Arbuckles to Ardmore (A2A) Marathon
Ardmore, OK
Sunday, March 20, 2011
8:00 AM

First of all, I love small-town marathons. Folks do all they can to showcase their community and welcome the runners. The A2A Marathon, born in 2010, was no exception. Packet pick-up was on Saturday in Ardmore's Convention Center. Each runner received a short-sleeved technical shirt, a water bottle, a bag of peanuts, a ticket to pre-race pasta dinner, and a few other items. The finishers received a nice medallion and a long-sleeved technical shirt. There was also a Health and Fitness Expo. The dinner was very good.

At 6:30 a.m., busses began transporting the runner from the finish area in Noble Stadium to the start line at Turner Falls Park. The point-to-point, north-to-south route was mainly on Highway 77, parallel to I-35. It was fairly scenic. At mile 7, we made a left turn and ran out and back through a nice-looking ranch for nearly 4 miles. At mile 20, we made a right turn and ran out and back through a park for nearly 6 miles. The finish was inside the Noble Stadium, which included running a lap before crossing the finish line.

The course was hillier than it had been advertised on the A2A web site. There were plenty of rolling hills. Save yourself for the last 10K. For the first hour of the run, it was overcast and the wind was not too bad. Then it became sunny and quite warm. From mile 11 to the finish, we had to deal with a very strong headwind and I am not exaggerating. In short: rolling hills + warm weather + strong headwind = TOUGH marathon.

There were plenty of water/sports drink stations, staffed by a large number of cheerful volunteers. There were sports gels, fruits, and wet sponges in some of the aid stations. There were mile markers. Traffic control was excellent and the route was being monitored by cyclists. As expected, there was no crowd support, as we were running on countryside. There were some horses and cows, though, who served as spectators! We were chip-timed at mile 9 turnaround, mile 23 turnaround, and the finish line. There were plenty of recovery drinks and food items at the finish area. I salute the race organizers, volunteers, and sponsors for a first class running event.

There were 138 (93 males, 45 females) marathon finishers in the average time of 4:44:48. There were 502 (269 females, 233 males) half marathon finishers in the average time of 2:18:28. There were 695 (459 females, 236 males) 5K finishers in the average time of 38:14.

Enjoyed the event. A little hard running into the wind the whole way. Excellent support from the community along the course. Well run - plenty of water stations, and good food at the end. I thought the buses got us out to the start a little earlier than necessary.

Sure, there was a brutal wind in your face for 20 of the 26 miles, but that just makes it memorable. Otherwise, this was a great race. Extremely well organized and very runner-friendly. Volunteers were super and enthusiastic. Very few fans, but what would you expect on the Oklahoma prairie? The course is predominantly rolling and very fair.

The 2011 A2A Marathon was a BRUTAL race, as it is a point-to-point race and the headwinds we so strong that at times you felt you were running in place. But this race shows a lot of promise. It certainly is not the most scenic venue, but the town of Ardmore goes to great lengths to put on this event. Not only was the organization top-notch, but the people of Ardmore were very supportive and friendly. I don't know if anything can be done to improve the course route, but one suggestion I have is to change the finish so that instead of having to do a full loop around the track at the finish, just do a half loop (or less). After running 26 miles, you get to the stadium thinking you are done, but you still have to do a boring loop around the track. Otherwise, great job, Ardmore!

This was my first full marathon and I had a great time. I will be running again in 2011. See you there.

One comment: I think that A2A should be advertised on a billboard on I35. I think we could raise a lot more money.

It was great!! I did not have to worry about the traffic, and ending in the stadium was cool. It was very well organized. The T-shirts were a good quality. I plan to be back. I actually ran the half but want to run the full if possible in 2012.

I ran this marathon as a training run for the OKC Marathon. The course was more rolling than downhill. The winds were pretty brutal, especially in the out-and-back part at the ranch and the city park. Loved finishing on the high school track! Overall, this was a great marathon experience and I will be back! They mailed out the age group awards and I was very pleasantly surprised to get an amazing trophy with my name on it in the mail!! Best age group award ever!!

The incredible kindness and southern hospitality of all of the lovely people we met cannot be surpassed. Our marathon experience, while hard on the knees, was fabulous. The shotgun start certainly got the heart racing. I don't think you can compare this with "big-city races." It was in a class of its own. Thank you to all from "the runners who came from as far away as Scotland."

I had a perfect first-marathon experience at the A2A. The last few miles through the park were tough, but the best things in life don't come easy! The ranch was beautiful and the volenteers were AWESOME!!

If I had to point out one negative thing, it would not be about the actual race but rather the expo. I agree with the lady from Tulsa. I had a list of things that I expected to purchase at the expo and was surprised there was nothing for sale like other races I have been to. I also wanted to get some "A2A" merchandise to show off this wonderful event. You should try this race next year for sure. I know a lot of people got PR's in the half... and it is for a wonderful cause! You won't find nicer people or a better community to spend the day with!! Thank you, A2A, for a great 26.2!!!

Let me first say that I ran the half.

The pros: This was a quaint, small-town run, and we loved every minute of it! The school busses at the start line and rifle that started the race were among my favorite details! Very, VERY friendly volunteers! NO traffic, no lines! We loved the small-town atmosphere and felt that we were really making an impact on the charity!

The cons: Each runner I visited with felt strongly that the downhill course was WAY over-hyped (at least for the half). Rolling hills would have been a better course description. We felt that the course was medium-hard in difficulty! Also, "expo" is a generous term for the pre-race registration table... but very forgivable considering that it was an inaugural event. But I, and the three ladies I traveled with, showed up expecting a bigger expo and ready to spend some money!!

Overall, great event. I believe that this race will be very successful and double in size! I know I'll be back!