Sunburst Marathon - Race Reviews

I've run the full or half at Sunburst in 11 of the past 13 years. In short, I've seen the attention to detail in this race decline over the years. What I saw this year was some misattention to the full details of course marking. I almost missed a turn and saw another runner miss one altogether...though a volunteer ran and helped him turn around. I did learn on race day there was a major course mixup for some marathon and half marathon leaders which ended up adding nearly a mile to their course. And then the final ranking was juggled on the claim of one runner, vaulting him over other runners who crossed the finish line ahead of him. This just shouldn't be. This race could be a magnificent regional fixture but the details are leaking. I honestly wonder if the organizers would feel better by dropping the marathon altogether and just have a half/10K/5K extravaganza. Only 300 of us started the marathon and fewer finished. I wish the organizers the best. They have some work to do, though, IMHO.

I came from out of town and went to the expo the day before. Nice sized for a marathon with less than 300 finishers. I got to the start line a little later than I wanted, but the bathroom line went quick, because there were plenty of porta-potties for the size of the event at the 6:30 start. The course had A LOT of turns, and a few short out and backs that really sucked momentum and made focusing on tangents a priority. The good thing is each turn was well marked or had a volunteer giving directions. Plenty of water stops for the hot day as well. Some timely hills in the last seven miles were pretty big challenges as well. The unforgivable sin of the event was the 5K shared the same final 1.5 miles of the course. By the time I got there it was full of walkers. They covered the entire road, and I lost a lot of speed and gained distance weaving through them. Any Marathoner from 3:00-3:35 probably had to contend with 5K walkers at the end. The chute was well stocked until at least the 4:00 marathoners/half marathoners finished; It looked like enough stuff for the rest of marathoners coming through over the next two hours. At first I was annoyed by the ~2000 5K finishers, but I just cut the 'line' and grabbed food off the table. It wasn't supposed to be a line anyway; you take what you want from the table and leave.

So I was in the lead pack and wasn't directed to turn on a road was no sign and a cop was there but wasn't telling runners to turn and the group and I ended up running down a little more than a half mile before a volunteer at an intersection said we went the wrong way. Then we went back to the road to make the correct turn. It added 1.17 miles. When we got back to that road a sunburst race volunteer was then at the spot directing people. I had to bust tail to catch up to the other marathon people who got directed the correct way. I ended up crossing the finish line 3rd. Well one of the runners who got misdirected with me complained to race director about the 1.17 mile issue and they gave him 2nd place dropping another guy down to 3rd and me to 4th. They also gave him a bogus 2:45 because he said he had that time on his watch at 26.2. Mind you I passed this guy at mile 20.5 too! Moral of the story don't do Sunburst they always have had mistakes in the last 5 years.

Every person with GPS devise had the marathon 26.88 to 26.99. I personally had 26.91miles. Sunburst is going to have it re-measured but .7 off would be a huge error for GPS and since I've yet to find anyone with the course coming in the ball park of 26.2 tells me something went wrong with the course. It's a decent race to run but the course length this year is an issue. The course has many side tangents and out and backs that are annoying in my opinion. This race is a good race course away form being a wonderful event.

This was my fist Sunburst Marathon and I thought it was great. The course was very well marked with lots of volunteers, every one was really nice and supportive. The course was beautiful along the river and my favorite part was running through the zoo. I would definitely recommended this race to others. By far it has been my favorite marathon course

This was my 20th year in a row running this race and third marathon. Two big complaints. Inexcusable that the race was actually about 27.0 miles long. Organizers improbably measured the course. I feel sorry for those that just missed a Boston qualifying time. This should never happen. Also, this race needs a separate tent for the marathoners at the finish. The 5k walkers and runners hit the tent like vultures and leave nothing for the people that actually need it and paid $90 for their race. Not a bad race but this event has had some issues the last few years and needs improving.

For the following reasons: 1. IT IS LONG. over 1/2 mile long (.8 on my Garmin) and this all happens in one mile so we know they measured wrong. That's pretty important: that a marathon be 26.2 miles, no? 2. It runs through a 'zoo' that is about as inhumane of a facility as I've ever seen. Think: lions in dog pens. 3. There is a horrible steep hill at mile 25.5. seems to me that could be avoided easily. 4. MOBS of bugs all along the river path. The only upsides I have to this race are the volunteers (great), the # of water stops (tons) and the fact that as a 50stater, one can check Indiana off the list. That's it unless and until they learn to measure or PETA steps in.

This was the 10th time I've run the full or half at Sunburst. The entire marathon course was flip-flopped from earlier years. While basically OK, it moved one major hill from what used to be mile 11 to mile 23 now. Construction at ND stadium really triggered other course addenda, with several funky little out and backs to get 26.2 put together. It seemed a smaller marathon than what I remember...I don't know if the lack of finishing inside the ND stadium was the factor or the glut of marathons we have options to enter now. My Dad played football at ND, so this is always a terrific race for me. I loved the course change to route us down Notre Dame Avenue in the last mile, with the striking view of the Golden Dome right ahead. That was special, as I remembered and honored my Dad, a 1938 graduate. Thanks to the organizers for all their hard work!

I've ran this marathon several times & with the exception of just a couple items, this years' event was very nice. After having the same course for several years, this years' course was changed. Buetter Park was placed at the beginning, which was much nicer & the run through IUSB, Greenlawn & Colfax was really nice & fairly shaded. The 10k merged with the marathon for a few miles starting at IUSB. For about a mile it was fairly congested because of the sidewalks. However, if you weren't racing, it wasn't that bad & a nice change of pace having new company. The second half of the race was (for the most part) the first half of the old course. With the exception of the miles on the river walk, this was tough. This part of the course is fairly boring & had a couple new short out & backs. At this point in the race, it would be nice to have a bit better course. However, running this area most weekends, I don't know that many other options exist. The last mile & finish were great. I was afraid that the change to the finish area would take something away from the race, but I think I like it better. It was great to come down Eddy St & see the finish vs running around the stadium, which always seems to take forever :) Medals were great & shirts were ok. The amount of safety patrols on bikes on the course was outstanding! And they were stocked with everything - very good add there!! The only thing I didn't like was that my Garmin showed an extra half mile. I run many, many marathons & know how to run the tangents, etc. & I know this course is certified...so, I'm not sure how I ended with so much more. I've never had that much of excess mileage in a marathon before. Very well could be me & not the course, but it's definitely not something you want to see in a marathon :)

I chose this marathon based on date only; my 17 year old daughter wanted to complete her first marathon and had limited availability. What a happy surprise! Every person we met - taxi driver, hotel clerks, restaurant staff, and marathon volunteers were friendly and helpful. Packet pick up was a breeze. Start time allowed for cool morning running, and the course followed the river and provided much shade. Aid stations offered wet sponges (awesome!). Plenty of cheering from the community; in addition, residents set up sprinklers and handed out bottled water along the way. Plenty of finish food - even for a 4:54 finish! Sat in the stadium and took pics. Shuttle bus back to start was a tour bus - no sticking to old school bus vinyl - and was air conditioned! Yes! Only negative of the whole race - aid station at 23 was out of water (but had gatorade). Not to worry, random resident 2 blocks down had us covered! I will be back for 2015 :) Thanks for a great, organized race!

Unfortunately it has been almost two months since I ran this race and I am still having difficulty with my review of it. I gave the spectators a 5, not because there were many out on the course, but the community was great when I was out there and it got HOT. The course was the worst thing about that race. Too many out and backs and I was a slower runner and saw TWO lead men who were going back the wrong way on the course. I looked at a course map ahead of time, but not being from the area it did not make much sense to me. Course markings were extremely poorly done and I could see how someone could get lost (I almost did several times). I don't know if I would return to this race. I try really hard not to be overly picky about runner 'perks' but this was just not a great event for anyone who is slower (like me). If I were the race director, I would evaluate whether or not to drop the full marathon and just focus on the half and 10k and 5k. When I merged with those folks it was HORRIBLE and practically a stampeded. One girl got elbowed and fell on the bridge and almost got trampled. I just was not impressed with this event at all. I doubt I will be back.

I was not sure about running this after they announced that the finish would be outside Notre Dame Stadium this year. However, their excellent job of communicating the change convinced me to stick with it. I'm glad I did. South Bend was a great small city. The course was pretty - could've done without the two points where you are passing people who are three miles ahead of you. The organization was top-notch. I love the 6 am starting time. It did get pretty hot towards the end, but overall I would definitely recommend this race.

This was the 8th of the last 9 years I've run the half or full at Sunburst. There were more course changes this year and in any previous year. I really didn't mind them,even though they added two significant hills over the full 26.2. Due to construction, the race couldn't finish on the field at Notre Dame Stadium. The organizers did a good job, though, of compensating with a very nice finish area just on the north side of the stadium. The organziers did a fine job of setting up the post race food. Great variety and plenty of it, even after my 4:39 marathon. Love this race...it's a good one.

I was concerned about the heat, but the 6am start and running by the river and with trees largely offset the warm weather. Real nice course. LOVED that the 1/2 started 90 minutes later! They must have listened to earlier comments because there was an abundance of food at the finish and we got to sit in the stands of the Fighting Irish Stadium to eat it all. A real good marathon!

This is a small race at the end of May, it will be hot, it will be lightly attended. If you are okay with that, read on: The course has multiple out and backs. The first two are marked however around mile 19, you'll be running against marathon traffic on the same path. no separated course. I had multiple volunteers tell me I was running the wrong way. The race incorporates a lot of park trails. Some with low hanging trees and overhangs. Runners over 6ft will be ducking. All runners will be forced to weave shift and shimmy around poorly chosen routes. The same water stations are used on the long out and back. Again, not separated so you'll feel like running through walmart on black friday after mile 18. Confusion on the course could have been reduced by learning the route prior to the race. However, no course map was included with packet. The online course preview was in a format which wouldn't allow users to zoom in. Two moto police guided the lead runner in, however, lead female was left to fend for herself alone. Sunburst, divide the out and back course, update the course, or inform volunteers where to direct traffic, and this could be an acceptable race. Until then, this event is not recommended.

This was my first Sunburst Marathon, but after reading some of the pros and cons of past years, it seems to me that the race director has read them as well and improved upon all aspects where needed. The medal is fine, the shirt is excellent, there was music on the course, etc etc. None of these points are that critical to me, though. Moreso, when running a marathon with multiple other races going on, I like to see that the marathon has been given full consideration, as in the 2nd half of the race is as enjoyable as the first half. Sunburst does an excellent job of that. This course is scenic from start to finish which is a great psychological boost. The heat is not much of a factor b/c of the 6AM start, but spectators hosing you down if you wish really helps (thank you to the little girl at Mile 23)! The course is very shady and has great potential for a PR. The shuttle service worked great and the local hotels really support the races with their checkout times. I appreciate the Magnuson being pet friendly and 100% smoke free. The only race suggestion I have would be to consider adding a few more on course port-o-potties.

Great race to run but barely any spectators and hardly any food at finish and I wasn't even that late of a time... course was very flat.... water sponges on the course was AMAZING, never had that before but was a major highlight! Finish was the best at the stadium! great memories...

I really like this race. I've run either the full or the half for 7 of the past 8 years. This year I did the full again and was very pleased with the entire event. There are many pros to this race. The early start for the full is good. Simple running the full with only other marathoners is a huge plus. The course is very enjoyable...much of it along the St Joe river, much of it shaded (though we didn't need that so much on an overcast day in 2013). Volunteers were awesome. There was plenty of medical folks on bikes circulating the entire course. The only con (a minor one) was the lack of bananas at the finish. By the time I got done and up to the stadium concourse (I ran a 4:26 marathon), there were only a stack of bagels and popsicles. I miss the old days when we could have popsicles on the field but I understand! Without a doubt, the HUGEST pro for this race is the finish...the run onto the Notre Dame campus, circling the famous stadium, then down the tunnel and onto the hallowed turf of the Fighting Irish is just awesome. My Dad played football for ND back in the 30's and so this is a very wonderful and emotional way for me to remember him. Thanks to Molly and all of her team for continuing to organize a big, complex and fantastic race day with many events and many runners.

I'm a fairly local marathoner but have never ran the Sunburst marathon because of the history of horribly hot weather on race day. This year I gave it a shot & was greeted with perfect marathoning weather, which likely boosted my rating of the marathon itself. The marathon has an early start which is great in minimizing the heat impact. This also allows marathoners to finish in the stadium while the crowd is still around as the other races start a bit later. Positives - The course is basically pretty. It runs along the river in a couple of places & 4 miles or so through a Mishawaka park, also along the river. There are several out & backs, which I like because it tends to break things up & also allows you to see that there are still people behind you. Water stations are plentiful & volunteers are great. Local spectators were sparse, but those that were out had sprinklers running & music playing. Fellow runners were very friendly & the race itself was generally enjoyable. Negatives - Race communication was frequent enough but hard to read. I couldn't find info on bag drop & other info seemed a bit muddied. Shirts & medals were really scrimped on. I'd much rather pay a bit extra & end up w/ a shirt I can wear & a medal that isn't just a piece of thin plastic. This is not a medal I'd want to display. The shirt is white & thin & not one that I'd want to sport around town or run in on a sweaty run. The finish in the stadium is great. The downside is that you finish with the 5k walkers. Kudos to them for walking a 5k, don't get me wrong at all. However, marathoners are forced to stand in a very long line of walkers just to exit the finish area. They then stand in another very long line of walkers in the post-race refreshment area. The walkers seemed to take forever picking out their post-walk snacks & then loaded up on them. Post-marathon, I need to move a little, not stand in one line after another. I resorted to cutting in line to exit & then sneaking in-between them to grab just a bagel so I could get out of there. A separate area for the walkers would have made this finish area so much better. All-in-all, this race was good while running, just ok before & after.

I was one of those people who were signed up for Madison the week before, which was cancelled. Luckily, we were able to change our flights at the last minute and run the Coeur d'Alene Marathon. Two days after that race, I'm looking for my next one and was surprised to find both cheap airfare and a fantastic weather forecast for South Bend the following weekend. Running marathons 6 days apart is not something I had planned, but the Sunburst Marathon was a good choice. The race was well organized, the weather was perfect and the finish at Notre Dame made it worthwhile. Staying at the Hilton next to the start line made the morning very easy, even with the 6am start, which I loved! The half marathoners started over an hour after the full, so they were never a factor. The whole first half of the course, we were never in the sun. The 2nd half had a few stretches of concrete and 1 block of bricks, but I can't complain. There are no big hills on this course and running along the St Joe river was nice. Even though I can scratch Indiana off my 50 states list, I would do this one again.

Great organization and this year's weather was excellent. After 87 degrees at Boston and heat that cancelled Green Bay 2:40ish into their marathon, I was still trying to earn my BQ for next April. What a relief to drive up to South Bend and enjoy 48 degrees at the start. Pros: Super easy to walk up and register the day before. Small field size with 446 finishers; you could easily hit the tangents at every opportunity. Ample porta potties at the start; there were NO lines. Ample free parking right at the registration and start. Race starts right on time at 6 a.m. Free bus ride back to the start from the stadium. Finishing inside Notre Dame's stadium is one of the best anywhere. Plenty of hydration, gels, bananas, etc. along the course. Cons: I laugh when some say the medal is substandard. Bling isn't important to me, nor the shirt, nor the Expo. Just give me a good course, good weather conditions and excellent race support and let the rest be up to me. Sure, the crowds are non-existent, but that's OK too. The course is wonky especially the back half. It seemed that quite a few of the mile markers were off as my Garmin measured miles ranging from .94 to 1.07 so just concentrate on your pace and not so much on your lap splits. And merging into the 5K walkers and half marathoners at about mile 24.5 can be annoying. Luckily I was able to maintain pace and finish strong. Thanks Sunburst and yes, I did BQ by :31 !

I started my quest for marathon #13 in Madison WI and finished it six days later in South Bend IN. The folks in Madison canceled me down to a half so South Bend became my plan B. While it was much cooler, it was still sunny and warmed up by the end. An early 6 am start helped. There was ample free parking in the downtown area, so it was easy to drive in from a nearby hotel if you want to save the expense of a downtown one. The expo was oddly outside at the College Football Hall of Fame. It seemed like they had lots of family friendly activities going on both Friday night and Saturday. The morning of the race, the Hall of Fame was open for shelter/restrooms. The course wound around with lots of turns and double-backs but there was good scenery, ample water stops, plenty of signage/volunteers to show the way and adequate road control by the local police. It was relatively flat with one sustained (but not steep) incline toward the end. Not much in the way of spectators except as you approached the finish in Notre Dame Stadium, which was a very cool experience. Post race food on the concourse inside the stadium out of the sun was also smart. The white race shirt was lame; the medal was even lamer but hey, on the other hand, I signed up five days before the race for $75. Throw in an inexpensive hotel and this was a cheap way to check off Indiana. I'm not sure I'll be back because of the date and potential for really warm conditions (seems like signing up late is a possible strategy) but I would recommend it especially if you have any sort of ND or South Bend connection (which I did).

This was my 4th marathon (RnR St. Louis, '11/ING Miami '12/Garmin Oz '12). It was a little chilly during packet pickup but race day turned out to be perfect running weather! I know that this was out of everyone's control, but I enjoyed the perfect weather very much that we had for this year's marathon! It was a little windy but for me it was just the perfect day! I did enjoy this marathon because there were a lot of good qualities however there is room for improvement and it can definitely become a much better event if some of these issues are corrected. I'll start with the pros. Pros: The expo and packet pick up the day before the race were pretty well organized. I arrived in South Bend on Friday and did not have any issues retrieving my packet and shirt. The 6 a.m. early start with just the Marathoners was perfect. I wish more races would start the full and half separately. I haven't experienced this in my running career yet but I very much appreciated the soaked sponges handed our towards the end of the race. Someone else handed our wet paper towels right before the last hill which was nice. This would have been very nice during the Miami Marathon, lol. The marathon route is pretty flat and beautiful as it runs along the St. Joseph River. The course follows the river much of the race except for the downtown portion. The course was well marked for the most part. There were several twists and turns, and if you weren't paying attention, I can see how someone could get off course but I noticed that there was always at least one person at each turn with a sign pointing you in the right direction. There were lots of police and volunteers throughout and they all did a great job of blocking traffic and making sure everyone was safe. There were plenty of fluid stations throughout the route. The water/Gatorade/GU stations were well spaced and stocked. There were also bananas given out at one point of the race. Stadium Finish / Finishing in ND's stadium was really cool!! Initially this year's race wasn't supposed to finish in the stadium due to construction but it got completed early and so we were able to finish the stadium after all. As a result of the stadium initially being under construction, marathon registrations were down and actually about half of what they normally were. At the post race finish area the treat stations were well stocked, which was good, and there really wasn't a line. I liked the cold, wet towels that they gave out. There were big cups of chopped water melon & cantaloupe and popsicles, chips and bagels. Definitely one of the best stocked post races I've been to. Okay, here are the Cons: First and foremost, the Sunburst Races NEED BETTER MEDALS. The marathon finisher medal is the most pathetic I have ever seen and very cheap. I have 5k fun run medals that blow this thing out of the water! I would like to see MORE PHOTOGRAPHERS placed at more places along the course. I only noticed photographers at one spot on the course and then at the stadium. It would have been cool to have some photos with the St. Joseph river in the background. There is NO MUSIC along the route. Please add some live music throughout the course in addition to the one man playing bag pipes. There are NO SPECTATORS along the course to cheer you on. I can count on one hand the spectators who came and we went through a lot of neighborhoods too. The few that came out though were nice and some of them kindly offered their water hoses to the runners and/or had a small stereo playing. I have run 3 prior marathons and this was probably the fewest people along the course. It would be cool to have a little MORE COURSE ON CAMPUS instead of running through residential areas that have such a lack of spectators. Please change the format of the pre-race email! It was one extremely long paragraph and was hard to read and pull out specific details. Finally, the last change that would suggest is giving out a different kind of tech shirt. How about making them green & gold tech shirts instead of see through white? This race does have a lot going for it and I would recommend running it because it is such a scenic marathon and it is a beautiful area.

Unlike last yr, temps were cooler this year. Water stops were manned by enthusiastic volunteers who ran to give you water-very nice. I suggest having some competition, costumes, more music, among the grps at the water stations to add some excitement. We always drive out the entire course to know what to expect but this time we couldn't as parts were in a park. The turn-around at mile 18 was in a park so you couldn't determine how far to go before the turnard. :( The 6am start count explain the lack of crowds along the course. Maybe a community outreach to neighborhoods along the course would get people out to support runners? No goodies in race package, only race applications a bit disappointing. Course seemed hillier (short steep ones)than shown on topo map but that could be me. The early start with only marathoners was refreshing. Start line wasn't crowded since it was a small race. I would try to get more vendors for the expo as if you needed something, you probably couldn't find it at the expo.

Very solid medium-small sized marathon. The weather was great (I didn't sign up until the week of, just in case), the course was great - very scenic and mostly flat - and the volunteers were great. I thought the post race could have been better, however. Meh food, meh medals, and an inexplicably long walk to the shuttles. Still, overall a very good (and rather inexpensive) marathon.

Good: Small number of runners makes it easy to navigate. The scenery along the river and through the Mishawaka parks is very, very pretty and lends a very good energy to the race. There are enough hills to make it interesting but it's mostly flat and fast. Bad: 1.The course is so convoluted in spots that it's enough to give you nightmares. There are times when you don't know whether you're coming or going and seriously wonder if you're off course. The finish in the stadium is nice but you have to watch yourself going through the tunnel (it's dark and the footing is a bit uneven). You should also be prepared to climb stairs to get out of the stadium after you finish. 2. This is the only marathon I've ever run where there are no timers on the course, not even at the halfway so you can compare your first and second half splits. If you are timing yourself be careful: the half way is not marked and there are always mile markers that are significantly off (this happens every year). If a runner has a mind to cheat, this is the race to do it as there are ample opportunities. 3. After almost 30 years you'd think the directors would incite civic pride by encouraging residents to form a group or two to cheer people on. Marathoners come from all over and get an impression of a city by those who come out to cheeror not. Very few spectators and few of them cheering for anyone except their one special person. 4. You pay the standard price for this marathon and get substandard returns. The directors are either cheapskates or the rental and permit costs are exorbitant. For example: In addition to no timers on the course the souvenirs are a joke. The poster is small and undistinctive, the t-shirt is white and see-through and the medal is nothing less than an insult. It's a cheap, plastic, toy-like affair that puts you in mind of a tinfoil-wrapped chocolate coin. I've paid less for races and gotten a lot more. I do this race because it's my hometown but I honestly can't recommend it except with reservations.

Sunburst was my ninth marathon and having just relocated to South Bend, I wanted to try it out. I was pleasantly surprised. The course is very flat and goes along the river. We got very lucky with the weather. I had read comments from previous years around the heat. 2012 was 50-65 degrees for the entire race. Good -Nice course which highlights the best areas of the city -Loved the early (6am) start with marathoners only -Volunteers were friendly and well trained -Finish in the Notre Dame Football Stadium was unique and very cool -Lots of water stations and Gu along the route Bad -Little/no crowd support -The finisher medal was very bad. I would gladly pay an extra ten dollars for a real medal -No bottled water at the finish. The whole food situation at the finish was a bit confusing If you are looking for a small marathon in the midwest, I would recommend Sunburst. It's easy logistically and the finish is very unique.

I'm biased-I love this event, and have done it a handful of times. The weather was absolutely perfect this year; sometimes this is a really hot event so people considering this event should be aware that hot/humid conditions are a real possibility. Organization was great. The expo is small, but packet pick up has a lot of energy with all kinds of activities. This year, Dick Beardsley was there which was fun. The course is winding, so pay attention. Volunteers were outstanding, though, and very encouraging. Finishing in the stadium is always a fun experience. Will definitely plan to run this race again.

Check: 1. Numerous water stations throughout the course 2. Expo Center is at the College Hall of Fame 3. Race is planned well, the races staggered perfectly. 4. Flat course, couple of inclines but nothing big. 5. Finish in the ND Stadium! Minus: 1. Confusing course, several double backs and turns. 2. The finishers Medallion is by far the WORST EVER that I have to receive to date. 3. Not too many spectators. Recommend for at least one go however I will not return.

pros: 1- bill rogers was at the event 2- got to check out the college HOF 3- easy packet pickup, easy parking overall 4- stadium finish cons: 1- June is poor time to hold this event. it's not the first time there have been heat complications for this race. at least start the race at 5am like other hot races like Tupelo 2- white tech shirts, does anyone know what a wet, white tech shirt looks like? yup, through. besides, the writing on it was light yellow and could barely be seen. 3- south bend just isn't a scenic place. at least portions were run on the st. joe's river. pretty sure we hit every dump enroute to the stadium though. 4- the finisher medal is the most pathetic i've ever seen. i have 5k fun run medals that blow this thing out of the water. 5- anyone thinking there may be some type of Notre Dame undertone or feeling to this race should abandon those thoughts entirely. aside from the finish in the stadium... nothing. how bout a fightin irish instead of that creepy sunburst character? how bout green & gold tech shirts instead of see through white? how bout a little more course on campus instead of running through old rundown residential areas? how bout a fall or early spring race date so that the campus is alive and maybe a few thousand young people will be participating or cheering or simply around? seriously, what's the draw to this race? 'finishing' in Notre Dame stadium is not worth the prior 26.19 miles. this race felt more like a hot group training run than a race event i drove a couple hours to. definite pass on this one until changes are made.

The race seems well organized and registration was what I expected. The race course is poorly marked! I was alone in 7th when running through a neighborhood with many turns and no one directing runners (about 10 miles in). The course does have arrows on the road, but Im not the type of runner who runs a marathon with my head down looking for arrows. Need barricades or people at each corner. When getting into the said area, there were many volunteers on a corner. Had they spread them out, problem may have been solved. Its difficult when youre alone on a course you are unfamiliar with many turns to know where youre going. If I had I been running in a crowd it may not have been a problem. Then on the way towards mile 20 there was an arrow pointing to the right (not the direction of the course!) and many runners were running back toward me wondering where to go. Should NEVER happen for the effort and money people have to put in for a marathon. I grew up in the area and have run the 5k and 10 many times but the marathon course needs to be addressed. OH&it was really HOT&. The aid stations were sufficient; they had plenty of fluids etc. Only comment there is that they had PLASTIC cups! Its easier to drink while running if you pinch the cup, but plastic cups break when you pinch them&. Ill personally never do the marathon at sunburst again. Ill come back for the 5 or 10k though.

First time at this race, was really looking forward to it because of the course and being a big ND fan. Unfortunate the race wasn't the high-light I had envisioned, but not because of the race director or support staff. They were all wonderful! Emergency personnel were everywhere also so kudos to them too. The weather ruined it all, and until we can learn how to control that we can't blame anyone associated with the race. I personally had been training for a 3:45-4:00hr finish but until the weekend before the race had no heat & humidity to train in. Both took their toll on me by mile 15. I had hit the halfway point in 1:50 and still felt strong but was still mostly in the shady part of the course. I suffered extreme dehydration the second half and crossed the finished line at 5:06, only moments before the black flag came out. While I was lucky enough to finish prior to being cancelled, it was the right decision. I don't know if walking most of the last 6-8 miles qualifies as completing a marathon but so be it. I had enough left in the tank to run the last ½ mile or so and down the ramp. I guess being hardheaded can be a detriment, I listened to my body enough to stop running when I could no longer split, but I wouldn't listen enough to withdraw. I know it isn't easy to plan an event such as these, but given the weather issues the last couple years, perhaps flipping the course and heading out to Mishawaka first and back through the shadier portion last before heading into the Stadium might help.

Love, love, love this course! Truly a course that manages an urban setting, along with natural resources (um, a river) very well. Packet pick-up was a breeze, even got to meet Bill Rodgers! :) Could have used better marking, better maps ahead of time, but really enjoyed the winding nature of the route. Now, about the heat and subsequent black flag...I've never been so hot! It was brutal. THANK YOU to the volunteers, crew, etc., who took such good care of everyone in what, to me, was truly a crisis situation. Impressive.

This was my 6th marathon in a span of 49 days, and my second in 6 days. I ran Buffalo the Sunday before, in about the same conditions. It was very hot and humid, 75 at the start and over 90 by 11am in South Bend. The race director black flagged the race a little after 11. Overall, this was a very good event. Here are my comments: The Great: 1) The expo and packet pick up the day before the race was excellent. Very easy and well organized. 2) The 6AM early start with just the Marathoners was perfect. I wish more races would start the full and half separately. 3) The course was very nice, following the river much of the race except for the downtown portion. 4) Probably most important, There were many, many water stops that were well stocked with water, gatorade, and friendly staff. It got very hot, 90+, and the stops were 1st class. 5) Second most important was the great medical support. There were medics on bikes all over the place. For those of us towards the back, they kept asking us if we were ok or if we needed anything. I saw two runners in trouble, and they both had medical personal around them. The good: The course was well marked for the most part. There were several twists and turns, and if you weren't paying attention, I can see how someone could get off course. The Bad: The finish. I was at mile 24 3/4s when we got word the race was black flagged and officially over. The clocks were turned off at that point. I was with a group of about 4 others, and we were all doing well with no problems, so we kept going. Police came around and informed us that the race was over, but we could keep going if we went on the side walk, which we did. I got to the stadium and finished at the 50, which was cool, and got my medal. I finished about 15 minutes after the clocks were turned off. They did have cold, wet towels for us at the finish, but it seemed to be a bit chaotic at that point. There was no water or food visually available, and they made an announcement for us to leave the field and head towards the shuttle busses as soon as possible. I did ask a nice volunteer for some water, and she had to go to the far end zone to get me a small cup. That was nice of her, but we should have had plenty of water right at the finish. The Ugly: After running 26.2 in the heat, we had to walk about 1/2 mile completely around the stadium again to the shuttle bus. We just kept walking and walking, and walking. A couple I was walking with said he wished he would have turned his garman back on to check the distance. There has to be a closer place to pick up runners. After the race: I have to give big kudos to the race director, Molly. Since the clock was turned off, I didn't get an official time. I emailed her my time and asked her if there was anyway I could get an official time since I'm a 50 stater, and I knew my time. She did post my time to active.com, thus giving me an official finish. It had to be a hard decision to end the race with so many people still on the course ( I would guess about 75, but I have no idea how many dropped out), but it was 100% the right decision. A runner in a half marathon in Chicago passed away on the course the same day as this race because of the heat. To my knowledge, there were no serious injuries here, and the medical staff and the director get all the credit in the world for that. I would recommend this race, just make sure you are conditioned for potential hot and humid weather.

For me, I think it was a good learning experience. I think the course was longer than 26.2 miles based on my phone app but those things are sometimes wrong. Here are the pros and cons: Pros: The route was nice and scenic. The volunteers were nice and worked really hard in an extremely hot day. A few spectators who came out were nice and some of them kindly offered their water hoses to the runners which was refreshing. There was a free 15 minute massage at the end and the line for it was not that long. Cons: It was an extremely hot day. My performance decreased by 50% due to the excessive heat during the last 1.5 hour of the race. I never faced that problem before. Be prepared for the heat. Parts of the race (from mile 14-18 and from mile 20-24) were in the streets with no shades whatsoever. Again, you may like running in this condition but it was really difficult for me. I think the race needed more water stops towards the end. Not that many spectators were out and other than a gentleman playing bagpipe there was no live or recorded music during the course. Finally, I think the route has some confusing turns but to be fair, there was always one person with a sign to guide you to the right direction.

I first want to compliment the volunteers, who were excellent. The course was nice as well. And now, the rest of the story. A decision was made to call the race due to excessive heat, which I am ok with. What is unacceptable is turning off the race clocks and giving a DNF to runners who completed the full course. This impacted me, and by my estimation, at least 30 other runners. I did not find out the race was shut down until being within yards of the finish line, where there the timing mats were turned up, and the clock turned off. The volunteers were even told to quit giving out finishers medals even though they kept calling our names. I emailed the race director 3 days ago requesting to have an official time entered, and have not received a response. Obviously, she does not care, so I am considering a lawsuit to recover the entry fee and travel expenses if I am not given an official finish. Feel free to contact me if you are interested in participating.

The 2011 Sunburst was my 46th marathon overall, and first Sunburst. I found a lot to like about it. Sorry race director but I am now only going to mention the bad things. The course is difficult to navigate, you can't put it on auto-pilot. Lots of turns, not always well marked/staffed. 1st half is well-shaded, but 2nd half is in wide open sun. There are many water stops but I would suggest even more in final half given typical sun/heat. I strongly suggest one consider his/her heat tolerance before registering for this race and strategize accordingly. And once registered, definitely plan to pay close attention as you run to stay on-course and you should be OK. Also, my Garmin recorded a distance of 27.2 miles but I'm not sure if I'm the only one those things are not always correct. I'm not familiar with South Bend but I sense the race director puts on the best possible race at that time of year given what she has to work with in terms of logistics, weather and surrounding area. Nice effort, overall enjoyable event despite the above.