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San Antonio Marathon-Marathon of the Americas Runner Comments
Back to San Antonio Marathon-Marathon of the Americas Information & Reviews
Course 3.3 
Organization 3.5 
Spectators 2.6
Number of comments: 122 [displaying comments 31 to 41]
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C. W. from Amarillo, Texas
(11/23/2006)
 "Excellent course and well-organized." (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 San Antonio Marathon-Marathon of the Americass
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I really enjoyed the newly designed course; it is very scenic and very flat compared to many marathons. I am surprised at the negative comments; they seem to come from people who want something for nothing. I've run 29 marathons and this one 4 times. My thanks to the excellent volunteers who made this an excellent marathon. I will run it again next year! | |
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G. M. from San Marcos, TX
(11/20/2006)
 "Great new course!" (about: 2006)
50+ previous marathons
| 2 San Antonio Marathon-Marathon of the Americass
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my 112th marathon and my second SA Marathon. GREAT course... loved the cannon start at the Alamo and the live finish IN the Alamodome! Please pass my congratulations on to a great team of volunteers - plenty of well staffed aid stations. Wish they would bring their friends because the course got lonely in the missions - not much street support. However, I think that will change in years to come as this race gets good PR!! | |
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Glenn Ray from Houston, TX
(11/17/2006)
"Missions Accomplished!" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 San Antonio Marathon-Marathon of the Americas
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 Designed by two-time winner, Roger Soler, the new course is exactly what the San Antonio Marathon needed to bring this event to the fore. It is now arguably one of the finest marathons in Texas. The weather for the 2006 event was near-perfect, with starting temps in the low 40's and ending in the upper 60's by noon. Historically, this is below average for this time of year by about 10 degrees. About 1,000 marathoners and about 1,700 half-marathoners participated. Cons: 1) Port-o-Lets - There were plenty of PoLs at the start, but access to them was inconsistent. Many of them had no paper, so this could have been disastrous. Also, the number of PoLs along the course should be increased from two per stop to three or four, especially if participation increases. 2) Road Conditions - Most of the roads and trails were fine, but parts of downtown and a stretch near mile 24 were pretty rough. 3) Post-Finish Area - I loved the idea of finishing in the Alamodome, but access to post-race areas was difficult. This was because the final stretch split down the middle of the arena. It should be either moved more to one side or the full arena should be opened up. In any case, it's a great idea that just needs some work. Pros: 1) Volunteers and Police - I had no problems navigating the course or worrying about traffic. The police and volunteers were friendly all along the way and are to be commended. 2) Water/Gatorade Stations - Very well stocked and easy to navigate through. They even had gels and fruit (which I won't accept from spectators, but here was a welcome surprise). 3) THE COURSE - This is an amazing design that showcased much of what San Antonio is known for. First, it starts in front of The Alamo. There are plenty of crossings over the San Antonio River. You get to go past El Mercado and the beautiful homes in the King William area. Finally, you see the four Spanish missions of the National Historic Park. The highlight for me was Mission Espada at the southernmost part of the course where you actually run within feet of the outer ruins. Because the course has several miles of running paths, future marathon participation should be limited to no more than 2000-2500 entrants. The organizers should be proud of their achievement this year and I encourage fellow Texans to consider adding San Antonio to their marathon schedule in 2007. I will. | |
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B. H. from Austin, Tx.
(11/17/2006)
 "Nice race, but missing the little things" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 San Antonio Marathon-Marathon of the Americas
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 This was my first time running this marathon. The course was beautiful, if devoid of any crowd support. I wanted to look back at the route online but there isn't a description of it on the race's website. There were also problems on the run (by this I mean: brush piles in the middle of the runway), things that they should have moved before they opened up the route to runners. Having the half marathoners start with the full marathoners is a bad idea. I was surrounded by halfers. They really were in the way. Maybe if they had a way to start them a bit later, that would help. As for water, I finished barely under five hours and they were already out of water bottles. I had to grab a cup they had poured for me. I don't know how they run out of water bottles at the end of a race but still have plenty of sodas. The AlamoDome finish was a mess. It was too small an area for people to comfortably fit and meet up with family and friends. I think they could make this a great race if they made improvements to the little things. | |
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E. C. from San Antonio
(11/16/2006)
"Tremendous Improvement" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 San Antonio Marathon-Marathon of the Americass
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my 3rd time running San Antonio. I have also run Chicago, Boston and spectated Houston. The route was significantly better - visually, the surface, the flat terrain. More restrooms would have made a difference for those trying to make a certain time. My hope is that the word will spread regarding the improvements and the race will grow, which will add more spectators, etc. From what I've witnessed in Boston and Chicago, it takes the spectators and the city's support to make it truly a community EVENT. Thanks so much for working to make this such a great race. | |
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C. S. from Pipe Creek, TX
(11/15/2006)
"Runner-friendly" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 San Antonio Marathon-Marathon of the Americas
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Overall the course was great for runners - scenic with gentle, rolling hills along the river. Some streets were full of potholes and bumps. After witnessing two falls in the first mile, I had to watch every step. Seeing the skyline return at about mile 22 gave me a nice mental boost! For spectators, it must have been difficult or impossible to get near the course between 13 and 21 - it was lonely along the river. Otherwise and especially in the last mile, the fans were awesome! The finish area inside the Alamodome was crowded and disorganized, but I'll be back next year to check out the improvements! | |
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R. S. from Illinois
(11/15/2006)
"Quite a City, Quite a Race. Great Vacation!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Really enjoyed this course and city with my family. I ran the half marathon and my daughter ran the 5K. We were fortunate to stay at Drury's Hotel and get a suite. It was a short four-block warm-up jog to the start. The weather was perfect. The city and area are beautiful, with the riverwalk adjacent to our hotel. The runners were friendly. The medal was unique. The course is flat and scenic. The Dome made for a terrific finish, but needs some work. Almost missed getting my chip snipped off. And to funnel hundreds of people upstairs in single-file to exit, with some guy yelling that we could not come back down for any reason, had me waving for 45 minutes to my 10 year-old daughter who was on the floor watching for me. Other than that, with some minor polishing, this race - with such beauty in their residents and city - could boom. I have run east to west coasts and this was a memorable family vacation. So much to see and do and glad we caught the Veterans Day parade a block from our hotel - it was military pride at its best. Also, a great police presence along the route and all over the city. | |
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G. R. from Houston
(11/15/2006)
"Mission Accomplished!" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 San Antonio Marathon-Marathon of the Americas
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 San Antonio is a wonderful city to visit and with the redesigned course (by two-time winner Roger Soler), this is now one of the top Texas marathons. First, the "Cons": 1) Quantity of port-o-lets at the start was great, but layout was confusing and many of them HAD NO PAPER! This was nearly disastrous. 2) Need to increase the number of port-o-lets on the course from two per stop to three or four, especially if the number of participants increases. 3) Condition of roads needs to be double-checked. The stretch along Mission Road north of I-10 (near mile 24) was pretty nasty. There were also a few sections downtown where the asphalt had severe camber. Now the "Pros": 1) Awesome volunteers and police support; simply amazing work for such a small race. 2) Excellent water/Gatorade tables. I had no problem clearing these sections and the volunteers there were great. 3) The giveaways were great.... The participant shirt looks awesome, I love the technical shirt, and the medal is a keeper. 4) THE COURSE. This was an amazing combination of history, vistas, roads, and trails. I've visited the four missions before, but seeing them in this manner was breathtaking. The highlight would have to be Mission Espada, since you run within feet of the oldest ruins. And, you can't beat finishing in the Alamodome (although that last stretch down is a doozy). (On a personal note, I had an 11-minute PR). As others noted, parts of this course are on trails and cannot support more than three runners side by side. The organizers will have to seriously consider limiting participation of the marathon portion to 2,500 in order to keep this from being an issue. I also hope that the organizers will offer more advance notice to the citizens of San Antonio so that more spectators may participate in future events. Nevertheless, I will plan to participate again next year. | |
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F. M. from San Antonio TX
(11/13/2006)
"New course was GREAT! But the finish was a MESS!" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 2 San Antonio Marathon-Marathon of the Americass
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Loved the new route - very scenic; water stations were well staffed and generally enthusiastic!! Did the full last year (the course didn't bother me last year) and the half this time. The only negative was the the Alamodome finish. The finish area was not organized at all. Had trouble trying to find someone to take my chip, and I gave up on getting a photo taken because the line was crazy!! Finally jumped the metal barricades to get to the food and beer and then had to get back in another line to get off the dome floor. Very poor planning for this. Having only one flight of stairs open to get out and then having an usher allowing only one side at a time to move forward on the stairs was nuts!!! It was the only way to get to the spectators and exit the dome. Also, not allowing spectators on the floor was wrong!! My six year-old just wanted to hug me and was told no!! After such great improvements on the course it seems that no thought went into the after party. I had a beer, a banana and stood in line for 10 minutes to get that hug for my daughter!! | |
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M. G. from Alabama
(11/13/2006)
 "Great Run - Great Route" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I enjoyed the half-marathon route very much.... Obviously the organizers heeded the critique of previous races. The finish could use some work; chip removal, snack line, exit strategy, safety and more room at the end of the chute. Will I do it next year? Absolutely yes! |
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