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Oakland Marathon Running Festival Runner Comments
Back to Oakland Marathon Running Festival Information & Reviews
Course 4.4 
Organization 4.7 
Spectators 4.3
Number of comments: 38 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
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P. B. from Western New York
(6/6/2012)
 "Starting to become a 'must-do' Bay Area race" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Oakland Marathon Running Festivals
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Since running the inaugural edition of this race, I can say it has only gotten better. The full marathon course is still quite hilly, but very do-able. What I love most about this race is getting to run through the various neighborhoods in Oakland. The spectators are great, and you can see how proud they are to have this race here. Running down International Boulevard reminded me of being at the NYC Marathon, with all its sights, sounds, and aromas. The only part of this race I truly did not enjoy was the unpaved section around Lake Merritt, where the toll of the latter miles made it too easy to trip. I especially loved this year's black marathon zip pullover with the Raider-esque design. Oh, and being able to get 2 free beers at the post-race party was definitely appreciated (the last time I did this race they had run out by the time I finished). | |
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G. M. from Vancouver, BC
(3/29/2012)
"Great race, fantastic organization" (about: 2012)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Just ran the Oakland Half Marathon and was extremely impressed. I flew in from Vancouver for this event and although Oakland would normally not be considered as a 'destination race', I believe it should be. A summary of the pros and cons: Pros: 1. The half has a relatively flat course with smallish rolling hills in some places. The course takes you through scenic and not-so-scenic parts of downtown Oakland. The full marathon elevation chart looked a little scary however. 2. This is a small to moderate race size (i.e. under 10,000 runners). There is no crowding and the corrals were easy to get into and everyone was well-behaved. 3. The organizers did a great job getting everyone pumped up at the beginning. Lots of excitement before the start. 4. There are plenty of water / gatorade stations that are well-staffed with friendly volunteers. 5. Lots! of toilets at the race start. I think I waited no more than 2 minutes. 6. Very easy bag drop off that was 1 minute from the race start. No wait on drop off or pick up. 7. The communication / social media in the months and weeks leading up to the race was amazing. These guys really know how to keep people informed and happy. They really created a Oakland Running Festival online community through massive interaction with runners online. Questions were answered same-day! A case study on how to use social media for any business. 8. Nice race shirts and finisher medals. 9. The expo was relatively small but adequate in my opinion. A well-stocked race merchandise store. 10. They had free beer post-race (x2). Ok, it was Coors Light, but it still was beer. 11. Their was a good party atmosphere post-race in Snow Park. Lots of music and people having fun. 12. Some quirky cheering stations on the course including a mechanical horse that breathed fire (so cool). 13. Pretty good crowds cheering you on in certain places. Even the Oakland Police were cheering runners. Cons: 1. The post-race food was a bit lacking in selection although not in quantity. Standard bananas, oranges, bagels, granola bars and gatorade. 2. The virtual race bag was a bit of a waste. Nothing of much value to a runner in there. I know they were trying to go green, but I still prefer the old school free samples of things. 3. The final few minutes before the finish line was uphill! I know a minor point but it was sure painful. Overall, an extremely well organized smallish race. There was a ton of community pride and it showed. Highly recommended. | |
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H. N. from Sacramento, CA
(3/29/2012)
 "My #1 or #2 favorite" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 10th marathon and it ranks at the top for me. The course was challenging but very interesting and at times scenic. The best smelling marathon I ever ran as we did runs through all sorts of ethnic neighborhoods. Lots of people scattered along the way, but they never felt overwhelming like at some races I've done. The finishing area is nice, as is the beer you get, though the food wasn't anything special. No real goody bag, not that I care. But otherwise, well supported and lots of fun. | |
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C. G. from Oakland, CA
(3/26/2012)
 "Interesting course, OK organization" (about: 2012)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Some of my comments are more specific to people competing for top 5 finishes, others are more general. Pros: 1) I actually liked the course for the most part, even with the hills. 2) The pre- and post-race organization seemed good. 3) Nice medals. 4) Good Oakland spirit. Cons: 1) Course was terribly marked, not a big deal if you can follow others, but it sucks if you're all alone. The volunteers directing traffic and telling runners where to go during the first half did a good enough job to make up for the lack of signs/arrows. However, during the last half the volunteers seemed un-focused and unprepared to direct traffic and runners. At about mile 16.5 the person directing traffic failed to stop cars for me, then proceeded to direct me the wrong way. None of the officials during the second half pointed me which way to go until I asked them. 2) There were enough water stops, but they were oddly placed and inconsistent in quality. I think there were 3 water stops between about 22.5 and 24.5, but I think there was a stretch of 3-4 miles without water before that. Actually, there was a water stop, but nobody was there to work it. It was just a bunch of gallon jugs on a table. 3) There was no live tracking and apparently they didn't get all of the timing mats out in time, since none of the top finishers have 20 mile splits. 4) The prize structure for the relay was ridiculous. I ran the full marathon and beat every relay team except one, yet the winning relay team got 8 (4 pairs) free tickets to Hawaii? Why not split up the free tickets and give them all out to the top few finishers in the far more competitive marathon and half marathon? The half doesn't have any prizes at all. The goal may have been to increase the number of elite entries to the relay, but there was not enough notice to accomplish that. | |
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K. E. from San Francisco, CA
(3/26/2012)
 "Well organized, great race" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Oakland Marathon Running Festivals
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is a great new option for local Bay Area marathons. The good: Extremely well organized Great communication Easy to get to and park 'Late' start at 7:30 Wonderful race shirt Pacers easy to spot and follow The bad Tough course, first half being much harder than San Francisco No finish line food to speak of Finish line crowded Half marathon and marathon convergence really crowded Expo small and not interesting | |
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D. B. from Antioch, CA
(3/25/2012)
"A diamond in the Bay area" (about: 2012)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 After having done almost a hundred marathons I can recognize a GREAT one when I see it. In only it's third year this one is a real keeper!! The course was challenging but fair..the organization was awesome...and the support was first rate. Thanks to Gene and his crew for providing such a quality experience to the thousands that participated...WELL DONE...I will be back next year. | |
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Gregory Clark from Oakland, California
(4/15/2011)
"Run through the villages of Oakland!" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Oakland Marathon Running Festivals
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is now a must-run for me and, yes , I live in Oakland, but the event is just so pleasant, fun, and well organized that its become my favorite marathon (hometown influence acknowledged). I have some rather stiff reviews out there when organizers have dropped the ball, but Corrigan Sports does a great job in Oakland. The previous reviews give a good feel for the Oakland Marathon. I especially agree with R.G.'s comments on the race shirt; this is the second year where the race shirt deserves special accolades. The course: Big Sur has nothing on San Francisco when it comes to hills, and San Francisco has nothing on Oakland. I've run all three and found I enjoy a little challenge other than miles. You run Oakland and you can hold your head high among marathoners. That said, I came within 5 minutes of inadvertently posting a P.R. this year. (Wish I'd been paying more attention!) Yes, the finish area was crowded, but unlike at Big Sur, there was no line to get my free beer! Also, a really good pork sandwich at The Streatery was easy to get. BTW: their naturally multicolored potato chips are perfect for Oakland! (Thanks, Kat!) Post-race food of different kinds seemed abundant, and the ease of getting a quick hit of something good to eat made the experience (and the rest of the day) much nicer. The race organizers are without peer when it comes to pre-race organization (instructions, web, keeping in touch, etc.). It's great. Parking: I drove to the start, and parked in a lot within two blocks; it was free, and easy. The best thing is the feeling you get while the course takes you through the many districts of Oakland. You get to see what a special and varied place this is. Even in the economically depressed areas, there are locals out there thanking you for running Oakland. True, for the most part, hordes of spectators there are not, but there are enough to lift your spirits. The dull later miles common to so many urban marathons are more interesting and lively here, especially when compared to the SFM. If this and the other reviews sound good to you, then I'm sure you'll be happy you gave it a try. | |
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John McLucas from Redwood City California
(4/1/2011)
"pleasantly surprised" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first Oakland Marathon. Many good reviews from the year before. The overcast weather made the temperature much cooler, and the water stations seemed to be about 1.5 miles apart, which helped me along. The crowd support seems to pick up in the last third of the race, which was helpful. Also, there was ample food on the course to enjoy. I never have seen much of Oakland, and I also enjoyed the many different neighborhoods. The big hill in the first half did not seem so tough, as I trained for it and took my time going up and down. I would recommend this marathon. | |
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Troy Windsor from Oakland, CA
(3/30/2011)
"A few changes, but still a very nice event." (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Oakland Marathon Running Festivals
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The course changes were to ease some traffic problems, and most of them were fine by me. The only change that I didn't like very much was to have us on the path alongside of Lake Merritt. This would be fine if there weren't so many half marathoners on the course. It was a bit narrow and getting by them was not an easy task. Until the price goes up too much I will continue to run this one. One of the other changes took us off of Fruitvale Ave. There were fewer fans out on the new section we ran on. Of course this isn't something the race organization has any control over. | |
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B. H. from Salt Lake City, UT
(3/29/2011)
"Highly recommended" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Oakland Marathon Running Festival
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I thoroughly enjoyed this marathon. The first half takes you through some great neighborhoods that I didn't even know existed in Oakland. First half is a little hilly, but the last half is almost completely flat. The volunteers were great and many of the fans were absolutely fantastic. There was a rapper at mile 8, a gummy bear guy in a costume singing at like mile 16, randomly distributed Oakland A's and Raiders fans in full dress throughout the race and multiple bands along the way. Even the police officers at the beginning of the race were extremely nice and encouraging. The fire department had music playing from their firetruck. Oakland has a lot of pride and enthusiasm and they really impressed me and showcased it during this marathon. It was the perfect size in my opinion. Not too small, but not too big. If you wanted, you had plenty of space at the start and could really really get a great time and start. It was nothing like the bigger marathons I have run, but I have a feeling more and more people will register for this race once word gets around. I think they could even increase the marathon size and be okay. I would love to see this marathon get to a huge size. Port-a-potties were enough, aid stations were placed every mile or two and there was plenty for all. I really can't think of anything to complain about. They had about a full week straight of rain which made running around Lake Merrit at the end a little muddy, but that was absolutely outside of the organizers control, and they did an outstanding job despite the weather. I would definitely do this marathon again, and I would highly recommend it to anyone. I am a new Oakland fan. |
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