Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Apr 27, 2024

Houston Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Houston Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.5

Organization 4.7

Spectators 4.6

Number of comments: 365 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 37 > ]

Brian Baker from Boise, Idaho (1/24/2019) "Best run race in the country." (about: 2019) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have to admit I was thinking the course wasn't going to be that pretty, having seen the half broadcast on TV. But it was a great course and the tree lined streets in the burbs were beautiful. Lots of pockets of crowd support too. Where there weren't people they lined the parkway with speakers playing music for a couple of miles. Nice touch. Only one little industrial area for the out and back at the half way point. You get to see other runners rather than scenery. I was most impressed with the organization, plus being able to finish in the convention center on a cold day was great! They had hot breakfast sandwiches and coffee too. This is hands down the best organized and operated marathon I have ever run. And I have done plenty.
Jeff Wang from Humble, Texas (1/20/2019) "Superb race on a beautiful chilly day" (about: 2019) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Houston Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Just finished another Houston Marathon, and I again applause the superb organization of Houston Marathon committee and organizer. It was smoothly ran despite of potentially harsh weather, and it was a good experience. This year's race is one of the coolest in past 10 years, at 33 degrees starting temp. The wait to start took a bit longer than my liking, given the cold weather and wind chill factor. In my opinion, they could speed up the starting even with the corral system. On the other hand, once you started running, the cold weather isn't so bad. The course takes you through inner part of Houston, mostly on asphalt. The city can certain patch up certain area of road, but most of the road are 3 lanes, plenty of space for runner to spread out. There are like 6 or 7 up and down, so relative flat. Lots of ports potty and lots of water and Gatorade stations. There are also 2 or 3 Gu station and a beer truck. Finish was nice with a good Texas shaped medal as well as a finisher shirt and a mug. Warm breakfast this year is a sandwich, not a filling as before, but lots of other stuffs like chocolate milk and ice cream sandwich. Expos was also well organized and lots of stands. All in all, a very well organized weekend. Look forward to next year!
S. L. from chicagoland (2/4/2018) "Hands down you cannot beat Houston" (about: 2016) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I chose Houston as my first marathon because I wanted a 'go big or go home race' to keep me interested & motivated. I was thrilled that it was all that and a bag of chips. If you want to run a race that will keep you motivated and having fun the whole time, Houston is that race. I loved the course and I can't tell you how awesome the crowd support is!!! The sheer number of spectators and volunteers that turn out is awe inspiring. Houston is a fantastic city and I only wish I had more time to stop and sightsee longer. If I could run this race every year I would. I'm hoping to make it back again and give it two enthusiastic thumbs up. Thanks to everyone who makes the magic happen! Y'all are numero uno in my book!
L. P. from TX-Texas (1/19/2018) "My once a year must do marathon" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Houston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What a great day to run with awesome weather! This was my 12th consecutive Houston marathon. This race keeps getting better each year. I really appreciate how they work on improving race day logistics to accommodate the runners. From the course change a few years back, the finish line chute, the morning corral flow and post race inside GRB all have been improved. The new medal is a bi
Jeff Schultz from Fort Worth, TX (1/18/2018) "Overall very well organized" (about: 2018) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Overall the best organized race/ marathon, that I ever participated. I was very impressed with the number of porta-poties available, especially within the starting coral so you don't have to go once you actually start. I was impressed with the app, real time streaming of my projected position. My family used that to see where I was and met me on the course. They showed where it had also sent them pictures of me during the race, which was neat. After the race was great. Got to have a massage and breakfast. The one thing that could have been better was the start in the last coral D. It was impossible to get in the queue where your projected pace was. (I realize with 27k runners, this is difficult to implement). Another big issues was that after about 30 minutes, we started moving towards the start, so I presumed we would get to keep going as in other large marathons I have run. At that point I took off and got rid of my through away sweats. Only we moved only a few minutes and then stopped, which happened repeatedly. That's when I was really cold, up until we finally got to run. They could have exerted more control over staggering the coral starts to have avoided the starting and stopping. They do have a 6 hour cut-off time. This probably has a lot to do with why only about 7k marathoners finished out of a 27k event (including the half). As I was leaving, I saw people still running, but the finish line was closed and fenced off. So I think probably many were not allowed to finish.
F. B. from Texas (1/16/2018) "Very good race" (about: 2018) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Picked this race because of the course. It lived up to its billing as 'flat'. There was a small hill at mile 13. Also, there were a few rollers over the last 4 miles and they did slow me down but had they come earlier in the race probably wouldn't have even noticed. The weather was absolutely perfect: 35 degrees and clear at the start with no humidity and virtually no wind. Definitely a PB or BQ type of course with the right weather. Other stuff that I don't really care about but know that others do: Expo was well run- seemed to have everything an expo should. Organization- extremely smooth. Corrals made it easy to get up to speed right away despite the large number of runners. Crowd support- actually the best of any marathon I've run. Post race- seemed ok. I really didn't participate as I had to check out of my hotel Swag- T shirt was terrible as was finishers T. Nice mug however. All in all a great marathon. Would highly recommend.
Jeff wang from Humble, Texas (1/14/2018) "Cold race" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Houston Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is my 17th Houston marathon, and it was one of the two coldest race I have ever ran here (and elsewhere). Unlike last year when it was humid and hot, Houston Marathon started in mid to lion 30's this year and stayed a comfortable low 50's with sun. It was a great day to run here. Again, my kudos to the organizers and sponsors of this race. The Expos is expanded this year and well organized. Fencing and security around GRB was fine. Corral system, with 4 corrals, each taking 10 minutes was ok, esp for the number of runners. GRB Convention center was open to keep runners from freezing, and there were so many portapotty not just GRB but everywhere. If there is such a complaint for too many portapotty, this is it. They used a new urinal system for men this year which I did not like, for a short guy like me, but it kept the line running. Mile markers and 5K markers were visible and surprisingly accurate for my GPS. Post race festivity was good, with a large, rather rad liking medal and usual finisher shirt and glass mug, warm breakfast with biscuit/egg/sausage, lots of drink, and ice cream. Good job with organization. Main issue this year is the road condition. With lots of construction in Houston and the politics within, some area had huge areas of loose gravel. I would not be surprised if someone fell. This is no fault of the race organizers but the city. One last thing. Being a veteran, we had additional perk this year with our own area for stretching as well as our restroom. That is on top of the nice polo shirt I can order for veteran (except every 5 years I get a free one). That is something other races, especially my other yearly race San Feancisco Marathon, need to take a note. Take care of your loyal runners and they will appreciate you in more than just running it. All in all, great race, ready to sign up for next year today.
A. M. from Vermont, USA (2/7/2017) "Fantastic race" (about: 2017) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the 2017 edition and it was a fantastic time. Houston is the race where everyone knows your name, because it's on your bib, and lots of spectators cheer you on by name. They were fantastic! I flew into the George Bush airport, and took the bus downtown for $1.25. I stayed at Club Quarters, which is not on the list of sponsored hotels, but is cheaper and closer to the start than most of them, so I highly recommend them. The expo was fantastic. There was lots to check out, and Meb and the Gouchers were signing autographs - cool! The GRB center is very impressive. The start was very well organized. We all got going pretty quickly and if you lined up in the right position you could be in full stride once you crossed the start. The course is perfect for a PR. The only hills are a couple under/overpasses, and there aren't many turns. The footing is great, too. There are lots of spectators almost everywhere. When you get to the last couple miles the crowds get bigger, and you need it at that point! In my last half mile I was limping from exhaustion and fell. When I got up to continue there was a loud cheer, and in my daze I knew it was for me, but I didn't have the energy to smile or wave because I needed every last bit to make it to the finish. Thanks, fans! <3 The 2017 edition was unusually warm and humid. It was 65 at the start, which is no biggie, but the humidity was 95%, which made it very hard to keep cool. I ended up dehydrated and hit the wall hard. Estimates online are that the conditions would slow you by between 4 and 8 percent. The funny thing is that most who also ran it in 2016 (ideal conditions) only slowed by under a minute on average, so maybe Texans love their heat! But remember that conditions for Boston vary more than for Houston. Houston is a fantastic marathon and I highly recommend it. You will have a great time, and a great race.
S. B. from Waco, TX (1/20/2017) "Houston Marathon makes for a great weekend" (about: 2017) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Houston Marathon is as well run of an event as you would expect from a big city race. The event is fantastic from start to finish. I like that the registration is first come-first served with plenty of notice as to when the registration would open. I much prefer this to a lottery system which they will probably switch to if it starts selling out sooner each year. The expo was one of the best that I have attended, well organized with runner specific vendors. The convention center is easy to get in and out of for both the expo and as a staging area for the start and finish of the race. I stayed at a hotel within walking distance to the convention center and the start line so I had no parking issues at any time. The race course was flat as advertised to the point where I wouldn't have minded an incline or two to break things up along the way. I think there were two overpasses that were slightly uphill. It's definitely a PR or BQ type of course if the conditions are right. The crowds were plentiful and enthusiastic. I don't think I have ever had so many people read my name off my bib and address me directly with encouragement. Of course the story of the 2017 Houston Marathon will be the conditions. It was hot and humid with intermittent showers throughout the race. The sun came out from time to time to add an extra layer of heat. This was definitely not my day as I struggled with the humidity from early in the race and spent most of the race more concerned with what mile I was in and less concerned with what was going on around me. There were plenty of water and Gatorade stops and tons of port-o-potties on the course. It is obvious that a lot of thought and planning went into this marathon, it is a fantastic event. Under the right conditions a great day can definitely be had in Houston.
J. M. from California (1/15/2017) "Not NY or Boston, but very well run" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Houston Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Houston is a well run Marathon. It lacks the historic / majestic character of a Boston or NY, where one begins on a suspension bridge or quaint NE town. In contrast, Houston starts and ends in a cavernous convention center in the middle of a downtown area where not many people seem to live. There's not much happening downtown and you definitely need a car to get around to find places of interest. The weather is hit-or-miss. Some years it is perfect. This year it was warm and muggy and not conducive to PRs. The situation will probably get worse owing to climate change so this is a marathon to run sooner than later. This is a large race and the race organizers do a phenomenal job. The race threads through some of Houston's seemingly well-manicured, elite neighborhoods: Rice University area, The Galleria area, up to Memorial. (Further exploration of Houston uncovers a city with amazing, highly visible poverty in places - sometimes the city feels more like being in a developing, tropical nation than being in the US. It's very sad to see this. But you certainly would never know from the race route.) There are Gatorade and water stations every mile, many medical tents, especially later in the race, and porta-cans. People along the route are super friendly. I have never had more people cheer me by name. Really makes you feel good. Spectators are thin in a few places, definitely not at the density of a Boston or NY, but amazingly friendly. The only miss was a deficiency of porta-cans in the A corral. Other corrals and the convention center seemed to have plenty. I would probably not run Houston again. Temps above 60 I just really do not enjoy. I kinda wish I Had chosen to run Austin instead. But Houston's certainly a nice, flat course if you need to check off Texas from your list of states.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 37 > ]

Become an Advertiser

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Become an Advertiser

© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC

Privacy Policy Refund Policy Terms of Use