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May 20, 2024

Houston Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.5

Organization 4.7

Spectators 4.6

Number of comments: 365 [displaying comments 91 to 101]

More Comments: [ < 1 .. 8 9 10 11 12 .. 37 > ]

H. B. from Holland, MI (3/1/2010) "What a show! Five stars all the way!" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have completed 7 marathons, and this is one of my top 2 favorites. The expo was huge! My family (not runners) even enjoyed themselves at the expo and the race! This was a larger race that felt like a smaller race because it was so well organized. The wave start was great; there was hardly any crowding at the beginning. The course took you through a variety of parks and neighborhoods in the city, and the spectator support was nonstop! (Only con: It was not easy for spectators to get around.) There was lots of fruit on the course and plenty of fluids. Lots of entertainment on the course. The course was flat - the only grade could really be felt as you cross bridges. There are a million reasons (all good) why Houston was selected to host the 2012 Olympic Trials. The goodies were appreciated. Great after party, with lots of food if you are up for breakfast after the race. Nice, nice job!!!
M. R. from Baltimore, MD (1/30/2010) "My favorite so far." (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The crowd support that people write about is on point. I think that I counted over 15 families that had cut up oranges and bananas along the way. If you for get your GU/PowerGel, no worries! The organization of this marathon was absolutely the best I've seen (compared to Baltimore, Twin Cities, Myrtle Beach, National Marathon). The expo was cool and the vendors were all very helpful and friendly. A few of the Under Armour attendants acted like they didn't want to be there and could take a lesson from those performing the same gig at the Baltimore Running Festival. The course was really good. It starts off with more of an incline than you expect from the elevation chart, which is surprising, and the overpass somewhere along 15 or 16 was kind of brutal, but for the most part it is flat as billed and should be a PR course if the weather cooperates. After running the full, it is easy to see why this race sold out in 60 hours. I will definitely run it again.
J. G. from Kansas City, MO (1/25/2010) "Always a great experience" (about: 2010) 3 previous marathons \| 3 Houston Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my 4th Houston event (3 marathons, one half), and all have been excellent. I continue to be completely impressed with the organization that this race provides through the entire process. Packet pickup was quick and easy. Found plenty of porta-potties at the start and had only a brief wait (especially fast after the first wave started). The course is interesting, with lots of fans and music, and the volunteers are excellent. Post-race was equally good, with fast lines to get finisher's merchandise and to get food. I've been really pleased with the food: bagels, bread, eggs, sausage, yogurt, etc. All good! I keep coming back to Houston time after time because it continues to be excellent every time without fail.
F. M. from Corpus Christi, Texas (1/23/2010) "My 1st Marathon - Great Experience!" (about: 2010) First Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Let me preface this by saying that I have run small and large half marathons (S.A. Rock 'n' Roll being the largest), but this was my first marathon. I chose it because of the crowd support that I had heard so much about and it was right on the money! I picked up my packet on Friday around 1 p.m., and it was very organized and I didn't have to wait hardly any time. I don't think the expo is as good as San Antonio, though. You got a lot more free stuff in S.A. and a lot more variety of vendors. This one had too many vendors with the same stuff. As for the race, I thought it was very organized, although I didn't intend to start with such slow runners/walkers. It took about 3 miles to get on pace, so make sure you know where to place yourself. The course is flat with LOTS of crowd support the whole way. People hand out everything, and thank you to the smart spectators who hand out tissues. My pace was around 10:30 and I didn't have any problems with getting water or Gatorade at any station. At the end of the race, I would have preferred to get my medal before the pictures. They didn't give you a medal until you passed the picture station and I never found another one in the recovery area. I would have liked to get bottled water and Gatorade right at the end, but I just found cups of water. I didn't eat any post-race food because my stomach was so queasy. I finished in 4:44 and there were no lines for finisher's merchandise. I was pleased that they had women's cut finisher's shirts and still had my size left. The finisher shirt, medal, and mug were great. Overall, it was a great experience. I recommend staying in a hotel downtown so you can walk to the start and then take a pedi-cab back to your room.
AVERY STOKES from Baton Rouge, Louisiana (1/22/2010) "GREAT EXPERIENCE" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Everything was great, from the beginning to the end. The course was flat, as mentioned; the organization was excellent; and the fan support was great and motivating. Looking forward to next year. Only problem I had was parking.
M. A. from Michigan (1/20/2010) "Wow, what a well organized race." (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is the biggest and best organized race I have ever run. I did not wait in any lines for more than a few minutes beginning at the expo. Waiting in the port-a-can lines never took more than 5-10 minutes. Good crowd support - a lot of friendly people giving encouragement as well as handing out oranges, etc. The number of water stops was good. Picking up of the drop-off bags was so well organized that I couldn't believe it. There were numbered shelves and it took one second for a volunteer to find your bag and return it to you. The line to pick up the finisher's shirt and mug took a matter of a few minutes. A nice variety of food was offered post-race. There weren't any lines there either. Nice finisher shirt and beer mug. In the corral at the start of race, I couldn't see a pace group to figure out more precisely where I should place myself. I did see a few faster pace groups (in the 3-hour range) in the front. Well, I knew not to get too close to that group anyway. Thanks to the incredible volunteers and the race organizers!
Joe MiddleAgedAthlete from Austin, TX (1/20/2010) "Great Race Experience" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 6th marathon and by far the most fun (a PR helps). Course is flat and fast. Plenty of fluid stations. I thought I encountered a few "rude" runners who seemed like they were trying to cut me off, but I might have just been imagining that. Houston weather in January is a crapshoot, but this year it was pretty perfect. The high humidity was of little consequence due to the temperature being in the low 40s at the start. The potential is always there for a warm day, however, so I think we just got lucky. I am not a big fan of Houston as a city, but I will definitely try to run the marathon there again someday. Congrats to the organizers - you did a great job!
A. R. from New York (1/19/2010) "Excellent organization" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I've run NY, Boston and Twin Cities, as well as numerous triathlons. The organization in Houston - from the expo, to the start line, the potties, the course marshals, medics on bikes, aid stations all the way to the finish line, medal, t-shirts and family reunion area - was exceptional. A first-class job. Only negatives would be that the course is a bit dull and there is a wicked camber on the roads, something like 2 feet in height between the median and the curb. Felt like I was running on a banked track; I am sure one leg is now shorter than the other!
D. H. from Southfield, Michigan (1/19/2010) "Top Marathon" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Houston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Houston Marathon has to be a top-3 race in the country. That is why it sells out within 1-2 days. The only suggestion for race organizers: The full marathon medal should be larger/better than the half marathon medal.
A. G. from Boston MA (1/19/2010) "Simply terrific organization" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Really a faultless organizational exercise. You will have nothing to complain about.

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