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☰
Portland Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Portland Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.5 
Organization 4.2 
Spectators 4.3
Number of comments: 295 [displaying comments 241 to 251]
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K. U. from Madison, WI
(12/28/2003)
 "Make sure you train for hills..." (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 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... | |
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j. F. from south milwaukee, wisconsin
(12/9/2003)
 "A Great Experience!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my second marathon and second time in Portland. I do not have any previous marathons to compare to, but I have nothing but good things to say about this race. First of all the city is beautiful. The race organization is excellent. The packet pickup at the expo is fast and simple. The expo itself is more than adequate for a race this size. I thought the starting area was much better organized this year than in 2002. I lined up at the nine-minute mile marker which was clearly visible to me, as were the other pace-markers. The organizers did a much better job of keeping the walkers in the back, which was a major problem last year. The course is not easy, why should it be? Any marathon course has to make concessions to the topography of the city where it is held. Yes there is a long stretch through the dock area and a long stretch past a stinky, smelly, oil refinery, but at least these stretches are flat and fast. I did not see the 'bandit chasers' at the bridge, but I am glad they were there. Bandits do not belong in any race. If you want to run, then pay the entry fee like the rest of us. The food and medical attention at the finish were excellent. I have to echo the one complaint of others that the bottleneck at the exit area was bad. I have just run 26.2 miles, could you make it a little easier for me to get out of here? All in all a great marathon experience that I hope to repeat again someday. | |
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R. L. from Seattle
(11/11/2003)
 "Not quite 'the best', but still great" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've run this race several times. This year (2003), 'the best organized marathon in America' slipped a bit. It's still better than most other races and therefore gets my five stars though. It's a challenging course... with fine water stops and great entertainment. The spectators (at the beginning and in the second half... none in the middle) are awesome. You want to run this marathon. However, be aware: 1) the elevation chart provided on the website has never seemed that accurate. 2) they really messed up the exit chutes in 2003. It was never bad before, but they redesigned the meet-n-greet area in 2003 and this was terrible. I almost passed out waiting to get through the crowd. 3) where for art thou, Runners World? In years past, Runners World showed great support of this race with pacesetters. Not in 2003. 4) what happened to seeding the start? In years past, they had appropriate signage at the start so that fast people lined up in front of slow people. In 2003, I guess they didn't have enough volunteers. They tried, but it was really wonky. I'm only pointing these things out because they bill themselves as the best organized race in America. Not this year. BUT THIS IS STILL A RACE TO TRAVEL TO AND DO! | |
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New Runner from Eastern Washington
(11/2/2003)
"Great Race and Great for PR" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my second marathon. I have to say it was so good to run this race and made my goal - BQ. I ran NYCM last year and I was very impressed with the race for its organization, size, the expo, the hundreds of international runners, great crowd support, and volunteers. But I like Portland's race just as much for same but for different reasons. Portland race was a very good size, it was much smaller than NYC, but very comfortable. I crossed the starting line quickly and always had many other runners nearby along the course all the way to finish. That I found to be very good as a second-timer. The race started at 7 AM which was a perfect time for me, a morning runner. The temperature was around 50 F and cloudy all through the day. It was the best weather I had in the last 5-6 month including training run days in Washington. The temperature stayed within only few degrees all through the day that was very, very comfortable. The course was flat and well defined with good scenery. What I like the most was that there were always some onlookers to cheer you on, there were many bands playing music, many cheerleaders dancing, and many more locals came out to cheer you on. And they were at arms length from you that you really felt the encouragement. In NYCM, sometimes you could not feel the cheers as some were from 6 to 8 road lanes away. There were plenty of aid stations in Portland. I knew that gel/Gu were not offered along the course as it indicated on the website. Like many others, I carried my own. It would be a good idea for the race organizers to mention this in the registration as some races like NYCM do offer energy gels. Some runners may assume that gel/Gu is offered in any race. The course was definitely flatter than the NYCM and I made it to the finish in more than 30 minutes faster. Not only did I PR, but also BQ at Portland. Portland was a well organized race with great crowd support and good course and so-so comfortable to run in the time of the year. I recommend this race to the first-timers and to veteran runners who want to PR or BQ. | |
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A Runner from Washington State
(10/20/2003)
"No love, but a lot of like" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my 10th state any my 18th marathon overall. I have run the majors, the minors and many in-betweeners. I must say that I liked this marathon. Whether it is the advertised 'Best' organized marathon in the U.S. is a whole other argument, but I thought it was organized pretty well for its size, and from my running perspective. Registration and packet pick-up was quick, local hotels were cheap, and race morning parking was close and easy to find. To me that would be enough. I'm still trying to come to grips with the description of this course. It's not a crushing course, but I found it to be challenging. There is no way I could PR on a course like this, but that is a personal problem. The topography reminded me a lot of the Pittsburgh or Seattle courses, or even Boston to a certain extent. Not bad company to be compared with. It's just that the hills come in different places and have different personalities than those courses. Strange, I actually enjoyed the industrial area as much as the bluffs. It was flat, calm and fast. In general I thought the course in its entirety was a great representation of the area and city itself. A little urban, a little commercial, a few upscale neighborhoods, some Pacific Nothwest hills and a chance to run some beautiful bridge spans. Not bad. I was not aware of the course marshalls at the St. John's Bridge and can understand how that may have been irritating to some. I must say though, that I applaud their efforts. Unregistered runners and 'pacers' to a certain extent detract from the overall marathon experience for those that pay, train and participate. I wish more marathons put effort into directing unregistered runners off of the course, yet I know it is a difficult task. My only problems on race day were the difficulties in locating all of the mileage markers and the congested exit chute of the finish area. Yes, there were large signs with the mileage embossed on them but they were not always easy to find on the fly, propped here and there. I noted several times that the sign location did not exactly match the painted mileage mark on the pavement. It's minor but when even splits are the objective it's nice to be right on (not 10 yards off), and easy to locate with no effort. I need all the help I can get. I was also suprised that the 1/2 marathon point was not clearly marked. I guess it was where the timing chip mat was? I had almost forgot how big this marathon was until I attempted to exit the finish area. I'm suprised that the best organized marathon does not have a better system for friend and family reunion. As others suggested a side street with location letters would be better. One poor fellow overwhelmed by the effort he has just expended on the course collapsed in the crowd of the exit chute. Fortunately for him there was no way he could even faint properly in the pressing crowd. I must say that emergency personal responded immediately, but it was still a scary, congested scene. The finisher's shirt, medal, rose and seedling were very classy. The volunteers were exceptional and the various divisions (clydesdale, pump and run, etc..) were unique and just plain cool. I normally do not run the same marathon more than once anymore, but I would do this one again. | |
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I. K. from NYC
(10/19/2003)
"Great race" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Many thanks to the organizing committee, the volunteers and the spectators - they made the Portland Marathon a great experience for me! The course was decent, fairly flat but the St. John's Bridge hill really kicked my butt (I certainly did not expect anything like that, the reality was worse than what I was preparing myself for based on the elevation chart, that's for sure. Also, I expected much more of a downhill at the end). I really should've taken advantage of the marathon course tour that was being offered - if you are doing this race next year I highly recommend it (so you know exactly what to expect, as I was caught somewhat offguard). Also, I would skip the pasta party next time, you could get much better quality food at lower prices pretty much at any restaurant in town (overall, food in Portland was superb and ridiculously cheap... well, I guess I am basing it on NYC prices, but anyways...). Another minor complaint is that there were no gels/bars available at the aid stations at any point of the marathon (it would be nice to at least have them at the last one before the bridge). The post-race food was fantastic though (ice cream was a nice touch!) Those complaining about bandits being turned back at St John's bridge ramp - c'mon... I paid the full fee for the race, so why should my dollars support the bandits - they are not supposed to be there and I am grateful that they were forced off the course, I wish it happened sooner. The great thing about this marathon is that it's fairly small so you are able to run the whole time, not waste valuable seconds fighting your way through crowds (which would suck even more if these crowds consisted of unregistered runners). I thought the 'bandit catchers' were very professional and efficient, at least they did not slow me down a single bit. Overall, I highly recommend this marathon, it's a topnotch race in a fantastic, runner-friendly town. | |
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S. S. from Los Angeles, CA
(10/13/2003)
 "I feel this marathon can be missed." (about: 2003)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 My husband and I, who are normally positive people, were very disappointed by this marathon. Our experience is somewhat limited. We've done 5 marathons in L.A. and decided to attempt to combine a marathon and a vacation. We're walkers, so we probably pay more attention to details along a course than a runner may because we're out there for 5-plus hours. Seattle is my favorite city to visit and I'd hoped Portland would have the same feel and scenery. We knew to expect an industrial section along the route but the loop in the industrial area wasn't the only industrial scenery. The hill on the way to St. John's Bridge was longer and steeper than we had anticipated. In looking at the map and comparing it to L.A.'s marathon, Portland's elevation was suppose to be half the elevation of L.A., but sure didn't feel like it. When I first contacted the Portland Marathon officials, I wanted to know if the train going through the route was still an issue since I'd seen several negative comments on this site. I was told the train was no longer an issue. Lo and behold, we passed the train tracks about a minute before the train arrived. I thought it was a joke when a police officer yelled out that people better speed up if they wanted to beat the train. We didn't expect tons of spectators but we thought there were very few particularly where you'd expect to see spectators in the residential areas. You wouldn't have known Portland is a green, lush area. The lawns were poorly kept up in the few residential areas we did see. The expo was pretty weak with no race stuff - snacks, moleskin, etc. I think it's unfair for people who pay a registration fee not to get a t-shirt if they don't finish the race. I don't know if that's customary. In L.A. your t-shirt comes with your expo bag. Many people wear it the day of the race. If you want a finisher's t-shirt, you have to buy it. I guess it's a matter of preference as to whether or not you want a marathon t-shirt whether you finish the race or not. The positives were that the volunteers did a great job. We shaved off 11 minutes for a new PR. The many bands and cheerleaders were appreciated. The flower, seedling, and snacks at the end of race were first-rate. | |
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L. N. from Tampa, FL
(10/12/2003)
"This was an awesome race for me" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 After reading some of the other comments, I have to put my 2 cents in. I guess where you rate a race is all relative to what you have done in the past. This is my 4th marathon, and it was by far the best in every aspect for me. I am from Florida and was worried obviously about the hills. I thought the course had a good mix of hills and flat, that made it bearable. I can't believe someone would say this race was devoid of spectators. There again it's all relative. There were more spectators in this race then there are racers in some of the Florida races. I have never run a race where the people were lining the road like that. And, to still have spectators out by the railroad tracks was awesome. As far as the course, it takes a lot of planning blocking off all the roads, so you almost always end up with some out-and-back industrial area in the race. I have yet to do one without that. The thing that also kept me going was the music along the way. There again, I have never had the privilege of having all that support out there to keep me going. The food at the finish was awesome too. And, they did say ahead of time that you could not cross the bridge without a number. Pretty simple. They were just being safe. Thanks for all the hard work from the volunteers and supporters. It all added up for a great race for me, and I beat my best time by 4 minutes, so I was thrilled. I would definitely do this race again!! Portland is a beautiful place. | |
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T. P. from Lake Oswego, OR
(10/9/2003)
"Good starter for a local boy" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I saw some positive and negative comments on this year's run, so I guess I'll contribute the same. PDX was a good first marathon for me: local, fairly flat, good volunteers and supporters throughout, and friendly runners helping each other through the race. I agree with spreading the start out further, as we were in line for the Honey Buckets and got pinned behind the walkers. The out-and-back around miles 9 to 11 was probably the low point scenery-wise. Maybe I finished too late to notice any Gestapo activity at the St. John's Bridge? All in all, a good first marathon, good experience, and motivation to beat my not-so-great time! | |
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T. C. from Madison, WI
(10/9/2003)
 "Ice cream? Ice cream." (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Any marathon that has Haagen-Daz bars at the finish line is ok by me. |
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