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Apr 27, 2024

Mississauga Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.0

Organization 3.9

Spectators 3.3

Number of comments: 80 [displaying comments 21 to 31]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 > ]

W. M. from Caledon, Ontario, Canada (5/18/2010) "Great for the first 17K, then just okay till 21." (about: 2010) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Mississauga Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I actually did the half marathon, and I normally do triathlons, so I don't really have much to compare it to. The course was beautiful and mostly downhill, as stated, except for a little hill at 10K, which was fine. My only complaint about the course was that it wasn't very challenging, but I guess that can be good or bad, depending on your personal preference. The neighborhoods were lovely, and the day was beautiful. I would have liked to have seen more spectators, but what can you do? The waterfront section was spectacular and really picked up my mood and pace. I brought my own drinks with me but was running very low around 17K. I had decided to get a drink there but found only two or three people struggling to keep up with the demand for both water and Gatorade, and they had none out at all. Some of the earlier stops had had about 30 people, so that was not so good. I didn't stop, thinking I could get a drink at the finish line. Well that's where the problems really began. The bottleneck at the finish line was fierce. We were crowded together like sardines, on an increasingly warm day, all of us having just completed a long run, and there was no water in sight! Very poor planning there. If we had to wait in that hot throng to get through, then someone should have organized water in that area. Better yet, they should have had it open further to allow people to get out. I'm sure some people must have had a pretty hard time there, physically. It wasn't pleasant. Those conditions could definitely send a dehydrated person over the edge, possibly even into heart failure. Not good. So, having finally gotten through, got some water, found the food and lined up for ages to get it, all was fine until I tried to find my way back to the start line for my car. No one seemed to know where the buses were, and when I finally saw a sign way off beyond the general area and followed it to the bus station, I found a very, very long lineup in the hot sun. Again, no thought to possible dehydration. I don't know exactly how long I waited but it was about an hour. And I was one of the luckier ones. As I got closer to the buses the line seemed to increase exponentially behind me. Apparently the number of buses was cut down this year even though the number of participants went up. Two poor people on my bus had to get the driver to stop and let them out to throw up, and I'm sure the long, long wait in the hot sun did not help them any. So all in all, it was a great day, and I got a good PB (although I take it with a little grain of salt, considering the easy course), but I would have to advise the planning committee to seriously rethink the finish area.
Michael Wolff from Michigan, U.S.A. (10/22/2009) "A fast track in an up-and-coming city." (about: 2009) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Mississauga Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The race itself was fantastic, consisting of a fairly fast course through the urban and city environs of Mississauga and finishing along the waterfront. For those that are used to running in miles, the kilometer postings come a little quicker, thus giving a little mental relief when the wall hits (even if it's just an illusion). The big screen at the start is a great touch, allowing all of the runners to see the start line activities. The expo was fine, and no extra large race merchandise was available, but all in all, I had a great experience. If you are looking for a fast spring race, don't overlook this classy event.
J. P. from Fort Lauderdale, FL (5/13/2009) "Great Race!" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mississauga Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is a great marathon. It is just the right size and the course is mostly scenic. The water stops are plentiful and well-attended by very enthusiastic volunteers. The only problem was with the expo. I don't know if it was the organizers or the runners who didn't quite get it. The line to get t-shirts was out the door when all that needed to happen was for people to get their bibs/chips and move to the t-shirt table. The problem was exacerbated by this packet pick up/t-shirt area being located in a very long, narrow corridor. There was also a rumor circulating that if you did not scan your chip, it would not work. We all know that scanning the chip is simply to make sure that the chip you were given is the chip you have been assigned. That's it for complaints. If you want to run a fun and fairly easy course, this is the race for you.
Sanjay Mohanta from Ottawa, Canada (5/12/2009) "Nice, Fun Race!" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mississauga Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 My 18th marathon! I high-fived everyone I saw, and the few fans were great. Good volunteers, and lots of porta-potties and aid stations. The final finish area was a bit narrow, but it was still a good experience. Free parking was also nice. Maybe they can start the race at 7:00 next time. The box of chocolates in the race kit was nice as well.
D. S. from Michigan, USA (5/11/2009) "Great race with a few growing pains." (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Mississauga Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Most of the course was scenic, except for the 5K next to the oil refinery. Most of the organization was very good, except that they ran out of Gatorade at the first two aid stations, and had no clear info on the pasta dinner at the expo (not even 60 minutes before it started at the site of the dinner), so we missed Bill Rodgers speaking and ate elsewhere. Although I was pre-registered, the line for those who were not was very long at the expo, and there seemed to be only one person who could answer questions or register people, creating quite a bottleneck. After the race, the shuttle buses going back to the starting line or finish line parking lots were not marked, so in our post-marathon mental fog, we ended up on the wrong bus. The host hotel was very accommodating of late checkout. The race staff, sponsors, spectators, and community were all very supportive and enthusiastic. Overall, a very good race that I highly recommend.
S. R. from Mississasuga, ON (10/1/2008) "Great Race" (about: 2008) 2 previous marathons \| 2 Mississauga Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run this race ever since it started. I have done the marathon twice. I love the course; it's very scenic and there's only one hill in the early part of the race. The water stations are plentiful. Great race - I highly recommend this.
D. V. from Toronto, ON (6/2/2008) "Nice, Small Marathon" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mississauga Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was a nice, small marathon. Good course, good water stations, and the fans, when they were out, were very supportive. The only compliant I had was that some of the kilometer markers were wrong.
V. L. from Ontario (5/26/2008) "Very Good" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Mississauga Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first time running Mississauga (my 2nd marathon), and I picked it because I wanted to run a spring race. There were many many positives: - the course was as advertised (fast, with a few rolling hills; I found the incline at the 10KM more challenging than the one at the 31-32KM mark) - water stations were well stocked and consistent (Gatorade first, water second) - the start was very organized and not too crowded - not a ton of spectators, but the ones that we out were great - the after-race snacks were good (bagels, water, Gatorade, granola bars, crackers, fruit) - the hotel was only a 5-minute walk to the start line - shuttle/bus service was decent - the expo was a little cramped but I really liked the race t-shirt; I usually wear a small or extra small, but the medium fit just fine Two negatives: - the path to the finish narrows considerably and while this didn't affect me personally, I can see how racers looking to sprint to the line could be prevented from doing this if there's a crowd heading towards the finish; maybe widen it just a bit? - better spectator control, especially near the beginning of the race; for some reason, the officials/police let spectators dart in between runners and cross the road... runners are going a lot faster than they look, and around the 3KM mark, I nearly slammed into a guy who was trying to cross the street Overall, this was a great race and I'd run it again.
M. W. from Owen Sound, Ont (5/12/2008) "Overall a great experience" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Mississauga Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my 1st marathon. The start is well organized and it appeared that the runners seeded themselves according to the signs. Nice, wide start area, and overall a good course. Played the national anthem - way to go!!!! Great volunteers; they all cheered and called runners by name (from the bib). Aid stations were plentiful, well stocked, and every 2 KM - as advertised. Gel stations were also as advertised. Course was well marshaled, with police everywhere.... Overall, I would recommend the run. Only 3 negative comments: 1) The pasta dinner is a ripoff - $30 and there were no dinner rolls, no coffee/tea after. Just pasta and salad - not even spoons on the table. Terrible. 2) Not much schwag in the bag - mostly paper. 3) But the worst safety issue to me was the runners on the course with babies in strollers - clearly a no-no according to race rules, but the marshals allowed it to go on. This is wrong. Who is going to look after that child if the runner has a problem and faints? Not to mention the stroller is a hazard to other runners. Enforce your rules - pull them off the course!
M. J. from Mississauga, ON (10/18/2007) "Well org.; great course - net downhill and scenic" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Mississauga Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Great course, good start time, course has a good variety of scenery, and good timing (i.e. early/mid May). Good post-race snacks. I qualified for Boston on this course in 2007, so I would highly recommend it! I had previously run 2 half marathons on this course, which were great too! Go for it!!! - Marilyn

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