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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 51 to 61]

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J. M. from Springfield, MO (2/23/2011) "One of the Best Around" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Austin Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 There's a lot to like about this race, and very few things that even approach the category of "negatives." Here are a few observations: Course: Hilly? Yes... the first 15 miles or so are the toughest, although the final hill in the last half mile will certainly perk you up for the finish line photo. But the last 5 miles include a lot of downhill. And it isn't as bad as one might think. I was actually a bit ahead of pace at mile 16; and even then I slowed only because of a nagging health issue. In my opinion, the constant incline changes seemed to spread out the leg fatigue on muscles that don't usually get as much work on a long run. (One other point: The course is rather crowded until the half marathoners split. It is really hard to get into any kind of consistent pace. A wave start would be a good addition for this race.) Organization: Nearly flawless, from expo to finish line. A few more port-a-potties the first 10 miles or so (when full and half share the road) would be nice. A little better selection and quantity of finish line food would also be great. (A one-bottle limit on water seemed out of place.) On the plus side, the medal is great, and the free bag and belt put this race high on the swag meter. Fans: This race offers the best fan support of the 17 marathons I have done. Not only were there good crowds throughout the course, but a lot of people in the neighborhoods were offering food. (Lots of oranges, pretzels, and gummy bears, and even some Girl Scout cookies.) Austin is a great city with nice people. If you're into big races with a lot of fan support, and you don't mind a few hills, Austin is definitely for you.
T. W. from Indianapolis, Indiana (2/22/2011) "Great marathon - definitely recommended!" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Austin Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race was very organized and well run! I had a great time at the expo and loved how many elite athletes were there. The finisher's medal looks fantastic, and although the shirt is nice they should definitely give them out at the expo rather than after the race. The course isn't as bad for as much as people complain about it, and I'm from Indiana where it's completely flat. The weather this year was on the warm side and a bit humid and windy, but I just took it slower and enjoyed my time in Austin. I would definitely recommend this race to anyone considering running it.
E. Z. from Austin, TX (2/22/2011) "Can I have the 2010 race back please?" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Austin Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 Expo: Awful. Please e-mail me my bib number so I don't have to use the community keyboard with sticky GU-type substances stuck to the keys. I'm all for going green, but I'm not a fan of touching other people's filth. Race Morning: Last year there was about a 5-minutes difference between chip/gun time; it was 22 this year. I didn't expect to be standing around for that long without any water. Water Stops: Great volunteers, and great support. Those compostable cups sure are slippery when they are all over the street. A sign would have been great warning runners to be careful. Course: Several bottlenecks for the first 10 miles until the marathon/half marathon runners split. Impossible to keep an even pace. Finish: Great volunteers, great crowd support. Last year I remember some dude with plastic gloves handing out the bagels; this year sweaty runners were just reaching in the bins themselves. Totally insanitary. Obtaining the coveted finisher's tee was so chaotic that someone collapsed 2 feet away from me. People were all crammed into one little area and there were NO SIGNS indicating where men/women/marathoners/half finishers were all supposed to go. Worst organization I've ever seen at a finish line. I feel so sorry for the amazing people who volunteered. I cannot imagine the stress level of being in that t-shirt tent. Well, and saying you have a green race and actually having a green race are two different things. First off, lose the magazine - it's all online. Second, we don't need gear check bags when you give us satchels, backpacks or drawstring bags. Other races also partner with public transit; here I just saw the huge sign indicating that all of the buses in my neighborhood weren't running at all marathon morning. Bottled water at the finish line is cool and all, but how about giving participants a refillable water bottle at the finish rather than an ill-fitting t-shirt (those women's shirts are awful if you have breasts and a long torso). I love you, Austin. Please love me back next year.
L. P. from Houston,TX (2/22/2011) "Overall, good marathon. I will do it again." (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 3 Austin Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Highs: -Austin the city -Hills are challenging but not as bad as people make it out to be -Organization for RACE DAY is good -Goodies are nice and have that cool Austin vibe - medal, bag, and finisher's shirt. -Support is good -Bands -Plenty of hydration, and volunteers are always great Lows: -Traffic to the expo! We came on Saturday around 1 p.m. It took us an hour to move about 1 mile because lights turned red after 2 cars. No traffic cops to control flow of traffic in downtown area. ONE way in the parking garage and they charge you $7 for parking, which is so tacky!
A. E. from New York, NY (2/22/2011) "Hope to do this race again in the future!" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Austin Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Ran this race in 2011 for the first time and loved it! It was definitely more than I expected it to be - the expo was great, course was tough but also great, and crowd support/volunteer support was really great as well! The only reason I gave the crowd support 3 stars is because I give 5 stars to NYC's crowds. Austin obviously has fewer spectators than NYC but there were people along most sections of the course, and they were really into it! The only part that lacked spectators was when we ran through the university right at the end - I probably could have used them then the most though! I actually didn't prepare leading up to this race - after the fall marathon season I took time off due to injury, our busiest time of the year at work, sickness, and I'm also in the first trimester of my first pregnancy (in other words, EXHAUSTED!). But I really wanted to do the race, so I lowered my usual marathon expectations by a lot, and just set out on Sunday to enjoy the day. The hills were tough, but they weren't HORRIBLE. Oh, and a huge plus - GREAT SCHWAG! We got a really nice messenger bag at the expo, free spi-belt, and the finishers medal and finisher's shirts were perhaps the nicest I've received yet. I could have done without the shirt being white, but oh well - it's still a very nice Nike tech shirt! I would absolutely do this race again.
J. L. from Austin, TX (2/22/2011) "Tough Course" (about: 2011) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Austin Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I live in Austin and love Austin, TX. I have trained on parts of the Austin Marathon for a long time. However, I think the change in the route this year was a tad ridiculous. The new route added 4 extra hills to the already challenging course and you had to run another hill before the finish. I think the parts of the back half do not show off "Austin" (Great Northern Trail). Although I'm complaining about the course, the marathon is very organized with water stops almost every mile. My only complaint on the organization would be not corralling runners at the start line. Walkers should not be in the front - the first 6 miles were crowded. Spectators are great as well but for those running the full there are spots where spectators are thin. The weather was not ideal this year either.
R. Z. from Houston, Texas (2/21/2011) "Half Marathoners are a problem" (about: 2011) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Austin Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I must say that traffic management at packet pickup was ridiculously bad. Austin has a nice course, but they need to separate the half marathoners by having different start times or a separate course. I wasted a good several miles dodging traffic and could not truly take advantage of the downhill before hitting the lake. Roads were not properly blocked off in the second half of the course and I stopped several times to watch out for cars. Crowd support is OK but not anything to write home about. The bands were cool, though. Hills are very challenging before the halfway mark. Weather was a bit on the warm side and got into the high 70's. Road integrity was better than my first marathon, which I ran a few weeks earlier in Houston.
J. D. from Ohio (2/21/2011) "solid race but thin crowds after 16" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Austin Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Great town with an exceptional start regimen. The race touts a brush through the UT campus, but all I saw was a chain link fence with some youths practicing sports and then later the UT stadium. The hills are challenging and don't really let up until 19. I guess there was a reason Lance only did the half! Glad I did the full but probably will not do it again. As for the expo, very crowded with some serious logistical challenges, but I attended Saturday at prime time. The course offered great proximity to downtown hotels. Technical shirt ran too large to size and was boring, with a plain, white color.
B. H. from Salt Lake City, UT (2/21/2011) "Great marathon; cool city" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Austin Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a very scenic marathon that weaves you from the capitol, through downtown, around the suburbs, and then back to the capitol. I thought it was a great course. I only gave it a 4 because I guess it used to be a lot faster with the previous course they had according to a native that had run the race a few times. Crowded at the beginning, but spread out enough; and the running was mostly on streets, so you had plenty of room to pass or be passed (I seemed to have preferred the latter at this race). Cool computer bag and great expo (last year they got backpacks). I actually enjoyed the hills (if you have ever run a completely flat marathon - i.e., Arizona Road Racers - or a straight downhill marathon - i.e., Utah Valley - I would much rather have some hills here and there to break things up). The aid stations were well stocked and many spectators were handing out food along the way - especially oranges later in the marathon. I practically ate a whole meal while running. Port-a-potties were plentiful with no lines (although by the time I was finished there was no TP in the port-a-potties at the end of the race, which was slightly inconvenient - really, my only very minor complaint and it probably didn't bother most racers). The post-race food was only average, with bagels, chips, bananas, Gatorade and water; but water was all I really needed. Great medal (weighs about 5 lbs.) and cool tech t-shirt. I may run this one again. I would definitely recommend it - especially for a Texas marathon, although I have not run any others here. Austin is a fun city and this marathon had the best crowd support and greatest number of people handing out food and vaseline of all the ones I have run (which granted is only 6 but includes SLC, Utah Valley, and SF).
T. C. from Northwest (2/21/2011) "Definitely difficult; awesome crowd support" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Austin Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I trained in the Northwest, and I'm used to running on hills. Nothing prepared me for the rolling hills in the Austin Marathon, though. They were harder than I expected and trained for. The crowd support was awesome. The city is fun. If you are looking for a challenge, this race is for you!

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