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Apr 28, 2024

Bass Pro Shops Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.0

Organization 4.0

Spectators 3.6

Number of comments: 98 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

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Z. R. from Fort Scott, Kansas (11/15/2012) "Fishin' for a great marathon?" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Bass Pro Shops Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran this marathon five years ago and this year. It is remarkable how much it has improved. The course was much better, very scenic in nice neighborhoods, mostly flat but gently rolling enough to work different muscles. The weather was perfect. The organization was top notch. Not a whole lot at the expo but there usually isn't for a marathon this size. The pasta dinner with Fank Shorter and Dick Beardsley was very interesting and the videos they had of the 72 Olympics and the Duel in the Sun was worth the $10 alone, and the food was very good. This was my 14th marathon and may be the first one I have run where there are no complaints. The shirt was great and except for wondering about the significance of the large wolf on the medal (no largemouth bass?) I can only say it was a totally positive experience.
P. W. from Arkadelphia, Arkansas (11/8/2012) "My new favorite marathon" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Bass Pro Shops Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my 6th marathon and has become my new favorite. I even enjoyed it more than Boston! The size was good - not so many people that it was crowded, but I was never alone out on the course. The course is a flat and fast loop with no out-and-back sections. Everything was well-organized, and I never had to wait in any lines. The Bass Pro store is open early the morning of the race so runners can wait inside where it's warm and kill some time browsing around without the usual crowds. Early November is a perfect time of year weather-wise, and the fall foliage was in brilliant color. Long-sleeve technical shirts and great medals. Nice expo with lots of freebies. Plenty of parking at start area. Start and finish are close together. The only thing I would change would be to have a separate start for the half marathoners. They did split off early (which was good), but the first mile was a little crowded.
J. S. from Springfield (11/4/2012) "Great well organized marathon" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I highly recommend this marathon it was my first time running it and by far one the best marathons I have ever run. Well organized with plenty of parking right next to the start. Bass pro opened there store up for runners to stay warm and use the facilities. Ample well staffed aid stations every 2 miles. Course only has a few hills that are not too bad. Only complaint is that course has a lot turns. Finish area had plenty of food and beverages. I will definitely run this race again.
Lance Caswell from springfield,mo. (9/15/2012) "This was my first marathon!!!" (about: 2011) First Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 My first marathon. The course was great getting to run all over Springfield on the roads was cool. Aid stations had everything a runner needed. The only bad thing for me was there wasn`t a lot of spectators. Next year I am training for the marathon so I can run this race start to finish. :))
M. D. from USA (11/9/2011) "A nice, but not great, well organized event." (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Bass Pro Shops Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first visit to Springfield and found it to be a nice town. The race was very well organized, with ample water stations staffed with enthusiastic volunteers. There were an abundance of port-o-johns at the start and the pre race wait was minimum. There were ample ones on the course. The course was a nice run around Springfield going through downtown, parks, and the campus. Most of the race was in well maintained residential neighborhoods of varying affluence. I noticed no significant hills, but an abundance of turns. I also missed a turn, and a volunteer ran after me to get m back on track. I must have ran a block or so and they could have been more attentive. I was slightly over 6 hours and there was plenty of food at the finish and I was able to get a massage. Overall this is a nice event that I would recommend; however, I couldnt rate it as a great or destination event. There was a pre-race devotional that I found most beneficial.
J. M. from Springfield, Missouri (11/8/2011) "Getting Better Every Year..." (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Bass Pro Shops Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a marathon that definitely seems to be committed to getting better every year. I'll confine my comments to the three categories: Course: I speak as a local Springfield runner in saying that the organizers do everything they can to make this a great course. It offers a fine tour of Springfield, now that we have moved off the trails and onto the streets for almost all of the race; as nice as the trails are for scenery, I certainly hope they keep this setup in coming years, as it is far more interesting. As others have noted, there are only a couple big hills, including a short-but-tough one at 18. (Suggestion: Have us turn south off Water at Jefferson instead of Main, and make up the difference in the Southern Hills area, thus avoiding the climb as well as a less-than-picturesque area of town.) However, there is a lot of gradual up and down throughout, along with some smaller hills. The route is extremely pretty, with the trees in full fall colors. However, it does seem to be more open to traffic than I would like. And, in all honesty, Springfield drivers are not known for being particularly accommodating to runners. It would be good to have volunteers at every intersections, if possible. Also, the directional arrows at some intersections are painted on the opposite side of the road from the direction of the turn (i.e., a left turn arrow on the far right side of the street). With a smaller field, seeing the arrows well is important; if you are running the tangents and know the next turn is a left, you could miss the arrow. All in all, though, it is a nice, scenic, interesting course. Organization: I find this race to be extremely well organized. I was in and out of packet pickup in a flash, and everything ran smoothly before, during, and after the race. The food after-wards is great, and they give good value for price in terms of the medal and shirt. I wish there was more of an expo, however. Also, there could be a couple more aid stations. Fans: There are not a ton of fans along the course, but many of those who do show up are enthusiastic. The volunteers are great, too - going out of their way to be helpful and encouraging. And there is a lot of energy at the finish, as well as the start. All in all, I highly recommend this enjoyable fall marathon.
N. A. from Chicago (11/7/2011) "Lacks organization, but has lots of enthusiasm" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Bass Pro Shops Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 If there was ever a race that needed marathon runners' input in setup and organization, this is it. The course winds around a lot, and the turns aren't always clearly marked. It's a smaller field, so it's easy to lose track of the runner in front of you, and if the volunteers aren't vigilant about telling you which way to turn (sometimes they are chatting amongst themselves and not paying attention to runners) it is easy to run the wrong way. I unfortunately did run the wrong way at one point and the volunteer did not correct me. Also the water stations are very short. The volunteers are huddled close together, and if you're running at a faster pace, or in a group, it is nearly impossible to get water and Powerade. My only other complaint is that the five people I asked at the expo had no clue about gear check, and on race morning I had to ask four people where gear check was before someone could help me. As for the positives: It's a fairly fast course. It's far from flat, but there is only one killer hill. (Mile 21 or 22) The rest of the hills are smaller, but they never really end. Also, everyone is really friendly. The organizers and volunteers really make you feel comfortable. And lastly, I did think the finish line atmosphere was amazing. The announcers were great, and the post race snacks were good. Because it's a smaller race people aren't trying to rush you through the chute. It was nice to finish and then have a chance to stop catch my breath without people urging me to move along. With a little bit of work this could be a great race.
B. D. from Springfield, MO (12/5/2010) "Course Improved for 2010" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Bass Pro Shops Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I strongly disagree with those who said that the old marathon course was better than the 2010 course. Most large, successful marathons are run primarily on streets and not Greenways trails. I love training on the trails, but they are not for racing. The old out-and-back on the Southcreek Greenway was dreadful. The new course was about as flat as you could design a course in Springfield and it actually hit more of the highlights in town. I did not have any problems with traffic control and was actually pleasantly surprised that they did as well as they did. I was, however, very disappointed with the organization at packet pickup. There was one line for all three races and the packets were not put together ahead of time. There was plenty of room to have separate tables for each event and possibly a couple of tables for each event. I was actually embarrassed standing in line with out-of-towners while waiting over 30 minutes to pick up my packet. Overall, I was happy with the marathon and glad to see the course changes; I just hope they don't go back to the old course after the construction at 60-65 is done.
S. S. from Wentzville, MO (11/23/2010) "Wonderful race" (about: 2010) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Very happy I chose this as my first marathon. Only a few small hills. The course was enjoyable because of all the different turns and streets that are encountered. No mile after mile of long, boring stretches. Volunteers and police were at all intersections. Best of all, water, Gatorade, and port-a-potties every two miles; I didn't have to carry any drink myself. May do this again next year! Very well organized.
J. S. from Fayetteville, AR (11/10/2010) "Flat Course But Poorly Organized" (about: 2010) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Bass Pro Shops Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I registered for this race about 6 months prior to the event, which is very early, but at the early bird cost of $35, I couldn't resist. They couldn't find my goody bag when I arrived at pre-registration. They ran out of t-shirts. They did not call my name and city out when I crossed the finish line but they did call out others' names and cities. Spectators and volunteers were awesome! Enjoyed the gel packs they had at the water stops. My friends had goody bags, but there was nothing in the goody bag so I felt better. Not sure if I will do this race again or not.

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