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May 6, 2024

Route 66 Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Route 66 Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 3.9

Organization 4.5

Spectators 3.7

Number of comments: 254 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 26 > ]

D. C. from Tulsa (11/23/2016) "Loved the course. Lots of hills" (about: 2016) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my 1st marathon but it was discouraging that the mile markers and timers seemed to disappear with about 6 miles left. It was frustrating to not know how much farther. Several of us 1st timers expressed the same frustration as we plodded along together. Other than that it was great.
Cliff Collins from Tennessee (11/22/2016) "Well organized, hilly, and hard on the knees" (about: 2016) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Route 66 Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The organization was fantastic. The start area was easy to navigate. A group of Native Americans were playing tribal drums before the national anthem. The race started on time. I thought Tulsa was flat. Boy was I wrong. There were no 'killer hills', but there was plenty of rollers. The course support was great for the first half but dwindled in the latter miles. The neighborhoods were great and some even offered jello shots and beer. There were plenty of aid stations and the finish area was pretty good. The one thing that hurt me the most was all of the concrete streets. It seemed as if half the race was on concrete. It really beat up my legs in racing flats. Maybe more cushioned shoes would have helped. Overall it was a good experience and I would run it again if I lived closer. Tulsa is not a great 'destination' city.
W. E. from San Diego CA (11/22/2016) "Extremely well done race management!" (about: 2016) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Route 66 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 this was #94 marathon and goes to the top with outstanding support, volunteers and race management. Beautiful course and amazing support along the way! KUDOS to all! cold and all! EPE
B. K. from St. Paul, MN (11/21/2016) "Chilly hilly windy race" (about: 2016) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Route 66 Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran this marathon to check off Oklahoma on my quest for 50 states. The course is challenging. The entire course is filled with rolling hills, there are only a few spots where you're not going up or down a hill. None of the hills are extremely challenging or daunting, but they are non-stop. The hills particularly pick up after the halfway mark when you leave downtown and head east. It's a stretch of a few miles of unrelenting climb. The last 3 miles or so do have the net elevation drop as you head back towards downtown, but there are rolling hills around every turn and over every hill crest. Again, none of the hills are very difficult or daunting, they just keep coming at you. Tulsa is also a windy area in general, and that combined with November temperatures (race temperates average about high 30s-low 40s at the start and 40s-50s at the finish) can make for a chilly race. That being said, I saw runners dressed in full winter gear (hats, mittens, long tights, sweatshirts) all the way down to runners in nothing more than race singlets and shorts. The race organization was top notch. The starting line was well configured with ample bathrooms for runners. The expo was awesome with tons of free samples, booths for local races and running stores as well as big box brands, cool displays, and much more. Getting your race bib and race jacket was very quick and easy. The course officials were all wonderful, as were the police monitoring and blocking traffic to keep the runners safe. The aid stations were well staffed and well stocked at all times. The volunteers were phenomenal, perhaps the best part of this race. There were so many race volunteers helping out from the expo, at each aid station, at confusing turns on the race course, and at the finish line. Top notch race organization, staff and volunteers. The race spectators were great, when you came upon a popular spot for spectators. There were big stretches of the race where there were little to no spectators, and in a marathon that gets spread out pretty quickly, there are times when you are completely alone. In some of the neighborhood portions of the race, you might only see a handful of people out on their front lawns cheering you on. Occasionally there are a few people at the intersections. One of the better spots for spectators came at about mile 6-7 down a street with many businesses on both sides. There were a large group of spectators on the sides of the street with blaring music coming from the rooftops playing EDM music. It was loud, the spectators were having a great time, and it was a huge boost to myself and many other runners around me at that time. It's too bad it was so early on in the race, because there are some lonely spots later on where I really could have used the help. So in summary, the spectators were great, if you were lucky enough to be around them at any given time during the race. Overall, I'm glad I ran this marathon. It was a very challenging course. I ran a 3:41 - well off my PR despite being in shape for one, and I finished in the top 7%, right around the top 100 out of 1500. 1400 of 1500 runners ran 3:41 or higher. That to me says how challenging the course is.
L. E. from Texas (11/21/2016) "Hilly but fun race- superbly org'd and supported" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Route 66 Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the 2016 Williams Route 66 Marathon and could not be happier. The social media ahead of time (Twitter/IG) was excellent and got me excited to run and buy cool stuff the expo. Organizers coordinated well with local hotels (I got the package from Doubletree - shuttles, free breakfast, discounted parking and late check out). The packet pick up was smooth (by number), and the course was VERY well supported by Tulsa PD. There were tons of nice neighborhood parties (jello shots and beer!) and people cheering till quite late in the day. Course was naturally hilly but the architecture was gorgeous, as were the leaves. When I finished at 6:10, the water/gatorade stops were still well stocked with drinks and volunteers. The finish line had plenty of food, heat wraps and buses back to the start/hotels. I finished at 6:10 and it's rare that the support is still there for the slow pokes. Thank you TULSA and the team at Williams Route 66!
L. G. from AZ (12/1/2015) "Hilly tour through beautiful Tulsa" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Route 66 Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I loved the course that took us through some gorgeous neighborhoods where many people were out to support the runners. Unlike many marathons, after the half-marathoners split off we still enjoyed beautiful scenery. The downsides are as others have mentioned: extremely long lines at the Expo to pick up our race packet. Plus getting into the corrals race morning took a really long time. There were no signs indicating the corrals, and the volunteers at the corral entrance were overwhelmed. There needs to be more than one entrance into each corral. We were encouraged to enter the corrals early, but there aren't porta potties in the corrals or a place to sit which means most of us aren't going to stand around in the cold for very long. I was also disappointed in the poor food selection at the finish area. It seems there was more emphasis on beer than on something we could actually eat. The volunteers were wonderful and the medal and jacket are top-notch. I'm sure you can fix the problems with the corrals and at the Expo.
J. P. from Sioux Falls, SD (11/24/2015) "A very well-organized marathon" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Route 66 Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Once again the Route 66 Marathon sold out and it easy to understand why when you have the opportunity to run here. Despite having thousands of runners and a busy schedule, the efforts of race director Tim Dreiling of Fleet Feet made it possible for me to participate in this event. And there are tons of volunteers assisting throughout the course - even pointing out individual speed bumps on the roads. The course is indeed hilly with plenty of turns, but the experience that Tulsa has in supporting this event more than makes up for it. Any fifty stater looking to cross Oklahoma off the list should definitely run this marathon.
R. B. from Pittsburgh, PA (11/24/2015) "Ups and Downs" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Route 66 Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 This race gets a mixed review from me. I really liked the good things about this race while strongly disliking the bad areas of this race. Overall, I think it is a pretty good race, though I'm not sure I would recommend it to someone looking to run Oklahoma. The Good: Medal is top notch. Participants Jacket is very nice. Support on the course was abundant even on a cold day. The course is tough but good. Weather, though RD can't control, was excellent Sunny (32 degrees at start 45 degrees by finish) City and neighborhoods we ran through were gorgeous. The Bad: Expo had a line wrapped all through the facility just to pick up your packet. Volunteers were not given a proper way to look up each participant therefore it took forever to receive our packets. This is my biggest complaint & I registered day one of registration guaranteeing my size for my participant jacket. When I arrived to pick it up my size was unavailable. Not only that, I got the very last jacket of the size larger. To me this is just unacceptable. There is no reason I should have been guaranteed a size and it was gone when I got to the expo. The expo as a whole was a bust. We did not see any merchandise worth purchasing. The course: The course is tough. This is not necessarily a bad, more a warning. I train in hilly Pittsburgh and still think it was a hilly course. First half is fair, you get a downhill after the uphill. Like reviews from previous years, I agree there is not a flat spot on the course. At mile 12 you start an uphill that continues until around mile 19. This was enough to kill our pace. 19 to 23 are a fair mix of up and downhills. Once you get to mile 23 it is more downhill than up for the remainder to the race. Be prepared for hills and you'll be okay. The scenery on the course is incredible, some of the nicest neighborhoods I've run through. The course never took us through a visually bad part of town.
B. B. from Pittsburgh, pa (11/23/2015) "Good, But Not Great" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Route 66 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 A nice course with lots of rolling hills and nice scenery, but a non-descript finish area. I thought that the organization left something to be desired. A long line for packet pick-up that did not seem necessary, and not well organized water stations. My biggest complaint was the poor etiquette of my fellow runners who did not self seed well and did not know to not come to a dead stop at water stations. More pre race education would be helpful. Post race food was very good and the jacket and medal are very nice. Thanks to the crazy sign carrying cheer section for all of their support.
C. K. from MHK (12/16/2014) "Want to run fast? Go somewhere else." (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Route 66 Marathon COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 If you're looking to run fast I would advise looking elsewhere. This race clearly doesn't care about the 'top 1%'. They have VIP for marathon maniacs (group of slow weekend warriors), And other people that have money, but could care less if your goal is to race. Course monitors are not at every intersection and the course is not marked well. If you get caught in no mans land, very possible to take a wrong turn if you don't have the course memorized. Minimal toilets at the start, even A corral had a line 20minutes deep full of non-racers and D corral folk, didn't make sense. Wish I could get this weekend back and go somewhere else.

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