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Ocala Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Ocala Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.4 
Organization 4.4 
Spectators 2.9
Number of comments: 78 [displaying comments 21 to 31]
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George Barthelmes from Bryceville, FL
(2/2/2009)
 "Scenic Marathon with Great Support" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Ocala Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I normally don't post comments about the marathons that I run, but I will indeed make an exception for this one, as I ran this one based upon the reviews I read about last year's race. This was a very scenic course, as promised, and also had a few hills that made it interesting. The race support was absolutely hands down the best for such a small race. The aid stations were about a mile apart from each other and had water, Gatorade/PowerAde, Vaseline and some had fruit and Twizzlers. I didn't partake in the fruit or Twizzlers, but it was nice that they were available for those who did. A nice aspect was that although there were not a lot of spectators along the course, you got support from the aid station volunteers about every mile. Also, you didn't have spectator distraction, so you could spend more time admiring the scenery and focus on your performance and the race itself. I also liked that the marathoners started before the half marathoners. As a marathoner, it made it easy and less stressful having to get around slower runner traffic. Great race, and the organizers shouldn't change anything. | |
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B. W. from Winter Park, FL
(3/27/2008)
 "Friendliest support anywhere" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Ocala Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I agree with all the positive things others have said, and just want to add that the volunteers, police officers, and spectators, though few, were the friendliest I've seen anywhere. Beautiful course. I'll be back. | |
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M. R. from Orlando, Fl
(2/16/2008)
"WOW - you exceeded my expectations" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Ocala Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I read the 2006 comments and did not expect much, but BOY AM I GLAD I DROVE TO OCALA!!!!!!! I ran the half marathon due to an injury but look forward to the whole marathon in 2009. SUPER Organization. You start in a Wal-Mart Parking lot but within 5 minutes you are running in horse country. Quiet - and what views!!! ALL courses should have water stops like this - EVERY MILE they had cookies, Gatorade, strawberry Twizzlers, GU packsYou could put on five pounds on this course if you were not careful. Port-a-pots all over the course and at the start. Finish line with plenty to eat and a great variety. Organizer at the start and finish line listening and talking to everyone. Cons Some car traffic - I did not have any problems but heard about others. The cars I saw slowed down and were very cautious. See you in 2009!!!!! | |
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T. K. from Tampa, FL
(2/12/2008)
 "Extremely well organized, but on open roads" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Ocala Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I concur with the other comments about this being an extremeley well organized event. There was no chip timing, but with about 50 runners, it was not needed. Each of the 18 water stops had gel, Shot Bloks, water, Gatorade, bananas, oranges and a porta-jon. Most had cookies too. I was very much impressed and started wondering why all marathons don't do this. On problem I encountered - and a serious one - is there are two small sections of the road where the runners cannot safely move to their left to get off the road for safety (one section had a 3-foot ditch and the other had trees going right to the road). While the majority of the drivers on the roads were courteous and slowed to a crawl, there were those few drivers that pretty much were oblivious or didn't care (I counted three vehicles that made me a bit nervous). One vehicle, a black Nissan Titan pickup truck, blew by me at about 45 miles an hour. I had a choice of jumping in the ditch or staying on the white line. In short, the large mirrors of the truck missed my head with about 4 inches to spare. The runner behind me mentioned that he had to dodge the mirrors too. Overall though, the police were everywhere and took this event quite seriously. I did see one officer give a speeding ticket to a driver on the opposite side of the roadway. If the organizers can alter the course or have traffic control around the two "trouble spots," I will definitely be back for this marathon. | |
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R. K. from Bend, OR
(2/5/2008)
"This race deserves more runners" (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Ocala Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 It's time for me to contribute to this great resource for runners. I have relied on MarathonGuide.com input for 4 years in deciding which races to run. The Ocala Marathon was one of the best of the 70+ I have run. With the exception of the expo (which was really just registration and number/shirt pickup), everything else was first-class. I knew this was a special event when we were greeted in the early morning darkness by a series of searchlights pinpointing the start area. The starting area had beverages and other goodies and very helpful volunteers. Gentle rolling hills through beautiful horse breeding countryside combined with a cooling fog made the course memorable. Most of the traffic was police motorcycles patrolling the course. The course was well-marked... most turns were marked by orange cones as well as chalked lines. Mile markers were easy to see. The aid stations had everything... not just water and energy drinks, but also gel, fruit, fig bars, cookies, and very enthusiastic volunteers. Several aid stations had lookouts who relayed runner numbers to the aid station workers who cheered me on by name. The "snacks" at the finish line included warm pizza (not the normal cold pizza that slow runners like me usually get), fresh sandwiches, a variety of drinks (including lite beer), and covered tables/chairs where we could eat. I don't know what the organization was like in 2006, but DRC Sports did an outstanding job with this race. This race is centrally located in Florida if you plan on spending part of the winter in Florida. I ran Disney World two weeks before and will run Tampa next week - all within a 60 mile radius of Bushnell, FL. This race will become very popular and deserves to be on your schedule next year. | |
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S. R. from Ocala, Florida
(2/5/2008)
"Beautiful surroundings" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Ocala Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran the half (my first time doing so) and really enjoyed it. The event was really put together well. The course is challenging (plenty of hills!), and offers fantastic views of Ocala's horse country. | |
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b. m. from chicago, il
(2/4/2008)
"Great organization for a small race" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The organization of the race was very meticulous. They provided warning that running would be against vehicular traffic, but excellent traffic watch was provided on the course. Ample food and drinks were on the course and at the finish. Port-a-lets were sufficiently dispersed through the course. The volunteers were very enthusiastic, cheering using the runners' names! For an improvement, they could replace a part of the course that was on uneven road. | |
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T. C. from Florida, United States
(2/3/2008)
"Great Run!" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Ocala Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I ran the 1/2 marathon and I admit, I went into this race a bit worried from reading posts from prior years. Either they were wrong or race organizers listened because all of the problems I read about were non-existent. The course was gorgeous and even though it was a bit challenging (I don't think I saw a flat area the entire race), it was fun. Water/food stops had plenty of stuff and even had many stops with shot blocs, gels and an assortment of goodies - more by far than even at San Diego RnR and Disney. Not to mention the wonderful woman who was handing out Twizzlers! I still love her. The course was very clearly marked, traffic was light and the drivers very respectful of the runners. Police were very visible and volunteers friendly. There were not a lot of spectators, but the ones who did venture out were great. I WILL run this again next year... after a bit of hill training. | |
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j. s. from orlando, fl
(2/3/2008)
"Well done small race" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran the 1/2 and I must say, for a small race (only a couple hundred people ran the 1/2, about 50 ran the full), it was VERY well organized and well run. There were plenty of water stops, the volunteers were enthusiastic and helpful, and there was plenty of food at the end. The course was hilly and a bit of a challenge for anyone not prepared for it, but it was beautiful and there was not much traffic to have to deal with. I would do this event again in a heartbeat. | |
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J. L. from Gainesville,fl
(2/3/2008)
 "Nice, rolling hill course (for FL)" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Ocala Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This way my first time on this course. It's a small race but with plenty of water, food, and bathrooms along the course. Lots of rolling hills and plenty of refreshments at the end; I think they were better prepared this year since it was canceled last year. :) |
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