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May 21, 2024

Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon) Runner Comments

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Course 3.8

Organization 4.1

Spectators 3.1

Number of comments: 147 [displaying comments 121 to 131]

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N. S. from Nebraska (6/13/2005) "Good - Small Race" (about: 2005) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I enjoyed the race and felt it was well organized. Great race for a group of friends to keep each other company during the lonely stretches. The transportation in the morning was very efficient and allowed for camaraderie amongst strangers. I would agree with others, an hour earlier start would be appreciated.
B. G. from St. Louis, MO (6/8/2005) "Great marathon - it's worth the trip to Kansas!" (about: 2005) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I really enjoyed the marathon. The race was extremely well organized. The course was marked well. Not a lot of shade for a very warm day. The finish line volunteers were wonderful. Everything about this race was good. The course was not too tough.
C. P. from Topeka, KS (6/6/2005) "I thoroughly enjoyed this well-done race." (about: 2005) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my 7th marathon and I thought it was well done. I enjoyed meeting people from all over the United States (plus 2 foreign countries were represented). The water stops were timely, providing what was needed on a hot day. The course was varied and well manned with traffic flow well orchestrated. I love the T-shirt and wore it on race day. I'm sure I will be wearing it all summer. The medal is beautiful with a uniqely Kansas logo. I liked the finish line in downtown Olathe. I hope to return next year with family members and do a relay.
S. H. from Shawnee, KS (5/31/2005) "Overall a good marathon, but watch the hills!" (about: 2005) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was my first marathon, and overall, I enjoyed it very much. However, I rated the course a 3 primarily because it was advertised as 'fast and flat.' It was fast, but certainly NOT flat. If you are thinking of running this race, be sure to do your hill training. Beyond that, the race was well organized and very enjoyable. The big-'ol medal given for completing the marathon was also a terrific keepsake.
K. E. from North Carolina (5/31/2005) "Very well organized marathon" (about: 2005) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I enjoyed this marathon very much. The organization was outstanding. There were many traffic cones along the way, as well as volunteers at all (and police at most) turns along the course, so there was no possibility of taking a wrong turn. The day was warm, but I didn't think it was uncomfortably warm. Seemed just about right to me. Having packet pickup available race morning was very nice. Due to storms in the southeast, my connecting airline flight was delayed by 5 hours, so I barely made the 8:00pm pickup the day before the race. If morning pickup had not been a possibility, I would have been really panicking! The volunteers were all great and the police were wonderful at controlling traffic as well as being encouraging to the runners. The finishers' medals are great and the awards ceremony began on time after the finish. The trophies were awesome. Someone else mentioned the EconoLodge. I stayed there as well. I arranged by phone beforehand to get a late checkout and was told it would be $5.00 per half hour for late checkout, which seemed fair to me. However, when I arrived to check in, they did try to change that on me. I had to be very insistent to get the arrangemment that I had reserved ahead of time. I would highly recommend this marathon. The race director and his crew did a wonderful job.
B. M. from Overland Park, KS (5/30/2005) "A pleasant, late spring marathon." (about: 2005) 1 previous marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Overall, this was a good running experience. The transportation to the starting line was well organized, the aid stations were at good locations and not too far apart and it was nice to have a choice of water or sports drink (or both), the volunteers were very supportive, as were the local police and sheriff's department personnel controlling traffic. The finish line experience was great, in a nice old town square setting. Even though the last couple of tenths of a mile were up hill, the crowd was there to cheer the runners on to the finish line, so it was hardly noticed. Overall, the course was relatively flat, some rolling hills, but nothing that should cause any issues. The finishers medals are very well done, congrats to the designer. My only recommendation for improvement would be to move the start time to 6:00 am, and/or to move the race to late April to avoid the Kansas heat.
E. J. from Kansas (5/29/2005) "Hot - poor hospitality at Econo Lodge" (about: 2005) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon (woo-hoo!), so I don't have a lot to compare it to. I know I started having heat-related problems around mile 21 or so, but there were plenty of aid stations to help. Some stretches of the course were very long with few spectators, which made time go by slowly, but some areas had beautiful green countryside complete with running horses. The Econo Lodge I stayed at had horrible service. I estimated I would be done around 11 am, which was check out time at the hotel. The man would not tell me how much extra it would cost to check out late until I gave him a time, which was strange. He wouldn't waive the charge (I just need to shower after), so I went to the front desk when I saw later that evening the first man had left. When talking to this man about just needing to shower quickly after the run he said, "You can go jump in a lake. There's one about eight miles from here. Or maybe try a truck stop. It probably costs eight dollars to shower there." I stared at him in disbelief at how rude he was being to me and then he said, "Well if you're so concerned about showering, why don't you just run faster?" I was furious. Besides this, there weren't enough towels in the room, no soap, no tissues, etc. So this was the worst part of my Olathe experience. I have filed a complaint with the BBB and Econo Lodge, but for future reference runners, do not stay here!!
R. S. from Missouri (5/28/2005) "I enjoyed this marathon." (about: 2005) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Crowd support was nice -- mostly families cheering on their loved ones. Volunteer support was fantastic. I loved it especially because I qualified for Boston. The first half was cool and flat, the second half was warm and hilly. The finish line was at the top of a big hill -- be forewarned. Like others, I would favor starting earlier in the day or month to avoid the heat.
T. J. from Illinois (5/25/2005) "not my favorite marathon" (about: 2005) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon) COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 The Olathe Marathon was too hot, too hilly, and practically spectator-free except at the beginning and end of the race. There was no shade along the course, which was more hilly than I was led to believe it would be. Almost the entire race was run along rural roads, but even when the last few miles went through residential Olathe, there were virtually no specators until the end. On the other hand, the volunteers along the course were friendly, enthusiastic and encouraging. The variety of sports-drink flavors along the course was interesting. Overall, I would not recommend this marathon to anyone, unless they were used to hills and heat.
D. D. from St. Louis, MO (5/24/2005) "Well-run, rural, and HOT!" (about: 2005) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 The course is rural and very flat. It finishes in a ?small-town America? setting (old part of Olathe). Overall, an enjoyable, at times picturesque, course. Organization seemed excellent, fan support sparse. Biggest problem was HOT temperature (avg. for the date). Race should start at 6:00 a.m. or 2-3 weeks earlier. Overall, a very enjoyable experience.

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