Marathon Details - West Texas CrossRoads Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > TX > Odessa > West Texas CrossRoads Marathon

Medical Center Health System West Texas CrossRoads Marathon & Half-Marathon, 10k, 5k

Odessa, TX USA

~~October 4, 2014~~ - CANCELLED

http://www.crossroadsmarathon.com

More Info:	News
Results:	2013 \| 2012 \| 2011 \| 2010 Top 3 Finishers by Year

Contact

Name:	Tami O'Bannion
Address:	P.O. Box 14710 Odessa, TX 79768
Phone Number:	432-368-2500
Email:	Email the organizers



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Reviews

Course 3.4

Organization 4.0

Spectators 2.0

Write a review

Number of comments: 8

J. L. from DFW (10/9/2013) "No, thank you." (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 West Texas CrossRoads Marathons COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 1. I agree with starting the race at 7:00 to avoid the heat, however in 2013 the turn points weren't clear, the lead runner (perhaps a half marathon runner) took the lead far enough ahead that we followers could no longer keep up with the escort bike and consequently we lost our way and missed a first turn-off. So a few of us full-racers, without instruction from a race representative around mile three or four ran back to meet the escort bike with lead runner and then we continued. 2. As the run progressed and the sun appeared there seemed to be little or no signage with respect to mile markers. 3. Somewhere between the half point (stadium which was also the finish line for marathoners as well) and mile 23 another directional mistake occurred and more distance was skipped. I'm certain of that because I don't recall observing the escort bike on the return trip to the stadium finish line. This race course organization was disasterous. I agree that I didn't run the full 26.2 and that my position was DQ, but better organization (a small light illuminating the early turn points) would have helped to avoid this. 2011 was not as disorganized. 2013 was my second Odessa run, and I won't repeat this event again.
M. M. from San Antonio, TX (10/6/2013) "Poor organization - great volunteers" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 West Texas CrossRoads Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Although I've run many marathons before, I was hesitant to sign up for this one bc I've never run in such a small 26.2 before. It turned out my concerns were justified. First off though, the volunteers were AWESOME. Well manned aid stations every mile, despite it being such a cold and windy day. Other pros include: good looking LS tech shirt, very flat course and easy packet pickup. However, the organization of it course itself was awful. There was one turn early in the race where 5k/10k/13.1 headed one direction, and 26.2 was supposed to turn off on a side street. There was no volunteer marking the spot and it was dark, so myself and 4 friends who ran the race (all at different paces) each missed the turn. A couple miles later there was a similar situation where the course split and this time there was a volunteer at the junction, but he didn't say a thing, so I started running the wrong way. Thankfully a runner behind me saw the sign and started yelling 'full marathoners this way' or else I would have been off course for the second time in the first 5 miles. My buddy running with the front pace pack was not as lucky and ended up completing a 21 mile 'marathon' only to be told at the finish he was DQ'd. The RD needs to address this issue by educating volunteers and making sure the course is clearly marked, especially the first few miles when it is still dark. The course itself was a mix of residential areas and open highway. There were several stretches were all you could see was the road stretching straight in front of you for miles, with nothing but an occasional oil pump to break up the scenery. If you plan to run this race, I'd suggest printing off a turn by turn directions, or at least a map to bring with you on the run (again, this wasn't a problem only I had, there were five of us who all got off course at one time or another). Finally, when my friend tried to talk to the RD after the run, she was less than polite and shut him down before he was even able to give her feedback about the course.
J. L. from DFW (10/25/2011) "Flattest course I've run." (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 West Texas CrossRoads Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 1. For me this was the best course to set a personal record due to flatness. For that reason alone I'm glad I participated. I wouldn't want to be there during a rain however. 2. Reggie, the race director, was everywhere; involved and concerned, even inquiring about runner experience at the finish line on the football field. Kudos to Reggie. 3. Parking by the fellowship center at the start was not stressful because it was ample and that's a bonus. 4. I like the mean, black technical shirt. 5. Food variety at the end was good, and there was some water after the race still at the start line area where I was thirsty after being shuttled to my vehicle.
T. V. from Dallas (10/6/2011) "great race, very well organized" (about: 2011) 3 previous marathons \| 1 West Texas CrossRoads Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 The folks at Crossroads Church do a great job organizing this race. The course is very well marked, with plenty of friendly volunteers. There was water at every mile, and goo at many of the later stations. The course was a little hillier than I expected; I wouldn't call it totally flat. It seemed like we were running up a lot of long, gentle inclines. It was also a somewhat warmish day, with a high of 83 in Odessa. But the race starts at 7 am, so it was cool until the sun came up strong. There were only 59 marathon finishers, but it seemed like we were constantly looping in and out with the half marathon group (which was much larger), so the race wasn't nearly as lonely as you might think. Also, there was plenty of parking at the church, just a very short distance from the start line. Great run, super organization, I would do it again.
Kami K. from Corpus Christi, TX (10/3/2011) "Nice race, weird last mile!" (about: 2011) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 West Texas CrossRoads Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 West Texas Crossroads Marathon Saturday, October 1, 2011 Odessa, TX 7:00 AM Packet pick-up on Friday was very efficient. Each runner received a short-sleeved technical shirt and a bag of goodies. Race day temperature ranged from upper 50s to low 80s, sunny, very low humidity, and a bit breezy. The start line was at the parking lot of Crossroads Fellowship, which organized the race. The course was flat, through residential neighborhoods and country roads, included many turns, marked well, and monitored professionally by police officers and volunteers. There were aid stations at every mile. There was no crowd support. The finish was in Ratliff Stadium. At mile 25, we entered the parking lot of the stadium and ran a weird last mile, which included running the width of the parking lot three times before heading into the stadium, running a lap, and crossing the finish line. Each finisher received a nice medallion. There were plenty of recovery food items and drinks. I thanked the race director for organizing a nice running event and told him that he must have had a wicked sense of humor by designing such a strange last mile; my comment made him chuckle! It was a small marathon and required mental toughness. There were 59 finishers (34 male, 25 female) in the average time of 4:34:11. The winning times were 3:05:37 (overall male), 3:49:14 (overall female), 3:11:21 (masters male), and 3:58:36 (masters female). There were also half marathon, 10k, and 5K events which had attracted few hundred runners.
S. M. from Tennessee (10/14/2010) "Great First Experience!" (about: 2010) 1 previous marathon \| 1 West Texas CrossRoads Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon, and now I'm hooked! I picked up my race packet the morning of the race with no problems. Everything seemed to be organized very well (but I have nothing to compare it to...). The course was flat as could be, which I thought was great for a first-timer or anyone looking to PR. There were aid stations at every mile. All of the volunteers were very friendly and helpful. Traffic control was wonderful. Crowd support is sparse, and since it's a small marathon there aren't other runners around to chat with. I would recommend bringing an iPod or a buddy who runs your pace.... Overall, it was a wonderful experience! I'm looking forward to running more marathons, and if we're ever that far west again, I'll definitely run Crossroads.
T. W. from West Texas (10/4/2010) "Great Little Race!" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This is a great little race. The course support is second to none. West Texas offers a flat course and open spaces. If you are used to crowds and hills, this race is not for you. The volunteers were GREAT! I would recommend this race to anyone wanting to be pleasantly surprised. I'll be back again!
C. T. from Midland, TX (11/4/2009) "Flat. Boring. Great organization." (about: 2009) First Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 I ran the half. Great organization... not a lot of (which means not really any) spectators. And it's west Texas, so the course is flat and the scenery doesn't change. But you can get a pretty good time on such a flat course, so I suppose that's a positive!

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J. L. from DFW (10/9/2013) "No, thank you." (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 West Texas CrossRoads Marathons COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 1. I agree with starting the race at 7:00 to avoid the heat, however in 2013 the turn points weren't clear, the lead runner (perhaps a half marathon runner) took the lead far enough ahead that we followers could no longer keep up with the escort bike and consequently we lost our way and missed a first turn-off. So a few of us full-racers, without instruction from a race representative around mile three or four ran back to meet the escort bike with lead runner and then we continued. 2. As the run progressed and the sun appeared there seemed to be little or no signage with respect to mile markers. 3. Somewhere between the half point (stadium which was also the finish line for marathoners as well) and mile 23 another directional mistake occurred and more distance was skipped. I'm certain of that because I don't recall observing the escort bike on the return trip to the stadium finish line. This race course organization was disasterous. I agree that I didn't run the full 26.2 and that my position was DQ, but better organization (a small light illuminating the early turn points) would have helped to avoid this. 2011 was not as disorganized. 2013 was my second Odessa run, and I won't repeat this event again.
M. M. from San Antonio, TX (10/6/2013) "Poor organization - great volunteers" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 West Texas CrossRoads Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Although I've run many marathons before, I was hesitant to sign up for this one bc I've never run in such a small 26.2 before. It turned out my concerns were justified. First off though, the volunteers were AWESOME. Well manned aid stations every mile, despite it being such a cold and windy day. Other pros include: good looking LS tech shirt, very flat course and easy packet pickup. However, the organization of it course itself was awful. There was one turn early in the race where 5k/10k/13.1 headed one direction, and 26.2 was supposed to turn off on a side street. There was no volunteer marking the spot and it was dark, so myself and 4 friends who ran the race (all at different paces) each missed the turn. A couple miles later there was a similar situation where the course split and this time there was a volunteer at the junction, but he didn't say a thing, so I started running the wrong way. Thankfully a runner behind me saw the sign and started yelling 'full marathoners this way' or else I would have been off course for the second time in the first 5 miles. My buddy running with the front pace pack was not as lucky and ended up completing a 21 mile 'marathon' only to be told at the finish he was DQ'd. The RD needs to address this issue by educating volunteers and making sure the course is clearly marked, especially the first few miles when it is still dark. The course itself was a mix of residential areas and open highway. There were several stretches were all you could see was the road stretching straight in front of you for miles, with nothing but an occasional oil pump to break up the scenery. If you plan to run this race, I'd suggest printing off a turn by turn directions, or at least a map to bring with you on the run (again, this wasn't a problem only I had, there were five of us who all got off course at one time or another). Finally, when my friend tried to talk to the RD after the run, she was less than polite and shut him down before he was even able to give her feedback about the course.
J. L. from DFW (10/25/2011) "Flattest course I've run." (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 West Texas CrossRoads Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 1. For me this was the best course to set a personal record due to flatness. For that reason alone I'm glad I participated. I wouldn't want to be there during a rain however. 2. Reggie, the race director, was everywhere; involved and concerned, even inquiring about runner experience at the finish line on the football field. Kudos to Reggie. 3. Parking by the fellowship center at the start was not stressful because it was ample and that's a bonus. 4. I like the mean, black technical shirt. 5. Food variety at the end was good, and there was some water after the race still at the start line area where I was thirsty after being shuttled to my vehicle.
T. V. from Dallas (10/6/2011) "great race, very well organized" (about: 2011) 3 previous marathons \| 1 West Texas CrossRoads Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 The folks at Crossroads Church do a great job organizing this race. The course is very well marked, with plenty of friendly volunteers. There was water at every mile, and goo at many of the later stations. The course was a little hillier than I expected; I wouldn't call it totally flat. It seemed like we were running up a lot of long, gentle inclines. It was also a somewhat warmish day, with a high of 83 in Odessa. But the race starts at 7 am, so it was cool until the sun came up strong. There were only 59 marathon finishers, but it seemed like we were constantly looping in and out with the half marathon group (which was much larger), so the race wasn't nearly as lonely as you might think. Also, there was plenty of parking at the church, just a very short distance from the start line. Great run, super organization, I would do it again.
Kami K. from Corpus Christi, TX (10/3/2011) "Nice race, weird last mile!" (about: 2011) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 West Texas CrossRoads Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 West Texas Crossroads Marathon Saturday, October 1, 2011 Odessa, TX 7:00 AM Packet pick-up on Friday was very efficient. Each runner received a short-sleeved technical shirt and a bag of goodies. Race day temperature ranged from upper 50s to low 80s, sunny, very low humidity, and a bit breezy. The start line was at the parking lot of Crossroads Fellowship, which organized the race. The course was flat, through residential neighborhoods and country roads, included many turns, marked well, and monitored professionally by police officers and volunteers. There were aid stations at every mile. There was no crowd support. The finish was in Ratliff Stadium. At mile 25, we entered the parking lot of the stadium and ran a weird last mile, which included running the width of the parking lot three times before heading into the stadium, running a lap, and crossing the finish line. Each finisher received a nice medallion. There were plenty of recovery food items and drinks. I thanked the race director for organizing a nice running event and told him that he must have had a wicked sense of humor by designing such a strange last mile; my comment made him chuckle! It was a small marathon and required mental toughness. There were 59 finishers (34 male, 25 female) in the average time of 4:34:11. The winning times were 3:05:37 (overall male), 3:49:14 (overall female), 3:11:21 (masters male), and 3:58:36 (masters female). There were also half marathon, 10k, and 5K events which had attracted few hundred runners.
S. M. from Tennessee (10/14/2010) "Great First Experience!" (about: 2010) 1 previous marathon \| 1 West Texas CrossRoads Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon, and now I'm hooked! I picked up my race packet the morning of the race with no problems. Everything seemed to be organized very well (but I have nothing to compare it to...). The course was flat as could be, which I thought was great for a first-timer or anyone looking to PR. There were aid stations at every mile. All of the volunteers were very friendly and helpful. Traffic control was wonderful. Crowd support is sparse, and since it's a small marathon there aren't other runners around to chat with. I would recommend bringing an iPod or a buddy who runs your pace.... Overall, it was a wonderful experience! I'm looking forward to running more marathons, and if we're ever that far west again, I'll definitely run Crossroads.
T. W. from West Texas (10/4/2010) "Great Little Race!" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This is a great little race. The course support is second to none. West Texas offers a flat course and open spaces. If you are used to crowds and hills, this race is not for you. The volunteers were GREAT! I would recommend this race to anyone wanting to be pleasantly surprised. I'll be back again!
C. T. from Midland, TX (11/4/2009) "Flat. Boring. Great organization." (about: 2009) First Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 I ran the half. Great organization... not a lot of (which means not really any) spectators. And it's west Texas, so the course is flat and the scenery doesn't change. But you can get a pretty good time on such a flat course, so I suppose that's a positive!

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Marathon Details - West Texas CrossRoads Marathon