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Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 4.2 
Spectators 3.3
Number of comments: 51 [displaying comments 21 to 31]
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D. O. from Ontario, Canada
(11/4/2012)
 "Nice course, pros and cons to organization" (about: 2012)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Pros -Fast course with a nice 7km downhill stretch. -Buses fromthe park to start were very well run -Lots of space at community centre to keep warm before the race -Line ups for bathrooms were minimal beforehand Cons -In my opinion, the biggest mistake the organizers made is having the half marathon runner/walkers start 15 min AFTER the full marathoners. Since part of the route is different for the half marathoners, faster runners (<3:30) will have to pass the slower halfers TWICE. This becomes tough towards the end, with the last 7km run on a waterfront trail. I was weaving much more than I would have liked towards the end and on a couple of occasions I had to ask for walkers to move to the right so I could pass. I have no problem with walkers, but either have them start earlier so we don't have to pass so many or have course marshalls move them to the right so runners can pass. 2 minor areas for improvement - there was no room for spectators to park at the finish line. We were told there would be plenty of parking, but that was not the case. - if you consider running this marathon, study the course beforehand. There is a double loop in the second half. I saw one runner take a wrong turn and get called back, while I heard of another runner who missed the loop and was DQ'd after crossing the finish line after 38km. Overall a good and fairly well organized marathon. A simple adjustment by having the half marathoners start at the same time, or even 30 min after the full marathon, would eliminate the frustration of weaving through walkers on tired legs. | |
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J. D. from London, Ontario
(2/19/2012)
 "A fast and well organized, small marathon" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my 8th marathon. I rank it very highly. A small expo but some good deals. Extremely well organized, with a big school to accomodate everyone pre-race. Excellent shuttle service to the starting line, with a fine young man on the bus describing his charity work. Well run baggage checks. A long downhill makes this a truly fast marathon, although it does have some hills - so it gives and takes both. The one recommendation for improvement would be to provide a more popular sportsdrink such as gatorade and to offer more fluid per cup. A nice grassy area for relaxing afterwards with good live music. I enjoyed this small event more than the big-city Toronto Waterfront. Congrats to all the people who worked hard to make it a success. Good job. | |
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N. G. from Toronto
(11/18/2011)
 "Great small race" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Though small, this marathon was as well organized as any of the big ones I've done. The course was pleasant, with countryside for the first half and a nice lakeshore park trail at the end - and the 6K downhill in the middle was almost like cheating! Volunteers were all great. | |
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J. L. from Montreal
(11/10/2011)
"Best course ever." (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The course was beautiful and very easy. I improved my best time by 14 minutes and got a very strong BQ as a result. Very happy. I found the spectators to be very enthusiastic and encouraging. Yes, there isn't a huge crowd out there, but we're in Hamilton, not Toronto. The cheers I got were more than enough for me. Thank you to whoever was out there cheering for us! Organisation was #1. Nothing bad to say about it. Water and e-load at every 3km was fine with me. In November, no need to drink every 10 minutes... E-load instead of gatorade is fine, no problem for me with that. The volunteers were extremely pleasant and worked hard for us. I'm very grateful, thanks guys! Finally, the size small shirt I received was the first TRUE size small I have ever received. Thank you! Finally a shirt I can wear. I love it. I will be in Hamilton next year, for sure. We loved the town, did the Warplane Museum, great restaurants, etc... Don't miss this awesome marathon! | |
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S. M. from Ottawa, ON
(11/7/2011)
 "Room for Improvement - Not Bad" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 My 33rd marathon! The racekit pick up was easy and the free parking and buses were nice. I liked the fact that we started at the school. Some of the signage for parking was a bit confusing but this can be changed next year. I wish the course had more water stations (every 2 km) and used Gatorade instead of E load. The shirt was nice and the medal was fine. Great to see a monkey run a marathon! Host hotel was very accomodating and well priced. The race expo could have used a few more vendors and the fans were very sparse. | |
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L. M. from vineland, ON, canada
(12/27/2010)
"wonderful" (about: 2010)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 It was a good marathon. Downhill - no uphill. Nice country view. There were no more cookies at the post party by the time I finished the marathon. There should be more cookies for all of the marathon runners - even the ones who came in late. Water stations were good. | |
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K. L. from Ontario, Canada
(11/9/2010)
"Need more liquid in those cups" (about: 2010)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Good race overall. Lots of toilets, free parking, and a warm school to wait in. Running down the mountain on the highway was also pretty cool. One problem: There needs to be more liquid in the cups at the stations. I don't think I got a full mouthful of liquid at any of the stations. At the finish line I was given one bottle of water but that's all. There was nothing else to drink available (I even asked several volunteers). Again, good race but it needs to offer more to drink. | |
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Lorne Sundby from Canada
(11/9/2010)
"Deal with the train! Lose the e-Load." (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 At 29K a train crossed the course, and delayed me by over 4 minutes. It's hard to take an interruption like that in the race. The RD did respond to my enquiry, so I appreciate his courtesy. What it amounts to is that CN Rail would not commit to avoiding the crossing during the race. Also, they serve something called e-Load at the event. It is clear, and served in the same cup as water. Makes it hard to navigate the aid stations. They should put the carb drink in a colored cup. And pick something more common, like Gatorade or PowerAde. Course is good, 'cept for the train. | |
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M. H. from Buffalo, NY
(11/9/2010)
 "Good race" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was a nice, small race on a relatively flat course. Only complaint was with the information provided to me prior to the race regarding fluids on the race course (was told it would be Gatorade, only to later find out it was GU). Also, the website could use a little more info - e.g. printable race course map with kilometer markings on it, etc. Overall, though, it was a nice, small race and I love that it's run in early November! | |
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Melissa Babiarz from Buffalo NY USA
(11/8/2010)
"Overall, a great experience!" (about: 2010)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The scenic views were great and the 3-mile friendly grade downhill made it easy to enjoy. The water stations were fair and they seemed to be trying to conserve water - I had to take 3 or 4 cups to get my gel down. The second half was also a bit rough, but maybe that was due to some construction. The race finishes along the lake and that was beautiful! Maybe a pasta dinner the night before would have been helpful as many Italian restaurants were full. I would recomend this race as well as the Holday Inn Express that could not have been more convenient and hospitable - with a late checkout at no extra cost! |
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