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May 11, 2024

Mankato Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.1

Organization 4.4

Spectators 4.3

Number of comments: 32 [displaying comments 21 to 31]

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D. K. from Minnesota (11/23/2011) "Great job Mankato!" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mankato Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I went to college in Mankato so I was really looking forward to running this race and it didn't disappoint! The first half of the course was out in the country and had a couple of tough hills. The second half wound through town (past my old college apartment) and along the bike trail. This was the first time I ran through a petting zoo! The spectators and cheer teams made a lot of noise and the motivational teams along the way kept you going. Overall great experience!
D. B. from Minneapolis Burbs (10/23/2011) "Be Ready for Some Hills" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mankato Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Maniacs and 50-staters: This is a great small Minnesota race. You will enjoy it, so long as you figure some pretty good hills into your planning. Course is generally good, but spends some time on sidewalks and on the shoulder of some pretty busy and open roads. I didn't see anything really dangerous, but I do think it could be quite a bit safer, hence the lower course rating. The lower rating goes up a little for the cruise through the petting zoo at 23 or 24. The hills don't suit my too-large frame, but that's certainly nothing for which to penalize the race. Prepare for them and enjoy them. Unlike me. Spectators are better than you'd expect for a small rural race. The course winds around in a few places, so the same folks can watch from many places quite easily. This makes it seem like there are more people than there really are. That aside, the folks are very enthusiastic and seem to be having a lot of fun. Typical costumes and water station battles. The race is well organized. Darned near everything you'd want to be taken care of is. And quite well at that. My only beefs are: The gear bag isn't a draw string. Minor, I know, but makes for a logistical problem at check-in. And the water cups they use are teeny, making it necessary to gather many cups at each stop to drink enough. A bit difficult to drink enough and run. Minor details aside, this is a great race. I was lucky enough to have great Minnesota fall weather (low 40s and sunny at the start, 50-60 and sunny at the finish.)
J. H. from Sioux Falls, SD (10/23/2011) "Great Fall Race" (about: 2011) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Mankato Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Mankato Marathon is a great race for the fall. The course is awesome with variation between racing in town, on trails, and in the country. The organization was top notch. There were medical aids at all of the stations, plenty of water stops, and inspirational signs all through the course. People on bikes were riding the course giving encouragement to the runners. They had bathrooms all through the race and you never felt alone. The spectators were along the course also and really came out to support the runners. The pace groups were spot on from the people I talked with after the race. Compared to other Midwest races, it isn't made of long straight sections of course. The hills caught me a bit off guard, but I had a great time with the varied terrain. The long downhill after mile 17 seems to never end, but the trail running was beautiful. Overall I recommend it for the great organization, varied course and nice people!
A. s. from Minnesota (10/23/2011) "Wow!!!" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Mankato Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I haven't run a smaller size marathon race before so my expectations were very low. Wow did final stretch change that! They have set the bar very high for other small marathons. The course support was awesome. Cheering zones along the way rocked! Signs were placed in random places with inspirational sayings. The day was beautiful. The course had nice variation to it. The only thing I didn't like were the two huge hills in the first 10 miles of the race but that only adds character. Thanks for a great race, will be back again!!!!
C. K. from Minneapolis, MN (8/1/2011) "Well organized and great crowd supp & volunteers." (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Mankato Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My husband and I both had a great time. The entire town seemed to rally behind the marathon that day. Start line had lots of porta potties, short lines. There were a couple tough hills in the first third of the race, but after they were done, not so bad. I wish the race route went thru town more than it did. The route is pretty rural. Some of the race was on sidewalks which we weren't crazy about. The finish was great, wonderful crowd support and some of the most supportive volunteers around. We will be back!
M. P. from MN (11/8/2010) "Good first-time event" (about: 2010) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Mankato Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The good points: pretty course, great weather, lots of volunteers, fun finish line, and yummy post-race food. The room-for-improvement points: sport drink was too diluted, beverage cups consistently had only 2-3 ounces of fluid, and part of the course was on cement sidewalks.
D. L. from MN (10/27/2010) "Well done!" (about: 2010) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Mankato Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 For an inaugural run in a small town, this run was well done. Kudos to the race director. You rank in communication and organization. You can tell you really put your all into this race. Mankato residents along the course were awesome. It was so nice to see all of you who came out and cheered on us runners. You were out in front of your house or trail or wherever. The course is not easy, but that is just the way it is. Thank you to all of the volunteers. I hope you will continue to have this run.
S. H. from Chicago, IL (10/27/2010) "Run Kato!" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Mankato Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I would highly recommend this race. The city really came together for the event. Mankato isn't flat, but the course was as flat as possible. There were two big hills before mile 7. I knew they were coming and they were early on, so it wasn't a big deal. Once you conquer them, you know it is easier from then on. The run was really pretty with all of the trees changing colors. The things I really enjoyed: -The layout made it easy for fans to see you at several places throughout the race. My friends were able to make it to 6 different places. I was surprised with the number of fans on the course. They cheered for everyone! -Lots of port-a-potties at the start and several at every water stop. I never had to wait in line. -Plenty of volunteers. Every intersection had someone, so safety was never a concern. -Every water stop had water ready for runners. They weren't scrambling to pour water like at some races. -The finish at the end was really neat, with an announcer and you turning the corner to sprint it in with lots of spectators able to watch. -The communication by the organizers was excellent. They put together an information packet that answered most common questions and would respond to emails and Facebook posts quickly. -With the start at the MSU campus, there were enclosed bus stops. It wasn't super cold, but in the future if it is, those will be very helpful. -MN pacers were there to lead runners to their goal pace. My dad commented about how accurate they were on times. -They had bicyclist toward the end riding the route to make sure runners were okay. I have never seen this before, and it was a really nice touch. The organizers did a great job with all of the details. There were a few very minor issues (crowded start corrals) that I know will be fixed. The organizers were really open to suggestions, which will help make this event even better next year.
C. C. from St. Cloud, MN (10/24/2010) "Well done, thank you." (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Mankato Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The city of Mankato truly pulled out all the stops to host their first ever marathon, and it showed. Congratulations on a fine event! Some things I would improve: 1) More porta-potties along the route. I saw one guy run behind a bale of straw, and another go into some bushes. 2) I can only imagine how hard it must be to plan a route, but wow!! Those hills into and out of the river valleys along the first half were killer. 3) Perhaps you could partner with some nearby place to offer showers afterward. 4) The in-town miles were well supported by spectators and volunteers. The rural, farm miles, however, got really lonely, especially for a guy like me who is a back-of-the-packer and was jogging alone much of the route. 5) I know there is nothing you can do about the frequent smell of cow poop, but it certainly added a dimension to this marathon that I've not experienced before! :-) Some things I loved: 1) The finish line was spot-on perfect! Ample food and drink were right there, within inches of the finish, and there was a wide variety - more so then I've seen in the past. Wonderful! 2) The mittens were a nice touch, and the shirt was above par. 3) The course (minus those hills) was beautiful and a nice blend of in-town, farms and woods. The path through the petting zoo around mile 23.5 was by far my favorite! 4) Communication leading up to the marathon was stellar. 5) I think the thing I enjoyed the most was how much the community seemed to be behind this event. Every volunteer was cheerful and enthusiastic, and even the hotel staff where we stayed seemed giddy about it! It's great to have another fall marathon in my home state, and I look forward to doing this one again in years to come. Thank you to everyone who put so much work into making this happen.
M. B. from St. Cloud, MN (10/24/2010) "Well-organized, especially for an inaugural" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Mankato Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Very organized, volunteers were amazing and knew what they were doing. You never went without water, Gatorade, or gels. It was easy to know where to go and what to do. Nice course, but don't expect a PR here - hilly. Miles 1-18 are pretty much around country cornfields; I would've liked a little more variation, maybe a little more through the city itself. Spectators were friendly and encouraging. I loved reading all of those little signs that they posted on the course as I ran by.

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