May 17, 2024
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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 81 to 91]
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l. p. from Midwest
(9/18/2003)
 "NOT the best little marathon in the country" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I don't know who gave the race this title, but they must not have run many small races. If you want the best little marathon in the country, run Yakima River Canyon in WA. Now they know how to put on a race. I am glad I read the reviews of this race prior to running, so I was adequately prepared and carried my own water bottle and stash of Gatorade, so that was not an issue for me. I figured it wouldn't be a problem and the race director would have learned from previous comments, but apparently not. The normal amenities of a race were not taken care of, which is just inexcusable. I mean come on, 2 Gatorade stops? I only saw one at the halfway point. There should have been Gatorade at every stop thereafter. Does he want the runners to get sick? I ended up with hyponeutremia once after a marathon b/c they had weak Gatorade or none on the course. I always carry it with me now just in case, but I should not have to - a race should take care of that unless it specifically states its intentions way in advance so the runners are prepared before they arrive at the destination. Most people found out about the limited Gatorade the night before the race. What are they supposed to do at that point? Many people were from out of town and might not have had rental cars. The other thing is no porta potties along the route. They stated that there would probably be about 3 along the course, but I did not see one. That is just ridiculous. To me as a woman, that is totally disrespectful. Men have an easier advantage of dealing without porta potties, but I am sure they would have preferred to have them as well. To me, that is just totally disrespectful to your city. There is no reason the runners should 'litter' in this beautiful city when that matter could have been easily taken care of. Although I did like the medal due to its uniqueness and it represented the area as well, it was not the medal that they showed us that we would get on the website. Also, they mentioned a Mariachi band would be there to bring us in, no such band. To me there were a lot of promises of things, but no delivery. The $50 entry fee didn't bother me, as it did pay for the pasta party, bus transportation to the start, and police support which I can assume are the big ticket items for a race. But I would think that amount should be able to cover Gatorade along the route. If it doesn't cover porta potties, then raise the price $5 to cover it. Runners would pay for it. All this aside, I did enjoy the race as I was in my own little world, adequately prepared, and I enjoyed the scenery and the descent. But speaking as a runner, they missed the bar on putting together an effective race, so I would not run it again unless they provide the basic needs any runner should have. | |
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M. C. from Albuquerque, NM
(9/14/2003)
 "There are better marathons in New Mexico" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 This is my third time running this marathon because the starting line is only 3 miles from my house, but everytime I run it I say it's my last. I appreciate Charlie putting it on, but he needs to start taking care of the people on the course and at the finish. I also don't care for cars zipping by at 60 mph 5 feet away. When I finished their was nothing but water. Its one redeeming value is that it is fairly scenic. If you want a NM marathon, I would recommend Shiprock or Taos Marathons in May/June. | |
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J. K. from Albuquerque, NM
(9/14/2003)
"Average course, below-average organization" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I ran the New Mexico Marathon for the first time in 2003; it may be my last time unless significant changes are made. As others have mentioned, Gatorade was only offered at two aid stations: the 10K mark and the half-marathon mark. This is inexcusable, in my opinion, given the $50 entry fee. It was also very dark at the start of the race, so dark that the headlights of oncoming cars would blind you. I was also stunned that the race organizers ran out of water at the finish line. This was not a concern for me since I finished in the top 25, but I saw many suffering runners finish without any liquid refreshment to greet them. Finally, the t-shirts were poorly designed, with subpar graphics and sleeves that did not seem to match the size of the shirt. | |
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E. C. from Dallas, Texas
(9/11/2003)
"Do this one - only if you are fast!!!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 The food at the pasta dinner was good, having the drawings for freebies was a good idea, you should skip the comediene, and the massages at the end were the terrific - but the race itself leaves a lot to be desired. No spectators, no porta potties and only Gatorade at mile 13 for me. Supposed to have been Gatorade at mile 6, but they ran out before I got there. Running with the traffic zipping past us was scary. Medals were cheap, green bananas at the finish were inedible and the course is not marked. So unless you are Speedy Gonzales, find another one for New Mexico. | |
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S. B. from Richardson, TX
(9/11/2003)
"Worst little race in the country!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Charlie Otero's (race director) and this race are ONES TO SKIP!!!! Where to start? Please see others comments about lack of Gatorade, port-o-potties, etc. My issue: the fact that the mile 18 and mile 19 aid stations were nowhere to be found at the end (yes, I was the last marathoner, accompanied by one girlfriend). This was crucial because at mile 19, you were told to TURN LEFT... I went STRAIGHT... and got lost!!! OK. First 8 miles were uphill, but along the base of the Sandia Mountain, so that was pretty. We watched the sun come up and bathe ABQ in sunlight as several hot air baloons rose over the city. Hit the downhill and due to elevation, lack of electrolyte support, was struggling. Stopped at a gas station for restroom and to buy my own Gatorade. So we got a little behind. We saw aid stations right up through the TNT station at mile 16. A park ranger was following us up until mile 18 where we got on a local running trail and ran South. 18 and 19 were supposed to be manned by Phil's Barbershop - have water and at mile 19 tell you to turn east for a 1/2 mile jog before turning back south on a local road. NO AID STATIONS! Someone should have known there were two runners still out there... but no one knew or cared. We continued south on the bike path, parallelling the race course to past the equivalent of mile 23 - 4 miles! No water, no aid stations, nothing (pretty trail though). Thankfully my friend had the emergency number to call and one of the sag wagon workers came, found us, got us back on course (had to double back some and did an extra mile... grr) and gave us water. We were back on at mile 23. Sad part - we called the race director from out there to make sure someone would meet us at the finish line. Asked if we could get a ride back the four blocks from the finish to our hotel,his response: 'We don't run a shuttle service here...' He had no idea anyone was out on the course still! (Dangerous... to say the least). He met us at the mile 24 marker, gave us our terra cotta medallions (not what is pictured on the website, much cheaper), pointed us in the direction of the finish line (4 blocks from our hotel) and waved goodbye. Didn't ask if we were ok, didn't care that we GOT LOST ON THE *NOT* MARKED TRAIL. Nothing. If you are more than a 5.5 hour marathoner - avoid this one... if you run into trouble and take longer than 6, you are out of luck. You could be out there for days wandering around and no one would know or even care. PASS THIS ONE UP!!!! | |
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F. S. from USA
(9/8/2003)
"Almost an average marathon" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 This was my 50th marathon overall and 29th state. I ran this marathon to get a new state. It was pretty good in several areas, but pretty poor in others. The course was rolling but gradually uphill for the first 6 miles, then downhill for about 12 miles, then basically flat for 8 miles. The problem with the first 6 miles is that they are at around 6,000 feet elevation which seems to cost you about 30-90 seconds per mile in pace (depending on your level of ability). The downhill is very significant, so you'd better do a lot of downhill training, especially since you have 12 miles of it in a row (this can really tire out your legs). The race starts at 5:30 to avoid most of the heat (you can't see anything the first 30 minutes or so), but many of your last 8 miles are run in 50% sun, 50% shade as the air temperature is rising. The scenery is OK for a few miles (some hot air balloons and panoramic views), but most of the race is standard urban scenary, going through some good and not-so-good parts of town. The last mile is pretty depressing as you go through a run-down industrial park with absolutely no spectators (except right at the finish line). In fact, there are only a handful of well-wishers on the whole course. The organization of the race is the problem. The race director decided the runners only need Gatorade at miles 6 and 13 (water elsewhere). If you were in the top 2/3 of the finishers, you got water at the finish line - everyone else got nothing after running for 5 hours. They had only cookies, bananas, and grapes at the finish - pretty weak. The shirts were also a problem as the sleeves were all too short and the graphics were pretty sorry, too. Maybe you can't expect much from a small marathon, but maybe you can (for the $50 entry fee). For such a small marathon, drop the chip timing and buy some Gatorade! The medals were also a little weak. I know the third place award was just a ceramic coaster with no inscription or reference about the marathon - looks like it came right out of the dollar store. One bright spot was the fantastic massages given to runners after the race - way to go, massage therapists - and the dedicated volunteers at the aid stations! | |
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W. H. from San Diego
(9/7/2003)
"Lacking in support services" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Race starts at the right time in the morning, but arrival is unnecessarily early. The starting location leaves a lot to be desired. Race starts uphill for 8.9 miles. First water station was at 4 miles. There never were any porta potties along the course. Aid stations were nil. Water stations were few and far between during the first half of the race. Gatorade stations numbered two for the whole course, and the flavor was ghastly. The expo did not even have a tray of carbo tastes, drinks, and was in a room the size of a bedroom. The race ending was small, to say the least. A few scattered people cheering people on. No topographical map was available for elevation assessment. No pre-race map to drive the course beforehand was available. Most of the race was on highways with cars sharing the road. Only one small section left the highway to enjoy a short bike road. Overall, not a great experience. Although on a small budget, it would not take much to have a few bathrooms along the way. Some winners received a kitchen tile with Arizona decor, made in Italy, with nothing about the marathon on it, the person's place in the race, or division. It would be hard to remember where it even came from or why one has it on their desk. It would not take much to make this a significantly more favorable experience. | |
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A Runner from California
(9/22/2002)
 "good race, just a few suggestions" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Charlie is to be commended for putting on such a great race. He really puts his heart and soul into the race, as do his sisters. I just have a few suggestions that other racers and I had talked about: a) electrolyte drinks should be available at more than just 2 stops. b) a few port-a-potties along the way. There were a few who had to experience embarrassing situations along the way. c) paper cups instead of styrofoam. Otherwise, great race. Thank you. | |
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A Runner from Colleyville, TX
(9/11/2002)
"I Had A Great Time!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was the first small marathon I have run and I had a great time. We started early and when the sun came up the view was wonderful. Its a bit uphill the first 6-7 miles then it has a major downhill section for another 5 or 6 miles. The view is great in the downhill section and there was a herd of buffalos off to the side at the start of the downhill. Water was every two miles, pasta dinner was great, and the people couldn't have been nicer. It is a very small marathon and unless someone runs with you then you will probably be by yourself. The sun coming up over the mountains is great. I was worried about the 5800 ft altitude but it wasn't a problem at all. I'd run it again. | |
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A Runner from Boston, Massachusetts
(9/11/2001)
 "Good, small, low-tech race with good weather" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 If you like a small low-tech race, this is the one for you. No chips, no digital clocks, no computerized results. The organization is great - everyone seems to know everyone else and has a good time. Good traffic control - better than is needed for less than 200 runners! Water and Gatorade is more than adequate. The course starts with an easy uphill for 7-8 miles, then a good (scenic) downhill for 11 miles, then finishes flat. Last mile is through industrial zone. Crowds are sparse. I'd do it again! |
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