Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

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 41 to 51]

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

G. B. from Yakima (10/29/2007) "Great Course for a PR" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Tri-Cities Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 What a beautiful day for a fast run if you like temps in the 30-40 degree range. Lots of aid stations, friendly volunteers, good selection of post-race food, pretty course... and no wind this year! A local told me 1 of 4 TC Marathons are windy, so I decided to try again after last year. Glad I did.
B. S. from Seattle Washington (4/16/2007) "Real beautiful course, well run - loved it" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The race starts and finishes in the same place, a definite plus. Late checkout available at the Shilo Inn, another plus. Race course very scenic. We ran along both sides of the Columbia River - a very nice place to have a marathon. Flat course that crosses the river four times. Well run, with plenty of aid stations. Friendly volunteers and great after race snacks. Finisher's medal was well done. I liked the marathon shirt, as it was cotton and I could wear it throughout the year. Definitely putting this one down for next year. Recommend to first-timers, as family can support you throughout the course.
D. A. from Redmond, WA (11/9/2006) "Great Course, Atmosphere and People" (about: 2006) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Tri-Cities Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Spoke with the race director afterwards, and the wind this year was indeed legendary. Heard some complaining between miles 19 and 22, as hopes for a fast time diminished with the energy expended, but for me it makes the achievement that much more sastisfying. The day before was absolutely perfect weather-wise, and Monday also would have been an excellent race day, although colder. Oh well, them's the breaks. Well run, good accommodations, great atmosphere. The quality of the field was very good, especially for the size of the event. If you want a laidback race or want to measure yourself against some very good runners and avoid a big-city event, then Tri Cities is well worth your time. Should the wind kick up on race day, accept it and keep your shoulder into the breeze.
T. G. from Seattle (11/2/2006) "Very rewarding experience" (about: 2006) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Tri-Cities Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I very much enjoyed this marathon, though anyone who was there may think I'm crazy. We had a 40-mph headwind for eight miles in the last half!!Nevertheless, this race was well organized by a crew that really suffered in the wind. And it was beautiful and very fast. I missed, qualifying for Boston due to the wind yet still managed to shave 18 minutes off my first marathon time. I would really recommend this event to anyone.
cara esau from Tigard, Or (11/1/2006) "beautiful course, body-thrashing winds" (about: 2006) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Tri-Cities Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 It was a gorgeous morning - sunny, cool - but the wind, oh the wind. I've never in my life experienced such powerful gusts as those on marathon morning in Richland. Someone had warned me that it tends to be windy there, but words fail to describe how it was. Imagine doing traveling lunges with a 50-pound bar on your back for three miles - and maybe 30 pounds the rest. Or think of running against a strong ocean current for 26. The salmon have nothing on those who ran the Tri-Cities Marathon in 2006! The wind choked us, blinded us, beat us, and we ran diagonally or curled up in a ball. The sand became a multitude of tiny bullets, and bushes unexpectedly uprooted and pummeled us. That said, I did get a PR, amazingly. In this case it wasn't because of the "easy" course. It was a matter of intense training. I'd love to try this one again, because next time - if there's no wind - it'll feel like a cakewalk. The volunteers were so pleasant. It felt like one, big, happy family.
L. M. from Sammamish, WA (10/30/2006) "Now THAT was windy...." (about: 2006) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Tri-Cities Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 - There was no race expo whatsoever, just race packet pick-up. Expected, but a little disappointing. - The t-shirt design is very nice BUT unfortunately it's cotton. I'm quite disappointed. I would gladly have spent a few more registration dollars to get a tech fabric shirt so I can actually wear it during training runs. - The Shilo Inn (host hotel) was very accommodating... discounted room rates, fresh fruit, popcorn and cookies in the lobby and a 2:00 p.m. late check-out. - The course itself was incredibly beautiful. - Unfortunately for us, Mother Nature was in a bad mood and served us up 26.2 miles of blustery weather. I'm not kidding. I looked up the weather history the following day: the wind speed from 7:00 a.m. - noon ranged from 12.7 mph - 25.3 mph with wind gust speeds from 20.7 mph - 35.7 mph. I could go on forever on all the effects of the wind, but I won't. Suffice it to say it made the race very difficult. It cost some runners a DNF, but fortunately not me. - The race has a 5-hour course limit but the RD allows early starts. Approximately 20 other runners and I decided to start at 7:00 a.m., which gave us a 6-hour limit. A couple of the early aid stations weren't ready when we passed, but that was sort of expected since we started early. - For the most part the course was lonely. It was definitely a BYOS (Bring Your Own Spectator) type of event but again that was also expected. - The few miles leading up to the halfway point were a little scary whereas we weren't 100% sure we were on course. Luckily we were. - The finish line food was moved into the hotel since it was so windy. Plenty of yummy food and treats. - The finisher's medal is quite nice, especially for a small marathon. I'd only run this one again if I were 100% positive the wind wouldn't be a factor. Since that's never a guarantee and there are just too many other races out there, I probably won't run this one again.
B. P. from Spokane, WA (9/2/2006) "Fast, fun, and well-done!" (about: 2005) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tri-Cities Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a small marathon that is really well done. It is also a very fast course! I knocked 15 minutes off my Portland time and qualified for Boston. The organizers do a nice job of providing liquids on the course and lots of fun snacks at the end. All of the volunteers were very friendly. The course is pretty and flat (except for the bridge crossings). Neighborhoods, parks, a small industrial area, and bridges - enough diversity to keep it interesting. If you're tired of the big marathons, or looking to get a PR, this is the marathon to do!
M. W. from Benton City, WA (1/24/2006) "Beautiful course and a well organized race" (about: 2005) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Tri-Cities Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Weather this year was perfect: sunny and no wind, temps in the 50s F. The course is almost entirely along the Columbia River, which you cross 4 times. These bridges are the only hills. The race is well organized but very small. Water and lemon-lime Gatorade are available at every aid station, which occur every 2 miles or so. Also there are plenty of restrooms available in the parks you run through. No food is available on the course so you have to carry your own or have people meet you. There are virtually zero spectators but it is very easy for your friends or family to meet you along the course. The race volunteers were very helpful and encouraging. This was my first marathon and I enjoyed it very much. I will probably do this race again.
D. S. from FL (11/4/2005) "INACCURATE RESULTS" (about: 2005) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Tri-Cities Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 This is a flat scenic course along the river. I ran one of my faster times on this course. This is a small, no-frills race with a little over 100 finishers. No timing chip is used. They probably do not use the timing chip to keep costs down. No results posted at the finish. No mention of the race in the local newspaper. Race is a good value. They have a shirt and running cap. Post-race food was average. I would not do this race again because my results were recorded wrong. Initial results that were posted had me in the wrong age group with a wrong time. Age group is corrected now but time is still wrong by a minute. I would not run this race again due to the mix-up on the results. If you want to run a marathon in Washington State, I would recommend Yakima over this race.
J. L. from Oregon (11/14/2004) "A marathon to repeat!" (about: 2004) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Tri-Cities Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was my 6th marathon, the smallest I've ever run, and one of the best. The course was perfect for a PR. The four bridge crossings are spaced well apart and are a welcome change from the otherwise flat course. This year there was a headwind on the return half, which slowed many of us down a bit, but I was lucky enough to still have a PR and a Boston Qualifer! I won't hesitate to come back and do this one again, hopefully without the headwind next time. ;-)

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

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