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Apr 28, 2024

Mississauga Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.0

Organization 3.9

Spectators 3.3

Number of comments: 80 [displaying comments 41 to 51]

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

M. B. from Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire, England (3/17/2007) "First marathon experience" (about: 2006) First Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and overall it was a good experience; namely because I managed to qualify for this year's Boston marathon (2007). My qualification was a total surprise because my bloody watch went on the blink after about six miles, and my real target was simply to finish the damn thing. I think the course overall was sufficient in its variation, but as for the crowd, very sparse indeed. Those who did turn out were top banana, but if you run this race, you'll find yourself running on empty roads, especially in the middle portion of the course. There is a horrible u-turn at about the 14th mile. It's confusing and mentally draining seeing other athletes running ahead of you in the opposite direction. The weather was rubbish but there's nothing you can do about that. The wind coming off the lake for the last few miles was a really big test, both mentally and physically. The pain was excruciating! The last few miles to the finish line were piss-poorly marshaled and is much too narrow for runners, walkers and spectators. Also, some spectators were walking across the course and not respecting the runners, which was infuriating to say the least - probably as a result of the lack of organization at this crucial stage of the course. Overall, I think it is a good marathon if you want to qualify for Boston. Lots of space for you to run "your" race (apart from the aformentioned last few miles). Anyway, it's off to Boston next month, which I reckon will probably kill me. The course looks at lot tougher than the one in Toronto.
Silvana Tarczy from Georgetown, Ontario (1/8/2007) "Net downhill Boston qualifier you've got to try!" (General Comments) 6-10 previous marathons \| 3 Mississauga Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Mississauga Marathon is the place to be on May 13, 2007. With the net downhill elevation and abundant crowd support, this marathon will definitely be your Boston qualifier, as it was for me. This year (2007) will be the 4th time I run the Mississauga Marathon. Well organized and tons of fun things to do, including the kids' marathon. Family fun run, 10K and 1/2 marathon.
J. P. from Ohio (5/26/2006) "Nice race, would do it again" (about: 2006) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Mississauga Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The race was enjoyable. Having your name on the bib is a nice touch - lots of fans cheer you on by name. The thing I did not like was that I could not find any "pace bunnies" at the start. About 2 miles in, the 3:20 pace bunny came flying by me as if he was running a 5K. Of course, there was no one with him, so I don't know who he was trying to pace. The only other thing was at the end of the race; the walkers from the half merge with the marathoners. It got too crowded on the path, and I had to dodge people. And at that point in the race, all I want to do is focus on my pace and getting to the finish line. It would be better if the marathon/half marathon ran different routes for the last 4K. Overall, I enjoyed the course and felt the start/finish areas were well organized. It was also nice to have changing areas at the end of the race. I also liked that the results were posted at the finish.
a. s. from Hamilton (5/24/2006) "Good but room for improvement" (about: 2006) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Mississauga Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 Nice course with a variety of scenery and which is net downhill. Water/aid stations were plentiful. The wind was nasty for the full, but that's marathoning. The crowd support was sparse, but enthusiastic and much appreciated. Finish area was chaotic. All the checked bags from the full marathon were just dumped on the ground at the finish, for anyone to pick up. Should have been more attentive to the bags. Could have been seriuos consequences.
Ray Moorehead from Kentville, Nova Scotia (5/23/2006) "Much Room For Improvement" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Mississauga Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I concur with some of the observations previously made regarding logistical and support issues. My marathon experience here turned out to be rather disappointing in some ways. My first negative impression occurred at the expo. I went there early Friday afternoon. It was very crowded, cramped, and confusing. You had to go to one area, write down your bib number on a Post-It Note, proceed to another area, give them your number and pick up your package, and then get into another line to receive your miscellaneous items. Once inside the expo, it was elbow-to-elbow. Too many people, too little space. A much larger venue is required. The course itself was disappointing. At the start of the race, a local runner told me that the 2nd half was a bit more difficult than the first half. No problem. I was forewarned and ready for the challenge. But I encountered a significant problem along the way, which could have been avoided with better planning. Here's what happened. I was just past the 20-mile point in the race. I came upon a balloon archway, went through it, and continued to run. Within a 100 M or so, there was a black pick-up truck with a camera set up in the back. Just in front of it, there was a side street going to the right. There were pylons set up that continued straight downhill along the same road and a few pylons that veered right. I looked ahead and noticed that the pylons continued along the road in the distance and thought I saw a runner at the top of the hill where the pylons were. So I ran past the pick-up truck and ran down the hill. Guess what? Wrong way! The pick-up truck chased after me and told me to turn right. I was furious! No one at the corner mentioned anything and the pylons went in 2 directions. I don't believe that there were volunteers at that corner. Anyway, I turned around, looked up the hill, and watched as other runners turned right. To summarize this, according to my Garmin 301 Forerunner GPS, I ran a total of 26.93 miles. Needless to say, I was not amused. I have a few constructive suggestions for future races in Mississauga: A) Ensure you have volunteers at critical spots such as the one above. B) During the last 5 KM or so, the pathway, in my opinion, was too narrow for a race of this size. I found myself running side to side and on the grass trying to avoid the half-marathon walkers. I suggest changing the route so that you can run along a road. C) At some water stops, the volunteers inadvertently filled the cups to the top. As soon as I grabbed a cup, it spilled everywhere. On a positive note, I want to thank all of the volunteers for their dedication, support, and positive encouragement. Without them, we don't get to experience events such as this one. I also want to acknowledge the tremendous support of the medical staff. I collapsed upon completion at the finish line. They immediately brought me inside the tent, hooked me up to the IV, and massaged my cramped legs. With some minor changes to the race, I believe this one can be one of the premier marathons in the country. Until then, it will only be mediocre and one that I probably won't run again.
J. L. from Toronto, ON (5/21/2006) "Below Average" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 First time running this event. Organizers generate a lot of hype but the reality is quite different. The marathon only had about 1,500 - 1,800 people in it, so I am not sure where the "over 10,000 people running" comes from. Anyway the previous comments are pretty spot on for 2006. Nothing they could have done about the weather I suppose.
F. T. from Toronto, Ontario (5/18/2006) "A PR Course but not on Mother's Day" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Mississauga Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I finally got my BQ on my 4th attempt and this was in spite of 20 to 30 mph easterly headwinds for the last 17 KM of the race. I chose this course because of the expected westerly tailwind, but no such luck. My guess is you'll get a nice tailwind to help you in most years, but not this one. I'm not a big fan of early registrants getting technical T's but not the late ones. I usually register the week of the race because I'm always worried about getting injured and not being able to run it. So I got a cotton shirt instead. I don't think that's fair. Either give everyone the same shirt or allow participants to defer their registration to next year if they're injured. The course itself is great and I was able to BQ and PR in spite of the wind. It's the best course by far when compared to the Scotia Waterfront and Toronto Marathon. I'm not a big fan of shuttling back to the start line after a race but there's not much you can do about that I guess. The other major complaint I have is the date. It should be the week before Mother's Day rather than on it. It's bad enough that I ran it on Mother's Day, let alone trying to get my wife to bring the kids out on the day that's meant for her. And she would have had to take a shuttle to do so, seeing that there was no parking at the finish. So having her there to see me PR was not really an option. The other advantage of staging the race the week before is you'll get cooler weather on that day, which is better for the runners. Move the date and I think you may have the best marathon in all of Southern Ontario.
e. e. from toronto, canada (5/16/2006) "Well done, Mississauga!" (about: 2006) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Mississauga Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I'd heard positive things about this race and it didn't disappoint. Nice course - the hills at 10k and 30k are very gradual. There seemed to also be some minor ones at 35+K that weren't specifically mentioned on the website but seemed about as big as the ones at 10k and 30k (though maybe it was just the way I felt by that time ;)). I'd thought the part going around the industrial area would be boring but it wasn't too bad. Not the crowd support at some other marathons, but still a decent turnout and the folks were all very supportive. Definitely a fast course - or it would have been if not for that wicked wind off the lake! Still, a nice course and I think I'd do it again. Very well organized on race day itself - food was easy to get to and plentiful, results were posted very quickly, shuttle buses were frequent. Loved the fact that they played O Canada at the start. (Oh yeah, there is one small point - there needs to be more portapotties at the race start.) Another slight downer: the race expo was a bit chaotic even on the Friday. I think the layout of the expo at the YMCA needs to be improved. Maybe they weren't counting on the high registration numbers. All in all, way to go Mississauga!
K. M. from Toronto, Canada (5/15/2006) "Nice course, lots of water stations" (about: 2006) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Mississauga Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 My third time running this race. I ran the half twice and this year I did the full. The start line: ok, it could use dozens more portapotties for the few thousand runners. There's tons of parking at the start (but none at the finish, so they use shuttle buses to get people back to their cars.) The course: nice, with scenic areas, (exception: the stinky out-and-back stretch in the industrial area). You run through lots of residential areas and then down along the waterfront through parklands and along a multi-use trail. The course is relatively flat, no major hills, just a few inclines. Course support: very good. Lots of water/gatorade stations (approx. every 2K) and gels at 3 places. Traffic control was reasonably good, though slower runners were complaining that the race organizers were removing the pilons towards the end, leaving them with no directions to the finish. Otherwise, the course was well marked, km by km. The finish area: a nightmare/safety hazard with people walking all over the course!! I really hope they'll cordon it off next year. The only other issue is that it is always windy there because it's close to the lake. Post-race food and party: spartan. Food was scarce - some fruit and bagels, water and gatorade (in cups). Fan support: major intersections had clusters of people, but there were many quiet stretches. The finish line is a bit of a zoo, people everywhere. It's a good race, I'll run it again next year if they don't hike up the price.
T. D. from Toronto (5/15/2006) "Terrible logistics and organization, often unsafe" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Mississauga Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I ran the inaugural and thought after two years they had to have cleaned up their act, wrong. This is a point to wrong point race. It is a net down hill but.. No shelter at the start, long traffic lines to get parked, long walk to start line, water stations with only a metre path down the middle as volunteers crowded runners, no race medical radios, one metre path width for the last four km with dogs and children on the path, no separation of spectators from race medical and recovery areas, one km walk to bus area at end, followed by forty minute wait for bus with spectators crowding athletes out to the wrong site, followed by thirty minute bus ride which deposited us several miles from our car. Grandad was right, if you have to say it's world class....it isn't. Better than Boston? Not in this century.

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