calendar icon Oct 31, 2024

Marathon Details - Vancouver USA Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > WA > Vancouver > Vancouver USA Marathon

Vancouver USA Marathon

Vancouver USA Marathon & Half Marathon

location icon Vancouver, WA USA

calendar icon June 2, 2019 - CANCELLED

calendar icon http://www.vancouveramericamarathon.com

new icon News  

Marathon Results

By Year: 2016   2015   2014   2013   2012   2011   Top 3 Finishers

Race Details

The course is truly a gem, highlighting the best that the community has to offer, including historic sites and the Mighty Columbia River.

The course will run along the gorgeous Columbia River, out to Vancouver Lake and through port of Vancouver. Participants will finish through the Vancouver downtown at Esther Short park.

Contact Information

Name: Brian C. Davis
Address: 10804 NW Oxbow Ridge CT,
Vancouver WA 98685
Phone Number:  360.909.0211
Email: Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (29)

Course Rating Course 3.7 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 4.4 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 3.4 
 
 
Number of comments: 29 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 > ]

 

G. H. from Chicago, IL (10/9/2016)
"Good race in a good place" (about: 2016)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Vancouver USA Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 2  FANS: 3


I was pretty happy with this race, which was my 11th state. It was a pretty course that was nice and flat. Weather was a little warm and sunny, but it was pleasant for June.

The criticism received by the directors in that the course was about a sixth of a mile short and thus no one could qualify for Boston is deserved. I noticed it while I was running... how could they not when they were preparing?

Unlike the previous poster, I'm not returning to Washington to run another marathon. My watch said I ran over 26.2 miles (thanks to all the weaving, I presume) so I'm considering the state done!

But, similar to the previous poster, I was annoyed with the t-shirt situation. I've never in all the various races I've run, from 5Ks to marathons, had to come back for a t-shirt after the race. That was just silliness. I registered well in advance.

I'm generally only interested in the running aspect of marathons, but I guess there was a pretty good beer festival afterwards.

 

d. d. from Tennessee (9/12/2016)
"Close but no cigar. Few tweaks and it's awesome." (about: 2016)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Vancouver USA Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 3


I came from the southeast to get some mild weather, and that proved to be true. Comments:
-Weather was great for a marathon, especially for June.
-The course was a good mix of rural/scenic, through town, and along the water.
-There were plenty of water/aid stops and the volunteers were awesome. Traffic control was great as well.
-We got stopped by the train at mile 21 for about a minute. It sucked to start running again at that point, right after getting some momentum back from the only substantial downhill on the course.
-The course was 1000' short. I'm not affected for BQ, but am inching up in states and now would need to repeat. There wasn't anything done to try to make up for it other than 'it was short, we apologize and it won't happen again.'
-I emailed the organizers a few weeks before the race (I think about 6 weeks out) asking about getting around downtown from other hotels after the host hotel filled. They emailed right back and said they'd send me some more information. I never heard from them again. I figured it out, but I didn't like that they said they would respond and didn't.
-I signed up after the tshirt deadline (which I knew). At packet pickup, they said yeap, we'll have plenty of shirts, just stop by tomorrow morning before the race and pick one up'. Cool, I still get a shirt. Before the race, I stopped by the tent and they said, 'sorry, you have to come back AFTER the race'. So, on the third trip to the tent, now after the race, I did get a shirt. It's a nice shirt, but they made that harder than it had to be, and it sure felt like a long walk to get that shirt after the race.
-I liked the set up with the half marathon starting 2 hours later. It meant that the course was getting fuller as the race went on instead of lonelier. This was a great idea and was so much better than starting with a whole bunch of half marathons only to have them peel off and leave us all alone. Definitely would hope they keep doing it this way.

So, overall, I really liked the town and the course, but I won't go back to do it again due to the few minor organizational things. It's a good small town race, and I think the half is probably pretty awesome. They have a great setup in their downtown. If they can find a way to avoid the train, get the course dead-on, and improve communication just a tad, it will a really great event.

 

C. B. from GA (8/2/2016)
"Lovely small marathon" (about: 2016)

50+ previous marathons | 1 Vancouver USA Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


This was a nice, small race with easy logisitics, good support, great volunteers and adequate water stops. Second half was much more scenic than the first half. Big negative for 2016 is that the course turned out to be 1000 ft short and thus didn't count as a full marathon for Washington for those of us working on 50 States. Total bummer.

 

G. R. from North Carolina (7/16/2016)
"First half of course is 1 star Second half a 5" (about: 2016)

50+ previous marathons | 1 Vancouver USA Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


CJ from TX did a perfect review in 2015 with these updates from my 2016 experience.
-Corral start was a normal marathon start with pacers evenly spread out in start corral
-water stops were well staffed and prepared
-shirts and medals were well above average.
-stay at host hotel if you can as pointed out

I would add if you are interested in running on Saturday the DAM marathon in Oakridge OR is a great race too.

 

M. L. from El Paso (6/25/2016)
"Great summer marathon in a cool climate" (about: 2016)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Vancouver USA Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


Cool temps at the beginning and mild later. First 13 miles are flat and then it goes to gentle hills mixed with flats. The course is scenic for the most part. Organization is good, volunteers are enthusiastic. This is a pretty area and there is much to do for the visitor. Plenty of water stops. Nice finish area with a farmer's market for food and juice. Well done marathon.

 

patrick weldon from Jackson Mississippi (9/5/2015)
"Great Race, fun city, nice refreshments!" (about: 2015)

50+ previous marathons | 1 Vancouver USA Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


Traveled from Mississippi to run an Oregon - WA double. This was my day 2 marathon. Its a great small -town race. Starts and finishes in the city center park. Course is pretty flat, nice, typical city marathon. Weather was perfect (but my summers in MS are hot hot, so I'm biased.) The selling point has to be the BEER BEER BEER at the finish! Literally about 250 beers on tap. My wife and I stayed at the Hilton (literally ten feet from the start /finish line.) and spent our post race time enjoying the BEER FEST! It was quite unique, and a race experience that gets a huge Thumbs Up!

 

C. J. from Austin, TX (6/24/2015)
"Nice low-key race in a great area" (about: 2015)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Vancouver USA Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 2


I ran the 2015 Vancouver USA Marathon as part of my attempt to run a marathon in all 50 states. I very much enjoyed it and would strongly recommend it for anyone needing to cross Washington off their list or are just looking for a nice low-key June marathon in a great area. Not everything was perfect, but they do most things right, and there a couple of things the organizers did that I wish other events would emulate. Details below:

Logistics:
Downtown Vancouver is a short, easy drive from the Portland airport. Both the expo and the start/finish are at a downtown park where there is ample free parking. I stayed at a hotel within walking distance, but I think you can stay pretty much anywhere and park near the start with no problem.

Expo:
There was a farmer's market and the Summer Beer Fest going on in the same park where the expo was held. So you could easily pick up your packet, a beer, and some cucumbers, if you were so inclined. The expo was small, not a lot of vendors, if you care about that sort of thing.

Start/finish area:
The course started and finished at the same place, on a street next to the park. Again, plenty of free parking options close by.

Starting corral:
Here's one thing they did that I wish other races would do: The marathoners and half-marathoners started at different times; the marathoner went off at 7:00 am and the half-marathoners started at 9:00 am. There were fewer than 700 runners total in the full marathon, so there was plenty of room in the corral. For some reason, however, they felt the need to do a '2-wave' start, where everyone running a sub-8 minute pace started first, and everyone else started about a minute later. It was all done a bit haphazardly and, in my mind, it was completely unnecessary.

The course:
After starting the marathoners took an immediate left and traveled West on a country road for about 7 miles, looped around in a park, and then headed back to town on the same road. It was just your basic boring country road and I didn't really care for this portion of the course at all. The highway was not closed to traffic and at times the runners were shunted off onto a narrow sidewalk. At around mile 14 the marathon and half-marathon courses merged, but (and here's another thing they do that I wish other events would do) the runners from the 2 races were on opposite sides of the street, so the marathoners were not forced to bob and weave their way through a mass of slower half-marathoners. The two halves are kept separate for what seems like a couple of miles and when they eventually merge it is totally seamless.

The 2nd half of the course was quite a bit more scenic than the first. You actually run along the Columbia River in a couple of spots and through some nice parks. There were some quirks, however; in far too many places the runners were forced to run on narrow sidewalks, and there are odd points where the course makes a little side-loop (like out on a short peninsula on the river) and then heads straight back. You get to see other runners going in the opposite direction on many occasions.

The 2nd half of the course is also much hiller than the first. There is exactly one hill in the first 14-mile section the marathoners take; there are a couple of rather hilly areas in the back half. None of the hills are killers, but this is not the 'basically flat' loop the website advertises.

On-course support:
The water cups were tiny and usually only about half full, so it took several just to get a good drink. The Gatorade was very diluted and tasted awful. Some of the water stations were undermanned, and at a couple of stops toward the end I had to wait for someone to pour water into a cup. I did not notice any porta-potties on the course but I never looked for any.

Crowds/Spectators:
I don't really care about this so I didn't pay a lot of attention, but I would say the spectators are a bit sparse. The only living beings I saw on the first half of the course (other than race volunteers) were cows.

Finisher's area and food:
Much of the park was fenced off for runners only; there were multiple drink/food options and as far as I could tell runners were free to take as much as they wanted. The Jamba Juice stand was a really nice touch. The park was very shaded and there was lots of room, but it would have been nice to have some place to sit other than on the grass.

Weather:
I know they can't control the weather, but it is always a consideration when picking a race. The temperature wasn't ideal - low 60's at the start, in the low 70's at the end - but it wasn't hot by any means. There was supposed to be overcast skies all morning, but the sun came out early, while we were on our out-and-back journey down the country highway and I ended up overheating a bit. I'm more sensitive to that than most, so it probably did not have much of an impact on most runners. For a mid-June marathon the weather really wasn't bad at all. But just be aware that there is very little shade anywhere on the course and on a bright sunny day things could get a bit warm.

Finisher's shirt:
It's . . . I don't know . . . pink? Something reddish/orangey/pinky. Ok, it's ugly. And I think it's made out of wicking material, but it seems very thin, like cheap cotton. I'm not wearing that sucker.

Medal:
I really like the medal; big, heavy, and all metal - no cheap plastic highlights or hanging goo-gaws. This is how a marathon medal should look.

Overall impression:
It's got its quirks, but I have to give Vancouver USA high marks overall. Plus the Portland/Vancouver area is a great place to visit and running this race would be a good anchor for a longer trip to the Pacific Northwest.

 

S. M. from Duncan, BC, Canada (6/29/2014)
"A Fabulous Race" (about: 2014)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Vancouver USA Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


I ran the half here, had to downgrade from the marathon as did not finish the training. There was no problem doing this. The course is the best half marathon course I have ever run. It was scenic throughout and the parkland and trails were beautiful. Organization was good, medal and shirts excellent. Good small expo and town market attached which we really enjoyed. Stayed at the Red Lion which was within walking distance to the start line. Loved everything about this race. Definitely would run it again. Nice presentation of medal for award winners.

 

L. G. from Prescott, AZ (6/17/2014)
"fun run in perfect conditions" (about: 2014)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Vancouver USA Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


My favorite marathon conditions are temperatures in the mid 50's to mid 60's with overcast skies or light rain - and Vancouver was right on the mark this year. Race organization is superb and this is the first time in over 50 races that I didn't have to wait in line for a porta-potty. Vancouver is a beautiful area and we enjoyed driving through the Columbia Gorge and up to Mount St. Helen's on Saturday. The race course is beautiful with a combination of open fields, views of the Columbia River, and running through parts of town. It got a little crowded at times when we joined back up with the half-marathoners but nothing impossible. There were very few spectators but the waterstop volunteers were enthusiastic. Register early and stay at the Hilton - only steps from the expo, start, finish and brew fest.

 

J. G. from Oregon (6/29/2013)
"nice and scenic course" (about: 2013)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Vancouver USA Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 4


I really enjoyed running this course. It was scenic, had some hills, but they were totally doable, some crowd support and the festival going on in the down town section where the race started and finished was fun. My only complaint was that the marathon website stated that they would have pace groups for every 20 minute increment. That was the main reason why I signed up for that race. I was trying for a BQ, but instead of every 20min, they had them for every 15 minutes! So, I just wish they could have kept with what they had stated on the site. Otherwise, I enjoyed the course and will put it on my list of marathons to run again!

 

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 > ]

 
 
Getting ready for this event? Get a personalized adaptive training plan and 1:1 coach assistance. Get Your Plan
 

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor




Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor