE IT! Best of all, you are so prepared and ready to take on and conquer Boston! Heartbreak Hill will be a piece of cake compared to this course! Lace up, everyone; there is always another marathon somewhere to run next! Good luck and enjoy each one of them!
C. W. from Lynden, Washington (4/3/2009) "Better course than 2008, but loss of sponsors" (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 3 Whidbey Island Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 My comments refer to the half-marathon; this is my third year running the Whidbey Island Half. Congratulations to the race organizers for listening to the feedback after the disappointing 2008 course changes. This year's course was a world of difference, allowing runners to once again take in the beauty of the island and waterfront for much of the race. I still prefer a point-to-point course rather than looping back and running ground already covered, but ultimately, the course was very nice and ending at the park in Oak Harbor makes good sense. While there are definitely hills, they're manageable. Prior to the race I needed to contact the organizer several times, and I appreciate that he replied to each of my emails promptly. The course is well-marked and there are frequent aid stations. The volunteers on the course do a fine job. The shuttle back to the starting line was prompt and efficient. Getting into the expo this year was a hassle, but that's due to construction so it should improve again in the future. The two biggest sponsors (I'm affiliated with one of them) backed off of the race this year, and lack of sponsorship made a huge difference as far as all the extras are concerned. Smaller expo, no pasta dinner, much cheaper t-shirt (and ugly, at that!), throwaway medal compared to the very cool 2008 medal made of recycled glass, plastic bag rather than tote ~ basically, no frills compared to year's past. Understandable given the economy, but a bit of a downer nonetheless. Most notable was the bare-bones feel at the finish line. I ran a very, very small, local half-marathon earlier in the month and there was a greater variety of food and drink at the finish than after Whidbey this year. More importantly, I was disappointed to see plastic water bottles being handed out. Any race that claims to go green should make every effort to avoid plastic bottles. Sure, recycling bins were available, but reducing, not recycling, is the way to go. As someone else noted, this is not a race where crowds line the course, which is fine with me as I prefer smaller races. The handful of spectators are encouraging, though. All in all, a well-organized race with a lovely course; let's hope they can line up more sponsors again next year.
B. N. from Renton WA (4/1/2009) "Engle's Island Marathon...." (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 The expo was kind of hard to find once we parked in the high school parking lot. The signs leading you back to the gym were tiny and looked just like the ones already on the construction fences. Not much of an expo, but I really don't care for it anyway. The shuttle was also at the back lot and the signs were tiny. It's chip timed, but there's no mat at the start, so you better get up front if you want an EXACT time. Course was not as hilly as people told me it would be. Then again, I had a great race after training hard. I PR'ed by 7 minutes in my 4th marathon. I've run Seattle twice, and Tacoma. Maybe that is why this didn't seam hilly. I had to deal with walkers in the way that forced me into a road that was not closed to traffic. It has a small-race feel, with only 282 marathoners. I'm no speedster, but still finished 27th, with a 3:29:25. Food was ok, but I never rely on their food anyway. Deception Pass was a great start to the race.
M. C. from Clinton, WA (3/31/2009) "What Happened?" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Whidbey Island Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 This year was a sad step backward for a typically good event. 1. Why do we have two out-and-backs? For one of the longest islands in the US, I think we could do a point-to-point. 2. If this is a "green" marathon, why the plastic bags at the fair, handing out plastic bags at the start, busing to the start, busing from the finish, etc.? 3. Why isn't the course marked at Windjammer Park? I collided with a spectator who wasn't paying attention where he was walking. 4. Why run on the grass through Windjammer? It gets your feet wet and trashes the grass. 5. Why run across a metal grate bridge on the Navy Base? Very painful. Put down some plywood. Bottom line: I hope Nature Path can come back and sponsor this in 2010. By the way, I ran my goal time and I am planning on running it in 2010.
B. L. from Seattle (3/31/2009) "Fun" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Whidbey Island Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This course is beautiful. I am from the Northwest and the views were still amazing. It is hilly. I thought I was prepared for it, but I had not done enough work. If you plan to do this race, train on hills. The crowds were thin but very supportive. Traffic was not an issue along the course; everyone was very courteous and the police had a good presence for an open course. I loved running across the bridge, but I wish there were a way to get dropped off at the start instead of riding the bus. I had to leave the house at 5:15 for a 7:30 start. I know this was required by the permit, so I can't complain too much. This was my first marathon and overall it was a great experience. If you plan to run it, I recommend renting a house somewhere on the island.
M. P. from Oak Harbor, WA. (3/30/2009) "Challenging, scenic, and well organized." (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Whidbey Island Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Course: This year's course was the best so far. Including Deception Pass Bridge near the start and locating the finish line at Windjammer Park were both excellent decisions! Support: Transportation to the start was easy. Porta-potties at the starting area were sufficient. Having GU, water, drop bags, and garbage bags to wear was very thoughtful. Thanks! Weather: You never know what you'll get on race day, but this year's weather was awesome!!!

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