Saskatchewan Marathon - Race Reviews

I just did this race as my first ever marathon. I chose the race as it was a little smaller than others which provided a great chance for my family to get around and see me in several places (including the finish). Race packet pickup was super easy. Getting to the start was also easy and there were plenty of bathrooms at the beginning (if you didn't wait until 2 min before race time) for everyone. There were not that many spectators, especially after the halfway point, but I don't have anything to compare it to. The ones we did see were amazing! I really liked the course. There was a pretty good climb around 21km and then again from 40-41km. I definitely needed to walk it. All-in-all, a great experience for my first time!

This was my first full marathon. I'd only done 2 - 5k's and 1 - 10k last year. I loved the calmness surrounding the race start. I loved the name tag numbers, so very personal, and many people called out my name for encouragement. I loved the beautiful colored shirt, and the medal, and the buff. You all did an awesome job!! I appreciated everything about the day and all the volunteers as well. Thank you, thank you, thank you for making my first marathon so personal and special!!

There is one big oddity about this race and that is that it is called the 'Saskatchewan Marathon' when it really is a small race (especially the marathon) to the point where once the halfers had split off there were times when I didn't see anyone else on the running path. That's fine, I've run small races before, but the name kind of gives the impression that there will be a goodly number of runners and there just aren't. It's a small city race that hasn't yet grown into its billing. The pros: nicely organized with outstanding volunteers. The volunteers all along the course did a great job of cheering and making the runners feel special. Without them it would have been utterly dismal out there. Also really good was parking and access to the start/finish area. Easy is good! On the cons side: no package pickup for out of towners on race day. As I only live 2 1/2 hours drive from Saskatoon, having to get up there before the 5 pm prior day cutoff to pick up the race number was a real pain and wasted much of my time. I know it adds a problem for organizers to do this, but I'd happily have paid an extra fee to have someone hand me the number on race day. It can be done as I've experienced at other larger races. Another con is that there was only one portapotty at each water stop and thus there were lineups during the first half of the race. Who wants to wait in line for 5 + minutes? (A plus is that there were plenty at the start line). Finally, the biggest con is that the course, though mostly in the scenic river valley, really was extremely boring to run. This might have been because there were so few people on it, made worse by the fact that the cool and windy weather kept non-runners away from the park and pathways, but in the end I felt more like I was doing a long run at home than in a race. This may be an unfair criticism: you put your race in the most interesting part of your city and it still ends up being, well, uninteresting, what are you supposed to do? A ton more runners would have helped... Finally, there was really and truly zero spectator support (ok, there were maybe 10-20). Nobody seems interested in this race in Saskatoon which is a shame. I wonder if the organizers added a marathon relay if it would help the whole situation. I've done smaller marathons where the presence of a hundred or so relay teams adds to the excitement, keeps the course busy, etc. Will I run this one again?  possibly, but I'll likely choose another if I'm looking to run a race in May next year.

One of us ran the HM and one ran the Full. Package pickup was convenient. It was easy to drive to the starting area and park. A scenic race course along the river area, more hills than you would think on the prairies. Nice race shirt and medal.

This was our 3rd Saskatchewan Marathon (we ran the half). We showed up to the package pick-up 2 hours after it opened and they were already out of the men's extra-large shirts (thumbs down). At the pasta supper ($20.00), they ran out of food before everyone was fed and it was a long wait before more showed up (thumbs way down). The meal was way overpriced for what was served, and to run out is inexcusable. The course was fine, with great volunteers, but we will definitely skip the pasta meal next year due to the fiasco last night. Whoever decides on the shirt orders should wake up as well.

I was pretty underwhelmed with my Saskatoon race experience. The weather was outside of anyone's control, but I was surprised that the route seemed to spend so much time away from the river. Instead, the first 8 or 9 KM seemed like a dull march through the city. This was only accentuated by the unpredictable nature of the on-course KM markers. I believe I saw them at the 3K, 7K, 10K mark, with more in the second half of the run (half marathon). I rely on the markers to determine my pace and to keep my focus. I was thrown off by the lack of markers and my resulting inability to know my ongoing pace. Volunteers were great, but I don't think I'll be back.

The pre-race pasta dinner set the tone for this race very nicely. About 700 people turned out for a very funny speech from the one and only Penguin... considering there were not many out-of-towners, this turnout speaks to the great support the people of SASK show for local events. Start could have used more porta-potties, and the Canadian anthem should have been part of the pre-race festivities (what's with Canadian road races? Let's show some patriotism!!). Race day was dawned wet and windy, with a temperature perfect for running. The course was fairly interesting, with a winding trail-like detour through the university section of town. Very flat, well marked course. The 8KM stretch leading to the turnaround at the 31KM mark was brutal... running into a, what, 35 kmh headwind was not fun, no, not fun at all. What few spectators there were offered great support, fantastic volunteers, awesome awards highlighting local artists... worth the travel from central Ontario. This marathon is definitely recommended. RIDER pride in Saskatoon... that's the spirit!

You can pretty much judge a marathon's organization by the pre-race porta-potties and this race was shamefully sub-par. There were a dozen portable toilets for a race with 2,000 runners. I got in line 1/2 an hour before the race, and almost missed the gun (several hundred runners behind me would have). Completely unacceptable. The course is uninspired as it passes by the same landmarks 4 times for the marathon. Saskatoon is a scenic city; the organizers should let us see it. Also, there's a steep downhill at the 7K mark that really hurts the joints and thigh muscles. Otherwise, it's a decent race if you're from the area, but I wouldn't travel to do this one.

Good course, but for the marathon I would suggest a longer out-and-back course instead of a doubling of the half marathon course. The course is good, but they took traffic control out too early and cars became a problem late in the race.

I'm from Saskatoon, and have run this course before, and found the new configuration a good one. Mostly flat, and then two small hills at the end (both half and full) to challenge. Lots of aid stations and small, but encouraging spectactors. Tech shirts and medals for full and half are a nice touch. A small, well-organized race. Suggestion: Have mile markers for each mile/km of the route for those of us timing as we go.

This was a great race and is run a long a great part of Saskatchewan. A major amount of the race is along the river although the finish line area is not the most exciting place to finish. Would definitely do it again and it is a great race to start off your season if you are planning on doing more than one for a year.

Saskatchewan was my 3rd marathon and 1st in Canada. Many of my Calgary area running friends were surprised to hear that Saskatchewan offers a marathon. Very pleased that I chose this race...great race course, scenic, generally well organized, technical shirts and friendly people. I have nothing but good things to say about this event and have previously run Chicago Lasalle and Napa (both noted as well organized and supported races). I will be back to Saskatchewan and will do my best to help support this race when discussing with Alberta runners!

Thanks for providing the opportunity to run a half marathom in your city.....coming from a small community where it's 98% flatland I found the hills throughout quite a challenge....a good one at that....the course run I thought was beautiful and loved running through the different sites of heritage and homes.....I do wish there would have been more pace bunnies in place with more distinct ears to see....also the night before the race I could have used more precise instructions as to where the start of the race was, being from out of town it was a bit confusing..I thought the start times that was shifted, for example full/half, 10 km and walkers was great, to have them start at different times to avoid congestion.....all in all I think it was great and look forward to next year....thanks to all that organized and supported!!

A great race. Enjoyed the course, well organized and great volunteers and friendly people!

I didn't participate in any of the pre-race fun (as I came from Winnipeg), but I was pleasantly surprised by the marathon in general. A very scenic course through the Saskatoon River Valley. Lots of fluid along the way, timing chip, medal & shirt, overall a great marathon with lots of great people participating and volunteering. My only question is why it isn't more popular. There was no advertising for this great run in Winnipeg. Loads of people from Winnipeg go to the Queen City Marathon in Regina, but nobody seems to know about the Saskatchewan Marathon. I would recommend the Saskatchewan Marathon to anyone (I ran the half) and hope the organizers advertise more next year.

The course is beautiful and scenic. I rather like the double loop, it is much better than twisting and turning through residential streets. The volunteers were very energetic! Lots of aid stations. Thanks!

Saskatoon is a beautiful large city. It would be nice to see more of it. A double loop for a first timer is crushing, because of this I chose to run the half. I would prefer a single loop or some other variation then a complete double loop. The volounteers though were amazing.

The aid stations were exceptionally well timed, the support there was really awesome!! The course left a lot to be desired - Saskatoon is a beautiful city - let's see more of it!! No timing chips and no bunnies were a first for me but the timing seemed accurate and the new friends I made were pacers in themselves. Will have to contemplate a return.

My running partners and I were very disappointed to learn that there were no pace bunnies, to timing chip and no CLOCK!! What a huge disappointment especially for those from outside of Saskatoon. The route left something to be desired as well. Sorry we concluded on the ride home that we won't be back.

The location and level of challenge in this course has always been excellent. However, the new course is in my opinion a step in the wrong direction.

A nice course, well organized and with great volunteers. It would be nice to have more spectators come out to see the run and support the marathon.

Almost guarenteed cool, sunny weather in September. Course relatively flat, scenic. Volunteers/spectators friendly. Great 'carbo-load' restaurant!