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Vancouver International Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Vancouver International Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 3.6 
Spectators 3.9
Number of comments: 227 [displaying comments 171 to 181]
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Michael Jardine from Seattle, Washington
(7/31/2003)
 "Most beautiful city in North America" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I ran the full last year (2002) and the half this year (2003). The course is great ? I actually like the half course better because it takes in all of the best of the full course (Gas Town, Chinatown, downtown, Stanley Park, two separate waterfronts) without the long out-and-back. I agree with people who say they should keep the bridges and the big hill at Stanley Park. That hill is the only significant hill on the entire course, and is shorter even than the one in San Diego, which is considered to be a ?fast? course. My only complaint about the bridges (on the full course) is the LAST one: at about mile 25, the course looped under the bridge then made a steep climb up to the bridge, then went up and over it ? ugh! One of the things I like about running in Vancouver is the accessibility of the city to the course. Both times I stayed at wonderful hotels within walking distance of the course, with wonderful views. What a city! Great crowds for both races. By the way, both the full and half courses were personal bests for me. I think the cool weather had a lot to do with that. Will have to try Victoria next? | |
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Geoff Martin from Winnipeg,Canada.
(7/14/2003)
 "Fantastic race" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 You guys put on a great event. Coming from flat Winnipeg, all we heard about were the hills. What hills? Mountains, snow-covered peaks, water, huge trees, great looking women. It does not get better then this. Running in the rain was novel for our group. We all exceeded our expectations, and all had so much energy it was unreal. I found running the hill in Stanley Park surreal. With the rain and the heat from the runners bodies, the road up to Prospect Point was misty: very surreal. We appreciated the music on the course, and the wonderful folks at the water stations. Being wet all day, these folks cheered like hell for us - thanks. I should also say a big thanks to the wonderful group from the Edmonton Running Room - you guys rock. The only thing that needs to be looked at is the recovery area; it took far too long to get your dry stuff, but the hot soup was very much appreciated. This was my 32nd marathon, and I enjoyed it the most. Vancouver, you have a wonderful city and a wonderful marathon. As Arnold said: 'We'll be back'. | |
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S. M. from Vancouver Canada
(7/9/2003)
"Kilometer Marks Were Missing?" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I ran this marathon in 2001 and two half-marathons in 2002 and 2003. The course is nice, but it could nicer. Too many bridge crossings. Also there was a train crossing, so some people had to wait few minutes. The biggest disappointment for me was the kilometer marks were missing this year. This is an internatioanal marathon, and don't expect for all the runners to train using the mile marks. This is Canada, not USA, and we have kilometer marks everywhere on roads. I am not going to run either race next year unless this is not fixed. Spectators were amazing, like every year. | |
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Kevin Allen from London, England
(6/29/2003)
 "Weather?" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 Last year I ran the half-marathon in Vancouver, so I knew fully well what to expect of the marathon. The course is flat-ish for the first half, and then you have the famous hill in Stanley Park, which is a little bit of a killer. Then on the way out towards kits, there are some long undulations, but it's easier on the way back than on the way out to the turn around point. As for the weather, as usual the gods weren't very kind to us, as it was raining at the start. During the second half of the marathon, though, the sun did pop its head out of the clouds. I think that the actual location of the marathon start and finish needs to be reconsidered, as it's hard to get in and out of the hall at the Plaza of Nations. I finished in 3:22:13, which wasn't that bad, considering that it was my second marathon in 21 days :D. | |
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T. L. from Toronto, Ontario
(6/27/2003)
"I did it for the FINISHER shirt" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Now that I have had a few months to reflect on my first marathon in Vancouver, I have to say that I loved it. The weather sucked, and I was cold and wet the whole time, but the crowds were great, and the hills only made it better (though not at the time). A must-run for anyone, and I can't wait to do it again. My favorite part: the FINISHER shirt. | |
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Orlando Taylor from London, England
(6/12/2003)
"Wet " (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I trained for this through a very cold winter in NYC, so the weather did not bother me to much, but it did rain a lot. The course was not as flat as the blurb on the website would lead you to believe, but the miles through the park easily compensate. I ran London last year and the crowd support was incredible, so I found I was a bit disappointed at this race, as there were long stretchs of no support at all. (Maybe the weather had something to do with that?). However, I only had one aim, and that was to break 4 hours. I got 3:58, and I still think Vancouver is one of the best cities to visit. If you like lots of running space and are good without crowds, then this is a great race. | |
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J. R. from Houston, Texas
(6/8/2003)
 "Wet and cold, but a nice run" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This is my third marathon, and it was a good experience in that I'd never run in a cold rain before. The expo was not as good as at the other two marathons I've run, and the collection area after the race was chaos. Other than that, I appreciated the great police support, the good volunteers, and the fantastic spectators. Course was nice, but I wish the weather was as nice as the following day. Not enough port-a-potties at the start, but there were plenty on the course. Overall, I enjoyed it. | |
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Russ Thurman from Seattle, USA
(5/10/2003)
"Fun course, not really that hilly" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 While there is one notable hill between mile 13 and 14, it was followed by a long gradual downhill which gave you time to fully recover and make back lost time. Other than that, there were some bridges and rolling hills, but less than the average marathon. The loopy course brought the spectators together making it seem like there were huge crowds. Some U.S. bashing going on, though that was the exception. Most spectators were enthusiastic and the volunteers were as good as at any race I have run. The expo sucked and there were not enough toilets at the start, but I bet they fix that and who cares anyway. Overall, I would put it on the 'should run' list, especially if you are looking for a spring race. | |
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F. C. from Oak Ridge, TN
(5/10/2003)
"end of race problem" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 The course was beautiful and relatively fast, but at the end of the race, all runners that wanted to pick up their race shirts had to enter Enterprise Hall. Along with this, runners wanting to pick up stored gear also had to enter (5,000 runners plus family and friends in a small area created utter chaos!!!). In addition, if you entered Enterprise Hall to get out of the rain and cold and did not get a drink or something to eat, TOO BAD!!! No re-entry!!! To alleviate some of the problems, shirts could have been given out with packet pick-up. Also, a tent area could have been set up outside to greet family and friends. | |
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M. D. from Calgary, Canada
(5/8/2003)
 "Wow! What a great experience" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Just wanted to say "thank you" to all the spectators and the organizers of the race. I had a great time for a first-time runner and would come back again to do the race. Thank you! Michelle |
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