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Charlottesville Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Charlottesville Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 3.6 
Spectators 3.0
Number of comments: 240 [displaying comments 221 to 231]
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Runner Chick from Washington, DC
(4/19/2004)
 "Why to avoid for-profit marathons" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 Given the high registration cost, I was disappointed that you really don't get anything for it. No race expo, you must pick up your packet the night before (thus requiring you to stay overnight, even if you only live in Richmond/DC a few hours away), no anything other than a bib and a T-shirt. The race is not chip-timed. There were ~400 marathoners this year and ~1,000 half-marathoners. I did the half, which is the same course with an earlier turn-around point. A real marathon representing the city would take the course through the scenic UVA campus. I can take a drive into the country to get this scenery just as easily. The water stations are insufficient for a marathon-length (~4 oz. cups of water every 2-3 miles), no bathrooms. Insufficient info about where they'll have gels/other replenishment - I didn't know whether it would be on the half course or just the marathon, and at what mile (there was none on the half course). You have to share the road with traffic much of the way, and although the police did a good job giving runners right-of-way, there were some segments where the runners and cars were clearly confused about who should go on which side and you kind of had to dodge slow-moving traffic. For the last ~4 miles runners don't even get a whole lane, they have a coned-in makeshift lane about 2-3 feet wide, on the road right next to cars moving the same direction. Later finishers may have to dodge pedestrians, as the finishing segment goes through the downtown mall area and people are walking all across the course. I won't do this race again. | |
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E. G. from Marshall Virginia
(4/18/2004)
"Not well thought out or planned" (about: 2004)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Charlottesville Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 I ran this race for the first time and it may be the last if the director doesn't see to the desparately needed changes. The course is difficult but what people needed to know is where the long and steep hills are along the course; they are at the 5, 14, 19, 21, and 23 mile points. There was little to no crowd support and once you leave the town there is no crowd support. Scenery was beautiful and the volunteers are fabulous but with the heat, the water stations were too far apart, and that made for an extremely difficult race. All of those who ran were very friendly and supportive but many became defeated and broken-hearted; not why we run marathons! I am hopeful that things will change for next year. Considering the price we paid and those who had additional travel expenses, there should have been much more offered. The finisher's medal left a lot to be desired... | |
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Christina Tomlinson from Washington, D.C.
(4/18/2004)
 "Beautiful course -- poorly organized for walkers!" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Charlottesville Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 I walked the '04 Charlottesville Half-Marathon. The course is gorgeous, the water breaks came religiously every 2 miles, the fans were great, and I didn't even mind the hills. But the sweep car deserted the walkers on the first mile -- we had to get a police car to radio ahead. And I'm positive the distance wasn't marked correctly -- the distance between mile posts six and seven was much greater than a mile, meaning the half marathon ended up being closer to 14 miles than 13. If they could fix that and get better organized for walkers, I'd do it again next year. | |
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K. H. from Washington, D.C.
(4/17/2004)
"Beautiful and Challenging Course" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Charlottesville Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I ran the half-marathon in 2004. The weather was great and the course is the most beautiful course I have ever seen. Quite challenging. The ascents are difficult if you are not prepared for them, but the amount of descents make up for it. Course takes you past the University of Virginia and along beautiful country roads with a scenic view of the mountains. Course ended in the historic downtown area. Charming city and a fun race. Great medal for all finishers. Only problem was not enough bathrooms at the starting line. Not a lot of spectators because so much of the course is along country roads. I heard there were a few glitches in last year's event, but I think the organizers took care of most of them this year. | |
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M. S. from VA
(2/29/2004)
 "Not a Boston Qualifier" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 Anyone running the race in 2004, note that this is not a USATF certified course. On the race website, it is claimed to be a USATF sanctioned event. Do not confuse this with a certified course. If you are looking to qualify for Boston, this is not the race for you. You need to run a USATF certified course otherwise you will be disappointed. | |
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C. T. from Washington, DC
(11/20/2003)
"No bathrooms, no bag check, no food" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I was very excited about this race (I ran the half), but cooled down quickly once I had to stand around for over an hour waiting for the start. The organizers provided no cover to stand out of the rain, and runners had to stand shivering until the winery decided to open its doors to let us in. Cars were parked one mile away, up a very steep muddy hill, and there was no bag check. There were no bathrooms along the route at all, and everyone was just expected to climb into the woods (over barbed wire in some instances) to go. Then, at the end, they were selling food from one of the race sponsors -- what exactly were they sponsoring if they didn't provide food? There was really no area for spectators, but that was due in part to the rural nature of the race. The scenery was outstanding and the medals were beautiful, but the course was described as 'sloping hills' -- more like straight up and down, over gravel for a good portion of it. AND there were cars all over the course, on very winding roads with no shoulders. I saw one woman almost struck by a pick-up truck, until she jumped off the side of the road to avoid the collision. The organizers were way out of their league, first time or not -- this was one of the most poorly organized events I have ever attended, out of 17 priors. | |
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J. S. from Centreville, VA
(11/6/2003)
"The hills just never ended" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 It was a long frustrating day. 'Rolling hills' seemed to get bigger and bigger as the day went on. Never got into a steady stride or pace. Never got comfortable. Hardest of my 9 marathons, 20 minutes slower than my 2 marathons before and one since. Would love to see an elevation profile! Organization had some snafus, but not unexpected for an inaugural. Crowds were sparse, as in 1-2 people every few miles (not counting start/finish and water stops), but friendly. If you're into trail runs, you'll love it. If you're after a PR, you'll have a long day. | |
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R. F. from Glen Allen, Va
(7/26/2003)
"A very scenic and very difficult course" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I enjoyed the beautiful scenery of this course, but have never run a course this difficult. The ascents are constant and the descents often too steep to provide any relief. There were bad problems with parking that need to be corrected in year 2. Also, not such a great job of separating traffic from runners, especially at the finish line. | |
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S. H. from Bowie, Maryland
(7/9/2003)
"Challenging Race/Great Experience" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was my seventh marathon and my most memorable. It's a challenging course - but I love a challenge! The parking area was pretty muddy because of the rain the day before - not the end of the world. The race started about 1 hour late because of parking issues, but the RD kept us up to date with frequent announcements. The course is absolutely beautiful!!! The rolling hills, the miles and miles of vineyards and horse farms, the dirt roads and trails, and the Blue Ridge Mountains made it worth the effort. The weather wasn't bad, but with a sunny race-day I am sure the views of the Blue Ridge Mountains would be beautiful. There weren't many spectators, but the ones that came out were VERY supportive, and the volunteers were great. The ceramic medals were quite unique. All in all, it was a great experience for an inaugural marathon. | |
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S. b. from SW VA
(5/20/2003)
"How LOW are your expectations?" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I've run three other marathons (and Big Sur is much more beautiful and the Marine Corps more fun) and lots of other races, and the runners who praise the organizers overlook MANY of the race's shortcomings: 1. Unlike other marathons that offer lots of post-race food--these cheapos make you PAY FOR YOUR FOOD! Remember, this is a 'For-Profit' race, so I guess they want to profit from the hungry runners. 2. Unlike other races that present at least 6 awards per decade (for example, 1st, 2nd, & 3rd for 30-34 & 35-39), these cheapos award only one first place per decade. Remember, this is a 'For-Profit' race, so they don't want to waste their profits on rewarding the runners! 3. After ignoring the recommendations of other race directors to help with logistics, this race started 75 minutes LATE because of poor planning 4. Spectators were discouraged and restricted because the organizers hadn't allowed for enough parking. 5. The course is poorly marked--not a lot of mile markers or splits Yeah, it's a fun & challenging course, but why give your money and sweat to such an inept organization? |
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