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May 14, 2024

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 81 to 91]

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Scott Allen from Portland Oregon (10/10/2010) "Best spectator support outside NYC" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Portland Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Okay, the route is an issue. Too much industrial stuff for a beautiful city. But besides that, it's a nice route, and besides the bridge at mile 16, it was pretty level. It rained to beat the band this year... and I know rain because I'm from Portland. But an amazing thing happened; I think it brought out MORE spectators... and they were over-the-top supportive. This was my 5th marathon this year and by far the best supported, with the best crowds and best bands... and I did a Rock 'n' Roll Marathon!
D. C. from Columbus (5/3/2010) "Loses a lot by running through industrial district" (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Portland Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My fifth marathon. Plenty of water stops; crowds were great. I can't believe we ran up Route 30 on the shoulder. There were semi trucks driving by in the next lane. A tragedy waiting to happen. I commend the organizers for wanting us to run over the St. John's Bridge, as it is fantastic, but the industrial parks are not scenic and another running lane is needed on Route 30. After the bridge, the route was great. Thank you to everybody for coming out to cheer us on!!
B. W. from New Jersey (3/6/2010) "Over-rated marathon. Sub-par course." (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Portland Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 So many people have touted this marathon that I flew to Portland with high expectations. I left disappointed. First the positives. The weather was great and Portland is a nice city. The spectators and musicians were nice. As for the negatives, I can only echo the complaints already stated. The wave start was not managed well. The course isn't all that scenic.
E. B. from Memphis, TN (12/10/2009) "Great run, nice city, chow could have been better" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Portland Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 It was really great overall. The red lizards pace group was a huge help. I was shooting for Boston (3:10), which I failed to make, but I did set a PR. Fan support was the best I have seen. Just a little disappointed in the food line at the end. It was a cold race, and there was no warm stuff at the end. Had a great time, though.
m. s. from Portland (12/9/2009) "The Ultimate Train-Spotting Marathon?" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Portland Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 Or should I say, "Trainstopping?" Let me explain.... After four months of a difficult training regimen, I felt cautiously confident that I could run a Boston qualifier. The race started out well, the rain had just stopped, and I was in a comfortable pace, everything going according to my plan. All of a sudden, at mile six, I see the train barrier go down and a very slow train start to go by. For three, long, agonizing minutes, we stood there waiting for this train to pass! It took awhile to get back into a rhythm, and because of the time lost and my qualifying cushion now gone, I had to change my Boston qualifying plan drastically. In the end, I qualified by a mere 14 seconds, and I couldn't have possibly run even a second faster! I was thrilled, of course, and celebrated late into the night, and put the train episode behind me, sort of. I live in Portland, and one of the main reasons that I chose to be here was the overall attractiveness of the city (the main reason are the people here, as they rock - but I digress). Why the race organizers decided to run it through mostly crappy, industrial areas is a mystery to many of us. Anyway, if you still want to run this race, I would recommend bringing a train schedule and wrapping your Boston qualifying plan around it.
rural girl from Oregon (12/7/2009) "Well Organized and Nice Course" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Portland Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first Portland Marathon, and I can see why folks return year after year. The organization was great; the recovery area had tons of food, an ice station, a photo area and more. The course was too crowded between miles 12 and 16. Maybe a wave start next year would help. The music along the course was fabulous; there was enough to make you think you were running an R'n'R event. And I like that the event is MP3-friendly. See you next year!
J. N. from Rosamond, Ca (12/6/2009) "Decent race, bad fueling" (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Portland Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I gave the course three stars because I'm not really fond of city running. It wasn't ugly, but it was not particularly scenic either. Fans were great, and it was easy to get where you needed to be. Complaints: The drink on the course was low-carb (ULTIMA). For a marathon? Carbs are critical. Gels were Honey Stingers in cups. I would have taken a packet to try during training but no way will I use it for the first time in a race. They also had gummy bears, so that partially makes up for this. Awards were given to the top 15 in each age group, which was cool. For my 11th place, I received a nice plaque that said rather generically, "age group award" - no mention of place, age group or time. I think fewer awards with a little personalization would be better. Overall, the race was decent. Probably not a repeater unless I have another reason to be in the area on race day.
S. R. from New York, NY (11/23/2009) "Great race - mostly flat and fast" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Portland Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 7th marathon and I thought Portland was a great race. Although there are a few hills, very large stretches of the race are very flat and perfect for a PR. This is not a "rolling hill" race, but rather pretty flat, and punctuated by a few hills. The race is very well organized, and I thought there was plenty of support along the course. The only thing that needs to change is the energy gel that comes in cups and tastes terrible. I've never seen it before and would rather one of the big-name gels, like Power or Clif. Portland itself is a nice city with free public transit and a great place for a long weekend.
J. O. from San Leandro, CA (10/31/2009) "nice weather in a scenic location" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Portland Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 PROS: pretty area, good weather, fast course. CONS: that Liquid Gold stuff was disgusting and they didn't have water for another half-mile after they handed it out - I almost threw up. I don't like turnarounds when you see the people ahead/behind you so much; the city is big enough that you don't need to do that! There were not many people out to cheer people on, and meeting with friends was HARD at the end!! I liked running across the bridges, and the people in the race were nice. I didn't train much and got a PR, so that was pretty cool (the course was pretty fast and flat). They make you walk all the way around the block and then some before you can get out of the finishing area and meet up with your friends. Some random guy ran into me and knocked my cell phone out of my hand and across the street... (he was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt so I knew he had not just run). He apologized but I was still annoyed. Spectators should give runners (it was obvious I was a runner; I was wearing the space blanket and a finisher medal) some space, especially at the end when we're tired!!
K. F. from Oregon (10/15/2009) "Could be a great race, but not quite." (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Portland Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I love the city of Portland, and I ran a PR here, so I want to say this race is terrific but... - Not enough porta-potties at the start - Start was crowded and a zoo. People pushed way up faster than they should have clogging the start. Austin is my standard for good behavior by runners; it can be done. - Trains interrupted the course twice that I know of. They cut the four-hour pace group in half, which would have made me cry if I wanted a four-hour finish to qualify for Boston! (I did not get caught myself.) This is really bad; I'm not surprised that the organizers do not mention this risk, as it is embarrassing for a mid-major race to have this problem, but I am shocked they don't figure out how to fix this as this race grows. -N ot much crowd support until after 19 or so. On the other hand... + Well organized water stops that were all the same: sports drink first, water second. It's funny how many races don't get that little thing right. + Fast course. + I love Portland, and there are lots of hotels to stay at within walking distance of the start and finish. + 15-deep age-group awards. + There were lots of photographers out there. + Good (not great) expo (surprised that Nike and/or Adidas are not a huge supporters of this race and don't show up big).

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