Nov 1, 2024
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Tacoma City Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Tacoma City Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 3.3
Number of comments: 51 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
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P. G. from Tacoma, Washington (USA)
(5/9/2024)
"Great Views, New Shelter at the Start" (about: 2024)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Tacoma City Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This is my third time in a row running this race. A great change that started last year, is that there was shelter near the start. Another good thing is that there is free parking during packet pickup and near where you take the shuttle. The course is similar to the last two time I ran this race. Some cool parts include running on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, through Point Defiance, and near the water on Point Ruston. There are only 9 aide stations, so make sure to drink more water when it's available if it is the same in the future. If I were to make suggestions for improvement, I would add more aide stations and add more porto potties at the stations. I think there were maybe one or two porto potties for some of the aide stations, and it can be annoying to have to wait in line if you're chasing a time goal. If you run this race, make sure you do some hill work in your training. | |
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P. G. from Tacoma
(3/8/2023)
"Good Race, But Room for Improvement" (about: 2022)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Tacoma City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 There was no expo for this race. There was nothing really exciting about packet pickup. We just went to the Silver Cloud Hotel and picked up our packets at a table. I did wish there was more to it to get people more excited about the race. On race day I went to Point Ruston to catch the bus to take me to the start. Since I am local, I knew the parking situation there and didn't really want to deal with paying for several hours for parking. Street parking is actually quite limited and one does have to pay for the parking spots outside of the lot. I think an improvement would be if the race could have more detailed information on parking, and could work out a discount or free parking for participants. The bus ride was fine. Got to the race start early. It was cold and raining, and I was with a group of people trying to stay warm under a shelter. The race itself was fun. It's a lot more dense until the half marathoners separate out. There are some great views, such as running on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, around Point Defiance, and along Point Ruston. I wouldn't recommend going out too fast initially because it is quite hilly. Also, it might be a good idea to carry some water. Not sure if there was a mistake, or there was a shortage of volunteers, but there was no aid station until around mile 8. It was consistent from then on. But 8 miles without an aid station is not good. Although it was cold and rainy at the start, it dried up and warmed up. It was sunny at the end. Great thing is that there are a lot of food options at Point Ruston to choose from after the race. | |
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Judy Mink from Ravenna Ohio
(5/6/2015)
"The course was beautiful, but rolling hills." (about: 2015)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Tacoma City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 We had a chilly morning for the start and no place warm to wait, but there were lots of porta potties and there was never a long line! The course was more challenging than I anticipated, but yet it was very scenic. Even though there weren't a lot of spectators for much of it, the ones out in the neighborhoods were awesome and encouraging. We were fortunate that the weather was absolutely perfect for a marathon this year. I got a room at the Holiday Inn Express which was an easy walk to the bus pick up and from the finish line. The room was clean, well-equipped, and spacious. The staff were helpful and friendly. They even gave us a 2:00 pm checkout time. I would highly recommend it to anyone running this event! Even though this was a relatively small event, it was well organized and I enjoyed it very much. | |
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S. M. from Duncan, BC, Canada
(5/11/2013)
"Beautiful Course and Lots of Fun" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Tacoma City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I registered for this race because of the Marathon Maniac 10th Anniversary. I have been a Maniac since 2004 so it was special. This was a beautiful course, hilly in the first half but once we reached the park it was downhill for at least 5 miles. The park was amazing, cool and shady. The last 5 miles or so was on the waterfront. The traffic control on this course was superb. The police not only did a great job but were supportive and friendly. Nearly all the road crossings were manned by the police and I never had to wait once. The highways we ran along were deserted so never once did I have to worry about traffic. Spectators were sparse but very supportive in the nice neighbourhoods we ran through. The aid stations were excellent with plenty of supplies and some had cookies and brownies. The young people that were working at them were super. The expo was very small and there could have been more porto potties at the start. Tacoma was a great city to visit, loved the glass museum and the glass bridge. Marathon hotel was excellent with a very good marathon rate. Overall an excellent race with friendly people. I would definitely do it again. Well done Maniac Tony! | |
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C. W. from Eastern Oregon
(5/6/2013)
"Finespirited,wellorganized,pretty NorthWest urban" (about: 2013)
50+ previous marathons
| 2 Tacoma City Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Tacoma is not San Francisco, but it's a pleasant city with the Chihuly Glass Museum, a long waterfront, a beautiful penisula park. The latter two are part of the course, which is much more fun and beautiful than the previous version. Organized by Maniac Marathoners, there's a fine tone of marathon enjoyment and caring organization to the run. Only negatives: very slim expo; the bus shuttle logistics need to be on the map/marathon info handout; and the marathon-expo-hotel refused to provide late check out?????? | |
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S. E. from Seattle, WA USA
(6/6/2012)
"Great overal marathon experience" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Tacoma City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 First time running Tacoma this year (2012). Mostly ran it because I too am a Maniac and i live just up I-5. The hilly course was a concern so I stuck with the 4hr pacers (who were really great) for about half the race. Left them at 19 and ran my first negative split!! The hills were not as bad as I expected and a nice to chat more than normal. If you want a small, some hills, super friendly fellow runners filled race, try this race. Tony, I hope the rumors to change the course to p2p and faster are not true. Leave the course as is. Finish area, enjoyed the band, the food and SUNSHINE. | |
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M. H. from Seattle, WA
(5/7/2012)
"If you want to do Washington, this is your race!" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Tacoma City Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a marathon not to be missed. The weather was as superb as anyone could want for marathon running. Early morning clouds and not too warm sunshine thereafter. Well organized with great support along the way, adequate water stops, generous energy gel provided (at least three on the marathon course), gorgeous views through much of the first two-thirds including water, a lovely park, an island and a spectacular bridge lookout. The expo was fine but I couldn't find any last minute running items like GU but as it turned out, it wasn't even necessary given the generous amount of sport drink and gel on course. It is great when my only complaint for a race was one turn when I had to hesitate because I could have gone two different ways and there was no arrow or marking...but no big deal as I could see others as soon as I turned the corner. Thanks for the great race! | |
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K. S. from Portland, Oregon
(5/7/2012)
"Too Much Freeway Exposure" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Tacoma City Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I had been looking forward to the race because I love being a member of the Marathon Maniacs. Unfortunately, this is the ugliest marathon I have done yet. There are miles of beautiful roads in Tacoma, and yet for several miles we ran next to a very busy freeway. I don't want to think about how much exhaust fumes I inhaled. I will definitely avoid this marathon until they figure out a better run. | |
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L. J. from Maine
(5/4/2011)
"Fantastic" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Tacoma City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a great race - for 2011, we had perfect weather and spectacular views along the hilly but manageable course. The organization was fantastic and the pacers were great, as were the uniquely shaped medals. They also had the half marathoners start a half-hour later than the full marathoners, so there was nice separation, and the course was not too crowded for the first few miles. The spectators toward the end (in the neighborhood right before the downhill) were fantastic - right when you needed it! My only (tiny) gripe was that the shirt is short-sleeved, which means I won't wear it much (you can tie a long-sleeved one around your waist...). | |
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S. R. from Puyallup, Washington
(5/1/2011)
"Great route and superb organization" (about: 2011)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Tacoma City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I am a Soldier in the Army recently stationed here in Washington and I had a blast on this run. The weather turned out to be great and the route offered nice surroundings as well as a challenge with the hills. Tacoma city's finest did a great job offering traffic support. I found this event to be well organized and I plan to participate in 2012 as well. I commend the people behind the scenes that did a awesome job putting this event together. The whole experience was enjoyable. |
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