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Bayshore Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Bayshore Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.8 
Organization 4.6 
Spectators 3.9
Number of comments: 247 [displaying comments 21 to 31]
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N. G. from Atlanta, GA
(6/5/2013)
 "Great Race" (about: 2013)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Bayshore Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran the full marathon in 2013. This was my 5th marathon and my favorite by far. PROS beautiful course along Lake Michigan small field of runners, never crowded great weather for 2013 ample water stations and great volunteers passing out water and gu brew flat, fast course- a few very small hills, but nothing noticeable great finish on high school track *** possible CONS crowded expo with not a lot of parking- I got there early and was in and out quickly, but as I left, the lines were forming not a lot of spectators- this didnt bother me, the course isnt easy to access, however the race does have transportation for specatators along the course which is nice | |
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R. K. from Michigan
(6/1/2013)
 "Great scenic marathon" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Bayshore Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was the first time I ran the Bayshore Marathon, and I had a great time. It was a sunny day with cool temperatures, and the scenery along East Grand Traverse Bay was spectacular. The route itself was fairly flat with an occasional small hill, and I think it should be relatively easy to PR here. The Bayshore Marathon was a welcome change from big city marathons in that you're not stuck in large crowds that can impede your progress. The volunteers at the aid stations did there jobs well, and there were enough spectators along the out-and-back route to give me a morale boost every now and then. Traverse City and the surrounding area are a great place to relax, drink wine (there are a lot of wineries there), and enjoy the scenery. Pros: Scenic, flat, and well-run marathon. Very nice finisher medal. Beautiful vacation destination. Cons: Hotels are pricey. Book early after registering for the marathon. | |
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C. C. from Columbus
(5/31/2013)
 "Decent marathon" (about: 2013)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Bayshore Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 It bothered me greatly that there was no moment of silence for those who lost life and limb in Boston. The course is not flat, but that's okay. No swag except for a pair of socks. Lots of water, but the Gatorade was watered down, which was weird. Good crowd support. Finisher's medal is boring. Don't care for out and back races, but I knew that going in. Also no pace groups for those running slower than 10 minute miles. | |
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J. B. from Mason, OH
(5/29/2013)
"Would do this one again" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Bayshore Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my 25th marathon and I really enjoyed it. Weather was in the high 30s to start. Finished in the mid-50s. Sunny, no wind, ideal conditions. The majority of the course is shaded so sun wasn't an issue. Course is scenic, run along the bay out and back. Logistics are good. 7:15am start time. Got to the start about an hour early and parked in a strip mall parking lot by the high school. Walked to start about 1/2 mile away. No pace groups which surprised me. This is a smaller marathon (about 2000 finishers) but not that tiny to not have pacers. No expo just a packet pickup at the high school, but who needs an expo. I dinged the organization one star as I wrote the race director 3 weeks prior asking for a deferrment to next year due to health issues during training. He said no citing a May 1 cutoff which I've never heard of before. But I'm glad he said no as I enjoyed it and BQ'd easily. I still dinged him though. Chocolate milk, ice cream, and tons of baked goods at after race. The course, weather and logistics are the best thing about this marathon. Would definitely recommend it. | |
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J. B. from Emmett, Michigan
(5/28/2013)
"Alway a great experience." (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first time running the full although I have run the half here twice. It was a great experience. The weather was perfect as it usually is and the course is very scenic. It is gently rolling along the bay shore (hence the name). You finish on the H.S. track which is always a plus. Only a couple of cheer zones because of logistics on the narrow peninsula, but lots of people at the aid stations and a number in their front yards. Lots of fun. Great relaxed atmosphere at the finish. Cholalate Milk and Ice Cream. Rumors of Beer, but I didn't think to look. | |
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E. F. from Los Altos Hills, CA
(5/27/2013)
"One of My Favorites" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Bayshore Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I enjoyed everything about this event. The weather was perfection and the course breathtaking. It was so nice to run on a road entirely closed to traffic. Volunteers were friendly and encouraging. Loved the royal blue tech shirts and finisher's medal depicting the path and bay. Traverse City has charm for days. There's no shortage of great dining options. The pasta feed the night before had a wonderful spirit. Desserts were all homemade by volunteers. Run this one! | |
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M. F. from Traverse City, MI
(10/14/2012)
 "Great race, terrible results." (about: 2012)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Bayshore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 I used to love this race, but their change to using gun times instead of chip times for a race this crowded is ridiculous. It's not a fair race if someone has a 3 second or 3 minute head start. The race director's response on the race website was to copy & paste some rules meant for elite athletes who start at the same time. I know several people who will not run this race again because of this. | |
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d. m. from NC
(6/5/2012)
"Great mid size race on a flat course" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Bayshore Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was a well done marathon. Packet pickup was well organized but there is no real expo, no real swag. The tech shirt is good but not outstanding and the finisher's medal is nice but not memorable. There are hotels located within 2 blocks of the start and finish which make things convenient. However, I would not recommend the Best Western Four Seasons, try the Cambria Suites instead. All the local hotels seem to raise the rates to unfortunate prices. I would like to see the race directors negotiate some hotel discounts. The course is out 13 miles and back 13 miles and pretty darn flat. If I remember correctly the high and low points are only separated by 20 feet. Somebody below posted something about hills. 20 feet does not a hill make. The first 2 miles the road is a little bit rough with some pot holes and broken pavement but not too bad. Previous comments about the camber of the road were not an issue. There are a couple spots where there is a bit of camber at the edges of the road but no one is stopping you from running in the middle of the road. One of the advantages of this course is no traffic. You have the whole two lanes to yourself. The water is visible for most of the course and there is a decent amount of shade on the course for those sunny event days. Half marathon runners start at the far end of the course and run towards you. They might be a factor for really fast runners but for the 4 hour marathoner, you will catch some of the half marathoners but they don't get in your way. The race is large enough that you are not alone and small enough that you don't feel too crowd weaving around slow people. The spectators are few but enthusiastic. Overall, this race is well done and I have no big complaints. In case you don't know, this is the cherry capital of the world. You can walk to the downtown area and visit some of the local shops selling trail mixes with local cherries that are downright delicious! They make great a great purchase to bring home with you. | |
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K. G. from Massachusetts
(6/4/2012)
 "BEST late-spring marathon out there!" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Bayshore Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a wonderful marathon experience from start to finish for me. As others have commented, packet pickup was crowded, but it was close enough to our hotel that we could walk to it without much hassle. The course itself was great, a simple out-and-back along the lake with breathtaking views of the bay. It's shaded along much of the route; I'd say maybe only 2-3 miles were in full sun, and it was well-supported with aid stations offering water, gatorade, Gu, candy, and soda (and some 'unofficial' ones offering beer and wine from a local vineyard). There are a couple of gently rolling hills on the course, but definitely nothing significant in the way of elevation change. It's really quite flat, and definitely a PR-type of course if you can handle the mental challenge of an out-and-back marathon route. As far as spectators go, there were quite a few clusters along the course, at least while I was running (finished under 3:30), and the local support was AWESOME! There were a few houses along the way that were passing out ice-cold towels to runners and some offering hoses to cool yourself off if needed. This year's shirt (2012) is a really nice design, and the medal is definitely my favorite (I like it even more than my Boston Marathon medal). The post-race refreshments were perfect for a warm early-summer dayice cream, watermelon, lemonade, and homemade baked goods (even some gluten-free cookies!), plus the usual post-race fare. Overall, this is a great race put on by a local track club. It very much has a 'local' feel to it, but in my opinion, that's one of the best things about it. I'm definitely planning to run this one again! | |
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C. S. from Miami, Florida
(5/30/2012)
"Great Scenery" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Bayshore Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 In terms of scenery, this has been the most beautiful course I have run so far. The organization was good but I must agree with a previous runner in regards to the traffic and parking issues at the expo. The Bayshore Marathon merchandise at Runners Fit was not on sale and this was a disapointment because they had a lot of Bayshore Marathon apparel but at elevated prices. The spectators were sparse but loud. I was concerned during the first half of the race because it was getting hot and the sun was really shining, but, thank God it got overcast on the second half with perfect conditions. I did not find the course hilly at all and I am from Miami, Florida where you can hardly find a hill. Overall, this is a great marathon to run on Memorial Day weekend and I highly recommend it. |
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