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May 10, 2024

Tri-Cities Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Tri-Cities Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.5

Organization 4.6

Spectators 3.1

Number of comments: 62 [displaying comments 31 to 41]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 > ]

P. G. from Belfair, Washington (11/12/2007) "nearly flawless" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Tri-Cities Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The weather was a bit nippy, and if you started an hour early, you had no one to hand you the drinks at the first few aid stations, thus slowing you down, but the drinks were cold :-) The course was flat except at the bridges, but I still ran 12 minutes under my best time at Seafair, so a PR is a PR and I loved the river view and the sun coming up over the water. The photographer was freezing but doing a great job of getting superb pics. The director was a great guy and so helpful. This smaller event was a big time thumbs up. The medal was nice too, they do the medal runs in bulk, so change the design each time, but on years they don't change the medal design they change the ribbon color and put the year on it. My only suggestion is add a porta potty at the relay points as I couldn't use the facilities each time I passed due to (non running yet) relay personnel using them which is frustrating when you are running 26.2 in the open pretty much. It was just a perfect running day, but I've heard it's a flip of the coin on such as winds may not be your friend some years. I will run this again and if you want to run a fast race that is well organized and just plain fun, run this marathon. I loved the volunteers and the organization, just plain superb!!!
Ken Moore from Walla Walla WA (11/7/2007) "Excellent small / local run" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Tri-Cities Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The Tri Cities Marathon is a perfect small marathon. This is a Boston qualifier on a "flat and fast" course where all the necessities are plentiful (aid stations, bathrooms, food at the end, mile markers, etc.). It remains small enough for the director to personally send a T-shirt for those of us who signed up late.
a. r. from Seattle (11/1/2007) "A well-organized small marathon" (about: 2007) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Tri-Cities Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 For such a small race, the level of organization was amazing. The volunteers were wonderful and just about outnumbered the total number of entrants! The race start was very chilly (about 45 minutes before the gun went off, I had seen 26 degrees). I was reasonably warmed up after 5 miles, when the sun started coming out. There was almost no wind. Aside from a couple of short climbs around the bridges, the course is flat as a pancake. There were aid stations every ~2 miles and most every mile marked. There were only a few spectators on the course, which seems normal to me considering the size of the race. The low entrance fee of $55 was another plus for me. Overall, I had a great experience and may just try to run this race again!
M. M. from West Richland, WA (10/31/2007) "A+ Marathon" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Tri-Cities Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and I had a great experience. I thought the race was well organized, the course was scenic, and the race shirt was very cool. It was a nice touch to have Miss Tri-Cities at the finish distributing the finisher's medals. It was also really fun to have your name and home town announced over the loud speakers as you approached the finish line. As others have observed, the weather this year was perfect for a long run (cool, no wind, clear skies). My only slight criticism: a few more porta-johns out on the course would have been helpful. Other then that, A+ grade - great marathon. Thank you organizers and volunteers for putting on a fantastic race!
M. D. from Western Washington (10/30/2007) "flat, fast and kicked... well, you know" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Tri-Cities Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 First marathon for me. While I was a little nervous at first, I had a great time. Scenic, lots of aid/water stations, and the fans there were energetic. Will run this one again.
T. W. from Boise, ID (10/30/2007) "Great Small Marathon" (about: 2007) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The weather was absolutely perfect: low 30s to start, mid 40s at the finish, sunny, and barely a breeze. Plenty of aid stations and friendly volunteers. The race starts and ends at the Shilo. Very nice rooms. Beautiful setting to run is along the river and cross the bridges. Most of the race on paved running trails. It was my first marathon, and it was great for my family to be able to follow along and take pictures/video. Not a lot of fan support, but that wasn't expected. I loved everything about this race.
s. a. from Washington state (10/30/2007) "Absolutely awesome!" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Tri-Cities Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 What a great small-town marathon. If you are looking for a terrific course that is wonderfully organized and a whole lot of fun, this is a great one to try. I knocked almost 30 minutes off my first marathon. The weather was perfect and there were lots of great snacks afterwards.
Chris Shelley from Seattle, WA (10/29/2007) ""Flat" is a funny word to use with the bridges." (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Tri-Cities Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I am so glad that I brought my cold weather running gear because the temperature at race time was 30 degrees and a high of 44 degrees Fahrenheit with a breeze of 2-3 mph. I'm telling you now that it was freaky cold and I wasn't used to it. The sky was clear and there was steam coming off the Columbia River, which we would be running along most of the race. The race is not large. There was about 120 total runners - most of them trying to qualify for Boston. I was not in that category. The run also has a 5-hour course closure time and my previous time in Portland was 5:33. So there was extra incentive to break five. They did offer a 7 a.m. start time for those who were worried about this time, but I wanted the sun to come out a bit more as well as I liked that extra incentive. The race claims that it's a flat course. I guess I can see how they say that, since in between the big hills going up to the bridges the four times that you cross the river. I think that Portland was actually a slightly easier course because of the amount of downhill slope from mile 18 to the finish. The course in pretty much an out-and-back and the only real scenery is the river, which is impressive, but it gets a little old once you've seen it. You are only running on streets for about 5 total miles and the rest are on river trails, so traffic was never a problem. Aid stations were available every two miles with Gatorade and water at each. There was no lube or gels available at any of the stations. The staff was very friendly, and the 100ish spectators were really supportive.
R. C. from Redmond, WA (10/29/2007) "Great little race" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tri-Cities Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I enjoyed myself thoroughly. Wife and I drove down from Redmond and stayed at the Shiloh Inn. We ate there the night before with some fellow marathoners, walked outside my door to the start line 50 feet away, and when it was over I walked another 50 feet to my room, which had late checkout! In other words, convenient. The course was great. No wind, a bit chilly, but overall a great time. Will do this again.
D. K. from Portland, OR (10/29/2007) "One of the best marathons out there!" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Tri-Cities Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first TCM, and what a great one. The course was completely flat except for the four bridge crossings, but they don't gain much elevation. The aid stations and volunteers were great, placed fairly evenly every 2 miles, always ready to hand you water or Gatorade. The food at the finish line was good, except for the frozen bagels: good selection of fruit, candy and granola bars - and plenty of drinks. Weather was good, sunny, and though a bit cold at the start (~30), it warmed up nicely later on. This race was very well organized, we got very nice Dri-Fit long-sleeve shirts without the thousand sponsors on the back. Overall, I'm pretty pleased that I missed Portland this year and opted to go to the Tri-cities - I will recommend this to anyone. But maybe we should keep it secret so the low-key, small field is preserved!

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