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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 141 to 151]
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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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J. B. from Janesville WI
(5/29/2006)
"Ran Half Marathon" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 2006 half marathon, great organization, good support with gatorade and water at a lot of spots, spectators splashed water and cheered in heat, scenic course, not too hilly, just some rollers. I believe runners tend to 'whine' about hills too much, come on, we run don't we? WE NEED MORE PORTA POTTIES!!!! I don't like waiting 39 minutes to use a pottie. Public urination is against law, however paying $54.25 for a half marathon/or more for a full marathon, with thousands of entrants, more porta potties please. I will be back, it is also nice not to have to pay to park at Alliant Center. Good job people, it was a really nice event. Pricey, but accomadating. Nice course!!! Volunteers need to be commended. Race treats were nice. I wouldn't change course, however maybe a porta pottie around mile 4. Nice finish line. You have a lot to be proud of. I WILL BE BACK! Thanks!! | |
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M. G. from Minneapolis
(5/29/2006)
"Very Disappointed" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I'll start with the good: The volunteers at any race you go to should be praised. They give up their time to serve the runners and that is wonderful. Fans are the same. There weren't too many fans out, but those that were there deserve a 'thank you' for the support and encouragement they gave. Unfortunately, that's about all I saw as good. I'll start from the beginning... As an out-of-towner, I would have appreciated the expo to be open later than 5 pm on the night before the race. The expo should be open until at least 8 pm for those traveling into town. The race started late- only about 5-10 minutes, but when it's 75 degrees at the starting line, we want to get going. The reason it started late is because they allowed race-day registration. There were still 600 people who were registering when the race was supposed to begin. Get rid of race-day registration! It's a hassle for everyone. Water was sparse...especially after mile 17. There were times when there wasn't water for almost 2 miles- and on a day as hot as that one, that's NOT acceptable. Being that the weather forcast for the very hot and humid weather was out at least a week before the race, I think that the race director should have made an effort to get extra tables out on the course. Because of the weather (not anyone's fault) AND the lack of resources on the course, so many people couldn't even finish the race! The end of the race was SO disorganized! You crossed the finish, got you medal, were handed a HOT bottle of water, got your chip snipped off and looked around...all you could see were spectators- WHERE WAS THE FOOD???? I had to ask a spectator if they knew where the food was. Give the runners some down time. The race needs a closed-off area open only to race finishers where they can get food, get drinks, and sit down. Spectators should NOT be allowed in these areas...When I finally found the food, all that was left were bananas and bagels. I just ran 26 miles in 75-90 degree weather...give me something more than bananas and bagels! How about at least some cold water! Also, please know that this race has a LOT of hills. Not all are big and bad and the weather may have contributed to the toughness of these...but if you plan of running this, you need to do hill work. I also think that the website should be specific as to how large the race is. The website said it was over 4000 (this included the half-marathon, the 10k, and the 5k)...it should be specified that the actual marathon is only about 1000. This can be a big deal to runners who are expecting a decent sized race. If you like hills, disorganization, and don't need to drink or eat very much during and after running a marathon- this one is for you! If not, take my advice and find another race. | |
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Scott Niemann from Evanston, IL
(5/19/2006)
"Good course - badly organized" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I run this marathon because I love Madison so it's a nice weekend getaway. The course is fairly challenging and gets a little lonely at times, as there are a little less than a thousand marathon runners and not too many fans. If Chicago is your idea of what a marathon should be, you probably shouldn't be here. I ran it 2004 and 2005, and I agree with most everyone concerning the medals and the porta potties. They could do a few things, which I understanding they are doing in 2006, to make this a much better marathon. This is a new race director (second year), so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. I wish the start and finish were a bit closer. You start at the capital and end about a mile and a half away. | |
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a. s. from Wisconsin
(5/12/2006)
"Very good from my view" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I thought the event was well organized and had a good overall experience. Nice job to the city, race management, and volunteers. | |
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D. A. from Plainfield, Illinois
(1/12/2006)
"I Won't Be Back!" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 No port-a-potties. Thank God for 7-11s. At least they have bathrooms - this course didn't. Fans were OK, though sparse. Ad for the marathon says, "Fairly flat course." I guess they forgot about all the short steep hills in downtown Madison. No space blanket at the finish for the cool, rainy weather. Puny medal - certainly not worth the entrance fee. I've gotten nicer medals at shorter, cheaper races. THIS WAS A FLOP!! You couldn't even buy decent race paraphernalia like a hat or tech shirt. This city should be embarrassed to host a race like this. Its only saving grace was the Bratfest afterwards. Next year I'll skip the run and go straight to the brats. | |
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Scott Gaschler from Wauconda, Illinois
(9/29/2005)
"Very scenic, hilly course with great spectators" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 The course was very scenic and I liked the pavement changes. Much hillier than the website led on. No port-a-potties was a killer and the pre-race expo was lacking. Only have Chicago as a reference, though. Very good volunteers and enthusiastic spectators. I will be back with some hill work under my belt. I don't need fancy, the nice course makes up for any minor flaws. | |
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Heather Kerr from Lake Bluff, IL
(8/29/2005)
"Fun, but..." (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I waited to type my comments about Madison because I wanted to think about the race for a while. I love the city, so I wanted to run the race, and assumed I would love it. I didn't love, but I liked it. The course was a challenge in some spots, not because of hills, but because the terrain was so different. Sometimes we ran on concrete, sometimes we ran on gravel, other times on soft paths. A little difficult to do for 26.2 miles! Running through the suburbs was fun, the forest preserve was beautiful, but PLEASE have COLD water during those last tough miles! Warm Gatorade just doesn't cut it. Especially that lime flavor. (Why do all marathons have that awful flavor???) The weather was great - the misty rain at the end was perfect - but the crowd support was weak. I will recommend this race, but don't think I will be running it again. | |
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S. N. from Milwaukee
(8/15/2005)
"TERRIBLE!!!" (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 This was the worst marathon I've ever run! There were only TWO porta-potties on the entire course! The post-race food was awful. There was no Gatorade, which is ridiculous, if not dangerous, and I'm sorry, but I've just run 26.2 miles, and I don't really feel like eating a ham sandwich slathered with mayonnaise. There were very few spectators along the course, and no water stops between miles 21 and 24.5, which is again, ridiculous and DANGEROUS!! I will never run Madison again! | |
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Kelly Lim from Singapore
(6/9/2005)
"Scenic Marathon, Madison Is A Great Place To Run!" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I'm an overseas runner from Singapore. And this was my 2nd marathon in 2 weeks (did an earlier one in Cleveland, Ohio). However, the excellent course allowed me to achieve a better time! It was true that there were hills along the entire course but they are mostly manageable. And this was the 1st time I enjoyed the entire 26.2 miles - less the weather, over which we have no control! At no time did I find the route boring, too tough or unchallenging. It had everything (including very small hills - slopes in my opinion). I even had this assistant who cheered at the top of her voice to encourage me until I reached the top of the slope! And that was GREAT! The pasta dinner held on Saturday was great too. I enjoyed the food very much, although they could've ensured the pasta were kept warmer. The talk during the dinner is informative too. The event organizer even put together some sort of 'contest' where they asked for people coming from the farthest place, etc. I got a free water bottle and it's nice to meet fellow runners through such a function. The only comments I hope the organizer notes are: make the expo slightly bigger (I was disappointed that it's such a small expo) and consider putting the year of the marathon on the medal itself. Last but not least, from my personal experience, the event coordinators did an excellent job in assisting me as an overseas runner. They went out of their way to ensure that I was able to travel to and from Madison relatively trouble-free, as well as having a wonderful stay and retaining some great memories of Madison and the Mad City Marathon. Keep up the GOOD WORK!!! : ) |
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