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☰
Omaha Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Omaha Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.3 
Organization 3.7 
Spectators 2.9
Number of comments: 183 [displaying comments 41 to 51]
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J. E. from MO
(9/23/2013)
 "Great race" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The course was out and back, which I wasn't a fan of except I could see my running mate and gauge where I was in the race. Felt like I was running uphill a lot on the way back, but it was the 2nd half. They had you run through the stadium at the end and you were projected onto the big screen, which was different. Perfect start weather but by 9 it was warm, the fans and volunteers were GREAT/very supportive. Not a lot of swag but you get a long sleeve and the medal is recycled glass (looks really cool). Ran out of some food items at the end but enough for everyone to have. Good race to run, glad I picked it. | |
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A. P. from East Coast
(9/23/2013)
 "Disappointing" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 I flew over 1,000 miles and expected a well-organized event and a scenic run around Omaha. First, the marathon shirts were awful. Sheer, white fabric that was basically an advertisement for the series of events the organizer puts on. The shirts aso were NOT unisex as the website described, and I was told there was nothing they could do. I had ordered an XS and was given a women's XS that would barely fit a small child. Nowhere on the shirt does it say 'Omaha Marathon.' In fact, no matter what distance you ran, you got the same shirt. The course was rather boring - scenic along the river, but went through some rough neighborhoods and there were very few spectators (those that did spectate though, were wonderful). It was an out and back course that in the early miles was very confusing and lead to some folks turning around too soon, and almost bumping into one another. The only memorable part of the poorly-planned course was the loop through TD stadium and seeing yourself on the big screen. The finish line area left a lot to be desired - sandwiches and dried-out bagels sitting out in the sun. You had to walk up several flights of stairs to get to the post-race food - just what I wanted to do after a marathon. I will say, however, that the aid stations were great and fully stocked with gels. And the volunteers were very kind and encouraging. I felt like this course was put on by folks who don't even like running. Had I known beforehand, I would have picked a different marathon in Nebraska. | |
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P. C. from San Francisco
(9/23/2013)
 "poor showing by HITS" (about: 2013)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 2013 marked the first year that HITS ran the show for the Omaha Marathon and it was a huge disappointment. This was my 50th marathon and sad to say, ranks as one of my bottom 5. I'll keep it short and sweet... Pros: 1) Aid stations well stocked with water/gatorade/fruit/gu...bananas and oranges at most if not all the stations which was a nice option over the gu 2) Host hotel - Hilton...walking distance to start/finish and a decent rate 3) Medal - unique glass medallion 4) Course entertainment - decent Cons: 1) No 'packets' at packet pick-up if you arrived after 3pm on Sat (i.e. no race bags if you needed them, no race information...was directed to go on-line for a map, etc if I needed one for spectators to be able to follow me). 2) Crap HITS generic cotton, too small white long sleeve women's race shirt...really? When we registered for shirts, the sizing was unisex...fine, not ideal, but chose size accordingly...at pick-up they sexed the shirts, but didn't resize them...i.e, I'm a small unisex but medium womens...if I wanted a different shirt, must trade post-race, but why bother and who takes the time for that and since there were no race bags for sweat check would have meant returning to hotel, grabbing shirt, returning to expo...the shirts displayed nothing specific to this marathon! Plain white t with the list of HITS races on the back...thanks for saving me some luggage space cause the shirt stayed in the hotel. 3) Course - was an out and back. Not really a big deal, but too much of it was run on concrete sidewalks...very hard on the feet/joints. 4) Where the Hell was the runners tent/food post-race???? No directions or anything obvious once you crossed the finish line. Was given medal and a bottle of water then...nothing. Believe maybe a food tent was somewhere in the expo area (which was all outside of the TD Ameritrade arena), but how to get there??? The last bit of the route had you run in and around the outfield of the arena, which meant that everything in this area was fenced off...meaning, no access from the actual finish line back to the expo unless you???? maybe walked two blocks around the finish area to get to it? Really? Granted, these are all guesses, cause I never saw signs for a finishers food tent, or for that matter, any runners walking around with food. Was easier to take my hungry butt back to hotel and go for real food before passing out from low blood sugar. 5) That last jaunt around the outfield at the Ameritrade arena...pointless and poorly defined...saw many runners miss the turn and had to double back for this 'run around the bases' and then finish...heck, I even overshot the exit because of lack of signage that you needed to turn and exit the stadium. 6) False advertising: According to the website - Fully dress U.S. Marines will greet you at the finish line as well as support you throughout the race! REALLY???? Never saw them. If you need to run NE, don't bother with this race unless it's greatly improved. | |
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R. C. from Wisconsin
(9/22/2013)
"Disappointed" (about: 2013)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I was rather disappointed with the Omaha Marathon. This was my 5th marathon, and definitely least favorite. The Expo was uneventful and the smallest I've seen. The boring white with black ink t-shirts were the same for 10K,Half and full, and no where did they even mention marathon. They were pretty much just an advertising ploy. The course was awful! 13.1 miles out and 13.1 back through pretty rough neighborhoods and an industrial park. There were very few spectators, expect in the park area near the turn around. The website said how special it was that there Marines that presented you with your medal, but no Marines were seen. There was no food or Mylar blankets at the finish either. I would have to say that a few positives of the marathon were the people are friendly in this city, there were plenty of water stations supplied with oranges and bananas, and the host hotel (Hilton) was very close and accommodating. | |
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P. P. from Omaha
(9/22/2013)
 "Good course and water stations, poor shirts" (about: 2013)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Omaha Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The new course was very nice and fast, the water stations were plentiful and well stocked. Poor quality shirts, bad sizing, and WHITE - If I wanted to see their company schedule of races I would have looked them up on the internet not my race shirt. Worst shirt in my 143 marathon races | |
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R. S. from Urbandale, Iowa
(6/14/2013)
"Fairly Flat Course" (about: 2012)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my second marathon. The weather was great. At the start it was in the upper 40's and was in the upper 50's at the finish. It is a fairly flat course. The course is well supported. My only complaint is: I ran with the 3:30 pace group. I hung with them and we were well ahead of pace for 14 miles. Finally I fell off their pace. I looked up the female and male pacers times and they finished a full 10 minutes ahead of pace. I mean, seriously?? Otherwise it was a great run. | |
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M. M. from Guilderland Center, NY
(11/1/2012)
"Very nice mid-size race" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Top notch organization. A very well run race. Particularly like having the reward ceremony a reasonable time after all possible winners had finished.The course was nice, the hills not bad at all. I was a little disappointed that there was no beer available after the race, but it was only a short walk to a nice bar across the street. Here's something to consider when choosing a hotel. The host hotel is very convenient to the start/finish line. But we chose to stay at the Embassy Suites in Old Town. Its about a 15 minute walk to the start, but you are near lots of great bars and restaurants. | |
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D. F. from Ralston, NE
(10/26/2012)
 "Gets better every year!" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Omaha Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run the Omaha Marathon every year since 2004 (with the exception of 2011, when I volunteered), and honestly it gets tweaked a little better each time! I enjoyed it well enough in previous years, but I really like the improvements in the course, the organization, and ease of the expo/packet pickup. The volunteers were fabulous and helpful as usual. Regarding the course itself, it has taken out some of the tougher hills of past years, but still has some hills to give your legs the necessary variety they need. Also, this year is the first to include Minnie Lusa Blvd into the lovely shaded Miller Park. Being from an Omaha suburb (Ralston), I never tire of seeing the Omaha landmarks like the Old Market, downtown, Little Italy, Florence Blvd and Carter Lake...all highlighted along the course. While Omaha does not boast of the massive number of spectators as bigger city marathons do, the many that are out are enthusiastic and cheering, as are the aid station volunteers. And the aid stations themselves were well stocked and frequentevery few miles. The finish at TD Ameritrade Park (stadium of the baseball NCAA College World Series) is a great place for cheering crowds and lots of room to relax, meet up with friends and family and unwind post-race. The glass medals were very unique and the awards were nice as well. Race director Susie Smisek gets my highest praise for her dedication to every detail and her personal interest that every participant has a great experience. I've run marathons from coast to coast, but there is a special place in my heart for the Omaha marathon. I'm very proud to call this my hometown race! | |
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Z. S. from Washington, DC, USA
(9/25/2012)
 "Nothing Special, But Everything Is Done Right" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Course: This is the typical medium-sized city race that combines multiple races into one, and has a few good miles through downtown landmarks and scenic residential areas but also has a lot of 'filler miles' through industrial parks and less-than picturesque neighborhoods. The course is on the hilly side, but not deserving the fuss it receives. Spectators weren't memorable in a good or bad way. Having never been to Omaha, I explored the city after the race, and was a bit disappointed that the course seemed to skip a lot of the prettiest parts of the city. Organization: What the race lacks in other areas, it makes up for in stellar organization. Logistics, communication, facilities... all top notch. I really liked the extra perks, like the free pasta dinner and bus tour of the course - great way to meet other runners who had travelled there for the race. Downtown really caters well to host an event like this (near airport, lots of hotels, restaurants & parking within walking distance). Swag: Average at best, and definitely over-hyped by organizers. For me, the medal gets creativity points, but that's about it. It's glass medallion with generic lanyard (exact same for marathon & half). No year on the medal, and the only difference between the Marathon and the Half is a swirl of color inside the Marathon Medal (mine is a black ink blot... yippee). The shirts were pretty cool; unique long-sleeve tech with no obnoxious advertising, so I look forward to wearing it around. The shirts ran a little small, and although it fit me, I heard lots of complaining. I was a little disappointed in race organizers trying to put a spin on obviously sub-par swag. Medals were a 'green initiative' and 'functional as a sun-catcher,' but they were really just a cheap way to reuse prior year medals (that said, props for going with a local manufacturer). Small shirts were called 'compression shirts,' but they were just small (that said, they seemed willing to exchange). Overall: As far as Marathons go, you can do better, but you can also certainly do much worse. For someone in the region who registers early, this is a great value marathon. Someone from far away and/or registering late might be a bit disappointed. I'm glad I did this race, but wouldn't make it a repeat. | |
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C. F. from Oregon
(9/25/2012)
"Awesome city, awesome marathon" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 People really down played Omaha in all the reviews I read of the marathon. It didn't deserve it. Omaha has a lot of charm and a really quaint 'downtown' district. The Old Market area is a must see, the Upstream Brewery has some good beers and good food. As for the marathon, what a great run! I really enjoyed the course, even with the few repeats of sections. Miles 22ish to the end were along an open road, which was a little nerve racking but at least we were facing traffic. Also, the roads are a bit slanted by the curbs and the angle got to me over those four miles. The aid stations were kinda oddly spaced for awhile. The crowd was fun, they seemed to really enjoy the runners. |
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