Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

May 10, 2024

Wichita Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Wichita Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 3.7

Organization 4.5

Spectators 3.5

Number of comments: 57 [displaying comments 31 to 41]

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

Brent Manley from Memphis TN (10/17/2005) "Well worth the trip to friendly Wichita." (about: 2005) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Wichita Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have run 30+ marathons/ultras. The volunteers in Wichita are as good as any I've seen. The course is relatively flat, the weather good (for slow runners like me it got warm toward the end) and everyone we met was friendly. The host hotel is also among the best I have experienced. I plan to recommend this race to all my running friends.
Joel Houser from Shawnee, Kansas (10/17/2005) "Smoothly Run Race!" (about: 2005) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Wichita Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great race, the rolling to flat description was a little misleading though. Had a great time for my first Marathon, the course was well manned and encouraging!
Brad Thern from Appleton, WI (9/21/2005) "Marathon #5 was a friendlyexperience." (about: 2004) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Wichita Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 My first submission never made it, so I'll try again albeit a bit late. The entire race weekend was an enjoyable experience. The course rolls a bit, but it's not difficult by any means, and the support (water stations) and traffic control was excellent. The section of the marathon through McConnell AFB was inspiring, and the finish line area is definitely unique. However, the best part of the entire experience was meeting the race organizers who went out of their way to get to know me personally at the pre-race pasta dinner. Theirs, and everyone else's hospitality definitely make this a worthwhile marathon.
Brad Thern from Appleton, WI (9/7/2005) "Marathon #5 was a pleasant surprise." (about: 2004) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Wichita Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Although I'm a bit late with my comments, I still had to throw in my two cents. The course for the Wichita Marathon was fairly flat with good traffic control making it possible for fast personal times. The time spent running through McConnell Air Force Base was inspiring. Certain individuals in the crowd were quite supportive because I saw them several times as they moved along the course to cheer other runners, but for some reason they always remembered me and cheered me on too. The finish line and area was an interesting place with a lot of enthusiasm. But my favorite thing was meeting some of the race personnel and supporters during the pasta dinner. They went out of their way to get to know me personally and make me feel welcome which was worth the entire experience.
J. S. from Kansas (4/2/2005) "Great race for PR" (about: 2004) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Wichita Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran this as my second marathon. I think it is a great race for PR's. It is a point-to-point course. It is relatively flat. Other runners talked about the hills but I did not really notice them. There were buses to the starting line. My family was able to drive ahead and give me encouragment at least three times. The only complaint about the race was the last 1/2 mile was run on cobblestones, which I didn't care for. The airforce base was really neat and there was plenty of aid stations. Overall a great race. If you are looking for a good Boston qualifier consider this race. Word of caution weather in Kansas is unpredictable, and it could be sun, rain, snow or wind.
S. M. from Pittsburg, KS (12/6/2004) "Recommended!" (about: 2004) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Wichita Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I've run this marathon the past two years, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a PR and a unique experience. The course is relatively flat, despite a few small hills, but it's by far the flattest course I've run (it's Kansas!!). It's also a point-to-point and both years the light wind was to our backs for most of the race and the temperature was fairly nice (although, as someone who has lived in KS my whole life, I can also say that the weather here is quite unpredictable!). The race isn't huge, so there is never a congestion problem. Every mile is marked, although some of them are off (I ran a 5:30 mile followed by a 9:00 mile!). The point-to-point course on non-busy roads also makes it easy for friends and family to follow along and support you on the route. The only thing I dislike about this race is the amount of time spent running on the air force base with few spectators around. However, this makes for excellent traffic control (no vehicular traffic on the base and the rest of the route has excellent police protection). The finish line has plenty of bathrooms, bags with food, and massage tables. The awards ceremony was well-organized and included pizza and beer, and the trophies were nice. There's even a little prize money involved. After the race, a local TV station runs a 30 minute special on the race, and chances are if you were in the race you will see yourself in the special (granted, I think it runs either very late at night or very early in the morning a few weeks following the race). Overall this marathon has been a very positive experience for me and I'm sure I will run it again in the future.
W. C. from Ashland Missouri (10/29/2004) "well organized" (about: 2004) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Wichita Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This town has it all for the marathon runner and his/her family. The marathon was tough in places, i.e. wind and uneven pavement around the airfield. Great shirt and finisher's medal.
Karen Carlo from Wichita (10/22/2004) "This race is an amazing small marathon experience " (about: 2004) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Wichita Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The 2004 Wichita Marathon was a very well organized and enjoyable marathon experience. Wichita is a beautiful city; the course was well laid out, well marked, varied and interesting (where else can you run on an Air Force base). The course is rolling hills the first 10 miles and then relatively flat towards the end except for 1 giant surprise hill at mile 22. It runs over a highway and the view is very interesting. About mile 8 you enter the Air Force base and wind past planes and bunkers. You exit the base about mile 18. Spectators are bussed to mile 14 under some planes and AFB personal are working the mile marks, aid stations and other spots of the course. It has an early start for the slower marathoners allowing them to finish with the faster competitors. Buses at the finish area provide rides to the start of the race. There was adequate parking at the finish area too. The start of the race is in Derby and they open up the recreation center. We?re talking a state of the art place with plenty of areas to stretch and keep warm. No sitting on the curb for these runners. The best part of having access to the facility was no port-a-potties. There were indoor bathrooms. The streets were all patrolled, safe and free of concern. The water stations were super and staffed by many interesting and enthusiastic volunteers. There were also spectators out on bikes who provided encouragement as they went by. Cheerleaders performed stunts and jumped around at mile 23 and both water and Gatorade was available at 2-mile intervals. An added plus was energy bits, Gatorade bars, bananas and orange slices at the later stations. The spectators and volunteers were very friendly and enthusiastic. At the finish of the race you look up to see yourself finishing on a giant screen as they announce your name and city where you are from. Bagels and fruit were provided along with Gatorade and water. Post-race massages were also available free of charge. Every finisher received a finisher medal and the age group awards were very nice. An added plus for Wichitans (or anyone in the vicinity) is that the local running store (First Gear) hosts a 13-week training class to prepare you for the race. If you have had trouble training on your own, this is a must. They provided personalized schedules and every class had a speaker on things important to your preparation.
D. S. from Tulsa, Ok (10/20/2004) "Good course, watch out for the first half hills." (about: 2004) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Wichita Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Everything seemed to go as planned. This was my second marathon and I made the same mistake as the first: I went out too fast in the first half. This course was deceptively hilly in the first half and it really took its toll. But everthing was well organized. I really liked having the goodies to eat in the bag we got at the end, great idea, that way the last runners don't find the snack tables picked clean. I would recommend this marathon.
Rachel McKinney from Wichita, Kansas (2/23/2004) "Well organized and nice people" (about: 2003) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon ever, and I really did not have a good experience. There were aid stations every 2 miles serving Gatorade and water, but there really were not any stations offering many other running aids, such as power gels and so forth. Personally it was just a bad day. I felt real good for the majority of the marathon, and then I started to get really tired around mile 24. I kept going though, and I ended up getting heat stroke and passing out around mile 26.15. I was less than 150 feet away from the finish line when I collapsed. I don't remember anything after that, but my parents said that the race workers were real supportive and concerned about my condition. Overall, I would recommend this race. I will be trying again next fall to hopefully cross the line without such a stylish finish.

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

Quick Links

Marathon Search
Upcoming US Marathons
Upcoming International Marathons
Search Marathon Results
Latest Running News
Recent Newsletters
Race Director Tools

Become an Advertiser

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Become an Advertiser

© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC

Privacy Policy Refund Policy Terms of Use