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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 51 to 61]

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A. D. from Stafford Virginia (11/14/2012) "been 20 years since my last Marathon" (about: 2012) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Richmond Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Boy have Marathons changed alot in 20 years. My first was the Marine Corps Marathon '92 and back then it was water/Gatorade to get you thru the race and it was easy to signup. Flash forward 20 years and its like running your first Marathon again. This Marathon was superb! Web page well organized and easy to navigate, the layout of the expo was confusing at first but it worked. The starting coral was easy and not too compact. The course was nice with changing scenary and I realized why my name was on my BIB...People were shutting out my name. Really helps to hear your name especially after mile 17. I do wish there were more port-a-jons per watering stop. If they can add two more jon to each stop that would cut the long lines down to go bathroom. I lost 10 mins off my time just waiting in line to go to the bathroom :( . Otherwise, The turn down 5th street and then all downhill to the finish is nothing but pure adrenilin and a fun way to end it. Having the after run events and support on the island made it very relaxing and enjoyable to meet up with my wife. and compared to the finishers medal I got 20 years ago at the MCM the Richmond Finishers Medal made me feel like I won the Gold. Very nice : ) Definitely not waiting 20 years to do this again and taking advantage of early registration for next year : ) I want to Thank all the volunteers along the course handing out gels/water/Powerade..and all the cups you have to cleanup.
M. H. from Near albany ny (11/12/2012) "Perfect running weather and pretty run" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I have been trying to run Richmond for 2 years. Finally I was able to make the run. What a very pretty run and boy did we get lucky with the weather. Hills that you don't expect, but nothing really big. If you don't like downhills, the finish is killer. Finish is down hill and my hips were not happy about that. Food at the end, what a disappointment. Bagels, Bananas, pizza was no where to be found. I would highly recommend this run. The wash clothes were a great touch when you are tired and really sweaty. Not much bad to say about this one. Do it if you can.
J. W. from Virginia (11/12/2012) "Great changes to course in 2012!" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Richmond Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my second year running Richmond and the new finish and party on Brown's Island is awesome! There was also more fan support this year especially on the new sections of the course that were required due to construction. All and all a great race with great fan support, looking forward to 2013! The only minor complaint I had was for post-race checked bag pickup which was a distance away from the finish (up a hill - ugh) due to road construction. The good news is I was told by a race director, who was out asking runners for feedback after the race, that this will be fixed next year.
L. G. from Manchester, VT (11/12/2012) "great race exept for the finish" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Richmond Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Richmond puts on a wonderful marathon in a city packed with history. The expo was fun and packet pick-up was easy and well-organized. Even though there were three races starting on Saturday, there was enough time between races (8K at 7am, 1/2 marathon at 7:30 and marathon at 8) that it was never too crowded or the lines too long at the porta-potties. The weather was perfect and the course scenic, especially as we ran past beautiful old homes and along a river. The downhill to the finish on an island was a bit too steep for tired legs. I was disappointed in the food - a bagel, banana and Powerade was it. There was a fun party atmosphere at the finish area, but the baggage trucks were off the island over a bridge. If the baggage was on the island, I would have stayed for awhile. The line to pick up gear was at least a 30 minute wait, and the longest I've ever had to wait at any of the 30+ marathons I've done. I loved the race, but the finish was disappointing.
A. M. from United States (11/12/2012) "Worth it!" (about: 2012) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Richmond Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 3rd marathon, 1st in Richmond. It is the best marathon I have ran so far. The crowd was amazing and when there wasn't much of a crowd there was beautiful views. Your bib has your name on it so many spectators cheer for you by name! I stayed with the 3:15 pace group for the first half and they were excellent at preparing you for what was coming and giving you excellent tips along the way. The finish was spectacular: downhill, announcer announcing your name, and 100s of people cheering. Throughout the course there was Sportsbacker coaches who helped those whom, I'm guessing, paid for training and they were very helpful to them and me when I had to stop for a minute. My only complaint is that the road along the river was not well paved. There were a lot of potholes and uneven places where you could easily turn an ankle. Also, the half marathoners finished the same place as the marathoners. A few walkers for the half walked in the middle of the course, making the marathoners dodge them the last few miles.
C. F. from Charlotte NC, USA (11/12/2012) "Enjoyable, Well-Executed Event" (about: 2012) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Richmond Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my third marathon, but only my second recently. First, I really like marathons this size: a few thousand people (4700+ in this case) makes it large enough to be well-run and have reasonable amenities, but not so big that it's overwhelmingly crowded or expensive. The expo had easy parking and short, quick-moving lines; I did find the discounted gear offerings a little slim. The race itself was very well-done: an announcer you could hear from pretty far back in the start chute, obvious course markings/directions, excellent traffic control, aid stations whose volunteers made clear what they were offering (water v. Powerade), two washcloth stations (surprisingly refreshing!), a good number of bands/DJs/random folks out there with megaphones or PA equipment, and a lot of spectators for a non-mega-event. I didn't avail myself of the beer or doughnuts, but make no mistake: they're real. Construction caused a slight course change in 2012, cutting out a more scenic old-neighborhood loop and making the course uncertified for 2012 only. Solid event overall, with enough people in the 3:15-3:20 to range to always have someone nearby.
D. H. from Richmond, VA (11/11/2012) "Great race with one area that needs improvement" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 4-5 Richmond Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great race and fans...the weather always seems to start cool and warm up by 30+ degrees every year including this year. My only real annoyance was the distance that we had to walk to the drop bags after the race (it was 1/2 mile away) plus the lines at the trucks moved sooooooo slow (I was in line for over 20 minutes to get my bag). By the time I finally got my clothes on I was not in any shape to walk the 1/2 mile back to the food. I would recommend finding an efficient way to handle the drop bags much closer to the finish line celebration on Brown's Island. That way, runners could retrieve their clothes and begin to rehydrate and refuel within 30 minutes of finishing the race. As it was, I had to choose to freeze and eat or get warm and go without food.
J. G. from Greensboro NC (11/11/2012) "Best Marathon I've Ever Run" (about: 2012) 50+ previous marathons \| 2 Richmond Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It wasn't the fastest, but it was the best. This race is first qualilty in all respectsbeautiful course, friendly screaming people everywhere, top notch organization. All the details are lst class. I miss having only 2-3 clocks on the course (recommend adding one at 5 miles and 10 miles)but that is a small detail in the overall planning for the race. My sincere thanks to the organizers and to the Richmond community.
D. L. from Virginia (8/27/2012) "A really great race ..." (about: 2012) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Richmond Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was one of my favorite marathons! It was wonderful from start to finish with one exception. No timing on the course! At first, I thought it was just for the 1st 5k, but no. Make sure you have your own timing device if you are gunning for a particular time.
j. d. from Richmond, VA (6/1/2012) "Richmond 2011 was great...again!" (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 3 Richmond Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Richmond's my hometown marathon, and I've run it 3 out of the last 4 years. Great course, not too challenging but still a few technical hills (coming off Riverside Dr to Forest Hill is a small climb). Good tailwind across the Lee Bridge this year, which sometimes is a strong headwind. Richmond Sportsbackers runs 3 good races that day, an 8K, 1/2 and marathon. Lots of bands and spectactors. Gets a bit lonely around 21-24 without many spectators or scenery. The finish is changing for 2012, a fast downhill finish onto Brown's Island!

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