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May 17, 2024

Providence Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 3.6

Organization 3.4

Spectators 2.9

Number of comments: 169 [displaying comments 101 to 111]

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Madeleine Marecki from CT (5/8/2009) "Wonderful experience!" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a wonderful, well-organized race that is characterized by a positive, energetic vibe from both participants and spectators. The course is great - very scenic, and really gives you a taste of Providence and Rhode Island. The post-race festivities were an added bonus. If you're looking to throw down a solid marathon or half-marathon time on a pretty course, be sure to run this race. Thanks for a great race experience!
R. C. from Boston (5/8/2009) "Providence Deserves More" (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 This race is chaos. Nothing seemed to be in place, and nothing seemed smooth. The course takes you by buildings that have been spray-painted. The water stops were off throughout the course. I thank the spectators and volunteers, but there were not any good places for spectators.
T. M. from Massachusetts (5/8/2009) "Super first marathon!" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first and it will always be special for me. The weather was perfect but we just got lucky with that. Everything was run so smoothly! The course was great... not completely flat but not difficult at all. Most of the inclines were during the first several miles anyway, and none of them were anything to be concerned about. Crowd support was so much better than I expected. What a difference it makes to have an enthusiastic crowd throughout! Organization and logistics were great. There were no hassles whatsoever, from picking up my entry package to the post-race party. There may have been a couple of mile markers missing (either that or they were there but I missed them), and either the 24- or 25-mile marker was misplaced, but no big deal. That did not have any influence on my finish time so I am not concerned about it. Plenty of water stops/Gatorade when you needed them. Nice shirts too! Overall they put on a great race. I like the fact that this is fairly small marathon with a big marathon buzz on race-day!!
Mark Anderson from Newton, Mass (5/8/2009) "Fun, Flat (mostly), Fast, Scenic." (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run 15 marathons, all in the Northeast. Other than Boston, this was my favorite. Fantastic support, well marked course, great aid stations. The best part is parking one block from the start. There were water views and woods for most of the course.
J. G. from Newport, RI (5/7/2009) "Much Better Than Expected" (about: 2009) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 After reading the comments from the 2008 race, I expected a heck of a lot worse. The course was challenging but not overly challenging. The field of runners wasn't too heavy to make congestion much of a problem. The aid stations were plentiful and well-stocked. Volunteers were courteous and supportive. The expo was decent. Nice technical shirts and pretty medals with a picture of the canal in downtown Providence on the back. I had a really terrific time running Providence and would be happy to run the course again. Whatever was wrong in 2008 definitely improved this year.
David Marcus from New York City (5/7/2009) "Scenic city marathon!" (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I was most impressed by how much of the marathon was scenic. There wasn't a single ugly industrial stretch. Lots of river views, and a lot of it was on a bike path. The course was pretty flat, especially in the last 7 miles when you needed it to be! My only complaint was the inconsistent water, and a mile 24-marker that was so far off-base, that I almost gave up on breaking 4 hours until I passed the 25th marker .6 miles later!
M. F. from Maine (5/6/2009) "AWESOME MARATHON! GREAT COURSE!" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Thank you for a great race! It was an absolute blast. I ran the marathon and I thought the course was terrific. Very fair, not too hilly, not too flat, the paved trails were awesome, and the scenery and neighborhoods were great. The water and Gatorade stops were plentiful and just right; please thank all of the volunteers who manned those stations. The boys yelling encouragement up on the bridge around mile 24 were clutch, as were the girls after the bridge. I needed a 3:30 to qualify for Boston and I ran a net 3:29:59! It was absolutely NUTS! My friend picked me up at 25.5 and ran in with me screaming to get moving. The 5K runners were all converging from their race; it was pure madness - a buzz I will never forget. We had dinner in the Italian section on Atwood St. at a place called Mediterreano Cafe. We ate outside at the sidewalk area, and it was a great place to get a pasta feed. If I had to offer a criticism, I would say that I didn't love coming in with 5K runners after busting it for 26.2. There is something off with that idea. The mile marker at mile 19 was also 1/4-mile short (unless I ran a 5:53 19th mile - not) and some nut drew 24 in chalk on the path up towards the bridge before the real 24 mile marker showed up a 1/4-mile later (unless I was hallucinating, which is possible at mile 24). It doesn't take much to get confused late in a marathon. Other than that, I had a ball. I hope this race is an annual for years to come. The first weekend in May is a great time to run a marathon in New England. The weather was perfect. Great job, race organizers!
A. S. from Auburn, MA (5/6/2009) "So much better than last year!" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Providence Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The race director heard our comments from last year, and made major improvements to this year's race. I loved the new course, and especially enjoyed the bike path section. It was great having the start and finish at the same place. The expo was much better and the band was great. My only complaint... no Dunkin Donuts at the finish line, bummer! I'll be back again next year.
K. B. from Barrington, RI (5/6/2009) "Great BQ opportunity" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Providence Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I stayed clear of the '08 one because of the course and signed on for '09 because of the course - it is an excellent BQ course. There were no hiccups in the race organization. The finish was terrific; the post-race was well done; the expo was nothing special and there wasn't much gear there; the worst part of the course (the ramp at the end of the bike path at mile 25) will be gone next year, which would improve my 4-star rating up to 5. Water stops could be distributed a bit better; fans were supportive though sparse in some places. Providence did a great job hosting this event.
J. B. from Connecticut (5/5/2009) "Great volunteers and a lot of fun!" (about: 2009) First Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I did the half-marathon with my husband. The half and the full go to about mile 8 together and then break off. The hills in that first section were hard, but the flat after that made up for it. Great goody bags. The start was well organized, with water and bananas and tents from sponsors. The finish was great too! Very organized. So much food and drink (water, sports drinks, and beer). There was music at the end. There were people all throughout the course. SO many volunteers! All were encouraging. Two tiny things: one was that the expo ended at 5, and coming from out of town we only made it just in time, and the other was that after mile 8, the half-marathon mile markers were forgotten until mile 13.

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