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Rock 'n' Roll Montreal Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Rock 'n' Roll Montreal Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.0 
Organization 3.5 
Spectators 3.2
Number of comments: 74 [displaying comments 41 to 51]
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F. O. from Pittsburgh, PA
(9/18/2008)
 "Great Course; Fantastic Finish!" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Montreal Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 First half of course: Starting off on the Jacques Cartier Bridge was unique (albeit rainy and windy). The start was covered in both French and English. The first 10 to 12K are through St. Helene and Notre Dame Islands. The upside to this is that you pass by a lot of greenery, beautiful water and city views, and there are even a few roller coasters along the trail. The downside is that if you need some encouragement from spectators early on, then you are largely out of luck. Because these islands are largely made up of parks, spectators would have had to make a long trek in the pouring rain in order to get to the course. The few that did this were much appreciated. Around 12K, you can see cool, stacked apartment buildings to your left. Then there is a more industrial look until you hit Old Montreal. I generally like how the course started in a simpler environment with fewer spectators because it forced me to get in the zone. Second half of course: This part starts off in the heart of Montreal. There were more spectators here, though the aforementioned rain and wind kept the crowds thin or nonexistent. The scenery here and huge enthusiasm from the spectators was a great mental lift. There are 3 hills that I remember on this part of the course. The most notable one was about 5K out from the end of the course. I liked how the half marathon, 10K and 5K were run on the tail end of the marathon course because it gave me good course goals and positive reinforcement. It also pulled more spectators because they could come to cheer on the start of one of the shorter races and stay to cheer on the 1/2 marathon and full marathon. I also liked how they posted historical landmarks on the website, as I used the landmarks as goals in my run. The course ends with 300 meters in the Olympic Stadium. They said my name and my home country, and I must say that I felt like an Olympian! Too cool! Very cool medal, also. Liquids/Supplements: There were consistent water, Gatorade, juice, sponge, and orange stops. I would encourage non-French speakers to familiarize themselves with the words for water (eau) and juice (jus) to avoid confusion. "Jus" is NOT Gatorade; "Gatorade" = Gatorade. I loved Montreal before this race, and now I love it all the more. I truly enjoyed running the marathon here, and would gladly do so again. Merci, Montreal! | |
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Olivier Dumoulin from Montreal, Canada
(9/15/2008)
 "2008 - Much improved organization, hard course" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Montreal Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This marathon is gaining a lot in terms of organization; most (if not all) of the major criticisms below have been addressed. This is not a huge event, so some of the little touches are absent; but drink stations were efficient, services for runners were excellent, and medals were nice. Spectators were enthusiastic, but there were fewer of them than I've seen elsewhere, Overall, this is definitely worth running, and it's getting better each year. A very hard run this year due to humid weather, but I would do it again! I give it 4 out of 5. | |
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P. B. from Toronto, Waterloo
(8/6/2008)
"A must-do!!!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Rock 'n' Roll Montreal Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This marathon has greatly improved since the last year's, and Montreal's marathon became, in 2007, one of the best races I have ever run. Weather was perfect, the course is enjoyable, and the crowd gets better every year. The finish in the Olympic Stadium is unique. I will definitely sign up for 2008 and will plan to stay a little longer in that great city. Congratulations to the organizing committee and thank you for this wonderful experience. | |
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S. M. from Laval, Canada
(2/8/2008)
 "Not a great event..." (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Montreal Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Even if we start on a bridge and complete the marathon in the stadium, something is missing: No Gatorade (only Oasis juice... not a good idea to try something new during a marathon). Not enough spectators, and a race map is also needed. I did it twice because it's close to my home and this is a secure race. | |
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S. T. from Providence, RI
(10/22/2007)
 "fun first marathon" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Montreal Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I did this in 2006 and the weather was perfect. Not too hilly at all, and the fans all cheered me on in french, which was motivating. I love Montreal, so I thought the whole thing was beautiful. The best part was the start on the Jacques-Cartier bridge. They could have done more announcing in English, since it's an international marathon and not everyone understands french, but overall it was good. There was not as much food as there could have been (all i remember is a table with yogurt and juice). | |
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M. L. from Hawkesbury ON
(9/25/2007)
 "There is room for improvement..." (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Montreal Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 One thing about the course: They should better evaluate the actual streets we are running on. The overwhelming smell of garbage, car exhaust and sewers in the city was very unpleasant. And since you really need a lot of oxygen for running, that was nauseating. As for the organization, it would seem to me that to actually reach the starting point on the bridge is in itself an achievement. No shuttle bus of any kind were offered. You can take the subway to a station about 15 minutes or so from the starting point. Having to walk/jog uphill just to get in line is not really pleasant.... Not really a lot of spectators along the street. There are some at some intersections but people in the city aren't even aware of why the streets are closed and why there are people running on them.... All in all, a lot of room for improvement. Seems like I just did a lot of bitching about it but I actually cut my time by about 22 minutes. I'll be there next year for sure. I just want them to improve. | |
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J. O. from Philadelphia, Pa
(9/18/2007)
"Good Experience" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Montreal Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon and I had a great experience. I was worried going into the race that there would be NO spectators. This was not the case. Many of the smaller races in Philadelphia that I've run (1/2 and 10-miler) are well populated with fans from start to finish. Although Montreal did not have as many fans as I'm used to, there were still a good number of people cheering us on! I'm sure as the race becomes more well-known, the fans will increase in number. I thought the course was great and offered a lot of different types of scenery. I actually preferred the second half better to the first half, but that's just me. I thought the organization with fine and from what I read going in the organizers seem to listen to the suggestions and are committed to a better race each year. I do think there still could be some more volunteers at the water stations, but other than that, I'm extremely happy I made the trip up to Montreal! | |
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Joan Roch from Montreal, Qc
(9/10/2007)
"Getting better" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Montreal Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The highlights of this race definitely are its start and finish: you'll start from the Jacques-Cartier Bridge overlooking the Saint-Laurent River and the Montreal skyline and finish into the Olympic stadium. Beware the somewhat hilly route! On the negative side, the spectators are too few and most Montrealers are not even aware that this event is taking place. Hopefully, they gradually will show up in greater number. Please note that the organization is getting way better than it was and is now perfectly adequate for runners of all levels. I'll run it again! | |
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H. N. from Dallas, TX
(11/16/2006)
"Great course, but few spectators" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Montreal Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This was my first marathon so I really didn't know what to expect. I ran with my husband and a good friend of ours. The race was great. What a beautiful city and a variety of things to see. The Formula 1 course is the highlight of this race!!! I was disappointed in the spectators though. To have people cheering you on is so important! There were streches along the course where there was nobody. Even at the finish line, there weren't many people. What a disappointment. Also, when we first got to the airport and told the lady at imigration that we were in the city to run the marathon - she didn't even know that there was a marathon (the same happened to us in restaurants in the city). This race needs more support from the people!!!! | |
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T. K. from Ottawa
(9/21/2006)
 "Great course, awesome finish line, well organized" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Montreal Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The course was nice and very scenic, with lots of entertainment and other diversions. I ran the half and was not backed up by walkers, like I was in Ottawa. Finishing in Olympic Stadium was the highlight - that really made it unique. My only negative comment: I went to the pasta dinner (the first year they've done one) and it wasn't worth $20. The pasta was good, but salad, drinks and dessert were almost non-existent. Needs some good salads and one or two desserts to make it worthwhile next time. |
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