May 11, 2024
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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 71 to 81]
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S. T. from Washington, USA
(5/7/2007)
 "Scenic course thru a beautiful city and good crowd" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Vancouver International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 A scenic course, great location, and the crowd came out to support despite the rain. Can't complain too much. I also really enjoyed the luxury of being able to stay indoor in the stadium and relax a little before the race. Free bus transportation between hotels and start/finish areas. Volunteers were great and friendly. I had a terrific time! | |
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M. C. from Clinton, Washington
(5/7/2007)
 "Room for Improvement" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I liked this race; it just has a lot of room for improvement. I thought by doing a big-city marathon I would have an over the top experience. Everything left me wanting more (better?). The course has too many out-and-backs. There is a lot of Vancouver that you never see on this course. I was looking forward to a tour of the city, but I didn't get much of one. I can't believe that not every mile was marked (or it was marked so poorly that I missed 4 mile markers). I thought it was well organized until I stopped to think about the finisher T-shirt (boring with lots of advertisements), the finisher medal (small and boring with the phrase "full marathon" on it - how about just "marathon"?) and the cost (I thought it was high). There were a lot of spectators, but that did not make up for the other shortcomings. | |
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S. T. from Vancouver, BC Canada
(5/6/2007)
 "Didn't appreciate running through skid row..." (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Vancouver International Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 With all the beautiful areas in Vancouver, you run through skid row.... You can do better than that! | |
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Zora Luckett from Ontario, Canada
(9/28/2006)
 "Excellent course; overall great marathon" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Vancouver International Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I loved this marathon. It was nice and flat. Going through Stanley Park was priceless. | |
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javier romero from mexico
(7/27/2006)
 "very poor" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Vancouver International Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Sorry, but this is the poorest marathon that I've seen: no fans, the expo... what expo? That´s not an expo. In many ways, I saw a lot of people cutting corners and no one caught that. Try to copy Chicago or New York, or else.... | |
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N. H. from USA
(7/17/2006)
"Event wasn't that bad" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Vancouver International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I read other people's comments about this run, and have to say it wasn't THAT bad. There were quite a few positives: Firstly, this is one event that actually allowed you to stay INSIDE a covered stadium before and after the race. I have been to so many runs where I have been standing outside freezing. This race had a very nice stadium for both pre- and post-race activities. Secondly, it was raining and when you checked your gear, they had garbage bags available for you! I have never been to a race where they were considerate enough to offer these to anyone who wanted one. The post-race food had excellent variety and there was plenty of it. Everything went very smoothly in regards to checking in gear, knowing where to start, etc. I was fortunate that at every water station, there was water and sports drink and volunteers offered it to me. They didn't offer gel on the course, but I was happy that they advised you of this ahead of time so you could plan. All in all, I thought it was a good event and even though it rained, it is still a marathon worth running. We took the Sky Train from our hotel, which made getting there and back very easy and convenient. | |
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Evan Riggs from Seattle, Washington
(7/12/2006)
"A decent race" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Vancouver International Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was my second marathon and I was excited to run a big-time marathon in a big city after competing in a smaller one (Whidbey Island, WA). The course was good, and running through Stanley Park was definitely my favorite part. Having the park located between miles 13 and 18 was perfect, as that can be a time in the race that can be mentally draining. It was definitely more hilly than advertised. I would recommend being prepared for that. The weather was a negative, as it seemed to keep away many spectators. The course also went through some of the more sketchy areas of town, and at mile 5 or so I even witnessed an attempted car theft, which to say the least, was a little bit distracting to have officers tackling a guy while he is spinning a car in circles 10 feet from the course. The race also had a ton of out-and-back portions. I think Vancouver is a big enough city to where those are not needed. I am undecided as to whether or not I will be running again next year. This race shows a lot of potential, so I feel like it will be much improved. | |
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R. S. from Vancouver, BC
(6/14/2006)
 "I say bring on the competition!" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Vancouver International Marathons
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Considering how scared the organizers are of another marathon coming to Vancouver, you'd think this event would have been improved upon. Room to improve? Yes: -Course (need more scenery, less East Van) -Expo (where to begin) -Promotion (barely any crowd support) -T-shirts (cotton long? yuck. Furthermore, why can't the shirts be picked up at the expo?) -Finisher's area (like a gated prison with lines everywhere, and we had to wait in an air lock for 5 very long minutes, starving and nauseous, just to get into BC Place) -Finisher's food (less bananas, more hot food) -Finisher medals are small and ugly. I've run the marathon and half 4 times, but this was my last. I understand that Devine Racing would like to organize an event here, so I say bring on the competition! | |
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T. T. from Vancouver, BC
(6/11/2006)
"It must have been a bad year" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 First of all, huge thanks to all the volunteers and spectators who did come out - it wasn't a really bad day to run (cool and eventually stopped raining) but it was terrible for handing out water and cheering. Second, can the course get changed? There are some beautiful areas of the city that could be part of this run instead of the out-and-backs (boo!), and the scary parts of downtown. Otherwise, it was fine. I carried my own water and didn't care about mile markers, as I am not a fast runner looking for a qualifier. Just there to have fun! | |
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A. H. from Denver, CO, USA
(6/3/2006)
"The rain wasn't the only problem" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Vancouver International Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I ran Vancouver for the first time last year (2005). I went back home and told people in my running club that it was one of the best organized I had ever run. I am glad none of them came this year! This seemed more like a first time marathon rather than one that has been going for decades. Did they change the organizers as well as the leading sponsor? The Expo was a disappointment. I don't mind paying the price for souvenirs (T-shirts, mugs...) but $2.50 for a cheesy window sticker?? The number of and selection of vendors was sparse and strange. I am not sure what a couple of them were doing at a marathon expo. I think I got 4 free samples of product in the entire thing. The start was confused - maybe due to the weather. The eventual winner showed up 1 minute before the start and got to start dry as well as in the front. Maybe they should figure how to accommodate the rest of the field a little better in rain. It does happen now and again in May in Vancouver. There were not nearly as many natives to cheer us on this year. I can't blame them. I would probably have stayed home in the weather if I hadn't been running. The volunteers were great. Some of them were a little confused about the order at the water stations but I think we got through that. As far as the problems this year - maybe the organizers should encourage the competition of the RNR group doing a Fall marathon. If they do it better, it will be good for the city and challenge the BMO organizers to get back on track. If they don't present a world class event, the BMO organizers can justify this year's fiasco. |
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