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☰
New Mexico Marathon Runner Comments
Back to New Mexico Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.9 
Organization 3.7 
Spectators 2.2
Number of comments: 96 [displaying comments 51 to 61]
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Michael Sunseri from Covington, Louisiana
(9/7/2006)
 "Get over it!!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New Mexico Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I forgot to add that it is a very small marathon. Those who were disappointed must not be very experienced. What do you expect for a race with under 300 runners???? A million spectators??? Get over it. This is a great little marathon in a beautiful area. Need I say more??? | |
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Michael Sunseri from Covington, Louisiana
(9/7/2006)
"Great Marathon" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New Mexico Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I don't know what the previous years were like, but 2006 was great! Charlie put on a well organized race, the volunteers were incredible, and the course was awesome. I have run 19 marathons before this one and I can't think of one that was any more enjoyable. And yes, I ran New York, Boston, Chicago, Big Sur, etc. Kudos to Charlie and the beautiful state of New Mexico. Thank you Charlie. Mike Sunseri | |
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D. S. from USA
(9/5/2006)
 "Boring Marathon" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New Mexico Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 We had to load the buses at 4 a.m. only to be dropped off at the start location with no water or shelter for over an hour before the start. The first 30 or so minutes of the marathon were in complete darkness. The volunteers were very friendly and the water stations were more than adequate. The course was boring, other than the mountains off in the distance. I heard some runners complain about the part of the course on the bike trail, but a least there were cyclists and other runners passing by that cheered us on. Otherwise, there were very few spectators. The only port-a-potties I saw were at the start and the halfway point. It was pretty much a low-frills event, but the finisher's medallions were very unique. I still can't understand why there wasn't a timing mat at the beginning of the race. | |
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E. A. from New York City
(9/4/2006)
 "Excellent!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New Mexico Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I highly recommend this marathon. Very well organized. Staff was incredibly nice and accommodating. Very personalized and caring service. Course/scenery was gorgeous. Medals and trophies were unique and beautiful. Travel/logistics were easy--didn't even need to rent a car. Staying at the Rio Grande Inn-Best Western works well. | |
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J. F. from Florida
(9/4/2006)
 "Great Course" (about: 2006)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 New Mexico Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 The course really is worth it all. As the sun comes up over the Sandia Mountains, I could see for miles into Albuquerque and beyond... the early morning darkness breaking into the morning clouds over the mountains, the buffalo on the "prairie." What's not to love about this course? Sure it was a huge descent out of the mountains, but it was beautiful. The Albuquerque Police Department was patient, cordial and professional. Thank you APD. The bad is as follows: No expo to buy incidentals at packet pick-up. Needs many (MANY) more aid stations. Needs aid stations every mile after 16 miles. Insufficient nutrition. No Power gel (GU) at all. Race director (very nice guy) said to be at the bus to catch it to the start at 4:00 a.m. sharp. We sat there until 4:30 a.m. only to find out there were 2 more buses behind us. Not enough port-a-potties at start or on the course, 1st one at 1/2 marathon. None thereafter. Walkers (blocked roadway in early morning darkness) deserve their own start. I suggest 1 hour earlier (4:30 a.m.). Finisher's medal, although cool idea (pottery), rubbed-off its insignia, indicating how it was earned before I got home. Maybe etch them? | |
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d. w. from L.A., CA
(9/4/2006)
"ok marathon, but pretty boring" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I really try to avoid complaining about any race but here are a few things that I certainly did not like: Traffic control, just around the 13th mile, the off-ramp off the 25. NO TRAFFIC CONTROL - I almost got run over. There was a guy there with music, but he sure did not care about warning us or stopping cars. And I got there early in the race - about 1:36 into it. Medal and rewards: the medal lacks the name of the marathon. The medal is the same for the half and 5K. The rewards are non-descript plates available around the corner in old town. I'd rather pay an extra $10 and get a medal that has the name and year of the marathon on it. Water stations: I'm glad I brought my CamelBak filled with 50 ounces of liquid. I don't know how you guys do it, but if I fly by the station at a 7:30 pace and grab a 4-ounce cup, I'm lucky if I get 1 ounce of water, and that's not enough. Now to the neutral stuff and comments (not really complaints): The description of the course makes it sound flat and fast. Be aware though. You are climbing 400 feet over 8.5 miles with a short 50-foot drop in between. While it is more or less gradual, it is at 6000 feet. Do not underestimate that if you live at low altitude (like me). After mile 8.5, you are gradually drop approximately 1000 feet over 5.5 miles. After mile 14 you drop another 50 feet. From mile 15 to the finish the course is flat and boring. You end up at 5000 feet altitude (not 4800 feet), which did mess me up a little since I thought there was another descent. The first half of the run is kind cool and weird, running in the dark, looking at the lights in the city. The second half is boring - and be prepared to run by yourself (except for bikers, which do not seem to like the fact that there is a marathon going on)! The whole race felt more like a somewhat organized training run. I wanted to qualify for Boston (3:15) but failed due to the missing motivation (spectators) and mainly because of the underestimated fact of the altitude. While they were announcing most runners at the finish they were busy giving out 5K awards when I came in. not a big deal but it would have been nice to hear my name. Charlie was great and helpful. There was no timing chip at the start, no water, and we got dropped off way too early (because they needed the busses for the half marathon?) so we did stand around for over an hour. And when it was time, we went to the "start line" with no traffic control at first. Kind of dangerous& I was told that there wouldbe about 800 runners, but I think it was less than 200 (for the full). I don't have anything to compare this "small" marathon to; the other two I half done so far had more than 5,000 runners. So I don't know how other small races are organized and run. I don't regret doing this one, but I won't be back anytime soon. | |
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D. M. from Lubbock, TX
(9/4/2006)
"Scenic, small marathon" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New Mexico Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I have fairly good feelings about this marathon. The course is a very scenic one. I especially enjoyed the first half, with the sunrise and the vistas of Albuquerque. A common complaint from last year was the lack of port-a-jons. Again, they were conspicuously missing. Only the two start areas (the full and half) had any. That means, of course, that if nature calls shortly after the beginning of the race, which it so often does, it is a very, very long 13.1 miles to the first opportunity to... (well, you know). This is the one significant problem I would point to that simply must be fixed. The New Mexico Marathon is a wonderful event. Don't expect the amenities of a large event - they aren't there. On the other hand, the registration fee is also small. The finisher's medal is a wonderfully executed custom medal reminiscent of local pottery, as are the finisher's awards. The weather was perfect this year, slightly overcast, never too cold, never hot, and plenty of visibility to watch the hot air balloons ascend as we descended into the valley between miles 8 and 15 (the first eight miles are a gentle climb, by the way). The volunteers were very cheerful. The police were incredibly well organized and made the event completely safe and smooth (short of actually closing down roads, they could not have possibly done a better job - that part was flawless). I recommend this run and hope they can tweak a few of the minor organizational problems. | |
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C. M. from Redondo Beach, California
(11/8/2005)
"Could have been better" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New Mexico Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I was looking forward to running this marathon. I'm from California, and recently we, along with other family members, bought a house in in Albuquerque. We have lots of family in town. Nevertheless, the organization could have been better. My biggest complaint was the lack of porta-potties. My cousin owns and operates one of the biggest porta-potty business in New Mexico, and when I discussed with him the lack of porta-potties, he was livid and embarrassed, especially when I told him I had stop at a gas station to use the facilities at around mile 16. He said that no one from the New Mexico Marathon committee contacted him on his services. He highly recommends a bigger and supposedly better New Mexico marathon that takes place around October - and yes there are more porta-potties at this marathon because he provides them. I am also confused about the shirts - how come the centennial (or is it bicentennial) for New Mexico is being celebrated in 2005 when the anniversary is in 2006? Now for the positives: The course is beautiful and I love the small-town atmosphere and the start time. The people in New Mexico are some of the nicest people around (that's why half of my family lives there). I also like the fact it is on a three-day weekend. I am planning to go to New Mexico at least 3 times a year. I greatly want to run this marathon again, but until improvements are made, I will only be visiting New Mexico without the New Mexico Marathon experience. | |
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Philip Lawrence from New Orleans, Louisiana
(9/19/2005)
"Nice Marathon" (about: 2005)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 New Mexico Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Nice marathon; well organized, cool weather, mostly flat course. The sun rising over the Sandia Mountains was awesome. I highly recommend this race. Philip | |
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Allan Tang from Denver, CO
(9/13/2005)
"Best little marathon on the planet" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 New Mexico Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Charlie did a great job in putting this race together. Kudos to Charlie, staff and police who made it a wonderful 1st marathon experience. Course and weather was outstanding, but the 8 mile downhill was tough on the knees. Hope to do this one again- after some strenghtening of the IT band. |
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