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Apr 28, 2024

Big-D Texas Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Big-D Texas Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 3.4

Organization 3.2

Spectators 2.8

Number of comments: 173 [displaying comments 31 to 41]

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S. P. from Texas (4/14/2013) "Worst organized race ever" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Big-D Texas Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 This was unfortunately my 6th Mellew productions race. Every race I have ran of his company has had course issues, water stop issues, and no refreshments at the end or minimal, if any. Today - the Big-D Marathon 2013 took the prize. The faster runners ended up running 27.5 miles versus 26.2 because the pace car took a wrong turn. Then the course volunteers were not there to direct other runners who ended up with 25.2. Ridiculous. Water stops were fine other than the poor people who worked them were supposed to earn $1000 by voting but there was no voting station to be found. There were no refreshments by the the time the marathoners got to the end other than bananas. Horribly organized. Will never run another race by this person again.
James Lehman from Coppell, TX at race date (now Switzerland) (5/20/2012) "Big D is a suitable local race" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Big-D Texas Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first time to run the 26.2 Big D (2012). Having lived in the Dallas area for the past few years not running the Big D would have represented a lost opportunity, although I wouldn't recommend flying in from faraway specially for the event. Big D's advantage over White Rock is that I was able to park my car close to the Big D event an hour before start whereas White Rock is always another story. I'll echo the comments others have regarding Mellew's organization and quality. I may have paid less for Big D, but not that much less to justify such limited post-race amenities; and I didn't finish too late either. At least the shirt was technical material and medal was a 'D' shape, I think. White Rock Lake is somewhat a redemption for some of the complaints about Big D; I like the lake. If I'm living in the area next year I may participate in another race I have yet to run if available on the same weekend because Big D is not a 'must' to repeat.
M. M. from McKinney, TX (4/28/2012) "Weather again strilkes a blow" (about: 2012) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Big-D Texas Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I had signed-up for this marathon hoping to run a BQ. Although those hopes were dashed fairly early with muggy conditions for the first 10 miles and then a front decided to come through for the remainder and rain most of the remainder of the race. I did manage to set a new PR in this one despite the conditions. Course is somewhat challenging with some rolling hills and of course the long one from around 19.5 to about 21 miles. The lake area and the neighborhoods are scenic for sure throughout the course. Fans were sporadic throughout the course but then again that does not bother me. There seemed to be ample water stations throughout. My least favorite part of the race was coming into the finish. First there was a fair amount of dodging of the half runners for the last 5 miles or so and then into Fair Park was a maze and there were way too many people mingling around, along and on the last .25 miles. Ample food and drink at the end but I found it odd that as I was leaving, a lot of the vendors were pretty much packing up. I suspect there were a fair number of marathon runners who finished and pretty much had nothing to eat or drink at the end. Just seems to me there are way too many non-runners having access to food and drink that should be for the runners. Medal was sharp - hat was okay - tech shirt was fine. One other item that stands out. Around mile 13 or 14 there was a group of us running through a wooded area. There were obviously some people in the woods making a real nuisance of themselves with yelling at runners from hidden areas. I was not overly concerned for myself but not sure the ladies would want to be going through that area alone.
T. V. from Dallas, TX (4/26/2012) "Great race" (about: 2012) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Big-D Texas Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran this race in 2011 (my review is below) and again this year (2012). What a difference the weather makes. Same course, but it was really hot and muggy in '11 and we had a nice cool rain for most of the run in '12. Plus the marathon started a half hour earlier, at 7:30, which was nice. I finished in 4:59 in '11 and 4:20 in '12. So I was excited about a 40 minute improvement in one year, but, again, the weather made a big difference. It was a really HOT day in '11. IMO, Mellew puts on the best runs in the DFW area. I would do any full, half or 10K that they have organized. And their race entry fees are very very reasonable. Not much to say about this run that hasn't been said below. It's a hilly course, but pretty. Spectators and volunteers were great, IMO. Plenty of water, gatorade, snacks, etc. Plenty of parking and you get to wait inside a nice building at Fair Park before the run. I will do this again next year, my health and the good Lord willing. :>
C. H. from Shawnee, Oklahoma (4/18/2012) "Hard course for the beginning marathoner" (about: 2012) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Big-D Texas Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I am decided on this course because it was close to home and I wanted to run a marathon in another state. If you are like me and a beginning marathoner this is NOT the course for you. Over half of this course is hilly. And the hills are not gentle rolling hill either. I trained for this course just like my first marathon that I ran, but I almost could not finish this one! Once you have a few marathons under your belt I think this may be a good choice for you& But not if you are just starting out. I ran the course in 4:43 and I was about in the middle of the pack if that tells you anything. I will say the scenery is beautiful, and if you are FULLY aware of course and the hills that you will be running then you could Walk/Jog this course and see some really gorgeous homes in the Dallas area. The Water stops were about every 1.5 to 2 miles which was nice, because the day started out hot and muggy. The did provide Oranges and Bananas throughout the course and Gatorade (Though some was more water than Gatorade). The volunteers were great, but you had no other support along the course. So if you are looking for a good, cheap marathon this is a good one, & if you are not a newbie like me. Of course if you are a newbie like me when you get done you will feel like you can do anything. (After you get feeling in your legs again)
T. V. from Dallas (4/24/2011) "hot muggy sunny day" (about: 2011) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Big-D Texas Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Too bad the marathon couldn't have been either 1 or 2 Sundays before or after 4/10. Those days were all fairly cool, but 4/10 was brutally hot, humid and sunny. And there aren't many tree-lined streets on this marathon; it's mostly full sun. I thought I had enough sunscreen, but still got sunburned. There were 900 signed up for the full, but only 699 finishers. I finished at 4:59, and thought I was in the back of the pack, but as it turns out, I finished ahead of over HALF of the other finishers. That tells you what kind of day it was. When I finished at 1:00 p.m., it was 88 degrees at Fair Park. Other than the heat, I really like the Big D. Advantages: it's a small marathon, with a pretty course, tons of parking, and great volunteers and water stations. Disadvantages: lots of hills and it's usually pretty windy in April in DFW, with the potential for some unusual heat (like we had this year).
J. A. from Wylie, Texas (4/20/2011) "Keep your expectations low; train for heat & hills" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Big-D Texas Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 Mellew Productions has, in my experience, consistently under-performed on their events in terms of general race direction and on-course support, especially when compared to other area marathons. They cost less by comparison, though, so you probably get what you pay for. This was my first time at Big D and I ended up having a fair experience overall, mostly because I wasn't expecting too much. Other than the low price, you got an okay event shirt (hope you like a green, cotton, event-logo t-shirt), a decent marathon finisher's shirt this year (white tech-T with blue event logo and finisher lettering) and a Big D finisher medal that is first-class - right down to its fancy custom ribbon. Packet pick-up is easy enough, but don't expect any goodie bag swag. Your swag comprises exactly four safety pins. Fair Park as a venue is fine by me. It is easy to get in to via DART or car, has plenty of parking, and is a nice Dallas focal point. They opened up the Tower Building before and after the event, which was really nice, especially for the tables and chairs and the indoor restrooms. Were Mellew to spring for about twice as many porta-potties outside, the race site would have been perfect. The food and hydration offerings pre-event were minimal but likely adequate. There was no real segregation of the start area, the spectator area or the pre-race hydration area. Everything was just jammed in on top of the other, a few dozen yards from the starting gate. This left just about all runners moving through a chaotic crowd of bystanders and volunteers just to funnel into and through at the start. I have always been warned about this being a "hot" event, so I came with plenty of gels, electrolyte replacements via my own fuel and hydration belt. For early April, by my take, the event start time is likely okay if you are doing the half, but still will be fairly hot. It is about an hour late if you are doing the marathon. I was loaded down like a pack mule with supplies but still used or handed out everything I brought with me, especially seeing so many cramped up runners in trouble in the last few miles of the course. This year the finishing temps were climbing into the 90's, with lots of humidity, and wind on top of that. The problem with a Mellew event is that they typically underperform in terms of support on course, in my experience. This is the second consecutive event of theirs that I have done where they had aid stations on course that were not properly located (as per their advertised map location), that ran out of supplies, or that were shut down early with lots of runners still on course. There were two of the stations on course that runners noted to have ice, including (thank you, Jeebus) the last one. With event temps and conditions being what they were, there should have been many more, especially with so many runners finishing in the 4-plus hour range (only 62 of the 714 marathon runners finished in less than 4 hours.) The marathon course is a lot hillier than Mellew portrays and ends up surprising a lot of runners. There were plenty of people in the 5-hour finish range who were already walking by mile 20, and the majority were long since walking in the 5-plus hour range when I was finishing. It is not a closed course around the lake so there is plenty of interaction (distraction) with other pedestrians, runners and cyclists. During my 5-plus hours on the course, I noticed hardly any spectators, mostly just other runners and cyclists around the lake, or people just trying to go about their day back in the neighborhoods. The traffic control in my experience on course was excellent. The finish line is tucked in behind and beside a building, making for a majorly uninspired visual when you turn a blind corner and it appears a short stretch in front of you. The race announcer does a great job of calling out the finishers, and you will likely hear your name as you are being congratulated across the finish line. The post event offerings were pretty sparse, but there was water and (surprisingly) pizza when I came through, along with the Tower Building and its tables and chairs to enjoy them out of the sun. Would I do this event again? Probably not. The course, with its hills, is going to be challenging, which I like. Unfortunately, it is in all likelihood going to be hot, exceedingly windy and poorly supported, which I don't like. Now that I have a Big D medal, I think I'm good. In terms of other Mellew Productions events, this will most likely be my last one as well. They don't work nearly hard enough at safeguarding the runners on course, and then have nothing to say afterward when the complaints inevitably begin to stack up. If you choose to do it, just be ready and realistic. I would say unless you are really fast, definitely bring most of your own support, plan to take it easy if it is going to be hot, and don't expect too much of Mellew Productions. If you are good with this, you can still manage to finesse a decent event out of one that clearly needs a lot of work.
A. R. from Dallas, TX (4/14/2011) "Tough Race" (about: 2011) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Big-D Texas Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This is a tough course with minimal fan support. The course is hilly and doesn't take runners through the best of Dallas. The volunteers working the aid stations and Dallas Police are great. The race starts too late (8 a.m.) for Dallas April weather.
T. F. from Pottsboro, Texas (4/13/2011) "Very difficult day for Big D 2011" (about: 2011) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Big-D Texas Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I'm sure everyone would agree with me that the conditions on Sunday, April 10th for the Big D Marathon were brutal. Very windy, hot and humid! I had trained very hard for the full marathon and had been running good times up until the race. Came in with a sinus infection, yet ran well for the first half around 1:56:40; but about MM 15 everything changed. Got light headed and dizzy. Kept hydrated the whole time but just overheated. Wound up walking about 3-4 miles coming in for a whopping 4:47! Very discouraging, but I'm not the only one who had difficulties. I was very ill the rest of the day! People were getting overheated and very ill by the time they finished... if they were lucky to finish! Medical tent at finish line was full of people! Hope everyone is ok after this run.
M. O. from Dallas, TX (4/11/2011) "Needs to start earlier" (about: 2011) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Big-D Texas Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I ran the half at Big D last year and had a great time so I decided to go for the full this year. It turned out to be awful due to the heat wave that made the temps 10-15 degrees above normal for this time of year. If the race would start at 7 a.m., it would be much better for years like this where it is just too hot and humid to run a full marathon and get a good time or even have a good time. Pros: adequate parking, pre-race fruit, most of the course is very beautiful, great volunteers at aid stations, spectators were encouraging, lots of post-race food, great finisher's shirt and medal, and the last couple of aid stations had ice. Cons: starts too late for April in TX, did not see mile markers for 24 or 25, aid stations weer not spaced at good distances (ex: aid stations one mile apart then no aid station for 2.3 miles), not nearly enough porta-potties at the start, and it was crowded to run on the jogging path by the lake rather than on W. Lawther Rd.

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