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Jun 3, 2024

Germany to France Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Germany to France Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 3.4

Organization 4.2

Spectators 2.5

Number of comments: 19 [displaying comments 11 to 19]

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T. B. from Columbus, IN (4/26/2004) "Beautiful scenery, agreed--dangerous course" (about: 2004) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Germany to France Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I am not a veteran marathoner, but have done 5 mini's, and I agree with the comments regarding the safety of the highway. I couldn't recognize race officals' cars to flag down help (if I'd needed it), and indeed, I wasn't sure if was to continue down the highway or turn off it sometimes--maybe some flags along the road to mark the trail? (I do want to add thanks for a prayer answered for the welfare of the injured volunteer, but painfully add that this should be a warning to the organizers about running this race down a highway--sorry.) The highway was the worst section (boring, hot, unshaded), though probably necessary to get the mileage we needed--still, the countryside and areas around the hotels are a lot prettier. Thank you for taking out some of the hills and lowering this from a class 4 to a class 2--that couldn't have been easy to do at the last minute. Agree--local crowd awareness almost 0!--a big factor when enduring 26.2 miles. VOLUNTEER support was great. How about mile markers at the water stations? (I was told I passed mile 22 TWICE--(separate aid stations)--a little discouraging for a rookie.) THANK YOU TO THE HOTEL FOR LATE CHECKOUT--shower and soak was SUCH a help in the post-race recovery! Back again?? Don't know. I like the multi-state participation and camaraderie, but I'll watch to see how the course changes before returning.
R. R. from Ohio (4/23/2004) "Hope next year's will be better" (about: 2004) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Germany to France Marathon COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I'm glad I did this race, but there is a lot of room for improvement. This is not a good marathon for beginners, as it is very hilly. On the other hand, it's a great race for someone looking for an especially challenging race. While the organizers give the impression that there is only one hill on the course, the fact is that there are many hills. They are only counting a very long, shallow grade hill; however, it is followed by numerous shorter, but steeper, hills. When questioned about these hills, the reply was, 'Around here, we don't consider those hills'. Well, I bet the locals would consider them hills if they had to run a marathon over them. This was just one of the things that gave me the impression the organizers may not be runners themselves. While the area was geographically interesting (I didn't know southern Indiana looked like West Virginia), the course itself was not very scenic. The one exception was the first couple miles when we ran next to the West Baden Dome. Another thing that was strange was that there was absolutely no support from the community. You'd think an event which brings runners from 26 states and 3 countries to such a small town would attract the attention of the local community, but there were virtually no spectators lining the route to cheer on runners (though I'm glad the family with a Confederate flag and an upside-down American flag flying in front of their house did not come out to cheer us on). I don't know if the lack of support was due to apathy, or if perhaps the event wasn't advertised to the locals. Also, for such a small race, it seemed a bit overpriced. The $40-$50 price tag wouldn't be so bad if it would have been a spectacular race, but $20 seems more appropriate for this marathon (and the weak race packet). The other runners were very nice (as they almost always are), and they really made the trip interesting and worthwhile. One of the best things about this event was that the local hotel/resort allowed runners to check out after the marathon--a welcome gesture that let us shower and change clothes before making the drive home. I wouldn't knock the race organizers for the hot, windy conditions--they can't control that, but even in perfect conditions this race would have been lackluster at best.
P. K. from Michigan (4/21/2004) "Hot, windy... still hilly" (about: 2004) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Germany to France Marathon COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 The portion through the shady, very rolling hills was gorgeous, however the course in general was very dangerous for two reasons: There was no shade and race day arrived with a high of 85 degrees and no cloud cover, and running on the side of the highway was frightening and boring. The course needs to be tighter so not as many volunteers are needed or else there needs to be more volunteers. Aid stations were sufficiently manned, but there were no visible volunteers checking to make sure everybody was safe. I felt the course went too far out of civilization and I was afraid of getting lost or getting heat stroke and nobody was ever going to find me. I will not be back. Thank you, Indiana for state #6 and my tenth marathon. I'm not in the business of repeating states, but I would not do this marathon again anyway. I like small marathons and I don't mind a marathon that is more like a training run, but this one was unsafe. My suggestion would be to turn this marathon into a 3-4 large loop marathon like George Washington's Birthday Marathon. I found that marathon to be far less boring than this one.
D. G. from St. Charles, MO (4/19/2004) "A lot of heartfelt effort" (about: 2004) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Germany to France Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I think the course was actually quite dangerous, too much of the course was on a state highway. I know that the organizers went to great lengths to make this marathon a success. However I firmly feel that they should consult more experienced marathon organizers while planning the course for next year.
J. F. from Indiana (4/19/2004) "First Marathon, Forever Hooked" (about: 2004) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon. I've been training as a runner, but as race day got closer and closer my knees got worse and worse. I decided to hold back my pride as a runner and walk it. I've never trained as a walker before. There's a big difference from running to walking, but it was still great. The scenery was AWESOME! I found myself lost in thought so much, I totally forgot what I was doing. LOL, what could have taken me five hours to complete took me six. Next time I think I'm going to get some headphones with fast track music to keep my pace up, daydreaming or not. Because I switched from runner to walker, I forgot about the time of start change. I was 20 minutes late starting, so my time is unoffical. I still did it and finished!! There was a tragedy. A young man got creamed by a driver on 145. The only suggestion I have, and I'm sure many other runners/walkers have, is stay off of 145. It is too dangerous. I'm sure there is a back road we can take that is more scenic and less dangerous. Also, the sun. I totally forgot to bring sunscreen. This was my first race and the first warm day Indiana has had this year. I just forgot. I'm regretting it as I write these comments. There was a rumor when I finished the race that this might be the last one. Please say this isn't so. I'm already excited about next year, my next race (as a walker!). I'm even considering joining the 50 races in 50 states. Please don't end this race. It was too beautiful!!! The people were great!!!
Last Place! from Huntsville, Alabama (4/17/2002) "GREAT Organization!" (about: 2002) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was one of the better races I have entered, even running some of the bigger city races. The people at this race were just interested in how you were doing and if they could help you out. It was awesome. There is very little crowd support, but the ones that were there made you feel like you were going to win the whole thing (even us at the end!). It was cold that morning and the lady at the registration table gave me and a friend of mine some gloves to wear so we wouldn't be cold. What other race would do that? The race comments about the hills were a little misleading, but once I finished this race, I knew that I had accomplished something. I was the last and the race support never left me out on the course alone. They kept the port-a-johns on the course until I ran by, the water stations were every two miles as promised, and the sweeper truck would drive ahead to make sure that water was ahead. I just can't say enough about the people there. And the race shirts were some of the coolest shirts!! I agree that there should be some shuttle to the cars at the end. I would suggest moving the start line to the finish, so the finish is at the cars for two reasons: 1) I have more energy to walk to the start line that at the end of the race and 2) You wouldn't start at the bottom of the hill that way.
John Bzdell from Huntsville, Alabama USA (4/9/2002) "This is my 9th Marathon - One of the Coolest!" (about: 2002) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The four girl spectators in the TransAm were awesome! The gentle rolling hills that were described to me were definitely a challenge! One of the best organized events around and since this was a training walk/run for me, it was GREAT how the volunteers stayed until we finished! I would highly recommend this race to anyone! A GREAT, FUN CHALLENGE!!!
A Runner from Alabama (4/8/2002) "Great organization!" (about: 2002) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was the best organized race I have ever run. Some other races could learn a lot from this one. The organizers were incredibly attentive to the runners, even the very last ones. This was not an easy course due to the hills, but the landscape was beautiful, and the support made it very enjoyable. There were not a great deal of spectators, but those who were on the course, especially the young ladies in the silver trans-am, were very motivational, and they too were there till the end. The division trophies, the medals, and the t-shirts were all very nice. This was a very, very well run race. I would run this one again.
A Runner from Louisville, KY area (4/8/2002) "Great race, be ready for hills, hills, hills!" (about: 2002) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I thought this was a great race in a very beautiful area. I have ran four marathons in total and by far this was the most difficult course. You begin the race running up a steep hill! I do not agree with the course description that most of the hills are long and drawn out. I would say that half of them are steep AND long while others are long and drawn out. It is a great race but be in the mindset that it will be one of the tougher courses that you will participate in and you will really enjoy yourself. The race organization was excellent, the course was beautiful around the lake. Because the race was small the crowd support was very small I only give the crowd two stars. But, even though it was very small it WAS a very spirited group. There were three girls in a car following the racers that would drive by and stop beside the road in front of us and cheer and play music. They were great! They followed us throughout the race cheering us on. The post race meal that was included in your entry fee was a GREAT meal with lots of different food choices. Even though this is a small race, it is top notch! The suggestons I would have to improve the race are the following: 1) A few more spots within the race with either Powerade or some sort of refreshment drink other than water. I did not read the instructions well enough and so I did not realize I should have carried PowerGel or something else to refresh me during the race. Candy was offered at one stop which helped out but I was very close to running out of gas a few times. 2) The race ended just under a mile from where it began where our cars were parked. Some sort of shuttle back to the start would have been nice because we were pretty tired at the finish. This is a race you should consider!

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