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☰
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 71 to 81]
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J. S. from Portland
(5/9/2009)
 "Great Marathon!!!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I couldn't believe this was just the third year for this event. | |
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J. F. from Albuquerque, NM
(5/6/2009)
"This is a great race!" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Eugene Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 For a 3rd edition, it doesn't get any better. The course is flat, fast and scenic through neighborhoods near the University of Oregon and then through parks along the Willamette River. This limits somewhat the areas where spectators can congregate but this is a running town and those who were there were very enthusiatic. Plus the band at mile 8 was worth the price of admission! | |
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P. C. from Eugene, OR
(5/5/2009)
 "Already great and continuously improving!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Eugene Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This year the finish line was moved from Autzen Stadium to the start line location. That itself was a big improvement. Just like in past years, the course was relatively flat and very scenic. There's word that next year's race will finish on the track at Hayward Field. That would be awesome! I've run Portland a couple of times and I think the crowd support in Eugene is much better. The Scream Zone at mile 8 is a bit like Wellesley in Boston, except the crowd is close to you on both sides. The screaming gave me goosebumps! The crowd at the finish was also great, with people lining both sides of the course for the last 0.2 miles. As the race organizers tweak things each year there are bound to be issues. Here are the two that I would focus on fixing. First, the start corrals were too crowded, making it difficult to get in the pack at the appropriate spot. Second, there was some confusion where the marathon briefly re-joined the half-marathon route. Well done, Eugene. I'm proud to call it my hometown race! | |
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C. K. from Washington State
(5/5/2009)
"Eugene, I'll be back!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Eugene Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 It is a tribute to this race that I praise it so highly, even though I had a lousy race due to leg cramps. The course is gorgeous. The elevation chart will show you the three hills - at .5, 4.5 and 8.5, approximately. The last one is the worst, but none are spirit-breakers. The large portion of the race that runs along the river is just stunning. My only complaint about my entire experience (other than my own mutinous legs) was the road surface. The bike path surface was rough and difficult in places, but worst of all was the opening mile, where we were running very tightly together. It's hard to watch your footing in that kind of crowd, so the potholes are treacherous! I nearly lost my race right there. Other than that, an awesome marathon. I will be back! | |
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A. M. from Vancouver WA
(5/5/2009)
 "Great Experience" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Eugene Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Beautiful course - especially the back half! This is a small-town marathon done right. It had its hiccups, but overall? Whoever is in charge definitely knows what they are doing. The only downside to this is that, if you are anywhere near the middle or back of the pack, you will get stuck behind walkers who are oblivious. I welcome walkers with my whole heart, but PLEASE corral them separately! Dodging is exhausting. Great experience, great town, and FANTASTIC spectators - WOW, they were nice! I strongly recommend this one. | |
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A. H. from USA
(5/5/2009)
"Awesome small marathon" (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 2 Eugene Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my second Eugene Marathon and I still believe it is one of the best in the nation. The setting is stunning and the people are very kind and helpful. My only "complaint" from 2009 was the incredible number of walkers and very slow runners who crowded to the front of Corral 1, blocking those of us who respectfully "obeyed" the sub-10-minute-per-mile pace limit for that area. I ran with a 10:15 mpm group and we had to thread our way through hundreds of folks in the first 2-3 miles, which was exhausting and irritating. No fault of the marathon - you cannot legislate common sense and courtesy. The volunteers were great, the spectators were positive, the weather was better than predicted and the finish line festival was outstanding. AS much as I love this event, I hope it remains small and does not become more crowded. | |
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B. H. from Menlo Park, CA
(5/5/2009)
"Great organization, ok course" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Eugene Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Everything about the organization was very well done - from registration to expo to race morning. After the gun, the course had some positives - relatively flat (although there are plenty of rolling hills here), knowledgeable fans and really smooth in the water stations. But some real downers include some funky right angle tuns in the park (watch out or you'll miss a hidden curb!), plenty of concrete, too much shared course with half-marathoners on a small park trail and the last 3 miles, which were really disappointing. Miles 20-23 are nice run along the river in the shade with some fans and then... boom - you are in no-man's land - an open portion of a desolate park with zero fans and perfect silence. Not what I was hoping for to get me home. Basically, there were no fans until the final turn about 100 yards from the finish. I really hope that they re-design the last few miles to make this top notch race. All that said, it's worth a PR and was my first Boston Qualifier - so it can't be all bad! | |
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B. F. from Redmond, Oregon
(5/4/2009)
"Great Weekend in Eugene" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Eugene Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Despite the rain, we had a ball. There were a lot of other events going on that weekend besides the race. I had a wonderful day participating with my daughter and loved the atmosphere provided. My wife was so impressed that she wants to start walking half-marathons. I read previous comments and it looks like most concerns were addressed. There were lots of porta-potties, a shuttle service, and good refreshments at the end. The only additional things I would like to see are photos at the end, and I thought some of the marathon finishers (I did the half) were a little crowded out by the half-marathon finishers at the end. I saw one gal lost where the two groups came back together - thinking she was with the wrong group - but there were lots of signs and volunteers to help her out. | |
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R. C. from Redmond, WA
(5/4/2009)
"Excellent Medium-Sized Marathon" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Eugene Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Great course! The course takes you all over Eugene, through most of the parks, finishing along the river. We started out with rain, but it gave way to sun later. There was plenty of shade, though. For a medium-sized marathon, the spectators were impressive, basically bunched at "cheer zones." (There was one that approached Wellesley in volume.) Organization was good. The race started on time (2 minutes late, which for a marathon is close enough), porta-potties were plentiful, and parking was a breeze. Expo was tiny, but after 20 marathons, I have seen pretty much all I need to at expos. For me, key factors are the quality of the course and organization. If I'm going to be out there for 3+ hours, I want the course to lift my spirits. This one did that. | |
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M. G. from Seattle, WA
(5/4/2009)
"Great smaller race" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Eugene Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The course is very scenic and flat, and there were definitely enough aid stations. At some points there were great spectators (like in the Mile 8 "scream zone"). The expo was well-organized, but average. One complaint: At one point, the half-marathon and marathon join together, and you basically have to dodge half-marathon walkers, which can be very frustrating. Also, a number of walkers started in front of runners and then were walking up to five across in the middle of the road. |
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