Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Apr 29, 2024

Extraterrestrial Full Moon Midnight Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Extraterrestrial Full Moon Midnight Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.6

Organization 4.5

Spectators 2.6

Number of comments: 80 [displaying comments 61 to 71]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 > ]

J. V. from Florida (8/19/2008) "A unique marathon" (about: 2008) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Extraterrestrial Full Moon Midnight Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The marathon is exactly as described. It was a unique experience. Joyce pays attention to details and seems truly to care about the runners and their needs. Low-key, friendly, spirited event with a great alien medal. Don't expect many spectators unless you count the cows - and they're hard to see at night.
S. H. from Austin, TX (8/19/2008) "Great Summer Race" (about: 2008) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Extraterrestrial Full Moon Midnight Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 Good organization and highly recommended for seriously crazy marathon runners. The only problem was that loading the buses in Vegas was a bit disorganized. It is a long 2.5-hour drive from Vegas, but the bus was comfortable. The run can be lonely down the highway since there aren't a lot of folks and the half runners start at mile 7. I don't understand why some think this is a tough course. It was really only steep for a few feet just before the 13-mile mark. The first half was a gentle uphill, and then it was downhill to mile 20 and flat for the rest. Temperature was high at the start but it cooled down after mile 4. Aid stations at about every 3 miles. I carried a bottle but probably didn't need it. The sports drink, "Heed," is a little nasty tasting. The post-race breakfast was very nice: eggs, sausage, hash browns, etc. Runners basically invaded the Hyatt Place host hotel. I felt sorry for non-running guests. It was really cool running in the dark under the full moon. I didn't need to have my light on because the moon was so bright. Security on the open highway was good. I always felt safe.
j. v. from Texas I think (8/19/2008) "Midnight fun run!" (about: 2008) 50+ previous marathons \| 2 Extraterrestrial Full Moon Midnight Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This is a unique event. Most runners come for either the name, the time, or the location of the race. I came for the name personally. This is the second time that I have run the race, so I can tell you that there were many positive changes in the event this year. Granted, everybody that I talked to on the run said that they'd never run the race again. It is sort of a boring race; it is past most of our bedtimes, it is dark (not that there would have been anything to see during the daylight!), and it is pretty much a no-frills race in the day of mega event races. That said, the race was like twice as large this year, and I expect it to double again next year. I did not understand any of the host hotel complaints last year. I stayed there, it was a large nice room; easy to find; free transportation; near food and stores. I had no issues. I am sure people will complain this year as well. Okay... I loved the medal. I hope that it doesn't change (well it can lose the other distances on the medal, I only care about the full... and next year the ultra). The first year the medal missed the theme of the race. This year the medal was dead on! Great improvement! I loved the shirt. Last year was very good and Joyce kept the great design and improved it by giving it an alien instead of her trademark cat. Very nice change. Now will I ever wear the shirt? No. It is like a painted cotton shirt (don't scream at me that it is technically a technical shirt... but that is my feeling, and this my comment). So the shirt was even better than last year. I love a consistent design so if you go for the shirt, you get the shirt (substitute medal if you choose as well) that you went to get. Due to it being a larger race, some of the items were much improved through volume. The buses worked out better, as there were more of them. The food was better, as there were more of us, so the food was fresher on the average. Size truly helped improve these two items. The bus thingy still needs some improvement, but others will gripe and tell you about what/why they did not like it. The mile markers were easy to find this year. Granted, it was like 400% lighter this year than last. We could have seen chalk marks on the road this year it was so bright. Still there could have been a glow band on the mile marker to even make it better. So this item was fixed from year one as well. There were porta-potties out there. Another fix from year one. I mean everything was better than year one (well maybe not the expo and the boarding of the buses, but I am sure that these items will be solved as well). There were timing chips this year. I am sure that somebody complained last year. Heck people complain about everything. Whatever, it made for fast results, so I guess that is another fix from the inaugural running of the race. There seemed to be fewer volunteers this year... and the volunteers did not seem to be as excited to be there as before. Maybe it was just that I was slower this year and they were getting worn out.... All and all, I think that Joyce addressed all the concerns of the first year. She will have a whole new set this year, as most of the runners were new to the race, and will have a new set of complaints. It is a tough race. The course is not easy. The altitude is a factor. The time of day is a definite factor, or it is for people like me, who go to bed early. Those three combine to give you a slow finishing time, but then who cares? You go to the race for the novelty of the name, location, and time of the event - not to run a PR in the warmth of the summer. So hats off to the new and improved ET! There is plenty of room for improvement, but this race has come so far in one year that I expect the race to survive and become a cult event. I just can't wait to run the ultra version!!! I'd drop the half and the full and just have a 20-miler and the 51K. The 10K would be changed to the out-and-back portion, 19K? There are already almost too many distances to support this far from town in the dark.... Oh, did I forget to mention that this is a Las Vegas vacation trip marathon??? How could any race out of Las Vegas not be the best thing in this world? ET 20K, 20-mile and 51K?
C. K. from Anderson, SC (8/19/2008) "Awesome but the toughest I've ever run" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Extraterrestrial Full Moon Midnight Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The scenery is beautiful, and the course tough. You climb for 13 miles and then gradually descend to Rachel. Then the hardest part is passing the finish line at mile 20 for the last 10K. I'm not sure what exactly made the race so tough - maybe the midnight start - but it was hard. Even though the course is hilly, it is not extreme. Joyce and the others in charge work hard for this one - getting everyone there and back. I thank them for their hard work! The bus ride back was beautiful - it's nice to see everything you ran through in the early morning light, but oh how it hurt! I give the spectators a 5 although there are very few, but why would you want to run out in the desert and have a bunch of screaming people? I enjoyed the quiet natural sounds of the desert. Run this one for the novelty - it is something you will never forget. Also, run it for the challenge - finishing this race is an accomplishment.
R. H. from New York (8/18/2008) "Uniquely awesome - this should be on your list" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Extraterrestrial Full Moon Midnight Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 All the positive comments from below came true for me - the magic of the high desert at night, a full moon, stars and shooting stars, the eerie shapes of the Joshua trees, shadows on the road of birds circling high above me, a surprisingly comfortable temperature and cooling breeze, animal crackers at several of the aid stations, super friendly volunteers, seeing fellow runners in the distance with glowing lights twisted around their necks and ankles, and the silence and the stillness were perfect. The chorus of coyotes singing at mile 22 was the icing on the cake. This is one to do for the unique experience and the simple joy of doing a marathon. Be ready to work for 13 miles, then enjoy the ride down. My finish time was more than an hour off my last race; but who cares, it was more time to take it all in, and see dawn start to glimmer in the east. Plenty of good, hot food from the kind people at the Little Ale' Inn - even for the late finishing marathoners. No problems this year with buses, or hotels (the Hyatt Place), or anything. Ignore the rating for spectators because it doesn't apply to this kind of thing. Too bad if that stops you from running this - it was superb.
j. p. from las vegas (8/18/2008) "A unique experience for sure" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I actually ran the half-marathon version of the ET Marathon, but wanted to comment on this race as it was such a fun and unique race. It was an awesome sight seeing all the runners in the complete dark and being able to see nothing but the green glo-stick necklaces hovering off the ground... it gave it a real alien feel. The weather was great with a slight breeze that kept it cool. The course is uphill the first 6 or so miles (of the 1/2 marathon, though these are the same miles as 7-13 of the full marathon), but nothing that wasn't expected, based on the course profile posted before the race. After that it was all smooth (downhill) sailing into the finish line. The breakfast was nice, although greasy sausages and scrambled eggs are not my first choice after a hard, long run. There were bagels, bananas and oranges available. The organization was outstanding with only a few tips for the future: 1. A bull horn/mega-phone would have been very, very nice. From the loading of runners onto the buses, to the start of races to the awards, Joyce's tiny voice reaches only about 5 feet at most. 2. The sports drink I think was called "Heave," and rightly so. It tasted horrible. Organizers should check and see how much they have left over because I doubt anyone willingly drank it. 3.The bus drivers didn't seem to know what the plan was for after the race and had to be pleaded with to be let onto the bus after the race. Then they had no clue as to which bus was going where, etc. Overall, this was a sweet, little race that I am sure will grow and grow. Although I rated the fans '1' since there were almost none, I give the volunteers a '5' since they were great and came to the middle of nowhere at midnight to hand me water cups. They should be congratulated. My expectations were exceeded and I am looking forward to racing with Calico again in the future.
Holly Justice from Tucson, AZ (8/18/2008) "Unique, fun race!" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Extraterrestrial Full Moon Midnight Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was so much fun! I ran the full (2008) and was impressed with the ease of logistics (which could have been a nightmare - a three-hour bus ride to and from the start/finish was seamless, thanks to Joyce's hard work!), mile markers were awesome, and volunteers were great! The course was difficult, but subtly so - having a 14-mile, slow incline and then a downhill was fun. A shooting star at the start made it even cooler. Medals were adorable, t-shirts were dry-release, and everyone at the race was nice (lots of 50-Staters and ultra-runners). I heard next year will host a 51K in Area 51 - so cool!
A. F. from Salt Lake City, UT (8/18/2008) "Fabulous and so fun." (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Extraterrestrial Full Moon Midnight Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 You want to do this race. I only did the half. But, the half is part of the straight shot marathon course. I was really freaked out about the hill after reading these reviews, but it's not THAT bad. If you don't go into this race expecting a PR, you will have SO MUCH FUN and not be defeated by the hill. Running at night is unreal, and the desert and the full moon are a real treat. The Lil' Ale-Inn, where you finish, is a total trip and tons of fun. I kind of wish I had done the whole marathon because 13 miles was almost not enough the enjoy the beauty! Oh well, next year. There are no spectators; you are in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night, but my husband was able to drive to any point of the course he wanted to cheer for me... because it's just a straight shot on the highway. This is really fun, especially after doing so many races where it's impossible to get to a cheer station for the spectators. I would 100% recommend this race! There are some hitches here and there (gross electrolyte drink, sparse water stations, slightly confusing finish) but the good outweighs the bad, and I'm sure the race will just get better, the medal is awesome, the t-shirt is great, and it is so beautiful. My prediction is this will become a really popular race and get more and more crowded. Jump in early while you still can!
Chad Getchell from Las Vegas, NV (3/13/2008) "First year; will only get better" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Extraterrestrial Full Moon Midnight Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I ran the half and I'm planning on running the full next year. There were some things that were a bit of a hassle, among them: 1. The buses leaving the area after the race. Given that the buses couldn't leave until they were full, there was a lot of waiting around by 1/2 marathoners to wait for marathoners to fill the seats, which at 4 a.m. kind of isn't fun. 2. Bus drivers got lost. However, I have run in some of the other Calico racing events and will say that Joyce has her act together, and since this was the first year of this being run, it will get better next year, and the logistics will be a lot easier to deal with. As far as the complaints about the hotel, as a local all I cared about was 1. ease of access, and 2. a place to park my car to meet the bus - and I had both, so no problems there. I actually prefer the smaller hotels for this sort of thing; it's easier to find where I'm supposed to go to the expo/registration. The goods: 1. Food at the end of the race, great meal, and "resources" available to buy an adult beverage for the bus ride back. 2. Course. It's tough, and I like it like that. 3. Medal. Medal was great; matched the theme really well. Like I said, I ran the half last year and will run the full this upcoming year, and I'm sure it'll be great just like it was in 2007.
J. V. from at my desk...where else? (12/18/2007) "What a neat race!" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Extraterrestrial Full Moon Midnight Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 There wasn't much that I would change on this one... a nice, small, quiet race. Now if you don't like small and quiet, this is NOT your race!!! A unique experience running at midnight in the desert. The darkness makes the hill almost fun.... I said "almost," now. I would not change the course for anything! It worked perfectly. Okay, I did have points that I did not like, but we all do! The items that I did not like were so minor that I will not even bother to mention them here! Joyce, keep up the good work and I hope that you get permission to run this course next year! It was a blast! One of the best events that I have ever done!

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 > ]

Become an Advertiser

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Become an Advertiser

© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC

Privacy Policy Refund Policy Terms of Use