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☰
Eisenhower Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Eisenhower Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 4.6 
Spectators 3.5
Number of comments: 119 [displaying comments 31 to 41]
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Kevin Vogel from Whitewater, Kansas
(4/13/2010)
 "Great town support" (about: 2010)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and I was very impressed with how the town supports this event. Thanks for all of the people who helped and the Catholic church that fed the runners the night before and after the race. I will be back. | |
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G. J. from Oklahoma
(4/13/2010)
"Great race with outstanding runner support!" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Eisenhower Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is the best supported marathon I have done to date. The town really gets behind the runners. Having the course clear of traffic was a huge plus. Pancake breakfast was great. | |
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DAVE GRAVES from Volga, SD
(4/12/2010)
 "Great small-town marathon" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Eisenhower Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 It's an out-and-back that is mostly run on a state highway. But it's a good road that is closed to traffic. There is about a 2 1/2-mile loop through a park. The strong suit for this marathon is the organization. "Small" doesn't mean the organizers overlook any details. It also translates in great "customer service." From the spaghetti dinner to the post-race pancakes, there is a sense of family and community. The race doesn't provide many opportunities for spectator viewing, but the effort to keep traffic away from runners is appreciated. An added bonus is that the race headquarters are at the Eisenhower Memorial building, so there is a lot of history that one can take in if you come early or stay after the race. | |
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E. T. from Farmers Branch TX
(4/12/2010)
 "Wonderful, small, "country" race!" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Eisenhower Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The town was friendly, the course was fast, and the weather was gorgeous! I got severe stomach cramps and couldn't finish the way I started out, but the spectators still were so encouraging. | |
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Joe Vasil from Cleveland, OH
(4/11/2010)
"A small-town race with a huge heart" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Eisenhower Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 28th marathon, and one of my favorites. I have never been to a town that embraces the runners more than Abilene, KS. The course is rural, so what naturally comes with that is sparse crowd support, but those that come out are very passionate and make you feel welcome. There were water stops at every mile, with some carrying fresh fruit. The pasta dinner the night before and the pancake breakfast the day of the race were excellent. Any of you 50 staters that need Kansas should be sure to put the Eisenhower Marathon on your list. | |
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R. G. from Out of State
(4/15/2009)
 "Great experience overall, with a few problems" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Eisenhower Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I had a fantastic time at this race, and would still definitely run it again in the future despite this year's pre-race snafu (which I hear has never happened before at this race, and that they'll likely learn from and improve next year) of letting people still register on the race day up until the time when the race was scheduled to start. While it was rather inconvenient to have to wait after warming up and assuming we'd be off to a 7 a.m. start, I can't say that I blame them, either, for wanting to register as many people as they could, given our current economy. The weather was picture perfect (cool but not cold, no wind, partly cloudy) and the Olathe Marathon was recently canceled, so I think that may have had something to do with the high number of same-day entrants. I think it would be wise of them to either cut registration off very early the morning of the race, or require that all registration be completed the night before so that the race starts on time. For what it's worth, the race director did acknowledge and apologize with sincerity for the delay just before the start, and thanked us for our patience. They knew things could have gone more smoothly, but I am sure that they'll make changes and improvements at next year's race. This course was not quite as flat and fast as USATF would have you believe, though it's definitely not monstrously hilly, either. You roll gently uphill on the way out along paved country roads, with an approximately two-mile tree-lined and curvy loop through a park. What goes up must come down, so the gently rolling route moves slightly downhill on the way back, giving runner good potential to evenly or negative split the course if they pace it right. Though you're better off going to a mega-marathon if you want wall to wall crowds, the aid station volunteers on this otherwise quiet course were enthusiastic and very supportive of runners. I read reviews that described this course as "boring," but if you enjoy running in relative quiet, being able to hear chirping birds or being able to chat easily with fellow runners on the course without dodging people right and left, this might be the race for you. They really put the personal touch on this event, from the pasta dinner to pancake breakfast and generally welcoming atmosphere of the Abilene community. One more tiny request would be to provide a tech shirt instead of cotton tee shirt (or provide a "no shirt" option for those who don't want or need another tee shirt). That way, I could wear it on runs where other runners might see and ask about this great little marathon. Though I will be running Boston next April, I would definitely love to run the Eisenhower again at a later date. | |
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h. y. from Fort Scott KS
(4/15/2009)
"Felt right at home" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Eisenhower Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I had a blast with this marathon! The welcome signs on the lawns and banners on the stores made me feel right at home. The course was very much like what I trained on - long, rolling, country roads - and they closed the highway for us. The park we ran through was cool. Great organization, with lots of help at the water stops. Thank you very much. | |
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John Yoder from Houston, Texas
(4/14/2009)
"Great small-town race!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Eisenhower Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 If you're looking for a great, small, well organized race, then this is it. While Kansas is hardly flat, I would also not consider this to be rolling hills. They are more like long, slow inclines and declines, but nothing bad and a good course to set a PR, or a good choice for a first marathon. Organization was top-notch and attention to detail was much appreciated. You can tell that the organization tries hard. It shows. One great thing about a small race is that parking is ample and close. If you crave lots and lots of wildly cheering spectators, then you might want to look elsewhere; however, the spectators that are there offer plenty of support. Minor glitch with a 25-minute late start; however, since the weather was perfect this year, it was no big deal, as we finished easily in cool weather. While some may find running in the middle of the prairie boring, I found it really pretty compared to some of the big-city marathons that always seem to run through the slums for at least a couple of miles. Having the road TOTALLY closed to traffic is fantastic! And having the race broadcast on the internet so that you're family at home can follow along is a major perk for such a small race. | |
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Ben Mueller from Sheboygan, WI
(4/14/2009)
 "Nice, comfortable, well organized race" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Eisenhower Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was a great effort by the community in supporting the race. The course is mostly run on country roads with rolling hills, but it does pass through a park. There was a great pasta dinner and post-race meal afterward. Volunteers and community members were very friendly. | |
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J. G. from Omaha
(4/13/2009)
"Great course, great details" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Eisenhower Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first Eisenhower, but definitely not my last! The details of this were excellent. The packet had a course map, spectator map, and a very detailed explanation of the event (including where GU would be, and that a bridge may be slippery, etc.). Because of the details of the packet, I felt so comfortable with what I was getting into the next morning. There was plenty of food and drink prior, indoor bathrooms, and we hung out in the dining area to keep warm while waiting for the race to begin. The food after included pancakes and sausage, as well as bananas, oranges, and cereal. The course was great. All paved, through a park and then onto a closed highway. There were aid stations every mile with water, PowerAde, AND SNACKS!! A couple of stations had GU and a few had bottled water as well. The snacks were bite-sized granola bars, bananas, oranges, and yogurt-coated granola. The medals were nice. The awards were given out throughout the morning, so people didn't have to wait around. The areas to improve: packet pick-up was slow - must be more efficient in the future. The start was delayed due to late registrants. Please don't allow same-day registration in the future. The weather was perfect, the staffing was great, and the whole event was wonderful! |
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