The Woodlands Marathon - Race Reviews

Ran this for a spring race with moderate weather. about 48 at the start and mid 50s by finish. Stayed at hotel in woodlands - Uber from the airport and no need for car. Walked to expo, dinner, race in the am. Able to walk up to course 20 minutes before, no line for mens bathroom in pavilion. Some hills up to mile 10 but then flattens out. Nice gentle curves. Tree lined the whole way - really just houses and trees but was peaceful and fans along the way were friendly. Water stops every 1.5miles not crowded. Ends 1 block from the start so again easy to get back to hotel without a long walk. No real course entertainment but all else was so smooth would definitely recommend.

Boring course and overpriced event.

I've run this the past two years and enjoyed it both times. 2015 was quite cold, but I don't mind that. 2016 was pretty near ideal. Having run Chicago and Illinois, I'll concede that it's not FLAT, but it is very close to flat. My time was very close to my PR. Expo is good. Post-race is excellent. Not many spectators, but the course itself is quite nice. Only downside (and this, unfortunately, is becoming all too common) is that it's mixed with a half so, if you finish under 3 hours, you will be picking your way through a lot of very slow moving folks near the end. Overall, a very fun race, especially if you want to avoid the crush of the big-city events.

Had not heard anything about this race and signed-up about a month in advance. Wow! What a well organized event. The race staff/volunteers were terrific and everything ran like clockwork. The only negative is the streets in Houston/Woodlands are concrete so it was a little harder on the legs than asphalt. Awesome medal and post race activities. Plenty of food and a nice setting to relax after the run. I cannot recommend this gem of a race more!

This is the 4th consecutive year I have run this race and it keeps getting better! This year, the weather was chilly (temps in upper 30s-low 40s and breezy - the weather is hit and miss here this time of year) and the course was pretty much the same as last year, except for a couple of small tweaks in the short 'out and back' and the last mile to the finish. Not a pancake flat course, but it's not hilly either. A few rolling bumps, and one larger bump at mile 13 - but courses like Big Sur and Boston make this one feel flat. Due to the cold, it felt that there were fewer spectators out this year - a couple dead spots where it was difficult to get to the course, but the ones that were out there were awesome! Portapotties were sparse (glad I didn't need one!). The Half Marathon ran a different course, and we merged from mile 19 to the finish. No problems dodging Half Marathoners this year. Finisher shirt year was a singlet; glad they are mixing it up a bit, even thought I'm sad that I can't wear it yet as it's too chilly. However, I am able to wear the cotton participant's shirt I got at packet pickup. Love the medal with the running shoe logo! Overall a great race, and well organized. Looking forward to 2016!

Good crowd support. Surprised to read the comments complaining about hills on the course. Yes there were a few rollers, but it's one of the flattest courses I've ever run. I would have preferred fewer turns, but the heat/humidity killed PR attempts not the course. One major gripe: they need separate the course for marathoners and half marathoners the last 6 miles; I was fighting with and losing to them as they meandered and clogged the road at the water stops and towards the finish line. Running through and dodging hoards of walking half marathoners taking selfies is exhausting and dangerous for a marathoner not thinking clearly.

This was my first time running The Woodlands and my experience was very good. The organization was near perfect - easy packet pickup, no fuss parking, toilets right by the start line with no lines 30 min to go, good corral management. No issue with water and gatorade on the course either but I was glad I wore a fuel belt given the warm muggy conditions. The course was not flat but not very hilly either, at least by my standards - lots of small rolling hills. The food after the race was a little ho-hum and I never did find the beer tent. Generous door prizes (26x$260) were worth sticking around for and the AG awards, folding beach chairs, unusual. This was a good race for me, a BQ, my fastest in 6 years and a PR but I'll put a lot of that down to my training rather than the weather or the course. Given it's so close to Houston, I'd certainly do this one again. Very nice tech T-shirt and chunky medal. Volunteers were all great.

The Good: -Friendly helpful volunteers -Plenty of water and Gatorade at the rest stops -Loved having a Saturday run, please don't change it to Sunday The Bad: -Parking: Parking was a disaster in that a) it was very limited, and b) most importantly, there were no volunteers directing people to where to park. I got lucky and finally took a back road to an open lot. However, by the time I found a place to park and walk to the starting line the race had already started. Not an issue with a timing chip, but it would have been nice to enjoy some of the pre-race activities. Also, I arrived at 5:45 for a 7:00 AM start, so it wasn't like I was late arriving. -Course: The course was billed as flat, and from reading earlier posts, apparently it was in prior years. This was my first time to run Woodlands, and I would not describe the course as flat. This was my tenth marathon so I have some context of hills vs. flat. This had enough hills to qualify as something other than flat. It wasn't Austin, but it wasn't flat. -Weather: The weather was an issue. Having a marathon near Houston in early March is a questionable choice. While the weather could be cold that time of year, on this occasion it was 75 at the start, 100% humidity, and over 80 at the finish. Might want to think about moving it up a couple of weeks.

Ran 2013 and BQ at this race. I've ran 14 marathons.This year (2014) the weather was hot and humid for running. Not really a P.R. day. I loved the course in 2013, but the new course was poor! Way too many hills and turns. Many of the runners I talked to agreed. There was a lot of road construction. I hope that was the reason.

This was the first year for the new course. If you're hoping to run for a PR or BQ time, the course will definitely not help you. In year's previous, the course was flat and fast. That's no longer the case. There are several climbs from about mile 9 through 15. Unfortunately, the temperature and humidity this year was a problem. I spoke with a runner who had BQ'd on the old course and he was very disappointed in the changes. I would not consider this a fast marathon course, and the weather this time of year is always a gamble. Additionally, it's very difficult for family and friends to meet up with runners on the course. There aren't many intersections and the streets are clogged with traffic. Consequently, there are long, lonely stretches without any crowd support. If you want to attract fast runners, bring back the old course!!

I ran the Half for the first time this year. Course was fine, pre-race organization was not bad; however, water stop 1 = no cups (so no water), water stop 2 = no Gatorade or water. The rest of the water stops had supplies but were not prepared. The volunteers who were there were working hard, but they were understaffed and under supplied. Spectators were sparse but enthusiastic and fun along the course until mile 11.1 - from then on, there were plenty of bodies, but they just stood there. I'm not kidding, the last mile of the race they STOOD THERE SILENTLY. I even began yelling 'Wooooo' and waving my arms at them but they seriously stood there. I've run 8 half and full marathons including the Hatfield and McCoy Marathon in WV. 98 runners finished that one and they had more enthusiasm the last 2 miles. FAIL, Woodlands. You should be ashamed and the organizers need to fix the last 2 miles of the course (and first 5 miles of water). This race has potential but wow, what a disappointment. 15 minute wait for finisher shirt at the end, and unknown wait for food as we abandoned the 200+ person LINE in lieu of walking to the convenience store 1/2 mile away. I'm still a little miffed...disappointed with this race. Such potential and such a usually stupendous CVB in The Woodlands. Get it together, people!

The Good Stuff -Love the fact that the race is on a Saturday! It's nice being able to run a marathon and not have to miss church for it. Please don't ever change it to Sunday -Water stations were manned by very friendly and encouraging volunteers. The weather for this years race was hot and humid, so by the time I got to mile 20 or so I was dying, but the volunteers at the water tables really helped by their enthusiasm and encouraging words. -Race t-shirt, finishers medal, and finishers tech shirt were all great. the medal especially was big and well done. -Post-race area by the river was a great place to watch others finish. When I crossed the finish line I was pretty pooped, so I found a patch of grass on the hill by the finish line and watched others cross as I gave my legs a rest! -Post-race food was really good. We had the choice of either a Chick-fil-a sandwich or Taco Cabana tacos, bagels, fruit, and milk/water. Plenty of tables and chairs to sit at also. Areas for improvement -Course markers were missing for some of the miles. Near the end of the race it's critical to have miles correctly marked, but for some reason the markers for mile 21, 22, and 25 were not even put up -Spectators were pretty sparse. The ones that were out on the course were great, but most of the route was empty. -Not much 'hoopla' along the course. Only one group came out (it was a drumming group), would like to see some more effort for future races to get more entertainment on the course. -It would be great if some of the water stations towards the end of the race had some bananas/orange slices/pretzels.

The course was a great course with enough variations to make a flat course be interesting. Volunteers were great, crowd support though thin in some stretches was great. Very enthusiasitc folks but the cold, windy conditions probably kept most people inside. This was the first two loop course I've ever run. It should attract more runners. If this was a larger marathon, the organization would really need to step it up to accomodate larger crowds though. But for this race everything was fine. Parking, hotels, and restaurants are plentiful and accessible. This is a great place to come for a race. I will probably come back.

This was the 2nd year of the 'return' of The Woodlands Marathon after a decade or so hiatus. This was my first year running it. Still could use some improvement, but I'll start with the good and the positive: Volunteers: As always, a thank you to the volunteers! It was a chilly/windy day in SE Texas so thanks for coming out. Waterstops well staffed, nicely spaced. Good police support to stop/direct traffic. Pre-Race: Good communication to runners. Liked early packet pick-ups for Houston area locals so you didn't need to get to the Expo. Being a Saturday race, you only have the Expo on Friday night. Course: About as fast and flat as they come, slight downhill from mile 20 onward. There were 100+ BQs in a field of 900. Nice finish area at the Waterway. Swag - Decent finisher's medal, on par with others. Nice bag and hat/visor were included (for full and half)! The Bad/Needs Improvement: Course: It's a double loop, so you see the same stuff twice. Making it worse, is the fact that you are doing the same course as the half marathon. By Round 2 for the marathoners, most water stops are totally drained of Gatorade. Not a huge deal for me personally but maybe for others. A little more planning organization can easily fix this (buy more, donate any leftovers). The resources/support for the marathoners is far more crucial in the 2nd half than the first. Not the most scenic course in the world, but hey...it's the Woodlands (one giant residential suburb), it is what it is. Also, the mile markers were horribly spaced, some probably off by 0.05+ miles. Post-Race: Not the greatest organization. Food line was silly long (I skipped it entirely and just left). Swag: While an Asics Tech Tee is advertised, it's a fairly low-end shirt. Not sure what the 2012 one looked like, but 2013's design is just hideous. Bright green with mostly green print (so it's hard to even see the printing). In summary, this race is decent. If you are looking for a fast course, this is it. Fix a few things, and this race could be better than OK.

This was my 125th marathon and one of the best. I've run several inaugurals and something major almost always goes wrong, but not in this one. Only race I've ever done with signs identifying the water and Gatorade tables. Great race guide (typical of a much larger event), great bib, great starting location at the pavilion, great finish line on the waterway. Only disappointment: great finisher's shirt not available in my size, but that can happen when you're dead last!

It was well organized for the first time after the long absence from the marathon scene. I am sure the organizers will improve next year but the run was great, flat course, different scenes made it interesting and not monotonous. I will run again.

The course was nice and flat and fairly scenic. I thought I would hate a double loop course, but it wasn't bad. I PR'd by more than 10 minutes. Aid stations, volunteers, and spectators were great. The expo and goody bag were not that great. No safety pins for the bib in the bag? I had to go look for some prior to the race. Also, it's a good thing I didn't need the porta-johns at the beginning because the lines were way too long. No signage at the finish to direct you to food, massage, or shirt pickup. I skipped the food due to the long line. All in all, I am sure there will be improvement next year. Too bad I live far away because I would come back to run this one.

Great downhill course,spectators and on-course nourishment. Don't remember having to finish a race to get a 'finisher' T-shirt unless already received a 'participant' shirt in bag. Chaos at finisher T-shirt pick up. Did not have my size and took 30 minutes. No signage pointing to food area, beer area or anywhere including parking. Food was sub-par at best. Need major improvement for event. Half marathoners were running up on slow marathoners for a crowded course. Will be back due to downhill course.

The course is easy and fast. The double loop is great because you know what to expect. The scenery is varied so you don't get bored. The fan and aid stations were so fun and creative. I actually found myself looking forward to seeing them again on the second loop. There was a jimmy buffet group, Texas two step group, oreo speedway, a dancing person in a full body orange leotard, funny signs...plenty of Gatorade, gel, and water. There are plenty of hotels within walking distance of the start. It was a little tight at the end for the faster marathoners running into the walking half marathoners - I think this could be improved with cones and some communication to half marathoners to watch out and make way. Overall this was a great experience maintaining the excellent tradition of Houston running.

I am a first timer and I DO NOT live anywhere near the Woodlands. I ran the 5K. While many may not consider it to be a big deal, it was a tremendous victory for me. The course was good but nothing to compare. Wonderful crowd of participants. I was quite disappointed with not receiving clear instructions on parking,if I need to and where to go to check in. Additionally, it would have been very helpful to have some or any type of signage especially since no workers clearly identifiable or available to give information or directions. Finally, at the end of race, it would be great for someone to tell you where to go; instead I felt as though I was just in the way. Never found the area to get a snack or finishing package. Thank you for permitting me to share my thoughts.

So happy The Woodlands brought back the marathon! It's such a great running community. The course is a double loop. I loved knowing what to expect and it made it very easy for my family to support me. Mostly amazed at the aid stations they were so well stocked with water Gatorade and every flavor of cliff gels you could want. They were also abundant. Spaced just far enough apart. This is a must run and a marathon I will run every year!