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May 16, 2024

Grand Rapids Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Grand Rapids Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.5

Organization 4.9

Spectators 4.0

Number of comments: 329 [displaying comments 261 to 271]

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P. D. from Cleveland, Ohio (10/29/2007) "Fantastic marathon, one of the best" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grand Rapids Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I picked Grand Rapids because it was on my 60th Birthday. Some of my running buddies who'd also run Chicago, came along to enjoy a really cool marathon. We got our wish. The weather was frosty at the start and stayed below 50. The course is mainly on asphalt trails in the Grand Rapids metro-park system. Because there are many out-and-back loops there were a few spots where it was a bit congested. On the other hand, it was also fun seeing your buddies at multiple places on the course. That made up for the lack of spectators. My buddies emailed the race director to get me bib 60. Sweet. As instructed in the race directions, I dropped off a bottle of beer (Great Lakes Brewery Nosferatu Ale) for the race director. Post race food included chili, hot dogs and free beer. Runners got a tasteful long sleeved technical T-shirt and a big, chunky medal. It's a fast course. There were a few grades in the early miles but nothing hard. Our group scored two BQs, 4 PRs and 3 second best times. The pace groups are well run and based on the times run by celebrities. I went with Will Ferrell's Sub-4's 3:56:12. I needed 4 hours to BQ on my BD, so this was a perfect time to shoot for. I beat Will by 8 seconds. Highly recommended race.
M. L. from Kildeer, Illinois (10/29/2007) "Flat, but a little crowded at times" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grand Rapids Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Course was flat and scenic (along the river), but some of the paths got very crowded with 2-way traffic, which made pace adjustments necessary. Race was bigger than normal, which might have exasperated the problem. RD did a great job of communicating with the participants - almost too much communication. Overall, if you don't like big, fall marathons (Chicago/Detroit) definitely give this one a look for a BQ.
Rob Klein from Aurora, Colorado (10/28/2007) "A Frosty Marathon" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Grand Rapids Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a well organized race, fairly well laid out, with great fan support. Temperature at or near start time was 31 F (brr). I observed frost on several caps or headbands. It was slow to warm up, with some fog around miles 5 to 7. Still, much of the trail along the Grand River was well shaded from the sun, and just plain cold - but would have been great for summer training runs. Most runners had long-sleeves/pant legs. From about mile 16 to 19 the terrain was elevated and away from the river bed and was sunny and warm. Temperature near mid-day way about 55 and was pleasant for running. But being in the sun made a remarkable difference. Lots of GU, pretzels, fruit, Gummy Bears, Oreos and the like. Thanks to Don and the team in Grand Rapids for still putting together a great marathon event.
M. T. from Dearborn, MI (7/17/2007) "Great flat race" (about: 2005) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Grand Rapids Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon. I cannot think of a better place than Grand Rapids if you want a PR or you are trying to qualify for Boston.
J. K. from Gladstone, Michigan (11/6/2006) "Don Kern rocks" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grand Rapids Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Don is by far the most enthusiastic and energetic race director I have ever come across. His weekly motivational emails to participants were great, sense of humor within the website info was fun, and it is very obvious that he absolutely LOVES being the director of this race. Other race directors could definitely take a page out of his book. I agree with some other posts that it would be nice to incorporate parts of downtown GR into the course (there are really interesting sections of town that would be great to run through). However, Grand Rapids has some pretty serious hills and I can appreciate Don's efforts to provide a flat course for those of us chasing PR's. I think I would prefer a few early hills and cool scenery if it meant taking out a little bit of the trail (it's somewhat uneven on parts and was difficult to find a flat portion to run on) and/or the Millenium Park loop or industrial park out-and-back. This is definitely nit-picking though; the course, as it is, is really nice. I enjoyed being able to see my friend three different times during the race on the out-and-backs and had no problem locating my family/friends at the finish. GREAT THINGS ABOUT GR MARATHON: 1. Race director Don Kern. 2. Parking within steps of the start/finish. 3. AWESOME race shirt. Long-sleeve technical fabric with simple and tasteful design. 4. Brand new YMCA at the start - open and available to runners on race day. 5. Plenty of aid stations and three different GU handouts. 6. Large enough to not feel alone but small enough to have your own running space. 7. VERY clever pace groups! I would highly recommend this race.
J. M. from Medina, OH (11/2/2006) "Nice course, windy day" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grand Rapids Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 There isn't much you can do about the weather, but the race itself was first-class. I was really impressed by the Flickr photographers who took photos throughout the race and then posted them online on the marathon's website within a few hours of the finish. I assume these are amateur photographers. I had never seen that before. It's really unique.
M. B. from Muskegon, MI (11/1/2006) "friendly fall marathon" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Grand Rapids Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is my 8th marathon and second time running GR. It is very pretty. Love the paved trails. Very well organized. The race director is awesome. Last year and this year he has stood and greeted every runner in! The free DVD is a cool bonus to the race. The shirts are awesome and the medals are unique. It is a small marathon with a big heart!
S. B. from Zeeland, Michigan (11/1/2006) "Great Race, All I Expected" (about: 2006) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Grand Rapids Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The 2006 Grand Rapids was my first marathon and it was everything I hoped it would be. Lets start with the course. Being from the area, I knew it would be nice, but it surpassed my expectations. Running through the woods on the paths - next to the river with all of the fall colors - was awesome. The fact that spectators couldn't get back here was not a negative thing at all - just take in the beauty. About the spectators: They were great also. True, they did not have access to much (most) of the course. But, where they had access, they were great. Very supportive, just like I've come to expect from the people of West Michigan. Plus, my wife was able to see me and cheer me on a number of times. What more could I ask? The event was very well organized and how many race directors have the sense of humor of Don? None. The pace groups were a good idea (as we were driving to the race, I finally figured out the Pi group), but didn't seem to work real well. My group was rather inconsistant with their splits and eventually seemed to break up. A friend of mine in a different group experience the same thing. No big deal, though. As I finished my training, I though I would keep my future marathons to the spring, but having done GR, I'm sure that I will be back. Great job!
m. m. from Grand Rapids, MI (11/1/2006) "Great Half Marathon" (about: 2006) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Grand Rapids Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my second year running the race. After running the full last year, I only ran the half this year due to another race on the schedule. The half was great. I really enjoyed the race this year. I think I liked the half better because it was more of a true loop versus running the out-and-backs in the full marathon (due to necessity). The race itself is run very well and is a great smaller size race. I do not need crowd support (at least for a half), so this wasn't an issue for me. Although the crowds were few, they were spaced pretty nicely. Overall, I would definitely recommend this race if you are looking for a small, fast and well-run marathon. The only warning I would have is that, although the course is beautiful, it can be mentally taxing when you are on you third out-and-back section.
L. K. from Indiana (10/31/2006) "Awesome organization and a fast course!" (about: 2006) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Grand Rapids Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Don runs a great marathon. It was a pleasure having him greet all the runners at the finish line; talk about a guy who knows runners! The course was pretty flat and fast. I PR'ed by 16 minutes, even though the wind kept me off an even better pace. The lack of fans wasn't an issue for me because the water stops are so frequent (there must be one about every two miles) that you just run station to station and lap up all the cheers from the volunteers. My only complaints were the wind (out of Don's control), some out-and-backs that turned you back in to the wind and really sapped your energy (miles 16-19), and the camber on the road by the river. None of these would keep me from running it again in the future; it just helps to know they're out there. Thanks again Don; probably the best run race I've been in.

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