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☰
Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO) Runner Comments
Back to Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO) Information & Reviews
Course 3.8 
Organization 4.1 
Spectators 3.3
Number of comments: 105 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
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M. S. from Ankeny, Iowa
(9/24/2009)
 "Overall Nice Marathon" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran the full marathon. I really liked the option to have the race packet mailed. That worked out nicely. Good medals (the medal is important to me). The post-race party was good. Overall, the race was well organized. The course was a little boring; however, it was pretty much flat. I liked running in the downtown area. I didn't love running on the Katy Trail. I got several small rocks in my shoes and didn't like sharing the trail with the bikers. It wasn't terrible; it was just something to deal with. The shaded areas of the trail did help with the heat and sun. I would suggest that the marathon runners have different color bibs then the half-runners so that spectators could know when to say, "You're almost there...." I'm not sure how I feel about running right next to the half's finish chute. I was concerned that I missed a turn for the full. Overall, I am very happy with my run. It was a little hot, but that's kind of expected for mid-September. I think next year it is being moved to October. The race was very well organized! Thanks! | |
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j. m. from springfield illinois
(9/22/2009)
 "I ran the half." (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Decent half-marathon. Nothing too thrilling or exciting. Rather industrial versus scenic but a good training run. LOSE THE ANNOUNCER AT THE STARTING LINE. Good organization, nice amenities (shirt and medal) and the post-run food was good and well organized. It would have been nice to have run the full, but it just didn`t fit the schedule. | |
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C. S. from Oklahoma
(9/20/2009)
"Overall good marathon" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 The course is rather boring, but the organization is good. One concern is that the sports drinks were so watered down that they seemed literally like water, which was a big negative for this heavy sweater. | |
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A. K. from Belleville, Illinois
(9/15/2009)
"Good half-marathon; full-marathon not so much" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The first 13.1 were great, with good roads and everything. Just past the half-marathon finish, the full marathon hopped on the Katy Trail, and that's where it all went south. The course for the second half seemed like an afterthought. There were still sufficient aid stations and volunteers, but with virtually NO spectators it felt a lot like a training run. If you feel like the crowd helps you overcome the mental drag of running 26.2 miles, this is NOT the marathon for you. Post-race facilities were fine, spectator areas on the FIRST half were great, and volunteers were great. I don't know how many johns there were at the start line, but there weren't enough. I waited in line for 25 minutes and didn't get halfway though it; I had to use the first one I came to out on course. My honest appraisal: do the half, but skip the full marathon at Lewis and Clark unless they change the course. | |
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D. L. from St. Louis, MO
(9/15/2009)
"So-so" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO)s
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 My comments concern just the half, which I ran, but I have run in this area quite a bit over the years, particularly the marathon course. The course is very boring if you are coming in from out of town. Crossing the Mo. River is about the highlight of this course. The half marathon dwarfs the marathon as far as number of participants, but if you need another state for your resume, this is fairly flat, especially when you hit the Katy Trail. Organization/support is very good, but don't expect much crowd support, especially for the marathon course. | |
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K. A. from Key West, FL
(9/15/2009)
"Packed first half; nice but HOT second half" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I flew all of the way from Key West to run this because it was supposed to be flat. The second half was, but the first half had two doozy hills. AND OH MY GOODNESS, WE WERE SWAMPED WITH HALF-MARATHONERS! The first half was really tough because there were just thousands and thousands of half-marathoners. Plus, it was 100% concrete, which wiped out your legs for the second half. But the second half was wonderful - flat as a pancake, uncrowded, on hard-packed gravel. Unfortunately, by the time you got to it, it was 85 and humid. It was an out-and-back on the trail, so you knew what to expect and where the aid stations were. I saw people turning around, avoiding several miles; I hope they didn't claim to have finished! Great medal, and very nice, but limited spectators. Lots of aid stations too. | |
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D. W. from Westfield, IN
(9/15/2009)
 "Enthusiastic support but poor course" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Let me initially say that the support surrounding this race was great! The volunteers were tremendous, every single one. However for me they couldn't overshadow the course on the back half of the marathon. If you choose to run this course be forewarned that miles 13.1-26.2 are run on the Katy Trail, which is a crushed stone/crushed gravel trail. It was very uneven, with numerous bike ruts and washed out tiny gullies. I should have known that I was in trouble when, while the majority of the race's half-marathoners were finishing, the chute for the full marathon participants to continue the marathon portion was actually being crowded in on by the spectators and only one volunteer was assigned to keep them back off of the course. Then on the Katy Trail I was quite surprised to see non-race traffic in the form of bikers of all ages on their usual Sunday rides, walkers with their dogs, and other people out jogging. And not just a few isolated incidents but it appeared that there was no attempt to keep these folks off the course. I saw several runners who needed to move out of the way of the bikers! Also there didn't seem to be a sufficient number of water stops on the back half of the course, as there were several times when I found myself thinking, "Boy, I'm getting a little thirsty!" One other item for the organizers would be for the volunteers to all wear the same-colored shirts so they could be distinguished from the non-race participants on the course. Finally, at the beginning of the race in the amphitheater, there were an insufficient number of porta-potties. I'm going to estimate that there were about 30-40 of them and I had to wait from 6:30 a.m. until 7:05 a.m. to use one, which meant that I just barely got back to the start corral by the 7:15 a.m. start. | |
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S. R. from St. Charles, MO
(9/15/2009)
"Top-notch" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran the half this year for the second time. I just wanted to say that Fleet Feet always does a great job hosting this race. Spectators could have been more plentiful, but I also enjoy the silence sometimes. Overall, great race! | |
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A. E. from Columbia, MO
(9/14/2009)
"Very well organized marathon" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Overall, this marathon had good organization, and at $55 it was not too pricey. It would have been nice if they had some sort of expo as the packet pickup was at the various FleetFeets in the area, but they are the major sponsor so understandable. The first half of the course was not bad. There was even a stretch where you could see other runners on the other side of the road. The last half was on the MKT trail where you run out 6.5 miles and back on fine gravel. This seemed long and lonely until on the way back when I got to see the others running out. It is almost like the marathon was an afterthought for this race since over 4,500 finished the half and only 688 for the full. I do feel like it is a fast course if someone wants to BQ, even with the trail portion. I think a full road course might get better participation. There were sparse crowds along the first half and a lot close to the finish. Spectators were very few along the trail. The volunteers, though, were plentiful at the water stations. The finish area was great and there was plenty of food. I am glad to have run the marathon and most importantly I did have a good time. | |
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R. V. from Chapel Hill, NC
(9/14/2009)
"great smaller race" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Lewis & Clark Marathon (MO)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is the first time I had run the "new" course, and after the first 9 miles (dull stretches through industrial parks - though it's not like you need much stimulation at that point in the race), it's beautiful and flat. The aid stations were fully supported even for us back-of-the-packers, which I always greatly appreciate. Superb organization and enthusiasm from race personnel! |
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