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Apr 27, 2024

Austin Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.0

Organization 4.0

Spectators 4.1

Number of comments: 421 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 42 > ]

D. T. from Austin, TX (2/15/2016) "Continues the decline" (about: 2016) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Austin Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I want to love the Austin marathon, I really do. It's my home race and it continues to disappoint compared to just about any other race out there. Poor on-course support, too many people in the half marathon for the size of the water stops, and too few stops late in the race. No on-course food - zero. You're relying on carrying food or strangers who provide. At the end, the food is extremely lacking, was just fruit cups, bagels, and cookies this year. No water cups outside the chute. Even the food trucks are limited and sold out of items just a couple hours in. No blankets at the end. This on top of a brutally hilly course that takes some of the worst hills in the city instead of using some streets that other races in the city use for their events. The price is high compared to other races and the quality/value low. The race continues to fail to hit their caps for the last several years. I won't be scheduling this in the future - hopefully the new race owners will improve things.
J. S. from Dallas, TX (3/2/2015) "A little dissapointed" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Austin Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I have run the marathon several times over the past 10 years and it seems like it is going downhill and focuses more on the half participants. First off, Austin is such a great city and this used to be a race that sold out and was a must do on my list. Positive things: Well organized, great city, I like the challenging course, and good amount of spectators. Things that could be improved: Very pricey compared to other Marathons I have run for what you get. The shirt was less than appealing and not even a finsishers shirt just a participation shirt and a medal, that's it. In the earlier days of this marathon they used to give jackets or back packs in addition to a shirt. Also, the food at the end is like participating in a 5K as bananas, chips, water, and granola bars were all that was offered and the real food had to be paid for. I didn't feel I should have to carry money for a marathon that I paid over $120 for to pay for food.
R. H. from Houston, TX (2/25/2015) "Race has gotten worse over the years" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Austin Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was my 4th time to run the Austin Marathon (first time I ran it was back in 2004). I enjoy running this course because of the challenge...there certaintly aren't any hills like this in Houston! The good - Austin is a great city to visit for a long weekend. Starting the race on Congress and then finishing with the Capitol building in the background can't be beat. Also, the number of spectators handing out bananas, oranges, and pretzels was a life saver this year. (weather was humid and by mile 20 I was dying, so the orange slices were great.) Water tables were well-stocked and the volunteers were excellent. Finally, the finishers medal was great...you can always count on Austin to give you a really nice medal at the finish line. The bad - The marathon seems to be way overpriced for what you get. An ugly (and I mean super ugly) race shirt and a medal; that's it. You can buy a finishers shirt for $35, but it's not included in the race fee. After the race the food is palty, unless you want to buy some from local food trucks. (I don't run with cash or credit card so I was out of luck). And they don't offer a mylar blanket, this year not that big of a deal, but in year's past it's been quite cold on race day. Either lower the price or start including this stuff with the entry fee. I probably will still keep doing this race every couple years or so just because it's close to home and Austin is such a great city.
D. B. from Houston, TX (2/21/2015) "Echoing Others - This Race Needs Some Work" (about: 2015) 2 previous marathons \| 2 Austin Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was my 2nd time running Austin. My reivew is similar to last year, but may be a bit harsher, mainly due to what appear to be some chronic deficiencies with this race. I run it because it is convienient, only a 3 hour drive from my house and Austin is an aweseome city ot visit. Let's start with the good stuff to give the race some credit. Unlike some races I've run, Austin does a lot to get the city and crowds involved. Being the 'music capital' of the world, they do try to get some local bands involved to play around the course. As you'd expect, some are good and some are bad, but you can expect something about every mile. This year they held a sign contest where people could tweet the best sign they saw on the course and the race tallied the votes and declared a winner. Nice way to get spectators a little more engaged and feeling part of the race, other similar size races in cities struggle with this. The course is also not bad, yes it is hilly, yes it runs through a lot of residential areas on the 2nd half, but I have run far worse. It could be improved by spending more time in downtown. 6th street is an Austin icon...why not run a stretch down there? There are lots of neat places that the course misses. So what needs improvement? Let's start with the fact that the marathon is slowly dying in this race. They are down over 1700 marathon finishers from their peak, and this race does not sell out (unlike Houston or Dallas). My guess is the hilly course is partly to blame (why waste a marathon on a harder course to BQ on?). Also, Austin is one of many options for Texans in a saturated winter marathon schedule (you can almost find 1/week in a 400 mile radius of Houston from January to March). The focus of this race has shifted to the half and is quickly going the way of R&R San Antonio. They will need to do something special to get more marathoners involved again to prevent this from becoming 'The Austin Half Marathon and Oh Yeah We Have a Full Too.' Part of the problem is value as well. This race underspends on the runner vs. others. The food options are pitiful at the end, a bagel, a banana and some chips? Get real. Austin is a vibrant food city, do something with it. If you wanted real food you had to pay. Swag quality is ehh...after 24 marathons you stop caring about shirts and medals, but if that is why you run, Austin will underwhelm you. What else? The expo is fairly inconvenient to the downtown hotels. The closest hotels are a mile walk (OK with the good weather). If you didn't stay as close, you could have 2-3 miles from the main hotels. If you need to drive, $8 rip off to park. They did offer bike share/public transport. What I don't understand is why with 25 hotels and a convention center in downtown Austin they pick to use the Palmer which is so inconvienient. Bottom line - this race needs some revamping. If it stays on this course it will continue to struggle to compete with the others in central/SE Texas. More and more will choose to spend their time running Houston, Cowtown, The Woodlands, etc. vs. this. It is a great destination city, just need to work that to make it a great destination race.
B. W. from Austin(born/raised) (2/19/2015) "Good race but worth the price?" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Austin Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This years race was one of my worst races time-wise but that was because I didn't train as well this season. The fans were GREAT, I love reading the signs each year. The water stops were GREAT, I always try to thank the volunteers I get water/gatorade from. I really appreciate someone that will come out to support runners on their day off. The expo....well after running 18 marathons I don't really do much at them. However, I rode a CapMetro bus and got dropped off a couple of blocks from the expo. I also rode a CapMetro bus to/from the Marathon....Can't beat public transportation! The two things I was really disappointed with this year was the finish line food(water and bannana) and no finisher's shirt(or was I too slow to get one?). $145 for almost nothing more than a medal and the police closing off the roads....probably not worth it again. I registered at the Expo so my T-shirt will be mailed. 19 marathons total, 12 Austin marathons over the last 13 years.
J. P. from Round Rock, TX (2/19/2015) "A Falling Star" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Austin Marathons COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 From a peak of 4824 participants in 2011 to just 3137 this year Marathoner money is being spent elsewhere and the reasons are obvious. Hilly and Boring Course, only 176 Boston Qualifiers. Nightmare of a Traffic Jammed packet pickup with an $8 parking fee to boot. Technical T-Shirt was just awful. Finish on a narrow street 10 blocks and a bridge away from a beautiful park on the lake. Why not just finish in the park? This race needs a serious makeover. The aid stations and crowd support were good, but that doesn't make up for the rest of the flaws.
e. w. from charlottesville, va (2/18/2015) "great course with excellent organization" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Austin Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 this marathon has a great atmosphere. relaxed,fun, and friendly. the course is a nice mix of up hills, flat and down hills. will do it again!!
Jim Gullo from Williamsburg, VA (2/18/2015) "Austin is Weird, but the Marathon is not" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 First time in Austin. This a great place for a destination run with plenty to do and places to eat. The run was well organized and a large expo. I took the bike share to the expo and had no problem with traffic. The race started on time with plenty of fan support in the city area. I loved the route as you went through numerous neighborhoods with folks cheering you on from their lawns. They offered cookies, candy, fruit, beer and even hamburgers. The race organizer however did not offer any food on the route, just water, Gatorade and Vaseline. The end of the marathon was a little disappointing with no real food or party. Overall, I very much enjoyed this marathon. The hills were challenging, but not impossible and the last 6 miles were mostly down hill. I would highly recommend it and keep Austin weird!
P. H. from Madison, WI (2/18/2015) "Austin is a great city!" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Well organized race, very friendly people. Great weather. Lots of people cheering with many personal food stands. Water & Gatorade in great supply. Nice tech shirts ran small. Nice expo. More hills than expected at the end. Nice medals. Could use many variety for food at the end of the race. LOVE AUSTIN,
G. K. from Southeast US (2/17/2015) "Scenic first half, blah second" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Austin Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Like many races with a huge half, the first half of the course was scenic and interesting. The second half was run through places where they could hide 13 miles without too much traffic mess. Wicked climb to the finish but enjoyable. The size of the expo and packet pick-up was far more than the space could hold. Traffic snarled all day. There was no gel along the course and the food at the finish was disappointing, given all the many great options in Austin. It's worth doing if you need a Texas finish, but I wouldn't run it again.

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