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May 12, 2024

Niagara Falls International Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Niagara Falls International Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.2

Organization 3.7

Spectators 3.2

Number of comments: 172 [displaying comments 71 to 81]

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C. B. from Northern NJ (11/4/2008) "Add this to your "must run" list!" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Niagara Falls International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Pros: Great organization Scenic point-to-point course, truly flat (one climb to cross the Peace Bridge from the U.S. into Canada) Aid stations every mile The best pre-start venue around (Albright-Knox Art Gallery/Museum) Finish at Niagara Falls with nice amenities Finish/bus pickup/expo/pasta dinner all close by Enthusiastic volunteers vying to outdo each other at each aid station the second half of the course Downhill finish! Great long-sleeve tech shirt and medal Can still enter midway during race week Nice destination for family/friends Concurrent half-marathon, 10Kand 5K all finish at the Falls... so they don't impact the marathon start whatsoever! Cons: Can be windy (SW wind this year was a quartering headwind nearly half the time, some crosswind, and some tailwind); a NW wind would be murderous. Trip back over the U.S. border on the bus in the morning can be tense (someone on our bus hadn't brought ID, so we had to stop for awhile, until U.S. Immigration cleared him.) Wonderful experience. I'm nitpicking to find any fault with this great race. With a wind from the south or southeast (or no wind at all), this is a PR course. It's worth running at least once just for the experience. Five of us drove up from northern NJ together and made what could become an annual road trip event out of it.
T. M. from Northern New Jersey (11/3/2008) "Little-known marathon in a well-known place" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Niagara Falls International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 About 800 finishers in the marathon. It was interesting running between the US and Canada. Walking around the city of Niagara, very few locals knew there was a marathon (certainly not like the NYC Marathon). Well organized, with helpful people. The pasta party was not that great. We received water, but we had to pay for all other liquids. (I'm certainly not looking for an open bar, but soda might have been nice.) The bus ride to the start was fair; we waited on the US border for about 15 minutes. Some museum staff were curious and others were cautious. They offered a warm place to wait until the start (which was nice). Course: Running through Buffalo (first 4 miles or so) was like running any other city race course: some road issues (such as cracks/potholes/uneven road surfaces). The Peace Bridge was very windy. As you come off the bridge into Canada, you run through a parking lot: not the best choice for a course route. However, it was less than a half a mile. After that running next to the river, the next 21 miles were scenic and enjoyable, though still very windy. THEY NEED MORE CLOCKS, AND MILE MARKERS NEED TO BE MORE VISIBLE (the wind blew the some of the placards down). Also, THEY NEED SOME TYPE OF GU/GEL/PRETZEL/BANANAS and such on the latter part of course. Volunteers on the course were extremely supportive. (Good job.) Very few spectators were on the course, though the few were spirited. (Thank you.) Leading up to the finish line, it was simply amazing. If you like to run marathons, this is a pretty flat/fast course. The only climb is leading up to and over the Peace Bridge (early in the race). You might want to try this one to add to your medal count. It's certainly unique.
M. K. from Galway, Ireland (11/1/2008) "The most enjoyable marathon I have ever run!" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Niagara Falls International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What a great marathon! From the ease of registration, to the start at the art gallery, to the fantastic supporters on the route and the beautiful flat course, this is one of the best. The weather was lovely, though a bit windy for the last ten miles. The views along the parkway are beautiful and the finish at the Horseshoe Falls can't be beaten. Thanks to all the organizers and supporters. I truly can say that I enjoyed this run so much that I will be recommending it to everyone! Well done to all!
S. R. from Cleveland (10/29/2008) "Overall, a great day" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Niagara Falls International Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I have been running either the full or half for the past 9 years (did the half this year). The expo, while it seemed to be smaller than last year, was in a great location, and the race kit pick-up went smoothly. Great technical shirt but no year on it. C'mon, it doesn't cost that much to put the year on and the medal did not distinguish (on the front, at least) between the half and full. (Reminder to RD: the half had 2000+, while the full had under 900.) Spectators, while few, were great; and the water stations were well staffed, especially from the local schools. All in all, a great day and I will likely return next year
f. l. from cambridge,ontario (9/30/2008) "More Information" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 3 Niagara Falls International Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran this marathon in 2007 for the third time. I was quite surprised to find out while running it that the course had change. This isn't a big problem unless you have support group out on the course and plan to meet up at particular areas of the race. Perhaps in the future, this information could be passed along through the website. Also, gels on the course would be a welcome addition; I see this comment quite a bit, but it seems to be falling on deaf ears. Other than that, it was a great race that I will continue to attend (and I plan to in 2008).
James Campbell from ON, Canada (9/19/2008) "Truly International Marathon" (about: 2004) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Niagara Falls International Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Beautiful downhill course along the Niagara River. Great volunteers at every mile water stations. Not many spectators in between. I loved the Friendship Run and breakfast on the day before. I met people from all over the world!!
S. K. from Buffalo, NY (12/29/2007) "Last two miles are downhill; PR anyone?" (about: 2007) 2 previous marathons \| 2 Niagara Falls International Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I've run the marathon once (in '04) and more recently the half marathon ('07). The course is great, right along the river, with few (if any) hills. The high schools that cheer you along the second half are FANTASTIC! They have so much energy that they seem to pass on. IMPROVEMENTS - I thought the shirt was ugly (powder blue technical shirt for a cold fall race with a tiny logo), and the website has virtually NO INFORMATION on it... except a nice gradient diagram detailing the route.
J. A. from CLE (11/6/2007) "hard to beat" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 + great, great course great aid stations, firemen, HS students, bikers, entertaining great check-in, easy easy easy finish at the falls - no gel My one recommendation would be to brief runners beforehand on proper etiquette at the art museum. I loved the warm-up at the art museum, it was perfect, but some runners didn't know what to expect and there was a bit of conflict between the museum staff and runners. Awesome experience, highly recommend.
T. V. from Cleveland OH (11/2/2007) "Much improved since the last time I ran it..." (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Niagara Falls International Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Overall, this is a nice, small/mid-sized marathon near a landmark worth visiting with family. I'll run this race every few years, and I would recommend the experience to anyone. The weather this year was partly sunny and seasonably cool, but the wind was brutal... about 17 miles of 15-18 mph headwind between miles 7 and 24. Of course, this is better than sleet, freezing rain or a torrential downpour. Improvements from previous years: * The finish is now closer to the falls and various modes of transportation to your hotel/parking. We stayed near the Fallsview Casino and it was within walking distance (up the incline railway). Accommodations in this area are very nice and isolated from the Clifton Hill tourist area. Clifton Hill is a fine place to visit while in Niagara Falls, but I'd recommend accommodations closer to the finish line. * The packet pickup was very well organized, efficient, and easy to get to at the Fallsview Casino. * Space blankets at the finish are a great addition. Still good: * Very nice technical shirt, although I liked the long-sleeve tee shirts of previous years: I've got too many technical shirts! * Very nice medal. * The water stops, one at each mile marker once you cross into Canada, are staffed by the most enthusiastic volunteers you will EVER see. Person for person, perhaps rivaled in enthusiasm by only the female students at Wellesley College on the Boston Marathon course! * Water and Gatorade (there was no red Gatorade - red is always a mistake) in paper cups: just fine. Possible Improvements: * Gel at some point on the course. I carry my own, but having one handed to you is common practice and appreciated. * Clocks at a few of the mile/KM markers. Not at every one, but every 5-8 miles would be good.
B. B. from Dallas, Texas (11/1/2007) "Fantastic course" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Niagara Falls International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 LOVED this marathon. This is my 10th marathon, and I have not run a more beautiful course. The aide stations were great, and you could hear the cheering at the next aide station from 1/4 to 1/2 a mile away. There was some headwind but frankly I didn't feel like it was much of a factor. I ran the best time I have in 4 years, and qualified for Boston. I'll be back!

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