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May 5, 2024

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 11 to 21]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 13 > ]

B. C. from Medford, New Jersey (7/6/2015) "Beautiful Course" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Mayor's Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I really enjoyed this race and was taken back by the scenery. Yes the hills at the end were tough but I enjoyed the wilderness and the fact that very few portions were actually on the roads. ' Host Hotel', the Sheraton left a bit to be desired. I am not certain they were even aware of the race, no welcome runners, no shuttle service, no pasta dinner in restaurant, no food on race morning. The rate was $350.00 a night.. save a few bucks and stay at the Westmark $ 288.00, walk to the shuttle right behind their hotel. They are closer to the downtown attractions where as the Sheraton was 1/2 mile from everything and 1 block from a seedy neighborhood. I asked about getting to the Expo & no one knew were it was, cab fare was $22.00 each way!! I like a cheeseburger after a marathon. The Sheraton does not serve hamburgers. I did have a great vacation while in Alaska and highly recommend the trip despite the flaws with the hotel and trouble getting to the expo. Oh yes & I did complete the 50 states here & went on a cruise the same day!!
L. G. from AZ (6/29/2015) "running through Alaskan scenery" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mayor's Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 The weather was my idea of perfection: temperatures in the 50's and overcast with a light drizzle every now and then. Unfortunately, the low clouds meant I never saw the surrounding mountains, and focused my attention on mile after mile of pine trees as we wound up and down the hills on the bike path, a wide gravel road, and then a narrow dirt path. No city running for this marathon until the last mile, which is awesome. I appreciate the bus shuttle to the start and stayed at a hotel within walking distance of the finish. Great organization at the start and finish and helpful volunteers. Anchorage is a wonderful city to explore and we took the opportunity to stay for another week and see more of Alaska.
B. T. from Anchorage, Alaska (6/21/2015) "Wonderful" (about: 2015) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Mayor's Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 So this was my first time running the mayor's marathon. The course was nice, of course there were hills but to see a moose at mile 24 was very Alaskan. The EXPO on the another hand was not very organized. The hours on Thursday were 4-8 but while waiting in line to spin for a free gift at 6. The booth personal says no more spinning and we are closing it was only 6 p.m. if you are going to be at the EXPO you should be required to stay open for the whole time. Getting the bibs was another major hassle. When we walked into the EXPO we had to search for the BIB PICKUP area. They was two volunteers handing out kids bibs we said oh we paid for our kids and the volunteers said no the kids run is free. Yes the kids run on Thursday was free but the kids run on Saturday was not. They had no idea about the another runs. FAIL. When we found the line for the bib pickup we had to wait and be told which one of the 10 volunteers to go check in with. seriously there was no one waiting to pick up bibs. Small fail. Then the volunteer did not check in our kids for the runs which meant after getting home I had to drive back to the EXPO and get the proper bibs. So on my second attempt to get my kids bibs for their race. I was assigned the same volunteer that once again had no clue about the kids bibs that had youth cup on top, lucky a wonderful volunteer sitting next to him in a flowery shirt corrected him and gave me the right bibs. So you would think that he would say he is sorry for not knowing, NOPE he just said whatever. I think yes I would run this event again but the EXPO Volunteer's need to be given answers to common marathon questions.
D. N. from Iowa City, Iowa (7/10/2014) "Very enjoyable, end to end." (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Mayor's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Weather aside, I knew this was going to be a challenging course going in and had mentally prepared for it. I met the athletics director for UAA at the expo and was impressed with his interest in a complete stranger. Very genuine and even ran into him again the next day standing in the rain directing runners to the start line, impressive. The course was hard to access in some area for spectators so am not suprised by the low turnout early in the marathon. I kept looking out for wildlife and wasn't disapointed as somewhere towards the end of the race we passed a moose standing by the bike path. I agree with the comments about the shirt and medal. All in all would recommend for an Alaska marathon.
K. B. from Colorado Springs, CO (6/27/2014) "Fantastic Race Despite Weather!" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mayor's Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This year, we had wind and prodigious rain at the start of the race. Luckily, we had some shelter and good support. If there is one suggestion that helps in a scenario like this, it's the liberal application of vaseline on your feet before you put on your socks. In spite of the wet and the mud, my feet came through unscathed. The course itself features rolling hills. The 'tank trail' is unpaved road .. reminds me of trails in Colorado. What I had not expected was that the sox or seven miles tank road becomes a single track trail for about a mile ... it got pretty muddy with a few big puddles, but was not too bad. The rest of the course is paved road. It ends with a pretty infuriating hill for the last quarter mile, but knowing the finish line is ahead keeps you going. FABULOUS beer at the end ... great aid stations well placed and very well stocked. Nice finisher's shirt and big medal at the finish line. This is a very well-organized race in a beautiful place. Had the weather been better, I suspect it would have been more scenic. Definitely a destination race for vacation of a lifetime. Make sure you get to the Kenai Peninsula ... absolutely gorgeous and easily accessible from Anchorage by car.
A. W. from Indiana (7/22/2013) "Great Destination Race... I loved Alaska" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mayor's Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 There was lots of great energy at the starting area and logistics were easy. It only took 15 minutes to drive to the start from my hotel. The course wasn't easy, but it was almost entirely free from any traffic, which was appreciated. The dirt road with rocks section wasn't too bad at first, but got really tough on the knees after so many miles of it. I was so happy to hit the trail and leave those rocks. I found the aid stations to be spaced perfectly and you could always get what you needed. Volunteers were energetic and helpful. They didn't have Gatorade, but the Altima wasn't too bad. I found the bike trail at the end to be a little lonely, but pretty. The uphill finish was a surprise to me, but it wasn't too bad. My family could get right in the front and high 5 me. I love these smaller races. The Finisher shirt was nice and the metal was huge. All in all, a great marathon in a gorgeous place.
d. m. from new york (7/4/2013) "the tank trail is dusty" (about: 2013) 2 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Good course,however a bit boring. The tank trail is 8 miles on a dirt dusty road and only trees on eithet side to see. Did not run into any huge rocks or problems as some had warned, basically its an unpaved road no worries!
S. S. from Anchorage, Alaska (6/24/2013) "Incredible experience far from the madding crowd" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mayor's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 After completing the half marathon several times I finally managed to stay healthy enough to complete the full distance. This course deserves its tough reputation. If you like a lot of supports/bands/fanfare along the way this is not the race for you. However, if you enjoy running without the crowd while taking in fantastic scenery, you will love this race. Support is sparse, but the quality more than makes up for the quantity. Whoever thought of handing out popsicles at mile 20 is a genius.
L. R. from Anchorage, AK (6/23/2013) "Great course support, okay course" (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Mayor's Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 As a lifelong Alaskan, I wasn't particularly impressed by the course. I enjoyed the time we spent on Anchorage's great trail system, but I thought there were a few too many roads, and the tank trail was really painful by the end. The new ending is also a bit painful - up then down then back up?! That said, the course support was great - volunteers were awesome, and it was fun to finish at the park strip. I'm glad I did this marathon but don't think I'd do it again.
D. L. from Sherman Oaks, CA USA (4/4/2013) "Beautiful country but can be lonesome" (about: 2004) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Mayor's Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Alaska is a beautiful setting and the wilderness is right there along the path. Lots of hills if you like them. Sometimes a little rocky. Also, can get lonely if you are the only one running your pace. The best part of this is the scenery and the midnight sun which is a crazy experience in itself.

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