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May 5, 2024

Death Valley Borax Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Death Valley Borax Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.3

Organization 4.1

Spectators 2.1

Number of comments: 65 [displaying comments 31 to 41]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 > ]

R. V. from Calif. (12/5/2006) "WOW, what a place" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Death Valley Borax Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 If you want to read something funny, read the event description after you run the race. These guys have a great sense of humor, or they are delusional, and either way it's fun. I will say this is a unique experience. The course: I read the comments that Death Valley is a beautiful place and there is a lot of scenery to take in on the course. The descriptions include desert flora and fauna. I must have missed something. I will agree that it is interesting scenery, but beautiful? I did see one flower alongside the road, and that may have been a grave marker. Other than that, this is a barren wasteland in which nothing can survive. This is definitely not a flat course; there were plenty of rolling hills, with some really nice long grades at the end of the race. I love that at the end of the race. Also the slant of the road was nice on the knees and hips. However, being an out-and-back course, both the left and right side were able to experience the pain equally. Three miles between water stops is a stretch; plan to bring water along. Spectators/ fans: I saw one crow - although, come to think of it, it may have been a buzzard watching for his next meal. Other than that, there were a few family and friends of participants scattered along the route. Organization: A little disorganized; they have everyone checking in, on the morning of the race rather than the night before. The organizers were a little strict about some things, but seemed to good natured about others. Dave refers to himself as Good Old Dave (aka "GOD"), if that is a clue. The Furnace Creek Ranch is an adequate hotel, although I will say the restaurant had a great pasta dinner. Also keep in mind this place is 140 miles from anything resembling civilization (no sarcasm here - it is a long and mind-numbing drive). All in all, a memorable experience that I wouldn't mind missing for another marathon location.
D. B. from Carmel, Indiana (2/8/2006) "Follow up to my previous comments." (about: 2005) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Death Valley Borax Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I mentioned in my previous comments that I had not received my age group winners award at the time I posted my comments. About 2 months after the race, I received a nice engraved plaque with the race title/logo, and personalized with my name, and finish time. I also received a hat. It's really rare to get personalized race hardware. These were an exceptionally nice touch, and capped off what was a truly unique and great marathon experience!
D. B. from Indianapolis, IN (1/17/2006) "Beautiful and challenging desert marathon" (about: 2005) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Death Valley Borax Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 The full marathon was challenging. It was very windy, very dry, and the temp got up to the mid 60s, which was a little warmer than normal. The wind sucked the water out of you. I carried water, as did many runners with the aid stations being about 3 miles apart. The out-and-back course was all below sea level, but not as flat as you might imagine. There were some hills, the highest being about 80 ft, but they were long steady climbs rather than short steep climbs. There was one fan along the course. Yes, that's right ONE AND ONLY ONE fan (not counting the aid station volunteers). She was driving her car along the course and stopped at various points to cheer her husband along. He and I ran together a little until he had had enough and she ended up driving him back. Sounds terrible, right? Well, glutton for punishment that I am, I enjoyed it immensely and rank it up there with my favorite marathons. Death Valley is a two-hour drive from Las Vegas. The valley is lined on either side with colorful mountains, and the course is the paved road that runs just above the floor. The desert scenery does not change much throughout the marathon, but that drives home the point that this is one desolate place, especially if you don't have a car. Mountains in the distance on either side provide a backdrop of scenic solitude. The aid stations were well stocked with water, Gatorade, PowerBars, bananas and other fruit. The finish line had plenty of water, Gatorade, homemade bread, oranges, bananas, and friendly people who kept wanting you to take more. The organizers were friendly, and did some special things that only a small marathon can do, like recognize people who have run more than 10, 50, 100, 200, marathons, etc. (There was actually one guy there who has run over 600 marathons.) The awards ceremony was held the evening of the race in a bar at the ranch where everyone could sit, drink beer and clap for the overall and age-group winners. The shirts for the race did not arrive on time, but true to their word, I did receive mine in the mail a couple of weeks later along with the finisher's medal. The round medal has a unique Death Valley logo on it. I never did receive the age group division award ribbon that was promised, however. I didn't PR, but I was not too far off, finishing in the top 5. Really glad I carried water. It helped me stay hydrated and those I passed in the 2nd half were not carrying any. Death Valley has a nice inn called the Furnace Creek Inn, which also has a very nice restaurant. The Valley has many historic places to visit. My wife and I spent two days there sightseeing and really enjoyed it. December is not a main tourist time (air can be cold and windy and the flowers are not in bloom), but the scenery is unique and spectacular. There's hiking in the canyons, we got the off season rates at the inn, and there was no traffic, and no lines for anything. If you like the Southwest and want to get away from those city marathons, plan on it!
D. G. from Bishop, California (12/4/2005) "Good First Half Marathon For Me" (about: 2005) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Death Valley Borax Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I enjoyed the half marathon and found it a good one to start with. Death Valley is a beautiful place and there is a lot of scenery to take in on the course. The course is out-and-back so you get to see the same stuff twice but from a different direction. The course is along the shoulder of a state highway but the traffic was light and only irritating once. The beginning and end of the course rolls a little but otherwise the course is just about flat. I liked the tone of the race set by the organizers.
Julie Ann Cook from Gilbert, AZ (1/19/2005) "A pretty good race..." (about: 2004) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Death Valley Borax Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 I was told this marathon was basically flat. IT IS NOT. There are no major hills, but there are slight inclines for long periods of time...especially towards the end when you are tired. This was my third full marathon, and so far, I can say I like this course the least. For some reason, I never felt relief on the downhills... maybe being below sea level did something weird to me, but I felt pretty heavy the whole time. I think the lodging was expensive, especially since there were no phones in my hotel room, our heater didn't work the first night, and there were boogers on my shower curtain. I thought the food was great. I guess it just depends on what you order. The aid stations WERE far apart, but I just adjusted and drank more at each one. I think the medal was chintzy... generic. I LOVED the park, and didn't really mind the drive. The food wasn't that great at the end... a little disappointing after burning over 2000 calories. When I got back to my hotel room, I told my sister I didn't ever want to run this marathon again... but I've since changed my mind.
A. M. from California (12/21/2004) "Bad First Marathon? I think not!!!" (about: 2004) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Death Valley Borax Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 Not having ever run a marathon prior, perhaps my remarks can be discounted... but regardless, here goes: I read previous reviews stating this is probably not a good first marathon and was therefore concerned, but nonetheless decided to make it my first. It is a beautiful course, but don't expect fans, unless you bring them (I did). Regardless, the volunteers were great, I carried a fuel belt, which I would advise. The weather couldn't have been better, and the course is generally flat. I've run other races (half marathons/10k's) and don't think there were any significant hills on this course. I've heard others say don't look for a PR in this race. That's not true, just make sure it's your first marathon and you finish. I guarantee you a PR!!! Now the bad... The trip is a pain in the butt, and the cost of lodging far exceeds what you get for your money. Also, the restaurant food in Death Valley sucks. How bad? Let's say stale PowerBars with warm water sound appetizing in comparison. Keep in mind, none of these items can be controlled by the event coordinators... Overall, no complaints, especially having it be my first marathon and qualifying for Boston...
P. B. from San Francisco Bay Area (12/16/2004) "A wonderful run" (about: 2004) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran the half marathon. Weather conditions were absolutely perfect: cool and clear with a light breeze. The course is hauntingly beautiful, although I was mildly concerned about running on the same side of the road facing/dodging faster runners who had already turned around. Vehicle traffic wasn't much of an issue, maybe because I am used to running in the streets at home. Organization was generally good, although I heard afterward that they ran out of shirts and will be back-ordering them - that would have been a major bummer had I run the full marathon, since I am slow. Come prepared to deal with limited food choices. If the restaurant is too crowded, the general store sells packaged food and drink. I recommend carrying your own water on the run, since the desert air is still drying despite the cool temperatures. Take advantage of the porta-potties at the aid stations, since the rangers patrol the course to make sure no one litters or defaces the park. Although the course is not exactly flat, it is very do-able, and I felt good enough afterward to take a 2-mile hike.
Hélène Walker from Southlake, Texas (12/16/2004) "Mixed feelings regarding Death Valley" (about: 2004) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 Here are my few comments regarding Death Valley. Pros: 1) As always, the officials and volunteers were really nice and friendly. 2) Getting up 'late' and being able to walk to the start within 2 minutes was a plus. (You know, no shuttle to take 4 or 5 hours before the race!) 3) The environment was gorgeous. 4) The course was good, despite a few hills towards the end. 5) There was no line at the porta-potties!!! Cons: 1) The disappointing medal we received at the end of the marathon. It was just a generic medal from Envirosports that did not commemorate Death Valley. 2) Unlike most marathons, there was no pre-race packet pick-up, and the shirts were given at the end of the race. However, since there were three races that day (10K, half and full marathon), and people could register on race day, most wanted shirts (L and XL) were already gone by the time marathoners finished the race. Pre-registered runners should get their shirts, regardless! 3) The awards ceremony. Knowing that my husband may have placed, we went to the awards ceremony. Names and times were shouted, but there were no awards given away. Could someone explain? Mixed feelings: 1) Aid stations 3 miles apart. Maybe because we are in a national park, and unavoidable littering on race day has to be controlled? Although the organizers warn runners they may want to carry their bottle, this is unwanted weight when one is trying to run a good race. 2) Running on the side of the road. It was fine as long as we were running against traffic. When we turned around, we were running with traffic, and some cars and trucks were careless, which was a little scary. 3) The lack of spectators was not much of a problem because I like solitude. As a whole, right now I am not too sure whether I want to run that race again. (A personal reason being that a 30-year old knee injury started playing up around mile 10, and I knew that I could not qualify for Boston again with that excruciating pain at every step I took.) Ask me in a few months when the disappointment of not qualifying is gone.
Tom Nigro from Atlanta, GA (12/14/2004) "My favorite marathon so far" (about: 2004) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Death Valley Borax Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was my 7th marathon and by far my favorite! There is something truly amazing about Death Valley that makes this one of the most unique places to run 26.2 miles! The scenery is like an acid trip! I never wanted to run the same marathon twice, but I really would like to make this an annual pilgrimage. The Furnace Creek Ranch is a good place to stay ? clean, nice rooms. I wished I stayed longer to take some of their horseback tours and relax at the pool, but I only had the room for 1 night. The restaurant there did a good job of feeding everyone without any wait (last year's reviews made it sound so much worse). If you need crowd support, then you are out of luck here! While crowd support is nice, the crowd never helped me cross any finish line. It?s almost nice NOT to have the crowds yelling at you and saying things like ?I know you can do it!? When I hear people say that I wonder ?how do you know what I can do?? I think it?s just fluff for weak-minded people. If you?re a true runner ? you find motivation within yourself, not from some idiot yelling ?you?re almost there!? I read reviews from past years and a lot of people talked about the hills. I would not call this course ?flat?, but the hills were no as bad as I thought. I PR?d by 11 seconds and felt that they were manageable and easy grades. It almost seems like they were more of an optical illusion than grueling hills. My ONLY disappointment was that neither the bib nor the medal said ?Death Valley Marathon?. They REALLY NEED TO CHANGE THAT!!! This race already has people from around the world coming to participate ? so make the name count! I don?t care if Envirosport sponsors the race, it?s still the ?Death Valley? Marathon ? not the ?Envirosport? Marathon. It may cost a little more ? so just charge a little more. All in all ? this was my best marathon experience and I hope to be back!
J. C. from Chile (12/14/2004) "Tough run..." (about: 2004) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Death Valley Borax Marathon COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 I personally don't think it's worth it to come all the way and run this. There is nothing here. The place is dead. The medal is no good. Doesn't even have the name of the marathon in it. It's not for regular runners... that partly explains why only a couple of hundred show up.

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