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Apr 27, 2024

Armed Services Marathon (prev. Oktoberfest Marathon) Runner Comments

Back to Armed Services Marathon (prev. Oktoberfest Marathon) Information & Reviews

Course 4.2

Organization 4.2

Spectators 3.0

Number of comments: 21 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

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K. C. from Chicago (9/21/2011) "Great Small Marathon!" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I choose this marathon as a backup race in case my original race 2 weeks earlier went bad. Sure enough, my first race went bad and I signed up to run Oktoberfest. The main reason is because its a short drive from Chicago and the marathon appeared to be small and hassle free. There are plenty of Pros and Cons to a small marathon. I had a feeling I would be running alone for much of the race and the crowd support would be small. Knowing this in advance, it wasn't a problem for me. Looking at the rollers on the course, I wasn't sure if this would be a PR for me, let alone a BQ. First of all, I LOVED this marathon! It's everything as advertised. Check in was fast and easy. We drove in from Chicago and had enough time to pick up our packet and enjoy the $5 pasta dinner. $5..you kidding me? Wow! The long sleeve tech shirt is one of my favorites! The beer glass was a nice bonus. They were selling last years shirts which were really cool and I wanted one, but I have this funky thing about not wearing race shirts I don't race in. The host hotel looked far away, but it was only a 8 minute drive. Arriving to the start was easy, with no traffic to contend with. Parking was easy. There were plenty of porta johns at the start line. No hassle getting to the start line with only 120+ runners. It helped the Half Marathoners started after us. Started with no problems and off we went towards Lake Michigan to do small loop then head back. It wasn't flat for the first 8 miles, but I wouldn't call it hilly either. The course was well marked . I didn't see much of Lake Michigan, but the area was pretty. The volunteers at the aid stations were incredible! All of them did a great job of yelling "water" or "heed". Since I don't do well with Heed and you can't see the difference between the two, this was important to me. Great job on the Aid Stations! Since this is a very small marathon, there wasn't traffic control at every intersection and there were a few times you had to navigate around cars. Car traffic was very small and it wasn't a problem. Coming back around the 14 mile mark, runners were spread out. This is where I lost the runner ahead of me and I felt there was nobody behind me. It was like this until the finish. Again, I knew this was a small race, so I expected it. Next was the loop around Spring Lake. I thought I would see more of the lake, but I did not. Most of the loop was one a bike path, with some areas going into a neighborhood and back out. We had a cool morning with overcast skies, which made for a perfect race. Later, the sun started to come out, but since we were on the bike path, we were shaded the entire time. Approaching mile 20, the rollers started. I will say there were a bit challenging, especially with tired legs. I lost a lot of time, but my overall pace was still strong. Around mile 25, it starts to flatten out and you make several turns until you reach the final stretch. The finish line wasn't that far from the final turn. I was able to pick up my pace and finish with a 22 minute PR and a strong BQ. The medal was great! There was plenty of post race food and the free lunch after wards was great. The awards ceremony was a very nice touch. The awards they gave out were incredible. Very nice touch! I can't say enough about how great this marathon is. My 9th and one of my favorites.
A. D. from Chicago, IL (9/21/2011) "Room for improvement" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Armed Services Marathon (prev. Oktoberfest Marathon) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 It is a small marathon with potential, but: Good: - nice medal - finish area - restaurant/bar; life entertainment (that bouncy guy was awesome) - you get a pint glass - no, no free beer comes with it - lunch - pulled pork sandwich + chips (beats bagels and bananas) - most intersections had at least one person guiding you, so it was difficult to get lost (despite all the turns - see bad below) - no hills - very nice long-sleeve shirt Bad: - Watered-down or not well mixed sport drink - what was it anyway? - TOOO many turns on the course - Hammer gel - banana and raspberry??? What happened to flavors that most people use, like vanilla? - nothing at the expo - like gu or blocks - rather lonely run, but that's to be expected given the size of the event.
D. S. from Michigan (9/20/2011) "A good Michigan race." (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Armed Services Marathon (prev. Oktoberfest Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 A smaller but enjoyable race. Start and finish at the Old Boys Brewpub. They offer race day pickup and registration. Course is flat to rolling mostly through nice neighborhoods with a couple out and backs. Mainly quiet running with little to no spectator activity. The course is not closed however and you are contending with traffic and are forced onto the sidewalks. I think there could be an improvement in marshaling not only with the traffic but in providing course directions (other than tape arrows on the ground). Water/aid stations were basic. Good frills (long sleeve tech, finisher medal and a finisher's glass). Great post race; outside on the pub deck, live music, by the river, free BBQ meal and a chocolate stout.
Matthew Johnson from Nashville, TN. (9/19/2011) "Great small town marathon" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Armed Services Marathon (prev. Oktoberfest Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Small expo consisting of mostly local community sponsors. The kid's race during the expo was a nice change and gave my kids something to look forward too. Spaghetti dinner was plentiful and inexpensive. Weather was awesome for the race! I liked the fact that the marathon runners started about 15 minutes before the half runners. Plenty of water stops. Nice course and I had an awesome PR. Kudos to the race directors and volunteers! Spectators were a little sparse along the course but plenty of activity at the finish line. Great looking long sleeve shirt. This was my ninth marathon in nine different states and the Oktoberfest marathon event was one of my favorites. There were lots of cool sites to see in the area as well. Lake Michigan was awesome.
M. A. from IL (9/18/2011) "Hidden gem" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Armed Services Marathon (prev. Oktoberfest Marathon) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 This is a race that illustrates what community racing should be. Kudos to all that continue to plan and put on this small marathon. Highly recommended for those who just want to run a marathon for the pure joy of running. Well organized, friendly, scenic in many parts, convenient (start, finish, packet pickup, pasta dinner all in once place, with a hotel across the street connected to the start/finish area by a boardwalk), family friendly (kids events and activities on Friday and Saturday), great volunteers, and just plain fun. Old Boys has fabulous food and beer! Great Michigan marathon option.
J. s. from usa (9/17/2011) "Great small race! Would do it again!" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Some hills in the biginning. Running around local streets. Nice course. Not a lot of crowd support but the ones who were out there were very supportive. Everything went smooth and I was able to qualify for boston on this course. Would do it again!
D. G. from Michigan (10/20/2010) "Good small marathon" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Armed Services Marathon (prev. Oktoberfest Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Very nice course. My wife and I did this as a training run for Chicago. As it turned out, we ran faster in this one. The big advantage of a small race is flexibility. We were able to stay dry and wait out the storm, and start an hour late, without really impacting anything. This was a comfortable, friendly group of runners and volunteers. I saw one spectator in a Michigan State sweatshirt 5 different times along the course. Go State!
M. A. from South Lyon, MI (9/29/2010) "Very nice course, well organized, friendly people." (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Armed Services Marathon (prev. Oktoberfest Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The race was delayed due to a thunderstorm that was passing through. The race director did an outstanding job of keeping the runners updated as to the new start time. The course is very pretty; it includes portions along Lake Michigan and Spring Lake. Very friendly runners and volunteers. Not much in the way of spectators. Nice tech shirt. A lunch was included after the race, which was a nice idea, but it did not include a vegetarian option. The awards took place at the Old Boys Brewhouse, which worked out well, as we were able to order pizza and beer.
L. G. from Maryland (9/29/2010) "Great Small Race!" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Armed Services Marathon (prev. Oktoberfest Marathon) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I highly recommend this marathon to anyone looking for a Michigan race to do as part of the 50 states. The race was small and well organized. The race director did a great job. The race was delayed for an hour due to a thunderstorm, and everything went smoothly when we started despite the loss of some volunteers due to the weather. The course was scenic and well marked. There were aid stations every 2 miles. Volunteers did an amazing job and the few spectators that came out in the rain were very enthusiastic. The marathon had a separate start from the half marathon. Packet pick up, race start, and race end were all in the same place, which was very convenient. Overall, a nice marathon run by people who want each runner to have a great experience.
B. V. from Clawson, Michigan (9/28/2010) "Good low-key marathon" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Armed Services Marathon (prev. Oktoberfest Marathon) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 For only the second year in existence, this race has many more positives then negatives. The race organizers did a great job handling the horrible weather (thunder and lightning before and after the race) that met the runners on race morning. I will be back next year, and I do recommend this to anyone who wants a good low-key race. Positives: 1. With over an hour delay for the marathon we were all allowed to take shelter in the brewery. Plus they opened the kitchen and had water available. Having the options for pre- and post-race made the weather easier to tolerate. Great direction and information by the race director. He was on top of things. 2. A good medal (better than many races I have run) and the beer glass was a nice touch. 3. A free, clean, shower facility was available after the race. Key for when you need to check out of a hotel early. 4. Free lunch ticket. I left before I could eat, but the food looked good. 5. Tech shirt that was better than most. 6. Interesting course. I enjoyed the first 6 out by the water. 7. Great volunteers! Being the lead runner in the marathon, I had great bike support. I was aware of every turn well before it happened. The bike support guys moved cars over away from the runners and I was given a lot of encouragement throughout the race. This was important during the last 8 miles where I was dragging. They even held onto my arm sleeves when I took them off. Negatives: 1. A few too many turns in the beginning of the course. I wish more of the course would have been closed to traffic, but I understand the logistics. 2. I dont want to sound like I am bragging, but I was the overall marathon winner, and because of a work commitment I had to leave right after the race. I was unable to get my award at that time. The director said that he would mail it to me, which is great, but it would have been nice to have taken it home.

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