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May 14, 2024

Salt Lake City Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Salt Lake City Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.1

Organization 4.1

Spectators 3.9

Number of comments: 162 [displaying comments 71 to 81]

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B. W. from Queens, NY (4/26/2007) "Elevation: kicked my butt!" (about: 2007) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Salt Lake City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Course: tough for someone who trained at sea level. The dry climate was a factor as well coming from a humid climate. Organization: start line was accessible and easy to get to by TRAX. However, the energy at the starting line was somewhat subdued. It could have been the poor choice in music, not sure. Finish line was smooth and plentiful! Kudos for the warm bread sticks! Spectators: a scant amount. The ones that did come out were very supportive. The so-called "spirit stations" were a disappointment. Perhaps the biggest disappointment was Liberty Park; it was barren and lonely. I expected a greater turn-out running in a major city like Salt Lake.
Rick Flatlander from Murphy Texas (4/24/2007) "Well organized for a small race" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Salt Lake City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The expo, packet pick up, Trax, porta-john lines, and start line all went smoothly. Got a hard sell at the expo to buy snake oil to take 15 minutes off my time. That was entertaining. I stayed at the host Marriott. Ok, but cheaper hotels have more amenities. Trax had a stop right at the hotel, which was very nice. But there were several hotels closer to the finish that would have worked better for me - no mention of them in the website. I've run all my previous marathons in Texas so I learned a hard lesson about altitude. Didn't fare well but my fault for not researching/preparing. Fans were few out in the remote areas but not what I came for. The water bags on the course were nice but too big - lots of waste. I also prefer the Gatorade cut 50%. Full strength is a bit much for most of us. Very good race overall for its size.
Bruce and Joan Nelson from Brigham City, Utah (4/24/2007) "A perfect spring race!" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Salt Lake City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I was a bit leary about this race from all the comments I had read previous and friends warned me it was terrible - boy were THEY wrong! The expo was fantastic - not too huge, but I found lots of great stuff and info and the packet pick up was a breeze! The parking was awesome and it couldn't have been easier or more organized to get to the start. The course was really nice and if it wasn't for a pulled leg muscle towards mile 23 I would have qualified for Boston. As it was, it still was a pretty good time. The food was the BEST I have EVER seen. Everyone has already described it - the pizza was exactly what the Doctor ordered and the massage was unbelieveably long and great - they even covered you with blankets so you wouldn't freeze. The people were very helpful and the spectators were great. High-fiving the kids along the way was the coolest part - I hope it inspires them to do it too! There were plenty of aid stations and while the water bottles were a bit too large, it sure was easy to run and drink rather than the cups!My husband seconds all of these comments as he ran it also. Good job, Salt Lake. We would do it again!
J. L. from Houston, TX (4/24/2007) "Great SLC experience!" (about: 2007) 3 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Overall, the SLC Marathon was a great experience. The course is tough but fast. Additionally, SLC is probably the cleanest and safest of the big cities in the United States. Positives: 1. Expo was easy to find and navigate through to obtain race packet and t-shirt. 2. Love the t-shirt! I will definitely wear this shirt. 3. TRAX allowed for un-eventful arrival to the race start. We drove into the city and parked within 200 meters of the TRAX station. Parking was sufficient and was near the finish line, requiring a short walk after the race. Well planned! 4. Marathon route was fast and mostly downhill, which was tough on the quads! My legs started cramping at mile 10 but that was only because I skied 5 consecutive days prior to the race. My legs were fatigued before I started the race but I did set a PR for myself. 5. Weather in 2007 was perfect with temps in the 50s and partly cloudy skies. 6. Water breaks were sufficiently supplied with water, Gatorade, and Clif Shots. 7. Volunteers were extremely helpful and friendly! 8. Food line at the end was UNBELIEVABLE! Best I've seen to date for a marathon. 9. The concert in the city after the race was fantastic! Negatives: 1. Water bottles were a little big for the race. I hope there was a recycling plan because there were many partially full bottles discarded by the runners. 2. Porta-toilets at the race start had long lines causing excessive waits for runners. I recommend evaluating the need for more toilets at the race start and first two aid station stops in the race. May need to re-configure the layout at the race start. Partial Negative: 1. Spectators were present but compared to other marathons, the majority lacked enthusiasm. I expect this will change as this marathon becomes a much bigger event in SLC. Well done, SLC! I highly recommend this marathon!
R. M. from Salt Lake City (4/23/2007) "The best Devine effort so far" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 3 Salt Lake City Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was a part of the disastrous New Las Vegas Marathon in 2006, and swore off Devine Racing forever. But... I decided to give them one last try, and man, am I glad I did. Of the 5 Devine races I've run, this was worlds above the others. I can't believe this was the same company. Good expo, good (and useful) shirt, easy to get to the start line, and the food at the end was the best I have ever seen. Good job Devine; you renewed my faith in you. Incredible race.
H. S. from Sandy, Utah (4/23/2007) "Top-Notch Event" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Salt Lake City Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The middle part of the course is not so good, but the beginning and the end are top-notch. It was very well organized from the expo to the finish line. You get a nice medal and a nice shirt. The post-race refreshments were the best I've ever experienced, a HUGE improvement over last year. Put this race on your calendar just for the fun of it, or at least do the 1/2M. The new date in April and earlier start time is much better than last year. This marathon should get the "most improved" award for 2007. The one thing I noticed that I liked better last year was the post-race "party." There was no "party" at the post-race party in 2007. The music was fine, but no beer, tiny crowd... not much of a party. Maybe everybody got too partied out at the finish line. That was great this year.
D. C. from Utah (4/23/2007) "Solid Race" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Salt Lake City Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This race does everything well. The organization is very solid, the basics covered well. The course is pretty good - mostly declines that don't beat up the legs. Spectator support, while not spectacular, is good. This year's weather was really about as good as a marathoner could hope for - in the 40s most of the time. I ran this race last year when it was in June (way too hot!) and vowed not to do it again unless they moved it back to April. They moved it, and I ran. My time was faster than expected, because of the good, cool weather. Participation seemed way down for the marathon this year, with many more runners in the half. Too bad, because this really is a good race. Thanks for moving the race back to April. I'll keep running it as long as it is during the cooler spring months.
Don Pattison from NW of Chicago, IL (4/22/2007) "What a chow line at the end!" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Salt Lake City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I didn't have a great race time-wise, but I had a heck of a good time in the city. The expo was pretty good; it was easy to get your goodie bag and shirt. The shirt is one that might actually get worn and not get cut up into a quilt. The course was not too bad; most of the hills are down, and about the only nasty incline is right at mile 7 (mile 7 is the top of the hill). They split the full and the 1/2 apart and the full went through a park and then joined back up with the half, so there was some congestion there, but within a 1/4 or 1/2 mile the full racers went one way and the 1/2 went another. The best thing was the chow line at the end. It seemed to be endless pizza, chicken wings, smoothies, power drinks, breadsticks, yogurt pops, more bananas and water. I couldn't carry everything I wanted so I went back afterwards two times. Each time the pizza and wings were hot, as were the breadsticks. I've been to bigger races but never been to one with this much food.
Rick ( The RRRick ) Karampatsos from Temple Terrace, FL (4/22/2007) "Thanks for the many blessings!" (about: 2007) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Salt Lake City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 41st different state marathon and I will rate it (although it ended up being my slowest time in over two years - not your fault!). I would consider this in the top 3 best to run. Getting to and from was very easy to do.... The shuttle train was neat! The only negative comment was the High Mountain Well water bottle - way too big for a race! It was a shame to see so many of them thrown off to the side, seemingly half full. Your expo was a lot of fun. The booth with the folks from Snickers/Marathon Energy Bars were very helpful with info. The packet pickup system was perfect! AND - the end of the race section - WOW! I have not eaten that well in many, many races! This was a great marathon experience even in all my pain!
L. F. from West Jordan, UT (4/22/2007) "2007: Overall, A Great Experience" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Salt Lake City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Of the marathons I have run in recent years, SLC was the best organizationally, at least this year. Vegas 2006 was ok, but SLC handled the post-running nutrition the very best of anywhere I have been. The course was laid out well, and hey, for 7,000 - 10,000 runners, the bathroom situation was not bad, at all. Suggestion: I know it's "illegal" to do anything on Sunday in Utah, but Sunday would alleviate the traffic congestion/delays. The early hours of TRAX arrival at the U of U was good for breaking up the sheer volume, but as usual for Utahns, everyone ended up there at the last minute. Having the race on Sunday and a bit later in the day may help relieve the early hours and traffic problems. Most times, Utah spectators are very melancholy and unenthusiastic, but the spectators were pretty impressive! Overall, very well done, SLC organizers and spectators! Thank you for a great experience and helping the runners to survive well pre-, during and post-race! I hope the next SLC Mayorship continues to support great organizational insight.

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