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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 71 to 81]

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K. W. from Cincinnati, Oh (3/27/2009) "Overall, very nice" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran the 2008 race. It was very well put together and nice. The hills are not steep but they are rolling and constant. I cut about 12 minutes off of my PR, but I think it was the strongest race I have run yet. The hotels are close and very accommodating. The Garden Inn Marriott is literally the finishing line, which is nice after running for so long.
S. M. from Lexington, Kentucky (2/17/2009) "Average Marathon" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I ran the 2008 marathon. Its been two months and have not received my finisher's certificate.
M. R. from Orlando, Florida (1/17/2009) "The hils are not bad at ALL - come to Charlotte" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I liked the race. Run Charlotte; you will like. Not all races can be NYC or Chicago. This is a quality smaller marathon. Pros: 1. The first 13 miles are VERY nice and show off Charlotte. 2. Tim Rhodes is a quality race organizer and is building a strong marathon. 3. Neat MEDAL that follows the theme. 4. Ran a PR, even with the hills. 5. The convention center is right on the start line so that you can stay in warmth right up to the gun. You also do not have to use porta-lets. 6. VOLUNTEERS with plenty of water, sport drink and GU. 7. I liked the long-sleeve shirt; I have worn it several times since on cold run days. 8. The expo was ok - I do not go to buy my running gear, so I am only looking for other race info and new products. 9. Plenty of HOTELS in walking distance. 10 Got to run the race with my daughter who lives in Charlotte - LIFE is so GOOD! 11. They were having a large kids run to promote fitness with well over 1,000 kids starting after the marathon. With obesity so prevalent in kids today, it was great to see the local organizers working to change kids' habits. KEEP up this GREAT work, Tim!!! Cons: 1. The second half of the marathon runs through pretty plain urban miles, BUT very few cities can put 26 continuous miles together that are exciting. 2. HILLY, but not nearly as bad as I had anticipated even though I train in Orlando, where there are no hills. 3. Thin on FANS, but consistent; it was neat seeing people in front of their homes having early morning cheering parties. This was my second race organized by Run for Your Life in Charlotte, and I have thoroughly enjoyed both.
V. S. from Virginia Beach, VA (12/30/2008) "Hilly, but overall good race" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 It was first time doing Charlotte, so the elevation chart scared me a little, but I thought it was manageable. Crowds were small through the neighborhoods, but they motivated the hell out of me when I need it coming back into the city after mile 21-22. Highly suggest you train on some inclines to prepare yourself! I PR'd but it still hurt a little. Cons: -Expo could've been better, but good for the marathon's size. -Marathon's logo gear was very limited (was looking forwarded to buying a jacket but only had XL's all weekend). -Runners were packed together and few folks abided by the runners' seed pace integrity creed. LOL. -T-shirt was ok but could've been better. -The temperature was 31 degrees at the start!! LOL. (But after a mile warm-up, you'll be ok.) Pros: -Course was nice as hell. -Medal was awesome. -Highly suggested you stay in the city (Hampton) because after you're done, you can still see runners from your room run motivated at the finish line. -Waiting inside the Center as long as you wanted for the race to start. -The stretch coming back into the city is most definitely motivating!! -Race is small enough they say your name coming up the stretch, which is definitely a bonus when your body's on empty. I would recommend the marathon not just for time, but for the challenging course to say you did something that crazy.
T. M. from Fort Mill, SC (12/21/2008) "Great mid-size marathon!" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I thought the course for this race was the absolute best course that could be laid out in the city of Charlotte. The second half may not be through the upscale neighborhoods like the first half, but all cities have areas like that. And NoDa in the second half was the best spectator area in the whole race. They were having a ball over there. This is a very nice race and well-organized. Plenty of police support and traffic control. The medal is one of the best I've seen in a marathon, very high quality. There was plenty of GU and fluids on the course. Plenty of food afterward. Being able to stay inside at the Convention Center before and after the race was a real plus, considering the temperature was quite cool. I am used to being staked out in the cold at most marathons, so to be able to stay warm before and after is a real plus. This is a great race that everyone should put on their race calendar.
Frank Lilley from Littleton, NC (12/20/2008) "Way better then I expected!" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was a fun race. Had heard the hills were bad (they weren't bad at all!) and heard everything else about this one was pretty vanilla. Well, I loved the race. Had a blast! First half was really beautiful, running through some really great neighborhoods. The second half was not as nice, but sure beats a bunch that I can think of! Shirt was nice and the medal was great! Crowds were thin but it was a pretty cool/cold day for Charlotte. But the folks there were wonderful. Thanks, Charlotte! I'll be back next year.
C. U. from Clover, SC (12/20/2008) "Great local event!" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon and it didn't disappoint. Everyone talks about "the hills," but to me it was just some inclines and declines. There are points were there is no crowd support at all, especially after the half guys break off. Event staff/volunteers were tremendous and made up for any other omissions there may have been. I will run this race again, but only because I am a local. In a few years, though, this event will be much better I am sure.
Dotty Maddock from Phoenix, AZ (12/19/2008) "All Good, Except for the Results Posting" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I really enjoyed this race, although the posting of results afterward had some problems. Now, granted, I combined the trip with a visit to my daughter in the Charlotte area, so that added to my enjoyment. But there were still many positives just considering the race and logistics: 1. The expo was a decent size, while not huge. Packet pickup went smoothly, and there was no problem using my own champion chip. 2. There are several large hotels nearby, so the logistics were pretty easy to the start. The convention center was open, so there was warmth and REAL bathrooms! 3. The race started on time, and the chilly weather in my opinion was perfect. The scenery wasn't "amazing," but it was pleasant. Lots of nice, old, Southern houses. 4. The finish line was well organized, and it was easy to find water, food (including some kind of yummy pasta type dish!), and beer. 5. My hotel (Hilton) had no problem with late checkout. Just in case, I had learned from other runners that we could use the YMCA in the same complex as the Hilton. While the website wasn't very helpful with that, there is a "forum" where you can post questions and get answer like this from other runners. So the only problem I had was finding out the post-race results. I didn't go to the 12:00 awards ceremony (I had just finished, and needed to clean up and check out of the hotel, but heard from others it really was just the overall winners and not age groups). So when I went back to the convention center to see if I got an age group award, it was confusing. First, there were no signs, but we were able to weave our way back to where the expo had been. Then, results were posted on the walls, but only for the 5K and half marathon. We asked at the awards platform and they didn't have the age group results. We went to another table at the far end of the hall, and they were finally able to determine that I got third in my age group! I picked up the not-very-impressive "award winner" medal, but the next day on the website learned that I actually came in 4th. Bottom line, this was a good race and a great way to enjoy the Charlotte area. If they could fix those problems with the results, I wouldn't have anything to complain about!
L. N. from Greenville SC (12/18/2008) "Will do it again next year" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It had nice, rolling hills for the first half, and was 85% flat for the last half. There were beautiful neighborhoods to run through in the first half. There was also great crowd support in the neighborhood areas.
Aaron W. Ligon from Charlotte, NC, USA (12/18/2008) "Tough for my first race" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Charlotte is a beautiful city and the course highlights some new and old areas. The elevation change is over 2,200', half of which is uphill, so it's a bit tough, but rewarding. Water and gel stations were adequately stocked, and volunteers were great. Boyscout Troop 448 saved my race when someone was there to tape my leg so that I could finish at mile 20. Will do it again next year.

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