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Apr 28, 2024

Asheville Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Asheville Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 3.5

Organization 4.2

Spectators 3.4

Number of comments: 58 [displaying comments 31 to 41]

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D. S. from Dayton OH (3/30/2013) "Not Worth the Price" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Asheville Marathon COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 Inaugural races make me nervous...you don't know what you're going to get. In the case of Asheville Biltmore, you got a challenging course with major issues and disappointing swag. On a miserable cold day (nothing you can do about that...just have to suck it up and run), I felt let down. THE GOOD: Huge kudos to the aid station volunteers. They stood in the elements and stayed vocal throughout the day. They were easily the best thing about this race as they made up for the lack of spectators. The fleece blankets at the finish were nice. Finally, I'll throw some props to the expo as it was pretty decent for a small race. THE BAD: No hydration until the 5-mile mark...really? Tech shirt (mens large) barely comes to the waistline and I'm 5'6' tall. The post race food was underwhelming as was the medal. Trying to find my way to the parking area was tougher than it needed to be...mark the roads clearly. THE UGLY: The course was a nightmare. The out and back was a broken ankle waiting to happen. I'm glad I passed on my VFFs but wish I wore trail shoes. The double loop was annoying as well. Add in the too-narrow paved path where you run against the flow of runners heading for the final loop and I imagine this was problematic for the mid-pack runners. The race has potential to get better. First and foremost is fix the course! Use the real estate better to get rid of the inner double loop from 18-20 and at least smooth the out/back at 12-14 for safety if it can't be eliminated. There has to be a way to squeeze more miles out of the estate's trails, paths, and roads w/o impeding traffic flow. Fix the finish area so runners feel welcomed when they are done...I rate this only slightly ahead of the KDM which was the worst finish area for runners I've experienced. I doubt I'll head back here...not worth the price I paid.
M. R. from USA (3/20/2013) "Overpriced Trail Marathon for the Ultra Hardy Only" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Asheville Marathon COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Water stations were the high point of the race - well organized and entertaining, which was good since there were few other spectators. (Spectators had to pay $30+ to enter the grounds.) The Course - Represented as packed dirt roads, but actually very uneven farm roads with ruts and 4' sharp gravel 'mini-boulders'. Impossible to run on unless you had real trail shoes and even then treacherous. Also too many loops. Not especially scenic despite the race billing. The Medal - A real joke. Plain wood with a tacky ribbon. Post-race Food - Also a joke. Can't believe you had to BUY a hot beverage! What did I pay for? I guess there was the tour of the Biltmore House, but nothing else warranted the high cost. I would have gone to the winery if I hadn't been too tired and cold. Bottom Line - Skip this one unless you're a glutton for punishment. It wouldn't be fun even in better weather.
B. C. from Tennessee (3/14/2013) "Overall, an okay experience" (about: 2013) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Asheville Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 It was cold, but not so bad once the running started. Given the race date - the weather was a toss-up (it was 60 degrees the next weekend). There are some rocky stretches, but nothing I didn't expect. I trained on trails, so I was ready. It was a nice course because of the seclusion and the limited number of racers kept it from seeming crowded. The volunteers - who basically doubled as spectators - were great. Kudos to the cheerleader girl and the guy giving high fives to everyone (he assured us that a high five would cut at least 30 second off our times). The race will help itself immensely by dropping the $32 spectator fee, which will hopefully reduce the steep entry fee. The spectator fee definitely kept people from having friends and family there to witness the big event. Finisher medals don't mean much to me, but the race shirt was a disappointment and I didn't even get my size. I've received better shirts at 5K races. One important improvement the race needs is a time-elapsed video of the course.
L. R. from Cincinnati, Ohio (3/13/2013) "Unique, challenging and fun course" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Asheville Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Despite the cold temps, I loved this marathon! The hills were just right and I enjoyed getting off the paved roads and onto the dirt/gravel roads - I found them to be easier on my feet and legs than pavement. The out & back at miles 13 to 14 was the only part of the course I would change. The scenery and mountain & vineyard views were enjoyable. It was nice to run a marathon that was all marathon runners, without the distraction of half marathon and relay runners. Volunteers were excellent! Organization was much better than I was expecting for an inaugural marathon. The free blanket at the end was much appreciated. When I registered I thought the price was a bit high, but after the overall experience of running the marathon I was satisfied with the price. Food at the end and shirt (including lack of sizes registered for) were a bit disappointing, but I usually bring my own food for afterwards anyways. Shuttles to & from parking lots seemed to work well - our shuttle driver was very interested in our marathon stories. I look forward to doing this one again and have already recommended it to others. This marathon will probably be enjoyed best by those looking to get away from the typical big city marathon.
v. l. from ohio (3/11/2013) "Worst.Marathon.Ever" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Asheville Marathon COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 Worst medal. The cheapest one I have ever gotten. Worst t shirt. White, see-thru, and out of size I ordered. Worst post race food.Hard bagels, green bananas, bag of pretzels. Worst course. Huge rocks, not gravel. This was the most expensive marathon I have done. Certainly not worth it.
Dick Rawdon from Georgetown, Kentucky (3/10/2013) "beautiful tough course" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Asheville Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This is a destination marathon with a beautiful farm coursehorses, Aberdeen Angus bulls & cows, sheep and vineyard. No concrete roads, traffic or exhaust. The hills were many but not too challenging as in some races. The volunteers were fantastic and the water stations were well stocked with water, gatoraid and coke plus Goo and fruit. Now the not so pleasant: The post race food was horrible as others have mentioned, the 'medal' an embarassment, and the tents were too small. The gravel on the farms roads was very hard on the feet; I ran off the road in the grass.It would be nice to roll the gravel section before the next race. The start/finish area was not good to runners or spectators who had to pay a huge fee just to see their family member finish. The entry fee was way too high for what the runners received and the cost of putting the race on. Like others this race should be in April or October for the green of the spring or the fall colors,and the cold. I would run this race again
R. W. from Henersonville NC (3/9/2013) "For a first time event, they did well." (about: 2013) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Asheville Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The course- There has been a lot of comments about the terrain, and I agree that there were a few tough spots but all in all most of the surface was fine. As for hills, look around, this is a hilly place and the hills on the course were what one should expect. I found it to be very scenic and much more enjoyable than some of the city marathons I have run. The weather-what can you do, I would say I like cold better than heat, however this was REALLY cold. The food-Very well stocked aid stations (with slushies to drink) The finish line food could have been a bit better however you could stick around and eat as much as you like. Some races you get a banana, some mixed fruit, a water bottle, and then they push you out of the finish area permanently. The beer- Good, but I was sadly too blessed cold to stick around and drink L The freebies- the medal was a disappointment but I do like the blanket and was very important this race. The expo was nice especially for a small race. I think the shirt/design could be stronger - more creative design and not quite as see through& The support- A limited pool of people willing to pay to cheer you on however those who were there were great and all the aid stations/ volunteers did an outstanding job! All in all I would recommend this one and am sure like any inaugural event it will get better and better.
T. S. from Florida (3/8/2013) "Back to the drawing board" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Asheville Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 First let me say this race has great potential and the organization and logistics were good for a first time marathon and I would love to see this race develop a long rich history but unless it changes a lot of things I don't think it will be around too long. To say the weather was less than ideal is a massive understatement and while they could not control the weather there should be something they can do about the time of year it is run. At least move it to early spring or fall would be a step in the right direction. I agree with everything others have said about the gravel road not only was it dangerous but after running on it for 6 miles the bottoms of my feet were killing me& even to walk, and knowing I had miles to still run on it was mentally tough. I have run Ridge to Bridge, which has about 9 miles on a gravel road and this race made that road look smooth. The volunteers were absolutely amazing and they were one of the best things about this race I don't know how they did it and I cannot thank them enough. However the first water stop was at mile 5 and after that the spacing was very erratic spacing and hard to plan for. The out and backs were on narrow roads so it just added to the difficulty of passing and keeping your balance on the gravel roads. Even though I am from Florida I did not find the hills that bad, not that they were not challenging but it was one of the few things I expected. As far as the post-race goodies are concerned, I did like the blanket however the medal could have been better and the food was minimal. The fact they didn't offer free coffee or some hot beverage at the end was almost criminal considering the weather. Obviously there are a lot of things this race needs to improve but if they did, I think I would give it another try.
Neil Clements from Florida (3/7/2013) "Good course, many things to change" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Asheville Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I agree with many comments on here like maybe a date change to late March/April to avoid such drastic weather. The medal was quite cheap. The shirt was fine but thin which is fine in FL. Make the shirt any color but white. They do need a better description of the course. When I signed up, there was no map or elevation posted yet. The elevation profile was way different than the written description. For everyone complaining about the difficulty of the course, you should have looked at the map and elevation better. The only place on the course that had large rocks that made footing difficult was the out and back to the halfway point which was hard to run. There was also a couple tricky downs by the pond that was run twice. My biggest complaint with this race was that they did not allow spectators across the bridge and did not specify this ahead of time. Family missed me at finish because I told them I would pass by 3 times. Treat spectators better!!
J. R. from USA (3/7/2013) "Not worth the money!!!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Asheville Marathon COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Sorry but I feel like the nice comments were written by friends of the race director. We traveled a long way and were highly disappointed by this race. Yes I get that it is a hilly area but the sharp rocks were not at all runner friendly and the course description was not honest! The medals were cheap along with the shirts, post race food that had nothing for recovery and the fact you could only go through Biltmore right after the race (not leave and come back) was ridicoulous. Everything felt like more of a 5k or 10k mentality. I was really excited about this race and was so disappointed!!!

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