calendar icon Apr 30, 2024

Windermere Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Windermere Marathon Information & Reviews

Course Rating Course 4.1 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 3.2 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 2.8 
 
 
Number of comments: 40 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 > ]

 

K. G. from Washington (6/1/2014)
"Getting Bigger - Needs More Organization!" (about: 2014)

6-10 previous marathons | 3 Windermere Marathons
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 2  FANS: 3


This is my third Windermere, three years ago did the half, last year the full, and this year the half due to an injury. I love the course however this marathon/half-marathon are growing each year, and needs better organization to adjust for the increased demand.

Half Marathon - Not enough port-a-potties at the start (30 minute wait), delayed start this year by almost 40 minutes, packed course for 1st four miles, finish line food OK, nothing to brag about, and the awards ceremony was stated to start approximately 9:30am, yet most people receiving awards were long gone when it finally started close to 11:30am.

This is my hometown and I'm pleased Windermere is growing so nicely. However they need to up the ante as an organization to accommodate for the larger crowds. Displeased so much this year, not sure if I will do this half or full again.
 

L. B. from Portland, OR (6/4/2013)
"Great Fast and Scenic Course!" (about: 2013)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Windermere Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 4


If you are looking for a scenic and fun race to qualify for Boston, consider putting this run on your schedule. I had a great time and along with a BQ & PR! Though this race only qualified 14.7% of the runners for Boston in 2013, it is most likely that many have not discovered it yet. The small field allowed me to cut to the inside of every turn which resulted in my shortest total GPS distance of any previous marathon! Receiving my medal from a dress-uniformed Marine was a very special touch.
 

s. k. from Culver City, CA (6/3/2013)
"This race is not for back-of-the-pack runners." (about: 2013)

50+ previous marathons | 1 Windermere Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 2


Although the race advertised that they would wait for everyone or until it got dark, there was minimum support on the course. I was the last runner and I was followed by a volunteer on a bike and two women who were the sweep. At points, the course was not marked well. It was easy to get lost if you were out there by yourself. Since I was slow, I never saw any volunteers other than the people who were with me until the end. The bike path along the river was beautiful. Running with traffic off of the bike path was a challenge.
 

C. W. from NorthWest US (5/20/2013)
"Some extra nice touches; some things to improve?" (about: 2013)

50+ previous marathons | 1 Windermere Marathon
COURSE: 2  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 1


Wonderful: the volunteers; the course control/police assist; the medals; the shirts; the finish locale, food,complimentary finish photos, winners medals; sufficient water/gummybears!/sportsdrink. The kinks for me: the Liberty Lake 7 miles, the miles along roadsides when the Centennial Trail is so gorgeous; the awkward and overlengthy bus transport; expo could be bigger; 'host' hotels did not provide fridges or microwaves; downtown host hotels had a booming parade beneath them til the wee hours; unclear bus shuttle info ahead of time; and let us know about the gravel section so we can wear gaitors please.
 

Renee Sheldon from Spokane Washington (5/19/2013)
"Was an epic experience" (about: 2013)

1 previous marathon | 1 Windermere Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


Ran the half last year and the full this year and i LOVE it. Wonderful course and great volunteers. Plenty of water stations and course marshals. And good events afterwords. Love it. Couple of challenging hills but definitely manageable. And the scenic route makes for a beautiful 26.2 mi journey
 

B. S. from Oklahoma (7/10/2012)
"Loved this event. Great course" (about: 2012)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Windermere Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 2


A great point to point marathon. The course is spectacular running along side the river for a majority of the time.
 

A. V. from Hamilton, MT (5/24/2012)
"Great marathon for my first time going 26.2!" (about: 2012)

1 previous marathon | 1 Windermere Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


I really enjoyed this race. This was my first marathon and I picked it specifically for the flat course.

Race Expo
Perfect. Small, quick and easy to get your bib and shirt and get out without having all the hassle of having to push your way through a crowded expo.

Shuttle to Start
This went fairly smooth. I caught the bus around 5:45 and despite the fact the bus driver had been given bad instructions to the half marathon start, we made it to the start of the marathon right around 6:30. This was great - time to hit up a porta potty but no need to stand around forever.

Start Line
It wasn't clear if there was going to be a drop bag service so I just wore an old t-shirt with the intent of tossing it at the start. It turns out there was a drop bag service so I didn't have to lose a shirt!

Race Course
I loved that the race course was along a small path for most of the race. With only a few hundred people running, it kept you close to other participants but not so crowded you were bumping elbows. There weren't a ton of spectators but those that were there were great! Also, with the race being on a mult-use path, most of the other people out and about on bikes, walking or running would offer encouragement as well.

Finish Line
I got my medal and some water and left so I can't really speak to this too much.
 

D. A. from Moses Lake, WA (5/19/2012)
"Has Great Potential" (about: 2012)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 Windermere Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 2


Pros:
1) This was a flat, fast course where you can definitely PR, 2) Nice shirt and medal; the medal was given to you by uniformed US Marines, a nice touch, 3) There were kiosks at the finish where you could immediately check your results, 4) Ample amounts of water, heed, and gel availabe. I ran the 1/2 and they offered gel at 3 different water stations.

Cons:
1) Limited crowd support, 2) Small expo, 3) Post race food was limited to bananas, oranges, soup and chicken (random), 4) At times the volunteers seemed in the dark about how to help people, 5) A few mile markers for the 1/2 were MIA. Difficult to keep pace.

Overall, I'd do the race again. With a few minor tweaks, this race will be much better.
 

S. J. from Seattle, WA (4/24/2012)
"A beautiful run along the river." (about: 2011)

11-50 previous marathons | 2 Windermere Marathons
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 3


Overall, this is a wonderful event. The organizers have done a great job developing this race over the past few years. The course is gorgeous except a few miles toward the end.

The aid stations were adequate and well stocked. The volunteers were great and enthusiastic.

I have run many, many marathons and this easily ranks in the top 5. It goes to show that sometimes the best races are the low-key, local ones.
 

B. B. from Spokane, WA (12/2/2011)
"Great Race...Steadily Improving" (about: 2011)

2 previous marathons | 2 Windermere Marathons
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 3


Ran in 2010 and 2011. For a first time marathoner, this is a sweet event. Great finisher medals. Terrible shirts...really, let's improve this, please!

Maybe I was paranoid, but I carried my own water bottles. Aid stations seemed too sparse for my needs, but they were always helpful to refill my bottles.

Great run. Beautiful.

Distance and train issues fixed by 2011.
 

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