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☰
Columbia Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Columbia Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 4.2 
Spectators 3.2
Number of comments: 35 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
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A. A. from Anon
(6/19/2013)
 "Still waiting on award" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Columbia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 2012 was much better than 2013. The 2013 shirts are 3/4 length sleeves (odd) and I'm still waiting on my age group award. The RD needs to get his act together and deliver on the awards he promised the runners who supported his race! | |
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K. R. from Charlotte, NC
(3/31/2013)
 "Nice race, but nothing special" (about: 2013)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Columbia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 If you read the issues from the 2012 race below, they listened and fixed everything for 2013. The course was nice, but nothing spectacular. It was more hilly than I thought it would be from reading the 2012 comments. There were two big hills, which really means there are 4 big hills. The rest of the course was somewhat flat, although it seemed like you were always slightly up or down hill. I would do it again, but would probably prefer trying something new. | |
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David Hurley from Roanoke, VA
(3/25/2013)
"Sign me up for 2014!" (about: 2013)
50+ previous marathons
| 2 Columbia Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Out of 69 marathons that I have run including one in every state, this one ranks near the top. Late checkout at our host hotel meant so much to me. The Pepsi products at the end were great. My favorite marathons have had pizza also. The volunteers were friendly and the few spectators were nice. Music would add that special touch that could enhance the marathon. The shirt is one of my favorite marathon shirts. Mile markers were terrific. Thanks to all of you that had any part in making this marathon a special one. | |
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Ed Robins from Philadelphia, PA
(3/18/2013)
"Nice, challenging smaller race" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Columbia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I ran the 2013 race as my South Carolina race and I have no regrets. This is a smaller race (400 full; 800 half) in its second year. The expo was very modest in a hotel (Marriott) lobby but I was able to pick up some gel. There was also a race day packet pick-up. The race begins and ends at the Capitol building in downtown Columbia next door to the University of SC campus. It is a two loop marathon. I like that for a marathon so I know what to expect the second half. You do run right by the finish line which is always a little mentally taxing. In a race of this size the second half can be a little lonely but not too bad. I always saw a few folks ahead of me. I parked at the Lady St garage which was 2 blocks away and free! I got there 90 minutes early and could've arrived much later. There were plenty of Port-a-johns pre-race. 20 minutes before race time there were barely any lines. The course is quite hilly. More so than I realized. Lots of smaller hills and 2 or 3 significant ones which of course you must climb twice. Luckily I live in a hilly area or it would've done me in. The course is almost entirely a neighborhood course. We leave the downtown area quite quickly and then seem to weave from neighborhood to neighborhood. These are all pleasant if somewhat monotonous. There are plenty of water stops but they are unorganized and not all have sports drink. I never knew if a stop had sports drink or not and if they did was it first or second. I really believe that consistancy in how the aid stations are set up helps out late in a race when fatigue is an issue. Fan support was pretty sparse but about what you'd expect from a new race of this size. The post-race area thankfully has plenty of room. No big celebration but plenty of traditional post race food and drink. I really liked the long sleeve tech shirt and the medal. In 2013 we had a nice cool (high 30's) start and low 60's for the finish, so pretty ideal. I stayed outside of Columbia to save money but was still only 15 minutes away. The host hotel was walking distance (and hosted the expo). | |
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D. L. from Charlotte, NC
(3/17/2013)
 "Fantastic race, Great people, Friendly city." (about: 2013)
50+ previous marathons
| 2 Columbia Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I love this race. I'll go back every year. Columbia is a charming Southern town filled with friendly people. The course is nice. Not hard, not flat. Aid stations are stocked like at ultras with every flavor Gu and Chomps! | |
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E. I. from Central Pennsylvania
(3/16/2013)
 "Well Done!" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Columbia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I traveled from Pennsylvania to run the half as a tune up race for Boston. I was really impressed. Columbia did everything right, especially for a second year race. The packet pickup was easy, and it was nice that they validated your parking ticket if you weren't staying at the host hotel. Expo is what you'd expect at a medium size race. There were local running store vendors there that had any last minute item you might need. The course has some hills, sure, but if you're getting ready for Boston, or any other marathon that's not pancake flat, the half is perfect! I ran my half marathon PR by a full minute. If I was a second or two from a BQ, I might look for a flatter course, but there are just as many downhills on the course, so if you run wisely it's not that bad. The course is pretty, and runs through some nice neighborhoods, but other than the water stop volunteers, there was virtually nobody on the course. Hopefully in the next few years Columbia realizes what a great event it has and comes out to support it. Each mile marker was clearly marked, which I know was an issue last year. I know this is a minor thing, but you know a race director is paying attention to detail when all the water stop volunteers are holding the cups on top of the palm of their hand, rather than around the top of the cup. The volunteers were extremely supportive and cheered everyone on as we went by. Plenty of gels were available at the water stops as well, they didn't skimp (unlike some other marathon in South Carolina). As a Yankee invader, I couldn't help but notice the finish line activities were centered around the confederate memorial and flagpole. The stars and bars were flapping in the wind over the racers as they met their families and got some post race grub. This is nothing that would keep me away from the race, but its something that I'm not used to seeing in my neck of the woods. The state capitol grounds made for a beautiful finish area. Lots of room to spread out and stretch on the grass. Post race food could be improved, but again, its a second year race, and from what I saw this year I'm sure it will only improve. | |
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S. H. from OH
(3/14/2013)
"Expected more!" (about: 2013)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Columbia Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I thought this would be a great early spring marathon. The weather was terrific, high 30's at the start and 50's at the finish. The medal was one of the best I've seen. The shirt was unique, although I ordered a unisex size as instructed because of my late registration date, but was given a womens size. There was a shirt exchange in the morning, but it ended before I finished the marathon. Our biggest complaint was the lack of communication. The website stated more info would be available on parking, dropbags, restaurants, etc closer to the race, but was never updated. At the expo we received our shirts and numbers but no last minute instructions. When we asked about the start location, we received a course certification map, that didn't have any other streets or landmarks. There was a last minute email that when out on Thursday after we had left for South Carolina. I signed up for the email updates and that was the only email I recieved. The course ran through some beautiful residential neighborhoods but the residents didn't seem to know what was going on. The water stops and volunteers were great, but there didn't appear to be any other volunteers or spectators. Even when we ran right through the farmers market (twice), no one seemed to notice. The police were wonderful and needed because we crossed many major intersections. The hills were tough. I wouldn't have minded the hills if I had been more prepared. I saw on marathon guide that it was hilly but I could not find an elevation map on the website. The website used Map my Run to show the course which is hard to navigate with all of the ads and the elevation chart would not work for me. Be prepared for the hills, they were not that steep but they were long and the section at 11 and 24 miles were tough. It seemed like there could be more to showcase in the city of Columbia. It would have been nice to have ran on more of the USC campus, less neighborhoods and busy streets. Also, mark every mile with a mile marker! The organizers tried to move the mile markers for the second lap. On both laps some of the markers were in the wrong location. | |
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T. G. from South Carolina
(3/12/2013)
"Good course, great medal, comms - not so much" (about: 2013)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Course was very nice with beautiful old neighborhoods. Water stations were well placed though Gatorade was hard to find. Wish more stations had it, particularly on second half. Hills. If you don't train on hills this race will put a hurtin' on ya. Don't drop the medal on your foot. It is a beast and awesome. Kiawah Island should take a lesson from this races medal. The biggest issue I had was communication. Nothing was put out from the race management until 3 days before race. The course map could only be viewed with MapMyRun and was not available in .pdf or .jpg formats. | |
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Richard Park from Colorado Springs, CO
(3/12/2013)
 "Well done event." (about: 2013)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Columbia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a very well organized event. Pros: 1) The course was challenging and being a double loop, you know what you are in for on the 2nd lap. The hills are tough. 2) Nice shirt and medal. 3) Nice finish area with plenty of room. 4) Great fan support and well organized aid stations. Cons: 1) I could not find a hard copy course map at packet pickup. 2) The food selection at the finish was a little sparse, but okay. | |
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J. T. from Raleigh, NC
(3/20/2012)
"Good inaugural event" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Columbia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Great to see a marathon back in Columbia. The organizers did a great job, but as with everything there are things that could be improved upon in future years. Well done - EXPO - decent expo, super nice to have expo and the start so close together. Makes packet pickup the morning before the race a snap, and nice to have vendors there for last minute purchases. VOLUNTEERS - plentiful and cheerful. volunteers make or break events like this, and they did a great job WATER STOPS - plentiful and well stocked. MEDAL - great looking medal with a little spinner SHIRT - they looked great. Looking forward to receiving mine in the mail. Could improve: MILE MARKERS - mile markers every mile please! TURN MARKERS - a number of folks missed at least one turns. Need a volunteer, signs, chalk marks, etc. OFFSET LOOP - the half and full split and rejoined in two places. Was confusing and seemed unnecessary. Run the half and full together until the half finishes, then adjust the full distance. |
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