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City of Trees Marathon Runner Comments
Back to City of Trees Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 4.1 
Spectators 3.2
Number of comments: 112 [displaying comments 91 to 101]
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T. C. from Twin Falls, Idaho
(11/5/2003)
 "Scenic course, friendly volunteers, great time " (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 City of Trees Marathon is a great event that will only become better in future years. I am a 55 year-old, two-time marathoner with three goals - finish the race, have a good time and improve my time. I accomplished all three at the City of Trees. The course is scenic and flat. The volunteers are friendly and encouraging. Most importantly there were plenty of runners in the 3:45 to 4:15 time slot to help set the pace. I highly recommend this event for novice marathoners. | |
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R. Z. from La Canada, CA
(11/4/2003)
 "Good course, spotty support, terrible ending! " (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran the Boise half marathon this past weekend. It was a very nice course! It gave you a good picture of all of Boise, which is a very cute town! It was cold, but not too cold, 30-40 degrees the whole race and very dry. The aid stations were well manned throughout the whole race, down to the last racer. The support, when it was there, was generally enthusiastic, although the traffic officials weren't always encouraging. The most horrible thing about this race was the last 2 miles. First of all, since the course doubles back on itself a little bit, there was a point at about mile 12 of the half marathon where the ground was mismarked '13 miles' instead of 12. This was very misleading and disappointing to the half marathoners who really have over a mile left. That should be fixed. Second of all, the last 2 miles were very commercial and uninteresting. Makes the finish less dramatic than it should be. Lastly, the finish line is in view for about a half mile before you actually cross it. Seems like an eternity. Nice touch as you crossed the finish line, the announcer said your name, age and where you're from. Really made you feel good. Overall a nice race. The few glitches will hopefully be fixed by next year! I would run it again. (Nice long-sleeved t-shirt too)!! | |
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S. S. from Seneca, Oregon
(11/3/2003)
"Great first marathon race" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon and the City of Trees was perfect. Flat course, small size, cool weather, tons of support for the number of runners involved. Beautiful, clean, neighborhoods that the course traverses. | |
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C. K. from Houston, Texas
(11/3/2003)
 "Terrific Marathon for Slow People" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have completed 32 marathons and this was the best one. I really loved this marathon. The organization and the volunteers were the best. The volunteers were so terrific for the people that were at the back of the pack. They were out on the course, in the cold weather cheering us on with lots of enthusiasm. Terrific marathon. Thanks! | |
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s. r. from north pole
(11/3/2003)
 "The marathon the town forgot" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 Okay, so it sounds like I'm gonna bash this race, but this is merely constructive criticism. Past comments pegged the directors as difficult when actually the race directors are pretty nice, runner-oriented people. They, like us, would like the red carpet treatment but that carries quite a price tag. What you do get for your money is quite a scenic tour of Boise, Idaho and most definitely worth the $58. Unfortunately, the organizers can't train volunteers to speak runner lingo or move mountains. Many of the volunteers were more stoic than a marble statue and didn't even cheer as you ran by - either they were frozen or they just didn't care? This isn't to say every volunteer was quiet. There were a few cheerleaders and loud groups of young kids that were out cheering runners on. One volunteer at a critical junction directed me to the finish at 12 miles and I corrected her darting across 4 lanes of traffic and ironically at the 24 mile mark the same woman told be to do the second loop again rather than finish. Oh well, she was trying to fix the earlier error. Obviously, you need to pay attention or else you'll get misdirected. This can be easily corrected with proper volunteer training and better signs. Painting the street is difficult to read in busy sections of the course. I must admit the spray painted course arrows were difficult to follow at times (I thought I was off course) and many intersections were unmanned - not something you want to think about during your marathon. What they do have is a beautiful course and something you wont worry about Kenyans coming and taking all the prizes. This is truly the peoples' marathon because the top finishers' times were relatively soft compared to typical marathons. I'd recommend this marathon in a couple of years after they get these hiccups dealt with. Mark it on your calendar in 2005. It should be great by then - for now it is a good race. I think the city could promote the race more so that people actually know about the race and fire people up. | |
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R. A. from Loveland, CO USA
(11/3/2003)
"Boise is Beautiful" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 What a beautiful small town and a fine small marathon (300 people). The pasta dinner and staying at the host hotel is a must. High school kids are great but we needed more spectators at times and more music! This was my 7th marathon and will have many warm memories for me. Excellent hospitality and even Joe Henderson as a speaker to boot! The City of Trees earns it's name; it is truly is colorful with the foliage. Do this race, prepare for the cold, but you won't regret it. Small races rock. What a thrill to cross a finish line and have them say your name and hometown! | |
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Stuart Graves from Salt Lake City, Utah
(11/3/2003)
 "Blustery but beautiful Boise run!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 It was a blustery day, but this didn't hamper one of the best 'small' marathons that I have done. The course was flat, the fall colors were awesome, and the volunteers were amazing! It was great to be able to walk out to the start line minutes before the race! The post-race 'treats' were plentiful! I would definitely do this marathon again. | |
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Marathon Runner from Beautiful Boise Idaho
(2/26/2003)
"Flat, Fast, Beautiful, and Awesome!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my 5th marathon and my 78th race. I felt this race was a great for the first time. Even though the course had to be changed at the last minute to a two loop course, it was still a gorgeous race. The last two miles were beautiful and were so motivating, I have never been more proud of my city. The course was well organized, and the water stations were tops! The support was awesome especially with all the groups cheering at the water stations. It was unseasonably cold, which was too bad for the race. I haved live in the Boise area for most of my life, and I have never experienced an early November day like this. They don't have to make that many adjustments to make this a world class event. Great T-shirt, Great medal, loved the chip timing, great post race food. besides the weather the only problem I saw was the unorganized awards ceremony. | |
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A. M. from Bozeman, MT
(2/23/2003)
"Not a bad race" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and I was miserably sick, but I would definitely run it again. The weather was terrible and it never really warmed up, but I loved the volunteers, they were great! Even though I was one of the slowest ones there they still cheered the whole way. I'm not sure I liked the two loops, I was tempted to quit half way then. Boise is a beautiful city though, and I'm sure I'll be back. | |
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Bill Abendroth from Portland, Oregon, Ecotopia
(2/5/2003)
"The 'It's a Wonderful Life' of marathons....." (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Reading all the previous comments will really give you a good idea of what this marathon was like--even the harsh comments. From my perspective, I liked the double loop: We got to see all the best parts twice. The trees all had their fall colors, it was wonderful--from what I saw, Boise really is the city of trees. The Boise residents were all charming, very welcoming to a new marathon that royally screwed up their traffic for an entire day. I really felt like I was running through Bedford Falls... But what was by far the best part of this marathon was the volunteers at the aid stations. Fifty-eight bucks? Heck, I'd pay a hundred. One aid station was personed by 'Runner Girl:' Girl runners holding up signs, shyly handing out drinks--you could feel these girls seeing themselves some day running this marathon, just like you were. I was pacing a friend of mine (we finished the full marathon in 5:00), so it was getting to be the end of the day, and runners were spread out. Even at that time, the high school kids at the aid stations were beyond wonderful. For example, the cheerleaders from Capitol (I think it was Capitol H.S.) did dance routines & formed mini-pyramids--and there were three or four runners at the station...if that much. In most marathons, by that time the aid stations are self service, with volunteers reclining in the shade. While Capitol was exceptional, they were by no means unique. Lots of marathons have high school kids & cheerleaders--but Boise's kids were the best I've seen in twelve marathons. Boise really opened their hearts & their homes to this marathon. No, it wasn't the smoothest running marathon ever--but that added to the charm for me. If you are looking for the NYC marathon, then go there. If you want to see a small marathon with a very big heart, go to Boise..... |
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