Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

May 8, 2024

Rochester Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Rochester Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.3

Organization 4.2

Spectators 3.9

Number of comments: 164 [displaying comments 21 to 31]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 17 > ]

F. R. from Binghamton, NY (9/15/2010) "Good first marathon" (about: 2010) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Rochester Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon. The volunteers were great, the spectators wonderful, and the course was, well... a little boring. I didn't think it would get to me, but whoa. By mile 15 I was done with the Canal. Must have been the equivalence of a treadmill run. If you're planning on running this, just make sure you're prepared mentally for the stagnant scenery. All in all, though, it was a good first-marathon experience!
N. P. from St Charles County MO (9/14/2010) "Well Organized, Well Marked, Friendly City" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Rochester Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Had a great weekend in Rochester running this marathon (my 27th, and 19th state) and also visiting with some old friends (as I grew up in Rochester). After rain being forecasted most of the week, race morning started dry, then misted for awhile, then stopped, and the overcast skies made for perfect running temperature. I enjoyed the variety of the course - streets, bridges, canal trail, etc. The course was perfectly marked, patrolled, and marshaled. The water stations were plentiful and very well staffed with enthusiastic volunteers, even for this slower runner. The Hyatt Hotel was super - really appreciate the discounted rate and late check out in this fine hotel. The only one thing I would change would be to have the timing chips available at the packet pickup expo to eliminate the extra walking race morning. Overall, a great marathon I would wholeheartedly recommended it to anyone (unless you need a lot of crowd support, which I do not).
T. T. from Pittsford, NY (9/13/2010) "Well run, beautiful race - put chips in packet" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Rochester Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I've run this every year since it started up again in Rochester and love this race. The organization is flawless. The course is beautiful and mostly flat. My only criticism is the one I make every year. Please, please, please, please put the chips in the pickup packets like most races do. It saves time and confusion at the morning activities. If you are concerned about not getting them back, then just take a credit card number as a deposit. Also, the strap is not the most comfortable thing to wear for 26.2 miles.
M. J. from Rochester, NY (9/13/2010) "Wonderful Race" (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the Rochester 1/2 on Sunday, and it was well organized, on a very scenic course and with awesome spectators. This is the first major race I've run in my own home town, so it was great to see so many familiar faces. The only problem I had was the lack of port-o-potties throughout the race. I had to stop of at Walgreens to go in the middle of the race, which was not fun. Other than that, it was a great race.
J. S. from Syracuse, NY (6/20/2010) "course needs an upgrade" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Rochester Marathons COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This is the 3rd time I ran this marathon. It is well organized, but over half the course is on the boring Erie Canal path.
B. E. from Rochester, NY (12/26/2009) "Very well organized." (about: 2007) 3 previous marathons \| 2 Rochester Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Love that in the packet there was about marathon etiquette. Everyone who runs needs to read it.
J. A. from Rochester, NY (11/4/2009) "Great small marathon" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Rochester Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran the half-marathon here last year and my first full this year. Overall: a well run, smallish, flat and fast marathon. The course: thumbs up. It's flat and fast. OK, there are a couple easy rolling hills in the first 10 miles, but they are more like bumps in the road. Flat after mile 10. Tip: the couple of miles of gravel on the canal path can hurt your quads (only a little) if you run only on roads. But no biggie. Organization: thumbs up. After last year's heat wave and water station problems, everything was perfect. I confess to skipping the expo and picking up the packet on race morning. No problems. Port-a-potty lines a bit long, but no big complaints. No idea about the hotel - I'm local. The weather: thumbs up. Great this year (50ish in the am, 72F by noon). The scenery: thumbs down (though that really depends on what you like). If you are a city person, you'll hate it. If you love pretty parks and nature, you'll like it. Volunteers and spectators: thumbs up! It's not the race where two million people cheer you on. You (probably) won't get free beer from spectators. But the people who make it onto the canal make themselves heard and stay around for slowpokes like me. All around: way cool.
George Roffe from Kingwood, TX (Houston) (9/24/2009) "Great, little, well run marathon" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Rochester Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I ran this race in 2006 (its second year) and while I generally liked the race and the organization, I had a problem with the host hotel and the race director who inserted herself in the middle of a discussion about the accommodations. Three years later, I think this race has really improved. The course is still fabulous (I may be biased - it's my hometown). While some find the canal towpath boring, I find it beautiful and serene. The race organization is improved. The big pleasant surprise was the new (to me) host hotel! I simply cannot say enough about the Hyatt and how they accommodated the runners (my beef with the host hotel three years ago). When we asked for a late checkout we were informed that all participants already received a 3 p.m. check-out and they would supply us with extra towels on race day. After the race we found a card on the extra towels telling us if we needed more time to just call the front desk. I brought 8 friends from Houston and we were ALL impressed with the Hyatt. My coach has run over 60 marathons and ultras and he rated the Hyatt as number one in all the races he has run. Kudos to the Hyatt and the race organizers for making these arrangements! I'll be back.
R. F. from New York, NY (9/22/2009) "Nice Small Marathon" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Rochester Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon, and it did not disappoint. Plusses: While the course doesn't start out great, the long stretch along the Erie Canal was just beautiful; I found myself gazing off plenty of times. Crowd support, while scattered, was enthusiastic and the volunteers were fantastic. I liked the finish at Frontier Field. Minuses: Too few port-a-johns! I had no chance at all to go before the race and had to duck into the woods when the call of nature hit - not cool. I didn't like that chip pick-up and bag drop-off were in different spots; that's stupid and a pain dragging an overnight bag. Also, the first part along a busy road stuck within cones was not really fun, but that's quibbling. Overall, a great first 26.2 for me and I highly recommend it. While downtown Rochester is sort of dead, the city is surrounded by many fantastic areas and you should look around. Thanks to everyone for putting this on.
K. M. from Pittsford, NY (9/22/2009) "Great Race and Perfect Weather (2009)" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 4-5 Rochester Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Great race. It's well organized and continues to improve. Canal is a little boring, but it works. Nice, fairly flat race so you can run a good time. I qualified for Boston. (This was my ninth marathon.)

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 17 > ]

Quick Links

Marathon Search
Upcoming US Marathons
Upcoming International Marathons
Search Marathon Results
Latest Running News
Recent Newsletters
Race Director Tools

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