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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 81 to 91]
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Eric from NYC from New York City
(6/25/2005)
 "A Great Experience" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Mayor's Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I have run two marathons now, this one and New York City, so I guess I have seen the extremes. If you are considering this race you are probably thinking like I did; I figured this would be a great lark, to head off to the last frontier and run a marathon (with this trip in the bag, I have now been to all 50 states). So, you are probably not too concerned with post-race catering and other accoutrements. You want a well-run race that gives you a flavor of Alaska. This race will not disappoint. I'll give you the plusses and minuses. On the plus side, the course is fun and, honestly, not all too difficult (aside from that it's 26.2 miles long!). I had the faster or my two marathon times in this one. After running this race I don't understand complaints about the trails or the hills. There are rises through the first part, not really hills, and the trails are wide, well-maintained and provide a nice cushion. Yes, you will have to look out for rocks, but no need to obsess, and you can get yourself into a nice rhythym on the trails. It rained fairly steadily in 2005 and the trails held up just fine. The last half is generally downhill (exactly when you need it). There is, be warned, a substantial, steep and long hill about a half mile before the finish line. If you are psychologically prepared, you can handle it. I have no idea why that hill is there; I saw many runners take a walk up that sucker, but just save a little and be ready for it. At the very end, you wind up on a high school track. The race organizers use the chip to alert the announcer to the name and hometown of each finisher which is boomed over the loudspeaker as you get ready to cross the line, a nice touch. Post-race refreshments and organization was generally good. Pre-race expo was useful, pasta dinner ok but not great (nice museum though). Bad stuff: In 2005 the organizers did not furnish net times, which didn't matter to me (at just below 3:45), but can be annoying if you are on the bubble to some milestone (luckily, with fewer than 2,000 runners, you won't lose more than a minute or so crossing the start line). The crowd support, probably held down by the rain in 2005, was enthusiastic but sparse (made up for a bit at the last mile). A couple other quibbles: the race medal leaves a little to be desired, and it's been a week since the race ended and still no sign of race photos! I had a great time. You will meet some great people on this marathon. The course is very manageable and it's a great jump-off point to an Alaskan trip. Best of luck. | |
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A. O. from Michigan
(6/24/2005)
 "AWESOME!!" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Mayor's Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 9th marathon, and it goes to the top of my list! No big deal that it rained all day. The trails were very challenging, but so much fun getting muddy! Scenery was breathtaking! Staffed very well. Best aid station - Gilligan's Island theme around mile 9. I ran with TEAM IN TRAINING, and they always do a great job with support along the course. If you want adventure during a marathon - sign up for the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon. It's worth every ounce of effort. | |
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L. B. from Kodiak, AK
(6/23/2005)
"At least once in your life" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Mayor's Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Anyone who runs marathons must run this course at least once in their lifetime. It is very beautiful and fun. Not a course you probably want to qualify for Boston on. There are many hills, but worth the experience if your there just to have fun. I thought there was plenty of fluid and support. | |
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Daniel Callahan from US
(6/22/2005)
 "Prepare to dehydrate!" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Mayor's Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 Mouthwash-size water cups seriously sucked wind! I cramped at 24 due to this and spoke to several other runners who also did. Ridiculously low count of porta-johns at the start forced many to use nearby trees. The weather was perfect, albeit a tad cold. Course was good except for the occasional narrow, rocky courseway between 7 and 15. Forced one to concentrate more on navigation than running. Overall, can't beat the location but the organization could be bested by any amature organization. The fact that we had to wait over 30 minutes in cold, pouring rain for the buses to arrive after the race only drives home the point. Keep on running! Charlotte, NC. | |
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Harry Katch from Cambridge, WI
(6/21/2005)
"Great time - overall outstanding event!!" (about: 2005)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Brutal course! ;-> Very well run event - only negative comment is the bus runs were staffed by people that were not very knowledgeable about where the hotels were. | |
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P. M. from Upstate NY
(12/1/2004)
"Nice mix of running terrains" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mayor's Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I enjoyed the mix of running terrains - bike path, sidewalk, dirt trails, tank trails - and from woods to cityscape. The warmer than normal weather made the city running a bit more challenging. Aid stations provided a lot of support. Only downside - once in the city, bike paths were crowded with non-runners. A few more signs indicating ?race in progress? would help. I would run this course again if the opportunity arises. | |
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C. L. from New York, NY
(10/27/2004)
"Fantastic run w/ butt kicker hills" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Mayor's Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 In chosing a first marathon, I thought to myself, 'self, if you are going to run a marathon, why not do it in Alaska!' I was not let down by this choice. The course was beautiful, lots of friendly people, good supplies/water/food, and a good-n-rowdy crowd. The course was mainly uphill for the first half, then decended until a butt-kicker hill around mile 25. I finished 17min under my target and have never been so proud of myself in my life. I am running another in the spring (would have run chicago this past fall except for IT band issues). The few negatives: pedestrians got in the way on last few miles of the run, sports drink (ultima) tastes terrible, long lines for bathroom at start, and disorganized transportation back to Anchorage. In a perfect world, they would have more massage therapists at the end so there wouldn't be a 2hr wait. net net..... DO IT. | |
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G. Farrow from SC
(8/7/2004)
"Alaska and the Marathon were a great experience!" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Mayor's Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I suppose I made all the rookie mistakes but in the end it was great to have particpated and finished. The hills were more than I expected but not that difficult. I suppose there are more exciting marathon destinations but to me this was a great trip. The folks at the aid/water stations were great as was everyone else I met in Alaska. What a beautiful place. | |
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E. g. from USA
(7/14/2004)
"Challenging, but do-able" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Mayor's Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I didn't think the course was all that tough. Now, it wasn't an easy course, but the hills weren't terrible. There were several of them, but due to hill training, they were easy - and not all that long. The 'softball' sized gravel was there - but only if you looked for it. Most of the path was hard packed dirt. I was worried when I read the other reviews, but the paths were actually my favorite part of the course. The course wasn't as scenic as I would have liked, with several miles being next to major roads. But the trail part was wonderful! Positives: *The trails! *The spectators were great. Though the course isn't lined with people, there are people all over cheering us on - even though I wasn't with TNT. *An excuse for a vacation! *The starting line had tons of parking and was easy to find. Negatives: *I personally needed more water stops or the cups filled fuller. It was in the mid-70's for this race. And even though I took 2 cups at every water station, and ran with 32 oz. of fluids, I struggled to stay hydrated enough. *They only had large t-shirts and bigger available. I'm a whopping 97 pounds. I would have liked to get a shirt I could wear. *The last mile was cluttered with people out for a stroll. I agree with the other poster who said they should have had signs telling the non-participants we would be on that path. Also, the half-marathoners got in my way at the end. Since they start only an hour after the marathoners, it was the slower ones who were around me. If they started 2 hours after us, it would have been much better. | |
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Doug Balogh from Indianapolis, Indiana
(7/12/2004)
"Forests, city, dirt, hills, this one's got it all!" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Mayor's Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The course is mostly through forested areas. Several miles from the start, the road turns to gravel and a long challenging climb ensues till about the 1/2 way point. It's mostly downhill from there but don't think your hill-climbs are over, especially at the end. Trail races and workouts on hills will definitely help prepare you. There was a heat wave over the race weekend, with full sun and a temp approaching 70 degrees by the end of the race. No doubt contributing to the overall difficulty, but maybe also contributing to there being none of the infamous mosquitoes around. This was my 5th, and certainly most physically challenging marathon. The others being, Indianapolis, Boston and St. Louis. PR-ing here would be difficult, though I wasn?t off by too much. Rather, enjoy the scenery (mostly trees), and the friends you will meet before, during, and after the race. The crowd support was small (only reason for the sub-5 score), but enthusiastic. The post-race refreshments were great. Plenty of a variety of fruits, and the fresh bread was superb! The finisher's medal was on a par with other marathon medals, and unique in that it was consistent with the Midnight Sun theme of the race. About 1 month after the race, a nice metal paperweight arrived for placing in my age group. Stayed in a nice B&B about 1/2 mile from a shuttle bus pickup that took me to the start line. The B&B was also about the same distance from the finish line. Very convenient! The expo was on the small side, but I got still some clothing on sale. My only complaints (and these were minor): there weren?t quite enough porto-lets at the start, and it was said the nearby woods got a little crowded about 10 minutes prior to the gun; and the award ceremony only recognized the overall winners and not the age groups. The busses were on time, and the organizers ran a great event. I?d recommend it to anyone who has done a little training on hills and enjoys the clean smell of the forest. After the race get in the car (or take the train) and go to up to Denali. Raft, hike, sightsee. Or go down to Seward and see glaciers caving into the ocean |
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