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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 61 to 71]
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m. m. from ft worth
(11/17/2005)
 "Very humid" (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 San Antonio Marathon-Marathon of the Americas
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 My wife and I really enjoyed this race. This is our third marathon. The water tables, the police, the food and drinks afterward were great. The people running the race were awesome. My only problem was the loopy course and the humid day. I thought the loops wouldn't bother me, but they did. Other than that, San Antonio is a pretty cool town. Might race it again, if they change the course. | |
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M. S. from San Antonio
(11/16/2005)
 "Was told it would be like this..." (about: 2005)
First Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I'm from San Antonio so I had heard the rumors and been warned not to be to diappointed in the small turnout of spectators for this race. I was disappointed to find the Alamodome charging $10 for parking! Unbelieveable! Kudos to the volunteers at the water stations and to the police officers blocking traffic - great job! Spaghetti Warehouse was absolutely terrible - long wait for a table when it was half empty, terrible and extremely slow waitress and cold food. I heard not to compare this to others and I definitely won't. | |
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M. D. from San Angelo, Texas
(11/16/2005)
"Simply a great experience." (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I haven't run a marathon in 10 years and wasn't sure what to expect from San Antonio. I was presently surprised. Personally, I liked the relatively small size and prefer not to have screaming spectators everywhere. The police and volunteers were great and the post-race festivities were held in a very attractive plaza adjacent to the Alamodome. A special kudos goes out to whoever coordinated the water stops. The volunteers were very well trained and helpful. All in all this was a nice experience and I would definitely return. The only negative is that the course did loop over itself several times which increased the likelihood of runners making an incorrect turn. I do sympathize with those who made wrong turns. That said, it was a comfortable course to run with just enough variation to keep it interesting. | |
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R. N. from Houston, Texas
(11/16/2005)
 "It was okay." (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 San Antonio Marathon-Marathon of the Americas
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The course was nice in parts, but monotonous. I got a little tired of running through the same streets over and over. I guess they have their reasons for doing it this way. One positive thing I can say is that it was flat. I thought it seemed pretty well organized, but there was not a lot of crowd support. I'm okay with that, but I know some people need the crowds. There were some people around the downtown area, but very few along the out-and-back portion of the course. I thought that the nice people at the water stations made up for this, as they were very encouraging. To sum up, it was okay. I wouldn't travel a long way just for this marathon, but if you live nearby or are intending to combine it with a San Antonio vacation, then it's worth it. | |
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D. R. from Southern Illinois
(11/15/2005)
"Hot!" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 San Antonio Marathon-Marathon of the Americas
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I know it wasn't San Antonio's fault, but I was hoping for a better performance than this hot and humid day facilitated. But there were sure plenty of water tables! Wow! I found nothing to fault the organization for at all. I'm assuming there are reasons the course is so repetitive and loopy (can't get city approval for a wider ranging course?). It is the downside of this race though. Just eliminating those little interior loops would help. The start/finish is so convenient to so many hotels, and rooms are plentiful. And San Antonio has a lot to offer us out-of-towners. Not a bad race at all, and a potentially really good one. | |
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C. B. from Phoenix, AZ
(11/14/2005)
 "Don't Waste Your Time &Money on This One!" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 San Antonio Marathon-Marathon of the Americas
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 The course is confusing and they sent me around a loop that caused me to run and extra two miles. The third time around they confirmed my suspicions that I should have gone left not right the prior time around the Almo Dome. The topper was talking to someone from the race organization after the race and this gentlemen informing me that that couldn't have possibly happend. I let him know in no uncertain terms that it could happen, and did happen. The course goes through some of the most depressing areas I have seen in awhile, don't understand the reasoning for picking this double loop course and where it goes. Then on race day I have to track down pins to attach my Bib number, didn't have any at the Expo. Then they don't have my chip in the computer, only sent the number in three weeks in advance. I don't know how much this marathon was advertised locally, but there were very few fans and those that were out there just seem to look at you like your nuts. The police did a great job of traffic control in the heart of the city, my hats off to them. The people at the water stops did a good job also. Today I check the 'Unoffical Results' and I guess the promise to get my chip number in the computer didn't happen because I didn't show up on the results. Hopefully they will straighten this out, becuase this is one of my fifty states and DC marathons, don't need to make up Texas. Couple of other marathons available in Texas they have to be better than this one. Hard to believe this has been around for 31 years! | |
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l. r. from Texas
(11/14/2005)
"Hot day and a mixed bag" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 San Antonio Marathon-Marathon of the Americas
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I had read the reviews for this race, knew how hot it would be, but ran it anyway. It is my hometown marathon, what can I say? It is a mixed bag. The expo and packet pick up were surprisingly good for a race this size. More vendors than I expected, and a quick, efficient organization. The race starts at the Alamodome. The race material asks runners to park in a certain lot that costs between 8 and 10 dollars. I don't like the idea of paying that much for parking, or paying at all for parking! However, it is possible to park close for free, if you ask around or scout out the area beforehand. There are decent prestart ammenities, although they could use a few more portajohns. The course is terribly complicated. That would be my major criticism of the race. Basically it is a two loop course. But within those two loops, there is lots of running in circles, lots of intersecting groups of runners doing different races. I stayed with someone who knew the course so as not to get misdirected. There are people on the course directing runners, but I wonder if the course could be redone to eliminate the confusing parts altogether. There are a couple of scenic spots, and the Alamo, of course. More than enough water, which was a good thing for such a hot day. Post race organization is also quite good. The race ends at the Alamodome, so hooking up with your car and/or family is pretty easy. The finish line is well organized, and there is plenty of food and drink. Runners could eat rice, beans, baked potatoes, sausage, cookies, brownies, and drink beer, water or PowerAde. People do sit at tables afterwards and have lunch. There is a finisher's shirt, which I always like. The race attracts a good number of runners from across the border which gives it a more exotic Tex Mex feel. It is a small race with potential. A better course would help a lot. Weather will always be a wild card in Texas in November, but on a cool day it could be quite nice. San Antonio is a great place to visit, and the race is within walking distance of the River Walk. | |
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M. B. from San Antonio, TX
(11/14/2005)
"Good First Marathon" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 San Antonio Marathon-Marathon of the Americas
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Since this was my first marathon I definitely enjoyed it. Based on previous years' comments and my own experience, I have some tips for improvement. Running down Cherry Street wasn't really a good choice since for locals the street is synonymous with prostitution. Then there was the loops within loops, which cause more than one person to get lost and either drop out from frustration or run a 30-mile marathon. The race directors need to utilize more of the city. It was very grueling to have to run by the same areas 4 or 5 times. But, I will do it again next year because San Antonio has been a good home town for the past 8 years. | |
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L. V. from Dallas, Texas
(4/11/2005)
 "A good course and the best post-race food" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 San Antonio Marathon-Marathon of the Americass
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I have run this race twice (2003,2004) and it has improved drastically! It is an out-and-back course which gives you a nice tour of the city. The water tables are nicely supported and there is just the right number of people to cheer you on. This is a nice small to medium-sized race, so if you like low-key, this is perfect for you. I have yet to find a marathon that matches the post-race rice, beans and potatoes! | |
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J. H. from San Antonio, TX
(3/4/2005)
"First marathon in hometown just okay" (about: 2004)
First Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 All right, I just found this cool website and I?ll put in my two cents. This was my first marathon and it is in my hometown of San Antonio. I would say that I would have to agree with most of the course complaints. The only positive thing I could say about the double-loop course was that my two brothers and my cousin had multiple places to root me on without having to move that much (Hemisphere Park area). I ran the first half of the relay last year and I think the old course was better. At least you got to pass by the Alamo and into Brackenridge Park. I also wish they would have had more music (band or DJ) along the way. The only one I could recall was the DJ at the halfway mark. Also, there was no one at the end of the race to collect my timing chip and that was the last thing I thought of at that point. Needless to say, I had to mail it in the next day. The print on my t-shirt was crooked and of course I didn?t find that out until after the run. I tried to reach the organizers to get it replaced (after all, it was my first), but I had no luck. I really hope that the organizers take some of the criticism from the runners into account as I plan on running this again. I love my town and the support from the great volunteers and spectators. |
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