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☰
Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon) Runner Comments
Back to Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon) Information & Reviews
Course 4.0 
Organization 3.6 
Spectators 3.8
Number of comments: 223 [displaying comments 71 to 81]
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J. Garrett from Cary, NC
(7/1/2008)
"Excellent, well-organized & fun marathon" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 20th marathon, and definitely one of my favorites. Tech shirts, large clocks at every mile, excellent post-race food, and having massages at the end was first-rate. Coming in to the final stretch to the cheers of those attending the Brat Fest was awesome! Beautiful scenery with rolling hills, wonderful volunteers, and a colorful medal. I would recommend for first-timers as well as those who have run other marathons. The only negative was the poor ratio of porta-potties at the start - the race committee needs to be aware that the number of pp's need to be increased greatly next year (5,000 combined runners and walkers at the start). I also relayed to the marathon committee that they should announce at the start of all races that walkers should stay to the right.... There was lots of zig-zagging around walkers on the narrow path by the lake near UW. I will definitely come back from North Carolina to run this one again! | |
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V. B. from Cincinnati, OH
(6/10/2008)
"Cool Race" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The course is really nice and the volunteers are very friendly and helpful. Madison is one of the friendliest cities I have ever visited. I would agree that there should have been more at the water stops other than water and Gatorade. The only other complaint would be the food line at the finish area. There was no organization or help to keep the lines in any kind of order and it made for a long wait. Thank God for the volunteer who brought the orange slices around or I would have been in the medical tent. Other than that, it was an awesome experience and I would run it again anytime. | |
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A. H. from Iowa City, IA
(6/8/2008)
"Very nice race" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The bad: Several aid stations were water-only, which I didn't like. The port-o-pottie crunch at the start line was particularly ugly - I couldn't find more than one row of maybe 20 toilets available for several thousand people. Finally, there was no beer tent. I've gotten used to Midwestern marathons and their beer tents - it's a wonderful ritual. Any chance of adding a beer tent? Or did I miss it? The good: Friendliest people ever. There were quite a few aid stations staffed with children, all of whom did a wonderful job handing out drinks and cheering for runners. That was my favorite part. All the other spectators were sweet and supportive as well. There were two GU handouts, which were very nice. The course was lovely; I especially like the start at the capitol and the arboretum. This marathon was a really great experience. | |
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S. B. from Chicago
(6/5/2008)
"Beautiful, Scenic, Hilly, Well Run Marathon!!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Ran Mad City 2008. I really enjoyed the entire experience. It is a very well run race. The race is very scenic and enjoyable. The size for me was perfect and the event from communications to race day was run seamlessly. I highly recommend this race. The town of Madison has a lot to offer for a nice weekend getaway. | |
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A. K. from Naperville, IL
(6/3/2008)
"Excellent course" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The course was very scenic, and the organizers did a very good job too. Just a few minor comments: 1. I think the finisher's T-shirt should be given only to finishers. I think it is wrong to include finishers' T-shirts along with bib numbers and timing chips. 2. The first three aid stations did not have enough volunteers, especially #2 - I had to wait several seconds and got only an ounce of water. Many aid stations did not have Gatorade at all. 3. The electronic clocks were displaying half marathon gun time, which is very misleading. Even the photo they took of me at the finish line displays the time 15 minutes faster than my actual time. | |
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V. W. from New Auburn, WI
(6/2/2008)
"Great Beginner's Marathon" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I have run this marathon twice, once in bad weather (2004 - rainy!) and this year in beautiful conditions. I love the course, which is very scenic. Since I am not a big-timer (have only EVER run two marathons), I would say my favorite thing about this race is that it is friendly to first-timers and those who are new to the sport. Lots of support along the route (at least when weather cooperates), and the massage tent at the end was awesome. Our only difficulty was finding the "Health & Fitness Expo," since I didn't find the area well-marked and there were so many other events going on that weekend. More signage would have helped, but other than that, the organization and volunteers were great! I'd like to do this one again. | |
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b. g. from carbondale,ill.
(6/1/2008)
"great marathon" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 My thanks to the organizers for a great race. Bib numbers had our first names printed on them and frequently the race spectators cheered for you by name - big help. There were several pacers who carried signs with average splits for the entire race and provided "tips" - another big help. Easy to get to the start. Course was varied, well marked, and pretty flat. Madison is a great city to visit and the marathon a great race to run. | |
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Eric Ortman from Apple Valley, MN/Emmetsburg, IA
(6/1/2008)
"A+ Event (1/2 Marathon)" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Having just had shoulder surgery on my right shoulder in March 2008, my training program had consisted of running 3 miles, 3 times per week, up until the weekend of the Mad City Marathon (as I was training for a 5K in the Twin Cities). I went out to Madison as a supporter and ended up signing up for and running the 1/2 marathon. WOW!!! Am I impressed!!! The fan support was awesome (although at times sparse but I didn't even notice that), the volunteers were incredible and the town supported this event with fervor. The expo was conveniently located and easy to maneuver, although it only allowed a smaller number of vendors. I loved every minute of the 13.1 miles that were routed through beautiful housing, the gorgeous U.W.-Madison campus and along the gorgeous lakes inside the town of Madison. Having just moved to the Twin Cities from flat Iowa (where hills are non-existent) two weeks prior, I began training in some hills in the Twin Cities, which came in handy because there definitely were some unexpected hills on the half marathon - especially right after running by Camp Randall (good choice organizers to send us by C.R.!!!). I was pleasantly surprised, as I PR'd in my half marathon time as well. The beginning of the race was gorgeous as well, especially at the start line. The medal was very nice, as was the "stay green" tech shirt! The only problem would be lack of port-a-potties at the beginning of the race. All in all, if I'm ready next year, I would love to run the full marathon! This will be a great pre-training program for the Twin Cities Marathon this October. If your planning on running this race, don't miss the farmers' market near the liberal Wisconsin campus! We loved it!!! Good job Madison... you put on a class-act event! | |
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M. B. from Louisville,KY
(5/30/2008)
"Thank You, Madison" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first visit to Madison. I chose it because of some training setbacks that wouldn't have allowed me to run an earlier marathon. Last year I trained for Music City and ended up with a severe sprain a week before. I was very eager to run this one, and overall I was very pleased. Let me say that I, too, would be in the group that considers this course hilly. The hill at mile 15 was one of the more serious ones. Although I trained on hills to a large extent, I think that I was a little unprepared for this course. A calf/Achilles problem caused me to have to take the last 10 days off up to the race. Once I got out there I was so eager to run that I burned myself out on the front end of the course a little. I've only been a runner for about 4 years and this was my first full marathon. Make sure you pace yourself for this one. The hills keep coming. I had to walk a lot the last couple of miles, and my quads seized up a little at mile 23, but I still finished in under 5 hours. Having said that, I still feel the course is doable for a first-timer. The terrain is very nice, and Madison just has a great, friendly feel to it. No real criticism except the lack of port-a-johns at the start. Just make sure you get to the starting line early. Anyway, spectators were good overall and the post-race support was great. I didn't take advantage of the post-race massage, but what a nice service to offer. The medics were outstanding. They really gave the runners a hard look over, making sure they were okay. Thanks, Madison, for a great first marathon. I'd recommend it for other runners and may do it again myself. | |
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Erin Benoit from Niles, IL
(5/29/2008)
"Scenic, Fun Marathon" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have only positive comments about Madison - this is a gem of a marathon! ORGANIZATION: The expo was small but compact, and there was no line at packet pickup. I think it's great that they had several "information" desks at the starting line on race day. WEATHER: This is the wild card, especially for May, but the day turned out to be perfect - overcast and 50-60 degrees with a light breeze. That was not what was predicted, so we got lucky! COURSE: It goes through the entire town, not just the dull parts like some marathons. Very scenic with parks, lakes, residential areas, and downtown storefronts. A few hills in parts, but it could have been worse. WATER STATIONS/VOLUNTEERS: The water stations were spaced out well and attentively manned. I never had to get my own drink. PACE TEAMS: If you're going to try a pace team, this is the race to do it since you don't have to dodge other runners and can actually run with a group. I went off with the 3:40 pace team and ended up qualifying for Boston! SPECTATORS: Very supportive and friendly. One girl rode her bike next to me for a quarter mile at the end, cheering me on! FINISH LINE: The food line was long, but moved fast; and there was a good variety of food (yogurt, pasta salad, bagels, banana, oranges). One piece of advice is to stay at a hotel near the expo/finish line. We stayed at the Sheraton (very nice) and I could walk to the shuttles in the early a.m. that took us to the starting line. This is a great race to try as your first or fortieth marathon! |
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