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May 21, 2024

Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.1

Organization 4.3

Spectators 3.4

Number of comments: 181 [displaying comments 151 to 161]

More Comments: [ < 1 .. 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 > ]

D. K. from Durham, NC (6/28/2006) "Very nice job" (about: 2005) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I really enjoyed this race. It was very well organized. The price might have been a bit steep, but sometimes you get what you pay for. The port-o-lets were superb (I've never seen one with a sink, running water, and a mirror before), the police support was top-notch, and the course was well-marked. I especially liked the cop at the top of the hill who yelled, "LADIES, THERE IS NO WALKING ON MY HILL!" to the guys behind me. It was a nice chuckle late in the race. The food was a little scarce for us slowpokes, but not to the point of being a problem. I've never understood the fascination with spectators, so the modest turnout didn't bother me. I'm also not a NASCAR fan, so I didn't care that it wasn't a more obvious tie-in. It certainly wouldn't have bothered me if it were, but I would have hated to fight crowds at the expo because some race guy showed up to sign autographs. Lastly, I think they did an EXCELLENT job with the website for the race, and I especially liked the forum format for Q&A. Other race managers should look into that. I highly recommend this race.
Pat Pastori from Belmont, NC (4/24/2006) "Going to be a big-time race in the future" (about: 2005) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I did the half marathon at this event. It was better organized than just about any other race I've competed in, and it was their first year! It has all the makings of becoming one of America's premier marathons! It's good to know that Charlotte has got a marathon again, and I salute Run For Your Life for picking it up. (I later found out that they have a built-in race marketing division and don't have to outsource the promotions.) I urge people in and outside of NC to take part in this race next December, and be proud that we've got a race. More spectators would have been great, and I really liked the guy in the Winnie the Pooh custume going berserk. It's always good to get encouragement and high fives from the police as they watch the intersections! Plenty of bathroom stops, mile markers, GU's, and drinks. Rock band at 23 was really jamming also. Totally memorable and I still talk about it all the time! Great job guys!
J. S. from Charlotte, North Carolina (1/19/2006) "The best organized Charlotte marathon to date" (about: 2005) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I have run 4-5 marathons in Charlotte (due to proximity) and this was easily the best organized Charlotte-based marathon that I have run. Being proud of this city, the course ran through some of the most scenic and beautiful neighborhoods in Charlotte - it was nice to showcase our city. Outside of a rough section around mile 19 or so, the course was excellent (even given the hills). The finish-line experience was very good - a more official finishing chute might be a good improvement for next year. Having run the Richmond Marathon several times, I think Charlotte should look to learn a few things from that race: 1) Race medals - the more metal the better. Medals should stand out from other races' medals (e.g. Disney, etc.). 2) Crowd support - advertise and if needed, help spectators get to key spectating locations. 3) Results - please work on getting the results in the local paper. Local coverage of the marathon wouldn't hurt for awareness and support either. 4) Price - $70 is a very steep price to pay for a small-town marathon. Runners do equate entry fees to running experience and amenities (medals, expo, efficiency, bag drop ease, portable toilets, etc.). All this being said, I look forward to running the 2nd annual Thunder Road Marathon in 2006.
MIchael gman from boston (1/14/2006) "Expensive" (about: 2005) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Ok, so this was a great course if you like to run around a neighborhood, but that is what you get in a city, flat most of the time, and good support at every mile with timing clock and plenty of aid. One problem was the fee; I mean, $70 plus $20 for the dinner from a pizza rest that did not serve pizza but pasta? Go figure: the shirts where Nascar-like, and I handed it to someone at the airport. Being a runner, you look for 2 things: a great shirt and a great medal. I think they made some money on this one; good business to get into, I guess.
c. g. from durham, north carolina (12/10/2005) "Got a PR so what's not to like about it?!" (about: 2005) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Great inaugural event - happy to see a big city marathon back in the fall in North Carolina. Excellent water and Powerade stops with plenty of porta-johns. Not many spectators, but thanks to the person with orange slices at about 21 miles. Late check out (2pm) at the hotel was great - could get a shower afterwards and relax. Police did an excellent job holding traffic - some big backups in places, may need to rethink the route next time. Pretty course through some beautiful tree-lined neighborhoods. Up and down, but no really long grinding hills. Pasta dinner in the tent was convenient but the noise from the heaters made it hard to hear the speaker; not sure why it couldn't have been in the hotel.
B. H. from Shelby, NC (12/8/2005) "Can be a PR course!" (about: 2005) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I thought the race was very well organized. Drink stations were well placed and plentiful. Police presence and road markings left no question about being able to follow the course despite many turns. Hills didn't seem bad to me - nothing steep, just rolling. Didn't expect a PR since I ran Marine Corps. five weeks before but ended up with a PR by 10 minutes, finally reaching my goal of coming in under 4 hours! Hope the people of Charlotte can embrace this marathon.
Antonio De Vido from Doylestown, PA (12/8/2005) "Charlotte Marathon is fast, scenic, and fantastic" (about: 2005) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 A carefully planned course from center city through Meyers Park, Dilworth, Eastover, Plaza-Midwood and North Davidson to the finish a few blocks from the start. The 8AM start was 40F. There were water and Powerade stops along the course as well as lots of school kids and scouts helping with the water stations. The roads were closed to traffic during the marathon and Charlotte police were out in force directing traffic away from the route. We thought the course was fast with many small hills and the half cuts through the starting line to facilitate the additional 10K, half-marathon, and relay events. Dick Beardsley spoke at the expo and ran in the 10K this year. The traditional winter 10K in Charlotte has been a premier event since the 80's including a few records (there is still a January Run for Peace without a marathon). This is the inaugural edition of this event with a redesigned course.
Lee 9W from Richmond, VA (12/8/2005) "A good race with small-town feel." (about: 2005) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This being my third marathon after running Richmond twice, I guess it was a first 'out of town' small-town-run experience. Or at least it had that feel with only 800 marathoners. Charlotte is certainly a beautiful city. The hills are a tremendous challenge, but a welcome one. They serve to break up the monotony of long flat stretches of road (of which there were a few of those too). At any rate, I don't ever expect perfection in any event. So as a fairly small inaugural event, I'd say it went fairly well. Adam's Mark Hotel will not be the host next year as it has been bought-out for condo's. The volunteers were great, and support at water stations was superb. More fans would always be welcome. More tie-in with Nascar would be good if it is to be called 'Thunder Road' again. I would have appreciated a roaring 700-hp cup car at the start. Or a racing celeb somewhere involved. (I know the Nascar banquet was the previous night in NYC, but hey, those guys fly their own jets for crying out loud!) But I'm not complaining - I won the Tony Stewart autographed hat! I'll probably run this one again next year - after I overcome some hill fear, work a little more into training, and forget some of the pain!
P. G. from Charlotte, NC (12/7/2005) "Awesome Race!" (about: 2005) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Nice rolling hills. AAA+ for 'Run for you life' organizers. Great police support. Beautiful weather. I would recommend it to anyone. Will definitely run it next year.
R. B. from Charlotte (12/7/2005) "A Decent First Effort & Marathon" (about: 2005) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 First, it is great to have a marathon back in Charlotte and I think RFYL did a great job stepping up to the plate. Now, if only Charlotte will support it. The course is a vast improvement over previous years.... For those complaining about hills, this was rather tame compared to other marathon routes in previous Charlotte Marathons. I enjoyed the route and the volunteers were great. As with anything, there is room for improvement, but overall I had a good time. If I have one negative, I thought the entry fee was a little high, but there were plenty of police needed for traffic control. I would do it again.

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