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Apr 27, 2024

Austin Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Austin Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.0

Organization 4.0

Spectators 4.1

Number of comments: 421 [displaying comments 21 to 31]

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J. H. from Texas (2/17/2015) "What did my race fee go toward?!" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Austin Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Ran this race just to complete all the major cities in Texas. Expected a lot more out of my money spent. Having run almost 50 marathons of all sizes around the US, this was a real disappointment for a major metropolitan event. The race T-shirt was just okay (have really tired of all the Technical shirts...what happened to cotton?) lol. The start was crowded and a race this size really should consider corrals. The course was very challenging, as expected. I will say that the volunteers at the aid stations were awesome, as were the local fans. I have never seen so many people with mini aid stations set up in their yards....thank you AUSTIN! The biggest disappointment was the finish!! After a grueling, hilly and humid run I was looking forward to some recovery food. However, what we found waiting was a bottle of water, bagel, banana, and a bag of potato chips! We kept looking for the real food but that was it!! We get that for local 5K with a five dollar registration. And even the food might have been forgiven if there and been Mylar blanket to at least stay warm. Even on a humid day, we were very cold by the time we got back to hotel. Really need to improve the finish and this could be a great destination race.
J. V. from Philadelphia, PA (2/17/2015) "Big-city race, fantastic support, so-so course" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Austin Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 First, Austin is an amazing city. Lots of stuff to do and see while you're there. The course scenery won't wow you - lots of residential neighborhoods and shopping centers along the way. Not a ton of scenery. But the marathon uses the neighborhoods to its advantage - lots of people come out to support the race. There were more snacks on the course than any race I've ever done, from gummy bears to oranges to donut holes to pretzels to bananas... even beer! The fans are awesome and really support the race well. Pretty hilly, not likely very many PRs being set. Also very crowded, over 15K runners. Even though they had much of the road blocked off, the bottle neck lasted for 6-7 miles (I started way too far back though) before loosening up. The Expo is marvelous; lots of exhibitors there. Very attractive medal, nice short-sleeve tech shirt. Slightly subpar with the food post-race. Overall, a good race for organization purposes, but the course is somewhat boring in spots, and that's what keeps it from bumping to great for me. Love the fans though, that was the best part.
C. J. from Texas (2/16/2015) "Great race in a great town" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Austin Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The 2015 Austin Marathon was my 15th marathon overall and my 6th time to run Austin. I live in Austin, so I may be a bit biased, but I think this is a great marathon. The organization is top-notch and you can't find a better place to spend a weekend and run a race than Austin. I was glad to see that for 2015 they went back to the same course as 2007, starting on Congress Ave. instead of the north side of the Capitol. That way you only have to run up the hill on San Jacinto once (right before the end) instead of twice. Speaking of hills: Make no mistake, this is a challenging, hilly course. Train on hills and pace yourself correctly and you should be fine. Notes/observations on the 2015 race: - The weather was not ideal - upper 50's at the start and humid. Luckily it stayed overcast all day, but the high humidity did a number on me. Usually the weather in Austin in February is ideal for marathoning; we just had bad timing this year. Today as I write this (24 hours after the race) it is in the 30's in Austin. - Usually I don't notice crowds much, but I thought the crowds were great this year. That may be due (as others have noted) to the warmer weather and to the fact that Freescale was sponsoring again this year and a lot of Freescale employees were out on the course cheering. - I'm was not impressed by the medal this year. Austin is known for having better-than-average medals, but this one is silver and gaudy and kind of tacky-looking. - The expo is nice, but getting there can be a nightmare. There are 2 ways to get into the parking garage at the Palmer Events Center, but 95% of the people try to enter off of Barton Springs Rd., and the resulting traffic jam can tie up everything south of the river. And then once you get there it costs $8 to park. My advice would be to park downtown and walk across the bridge or try to find a parking place in the nearby park.
A. M. from Round Rock, TX (2/16/2015) "Prepare for Hills, Better than Expected" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Austin Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Ran the 2015 race. Weather was warm and humid, even felt a few rain drops the last half. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of spectators and volunteers on the course. Many had funny signs and passed out oranges/cookies/candy. They made the time go faster and really helped in the final miles. The course is hilly, no doubt about it. Long gradual hills and steep hills. The start didn't have much of a corral, just the entire street full of runners. There were plenty of water stops and aid stations. The finish had mediocre food options. I was disappointed with the swag - 1 tech tee. Overall the crowd support made this race for me. That was probably helped by the warm weather - perfect for watching a parade of runners.
C. V. from Boston (2/15/2015) "Great city to visit. Course could be better" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Austin Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Ran 2015. Well organized. Self seeding at start line but not too crowded where it was an issue with slower runners in the faster corrals. Started on time. Recommend staying downtown to avoid traffic. Stayed at Marriott courtyard which was 2 mins from the corrals. Course was hillier than I expected and I've done several hilly races in the past (Pittsburgh, San francisco and New York). Definitely train on hills. Austin is a great town to visit. The course was less than exciting and the run through the univ of Texas campus was virtually empty. Not much of a post race party. Most people leave after finishing.
R. C. from Edmond, OK (2/24/2014) "Awesome City, worth visiting for a marathon." (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Austin Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Challenging course, plentiful water stops, great spectators. It might be time for the race organizers to consider a corral system. There are lots of walkers that start in the 4:00 pace area and it's a bit dangerous for them and other runners. Porta-pottys on the start line side of the capitol would be nice.
A. R. from Franklin ,TN (2/19/2014) "Very good winter destination race" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Austin Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 We went for a long weekend trip to get away from the cold weather and had a great trip. The race was very well organized, nice large expo. Events went off on time. Tons of water stops and volunteers. NO gels on the course, only Gatorade chews. This was well publicized beforehand, though, just not my favorite way to take in calories. Post-race spread was adequate. My one complaint was this was one of the 2-3 most expensive of the 48 marathons I've done. You get a finishers shirt that has 2014 finisher plastered on the front, but Austin Marathon in veyr small print across the back. Most races give you a nice shirt (or some other swag) along with this. I could pay an extra $35 to get it on-line, I guess, but I'm not sure where the $135 race fee went otherwise. Overall, it is a great race, though, very well done, and Austin is a great place to hang around for a couple of extra days.
J. L. from Indianapolis, IN (2/18/2014) "Hilly marathon; logistics could be improved." (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Austin Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Texans are very friendly people and the Expo was great. The course is very hilly but the fan support/water stops, etc. were very good. The distance between the gear check and the start line was too far making it difficult to go from your hotel to the gear check to the start line. Rethinking the drop point for the gear check seems to be in order. At the end of the race we were hurried along through the chute and we were not encuraged to linger, even if to drink a beer. Otherwise, the race was very good.
D. B. from Houston, TX (2/17/2014) "Nice city, nice event" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Austin Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Overall, this is a pretty good race...lots of good stuff to say. To start, Austin is a wonderful town to visit. The race start and finish are near the Texas State House in the main downtown core. Plenty of hotels are located in walking distance. The expo is decent...wasn't huge or too busy. Went on Friday and had no wait for packet pick-up. It is a bit out of the way if you are staying downtown...a mile walk give or take. The course is a nice tour of the city. The front half is great, the back half a little less interesting and quieter. While it has some hilly sections, none are huge...the course either rolls, or has its biggest gains/losses on gentler grades. It's mostly downhill from 20 to the end. Support is good, with 17 water stops, each with Gatorade and water. Most everything was well organized. A few minor criticisms, first, I may have missed it but there was not a lot of free food choices at the finish. They did have food trucks selling food, but was hoping for a bit more than the options of bagels/cookies/bananas for free. The shirt is just OK. The medal this year was fantastic...nice size and great design that captures the essence of Austin
S. K. from Texas (2/17/2014) "Very nice medal but not a race for everyone" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Austin Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This race has some very nice points but along with that are the negatives. I'm sure some of the problems are caused by the city or the state government itself. For example, I can honestly say that Austin has the worst traffic I have ever driven in anywhere in the world. The lesson is to not wait to the last minute to go pick up your bib number because you might not get there in time. The start of the race is on the north side of the state capital building, a large, impressive structure that makes a wonderful backdrop for a photo. But there were no toilets at all near the start/staging area with the closest I found being in the finish area about a half mile away on the opposite side of the capital complex. I can only assume there is some regulation prohibiting that sort of thing on the capital grounds and the nearby roads. The route itself is no better than mediocre and only that good if you like hills. The first half is very hilly while the second half is flatter. It is the Texas hill country after all but the net effect can be tough if you haven't done much hill work. Many races like to showcase their city and the nice neighborhoods. Austin's route has miles and miles of very modest neighborhoods and fewer nice areas than most. And without the police allowing so many cars through the race route, the resulting traffic would be even more horrific than it is otherwise. But for me the most disappointing aspect was the entertainment and the fan support. I'm not one of the faster racers so perhaps it was better before I got there. Other than the frequent aid stations, the start and finish areas, you could go miles without seeing more than one or two spectators. There were plenty of entertainment for the first half but in the second half, I was grateful for the lady holding up her Ipod. The website is also problematic. While many of the more technologically advanced races have provisions on the website to track a racer, Austin did not. They did have an App but if you don't happen to have an Iphone or an Android based phone, you are just out of luck. There are a lot of races out there and I see no reason to do this one again.

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