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Apr 28, 2024

Richmond Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.5

Organization 4.7

Spectators 4.5

Number of comments: 401 [displaying comments 21 to 31]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 41 > ]

S. L. from Raleigh NC (6/3/2015) "My first and it was great" (about: 2014) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Richmond Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon. I have run another smaller one since. The Richmond Anthem was well organized, well-supported and a flat fun run. I plan to run the half this year and then cheer for my wife as she tries for her her BQ in the full. Great race. If you are thinking about it, do it.
S. M. from Mountain Lakes NJ (1/27/2015) "Great marathon. Will definitely run again." (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Richmond Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 My 5th marathon. My favorite after Boston. Highly recommend. Some small rolling hills, but mostly flat. Good crowd support, especially as you return to the city and at finish. Love the blanket. Worst part was the wind crossing the bridge back into city. Came from NJ for the race and will definitely run again.
D. S. from North Carolina (11/21/2014) "Good Course & atmosphere" (about: 2014) 3 previous marathons \| 2 Richmond Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 My second year in a row running the Richmond Marathon. I liked the mixture of flat & straight stretches, the section along the James River where it was quiet, and the pockets of fans throughout the course that cheered you on - they're fabulous. Your going to have some rolling terrain, but if you train with them you will do fine here (I'm from the foothills of NC). Crossing Lee bridge had a stronger wind than anticipated along with a slight incline that I was prepared for, but I felt really strong coming across and up the other side (mi 15-18). I think whoever designed this course thought about the layout - check out the elevation chart. Your last 7ish miles are mostly flat to downhill and you get your hilly segments early on. My only con was Xmas music playing very loudly around mile 23, yes Xmas music with folks in Santa suits, I think! It seemed anachronistic for a marathon ending ;] This is not a boring course. I appreciated the down hill finish this year even though it hurts your quads (trust me, you'll make it) because so many people can see you - especially those who are looking for you! There are some great finishing photos taken there well here. Take in some sights and restaurants and make it a long weekend in Richmond. That what we have done. Oh, plan early and try to get a hotel downtown if you run.
E. K. from Belleville, Ontario, Canada (11/19/2014) "Good course but cold weather." (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Richmond Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The coldest marathon I have ever run, 27 degrees at the start and 37 degrees at finish. Thanks to the 3:15 pacers who brought us in 35 seconds ahead of schedule. A big thanks to the brave souls for cheering everyone on in the cold. A decent course, but running the bridge over the James river was brutal, as the wind was head on. Great planning as parking was a breeze coming in and leaving the city. Nice medals and the blanket was great as I needed it to keep from freezing at the finish line. Good music along the way and was nice to even hear a gospel song along the way. I highly recommend this marathon.
D. S. from Westminster, Maryland (11/18/2014) "Beautiful fall race" (about: 2014) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Richmond Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The sportsbackers did an amazing job of being on the course cheering runners on in creative and quirky outfits! Although there were stretches of the race without crowd support, the people who were out on the course (on a very cold day) were genuine and extremely friendly and motivating. Running along the James River was a highlight. For an affordable race you get a lot of great things- a blanket, a hat, premium and beautiful medal. Host hotel and expo went above and beyond my expectations. There was some sort of technical glitch with runner tracking which was disappointing for our families, but everything else went off without a hitch. The downhill at the end is AMAZING, but there are segments of the race that are deceiving (miles15-18 were rough!)I would run this race again and I would recommend it for first time marathoners as well. Great experience!
Travis Rothman from Raleigh, NC (11/18/2014) "Wonderful course and well organized!" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my 13th marathon and 1st time running the Richmond Marathon. Positives: - Relatively flat, fast course - Beautiful scenery - Final mile was down a nice, steep hill - Where the half marathon and marathon portions of the course was together, the two were separated by cones and or barriers which was really nice not having to dodge slower half marathoners. - Great nutrition on the course and well staffed with volunteers - Excellent food at the finish and organization of the large crowd with runners and friends/family - running a large marathon like this made it fun to always have others to run with - The few hills out there were rolling and none were all that bad Negatives: - Small crowds (possibly due to the cold weather) - I really can't think of any other negatives. I will put this on the list to do again sometime!
K. C. from PA (11/17/2014) "Fun, Fast, Friendly" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Richmond Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I loved the course. It was interesting and fast with rolling hills and splendid scenery. The spectators were among the best I have encountered. The 1/2 and full marathons shared the same course at the start and end but wave start and well-placed orange cones kept us out of each others way. Even though there 15k runners, I never felt crowded, stepped on, or had to run around walkers. The finisher's hat and blanket are very nice, but I could do without the expo goodie bag as it just included junk mail and useless coupons.
K. M. from Georgia (11/17/2014) "Geat Course (not flat ), start corrals need work" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I just completed the Full. Overall this is a great course. It is NOT flat. The maps with elevation are accurate. There are some hills, but only one steep one at mile 10 coming up from the River. There are some slow gradual climbs though. I am from Atlanta, so this course is relatively flat. It was bitterly cold ( 26 degrees ) at the start this year, but there were still alot of spectators and support out all the way through the course. There were only 2 issues that I had. The start line on Broad was really congested. The UPS trucks for the bag drop were parked across the street from the Porta potties and created a congested mess. I actually missed my start wave. Also, there is a steep downhill finish the last .2. Alot of people like that, but my quads and calves were shredded by then and it took all I had to shuffle down the hill. I heard that they ran out of Papa Johns pizza by the 4 hour mark, but I definitely couldnt eat pizza after a 5 hour slog. Even though I imploaded.... I still think that this is a great race and would possibly like to return and run the Half one day.
A. B. from Atlanta, GA (11/17/2014) "Mad love for the Anthem Richmond Marathon" (about: 2014) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Richmond Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The city of Richmond opens its arms and welcomes all with true southern hospitality for this event. Friendly people abound. It really does do justice to it's claim of 'American's Friendliest Marathon.' The course is great. Not to hilly, not to flat. Very scenic and pretty course. The stretch along the river is beautiful. And the finish can only be described as an 'epic downhill finish.' Even if you have a bad race, you'll feel good at the finish. The Lee bridge around mile 17 can cause problems. It goes on forever and the crosswind can be bad, but nothing to worry about. Just deal with it when you get there. Some slight uphill after this but not too bad. Overall, depending what you are used to, I would say the hills were not bad at all. Very manageable. The organization at front is a bit... well, there are no true corals so lots of folks milling about. and the 8k and 1/2 start before the marathon (which is backwards if you ask me) so those runners tend to cause congestion. But they run a different course, so the congestion is only in the waiting area. The race schwag is great. Marathon specific technical shirt in a great color, technical hat at the finish, plus a marathon logo fleece blanket at the end (no cheap mylar here). Great fan support. junk food along the way. This was a really great race. Partially because I PR'd here, but just a really good event.
K. B. from District of Columbia (11/17/2014) "Amazing Small Town Marathon With Bigger Town Feel" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Richmond Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I just ran this race on Saturday, and while it wasn't my best performance, I absolutely LOVED the race. (Which is saying something, because I ran horribly.) This was my 5th marathon finish and favorite thus far. (I have run MCM, Chicago, Victoria Marathon and NC Marathon.) Pros: -Course was very scenic, going through the historic downtown, a few different quaint neighborhoods as well as the beautiful riverfront (which in the fall was breathtaking). -Course was mostly flat with a few rolling hills, nothing too severe, but just enough to mix up your muscles and remind you that racing is tough! This was mostly why I chose this race, I wanted a looped course with varying terrain that wasn't too difficult and it did not disappoint. -Swag was the best. Along with the medal, all finishers received a fleece finishers blanket, finishers hat (that I will probably wear), perfectly fitting race long sleeve tee and even a cute reusable bag at packet pickup! -Crowds were great. Obviously, sporadic at the more remote parts but they were there for the majority of the race cheering you on, handing out candy or fruit, or even beer! -I hate an out and back course, so this large looped course was perfect for me. -Expo was perfect - big enough to offer you tons of shopping yet not too large to be overwhelming. -The town of Richmond was SO cute and they have so many restaurants and places to go. This was my first time staying over in the city, and we will definitely be back! -This could be a con, but - we signed up a month before the race and all hotels downtown were sold out. HOWEVER - I called around on Wednesday before the race and rooms had opened up, we were able to get a double at the Hilton Garden Inn on Broad - major score! I recommend this method for late registrants! It was great to be 3 blocks from the start. -Plenty of water stops and porta potties along the course as well. -7 hour course limit which is great for slower runners, or for those of us having a bad day and needing a little extra time. Was hoping to finish in 4:30 but as we all know, sometimes the marathon has other plans...but at least I wasn't freaking out that they would close the course on me or I would be the last one out there. Cons: -The start was a bit confusing, with the 8k and 1/2 starting a little before the full, but if you have a brain at all, you can figure that out. -Could have been more porta potties at the start, but our hotel was about 3 blocks away so wasn't too big of an issue for us. Not really a pro or con but weather was pretty cold that day, but hey, it is November in Virginia! If you can't handle running in the cold, pick a marathon further south. All in all, I really had to search for something bad to say. I would do this race again in a heartbeat. In fact, if I could plan ahead that far I would take advantage of the 2015 discount rate running during 2014 race weekend! This seems to be a very popular race that people run over and over, and I can see why. Sign up, you won't regret it.

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