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May 6, 2024

Eugene Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Eugene Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.6

Organization 4.5

Spectators 4.3

Number of comments: 159 [displaying comments 31 to 41]

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Ed Robins from Philadelphia, Pa (5/13/2012) "Very nice Destination racer" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I came to Eugene to run my Oregon race and feel I chose wisely. Running in 'Track Town USA' and on Hayward Field is just to cool. The expo is about what you'd expect from a mid-sized race like this. Big enough to pick up last minute supplies or souvenirs but not an all day Mega shopping experience (which suits me just fine). I got my packet and some gel very quickly and only hung around to hear Meb speak. That was a nice perk. The course itself is nice. It is quite flat. We hit a small hill around 4 miles and then a larger one at mile 7. Neither hill is overwhelming and after that there is barely a roller to be found. The second half is run on a paved bike path along the Williamette River. This is a nice section that the halfers miss. As Advertised the race ends on Hayward Field and running on that historic setting and seeing youself up on the Jumbo tron as the announcer calls your name really caps the day. The medal is nice (this year's had Hayward Field) and you get a nice long sleeve tech shirt (Halfers got a short sleeve). I can never eat much after a marathon but for those of you with stronger constitutions you could get pancakes after the race. My main criticism is that the race felt to me like it had grown some in recent years but the infrastructure and planning hadn't kept up. There weren't enough porta-potties. I got back in line for one last time at 6:30 and didn't get close to the front when I finally bailed and headed for the start line. Tons of folks were just using the bushes and I'm sure the U of Oregon folks were not happy about that. Also there were only 3 corrals and that wasn't enough. The roads stayed very congested for miles. I didn't feel as though I could settle into a steady pace until after mile 4. This over crowding also made the early water stops a real mess. The volunteers at those early stops were working their butts off. Otherwise the race seemed to be well organized. The shuttle buses worked well for me. Fans support was, like the expo about what you'd expect for a mid-sized race. Small pockets of enthusiastic folks separated by long quiet sections (which is fine by me). Weather was near perfect this year and having lived in the Pacific Northwest in the past this is what you can expect in late April. I ran my final tuneup on Pre's trail and made the pilgrimage to Pre's Rock. If you come to Eugene try to do the same.
J. T. from NM (5/9/2012) "A Spot-on Marathon" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Eugene Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Eugene had the whole package for the 3 of us from NM great restaurants, an enthusiastic and well-run expo, scenic-enough course, an opportunity to hear Meb, a beautiful campus with blooming trees,and a relaxed hippie vibe. I don't need many spectators, but the ones that were out knew the drill. And the icing? Running a Friday evening casual 3 miler with Lauren Fleshman (on her elliptigo) on a super-inspiring, little advertised run with the Eugene Running Company. I set my sights on a PR and BQ and nabbed both. Yeah, it hurt the last 4 miles, but as soon as I saw Hayward and knew I would be on that historic track the pain transformed into energy. What a feeling.
B. R. from Alabama (5/6/2012) "Well done and would run again" (about: 2012) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Eugene Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Entered to have a shot at BQ and to train with a friend who was running Boston 2 weeks earlier. Really enjoyed the atmosphere of the town and the expo. Traveled from Alabama, so a bit of an 'event' marathon for myself and 2 other runners. Website, communication, and packet pickup all easy. Expo better than I expected, boosted by opportunity to meet and take picture with Meb. Transportation and start organization fine. As per most races, not enough portable toilets pre race. Course beautiful and flat. We were fortunate enough to get fantastic weather (40s-60s w/sun). Only a couple significant hills and really didn't affect the effort. Thought the lanes were a little narrow at times, even late in the race-however, it was usually b/c you were on scenic trails, so the pros outweighed the cons. Tables could have been laid out a little better at aid stations-had a couple episodes of not being able to get a drink b/c of the setup. Was a little disappointed at volume of folks at course-side; town certainly supports running and those present were enthusiastic, but only patches of crowds here and there. Postrace was great-pancakes, chocolate milk, chips, drinks, postrace massage, and of course, Heyward Field. Tons of room in recovery area and transportation was easy. In summary, wouldn't hesitate to run again. Only reason I didn't do as well as expected was my hitting the wall at 22, nothing to do with the course. Would recommend.
B. L. from Eugene (5/5/2012) "Room for improvement" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Eugene Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I've run this marathon every year and the race course is generally good, but I think the start should be staggered between the half and full marathon, and the route for the half should take better advantage of the river routes. I understand splitting the race earlier would require additional timing spots, but I think the half would be more enjoyable if there were fewer miles on city streets and more on the river path. If the half started say, an hour later, this would put the finishes for the first runners from each race closer together, which would make it more interesting for spectators at the end.
S. H. from Portland, Oregon (5/4/2012) "Great Marathon Experience" (about: 2012) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Eugene Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 3rd marathon and my best experience overall. Great course. Friendly support and spectators. Very well-organized. Perfect weather (50ish at start). Loved running by the stadiums and up and down the river, through the parks. Enough runners to have someone around you but not crowded. Only negative- ran out of my size shirt at expo- bummer because I had registered ahead of time but not a huge deal. Will definitely try to do this race again!
G. W. from Boston, MA (5/4/2012) "A super small Marathon" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Eugene Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 What a great place to hold a Marathon and the organizers do a great job. Although this is a smaller Marathon they get it right. Well run with all the things you need to run a great time. Course has a little hill early on but miles of flat easy running. The weather was perfect, Pace Leaders were fantastic, the field is fast (where else would a 3:40 not be in the top 20% of the field), miles well marked, water stops plentiful, medal and T-shirt were great. It is super easy to get around, to the start, home after the race, heck, anywhere in town. Everyone was so nice, so friendly. Eugene is an interesting town with everything you need for a nice Marathon weekend, hotels for everyone, lots of good food and a college / hippy feel that is just fun. I highly recommend this race to anyone wanting a fun weekend topped off with a BQ and a PR.
C. N. from Bishop, CA (5/4/2012) "Eugene's Got it on the dot!" (about: 2012) 1 previous marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I was so excited to see Meb at the Expo. He signed my race ready tee and bib. He's local, from Mammoth Lakes, CA and me being from Bishop so I have the altitude training year round and IT DOES HAVE BENEFITS (ENERGY!). I do agree that they should stag start times between the full marathoners and half. Should be 1 hr. in between. Seemed it took forever before packs opened up. Part of the course was like running on a car race-way and there was no flats; had problems with ITB after that. The Gatorade was really watered down until the last couple of water stations then got better. It was terrific finishing into Hayward stadium and hearing the cheering crowd's. Great spread of food at the finish. One of the security personnel at the end of the finish into the food area wouldn't let a sick gal go back through, he told her to find a trash can in the food area and use it, but she then convinced him to let her go back into the medical aid tent area. Have sympathy please... Bus shuttle's worked out well back to the Hilton after the race and the wait time was minimal. If Oregon is one state you need to check off, Eugene is definitely worth it. Oh and yes there are hills (especially mile 7), so hillwork pays off.
S. S. from Ft Collins, CO (5/3/2012) "Fast, mellow, fun" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I wasn't sure what to expect from this race and had a 'what the hey, just go run, get it done, go home.' however, I really enjoyed it! I will definitely go back and do it again. Also had fun in Eugene. Stayed right by campus, and the football spring game was on Sat. Students were out everywhere having fun, made for a great atmosphere all around. Pros: * The course was very pretty - at one point early on you could see fog settled in the treetops around Amazon Park. Very Northwest scene. * Excellent organization * Great vibe among racers and spectators. Everyone was friendly and calm - I didn't come across the freaked-out, scared to death, pre-26.2 head cases you usually encounter. * Friendly, helpful volunteers Cons: * Far, far, far too few portalets on the course. You can have 500 at the start, doesn't matter at all when you're gripped by GI distress at 7.5, 9.5, 15, 19, etc. PLEASE have them at least every other mile. (Calif. Intl. Marathon are the best at doing this.) * Roads were narrow going through neighborhoods and got bottlenecked a lot. i was weaving around and going on the sidewalk too much. More and smaller corrals to spread folks out from the beginning would help.
R. C. from Fullerton, CA (5/1/2012) "Good course to set a PR on" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Eugene Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Seeing Meb talk the day before got me sooo pumped for this race. You feel so much excitement and energy as you start this race next to Hayward where so many amazing runners have ran. The weather was perfect. Pacers were spot on, and there was an adequate number of racers around you so you were never alone. I had trained to run the course at a 7:05 pace, unfortunately 10 days before I strained my IT band doing some polymeric exercises. Tried to warm it up, but fell off my pace when I started to run with a limp. Super bummed because I seriously think this is the course where I would have set a big PR. I wouldn't say it is the most beautiful course, but is organized and does many of the little things other races don't do (electronic goodie bags, cheap race photos).
M. F. from North Carolina (5/1/2012) "Nice race but could be better" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Eugene Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Traveled from North Carolina to Eugene. Had a very nice extended weekend trip to a race I have always wanted to do. Overall a good trip. Pros: - Pretty flat course with good chance of cool temps - Nice Nike Dri-Fit shirt - Nice finishers medal - Free post race massage - Hayward finish line Cons: - Very crowded start. - Not nearly enough greenways/trails. - LOTS of concrete in the second half - Expo was not good at all. Had high hopes for 'Track Town USA'. Suggestions: - So much history is at Hayward. Would be great to offer some guided walking tours on the Saturday before the race. - You need more corrals and they need to be enforced. A separate start for the half would help too. - Move the expo and packet pickup to the Basketball arena. - If you have a speaker like Meb, don't do it in a hotel lobby. Reserve a room where people can hear and really enjoy it more.

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