Modesto Marathon - Race Reviews

INTRODUCTION: I am a racewalker with a median marathon completion time of 5:26:59. The Modesto Marathon was my seventy-third 26.2-miler accomplished. COURSE: It was an excellent day for a marathon: 48 degrees, 93 percent relative humidity, overcast, and no wind. Starting downtown, the first four miles of the marathon stayed in Modesto, initially in residential neighborhoods and then moving on to the industrial district roughly 2 1/2 miles into the race. The only detectable incline was a 30 foot climb up and down what was called by organizers as Mount Modesto, otherwise a Southern Pacific railroad track overpass. From mile 5 to the middle of mile 24, our course took us west of Modesto into farm land, mostly orchards, but also two easily detectable dairy farms. This part of the course could be considered pancake flat. Ascending and descending Mount Modesto once again on the return segment at mile 24, we returned to our finish just one block away from where we started. Weather at completion was 61 degrees, 55 percent relative humidity, partly cloudy, and west-northwest wind with speed of 12 mph with gusts up to 18 mph. Apart from Princeton Avenue between miles 1 1/2 and 2 1/2, the remainder of the course was straight, enabling the runner to easily identify the shortest course. There were discrepancies between the USATF certified course map and the directions we received during the event. Most of these differences were minor, having little effect on the course distance. However, between miles 4 and 5, travelling northbound on Brink Avenue, we were directed to the left, southbound lane. A sane automobile driver would then take advantage of the empty northbound lane to travel in. Unfortunately, a race official took it upon himself to travel in the runner occupied lane, from behind, forcing half and full marathoners off the road. To add insult to injury, he turned around and did the same thing travelling southbound! ORGANIZATION: Unusual for a marathon of this size, the entire race was on a closed course. Apart from the previously mentioned race official, traffic control managed by volunteers, Modesto Police, and California Highway Patrol was excellent. Excellent water stop support as well. Spartan but efficient packet pickup; apart from the technical tee shirt and marathon medal hangar that came as part of the registration premium, no other race merchandise was available for sale. SPECTATORS: The locals came out to support the runners in fine fashion: lots of cowbells ringing to urge us on. Also, there were two beer stops, one with home brew, to tempt us to delay or abandon the race in favor of suds. No live bands present, but there were a couple of boom boxes in operation during the event. CONCLUSION: Modesto was forever enshrined in pop culture with the 1973 George Lucas film, American Graffiti. The organizers took advantage of that by hosting the packet pickup in the unfinished Graffiti USA Classic Car Museum, which provided some insight into the cruising culture of the early 1960s and how it tied into the motion picture. Also, the technical tee shirt and finisher medal incorporated the classic automobile theme. As for the race, the course was easy, the weather was great. Well done, Modesto.

As a Modesto Native, I have seen the progression of the organization of this race in recent years. The past two years the organization has seemed to go downhill. This year the bib-pickup was inconvenient, and with very little vendors at the 'expo'. Then, the day of the race we did not get started until 10 min after the race -- with a less than decent MC. The course itself was fine with some locals cheering runners on with treats and signs. There were also water stations every other mile -- and restrooms. Overall, decent race and course, but I would not run it again.

I love events that are all about community and the Modesto Marathon definitely fits that bill, from the charity it supports, to the sponsors, to the participants, to the law enforcement personnel, helpful well-trained volunteers and friendly community members who are cheering on the runners. The event was well organized with attention paid to details. The organizers have put lots of thought into SWAG, finish area offerings for both participants and spectators, etc. Nice jacket, nice shirt, crazy medal (I swear the thing weighs three pounds, it is like a title weight belt), free photos. Love that you don't have to bus to the start, that there is plenty of easy nearby parking for start/finish. The course is a little congested at the beginning due to full and half combined start, but since I tend to run small races, I'm probably overly sensitive to this issue. But seriously participants, line up with your pace group, and/or line up at the back if you are a walker - love that you are out there, but let's make it a good experience for everyone! The course is flat and fast, if a little boring -but I'm not a fan of long straight stretches, and this course had plenty of those. But the water station (super well trained - thank you!) and intersection volunteers and community members do a great job of cheering people on. Depending on the direction of the breeze, you definitely become aware that there are plenty of cows in the area from the aroma (I have agricultural roots, not a criticism, just a fact). Overall, a great event and I recommend it! Thanks to everyone involved!

Flat and fast marathon for those looking to BQ. Improved my PR by over seven minutes from Portland. Can park close (literally a few blocks) to start/finish line. Nice expo for small marathon field with great prices for prior year's tech shirts. Free photos and finishing medals with stand-up post. A small town marathon with big town amenities. Highly Recommend.

This was my first marathon, and it turned out to be a blast because of how well the expo and race were coordinated. The event has so many volunteers, all of whom I found to be incredibly helpful, cheerful, and really enthusiastic/positive. You can tell the organizers tried really, really hard to make this small town marathon race something special  they succeeded! I can see this marathon becoming very popular in the future, but I hope it remains somewhat small because I think that's the allure of this race. I loved running by myself for a good part of the race, but also liked the fact that they have quite a number of pacers if you're the type who, like me, likes a pack to pace with just for the beginning part of the race. The area has so many friendly locals that come out and do their best to cheer you on. The coordinators do great at attracting many partners, such that you get quite a bit of free stuff! Free photos! Free massages! Lots of free food! A free bottle of wine customized for specially for the event! Medals looked OK on the Facebook page but were colorful, stunning and very well crafted in real life. I felt guilty ever thinking the medal wouldn't be anything but amazing. They had a person on site to engrave your medal with your name and time for a small fee (I even asked to add '1st Marathon', which the engraver was happy to do). This made the medal personal and that much more awesome. I was in a bind and arrived 10min before the race. I found a coach/volunteer and he was happy to help me bring my bag to the drop off. I can't say enough how welcoming and accommodating the people of Modesto are. They have imparted on me a great impression of the town and its people.

This was my first marathon experience. I had initially signed up for the half marathon, and upgraded to the full in February. That process was very easy with no complications in ensuring I would still receive the correct race bag, medal etc. Having the aid stations spaced every 2 miles or so was very beneficial. Although I carried my own GU's and water, it was great to switch to crackers & other drinks. The volunteers were great with filling our bottles as well. Having the porta-potties available was very convenient too. Citizens along the course also provided water along the way. What a wonderful way to begin my running !! I'm sure this will NOT be the last time I run here !!

My first marathon and I chose this one carefully to be flat (it is) and without a huge field (~700 marathoners). I chose well. Really enjoyed the race and here's some highlights (CONS/improvements at the end)... Pre-race communication was excellent. I e-mailed one question and got an answer back in less than 24 hours. Expo seemed good - I only went to get my bag - nice race shirt and jacket. If they keep the start/finish area the same in the future, I highly recommend staying at the Doubletree - it is less then a block walk to the start. You can hang out there until 10 minutes before the start and be fine. A good number of pace runners - mine was great for as long as I was able to stay with him. The course itself is pretty much out and back (slightly different routes out of and into town), but you get the one 'hill' (aka Mt Modesto - elevation ~130ft) twice. Great and friendly volunteers with an assortment of local bands along the route. Water and GU Brew electrolyte drink every 2 miles and GUs at 5 of those stops. Porta-potties in several places along the route. Great refreshments at the end of the race - chocolate milk (a favorite of mine), bananas, apple chips, power bars, etc. Post-race massages for free! The room was a little tight, but at least when I finished (4 hours) the line was only a few minutes wait for about 15 minutes of work. They must read these comments as they addressed some issues previously mentioned: I had no problem with walkers near the finish line and the medals display the year of the event (and you can engrave with your name and time for $15). Three small Cons/things for improvement: 1. The roads themselves are pretty beat up. To be expected for country roads, but you do need to watch your step sometimes. 2. (This might only be me)... I don't like to use caffeine. Only one of the GUs they served was caffeine-free and there really wasn't any way to make sure you got it unless you wanted to stop and quiz the volunteers handing them out. It meant I had to carry a bunch of my own GUs. 3. The porta-potties at the start got very congested in the minutes before the start - had a lot of us stressed out. This small cons in no way took away from a fantastic race. Well done Modesto!

This race has slowly built up its reputation as the runner's race, and it was for the last two years when I was in. I was in the 2013 race, pretty good race already. This year, 2014, even more participants and better organization. There was not one single thing I can complain(one person complained there was a typo on the finishers medal but I found that very unique actually) about this event. It is a small town event. The town itself is not really a tourist destination but for the race itself, they out did themselves. I would recommend anyone want to get a PR or get BQed. The course is flat as a pancake, just a tiny little bridge to cross at the beginning and back, it kind of mixed up the course nicely. It is a out and back course with the last two miles skip the starting neighborhood and straight to the finish line which is nice. The race started right on time at 7, the scenery and the direct straight road were just wonderful. The volunteers are super nice and genuinely helpful and kind. It is like the whole town was there to support you. From high school cheer teams to farmers to home owners, everyone was out there to cheer you, provide you their own bottles of waters, fruit and all that! Weather was just super, not too hot, not too cold, sunny but mild. The medals were huge and beautiful designed, expo was good size and nicely directed. We got a jacket and a running shirt, good ones. Don't know how they can afford this, the registration was nothing compared to all the rock & roll or big cities marathons. The after the race food and goody bags were filled with good stuff. They even gave out free printed photos taken during the race right there at the end, and you can download all the race photos on their Facebook page absolutely free! I mean, wow! What a race! I looked on the marathonguide's site, as today, it listed this year's race as the 11th highest percentage Boston Qualified ratio at over 11% participants BQed.

Ran it in 2012, hit all the goals I had hoped for, and a good experience overall. Weather was bad, but cleared up for the marathon, so perfect there. Pretty course. The problem I had with it was the last few miles. The organizers made the 1/2 marathon and full end at the same spot. This might have been OK, but the timing of the walkers clogging everything up wasn't. After 23 miles, running 6:25's-6:30's, my tired old body just didn't need to dodge and try to sprint in and out of all the walkers, who were walking 5 or 6 wide, chatting, oblivious to the top group of marathoners coming in. Getting energy drinks at the stations was a problem too due to the throngs of walkers. I was spent, and this was very annoying. I have run other marathons much better thought out and planned in this regard, and it makes all the difference if you are serious about trying to finish strong in a marathon.

This is the BEST supported and runner-friendly race that I have ever done! The race organizers tailored everything to the runner (and when you're out there for 26.2 miles, that's important). They had aid stations with port-a-johns at every mile. Each aid station had water, an electrolyte drink, gu and snacks! The people were amazing, the middle school bands stuck it out all day in the cold just to cheer on the runners. A few cyclists patrolled the course with snacks, encouragement and aid. Honestly this was an AMAZING race and I thank all of the organizers and volunteers for being so wonderful! (it's a very small and not crowded course that's a FLAT Boston qualifier)

My 99th marathon/ultra and I'm still finding gems! With awful, gloomy weather forecasts I must admit I wasn't looking forward to running this event. But the weather elves must have felt that the Modesto Marathon suffered enough with the monsoon of 2011, so the elves brought an amazing day! Pre-race communication was top notch, expo space was a bit cramped but the variety and number of vendors was good, insulated goody bag, nice shirt, well situated start and finish area, sufficient aid stations and port a potties on the course, lovely course with one 'hill' which you get twice as the course is out and back, amazing volunteers, well thought out logistics for spectator access along the course, a good number of pace groups, and a lovely assortment of local bands (I think they said 11) along the route. I especially loved the middle school band who played their hearts out. I also loved being greeted by the cows at approximately mile 9. Oh, there's one more thing to mention to show you the care put into this race....I drove the course on Saturday (it had been raining several days and was raining Saturday with the prediction that we'd have rain on Sunday as well) and found several intersections to be covered, inches deep, in water and mud. It troubled me so I wrote to the RD on Saturday night and asked if they were going to try to remedy the situation. I received a response almost immediately indicating they had crews pumping the water off the road but they couldn't make any promises for race morning. Well those crews must have worked all night long because the roads were completely dry on race day! Absolutely amazing. My only recommendation is that in the future the finisher medal display the actual date/year of the event, or as a cost saving measure, at least have the ribbon contain that information. Well done Modesto. If I can, I will be back. You certainly do it right!!

This race is well organized and runner FRIENDLY!! The out & back course is stocked full of support from the mile 8 home brewers camped out in their drive way to the blowfish helmet biker who was constantly offering assistance! There were aid stations every TWO miles and porta-johns at least every 2 mi. HS/Middle School bands stayed out there the WHOLE time. 7hr course limit, mile markers every mile, gummy bears and pretzels at the turn around! Absolutely FABULOUS job by all of the race volunteers and organizers!! If you're looking for a 'home town' race, THIS IS IT!!! And, Teens Run Modesto...Hat's off to you! Amazing!

This was my first half marathon and what an experience! Yes, the weather was lousy, but nothing else could've been better. The volunteers were amazing. The course was flat, which is what I wanted for my first time out. Meeting Dr. Wu and Dr. Lee was the icing on the cake. This year there were three of us from Southern Cal. Next year there will be many more... THAT'S how much we enjoyed this race. Thank you to all who made it possible!

My first half marathon ever and I had an absolute blast!!! Even with the bad weather, it was still awesome!!! Great organization and people!! Will do it again next year for sure! :)

A nice change for a Midwesterner - 3 miles through the neighborhoods, 3 miles along the highway, and the rest of the course through the almond orchards and dairy farms. The weather really sucked but it didn't dampen the spirits of the volunteers or organizers. Lots of water and GU on the course, and several bands as well. Course is so flat that it's a perfect place for a PR!

If you are looking for a FLAT marathon, this is it. It is also a small showing (under 500 marathoners), but VERY well supported. Lots of water, GU, etc. And very nice people. The hotel was right at the start/finish line, which made logistics fantastic. Nice dinner the night before with a good guest speaker. The half-marathon had about 2,500 people. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate, but you certainly can't blame the organizers for that!