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Apr 28, 2024

Napa Valley Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Napa Valley Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.7

Organization 4.7

Spectators 3.9

Number of comments: 160 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

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Chuck Savage from Ocala, Florida (3/4/2015) "Absolutely one of the best marathons anywhere!" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Napa Valley Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I think the race director does his best to make this one better every year. It has everything good, weather, scenery, organization, expo, wonderful aid stations, bonus tote bag, and plenty of goodies in the goody bag and food after the race. I have run over 350 marathons, so I have seen a lot of good ones. Every marathon runner should do this one at least once!
A. T. from California (3/6/2014) "Better than Boston, even" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Napa Valley Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is a fantastic race. You actually get your hotel discount even if you DON'T stay in the sponsored hotel. The Volunteers are amazing-They had water and anything else I needed, right there to go. At SF I actually had to go to the tables and get my water. The rolling hills add variety and don't beat up on you. I did NOT train for this marathon-my longest run was one 13 miler - and I thought I was done at mile 11. But because of the beauty of the course and the volunteers, I continued and finished. You don't need the music (if only other runners would respect this and keep their conversations quieter - or treat it as a movie and keep talking to a minimum. The headphone issue I would expand to include iPhones and radios attached to belts and armbands - some people were so insistent on having their own way they played their music aloud and subjected everyone to it. THAT was awful, and inconsiderate. This is an ideal marathon in that it is 1)serious and 2) fun. Serious Fun. BTW, the headphone bad is enforced and the race officials ARE serious about it. If you really MUST HAVE your music? You are better off running another event. If the officials don't see you breaking the rules, other runners who did follow the rules WILL report you. I know I did. And will continue to do so. Highly recommend this race for runners seeking Serious Fun - a challenging, enjoyable marathon. The swag is amazing.
J. D. from Dallas, Texas (3/6/2014) "More hills than advertised" (about: 2014) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Napa Valley Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 As others have said, you must train for hills to run this race. In particular, there is a mile-long hill at mile 20 that really hurts. The official race information is deceptive on this point. I was warned about this so I still BQ'd, which was my goal. The no-headphone policy is stupid and unnecessary, but not a deal-breaker. Overall, I enjoyed this race and would do it again. Slower next time, though, so I can really enjoy it. The organization was great - really well run.
D. D. from Walnut Creek, CA (3/3/2014) "As good as advertised" (about: 2014) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Napa Valley Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 1. Yes, the ban on headphones is stupid, but the RD made his decision in the interest of runner safety. I respect that he is just trying to keep runners safe out there and I chose to respect his decision. There were plenty of runners who chose to ignore the ban on headphones, which I found to be pretty disrespectful of the race organizers and fellow runners. You knew there was a ban on headphones when you registered; don't register if it's that much of an issue for you. That said, I found I didn't miss my music one bit and actually enjoyed running without them. I may run all marathons in the future without them. 2. The race is exceptionally well organized. The expo is small, but is exactly what you would expect for a race with 2,700 registrants. 3. The bag is fantastic but the shirt was lousy. No big deal because I don't run for the shirt. Still, a better design would be appreciated. The medal is average, at best. Again, are you running for the bling or are you running for the love of completing a marathon? 4. As noted by others, crowd support is minimal at best but that's simply due to the logistics of the course. There just aren't all that many places for spectators to gather. This is a rural marathon after all. Supporters who were out there (in the rain) were loud and enthusiastic. I don't see how you can possibly give them anything other than 5 stars. 5. I've driven on Silverado Trail dozens of times and every time it's just as spectacular as the first time. This is an incredibly scenic course. The only bummer was that it rained from mile 10-26 and you couldn't fully appreciate the beauty of the valley. Obviously this wasn't the fault of the organizers (damn you Mother Nature!!!). Make no mistake, this is a 5 star event and should be on every marathoner's bucket list. Well done NVM, I'll be back!
T. C. from Eagle, Wisconsin (3/30/2013) "Great Marathon" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Napa Valley Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The marathon was extremely well run and organized. The course was beautiful and the weather perfect. The only issue I had was the ban on headphones. The marathon site claimed that any runner wearing headphones would be disqualified. I saw 50-100 runners wearing headphones, and course officials clearly saw the runners wearing headphones, yet nothing was done. The ban on headphones is stupid and if the Napa Marathon is going to continue the ban, at least enforce it. I have run over twenty marathons and I wish I would also have ignored the ban like so many of my fellow runners.
R. G. from Danville, CA (3/4/2013) "Beautiful day in the Wine Country" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Napa Valley Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I live local to Napa and have run it before and been on the course supporting friends many times. The course is second to none for spectacular scenery, and as many have and will note is on the Silverado Trail (a road), which winds through the foothills of the Napa Valley from Calistoga to Napa. Even though it is net downhill you will have a number of rolling hills. Running tangents to keep the course to the minimum length is incredibly important if you don't want to add 10ths to the distance. Although at times this forces you to run on parts of the road that have a decent camber to it. After 20 it is downhill/flat to the finish. This race is about scenery not screaming crowds, although at every intersection with the course there are plenty of folks on the side supporting you. My favorite moment is just past the 23 mile mark when you pass a B&B and they were handing out sorbet which on this day was more than welcome as it was warm AND they had a string quartet playing - a moment of peace when you really needed it! Finisher's medal was great, post race had food, showers (cold water!), and massages at the high school. Put this one on your bucket list!
A. A. from Edmonton, Canada (3/6/2012) "Some considerations for faster runners....." (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Napa Valley Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 16th marathon and meant to be a PR. The course is very twisty; if you're trying to qualify for Boston and it might be down to the wire, I would recommend running a slightly faster pace throughout, because running the tangents on a course like this is almost impossible, and you will run extra distance because of that. (I use the metric system, and when I finished my Garmin said 42.45 km even though I tried very hard to run the tangents.) The course is very hilly. Not only is the elevation profile deceptive, but throughout the race expo the organizers kept saying there were 'rolling hills'. Many of the hills were rolling, but some of the hills were much too long to be 'rolling'. If you're trying for a BQ, do a lot of hill training. And then when you're done, go out and do some more hills. The course itself is second to none in terms of scenery, in fact at times during the race it didn't even look real because it was so spectacular. The organization is excellent, and I took advantage of the special water bottle option by taping my gels to my water bottles so that I wouldn't have to carry my gels during the race. This was a huge perk for me. I gave the spectators 5 stars because even though there weren't many of them, they were AMAZING. They were providing music during the race, and giving out fruit and even homemade sorbet!! I was able to BQ but not PR. In any case, this is truly a 5-star marathon, and a must do for any marathoner.
S. G. from Denver, Colorado (5/29/2011) "Don't Trust Everything You Read" (about: 2011) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Napa Valley Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 So this was my first marathon. As the other reviews have mentioned that it's a lot hillier than expected. I'd like to my total agreement with that. If planning for this marathon use any nearby hills, trust me you'll thank me later. Pros: Pasta Feed. Awesome pasta feed. Kind of set myself up with high expectations for my next marathon which kind of was of a disappointment. But theirs is totally awesome. Free stuff is given away (I got a free jacket from last year's Victoria Marathon, the lady who works for them came up afterward, gave me her card and offered to pay my fee if I were to enter). Big name speakers. And the food is great. Definably pay for it if going, won't regret it. The Free stuff in general is awesome. Between the tech shirt, the bag, and the awesome medal it's worth it for the free stuff. The best part about the bags are is they give you a tag with your bib number and you use that as your bag to check in at the start of the race. Persistent Trailing bus. No really. The guy this year kept with the back of the pack. Checked to make sure no one needed a ride, the usual, good to see though. Shuttle buses to start. If not staying in the city it starts in (which most people aren't due to the expo and host hotel being in Napa), this is really nice. You have to get up early, really early to catch them though. But you get to sit in them up until twenty minutes until the race. And you hand over a fore mentioned bag to one of the loaders who puts it in the bus. Oh and the spectators got a low rating because of the lack of them. This is a pretty rural road race so you see them pretty much at the aid stations and that's this. So you don't get much spectator support. I will give them credit they were nice and supportive, their just isn't much of them especially for slower people. While I don't like the way the course is described by it's organizers as far as elevation change (see below) I do like it overall. It's a beautiful course. And if you are a runner used to using headphones (it's banned here) you'll find yourself too distracted by the beauty to mind the lack of music going through your ears. I should know I'm one of those people who normally listens to music. The lack of it didn't bother it one bit. Due not let the no headphones rule deter you people. Cons: The race organizers tendency to play down the hills. They gave me the impression that the hill would have pretty much one major hill. This was far from the truth and more than once I thought 'If this is their definition of flat is I don't want to know what their definition of hilly is.' If I had known this at the time I probably would have picked a different marathon and done Napa in another year. This is due to the fact that I was stuck in a town outside of Fresno CA for all of my training except for a two week period. And anyone who knows Fresno or has run their marathon can tell you it's flat as a pancake. So I couldn't get the proper hill training in that I would have needed to run Napa. Lack of spectators. I give credit to the ones that were there (see above) but I wish there was more of them. Lack of refreshments the further back you are. They tend to not pack enough refreshments in the aid stations by the time I got through them most were running out or low on certain things. This is one race I recommend purchasing a runners belt for and filling it with various drinks and gels in preparation for the race. Overall it was a fairly good first marathon. I enjoyed it and only had a few complaints. I just wish the organizers were a little more accurate when describing the hilliness of the race.
B. P. from California (3/17/2011) "Excellent Course in wet conditions" (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Napa Valley Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The was my first attempt at Napa Marathon course. Some people complain about the uphills, but I had no trouble with them. My own concern was actually how much "downhill" there was. I actually looked forward to the occasional uphill to give my legs a break from all the downhill. The organization is top-notch, and the goodies and finisher medal were superior to many more expensive races. Despite the rain, there were good sizes of crowds at many of the intersections, although I assume that probably changed with those further back. This is a course where it definitely pays to run the tangents, especially with the banked turns. If you just ran near the middle of the road the whole way, your GPS distance would have been a lot more than 26.2 miles. One thing I was most impressed with was the individual volunteer that walked me all the way through the finish chute. I assumed it was just because there weren't many finishers around me, but I've heard from others they did this pretty much the whole time. I definitely plan on adding this race to my list for 2012.
G. C. from Los Angeles, CA (3/12/2011) "Great organization; hillier than I expected" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Napa Valley Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a greatly organized race. The expo is not big but is run well. I stayed at the Napa Valley Marriott where the expo took place, so it was very convenient. I also ate there the night before at the pasta party dinner, which at $30 was overpriced for what you got (although there was free booze, but who wants to drink the night before a marathon?). They had buses leaving from the hotel to the start, which was also nice - no need to go to the high school. Also, since it was raining, they allowed us to stay in the buses as long as we wanted. The course had more hills and inclines than I expected. Granted, I ran a 4-minute PR and BQ'ed on that course, but I thought that the elevation profile from the website was slightly deceptive, with more rolling hills and inclines than I expected. It rained during the first half, and there was a headwind on the second half, which made the race more difficult. However, once you reach mile 20, the course is very easy - half-a-mile downhill and then pancake flat. I must say that I did not really focus on the scenery as I was focused on running my BQ time - all I saw were vineyards once in a while, but I did not take advantage of the scenic aspect of the course. One great thing about the race: you can place your own water bottles or special drinks on boxes at the start, and they will put them at the water stations. This was very convenient and allowed me to drink from my bottles with sports cap instead of the paper cups, and I did not need to walk at the stations. The finish area is good except that if you need to reunite quickly with your family, it might take a while since the finish area is fenced. Beautiful medal; long-sleeve technical shirt was OK; nice bag (I chose the backpack). A few negatives: - Not enough porta-potties at the start. I hit them at around 6:15, and by the time I got out, the lines were way longer and some people missed the start because of that. - The road is heavily banked especially in the first half of the course. This is potentially a major issue for people with hip/IT band problems. - Pasta party at the Napa Valley Marriott is overpriced. Overall, I liked that race but would prefer a flatter one for PR attempts. Also, if you need a lot of crowd support, some sections had no spectators at all.

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