May 17, 2024
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☰
Providence Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Providence Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.6 
Organization 3.4 
Spectators 2.9
Number of comments: 169 [displaying comments 121 to 131]
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Rick Muhr from North Grafton, Massachusetts
(5/4/2009)
 "Extremely well organized!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Providence Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The 2009 marathon was my 35th marathon. If anyone has a qualifying effort in them, I would recommend this race. There are lots of turns, so you have to be engaged. This will prevent you from being lulled into a state of complacency. The terrain offers nice variety. Aid stations always seemed to be there when I needed one. It's nice to see the Providence skyline after 20 miles - a nice reminder that the finish line awaits! | |
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C. M. from New London, CT
(5/4/2009)
 "Much improved - go Providence!" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Providence Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I've done both years of the Providence Marathon and I think the organizers really figured it out in Year Two! Nice expo (so much better to have it at a hotel), nice start/finish location (no buses! same place to start and end - woo hoo!), nice course (yay to Barrington), and nice volunteers. Thank you for a challenging run yesterday! | |
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V. A. from Boston, MA
(5/4/2009)
"A World-Class Race with a Hometown Feel" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Providence Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 As head coach for Dreamfar Newton South and a veteran marathoner and Ironman athlete, I was extremely pleased with the care and support the race gave to its athletes, including our 22 athletes - New England's first high school marathon team. We chose this event because of its timing and availability, but will return to it because of it's hospitality, personalization, and professional organization. It is a fast course with a great tour of Providence, and the run along the bike road has some of the most beautiful scenery I've seen on a marathon course. Highly recommended! | |
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M. L. from Metro-Boston MA
(5/4/2009)
"A Good, Reasonably Low-Key Race" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I didn't read user comments here regarding 2008 until after I had signed up for 2009, so I was a bit nervous going into the beginning of the race. These fears were largely unfounded. If I could I would give organization 3.5 stars, with points getting knocked off for not having corrals or time markers at the beginning or clear directions or signs for runners at the end. The course itself shows off Providence's varying sights well, with a fair portion of the course winding down a wooded bike path. Good course support with lots of Gatorade and water. | |
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D. C. from Ma.
(5/3/2009)
"Huge improvement from last year" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Providence Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This year, everything from the expo to the water stops to the course were hugely improved. The course was awesome and well organized. Having done nearly 20 marathons, this was one of my favorites. The first water stop was 1.5 miles into the run and not staffed well enough, but I didn't mind because it was so early in the race that I didn't need water yet. After that, they seemed to be well staffed. I really enjoyed the bike path after some rolling hills along the first half of the course. The live band, pizza, and beer at the end of the race were cool. Much better sponsorship this year also. Overall, I think this will be a super spring marathon for years to come. I hope they keep the course as it is! | |
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P. C. from Berlin, CT
(5/3/2009)
 "Still Growing" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Providence Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I was wary about running this race, based on the comments from 2008. The 2009 version seemed to be much improved from '08 based on those comments. Providence is a nice city, and the people were all extremely hospitable and accommodating. Great Italian food on Federal Hill. Every policeman I encountered had a great sense of humor and was very polite. The expo was decent - not great, but certainly not tiny. I did chuckle about the basement finishing booth. The course started and ended right in front of my hotel, so certainly no complaints there. The majority was run on a bike path through woods and past water (into residential neighborhoods where the folks were really friendly and encouraging). There were lots of turns and switchbacks, but it was not a bad route. Now, the downside. Granted I'm no speedster; I finished around 4:20. But there was ZERO food left!! For the last mile, everyone was cheering, "Just a little farther for pizza and beer!" Well, guess what? No pizza, no bananas, no nothing. Zippo. I guess I have to run faster if I want post-race food. The course could be supported with more water stations I thought. A few times, they seemed sparse. I debated about wearing my water belt, chose not to, and paid for it. I've run 7 half-marathons, and this was my 2nd marathon. The others had better on-course support and tons of post-race food. I'm not sure about the green race part either. There were tons of wasted full Gatorade bottles dumped in the trash. All in all, it was a nice race and I'd run it again. I liked Providence. | |
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Tim Schenck from Westchester County, New York
(5/3/2009)
"Nicely Organized, Small Race" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I had some concerns based on comments posted about last year's inaugural race. So, before I signed up, I emailed the race director to get his take on what was said. And he got back to me the same day! (Try that at a major marathon.) I was comfortable with his answers and I'm glad that I ran this race. It's not going to have a huge expo or major crowd support (hardly any), but it's a nice, low-key marathon with easy-to-manage logistics. The host hotel was a block away from the start (and cheap, at $149). Definitely worth staying there - and the Starbucks across the street helped. This was my first smaller marathon (after 3 large ones). They're not for everyone, especially if you really feed off of the crowd support. It's tough in those last few miles when you could really use some motivation - at least it was for me. But I did shave 10 minutes off of my PR, so I was thrilled with the result. The course was moderately hilly - actually it seemed a lot gentler than the online elevation chart indicated - with some water views and time spent on a paved bike path. And you certainly can't blame crowds for slowing you down. Some possible improvements: there seemed to be a couple of mile markers missing late in the race (or maybe I was delirious) - though the mileage was spray-painted on the pavement. A few extra water stops would have been nice. Thanks for a nice, small-town race-feel. Everyone I encountered at the expo and on the course was friendly and helpful. And it was great to be able to greet my family immediately after crossing the finish line (even if they refused to hug me in my post-marathon state). | |
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S. L. from Nashua NH
(5/3/2009)
 "Excellent marathon! Had a blast." (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Providence Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I read a lot of complaints about the previous year so I was a little nervous about this year, but the race director really did a fantastic job! The entire marathon had cones for traffic control as well as a slew of voulunteers and police. The water stations were fully staffed and stocked, and the course was very nice. My only negative was that there was no food tent at the end, but apart from that it was a great race. | |
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Dianna Glass from Rhode Island
(10/24/2008)
"Loved it!!" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Providence Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have to say, I wasn't expecting much. It is a first-year, smaller race. I loved it!! I enjoyed the route (hills are good), and the volunteers at water stops and intersections were great. The police on the course were even encouraging runners! Great time; highly recommended. | |
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L. L. from Providence, Rhode Island
(10/9/2008)
"Overall Great Experience!" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Providence Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've run in over 200 races and count this race as one of my top favorites for many reasons. 1) So many happy volunteers along the course. 2) Excellent police presence on the roads. 3) Plenty of aid stations along the course. 4) Good food and music at the finish line. 5) Tons of crowd support, especially considering the weather. 6) Loved finishing in downtown Providence. 7) Race packet pick-up was well organized, quick and easy. With the changes the race director mentioned in his comments, this should be an outstanding race next year! |
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