Attention to detail is lacking. The shirt was cheap, and had the wrong year on it. The organizers are not fixing the problem.

One has to wonder what they will screw up next.

Course was open to the public and bike riders in Dallas think they own the road.

Very sparse fans.

I will vote with my feet, and not return.


There are much better runs than this one, don't take the chance that they will screw up a big detial next time.

My fifth time running Big D, and it was the first time the weather was cool. Finally! There was plenty cold water at the finish and lots of food and beer left for marathoners - THANKS! I didn't get lost at the 1/2 marathon split. The course officials figured out who goes where by the time I arrived. I saw several halfers walking back after they missed the turn.

The medal and cotton T-shirt are fine with the exception that the shirt has the wrong date (4/6/2009). Big D shouldn't have to pay nor charge us for the shirts next year (I think that would be about a $3.50 discount). Is it supposed to be an ad for next year's race?

The course is fine. There is road construction so you have to keep your eyes on the surface. Volunteers are great. Almost every aid station had full strength Gatorade plus fruit, snacks, etc. The start/finish at the Fairgrounds is easy to reach, with free parking and an indoor shelter before and after the race (Austin should take note). The starting line is a bit cramped with all of the halfers. An etiquette sheet needs to be included to instruct neophytes that if they are planning to walk or run slowly, then they should position themselves at the rear of the starting area so they don't get trampled by runners.

This was my first marathon and I really enjoyed it. The weather was perfect for running. It was in the 60s and slightly overcast for most of the race. I thought the course was very nice. It meanders through some very nice neighborhoods, through a large park and around a lake. There are some small hills with the most difficult one occurring around mile 21. Mercifully the last 5 miles seemed to be gently down-sloping. My only criticism is that the starting line was a little understated and hard to find.

I have run the Big-D Marathon every year since it began five years ago. It was a nice small race! Just a marathon! Now there are 3 times as many half runners than marathoners. In the future it might be appropriate to start the training run 15 minutes after the marathon since some of these folks don't realize that it is unsafe for groups of 11-minute-per-mile "runners" to position themselves at the front near the start line.

The T-shirt has the wrong date, April 6, 2009. I have run 125 marathons in 8 years and have never received a shirt with the wrong date! Big-D must have gotten a big discount on the shirts!

I finished this one in 3:48, including the 2 minutes I lost since some idiot course official at the half marathon split was telling runners, "Marathon - turn left." I realized one minute into the half course that I was running on the wrong course and turned around. As I was turned the corner to get back to the marathon course I saw that I wasn't the only mis-directed runner. Runners will follow the directions given by the course officials - even if they are wrong! I saw quite a few half runners walking back to the half course as far as 2 miles into the marathon course from the split!

Big D did a much better job this year distributing the food after the race. There was plenty of food and beer left for marathon finishers.

One can never complain of the volunteer efforts. It is always appreciated. I did the half and found the course not to be very hilly. The crowds were very sparse, almost nil, with no bands or much motivating the participants, and not enough porta-potties on the course.

I have done several events - Dublin Marathon, Austin, Houston, Bearathon in Waco - and can say that I would never run this race again... nor would I recommend it to anyone who wants to have a great experience. I recommend all the runs mentioned in this paragraph - all good experiences.

The race appears to be run on a low budget. There was no goody bag (we only got the event shirt, number and chip). No expo. The event shirt was misprinted with the wrong year - no apologies or refunds.

Like other runners of the race, I believe that there was lack of thoughtfulness brought to the overall management of this event. (I emailed regarding the shirt, and was told flatly, "No refunds." Did not even get an apology.)

The start and finish of the race had little fanfare - no balloons, no banner. Everyone was asking, "Where is the start?" And for those who have never done one had no idea what they were truly missing: this was just plain cheap! Where was the pizza? I only got the water bottle!

If you want to have fond memories of a marathon, don't do this one as your first. Very disappointing and unorganized.

I thought the course was very scenic and somewhat of a challenge due to hills. Not a big deal to me, but the post-race food was unsatisfactory. I didn't expect a ton of crowd support, so that didn't bother me. The race-day volunteers at the registration were less than helpful, if not rude. It also bothers me that the race doesn't support a charitable cause or foundation.

I ran this race as a training run (20-22 planned) in preparation for my first marathon (OKC Marathon, 04/27/08), but ended up finishing it. Well, I had to get back to my car somehow. In practice, I guess OKC will have to be my second marathon - though I'll try hard to forget this one.

The volunteer effort for this race was fine; water stations were stocked and well managed, crowds were very sparse, the course was clearly marked and sufficient traffic control was present. However, despite the pleasant people (on and off the course), I'd never run this race again, and would not recommend this run to any first-timers.

The course is simply horrific. Sure, there is some pleasant scenery around White Rock Lake, and through some of the high-end neighborhoods. But, the course had far too many turns, was run on roads that were in severe need of repair (watch for potholes at every step if you want to finish this race), and the 50-yard out-and-back near the finish line to add the extra mileage was simply ridiculous (what poor planning!).

Let's add to this the fact that the t-shirts (I'm assuming not just mine) have the wrong date printed on the back - 2009, instead of 2008. Thank goodness that error wasn't made on the finisher medals. It's a small thing, but I feel it's indicative of the lack of thoughtfulness brought to the overall management of this event. (I emailed regarding the shirt, and was told flatly, "Sorry for the error; there will be no reprint." No other text or name accompanied the email. I didn't expect anything (though I was hopeful some correctly printed stock may have been available to me), but perhaps a greater appreciation of the error would have been appropriate.

Well, I'm glad my running of the Big-D Marathon was simply a training effort. I think you want your first marathon to be a special event, with fond memories. So, for me, I've now covered the 26.2-mile distance, but I'll always consider the upcoming OKC Marathon to be my first.

The course was very nice - a few hills, but nothing impossible.

This was my first full marathon, but I previously ran the half in Houston. After running in that one, this seemed extremely unorganized and amateur.

There was little route information online - no PDF containing the entire route, just something done by Google Maps, which had to be printed on 15 pages to see what streets to turn on. When arriving close to the fair grounds, we were stuck in traffic for almost an hour - which put us arriving at the start area right as the gun went off. They could use some traffic control - or at least distinguish between race participants and spectators (who seemed to be causing the most traffic problems). The fan support was almost nil for most of the race. At the finish line, someone handed me a bottled water (nice touch), but the only food they had was pizza - not exactly what you want to eat after running 26 miles. Lastly, when I went to pick up my bib, my name was not on the bib and there was no packet, just a bib and a t-shirt.

Very scenic race. It would be nice if they were a little more organized, and advertised the race more to increase fan support.

A low-key, just-the-basics marathon. )I have done 12 marathons.)

Weather: a little wind, but good temperature
Spectators: almost none
Drinks: plenty
Organization: just the basics, no frills
Course: about all you could expect from DALLAS
Food: enough
EXPO: none
Shirt: nothing special
Medal: nice
Finish/Start: easy parking, but it was hard to find a hotel close by
Porta-Potty: plentiful at the start, but sparse on the course.

Man was it humid - from the git go I knew is was going to be tough. However, the course was great - the aid stations were enthusiastic and wonderful. The after-marathon celebration and food were perfect. Great medals and a finisher hat - sweet. Only 1 real complaint: I HATED the little parking lot loop at the end. it just about broke me to be looking at the finish line while running a little loop around the parking lot to get there. How about making us run around the block at mile 20 or something and not right at the end? All in all, they did a great job and I had fun!