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May 10, 2024

Fort Worth Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Fort Worth Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.0

Organization 3.7

Spectators 2.8

Number of comments: 45 [displaying comments 31 to 41]

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

S. G. from USA (11/19/2010) "Water stations" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Fort Worth Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 This was my 12th marathon and first Fort Worth Marathon. Course is mostly flat but not well marked. Route is really confusing at the points where we crossed the Trinity River. If it were not for a spectator, I would have missed the course. This year, due to a bad organization, there were no water stations between miles 2 and 12. Medal was not the greatest I have received. It is a belt buckle but it looks weird. I would run it again but organizers need to pay people to handle water stations instead of relying only on volunteers. This is a small race. Not recommended as a first marathon.
C. D. from Keller, Texas (11/15/2010) "Great course but not well marked" (about: 2010) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Fort Worth Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 This was my first-ever marathon. The course is a nice out-and-back along the Trinity River and through parts of Benbrook - mostly flat, which was a great plus! The bad parts: water stations were not set up in a timely fashion. Even though I brought water since I did the early start, I was out of my own supply and had to go miles before reaching a station. I felt bad for the folks not carrying any water. The stations were supposed to be every 1.25 miles according to the race director, and on the way back they were. On the way out, water at about 1, 2 and then not again until 10 or more. Mileage markers at every mile but some intersections were not marked. Had my running buddy not remembered the route, I would have led us astray down the wrong path. No telling where we would have ended up. I liked the race but suggest future runners memorize the route (or carry a copy with you) and bring your own water just in case!
J. W. from Kansas City, KS (11/15/2010) "Don't travel for this one" (about: 2010) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Fort Worth Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I traveled to this race from Kansas City. If I had known it was more of a community party than a well organized race I would have picked another destination. There were no aid stations between mile 2 and mile 11 on the way out. Running 9 miles with no fluid can be dangerous for someone like me who suffers from dehydration and electrolyte depletion. I did okay because I hydrated well before the start, stopped at the aid stations at miles 1 and 2, and had plenty of gels with me. On the way back down the course there were more aid stations set up but some did not have cups and you had to drink from the 1-gallon bottles. The course was hardly marked at all and some people got lost. I was fortunate that I had others to follow who knew the course. At the finish there was a big party with lots of food, beer, a band, massages, door prizes, etc. It was obvious that the race director was much more concerned with throwing a good party than throwing a good race. I'm really not sure how this race can be a Boston Qualifier with very few course monitors and poor organization. I could have easily turned around at any point and taken the overall prize in the marathon. I don't think that should make you a qualifier event. This race needs a lot of work!
P. B. from Plano, Texas (11/14/2010) "Pretty course, but no thank you." (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Fort Worth Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 The marathon course winds through the park greenbelt from the minor league ballpark, through Trinity Park, and all the way down to Oakmont Park and Pecan Valley. Much of this is along the Trinity River, and miles 10-15 were through a lush, shady area that was turning the colors of fall. This is a very small race, what with the Dallas White Rock Marathon in three weeks, so the spectators were few. The organization was what will keep me from coming back to this one. From mile 3 to mile 11, there was no water or Gatorade out, and the website had said there would be some every 1.5 to 2 miles. I'm not sure what happened, and they did throw some stations up by the time I came back through the second time, but the speedy guys must have suffered both ways. Paying $85 for a marathon more poorly planned than the training runs my running group puts together just is a waste. The medals are pretty cool - a belt buckle on a ribbon, if you want to move it over to your blue jeans. However, there are just too many other options this time of year in DFW to put up with this.
J. L. from San Angelo, TX (11/14/2010) "Great Race!" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Fort Worth Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Fast, flat course along the Trinity River trail. Very few turns on the out-and-back course. Weather was perfect this year for this small marathon. I gave the organization 4 stars because for some reason (I assume some volunteers failed to show up) there were no water stops between miles 2 and 11. But when the race director found out, he sent out volunteers to hand out water bottles. Makeshift water stops were set up on the way back. I gave spectators 3 stars because they were few and far between. But frankly, I prefer it that way. This is one of the few races I plan to do again. It's a true PR course.
L. S. from Dallas, Texas (12/1/2009) "This is a great race!" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 There were not a lot of spectators, but the ones that were there were great. All of the volunteers were so great and nice! It was a fun and low-key race! The course was tranquil and serene. I will return.
L. W. from AL (11/9/2009) "Nice, new, small event" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Fort Worth Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Cons: Course was easy to get lost on: This was the first time I've ever taken a wrong turn on a course after 11 full marathons and numerous shorter races. Realized my error after only a tenth of a mile or so. A friend of mine wasn't so lucky. She went off-course twice and wound up running a near ultra total of 30.7 miles. And she's no rookie, having run nearly 20 fulls. Needless to say, they could use more volunteers (staying put) at certain points on the course, as it winds and turns - and especially during the second half, on this out-and-back course, after the runners have thinned out over the course and you may not have sight of where fellow runners have gone. This was compounded by the fact that this was a small race with only 150/160 full marathoners, and... you had many runners out on the course that were not in the event, but just training. Plastic cups at the water stops: If you walk through the stops, not a problem, but if you run through and are used to squeezing the top of cups to keep the contents in till you have gulped it, forget it with plastic - it just neatly splits and dumps all the water/aid in your face and chest. Ha. Spectators: Personally, I usually have no preference but they were very, very few. Heck, it's a new event. Website: It needs to be worked on. Too confusing, too hard to find info, and some info that should have been on there early (like exact street address of the location of the start of the race, packet pickup) was not there till the last week or so. Stick to the previous advertised prize reward agenda: They gave two of the cash prize draw winners to other runners of other races (who happened to have the same bib number) when the initial winners failed to appear. I thought that was screwy. Seems to me if you are going to have a prize each for the full, the 20-miler and the half... and you must be present to win, you keep drawing WITHIN the category till you call a number present. And by the way, NO... LOL... they didn't call my number (so no sour grapes here). Pros: Course: Very flat, on a mix of concrete and/or packed trail; often you could run on your choice, as both were side by side. Nice views of river and parks. Water stops: Numerous, every one and a half miles or so, and well stocked. Volunteers were very nice and enthusiastic. Organization and location: Not bad for an event in just its third year. Packet pick up was a breeze. Didn't get your timing chip till just before race but that wasn't a problem. Having the start/finish by the baseball stadium was great, as there was easy access to bathrooms and and seats to sit in afterward. Food was plentiful and adequate. Medal and t-shirt: Medal is very nice and unique. Actually, it's a belt buckle with a high-quality, pewter-like finish. Ribbon was a beautiful silver/black tint with date and name of event. Excellent! T-shirt was long-sleeve, and made of cotton, with a nice longhorn outline on it. Overall, especially for being in only its third year, I thought this was a very good, small marathon event. I would do it again and recommend it to others.
T. F. from Dallas, TX (11/9/2009) "First-Timer Impressed by Small Marathon" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Fort Worth Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Having never run more than 5K, I opted for the half-marathon. As others noted, the majority of the run is alongside the Trinity River, making for a scenic peaceful run. There weren't any spectators other than some friends/family members, but the few that were there made it awesome! The water stops weren't as crazy as I thought they'd be (the best is awarded $500), but everyone was friendly and upbeat. Love the people, love the location, and I will be back next year!
M. B. from Missouri (11/9/2009) "An up-and-coming marathon" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Fort Worth Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This is just the third year for the Fort Worth Marathon, so you never really know what to expect. I found the race packet pick up to be very convenient. I thought it was strange that the chips and t-shirts were to be distributed race day, but that actually turned out to work well. The race had several more aid stations than indicated on the website, which was a big plus, and they were very well stocked. Many of them even offered bananas and oranges. There were also several porta-potties along the way. The course was good, predominately on concrete, asphalt and/or gravel trails, with some road running. The medals are very nice and they double as a belt buckle, which I thought was a clever idea. We received a nice-looking, long-sleeved cotton t-shirt. The race started and finished at a stadium, so there were plenty of real toilets, easy parking, shelter and seating. The money raised from the event goes to a great cause that promotes fitness. I think the course needs to be better marked. It was confusing to me because there are obviously several events that utilize much of the same course. As a result, there were arrows of every color and direction. It would be nice if there were visible "Ft. Worth Marathon" signs at EVERY possible junction directing runners to stay on the course. Even better, it would be nice to have volunteers at these spots, making sure that runners were going the right way. I happened to veer off course on two separate occasions, thus finishing this marathon with 30.7 miles instead of 26.2. Other than marking the course better, the only other constructive suggestion I'd make would be to have a more up-to-date, maintained website. I think this would give the race the attention it deserves and better promote the event. All in all, a good race that I fully expect to be top-notch with a few minor improvements.
L. W. from Fort Worth, Texas (11/9/2009) "Good course; organization can improve." (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Fort Worth Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I really like this local race, but I do have a suggestion for improvement. On the second half of the marathon, the u-turn at Water Stop #8 was not marked properly (no sign or cones connecting across the grass to the adjacent sidewalk) and did not have a volunteer present to warn runners who kept running straight on the existing path. I followed another runner off-course for a mile until thankfully a volunteer on a bike told me to turn around. It was my first 28-mile marathon!

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