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Apr 28, 2024

Knoxville Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Knoxville Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.1

Organization 4.5

Spectators 3.8

Number of comments: 138 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

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E. H. from Knoxville, TN (4/7/2017) "Local Runner - Love the finish" (about: 2017) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first full. I'd ran around six halfs and felt up to the challenge. I had ran almost every mile of the marathon during my training runs, so I knew what to expect. The KTC is world-class and do their races right. Plenty of stops, scenic course, in-course support, plenty at the end of the race, high quality shirts, medals and finisher's cap...nice expo but would've been nice to have had more shoe and clothing vendors. Awesome race and I'd highly encourage anyone thinking about it to run. Where else are you going to finish at the 50-yard line at the heart of the Vol Nation?
S. P. from PA (4/6/2017) "Half Marathon Rocks" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Knoxville Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 First time doing this race. Everything was great. I am a big UT fan so finishing on the football field was just awesome. Post race food was plentiful. Would recommend this race to anyone. Course was more than fair, only noticed one hill at mile 7.
J. B. from TN (4/2/2017) "great marathon for all paced finishers" (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons \| 2 Knoxville Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran this marathon in 2010 and it started raining... and pouring! I was not excited when I finished but I had fun cheering for everyone in the rain as we slogged along to Neyland Stadium, not thinking I would ever return to Knoxville. Fast forward to 2017 and I have actually lived in Knoxville for the past 6 years, having met my husband that weekend I ran in 2010. We have volunteered to help with goody bags, registration, etc. every year since I ran it. This year we paced it at 5:45 and had a ton of fun. The neighborhoods cheering was great, loved some of the signs (I think my favorite this year was 'run like there is a hot guy in front of you and a creepy guy behind you' and my husband liked one that said 'Chuck Norris never ran a marathon'). Packet pick up was organized, it was easy to park and get to the starting line, the marathon was super fun (nice course with great scenery, mostly loops rather than out and back where you cross each other - there is one part at the end but by then I am having too much fun cheering louder than the spectators). Honestly, the BEST part? That there is FOOD at the end for EVERYONE!!! I have done over 50 marathons/ultras/etc. and sometimes if you finish after 4 hours there is no food! It is super sad to come to the finish line and have a few beans at the bottom of a pot of soup or the crust of someone else's pizza. Here there were piles of food, delicious ice slushie thingies from Rita's, etc. Domino's hooked it up with full pizzas for some of us since there was so much food! YAY Knoxville Domino's! I would recommend this marathon for anyone of any pace. We look forward to future Knoxville marathons. Great job Jason and everyone for a fabulous marathon experience. :)
Chuck in Cincinnati from Milford, Ohio (4/5/2016) "Pleasant Spring Surprise !" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Knoxville Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Fun race ! Pretty City, nice spring color. Marathon number 37 for me, 25 states done. I like doing marathons for runner organized by runners. Knoxville does a great job for their marathon. I enjoyed it. Nice varied course throughout. River crossings, beautiful neighborhoods, lots of music. Great, well stocked, water stops although short (2 or 3 tables), plenty of port-o-lets, nice sized expo. This marathon is on the quiet side, compared to some I've been to, but I dont need screaming folks to keep me moving. Im not a fan of out and back portions, so after coming off the highway section, and passing the 21 mile mark, just to see the 23 mile mark across the street I thought this is going to suck, but was then pleasantly surprised at the loop around the nice neighborhood at the end of the out and back. Coming back across the river, and smelling the BBQ of Calhouns on the river was nice, then running thru Market Square downtown was nice. Hilly? not the worst, not the easiest, Atlanta marathon seemed harder to me, than this marathon? Lot of slow rollers, and the two hills that would get the heart pumping, were a two stage hill with a break in the middle, So they were not as bad as I thought they'd be. I will admit though, I really noticed the down hill knee killer at mile 25.5, before the last up to enter the stadium. The after run indoor food spread was better than a lot of marathons I've been to, so that was enjoyable. Shuttle service back to the start if needed. All in all. Knoxville does a great job on this race! Keep up the wonderful work !
R. B. from Pittsburgh, PA (4/4/2016) "Well Organized Hilly Marathon" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Knoxville Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Had a great experience at the Knoxville Marathon. Expo though under attended, was well organized and had plenty of vendors. That organization carried over into the entire race experience. Race morning provided plenty of free parking. You had your choice of parking by the start or finish at no charge. We chose to park in the Neyland Stadium lot right outside the gate in which we exited after the race. Id have to say for a city race, this was one of the smoother race mornings. I believe we arrived just 50 minutes before the start of the race and had zero issues. After walking a few short blocks from the parking lot to the start line, I had a seat on a sidewalk while I waited for the gun. The race did have four corrals which made it easy to enter the start line. No staggered start, which was the right move for a race of this size. Course was excellent. Going into this race, I knew it would be hilly from reviews on this course and speaking to people that have run the race before. As soon as you cross the start line you run up a short, but steep hill. This would set the tone for what the next 13 miles or so would look like. The support in the first half was excellent. Residents of the neighborhoods we ran through were excited to see the runners. It appears to be a party along the course. The second half of the course was less challenging than the first. It still contained a few very short steep hills, but nothing compared to the first half. I really loved the course including the wealthy neighborhoods in the first half, the downtown stretch around mile 25 through market square and the finish on the 50 yard line of Neyland Stadium, to name a few. After the finish, the race held a VIP room with food and goodies for marathon finishers only. Id have to say this was excellent. This room contained chocolate milk, pizza, Ritas italian ice along with other snacks. I believe the half marathon finishers had their own separate area up in the concourse. Medal was nice, the participant shirt is one of my new favorites and the finishers hat was a nice touch. Do your hill training (lots of it) and sign up for this race next year.
S. K. from Rancho Palos Verdes, CA (4/1/2015) "Hilly course, fun town, easy to walk everywhere" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Ran Knoxville Marathon in 2015, and the weather was perfect. 28 degrees at the start, clear skies. The first 12 miles have a couple of hills, and run through some beautiful neighborhoods and bike paths. Miles 13-19 were not in the best parts of town. Mile 19.5-20 was on the shoulder of the open freeway/bridge, miles 21-26, were very nice scenery-wise and flat too except for one hill. Overall, it was a lovely marathon, with some challenging hills and the aid stations stayed open the entire 7 hours. They also offered 3 different flavors of Powerade, which was a nice touch. The finish line is in the VOLS stadium, but the end zone was not painted the famous orange & white checkerboard, which was disappointing. Wish they could have painted even a small portion for pictures. The medal was nice, but on the small side. The host hotel (Holiday Inn) was next to the start, and the finish line was about 3/4 of a mile away.
K. Z. from NC (3/30/2015) "Scenic, Hilly, beautiful, well-organized race!" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Knoxville Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race is amazing! Possibly my favorite marathon-had a blast. PROS: -Wait for start inside where it's warm and there are bathrooms -Start line in front of iconic Sun sphere (you can ride elevator to top and see whole city)! -Plenty of water stops with gatorade, GU, fruit, granola bars -Tons of crowd support-not even one rude person all day -Great traffic control and course markings -Course features running over the Tennessee River, scenic neighborhoods like Sequoyah Hills and Island Home Park,University of Tenn., Basketball Hall of fame, market square and more! Party all the way up Noelton st (big hill climb) -Lots of bands -Pacing groups -Stadium finish on 50 yard line of Neyland Stadium with name called out -Cool finisher medal and hat -Post race food-a smorgasbord of food-including Italian ice and entire pizzas (separate from the half marathon food) -Shuttle offered back to start line so you don't have walk the 3-4 blocks CONS: None (if you do your hill training!)
D. E. from Hendersonville, TN (4/13/2014) "Challenging course for a first full marathon." (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Knoxville Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first full marathon. I had read good reviews online regarding the community support for this race prior to signing up for it. I also noted that most reviews commented on the hilly terrain. Well, it IS close to the Appalachians. The reviews did not lie. The course was up and down for 26.2 miles and covered all of Knoxville...ALL of Knoxville. It was great. The first half moved along quickly as there were 3X as many half-marathoners as there were full marathoners but after the split, it was a little lonely. The first half was fully supported-bands, spectators & lots of them, water and aid stations, porta potties, and maybe this is why the 2nd half felt like I was running through a ghost town. I felt like the course was well-marked. I NEVER feared for my personal safety (as some runners have commented in the past) or my health. This course has an AWESOME finish in Neyland Stadium (of course you have to climb one more hill!)!! Not much can compare to running down that hill and out onto the middle of the field while hearing your name announced on the loudspeaker. It is an experience I will always remember. VERY nice medal, as it should be because it was a TOUGH course. Not one that I would recommend for a first marathon unless you happen to live and train in TN or similar terrain....which I do, fortunately.
J. H. from Tennessee (4/9/2014) "Wonderful experience- definitely recommend" (about: 2014) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Knoxville Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my hometown marathon, so I'm a bit biased; however, I have run another marathon and this one takes the cake! Spectators: I ran the half in 2013 and was very impressed with the amount of spectators. Running the full in 2014, there were fewer spectators out but still an abundance of support. Compared to last year, the weather was a bit cooler so I blame that. Course: AWESOME! Sun Sphere, UT campus, Sequoyah Hills neighborhood, greenway trails, historic 4th and Gill, The Old City, Gay Street, Market Square, and Neyland Stadium- the absolute best of downtown Knoxville! My family and friends were able to walk to several different areas and watch me throughout the race and still make it back in time to watch me finish in Neyland Stadium. The course has a few hills- train properly and you'll be fine. Support: plenty of water/sports drink stations with music, fruit, and Gu galore. Gu stations were as advertised on the website as far as location goes. Pace group: I ran with 4:45 pace group and had THE BEST experience. My pacer was encouraging, knew the course very well, made sure we were fueling properly, and also ensured we made our goal times. I will never run another marathon without a pace group after this experience. If you're on the fence, do it. You won't regret it.
J. S. from Ohio (4/4/2014) "Hilly, but the finish is worth it!" (about: 2014) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Knoxville Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Had a great time at the Knoxville Marathon last weekend. It was a challenging course - I underestimated how hilly it is - there are only a few hills in the race that are truly challenging, but the hills are never-ending. Even small hills are challenging after 26 miles! (And yes, the 26th mile is even uphill.) Pros: 1) Very well organized, with tons of water stops and gel stops. (There were at least 4-5 gel stops.) 2) A nice sized expo, considering the small size of the race. 3) Small enough that it was incredibly easy to get around on race day. We stayed at a hotel a few miles north of town, and it still only took us a few minutes to get into the downtown area and park. 4) Warm bathrooms!!! The start is right next to the Convention Center, so it was easy to stay warm until just a few minutes before the gun went off. Plus, no cold porta-potties before the race! 5) The ending was fabulous. It ended on the 50-yard line of the stadium. Very pretty, very neat. Also, the post-race food and goodies were inside, in several different large rooms in the stadium concourse. Plenty of indoor seating and great food for after the race. It was nice to sit with other runners and chat afterwards, instead of shivering in a mylar blanket outside while trying to stay warm and gulp down food. Cons 1) The only con is that I was disappointed with the number of people out cheering. There were tons of bands, which was fabulous, but surprisingly long stretches with no spectators. It's a great race - I hope Knoxville can convince more people to join the fun!

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