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☰
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 21 to 31]
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L. D. from Austin, TX
(3/10/2011)
 "One of my favorites!!" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Even though it rained on race day, this was one of my favorite marathons (my 9th overall). Beautiful course; nice rolling downhill; very well supported; nice duffel bag (which came in handy when I needed an extra bag to carry home since all the wine filled up my suitcase, haha); beautiful medal; and a PR finish! I would definitely run this one again. | |
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J. B. from Petaluma
(3/8/2011)
"Great marathon!" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Napa Valley Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Such a class act. GREAT swag, great course, nice post-race spread, and the perfect size for a marathon. The course is beautiful, though on a very slanted road, which is challenging. Everything runs smoothly. The swag is crazy (a choice of three types of gym bags?? Stuffed with products??). I've done it twice, and been impressed both times! | |
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D. A. from San Rafael, CA
(3/7/2011)
 "Wonderful! Will run it every year!" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Even with the rain, it was fantastic! Not very many spectators, until the end, but those who were there were great. The race personnel were fantastic! At the end, there was one person who walked you from the finish line, through all of the final stations (where you got your blanket, your medal, and your picture), and he stayed with you, constantly asking if you were okay, and if you needed anything. It was great. Wonderful experience. Will do it again next year for sure. | |
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R. G. from San Francisco, CA
(3/6/2011)
"Nicer in a light rain than in the heat" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Napa Valley Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This year's NVM had light rain for the first couple of hours. That made it a little warmer at the start than in previous years, but kept it cooler along the course. The scenery was enhanced by the fog and clouds weaving through the hills. Once again the organization was good; being walked through the finish by a volunteer was nice. | |
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M. N. from California
(3/6/2011)
"How can you beat Napa Valley scenery?" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first NVM today (2011). It was awesome, the rain notwithstanding. The spectators were spectacular, with stations filled with volunteers sharing oranges and bananas. The hydration stations with water and Gatorade were perfectly placed. Not a lot of music, but it's hard to beat the scenery, and the quiet of the surroundings was awesome. I was surprised by the number of rolling hills that worked out all of the different muscle groups and helped with overcoming fatigue. The organizers were good with the shuttles to the start. | |
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A. S. from Sparks, NV
(3/29/2010)
 "Fantastic course" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Napa Valley Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 One of my favorites... green rolling hills, wineries, fantastic course. Well organized. Always look forward to the swag; this year, like last, they had a gym bag. Really liked the hot soup and bread at the finish. | |
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K. S. from Pleasanton, CA
(3/11/2010)
"Loved it!" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first Napa Valley Marathon and I will absolutely be back! Breathtaking course, nice roomy roads to run on, and organized by some of the nicest people you will ever meet. The highlights for me were: (1) The expo lectures and pasta dinner the day before. Being encouraged and motivated by great runners is such a thrill! (2) Running only with other marathoners (sorry halfers, and relay teams, but running amongst other 26.2-er's brings up my game, and challenges me to be a better runner). I BQ'd on this course! (3) The bottle drop option. I was on my own for this marathon (no family to meet me on the course), and loved being able to have my drink(s) of choice at whatever mile markers I chose. (4) It was enjoyable to run in a marathon were most people weren't wearing headphones - nothing worse than wasting my energy on cheering someone on, only to find out that they can't hear me. Really, if you haven't tried running a marathon without headphones, try it - you just might surprise yourself and get more out of it. (5) The finish. They had massages, food, no lines and shuttle buses to and from, which put it over the top! (6) Sweet medal, cool backpack (or duffel bag) well fitted and beautiful shirt, extra fun freebies.... Overall, I felt VERY taken care of as a participant, leaving me with no worries so I could enjoy the day and take in the journey. Thank you, Napa Valley Marathon, for a wonderful experience! | |
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Chuck Turner from Half Moon Bay, California
(3/11/2010)
"Best small marathon in the West" (about: 2010)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Napa Valley Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is the second time and second year in a row I've run the NVM. This is a runner-oriented marathon. The expo is small, but that makes it more personal. You can talk with folks at the expo for a long time without getting crowded out or waiting. They provide a genuine Asics long-sleeve technical shirt and a great choice of either a backpack or duffel race bag. The buses to the start really help and it's nice that they don't drop you off or kick you out. The fact that you can have personal water bottles at the water stops is fantastic! The course is BEAUTIFUL! The post-race soup and bread are yummy. They have free massages and physical therapists at the finish to work out the kinks, and help you stretch out tight spots or tape up injuries. All of the staff and volunteers are friendly and helpful. If you have questions or need advice, they will do whatever they can to help. Overall, it's the best in the West! | |
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J. K. from San Ramon, California
(3/8/2010)
"Sweet!!!!!" (about: 2010)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My first marathon race, and I will never forget it. Absolutely perfect!!! We started the day with perfect weather: blue sky, no wind, the sunrise... yes, the course was spectacularly beautiful. Few hills. It was a mostly flat course on a good road. Plenty of aid stations with lots of oranges, which I think it help me a lot. Lots of volunteers and friendly crowds to cheer along the turnouts. Music, drinks, of course wine.... Great gifts: beautiful tech shirt and a very usable gym bag. Mostly, the beautiful medal. Awesome artwork.... The organizer put this event very nicely. I will definitely recommend it to my friends, and, yes, I am coming back next year. | |
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K. E. from San Francisco, CA
(3/8/2010)
 "Great little marathon" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Napa Valley Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This was my first Napa Valley Marathon. I really enjoyed it and PRed as well. The good: - Great course - very scenic and fast - Great weather - Nice people all around - Small and easy to navigate - Love the sweat bag (backpack) and the functional, long-sleeve t-shirt - Nice finisher medal Areas of improvement: - Hardly any spectators. The ones that were there were great but you won't get a lot of energy back from the crowds there. - No organized way to get back from the finish line to Calistoga. I was lucky to have researched a public bus beforehand and managed to get to it in time, but nobody even knew about that bus when I asked. - Not a lot of water/beverages, especially in the second half when it got pretty warm - Why the restriction on headphone use? The course is not crowded at all, as there are not a lot of runners. Large marathons like the Nike Marathon (20,000 participants) allow headphones. |
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