Grand Rapids Marathon - Race Reviews

I chose this as my Michigan race and am happy I did. The race director and his crew are passionate about what they do and it shows. All of the little things that can make or break a race were done well. Plenty of porta-pots. Well stocked, plentiful aid stations. Well marked course. Efficient packet pick-up/expo. Great swag - a nice medal, traditional socks, a gaiter and a nice race shirt. It's not a large race (numbers probably down being the first year back after the pandemic) but you can tell that the crew & volunteers care about your experience, and throw in a little bit of fun to boot. (The obvious example would be the 'Celebrity' Pace Groups, based on the marathon results of the rich and famous... the 3:14 'Pi' group, the 4:13 'Kevin Hart' group, the Oprah and Dubya paces... etc. A nice touch). The course is largely flat, scenic in spots and not so scenic in others. There are some downtown segments and some park/lake/bike path stretches and it makes for a fine overall circuit. The weather this year was nearly perfect and all of these factors led to running my best race time since March 2017. Add in some great bar/restaurant spots I found near my hotel, and this was probably one of my favorite races in recent seasons. Your mileage may vary - but I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Fantastic end of story

I traveled from Columbus, Ohio to attend the Grand Rapids Marathon. Specifically what drew me was the course time limits followed by the course style (mostly flat through a beautiful landscape). From the moment I got into town you could feel a positive vibe at the expo and that carried over to race morning. I took the early start and it made a huge difference. It made for a comfortable first 4 miles and allowed me to finish when it was still earlier than night. The course was spectacular. A great mix of city into a nature setting. Being in the back of the pack, no never felt alone on the course. The way it is set up, even after the 13 mile mark you are still seeing hundreds of people running with you the opposite way. This is a huge mental boost. It was not until the last 3-4 miles that the pack spread out (after being on the course for almost 6.5 hours) and even then every aid station was fully stocked and staffed to cheer you on. It was truly amazing. The finish line is still open and you feel like a champion crossing over even that long into the race. Family friendly and too notch.

This was my first race ever. I've never even done a 5k. I was unsure of what to expect. I was blown away. Everything was easy, I felt prepared, but was never given more information than I needed at the moment. I loved getting to run thru Downtown. The support and encouragement from all the volunteers was inspiring. And because this race was so enjoyable, I'm a runner now! I already have my next race and I'm planning on seeing you guys next year!

Something about this race has me keep coming back. It is very well organized, beautiful course, lots of encouragement. I have ran it the last 3 yrs and impressed everytime. Thank you for all you do!!

I simply love everything about this race! From keeping warm before the start at the Y, to the beautiful paved trail full of fall colors and stamina-inducing smell of falling leaves (at least that's what it does for me!), to local micro-brews after the race (and no, you don't need a bib coupon to get one - or two, or & well, it's completely up to you just how much you choose to celebrate...), everything is done meticulously! It is basically impossible to take the wrong turn (for instance where the half and full split off, or anywhere else) as the course marshals and all volunteers do an amazing job, even though everything is marked well to begin with. This was my 4th Grand Rapids marathon and the first ever to brake the 2:50 barrier. Although not as pancake-flat as some other marathons I've run such as Chicago, the rolling is minimal and it's still a fast PR course. So far I PR'd on it every single time! I keep coming back despite the 3-hour drive from Illinois.

Well run small marathon. Great communication in advance, and good organization on race day. Nice to have the Y open with heat and lots of bathrooms - especially since it was very cold (around 32 F) on race morning. Tons of water/gatorade stops with nice extras like cookies, multiple Gu stops, pretzels and pickle juice. Nice course with a few very small hills, but nothing serious. Much of the course is run on a long out and back through a wooded park, with a nice stretch running around a lake. Great 'celebrity' pacers - with paces to match celebrity finish times. Huge shout out to the awesome P. Diddy pacers who got me to the finish with a post-40 PR. Nice medal, too, and also long-sleeve tech shirt and socks (cool!). Not a ton of spectators on course, but they were enthusiastic and as many as could be expected for a smaller marathon. I definitely recommend this marathon!

I registered only two days before the race. Didn't know what to expect. I loved it. Pricey but extremely well organized and a very friendly attitude.

A super marathon with a LONG out and back that was strangely refreshing. The race directors were kind to let me start 25 minutes late. Oops. The beer at the end was the BEST, followed by a trip to Founder's Brewery. A super win.

This was my 26th marathon on 22 different courses. It is an easy walk from several good downtown hotels to the expo/start/finish area and restaurants. Combined 1/2 and full start was no issue(in many other races it is), as there were only about 5,000 runners in total. It would be nice to have an organized 'pasta dinner' option, as most of the nearby Italian places were pricey and lacking in vegetarian options.

I'm pursuing a marathon in all 50 states and this was my choice for Michigan. It was a great choice and I highly recommend this marathon! I review each marathon I run and I usually list the good things as well as the areas for improvement. However, for this marathon I can think of only one thing to complain about. Everything was truly that good! I'll list the pros anyway: -Beautiful course (after you get through the industrial section in the first few miles) -Loved the traffic-free sections on the bike path and appreciated that non-racers stayed off the path early start for the velocity-challenged was great. -The overall support for slower people was appreciated. -Excellent communication from RD Don -Nice to have everything in one place with ample parking (expo, start, and finish) -Though I didn't take advantage, nice to have showers available at the Y -Course was well-marked. I was never confused. -Loved the pickle juice at an aid station late in the course -The best part of the race was getting a high-five from RD Don at the finish!! I could go on, but I think you get the picture that this was a well-organized race with attention to detail. If I had to complain about something it would be that I couldn't always run the tangent on the out and back section, thus ending up with a 26.47 mile read on my Garmin. Also, the food at the finish was mediocre but I did appreciate the pickles. I am so glad I ran this race for my MI marathon. I really enjoyed sightseeing in the area. I highly recommend the Fredrik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.

Well organized, nice course except too much out back layout. Great beer at the end. Highly recommend it.

This is a good run. It is really geared towards elite runners though as there is no crowd support on this race and the volunteers are really only at the major mile markers and water stations. Plan on the fall colors bringing you into the finish. Most of the runners have music stuck in their ear and there isn't much support from any crowds.

I ran this marathon three years in a row 2009-2011. It is a very well organized event, that also typically offers great race weather. The course is flat and fast. A great place to PR/BQ. A great midsized marathon where you can avoid the crowds. Definitely a Marathon worth traveling for. This race holds a special place with me because it was my first marathon.

I chose to take on this marathon as a first time ever running event. I started my training on January 1, and I couldn't even run a 1/4 of a mile! I ended up running the marathon with my brother (veteran marathoner), and I finished in under 5 hours (just barely). I loved it! The scenery was beautiful, the organization was spectacular, the expo was well organized. . I can't say enough about it. I have since then ran 5 halfs, and now I am training to do another full. I think I was spoiled by picking this one as my first.

Ran in 2012 and liked it so much I did it again in '14. It is run the same day as Detroit and I can honestly say I will never run Detroit again. GR has a great course, easy to get to (free) parking, you can wait inside a nice warm building before the race, the number of runners is just right, plenty of hotel space and free beer at the end! Not sure what else you could want. The only downside is the paucity of spectators around miles 22-25. Not sure what else could be done, but that won't stop me from coming back in '15.

This was my first marathon and I couldn't have asked for a more positive experience. If I never run another marathon again (though I plan on many more) I would be happy with the decision to have run in Grand Rapids. It was small enough to avoid the confusion and crowding of a big city race but large enough that they are well-equipped and know what they are doing. The course is beautiful and crowd support was constant but not overwhelming. Don Kern's marathon news is the icing on the cake!

This was to be my first and only marathon. Three days after the race while telling a coworker about my experience, we decided to run it in 2015. It was the best race experience I ever had!

This was my first marathon and I have to say I absolutely LOVED every minute of it! The course was BEAUTIFUL and well planned out. The spectators were great and help keep the morale up. I had several friends/family come to spectate and it was easy for them to meet me at several different points in the race. The aide stations were fully equiped with anything you could need and the volunteers seemed to be having a great time and were very encouraging. Because of such a great experience, I think I am a marathoner for life!

I promised my family that I would only run one marathon, but after Grand Rapids, I am hooked! The view around the lakes was beautiful. The fans were great. There was a great selection of real food on the course. There's nothing like an Oreo after 20 miles of running.

This was a great marathon all around! I just wanted to say how impressed I was with everything: well organized, the course was beautiful, flat, plenty of spectators, plenty of gatorade/water stops. Just an all around great experience for my first marathon. The bar has been set very high!

I may have run marathons when younger, but my son only talked me into the first one when I turned 60. Ran Fox Valley IL 4 weeks before and came away hurt and with slowest of 5 previous marathons. So here I was with no pretense, not sure about finishing. The cambered road someone else mentioned was a killer to my left hip and the pain that required PT was coming back. Hat's off to the mother of 5 random stranger who was doing her second. After the rough section and with about 4 to go, I came upon her walking, and I started walking & talking with her. Long story short we were encouraged and had more run left in us than either thought. We both fed off each other's whatever to pick up the pace. She got her under 4 as did I (even BQ for me..I never did see the Will Farrell group I started with until in the beer spot). Sweet. Great day, shower so nice. Even with the road camber, high consideration for 2015. Running mechanics are sooooo important. And my son got his BQ too!

I ran with the 2:59 pace group (Chris Gregory and Ken Brooks), first time running with a pace group. These guys were excellent, yelling out splits, mile markers, talking and keeping our group inspired and keeping our mind off the effort we were putting in. If there is any way to let them know what a great job they did I would appreciate it. The pacers got me to finish under 2:58, which I could never have done on my own. Thank you so much pacers.

This was my first time running this race, and second marathon ever (ended up with almost a 5 minute improvement over my first full marathon). The course is a bit technical - lots of turns, but it is fairly easy to find the tangent and run it. A couple of small hills in the race, but nothing huge. Beautiful time of year to be running - this year it was a bit at the start, but the fall colours were great. Roads are blocked, so no issues with traffic. In the full, there is a part that is difficult for spectators to access, I think, and there is a portion where you don't see many other people other than the runners, and water stop volunteers. Maybe a half-dozen more course marshals would be perfect - there were a couple of turns that were sign-marked, and pretty obvious, but a volunteer would be lovely. That being said, the course is well marked, and there were always runners close by - I never felt like I was running alone and/or lost. Start and finish is at the Y, and there was a lot of parking. Getting to the parking was a bit slow, but not the fault of the race at all...something about a few thousand runners arriving at the same time. Free showers after the race at the Y, and a great food spread after the run (the usual bagels, bananas, oranges, yogurt, plus protein drinks, ice cream, beer, and chili). Waterstops were amazing. It seemed like there was a primer for all the volunteers because all the volunteers seemed to be holding the cups the same way (hand flat, and water on palm) and the water was in different cups than the Gatorade, so it was pretty easy to know what you were getting, even if the volunteers weren't letting you know (which they were). A couple of stops seemed a little understaffed, but I never had an issue getting water/Gatorade. Aid Stations were manned and had little cots as well. Spectators were really good, again in the full marathon there is a section where there aren't too many people, but I will say that with the 'cheer sections' that were set up, there were a lot of people that were at most, if not all of them, and even if they were there for a specific runner, it seemed like most of the spectators cheered for everyone, which was really nice, and appreciated. It's a mid-sized race so you aren't going to have the Boston/Chicago/Toronto crowds, but it seems like the city gets behind it, and the spectators out are enthusiastic. For the size of the race I thought the support was fantastic. Overall, a really great race. Well organized, and has a really nice course.

I could not have asked for a better first marathon experience than what I had with the Grand Rapids Metro Health Marathon! The course was beautiful mixing both great downtown GR city views and beautiful Pure Michigan Fall folliage!!! The aid stations were stocked full of plenty of hydration/nutrition, medical aid and HIGH ENERGY!!!! And I could not have asked for better weather! I much prefer the cool weather than warm when running! I can't leave out the amazingly comfortable socks and stylish long-sleeve tech shirt included with race entry! And to cap it off, Marathon Don was amazing from the start of my marathon planning keeping us updated and on track with training, through the last week of training reassuring and encouraging us with his daily humerus emails that our training will not fail us and we can do this, to the end of the marathon crossing the finish line where I was full of emotion from what I had just accomplished, He embraced me with a hug telling me 'That's what a marathon is all about' Thank you for a wonderful experience! And although I swore this would be my first and last marathon, don't be surprised if you see me again!

I ran the full in 2012, setting a huge PR, and fell in love with this race. Don Kern and his team get every detail right, and runners can just focus on running, knowing that everything they need is already taken care of. In 2014, I came back for the half and set an unexpected, post-injury PR. Race directors everywhere should take a lesson from the Grand Rapids team.

The race organizers are great and it's good race to do! It's mostly flat and scenic. I've done the half and the full. It has been pretty cold both times, but not too bad (I'd rather it be cold than hot!). There weren't too many spectators; however, I was at the back of the pack :)

This was my first full marathon and I would highly recommend this to anyone. I have run several halfs so I was very nervous about completing a full but the race staff and the crowds were all great. The course was flat and not swamped with spectators, which I liked. It was easy to navigate and the pace teams were very helpful. I plan on doing it again next year with my sister.

Great event! Race course is beautiful, temp ideal, hardly no wind, only complaint is pace group leaders run too fast. Last year I ran with 3:14 pace group and they were 15 seconds too fast. This year ran with 3:29, again 15 seconds per mile too fast in spite of the fact they crossed finish line at 3:29. Over pacing came in large segments.

I think that it is a great course and a great time, the one thing I would like to see change is that there would be more bathrooms on the course. When trying to keep the time low and waiting for an available port-a-john this was difficult.

This is my 3rd marathon and it is by FAR the best organized and fun marathon and RACE I've done. It's the perfect size. The course is beautiful, one semi long but not very steep hill earlier on in the race, amazingly energetic volunteers and great crowds in spots. I PR'd by almost 5 minutes this time around. I'm a huge fan on this race all the way around and even though I promised my wife I'd take a break from marathons, I think I'll need to come back for the half at least next year :-)

Very good route and great marathon experience. I broke my toe 5 weeks ago and my training came to a halt. But I had registered for this marathon and ran it anyway. People were very supportive along the route even though my time was very slow due to the lack of adequate training and broken toe. Great experience for a guy from central Illinois!!

1st time running the GR Marathon and Don Kern puts on a great race! Don keeps you updated with his weekly emails and Don knows what runners want with from his own running. For being a smaller marathon, it has a big time feel from the get-go as the fans do a hell of a job cheering on. And when there aren't fans, it is okay because you are running the trails and have the beauty to push you on. Don also has numerous aid stations and they are never to far apart. Look forward to #2 of this race in 2015.

I've run 6 marathons now and this is by far my most favorite. I've ran 3 majors and I honestly think that the organization for this race is better and more meticulous than Marine Corps. It's a fast course and it wasn't boring. I met two other women on the course and we all pushed each other to Boston Qualifying times. We had never met before. It's just that awesome of a race. I may be a little biased because I'm from Michigan but I've moved away and came back for this race and will continue to do so every year!

Yesterday was my first time running the Grand Rapids marathon, and I have to say, it has been my favorite race so far (12 halfs and 7 fulls under my belt). Not only did I PR, but I took 11 minutes off my previous PR. The course was stunning, the volunteers were friendly, and the shirt and medals were fabulous. I am now encouraging all my running friends to race with you guys next year. Thanks for a great time! Kudos to everyone involved!

This was my first half marathon and I could not have asked for a better race! The course was mostly flat, the organization was great-it was easy to pick up my packet on Saturday and for my family to 'follow' and cheer me on throughout the course! The crowd was great at cheering us on and the director of the race was there at the finish line to congratulate us, this was a fantastic experience for me! Thanks to everyone for their hard work in putting this great event together and to all the volunteers that made this possible.

There could not possibly have been a better day to run a marathon. The weather was darn near perfect, the course was (mostly) beautiful decked out in fall colors, the spectators were boisterous (if a little thin in spots) and the volunteers gracious and welcoming. The course is a nice mix of doable hills and long stretches of flat. My only quibble about the course is that the last 3 miles are kind of ugly and not particularly inspiring when you need some inspiration most. There were very few spectators in the last two miles until you were nearly at the finish line. Spectators are not really numerous anywhere on the course, but the ones that were out were enthusiastic. This is NOT a race for someone who has to have constant crowd support. There are some pretty lonely, although quite lovely, miles. Overall a wonderful day. I nailed my splits and got my BQ with a minute and change to spare. Would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good day. Thanks for such a wonderful experience.