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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: 222 [displaying comments 131 to 141]
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John Sajdak from Sun Prairie, WI
(6/1/2006)
"I'll be back!" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I liked the change to the course from last year, but found the most spectators around the State Street portion, and was 'disappointed' that we didn't head down that street. I liked the idea of the pace runners, but was disappointed that they cut out the 3:10 pace team. I understand completely as to why, but did not want to find that out on registration day. I thought that could have been mentioned on the website earlier. Biggest trouble for me was at 18.3 miles, and as others have mentioned, there's no substance from 19-22 miles, and that would be helpful then. What was with all the mention of the balloons? I'm not sure what I expected, but I didn't expect a small balloon next to the mile marker. It seemed to me that this was going to be something 'spectacular' and I ran by them thinking....'hmmmmm. o.k.' Keep the | |
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I. B. from Boston, MA
(5/31/2006)
"Room for improvement, but I really liked it." (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Let's get the BAD stuff out of the way first. 1) Far too few porta potties at the beginning and on the course. Good thing I'm male 2) Closing the race b/c of heat seemed weird. Yes, it was 90 or more out there but everyone can make a decision on their own. I would have been disappointed to have run that far and paid my $ only to see the clocks shut off. Understand I ~loathe~ heat but still was alright. I'd rather run in sub-zero weather. I wasn't happy but not in danger either. 3) Don't tell me there are showers at the end and lock me out! That was torture. I honestly 'showered' in a horse stall on the grounds next door. I had no option and was a few hours from a shower where I was staying. That was brutal...esp after a long day in the heat. The GOOD: Tons of support en route w the volunteers. We never get that much support out East. 2) The specators were incredible. They knew it was nasty and I have never gone through that many spinklers and hoses in my life. 3)The course was wonderful. I grew up around there and went to UW so I'm biased, but I saw parts of town I'd never seen. That was really special. 4) Ending at the bratfest is brilliant. I had a pile of family members meeting me at the end and they actually had something to do while they waited! Brilliantly festive. Now the I DON'T GET WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING portion: 1) There were plenty of water stops w h20, gatorade and ice. Even fruit and gel occasionally. I've run a bunch of races w a lot less available. 2) Hills? I hope people are kidding. Madison has a couple of hills. Kind of. We ran over none of them. Fine by me but I wonder who expects to find a scenic route for 26.2 that doesn't go over some little rises. 3) Not enough promo stuff to buy and/or the medal is small? That says loads to me. If this is your one big race, go to Chicago or DC or NYC. This is a small marathon in a smaller city. Personally, I like the medal for a momento (and give all the shirts away) but it's really just to remind me of the day. It seems so backwards to me to wish for it to be made of something big/heavy/shiny. That's more me than most I guess.... All that said, I'd go back. Imperfect, like all of them, but nicely done overall. Acts of nature are hard to prevent. | |
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S. K. from Havre de Grace, MD
(5/31/2006)
"Nice course, shame about the weather" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I didn't finish this year's marathon, my first attempt here, because half way through, I knew I would be carried away in a stretcher. Nonetheless, my complaints echo others, NO PORTAPOTTIES until Warner Park and a disorganized finish line. I opted out at Picnic Point because I knew spectators there, but I'm frightened to think about what might have ensued if I hadn't done bugged out there. I loved the course. I went to college at the U and used to run or bike in many of the areas covered by course and was happy to relive old memories. Organization and weather (who controls that?) aside, I really liked this marathon. | |
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J. D. from Chicago, IL
(5/30/2006)
"Great small town marathon, despite the weather" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I was pleasantly surprised by the organization of this marathon. When your hometown marathon is one of the country's largest (Chicago), it's easy to get spoiled. Even though there weren't thousands of spectators at Madison, I was shocked to see the same people at 4-5 different places along the course, and even more shocking, they remembered me! It was fun to see the pregnant lady, the guy on the mountain bike and the girl with two boxer dogs at various points during the race. The spectators definitely gave me inspiration to finish, as the weather was almost unbearable. The water stations had plenty of water, gatorade and even ice (VERY helpful!) and there were plenty of nice citizens who offered cold hose showers along the way. The post-race was also great. I finished at 4:50, and there was still plenty of food and I even got a massage after only waiting 10 minutes! My only suggestion for next year would be that the course officials and police know exactly where the med tents or med personnel are located. I asked three people where the next med tent was and no one knew. | |
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S. A. from Madison, Wisconsin
(5/30/2006)
"Why can't Madison organize a marathon better?" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)s
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 I'm not a great runner and this years Mad-City Marathon was only my second race, with last year being my first. My girlfriend and I run this race together, for personal reasons. We will never qualify for Boston, and I don't think I could beat 4:00 on my best day. But we do live in Madison and like to support the local race. I can't begin to tell you how disappointed we were with this years race. Sure the temperatures were above normal and it was humid. That is why we adjusted for the conditions, even walking up the hard hills. At the 22 mile mark we were flagged down by some medical staff who told us that because of conditions we were now required to stop running and just walk. Not a problem since the finish line was only 4-miles away. We just walked fast and lightly jogged to break things up. There were dozens of people doing the same thing. At the 24 mile station we were told that they were closing the course in three minutes. I didn't know what they were talking about, and knew I couldn't run that far in that time so we just walked faster. The end was weird as we ran the last five hundred yards to the finish. They had an announcer calling out numbers and not names as people were coming in. At the finish I was handed a warm bottle of water and someone cutoff my timing chip. I looked at the clock and it was stopped at 5:15. I guess I should have know what that meant, but I was kind of tired. That night I tried to check my time on-line and there was no listing for me or my partner. We were told to walk and we were 16 minutes past the cutoff time. Those 26.2 miles didn't even count. | |
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Michael Calvillo from Kansas City, MO
(5/30/2006)
"2006 - Tough Year for Mad City" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I am a veteran of 30 marathons, and completed the Mad City Marathon this year for the third time. I am also a veteran of 'hot weather' marathons, and submit that it is unfair to judge any event based strictly on the misfortune of the weather on the day of the event. My experience with the Mad City Marathon, and with the great people of Madison, WI, has been nothing less than excellent. Although the weather was too warm, the event moved forward as planned. I think the organizers made the right call by closing the finish two hours earlier than scheduled. Because it was so hot, the medical teams were unable to keep pace with many of the marathoners who met with threatening circumstances. As unfortunate as this action is, it demonstrates that the race director and the medical staff had their overall priorities in order, above all --- the safety of the participants. I thought about what it must have been like for those running their first marathon, and to them I say 'don't give up' - many variables have to fall in place in order to really perform to a level of self satisfaction. There will be another day. Like most runners, I left the event feeling a little dissatisfied. But, I did not leave in an ambulance --- other runners were not as fortunate. Running a hot marathon means that you must rearrange your goals. You can't worry about your time. You must develop a strategy that will allow you to finish the event safely. Every marathon that I have ever completed is different, and I have learned that instead of a single goal, it is much better to establish a set of contingency goals --- just in case 'all the stars don't line up.' I will most definitely return to Madison --- I have friends with whom I stay and visit in Platteville, and the Mad City Marathon is becoming a Memorial Day weekend tradition of sorts for our families. I love driving through the southwestern corner of the state from Platteville to Madison on Highway 151 --- it's such a cool and relaxing drive. The only recommendation that I would make to the race organizers is to do a better job planning and maintaining the finish area. The finish area should be roped off to prevent spectators from encroaching on delirious, recovering marathoners. It would also be nice if there were a few more tents for shelter, as there is very little shade in the immediate area. Plans should also be made to mow the grass in the surrounding area --- I typically like to lie down for 20 minutes to recover, but don't appreciate the rough, unkempt grass. Finally, although I'm not a huge 'food' guy, if I could vote, I would ask for yogurt. Best of luck to the Mad City Marathon events teams, and thanks to all of the great residents and volunteers in Madison who showed their true colors along the course --- I was glad to see you in large numbers, offering to spray me down with your garden hoses! | |
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j. m. from new berlin, wisconsin
(5/30/2006)
"1 Minute Too Late" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Well, am just one of the 500 left on the field that didn't get a registered time, because they closed the course. My husband saw me running up to the finishing line when they stopped the clock so I know I was 1 minute away from getting my time registered. After 5 hours and 15 minutes or 16 in my case I think it is a shame that we are not recognized for our finishes. Why couldn't the clock keep running until all the marathoners were in? How would that have hurt the organizers? I totally agree with the lack of water on the later part of the course where it seemed the hottest and longest between spectators. Bikers riding their bikes between 19.5 and 22 offered their bike water to anyone that was looking in need of it. Thanks to all those people that helped out along the way and supported us during the beginning and especially the last half. Will I do this Mad City Marathon again? Probably not! | |
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S. A. from Norwalk, Iowa
(5/30/2006)
"All in all, a pretty nice race" (about: 2006)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and the weather was by far the worst thing about this race. It was horribly hot. Apart from that, I enjoyed the race. I read reviews and was nervous that the hills would be too much for me, but I have to say that the course really is scenic, relatively flat with gradual, undulating hills (what I call rollers). Don't skimp on your training and you'll be absolutely fine. The spectators and volunteers need to be commended. The people of Madison are awesome! There were a lot of wonderful people who braved the heat with us, cheered us on, and hit us with their garden hoses. I couldn't have made it without Madison's great volunteers and spectators! Organization was alright. Good planning for water and gatorade, well stocked, and well-staffed. There was one section of the race from miles 19-22 that needed another aid station. It's not a place that spectators will be so if you were in trouble there you had a big problem. Race day registration should be eliminated so that the race can get started on time. Otherwise, I had no trouble getting to the start line. I loved ending up at the Brat Fest, spent a good amount of time there cooling off and had no problems getting back to my car. I will do Madison again and would recommend it. | |
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M. P. from Waukesha, WI
(5/30/2006)
"Beautiful Course - need to work on details" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Positive thoughts - The course was very scenic with several sections of rolling hills (definately not flat) but nothing that I would consider steep. The volunteers & spectators that were on the course were the best I have ever seen. The spectators had sprinkler systems or water hoses out to cool down the runners as we went by their homes. With weather as terrible as we had - the spectators were a gift. Things to work on - Gatorade at all water stops, more water stops towards the end of the race (with cold water), and no same day registration (delayed start). Due to the high temp and humidity my finishing time was ~50 minutes slower than I had planned. However, even as painful as the race was I will definately be back. Thanks again to all of the volunteers and spectators that helped me get through the race. | |
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J. C. from Wisconsin
(5/29/2006)
"LACK OF ORGANIZATION DANGEROUS FOR RUNNERS" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 4-5 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)s
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I have run the 1/2 marathon in Madison 3 out of the last 4 years (2003, 2005, 2006). (I also ran it in 1996) Each year I felt that the organizers cared very little for the participants and could not have possibly been runners themselves. This year was the worst yet. Even though the forecast temperature for the race was in the 90's, no additional water stops were added. I found a runner on the course who was disoriented and in extreme trouble. I looked for a race official, but could not find one for over 2 miles. The finish line was an absolute train wreck!!! No allowance was made for spectators at the finish line. The finish area was so cramped that spectators were practically over running the finish shoot. The brat fest trash dumpsters were all around the finish line, so the smell of stinking garbage was the first thing I smelled when I crossed the finish line. Worse yet, there was 1 food tent for over 3,000 runners!! Give me break, guys. I waited in line for food and for ten minutes and I was only the 200th runner to finish. After suffering in the 90 degree heat with a serious lack of water stops, we all had to wait in the hot sun to get some food. I was spent and found it pretty shattering to wait in line. The final blow came when I went to catch the shuttle back to the capital. I waited for over 30 minutes (from 10:00 - 10:30 am) and the shuttle never came. I ended up walking 1/2 mile to the nearby Sheraton and bribed them to take me to the capital. All this with no food or water on a 90 degree day. I am sorry the organizers cannot seem to get it right. I would not recommend this run to my worst enemy. |
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