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May 3, 2024

Buffalo Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.1

Organization 3.8

Spectators 3.3

Number of comments: 315 [displaying comments 41 to 51]

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M. M. from Reston, VA (5/29/2013) "Scenic Well Organized Race" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Buffalo Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 COURSE - This was a special race for me since it was in my hometown that I moved from 30 years ago. I really enjoyed the course layout. The first half primarily encompasses the abundant waterfront area with great views of the mouth of the Niagara River and Lake Erie. I've seen some grumblings in past reviews about the industrial area but it is over so fast, its not even an issue. The steel grated bridge is uncomfortable to run on but like most of my fellow runners, I ran on the adjacent concrete walkway. Careful on that though since it is somewhat uneven. The second half of the race goes through some of the nicest neighborhoods and parks you will ever want to run through. Most of the streets are wide avenues with stately homes. ORGANIZATION - I didn't go to the expo since someone picked up my packet but my niece had to make a change in the morning before the race and it was done quickly at the registration booth. Volunteers seemed to be plentiful, prepared, and friendly all around. I've seen some negative comments about the organization from a couple of years ago. From my perspective, they have taken it all to heart. One thing that didn't affect me but should be resolved is the lack of a bag drop this year due to security concerns. Having said that, there is plenty of parking around the race and most people can get to their vehicles about as fast as they could retrieve a bag. SPECTATORS - I found the spectators to be well represented and enthusiastic. There were groups of 20-somethings at a couple of places that were especially vocal and supportive. Kudos to the folks that came out and supported the race! ETC - While I like the course and race, it was not exactly 'flat' as advertised since it had 3 or 4 long ascents and a fairly steep bridge that we had to cross twice. The temp was ideal (mid-40s to 50s) but the cold steady wind of 10-15mph in many places was challenging. Obviously not a race controlled event but worth mentioning. I would recommend running this race. It is small enough to not feel the crush of crowds and big enough to feel like you're part of something special.
Patrick Leone from NY, NY (5/28/2013) "Excellent fast marathon course." (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Buffalo Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I grew up in the Queen City but had to leave in 1999 to find work. I always wanted to come back and run in the Buffalo Marathon. I am so very happy I made it back this year. I had a great marathon experience. Prior to Buffalo I ran New York in 2010 and 2011 and ran Philadelphia in 2012. I heard and read many negative comments prior to running the 2013 Buffalo marathon. Negative comments about the crowds being small and that the course support was weak. I found the exact opposite to be true. I was shocked at the amount of support on the course and the number of spectators. Obviously the crowds of spectators were not as huge as New York or Philly but I thought it was a very good number of spectators. I'm sure the number of spectators was boosted by having the half marathon and relay running with the marathon but nevertheless it was great. I really did not expect so much support or spectators for a marathon with only 1,200 runners. Plenty of water stops, gatorade, gel, fruit, water bottles. Just fantastic. It all helped to make a very enjoyable and safe run. The spectators were very encouraging and I thought there was a very strong Police presence between the Buffalo Police, Eric County Sheriffs and State Police. I was trying to qualify for Boston and wanted a fast course. If you want a fast course this is it, super fast and flat course. Got my qualifying time and a PR. Besides the course being fast it is very beautiful, especially along the water front and downtown Buffalo and in North Buffalo near Delaware Park and the Art Gallery. Yes, the steel bridge at around mile 7 and mile 12 is not too much fun. The course orgainzers may want to consider laying down some kind of carpet on that bridge in the future. Another criticism I have is that I really thought the finishers medal was kind of cheap for a marathon. The race shirt was nice and the expo was easy in and easy out. Overall I would say the Buffalo Marathon is a very well organized and worthwhile event. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fast course with good support in a great City. Thank you Buffalo Marathon organizers, officials, volunteers and Police/Fire/Ems. You did a great job. I will defintely run Buffalo again.
Matt West from Little Chute, WI (5/28/2013) "RUN THIS RACE" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Buffalo Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My first race since Boston. if their was ever a thought of being unsafe it left my mind the second I walked out of the hotel. An amazing job with security. A big thanks to Greg for taking time out of his busy day at the finish line to help me propose to my now fiancé. Helping to make sure she was where I needed her to be in the middle of a race of 6000 says it all. I live 700 hundred miles away and it turned out like him and I rehearsed it 20 times. If your looking for a NY state on your fifty state quest or just to run a beautiful well put on race, than RUN THIS RACE!!!
A. A. from NY (5/28/2013) "Overall good first experience." (about: 2013) First Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 1) I would prefer to see separate starts for the Marathon and Half Marathon (say 15-30mins later). It was rather congested at the start (partly due to new security issues) but also just because of numbers. Mile four had a narrow path going from one road section to another where people could only run 4-5 across. This was a real bottle neck with so many runners. Separate starts would be helpful for the marathoners in terms of building support amongst themselves and sticking with pace groups. I had no idea how alone I was till the Halfers finished and I continued on seemingly by myself (No, I was not last just stuck in the back of the starting gate). 2) Better course markings are needed after the 1st half. Some 'flaggers' were very lazy with their pointing. Cones alone, can be ambiguous. All cones/curves/turns should also have an arrow sign. Note that the lead female runner missed a turn near the end of her run so, I don't think I am alone in this. 3) First timers should get a special arm band/shirt/ribbon or some such thing. It makes them feel special and helps fans to cheer a bit more. 4) The medal this year was gold in color. Last time I checked, a nickel was silver in color. The medals shown on the marathon site are silver and look much nicer than the bright/shiny gold ones we got this year. Go back to silver nickels!
Charles West from Pottstown, PA (5/28/2013) "Hits the highlights of Buffalo" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Buffalo Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 Many years ago I lived in Buffalo for 6 months and I was looking forward to returning and seeing the city. The course did a very good job of hitting the highlights of the city from the waterfront to the hockey rink to the industrial section to the parks and the nicer neighborhoods of the city. The post race celebration was good with pizza, pretzels, beer, fruit, cookies, water and soda. There was plenty of on-street free parking and the coarse was fairly flat. Those are the good points of the race. And I have to give kudos to any marathon than offers more than lemon-lime gatorade. Delaware offers orange and Buffalo offers cherry flavor. I would say that of my 15 marathons, this was the worst expo and the smallest (not including the mississippi coast marathon that had 72 runners). With nearly 6000 runners, the expo should have been much larger. There was no gear being sold with the race logo. There were very few vendors. The convention center only had one bathroom for each gender and the male's bathroom was being cleaned when I visited. The speakers room was difficult to find and the volunteers were not sufficiently trained. The organizer needs to visit a few other marathon expos (nobody beats the Detroit Expo) to get ideas to greatly improve the initial experience for the runner. There was good spectator support for the first half of the marathon but greatly tapered for the 2nd half of the race.
S. i. from Michigan (5/28/2013) "Not bad, could use improvement" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Buffalo Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Not bad at all for those looking to knock out a New York marathon. The mile markers are unidentifiable for the first half due to their size and the number of runners and I'm sure that buffalo has a better 26 miles to showcase than most of what we saw. Organization was good, expo was fine but nothing spectacular.
Mike Weaver from Bremen, GA (5/27/2013) "Nice course, great race!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Buffalo Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I thoroughly enjoyed everything associated with this race - easy packet pickup, the delicious pasta meal (free to runners) at St Anthony's, the great running weather, and most of all the scenic, mostly flat course. Buffalo, you did a great job! Everything was well organized, the people were friendly, the city was clean. The Saturday tour of the course by open air bus was great (even if the weather was a bit cool!). I visited Niagara Falls after the race (20 minutes away). If I can get another cheap flight from Atlanta next year I'll be back!
François deLéséleuc from Ottawa, Ontario (5/27/2013) "Great race all around" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Buffalo Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 7th Marathon and my 1st Buffalo Marathon. Entered it at the last minute and was not disappointed. The course was as advertised mostly flat, scenic and the few hills made it interesting. The last 2km are mostly downhill making for a nice finish. I was finally able to meet my Boston qualifying time so I am very pleased with the course, the organization and the tremendous volounteers. Stayed at the Comfort Suites located 300meters from the start line made for easy access to the start line and finish line. All in all a great race. Would definitely do it again. Small field makes for a comfortable running experience.
D. B. from New York (5/27/2013) "Fast Course - Ideal for a BQ" (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Buffalo Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was advertised as a fast Boston qualifier. This did not disappoint. There were a couple of hills per the elevation map and I didn't notice them at all. I would call them speed bumps. The weather was perfect and this race ended up being a PR for me just six weeks after running Boston. Great crowd support, but the latter miles in the park can be a little sparse. If you are looking for a late spring marathon with a good chance of good weather, this is the one. There are also lots of reasonable hotels within 5 minutes of the start and finish line. That was a big plus. Go run this race!
N. G. from Toronto (5/26/2013) "Terrific experience" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Buffalo Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Just ran Buffalo's marathon today and loved it. Fast and flat course, through a spotless downtown and nice lakefront parks and then lots of lovely residential areas - Buffalo's beautiful (who knew?). Inexpensive registration fee includes pasta dinner with FREE BEER!! Practically half the city volunteers to put on this race. Bravo! I'll be back again.

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