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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 61 to 71]
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S. B. from Princeton, New Jersey
(5/26/2009)
 "Less GU, more port-a-johns" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 We had fantastic weather for the marathon (started in the high-50s with clouds, and ended sunny in the low-70s). The course was nearly all flat. The crowds were fun and the rest stations beyond fully staffed and supplied. But oh, what does a guy (or gal) have to do for a mid-run bathroom break? I counted maybe 20 port-a-johns before the race, split on opposite ends of the huge Alliant Energy Center (thankfully the nearby hotel kindly let enterprising runners in). This was for both the (approximately) 2,000 marathoners AND the roughly 4,000 halfers. And there was no more than one port-a-john per mile. If you've run a major, urban marathon, you're probably used to seeing guys at underpasses, behind walls, etc. in the first few miles. None were to be found until mile 6-7 here. I ended up with an 8-minute differential between watch and chip-time just from standing in line! The overabundance of GU was nice for energy, though after so much, I never want to taste the stuff again. I counted at least four handouts along the route. The route itself was pleasant; it was a real treat running through the arboretum, and wisely placed early in the race, when "get-done-itis" hadn't set in. The finish along the lake was nice. I wish the bike path had been blocked off for just us marathoners, but it was never crowded and everyone was friendly. While the route wasn't terribly exciting (like San Fran or Chicago), it was very tranquil and fun (think beach-side parks and mansions, college neighborhoods, etc.). This being their first year starting at the Alliant Center, I'll be lenient in my remarks on funneling traffic in in-time for the start. A later start (7:30 for the marathon, 7:00 for the half) probably helped, but a 10-minute drive on the GPS took much longer due to backups onto highways and traffic cops who sat in cars instead of directing traffic. I'll take it over having to ride a shuttle any day though. So, a few logistical flaws but overall a fun marathon. | |
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P. A. from Madison, Wisconsin
(5/26/2009)
 "Nice Showcase of Madison" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Having been in and around Madison for many years, I almost forgot how beautiful our city is. This marathon showcases the beauty well. It travels along the shoreline of 4 different lakes, through the beautiful UW Arboretum and passes the state capitol a couple of times, all the while offering exceptional views. Don't be fooled, though; the course is tough. There are hills in the Arboretum, and running up Langdon Street on fraternity row and throughout the Maple Bluff area makes this a very challenging course. The long hill at mile 17 had me thinking of the first Newton Hill at Boston. Organization was good. The finisher medal and technical shirt were nice. The last few miles could have used a little marshaling as a lot of non participants were using the course at that point. Other than that, a nice event, with nice weather that shed a really positive light on our wonderful city. | |
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C. C. from Wisconsin
(5/26/2009)
"Better than I had expected." (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my second marathon and it had exceeded my expectations. Here are my opinions: Expo: Easy to get to, with plenty of parking. I had no trouble at all getting my bib and chip. It looked like there were plenty of vendors there as well (didn't look around - my husband was in the vehicle waiting for me). Start Line: As with any other marathon, it definitely could use more porta-potties. Get there early - at least an hour before your start time. The start line wasn't too congested because the half-marathon started at a different location and time. Course: Not as hilly as I expected. Some little hills, but nothing that will knock you out. Aid stations were plentiful, and spectators were very encouraging in certain areas of the course. Medical personnel were on the course as well. The volunteers were excellent, calling you by your name as they handed you water/Gatorade. Thank you all! Finish line: Lots of spectators and great recovery area. I loved the chocolate milk right after you crossed the finish line! The medal was nice; it had a place to engrave your time. There were different medals for full and half-marathoners. Massages were available for full marathoners. Every tent was labeled well. Overall: I really enjoyed it. I was happy with my time (a PR); I was hoping to BQ, but started out too fast and faded at the end. I would run this race again and recommend it to anyone thinking of running a marathon in Wisconsin. No problems whatsoever. Good job, Madison! | |
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Peter Biasotti from Chicago, Il.
(5/26/2009)
 "Mixed Review" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I ran the 2009 Madison Marathon over Memorial Day Weekend. I found that the course was terrific; it had some hills and the tour hit all of the highlights of Madison. Although the spectators were sparse, they were enthusiastic. My only issues were that there were not nearly enough port-a potties to handle 7,000 runners at the start. I think I counted about 30 in total, which led to a frantic search for more bathrooms. The parking wasn't the greatest if you didn't get there early to avoid the traffic. Finally there were none of the traditional refreshments marathoners are used to. So, in my opinion, the organization needs to do a lot of work to improve the overall experience, but as I said, I loved the course, and once you get to running, who cares about all of that other stuff? | |
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N. D. from Kalamazoo, MI
(5/25/2009)
"Beautiful and Well Run" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I had a very difficult time finding the expo. In fact, my shoe found a nice pile of horse manure before I found the expo. I was not very happy. But, race-day was much better for me. I found the start line fairly easily, and had one of my best races (time-wise). The sections through the zoo and the arboretum were absolutely awesome. Sorry, half-ers; you REALLY missed out. The course was well marked and staffed, and the view of Capital Square was quite nice. My suggestions for improvement would be: 1. Put more signs out for the expo 2. Get more police to help with traffic to/from the expo and race!!! 3. Have more water at the end of the race. It was hot and sunny... after mile 20, we need water every mile. Thanks for a great time. I really did appreciate all of the GU that was out on the course, and enjoyed the showers at the end. I would definitely consider running the race again... if I can talk myself into running those hills again. | |
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g. b. from wi
(5/25/2009)
 "no improvement from previous MCMs" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)s
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Whoever was in charge of traffic control prior to race was ill-prepared. And how about traffic control on the course? There was a woman driving in the runners' lane, following runners, honking her horn for runners to get out of her way. Water stations were good and volunteers at them were even better. Of all of the streets in Madison, they decided to find the monster hill on mile 18? I did not believe that the new course was improved from previous years, as promised. This was my 5th MCM and it will be my last until I hear improvements have been made since the 2009 running. | |
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D. S. from Downers Grove
(5/25/2009)
"Fun race - good organization" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Positives: The quarter-marathon was a nice option for beginners. The race was well organized despite several different start times. There are several very nice areas on the course - I saw wild turkeys in the woods. Negatives: The course was very narrow in spots, and why in the world were bikers allowed on the course - especially in narrow areas? There were a couple of areas where this created a problem. At one spot, some dude on a old 10-speed almost collided with a runner in my pace group. This is a real problem. | |
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N. S. from Milwaukee WI
(1/4/2009)
 "ok marathon, but I have run better" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Ok marathon. This was my second marathon, and I ran a three-minute PR. The course was somewhat hilly at times, especially the large hill at mile 18. The marathon course was shared by the half-marathon route for too long. I ran in the lead marathon pack, and had to weave through slower traffic all too often. Runners with headphones were completely oblivious to my "passing on the left" requests. Other than that, the course did have scenic portions, and the crowd support was pretty good. | |
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S. A. from Madison, WI
(10/6/2008)
 "Look out for those half-marathoners!" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Not a bad course, but if you're in the top 100 in the marathon, be prepared to spend some time and energy weaving around half-marathoners. At times, it gets really congested. In other parts of the course, when the marathoners have the course to themselves, it's quite a nice course. | |
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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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