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☰
Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon) Runner Comments
Back to Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon) Information & Reviews
Course 3.8 
Organization 4.1 
Spectators 3.1
Number of comments: 147 [displaying comments 101 to 111]
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Marc Linhardt from Kildeer, Illinois
(4/9/2007)
"Small race with superior traffic control" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Traffic protection was superb with seemlingly every police officer and traffic cone in the state of Kansas. Course was hillier and windier than I expected, but temps were good. Easy to get to and ample parking. Few spectators other than those looking for specific runners, but for me that is not an issue. The only thing that was really poor was the sports drink. Based on the aid station volunteers, there were at least 3 different BRANDS of sports drinks - Cramer, Gatorade, and PowerAde. Please standardize on lemon-lime Gatorade Endurance. | |
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E. G. from Wichita, KS
(4/8/2007)
"Cool weather; great course; new PR; perfect day" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The new date made for a day of cool weather. Liked the course - it was a bit complicated and twisty. Setting a new PR by 11 minutes (over my old one, set 25 years ago, when I was 25 years-old) made the day perfect. | |
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S. H. from Independence, Missouri
(4/4/2007)
"Awsome race, not enough port-a-potties." (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I loved this race! It was very well organized, and they had more then enough water stands. They did, however, need a couple more port-a-potties. Spectators were really good, and the course was amazing! It went all over the place, with senery changing often. I would recomend this race to anyone. | |
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Matt Matt from KC, MO
(4/4/2007)
"Nice, well-organized race" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was a well-run race with a lot of the details provided for. The course wasn't my favorite, but it had some nice stretches. The weather was decent, following a night of thunderstorms... a tad humid but not too warm. The volunteers were great and I really can't say any particular thing disappointed me. For a smaller race, they do a great job! | |
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D. C. from Rosemount, MN
(4/3/2007)
"Windy and hilly - but well organized" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I was expecting a fairly flat course as advertised but it seemed I was climbing slight inclines all day long - the only flat part of the race was at the end when you go around a small lake in a park. This and the wind just wore me out - at least it was cloudy and a decent temp or it would have been a long day. The finishers medal was a very large bronze medalion with a unique design so that was great. I agree that having the medal handed to you in a plastic bag vs. having someone put it around your neck was sort of a bummer. The sport drink that the volunteers said was Gatorade was terrible! It was so watered down I thought they mixed it wrong but from reading other comments this is the actual way it tastes. Luckily it didn't make me sick but could have been really bad if it had been hot out and you were in need of the sodium. My thanks to the police and other volunteers who made crossing the various roads and intersections safe for all the runners! | |
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B. M. from Iowa
(4/2/2007)
"Overall - I liked this race" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The packet pickup was well organized and the people there were very friendly and helpful. On race morning, it was easy to park a block away from the finish line and ride the shuttle bus to the starting point. The starting area was okay. Spectators could drive there if they wanted to. We had access to the fieldhouse restrooms. It would have been nice to have a place to wait inside had it been colder or raining. The hills were long yet gentle and the course provided a chance to see a few scenic items (small lake and the front of the naval base). We also ran through some rural areas and over the interstate. The water/aid stations were spaced about right although there could have been more port-a-john's. The crowd support was fairly sparse (even through the residential neighborhoods). I recalled seeing a few of the spectators multiple times. Had my family accompanied me to this race, I think they could have repositioned themselves to see me several times along the way. There was a strong wind that day with not much around to block it. It felt good at my back or strong in my face. It picked up even more late in the race. After I finished, I saw a few runners who had to stop a few feet shy of the finish line as the inflatable arch kept blowing over and blocking their path. It may have been wind related; but, it seemed like they started tearing down the finish area a little early. I waited in the massage line for about 20 minutes. When the guy in front of me proceeded into the tent, they abuptly stating that he would be their last customer and the rest of us in line were turned away. Overall, I liked this race and wouldn't hesitate to run it again. | |
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Robb Keeter from Fort Leavenworth, KS
(4/1/2007)
"Great event, great support." (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon. I truly enjoyed the level of support and professionalism of the staff. Thanks for supporting the military too. | |
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J. M. from Overland Park KS
(4/1/2007)
"Surprisingly Good" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I was pleasantly surprised at the organization of the race. Weather was threatening the day before and organizers were aware and had plans to delay and protect the runners. Race start area was in the open, but used a large high school football field locker room for restroom facilites. So much better than porta-potties, although these were plentiful at the finish. This is a small race that's getting bigger because the race director is listening and has moved the race to friendlier weather conditions (from May - too hot, to March - just about right). I hope the race director notes this comment: Cramer Quickick is not a runner's favorite. I have not ever thrown up during a marathon before, but mile 17 using this inconsistently mixed product was the first time in 9 marathons. Even this did not spoil the run, however since the race is sponsored by Aquafina who is part of the Pepsi group that produces Gatorade I hope that something can be arranged to end the Cramer connection for next year. The crowd is somewhat sparse, given the location of the race, but the finish area is very family friendly, with my wife noting that several kids jumped in to finish with their parents. Wind is part of running in this part of Kansas; if you aren't prepared to run into and with the wind, this may not be the race for you. I also want to compliment the traffic set up and control used during this race. At no time did I feel that I was running with traffic that would cause me any problems. The volunteers were great, with each stop being manned by a particular group representing some of the race sponsors. This race is much better organized than the Charlottesville VA Marathon, which I ran last spring. No concerns with traffic, as I mentioned above. The t-shirt is dated and the medal is dated, unlike the junky t-shirt and reusable medal from Charlottesville. Race directors, keep up the good work; tweak the sports drink and I will be back again in the future. This may become the 50-state marathon of choice for Kansas. | |
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B. H. from Lake Oswego, OR
(4/1/2007)
"Nice course; well planned race; weak fan support" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This is a nice course that is half flat and half gentle climbs and descents. It is run mostly on country-type roads with a bit in residential areas. Aid stations are spaced out just right and increase towards the end. They need to stick with a popular sports drink like PowerAde or Gatorade, etc., and not experiment with some unknown brand that supplies the drink free. The aid station folks were great and almost always ready for us. The race only had about 400 runners so you will run alone a lot during the second half of the race. The finish is nicely done with the last quarter-mile uphill, so you gotta work for it! Complaints: Not enough port-a-johns on the course. Every five miles or so is not enough for a course with no trees or bushes. Lots of complaints on this. RD, put at least one at each aid station through mile 20. You will be thanked for that by the runners and the aid workers! Second, no local fan support. I don't really care about this, but other folks who ran with me really noticed this. People mowing their lawn wouldn't even acknowledge the runners as you ran by their front yard! Third, the post-race food was pretty lame, (except for the Krispy Kremes!). When I finished at about 4:25, there was no water! Nothing to drink. They had bagels, oranges and yogurt. I would expand that a bit. Also, no one put the medal over your neck; they just handed you a medal in a plastic bag. (Nice medal though.) I sound like I am complaining a lot, but actually I liked it enough to give it 4 stars. I am not into the big races. This was a great size for me. Most of my comments above are to help the RD make some changes for the better next year. If I lived nearby, I would probably do this race again next year. | |
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A. Y. from S.D.
(4/1/2007)
"If the devil is in the details..." (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 ...then there must be a lot of angels in Olathe and Gardner. For a relatively young, small (but rapidly growing) event, this marathon (with related runs) is one of the best organized I've seen. I gave it 5 stars all around because the RD and volunteers deserve them, but don't expect big-city crowds all along the race route. Talk to your fellow runners, enjoy the birds and redbud trees and have fun. This is a fine example of a solid road race, good for first-timers, with attentive volunteers who know how to hand out water and sports drink, lots of police assistance at intersections, and decent course markings. Packet pick-up is easy, award pick-up is easy, and the March date is seemingly an improvement (I didn't run it when it was held in May, but I've run in the area in summer and know it is hot). The sun came out in '07 around 9:30 and it was beginning to heat up even then. I'd stick with the March date. Another nice feature is that Olathe is outside of Kansas City so you don't have to deal with too much traffic. The interstate gets you in and out fairly smoothly. A quality race; I hope I can revisit it soon. |
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