50+ previous marathons | 2 Portland Marathons

Even for 5-hour back-of-the-packers, the frequent aid stations were still well-supplied with all the Ultima we needed and plentiful supplies at the occasional Marathon Bar, Honey Stinger gels, gummy bears, etc. stations. The abundant supplies of oranges, bananas, grapes, apples, bagels, potato chips, cookies, ice cream and PowerAde at the finish made it hard to believe 4,000 other runners in the marathon and thousands of others in the half marathon had already finished and had their fills!

The heavy duty dark blue or white (finisher's choice) cotton long sleeve t-shirt with Portland Marathon emblazoned on front and back were a welcome contrast another PNW city marathon to the north's annual November marathon with 45 sponsors' logos on back and not a single mention of the name/place of the race on the back and only a small logo on the front under the main sponsor's name.

For my second attempt at the course this year, I made it a point to run up all the hills at the beginning and the big mile 17 hill up to St. John's Bridge and then up into the residential neighborhoods on the bluff after the bridge (though 'running' hills at that point was actually 13 - 14 minute miles but seeming to pass hundreds of other participants reduced to walking as I had done in the previous year). With the merciful downills to the finish from mile 22 up on the bluff, it's hard to believe the Portland Marathon could be characterized by some as 'flat,' 'relatively flat,' etc. Compared to Portland, the otherwise hilly Seattle Marathon with similar 1/2 mile long hills at miles 20.5 (Galer/Madison) and 22 (Interlocken) seems easy. Nevertheless, unless a runner needs a PR it's more of a challenge and accomplishment to finish a Portland or Seattle Marathon type course than more monotonous flat runs.

If you are from an area with no natural hills they would maybe a problem for you. But to me they were not bad. Except for the bridge, which is long (but the grade is not steep so I just slowed my pace a bit). The weather was perfect for my asthma; no pollution so I PR'ed big time. I think they said it's rained only twice in the 30 something years of this race and I think that's bigger than the hills thing (no rain again this year). Also much has been made of the pasta feed being a rip off. In the same block as the feed is the restaurant that makes the spaghetti; we ate there by chance and saw them taking it next door. We got to choose what we wanted and it was cheaper and delicious. Take this as a tip! I would go to this marathon again readily if I was not going for 50 states.

Best running experience of my life. Beautiful course, seamlessly organized, very friendly volunteers.
Country's best kept secret.

This is a good medium/large race. It isn't super big like Honolulu or Chicago, but it is plenty big enough to have bands every couple miles, lots of aid stations, and lots of running (or walking) company. They fixed the problems from years past with congestion in the exit areas.

Some people don't like the 10 or so miles through industrial areas. I don't mind those 10 miles for a few reasons: a) it makes the other prettier areas (like downtown and the bridge) that much better, b) it puts two relatively flat sections (mile 6-11 and mile 12-15) in the middle areas of a course that would otherwise be much hillier, and c) I like the out-and-back industrial section because middle-of-the-packers get to see the top runners fly by and then, on the way back, we get to see all the people both ahead and behind us.

Organization of all aspects of this race were great this year... they'd been slacking in the past couple of years, but it seemed better in 2004.

I still think that the race organizers are a bit obsessed with bandits. Yes, bandits are bad... but in the other 20ish marathons I've run, I've never encountered a race that goes after them so actively. This is fine... but sometimes I feel like they are griping at us full-paying runners. You get to read about bandits on the website, in the great program, on signage, in the expo, and other places. They famously stop bandits at the St. John's Bridge (near mile 17) and don't let them cross. This seems like a great idea... BUT... I don't really want to watch rent-a-cops chase and chew out bandits. I support kicking these folks out, but watching them get yelled at LOUDLY was, well, I don't know... it made me feel funny. Again, I'm not saying that bandits should be tolerated at all... I'm saying that when I'm 17 miles into a race, I want to be exposed to happy things that help energize me. People yelling at other people does not serve this purpose. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Especially when I have to dodge the course marshalls in their attempts to run down and stop the bandits... and then scream at them. Give me a break - this is NOT what I paid to experience.

Others will disagree with me, I'm sure. That's cool. Bandits are not cool. Neither is this particular tactic for dealing with them. Checkpoint Charlie was frankly embarrassing.

Ok, I ran this marathon yesterday, and from the previous comments it seems like they fixed a lot of things.

The course is not the prettiest areas of Portland, but majority of it was pretty flat. They had plenty of electrolytes, water, gummy bears and other stuff available throughout the course. The finishing area was well organized and the shirts were right there (very nice shirts by the way).

It would have been nice to have a bag to carry all the food and other stuff they were giving you. They fixed the train problem from what I saw. Over all it seemed very well done and I will do it again next year.

I live in the Portland area and ran the marathon in 2002. I think they overrate this run. Over 1/2 the race is in a boring industrial area. The hills in the race are not that bad, you have one good sized one over a bridge at mile 17 or so then some small ones after that, but the course is mostly flat. I had my PR in Portland in the 3 marathons I have run.

The finish area is poorly set up due to limited space. The runners-only area is very small and if you have to find someone after the race 'good luck!' Once you leave the runners-only area it is very crowded with friends and family trying to find each other. If I wasn't tall, my companion would never have seen me. They give out the T-shirts a few blocks away, I couldn't get there because of the crowds and my fatigue level so I never got my finisher shirt.

The folks who run this race promote it as the best organized race. Not even close. It is fun to do if you are a local but I wouldn't travel to do this run. The fans are great, especially in the University of Portland area. Aid stations are fine. There are plenty of great areas in Portland for a beautiful race, and this course just isn't it.

I echo what most people have said here, but think it's only fair to include my following experience in 2001. I was running with a group on pace to break 3:10 including several men who were trying to qualify for Boston. We were stopped by a train for ~90 seconds. Obviously chip times do not reflect this break and the train could have been partly responsible for some not qualifying. I found it difficult to start again but still managed a PR. Just thought it was worth mentioning and is a factor to consider when selecting a race! It probably didn't impact that many people, but I was very surprised it happened given the race's reputation as being well organized!

The course could have been more scenic.

The start/finish areas could have been better organized.

The spectators and water/aid stations were excellent. Those gummy bears in the later miles kept me going...

Having said that, I won't be returning to Portland any time soon. There are a lot of other marathons out there I'd like to try, so why go back?

First, I would like to address some prior comments to the 2003 race; specifically the hills and 'Course Police'. Hilly is relative. The Portland area is hilly, so for a race in the Portland area covering this much distance to be this (relatively) flat is amazing. I didn't do any hill repeats, I just ran in the local area (Forest Park is my favorite mid to long run location) and that prepared me for the course's hills. I do have to say, that as a local runner, there ARE more attractive areas for the course that would show off Portland more, but these would only make the course more hilly. Possibly this is a concession that they have made. I actually found that I enjoyed watching the other runners on the out-and-back in the industrial area.

As for the 'Course Police', I didn't even notice them. Maybe it was because I was wearing my number on my front, as we are instructed to do. The start area was fine. The lines for the porta-potties were long, so I just ducked into the Hilton (sponsor hotel). I got into the correct pace area about 20 minutes before the start. The aid stations are about every 2 miles and well stocked with water (first) and Powerade (second)- which was a different flavor than the website stated it would be. I trained with GU and checked to see if it was offered. It wasn't, so I just brought my GU flask that I used in training. The entertainment was varied and nicely spaced.

The crowds seemed supportive, especially around miles 18-22 (when I needed it most). The other runners were very friendly and I was able to strike up conversations easily. I did have to stop for a train. Apparently there have been problems with long freight trains in the past and the organizers stated that this would not be a problem in 2003. The train I stopped for was an Amtrak train and the stop was all of 30-45 seconds. I just saw it as a rest opportunity and took off after. The finish was well stocked (ice cream and PB&J were especially appreciated). The exit was crowded, but it only took a minute to get through the crowd. Is this the perfect marathon? I don't know, since this was my first. However, I had a great time, will be doing more marathons, and achieved my top goal of a sub-4-hour finish!

Up to mile 17, I was convinced I trained well for this race. MAKE SURE you do hill repeats during your training! For some reason, I overlooked the elevation chart prior to the race. To put it lightly, I had to convince myself to make it to the finish.

Besides doing some hill repeats, here are some things I advise:
- Bring a hydration pack of water bottle pack along. I would have died without my Camelbak, as there weren't water stops at every mile.

- If you have family/friends watching during the race, tell them to avoid the finish. There really isn't a clear view of the finishers.

- Make sure you stay for a few days before and after the race, so you can enjoy the city. I regret not relaxing more.

Despite the 8-plus miles of 'hitting the wall,' I was happy with the race. I managed to spit out a personal record by 2 minutes! I just wonder what my time would have been if I would have done hill repeats...