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Apr 27, 2024

Little Rock Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.2

Organization 4.6

Spectators 4.2

Number of comments: 409 [displaying comments 61 to 71]

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Mike Schwartz from Palm Harbor, FL (3/4/2013) "Nice mid-size marathon. What a medal!" (about: 2013) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Little Rock Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 First, I can't say enough good things about the organizers and volunteers in Little Rock. The people of Little Rock deserve some recognition also. Here are a few pros and cons: PROS: - The Big A** medal! Wow! - Nice Expo. Not the best, but above average. - Nice tour of Little Rock. - I loved the 2nd half of the course, as it had less turns, bumps and 10k/half runners than the first half. - Many great hotels near the start/finish. - If you are a walker, the early start gives you 8 full hours. CONS: - The first half had so many turns, I never knew exactly where I was. - Plenty of bumps and otherwise rough pavement, but mostly in the first half. - The 10k, Half and Full Marathon all start togethor. Too many people, even with the corrals starting several minutes apart. Why not run the 10k on Saturday with the 5k? - The 'Host' hotel (Peabody) had decent marathon rates, but charged for everything else, including coffee and other prerace meal items that most Host hotels would provide for free. There was also no in-room coffee or fridges. - The 'Host' hotel would not give late checkout to anybody, which increased our stress, since we had to go to the airport within 2 hours of finishing. - 8am is too late to start a full marathon. 7am would be better. The sun was up by 6:40. I would definitely run this race again, but I would not stay at the Peabody Hotel next time.
l. r. from Texas (3/4/2013) "A Lucky Day" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Little Rock Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have run this race every year since its inception, but just the half the last two years due to injury. My initial perception holds true: this is a great race for any pace. LR is a welcoming race that doesn't take itself too seriously. This year I enjoyed the friendliness of the crowd, the jazz band in NLR, the sole blues man at Villa Marie, the funky recorded music in front of Philander Smith. The churches we run by, whose days we wreck every year, come out and cheer for us. The police were high fiving and cheering for us. Even the homeless guy with a' Jesus loves you' sign was rooting for runners. I was running at the back of the pack this year, and was impressed with the diversity of participants. All ages, colors, shapes, sizes, and levels of experience were to be found. My only concern was that in some places where the course doubles back on itself the fast runners may have been squeezed by the slow runners. As a slow runner, I was not affected, but I felt for those front of the pack guys we were crowding.
S. H. from Seneca, South Carolina (3/4/2013) "Top Notch!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Little Rock Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Can't say enough about how much I loved this race! So great! They offered an early start for those who can't finish within 6 hours. I'm on the cusp of 6, so I opted for the early start. I ran with the 6 hour pace group led by Steve Hughes and Elaine, and they couldn't have been better. They made it so fun that I hardly even think I did a race! Not much in the way of spectators (especially for the 6 am start), but the ones there were incredibly enthusiastic and friendly. The volunteers were the best. One policeman handed out candy to us! Plenty of water stops with a variety of snacks, fruit, and candy - don't usually see that many at races. Expo was very good & when needing questions answered, someone was right there to answer and would even walk with you to get to the right person. Everyone was so helpful and friendly. I had gotten the VIP perks pavilion which I recommend. They were set up and ready to go at 5 am, and it was nice to huddle around the heaters because it was literally freezing for the 6 am start. Parking was easy since I got there so early, so I don't know how it was for the regular start racers. There are a few hills and a couple steep downhills, but nothing I'm not used to living in South Carolina, but could be a concern for people not used to them. I thought the course was very beautiful with it going through some lovely neighborhoods, the sunrise over the bridge and river, going past the capitol building and the governor's mansion. Little Rock is a great city - and that medal! My bag was flagged for extra screening at the airport, but the TSA guy was a runner and had never seen something like that! I stayed in a hotel in North Little Rock, but getting to the race start was no issue at all. I'm doing the 50 states, but would gladly repeat this one.
j. m. from Kansas city (3/4/2013) "A walker's dream!!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Little Rock Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I am still smiling about the marathon I did yesterday!! I am one of the pokey slow runners/ walkers that is usually one of those that finish with no fans, no support, no snacks and no rest stops. Guess what? With a two hour head start ( 6 am), I was able to finish in the MIDDLE of the action! WOW! A great organizational masterpiece- saw a lot of the city, nice volunteers, even people to cheer!! The best marathon yet!!
V. B. from NY, NY (6/7/2012) "Hands down best organization of any race" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I haven't been able to stop talking about this race and the time I spent in Little Rock. I did this race following Jackson Mississippi in January and Birmingham Alabama in February, and while both were well-executed, Little Rock was in a league of its own. Notes for 50-Staters/Maniacs: -Host hotel had a 2 night minimum stay so I stayed at the Capital Hotel over the road which turned out to be a vacation in itself. Go to Tripadvisor.com to see the comments on this hotel - it's basically worth going to Little Rock to stay here -Met at the airport by Rich, the driver for the Capital, who drove just me back in an Escalade -Met at the hotel by the concierge, Lauren, who took me to the room (there is no check-in process which is fabulous) -Wonderful Lauren had collected my bib/chip for me after a panicked exchange of emails and calls, as my flight (due to land at 1pm) didn't land until 6pm when the expo closed - Note to all race directors: please, please extend the expo until 9pm if you don't have race day pick-up; so many places have 2 whole days of expo and finish the second day at 5 or 6pm. Cut it back to 1 day and make it a long one. -Liked the course (compared to Jackson and Birmingham) and I found it to be fast -Liked the out-and-back in the park, which came at a point late in the race where it's comforting to know what to expect next -Incredible port-a-potty situation where I never saw anyone waiting in line during the entire race, except of course right before the start -While I don't usually like being mixed in with the half-marathoners, this was an exception and they helped me run faster. Course never felt clogged up -Signs pointing to split for half and full were very clear -Volunteers numerous and friendly -Aid stations super well-stocked - so many bananas and oranges from early on which was awesome. Have never been better fed and hydrated which may have helped account for a better than usual finishing time -Foil wrap given to you after finishing is held together by a clothespin (who thinks of these wonderful details? Most of the time, you are clutching your foil with one hand trying to keep it on, juggling post-race food and drink in the other hand -Medal - well, it has to be seen to be believed On top of an amazingly well-run race, Little Rock itself is also a dear place with a handful of nice restaurants downtown and the crown jewel is the Clinton Library which is a must. This race deserves the hype and everyone involved in organizing it deserves an enormous thank you for a wonderful event.
James Lehman from Coppell, TX at race date (now Switzerland) (5/20/2012) "Little Rock is a must-do race" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Little Rock Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first 26.2 Little Rock (2012). I registered because I had read that the medal was large. It's not just large. It's Hu-u-u-ge. I could stop at that, but I must comment that the pre-race organization was superb (that regulation booklet they post by mail prior to race was priceless). I can't complain about any aspect of the organization. When I offered to volunteer pre-race there was no response because they were full of volunteers early on, which also conveys their readiness for race day coordination. I can't remember whether post-race amenities were satisfactory because the post-race party positively overshadowed any previous impressions. Unfortunately I couldn't stick around for too long at the post-race party because I had to fly out soon the same evening. Yes, the temperatures were cold prior to the start, but fortunately I had purchased incidentally access to the VIP area, which was so much worth the price that I was wondering why at least more repeat participants didn't do VIP. I highly recommend VIP to somebody concerned about bag drop and pick-up, pre-race stretching, toilet access and nutrition, as well as staying warm (there were heaters in the VIP area). I probably should award more stars to the course and spectators because the course does wind through beautiful neighborhoods and there were residents on their lawns rooting for us in our efforts to run against the cold temperatures. If I'm living anywhere near Arkansas next year I will probably repeat Little Rock even despite other races in attractive locations I've not yet run.
C. P. from Florida (3/25/2012) "Loved my experience with Little Rock Marathon!!" (about: 2012) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Little Rock Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The race directors were AMAZING; we had some issues with our registration [our fault] all questions were answered within 24 hours! Then every aspect of the race was perfect! Start to finish and everything in-between...Now what marathon will live up to LR?
John Yoder from Houston, TX (3/18/2012) "Perfectly sized race in a great city" (about: 2012) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Little Rock Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a great race to pick up your Arkansas state for all the 50 staters. Perfectly sized race. Not too big to be caught up in traffic, nor too small that you get lost. Nice coverage in the newspaper the following day. The organization was fantastic. Everything ran so smoothly all I had to think about was just running. Sure there are hills, but that just adds to the challenge of a marathon. The VIP Perks area is worth the price of admission. Loved the medal. Sure it's over the top, in your face huge and very heavy... but that's the point!
M. P. from Naperville, IL (3/13/2012) "All around...a great event!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Little Rock Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 There are a few hills...that is expected; but, they are mixed in with ample flat stretches, scenic areas, residential and city streets. The river front finish is a plus as well. Spectators were friendly and vocal with a good turnout for a relatively small event. During our brief stay we found the people of LIttle Rock were very friendly. A big thank you to the organizers, volunteers, and residents of Little Rock.
P. W. from Brandon MS (3/11/2012) "Wonderful Race !" (about: 2012) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Little Rock Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Perfectly managed! Other race administrators take note: Little Rock has outdone you all ! I walked in and was given my goodie bag. That's it! You see, if you know my name, my number, and what size shirt I wear, why not put it all in one bag??? Seriously, the simplicity of this approach was mind boggling. Why are there still two or three, or four, lines at other races? Anyway, great race. It starts at 8, which is fine with me. The first half is flat, the second is crazy hilly, but a beautiful run. The MEDAL ? Yep, so crazy over-the-top it defies description. It's literally bigger than an old LP album . Great race.

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