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Apr 28, 2024

Akron Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.5

Organization 4.8

Spectators 4.5

Number of comments: 309 [displaying comments 21 to 31]

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L. N. from NJ (9/29/2013) "The Hills Are Your Friends" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Akron Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is a very tough course. It has rolling hills throughout, and they're not kidding about Sandrun. Yet, it is more than a worthy challenge, it is extremely well organized, with plenty of fluid aid stations, and friendly volunteers and supporters. It is easy to get to, the start was prompt and smooth, the Expo made it quick and easy to get the bib number. I did better on this hilly course, than I have flatter, less challenging marathons. You know you want that cool Brooks Running Jacket, so just sign up already. :)
R. W. from Canton, Ohio (5/24/2013) "Funnest marathon I've ever run" (about: 2012) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Akron Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It was great! I highly recommend it. I PRed by about 44 minutes. It was my second marathon. The Good - The course is as varied as you can get including Akron landmarks like Stan Hywet hall and the Firestone campus, very urban areas, the University of Akron campus, four miles of the scenic Towpath Trail (on crushed limestone), Sand Run Park and residential neighborhoods. You have to go through downtown and cross on the All-America bridge three times, making it easier for family and friends to see you several times from a central location. There's an extreme downhill on Howard, a very extreme uphill on Sand Run Road that slowed my pace by more than 30 seconds a mile, a short, steep uphill (looks worse than it is) on Garman Road, a gradual uphill on Portage Path, downhill on Market Avenue and then a short uphill in the middle of Mile 26 to get onto Main Street. The course used to be hillier, but the organizers for the 2012 race eliminated the hilly Revere Road from the course. The Akron Marathon is the only event I know that marks the course with a blue line before the race (except for the Towpath Trail and Sand Run park portions probably because of park rules). - The jacket - I got an awesome Brooks running jacket that I used the entire winter. - Pre-race festivities - awesome fireworks and the Goodyear blimp. - Pacer - The 4:10 pacer was this hilarious Australian guy (I think his name was Steve Smith) who told a bunch of 'they're so bad, it's funny' blonde jokes. He gave valuable advice about cutting corners (tangents) and hydration. Without his help, I would have gone out too fast and not gotten as good of a time. - Probably the biggest finish area - You get to finish in Canal Park Stadium, home of the Akron Aeros, minor league baseball team. Your family can more easily watch you from the stands, and there's this huge grassy area for you to relax on while someone plays music. - Free beer - it was ok. I don't remember what the food was, but I remember it being more than adequate. I think it was chips and maybe a Subway sandwich? - Finisher's Medal was a 10th anniversary commemorative. - You get a free subscription to Running Times magazine. - I didn't use it but you can shower at the YMCA. - Crowd support is great downtown. There's not much of it in Sand Run Park. People play music throughout the course. - Weather was perfect. Started in the 40s and ended in the 50s. Even with the hills in the second half, you can PR on this course. They even give you one of those emergency blankets to wrap yourselves in at the finish. The Bad - Pre-race congestion I was stuck in traffic (while needing to use the restroom badly) for about half an hour. I was able to snag one of the last few spots in a parking garage near the starting line. Get there early! I didn't get to the starting line until 6:50 a.m., 10 minutes before the 7 a.m. start. - Wish there had been more Port-o-potties at the starting line. - Early race congestion: It got very crowded on the All-America bridge on Mile 1. I was lucky I wasn't trampled. - Photography - Very pricey. I wasn't thrilled with the photos. MarathonFoto is a better value. Note: The race is on the last Saturday morning of September and the expo runs until 10 p.m. on Friday night. This didn't present any problems for me because I live a half hour away. But this might be a problem for those from out of town. There's also a half marathon and Team Relay with the event. Because of the Team Relay, it's not quite so desolate the second half as is normal with marathon/half marathon events. There's also a pre-race pasta dinner buffet, which was OK, but it's professionally catered with silverware.
T. M. from Tuscaloosa, AL (5/16/2013) "Great Swag, Tough Course, Awesom Ending" (about: 2010) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Akron Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is a great race that offers quite a challenge, especially the second half. The expo the day before was very well organized. I had my packet about 5 minutes after entering the building. Great vendors on hand. The jacket the full marathon runners was awesome, best thing I've gotten from any race. The first half of the course was great, especially if you went to school at the University of Akron. Running through Sand Run was tough, and there were a lot of hills after that. The best part was turning down Main St. and then running in through Canal Park. It was really cool to see that many people there cheering. It was a very well organized race and I'd love to do it again.
A. G. from North Canton (2/7/2013) "Akron" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Akron Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Do you like a marathon course with continuous ups and downs that make it extremely difficult to get that coveted BQ? You do?! Well, then Akron is the marathon you want to enter. Many hills throughout this one. A couple of nasty, steep inclines between miles 19 and 22 make this a course that yields slow finishing times. There is an abundance of food at the end to appeal to those who want their marathon race to serve them dinner. Beer also.
K. B. from Ohio (10/9/2012) "Awesome Job" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Akron Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was well organized from beginning to end. Free parking downtown, expo was first class, hydration and GU stations were plentiful, the towpath was scenic and post race was well staged. Would have enjoyed more bands along the course but overall I would highly recommend this marathon.
T. M. from Michigan (10/8/2012) "Good run, good times!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Akron Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon was great! As my 17th marathon and after doing many of the 'big' ones I was absolutely blown away by Akron. Organization was great, nice sized expo, and very nice Brooks jacket (nice alternative from the 100s of race T's). Fans and crowd support were great and I thought the motivational signs along the course were a nice touch and kept my attention throughout the race. (until the end when EVERYTHING seemed annoying, lol, but that is expected in the final miles of a marathon.) The firework show at the start was amazing as well- what a nice touch. The course was interesting, I liked the variety but I definetly wouldn't describe it as a 'flat' course. I went in thinking it would be perfectly flat (which is my own fault for not looking at the elevation profile before hand) so it was a bit discouraging to feel constantly like you were running on an incline or decline. Still eeked out a 2.5 minute PR so can't complain too much. :) Just want to warn those who love perfectly flat courses like me that this isn't one of them. Totally worth a few hills though for one of the most well-run and fun race experiences out there! Cheers to the race director and volunteers who make it happen!
A. D. from Chicago, IL (10/4/2012) "Superior organization!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Akron Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 As others mentioned, good race for the price. Jackets were a nice touch, however, there was an issue with some female jackets, so mine just says Brooks - marathon is not even mentioned. I run enough races not to care too much, but it would be really disappointing if this was my one and only... I guess there is also a hat. I think I would have one other negative - finish line area - have some liquids sooner. I had to ask several people where I can get some water. Food bag - not impressive, but I like the two beers idea. So... minor complains aside - absolutely perfectly organized race. Great stops, well marked water v. powerade cups; plenty of GU on the course - first time ever I've seen volunteers open them for you. Nice touch! Clear mile marks with clock. Hilly, but that was advertised. Varying surface, which is awesome. Nice medal. Lots of parking spots - FREE! All in all, I'm glad Akron was my Ohio pick on the quest for 50 states. Great job!
R. Bishop from Southeastern PA (10/2/2012) "Loved it! A class-act marathon all around!" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Akron Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I've run marathons from the mega-marathons like Disney to the smaller ones like Hatfield-McCoy; this race was about mid-size for a city race and had a decent number of runners from full, half to relay, around 13,000 runners total. I really had worries about logistics, but from start to finish this was a class-act race that was amazingly well-organized. Swag? You get a VERY high quality running jacket as well as a medal and finisher's hat. Parking problems? Not even an issue, even with lots of road closures. Porta-jons? Plenty for all at the start. Water and Powerade stops? Check, and more than enough where I had to pass a few. Gu stations? FOUR. That's far more than most races offer. Crowds? Check. They were enthusiastic, and because your name was on the bib you would hear your name called out over and over by strangers cheering you on to run strong. The course itself was really never dull; the start alone had fireworks with the Goodyear blimp hovering overhead, and you ran past the Firestone plant, through the lovely Akron University campus, a crushed gravel towpath on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, the refreshing Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens (one of my favorite parts) and a triumphant finish in Canal Stadium. The residential neighborhoods also had plenty of enthusiastic spectators, especially children wanting a high-five. The course was modified so it was not as hilly as past races, but it is still a little hiller than most courses I have run. Some of these hills sort of sneak up on you as you run them, you realize you're a little winded and see 'Oh, I'm on an incline!' Also, there is a wicked downhill in the final miles that I found were a little brutal on the knees, so be careful going down! You do have to sometimes apply the brakes a little when running this course. The only drawback was the finish, it's very crowded and can be confusing to navigate. It took me a very long time to find the family reunion area, and I had to find an information desk to inquire where to go. The last thing you want to do is shuffle around for 20 more minutes when all you want to do is relax! But that one snag is nothing compared to a highly recommended race. I loved the Akron marathon! It was challenging, had great crowds and support and highly recommend it to anyone looking for an Ohio race.
Julie and Z from Cary, North Carolina (10/2/2012) "One of the marathons you have to run" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Akron Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is one of those marathons that you have to run. Jim (race director) does an amazing job. From great volunteers to small things like, volunteer's tags on their necks indicating whether they are holding water or powerade to real fireworks at the start. Even the weather seems to be perfect every year. The course is well balanced with moderate hills and a few miles of trail/sand path. Volunteer and crowd support is awesome.
D. R. from Cincinnati, OH (10/1/2012) "Another great year for Akron Marathon!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Akron Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I love this marathon. I ran the full in 2009, 2010 and 2012. Extremely well organized wonderful support great medal really nice marathon jacket and hat The fireworks at this year's start was awesome....very exciting Weather this year was perfect All and all, my favorite Ohio marathon and one of my favorite marathons, overall!

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