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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 61 to 71]
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T. S. from Indianapolis
(9/30/2011)
 "Mom Nature loves Omaha" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Couldn't ask for more perfect running weather (40s-50s, low humidity, not much breeze), so any other drawbacks to course/organization/spectators would be canceled out by that. That said, I find it difficult to come up with many drawbacks. Not my all-time favorite marathon, but pretty darn good. Having run in quite hilly spots of the Omaha area before while visiting friends, I was amazed how flat it was. As mentioned by others, mega-hills between 7 and 10, but the rest was no problem. I had PR pace thru 22 till calf cramps brought things to a (literal) standstill. Cool medal; I just wish I had one with a darker background because it's hard to read 'Omaha Marathon.' And I agree with the poster suggesting the Gatorade/water stations be spaced, though the volunteers were great to sing out which hand had which liquid. In fact, the volunteers were great (and plentiful) about everything. Thanks Omaha. I'd recommend this race. | |
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H. B. from Kansas, US
(9/27/2011)
"Not perfect, but very nice. Easy course." (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I set a PR on this course, so I'm of course happy I chose it. Only a couple of tough hills and those are in the first half. Volunteers were plentiful and helpful, and plenty of aid stations. While the race was generally well-organized, the start was a mess: just 4000 people in a clump with no instructions (at least none that could be heard 10 rows deep in the crowd) and no attempt to arrange runners according to pace or distance (about 700 marathoners jammed in with 3000 folks doing a half or a 10K). I was also annoyed that the packet pickup closed at 4:00 pm the day before, which forced me to arrive in Omaha earlier than I would have liked to... but Omaha is a nice little town, with a wide selection of reasonably priced hotels within walking distance of the start/finish, so it wasn't so terrible. Overall, I'd definitely recommend it. | |
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C. B. from Columbia, Missouri
(9/27/2011)
"Good race with room to improve" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Excellent: Very unique medal and a nice long sleeve tech shirt. The pasta dinner was FREE and probably the best pre-race pasta dinner I've had. Major thumbs up! The finish line was also a huge plus: Music playing, plenty of restrooms, lots of food. The Marines handing out finishers medals was a nice touch. Good: Aid stations were well stocked, volunteers were plentiful, and the course was well marked. That also may have been the most police I've seen patrolling a marathon course. Very well organized! Gels were available at mile 17. My only complaint here is that water and Gatorade were intermixed at the stations. Maybe they could go with a water first, Gatorade second system in the future? I enjoyed the layout of the course. There was a long, steady uphill between miles 7 and 10, but a lengthy downhill followed and the course was relatively flat otherwise. The final 2 miles were at a slight downhill grade, which was nice. It wasn't the most scenic course I've been on, but I can't complain. So-So: Fan support was less than spectacular, but those who came out were loud and encouraging. The expo was disappointing as there were only 6 or 7 vendors, and it was quite crammed. I drove 300 miles for this race and was not disappointed. This is a fairly small race for a big city (less than 4,000 participants for the combined 10k, half, and full, and only 600 marathon finishers). But, Omaha did a nice job of combining the larger race amenities with a small race charm. If you need a Nebraska race, I would recommend Omaha. | |
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J. V. from Des Moines, IA
(9/26/2011)
 "Enjoyable race" (about: 2011)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The course was altered from summer flooding so apparently this was a new route, but I enjoyed it. Course had a good deal of variety despite looping over itself for a few miles a few times. Major focus is on half marathon, had well over 2,300 half runners to only about 650 marathoners and about 800 10Kers. The full runs the 10K and half route before veering off on the final 13+. Good aid stations, about 1 every 1.5 miles or so. Had Gu around mile 16. Had decent support, not great. Expo was pretty small and crammed into a hotel lobby. Kind of a small-town feel for a big city, very friendly support and volunteers. Enjoyed the experience! | |
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M. K. from Chicago
(9/26/2011)
 "Good Logistics, but downhill from there ..." (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 For a 50 stater, this is easy in, easy out. You can definitely be there less than 24 hours. 1) Hotel, packet pickup, start and finish are all close to eachother and airport. 2) Course is boring, plain and simple. 3) Not a lot of fans. 4) Great medal. 5) Terrible, crowded expo. 6) Pasta dinner was in the same place as expo. Summary, easy way to knock Nebraska off your list. | |
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R. A. from Omaha, Ne
(9/26/2011)
 "Fun Run" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Thank you Omaha Marathon for well planned run. Hydration stations are well spaced and the timing of the Gu was perfect. The music was fun and a great pick-me up. We had great community support. I loved the medals. One-of-a-kind and unique. Thank you for the great time. | |
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E. M. from Council Bluffs Iowa
(9/26/2011)
"Great Marathon" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Let me start by saying this was my first of many marathons. I really enjoyed the race. There are only a few gripes about the race. Pros: The spectators were great on the busy areas of the course. The live music was a nice touch. There was plenty of water/gatorade stations. I liked the time clock at the finish. I don't know what others though but I think it was a pretty flat course. The runners were very friendly. The free services after the race were also nice. Last but not least the finishers medal is outstanding. Cons: 1st half of the marathon was run in perfect conditions. The course was great and I think we should have finished the last half marathon on the first half route. It would make it less painful both mentally and physically. But I understand why they do it (traffic and the half and 10k also run it). We needed gatorade at the finish instead of just water. The expo was very crowded. I think they could have had it in a bigger room so you didn't feel rushed to get out. Also the pasta dinner needed to be longer 4-6pm isn't enough time. Overall I really enjoyed this marathon and I plan on running it again in the future and improving on my time. | |
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W. L. from USA
(7/21/2011)
"Great Race" (about: 2010)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I loved the race. I dont understand the people complaining about the scenery. You run past rosenblatt, creighton, downtown omaha, carter lake, etc. In 26 miles anywhere it will be difficult not to find a rough spot or two. Organization great, finish along the river very cool, medals food and support along course all great. | |
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Michael Thompson from Omaha, Nebraska
(11/2/2010)
"Don't run Omaha" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Omaha Marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 As a local, it breaks my heart to be unable to recommend this race. I've never run such a poor event. Issues: Course was poorly laid out. ABSOLUTELY no vaseline or anything of the sort at any aid stations (I used Neosporin for chafing - that's how desperate I was). No gels or food, at all - not out, mind you... there just was NONE. The best part? Having to battle traffic during the last three miles, as roads were not blocked off/support was non-existent. Good: The medal was neat. I think the race organizer spent all of the per-racer money on the medals; however, as this was my second time running this race (it wasn't this bad the first time), I hoped my hometown marathon had improved. Unfortunately, it didn't. I simply was embarrassed on the course, and apologized to other runners who asked me why it was this bad. I will not run this race again, nor recommend it, until I've gotten confirmation that things have changed. | |
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L. M. from Madison, WI
(10/24/2010)
 "Well organized, but ugly course" (about: 2010)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Omaha Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was a well organized race with all of the things I look for in organization - nice tech tee, interesting medal, great volunteers, easy packet pick up, good size expo for the size of the race, well stocked aid stations, and plenty of porta-potties. My main complaint with this race is that it has left me with the impression that Omaha is a singularly ugly place to live. The downtown area and the one park by the river were nice (so maybe 3 miles of the race), but the rest covered industrial/commercial park wasteland and poor neighborhoods on the edge of industrial neighborhoods. It also looped around and went back and forth through the same areas, so you got extra time to really appreciate the ugly areas. I understand that course layout is challenging, given traffic concerns, but I've been to many cities where they find a way to get the course through all of the lovely sections of their home town. |
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