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☰
Mayor's Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Mayor's Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 3.6
Number of comments: 127 [displaying comments 91 to 101]
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S. M. from San Dimas, CA
(7/11/2004)
 "My favorite marathon ever!" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Mayor's Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 5th marathon and was, by far, my favorite. I was fortunate enough to able to train on a lot of hills/trails so I felt right at home when we hit the trails around mile 7. The spectators were great, the pit stops were frequent, and the hill at mile 25.5 wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. This marathon is a 'must do' for anyone who has a sense of adventure. | |
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S. F. from CA
(7/7/2004)
"Better the second time around" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Mayor's Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is the second time I have run this marathon, great course, fantastic support given the terrain, and the water stops were just right. Good job. Amazing how the second time around is easier. This marathon is one of my favorites. Love the friendly people. | |
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D. R. from Gurnee, Illinois
(7/2/2004)
 "Spectatular Marathon!" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Mayor's Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Of all the marathons I've run, this one is by far the most beautiful! Although the Ultima was not palatable, the water stations were staffed by great volunteers. Few spectators, but the challenging trails easily made up for this. A great marathon! | |
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P. M. from Upstate NY
(6/28/2004)
"Nice course, well organized race" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mayor's Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first visit to Alaska, and the scenery was great. The course is challenging (especially in the army base area) and probably not worth pursuing a PR. Water/aid stations were well placed and filled with volunteers and spectators. My only thoughts for improvement: 1) the hill at mile 25.5 is at a tough point and if possible... 2) the last part of the course is on a bike path through the city parks. Placing signs along the path to inform families that a marathon is in progress would be helpful. Small children on bikes and tired runners don't mix well. PS: I did see a moose at mile 22 - he was at a steady pace and hardly sweating... | |
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B. P. from Tampa, FL
(6/25/2004)
 "First-Timer" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Mayor's Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon at age 40 and with zero previous running history (except the training for this event). I loved it! I especially enjoyed the off-road portion of the race. The section through the Army base is not as bad as it sounds. There are no hills where I live so I think I might have done better with some hill work. Next time I'll have to use the treadmill for that purpose. There were not a ton of spectators, but the ones that were there were awesome! Alaska is a beautiful place and we had great weather, IMO. It was warm by their standards, but you can't beat a high of 75 F when your training low temp has been 77 F! One bad thing - Ultima. Why? Take your own sports drink of choice. I drank some by mistake thinking it was water - the stuff is nasty! | |
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A. B. from California
(6/23/2004)
"Awesome run, well-organized" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Mayor's Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Well, there really isn't a bad thing to say about Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon. The volunteers were amazing, the aid stations well-stocked, and buses, bag handling, etc. were well organized. If I have one complaint, it would be that I agree with previous comments that it's not as scenic as I would've hoped. The course was interesting, and the varied terrain challenging in a good way, but there wasn't much in the way of views. But I think I only am saying that b/c it's Alaska, and expectations are extremely high in that regard. Overall a GREAT race. Make sure you extend your stay to take advantage of all that Alaska has to offer. | |
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A. F. from Iowa
(1/9/2004)
"Pretty nice run... but watch out for hills!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon experience. The weather was cool - but very comfortable. The most difficult part of the run was from mile 8-17 when we run through the Army base on a very rocky and uneven course. The organization is amazing! The crowds are quite small, but those that are there are pretty supportive. I ran with TNT so I had a built-in cheering section and boy was that appreciated. Alaska is a beautiful state, so when you go to do the mary, be sure to build in time after to discover the beauty of open spaces. | |
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Harriet Ottaviano from Seal Beach, CA
(7/14/2003)
 "Trail Runners Delight!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 If you enjoy trail running and hills, you will love this one. As for me, I was very glad to see asphalt again after the long trek through the Army base. I don't get the opportunity to train on either trails or hills, so that portion of the race took it out of me. I doubt that too many people set PRs on this course. I've done eight marathons and thought this was among the toughest, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless. The aid stations were well stocked, and the volunteers very nice. This is a great destination marathon because Alaska is such a terrific place to visit - I would go back in a minute, but would probably try the Humpy's Marathon the next time as it seems to be a flatter course. The weather was perfect for running - it had actually been warm in Anchorage the previous week. I was concerned about that, but race day was overcast, drizzly, and in the 50's. Dream marathon weather. I thought the course was pretty, but I've done the Lake Tahoe 1/2 and the Big Sur 10-Miler, and those courses are spectacular. I agree with the comment about the medal - very small, and the finisher's shirt was just OK. The post-race food was nothing exciting either. The expo was also very small. I thought with all the Team in Training people there, the expo would attact more vendors. Since I usually run in the city, it was wonderful to breathe clean air for 26.2 miles! Alaska is wonderful - if you need an excuse to go, this marathon is a good reason. Harriet Ottaviano Seal Beach, CA | |
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Karl Gilbertson from Iowa
(7/4/2003)
"AWESOME BABY!!!!!!!!!!!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon was everything I had heard it was, and more. This was my sixth marathon and it was by far the best organized. Sound systems that you can hear at both the start and the finish. Plenty of porta-potties and aid stations. And the pristine beauty of the 5-17 mile segment was everything I was looking for. I could find nothing wrong with this event until they were out of finisher's (my size) shirts at the end. If indeed we give them only to the finishers, have someone spring for the bags and bag by bib number and have them at the finish. BE SURE to take extra time to 'do Alaska' before and/or after the event. We found an awesome smoke and alcohol free BnB just outside of Palmer... about 36 miles from the start. Check them out at www.alaskasharvest.com. The wife of the couple that owns this BnB is a marathoner also. It was a fantastic facility and ULTRA reasonable. We went to Denali Park and cruised Prince William Sound. I WILL be back, and my wife and I are going to investigate seasonal employment in AK when we retire. ALSO, be sure to train for the hills... they are there, they are frequent, and they are tough. Great event Mike. | |
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D. G. from Richmond, Va
(6/30/2003)
"Pretty, but not scenic" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I agree with RL from Seattle, except the scenic part. To me, scenic involves broad vistas. This course is run on a great set of trails. So although you are out of traffic for most of the race, you are also running on trails that have, for the most part, trees on both sides of the trail. This is very nice, keeps the air fresh, etc, but you get none of the beautiful views that Alaska is famous for. The trails were very rocky (you almost had to pick your way through the rocks) for a small stretch and full of rocks, but 'runnable' for the rest of the tank trails. Also I agree with the other comments about the elevation. The first half of the course was almost all up hill. And the people who designed the course with an ascent for most of the last mile were cruel. It is a fun marathon. A great break from the big city marathons. You do get away from the crowds and back to nature. But don't go looking for crowd support. |
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