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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 31 to 41]
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S. K. from Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
(4/22/2013)
"Nice race, swag needs some improving" (about: 2013)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Plenty of parking at the expo/race start, which is always a plus. Lots of water/gatorade stops and they even changed the gatorade flavors at each stop. The downside, is the swag & post race food/refreshments. When the sponsors name is biggest thing on the medal & shirt, that is nuts. The theme is great, and they really could do so much better on the shirt & medal (which only had a small mention of the half marathon on the back). As for food, bananas, water, small cups of chocolate milk. It was chilly out, and they didn't offer mylar blankets either. With regards to the actual race, my comments relate to the Half Marathon. The best part of the race was running on the paved trails thru the park. Too bad they couldn't have had you on this for more of the race. While overall the race was enjoyable, they still have room for improvement. | |
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K. L. from Houston, TX
(4/21/2013)
"Scenic course, but flatlanders, train for hills!" (about: 2013)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I picked this course for a spring marathon for several reasons, the biggest of which was that it was advertised as 'flat and fast' with a few 'gentle rolling hills'. Positives: 1) Small-medium size race w/ easy access to port-a-potties, food, drop-bags, etc and other pre/post race activities that require long lines at bigger races 2) Nice participant/finisher shirts and medal 3) Start/finish in same location, 4) scenic course that showcased the area well, 5) encouraging, friendly volunteers, 6) adequate aid stations, 7) decent post-race food, 8) good price, no-frills race Main negative: advertised as 'flat and fast' when it is quite hilly! An elevation map is provided, and I noted the course was not truly pancake flat, however, the map did not seem to do justice to the sheer amount of significant hills along this course, especially miles 8-14. That's a significant portion of the course, still early on, that you need to train for and factor in for pacing unless you want to blow through large amounts energy in the first half. The second half on the bike trail is quite scenic, but it twists a bit and has a few short, but steep climbs. Do not lose sight of the fact that the last 6ish miles of the course are a net uphill as well, even if it is slight each mile. If you run through the early hills too fast, this could make these last 6-8 miles even tougher than usual as I found out the hard way. Overall I felt it was a good, solid race, the main complaint again was in how it was advertised. If you are coming from an area that is truly pancake flat, you need to incorporate some hills into your training! I would recommend this course to anyone looking for a well-run and scenic marathon in KS, but I would have a hard time calling this a truly 'fast' course. All that to say, BQ's and PR's were attained with proper training and race planning! Just know that elevation map if you are going after a time goal!! Thank you Garmin/City of Olathe for the hard work on a fun and scenic course. Weather was nice and cool with lots of great volunteers as well! | |
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P. B. from Leavenworth, KS
(10/13/2012)
"Nice small Half Marathon" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I first ran this half marathon in 2008 when the runners were moved by bus to the start line and it finished downtown. The 2012 race was so much better than 2008, the expo was easy but could use more free stuff. The race having the start and finish line in same location was wonderful. There was plenty of parking and close to start line. The route was easy and not too many hills at all. The route through the 'Great mall' was just boring but rest of route was OK. The last 2 miles were flat and great for the runners to finish strong. The finishing area was congested with non-runners. The race is a wonderful small half marathon with small crowds. A good confidence half and full marathons for runners. The shirt was good and the finisher medal was awesome. They promise the 2013 will be better than 2012. I will run it again. | |
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K. F. from Northern Oklahoma
(6/11/2012)
"A pleasant surprise!" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was a fall back from my fall back race. I wasn't able to run OKC this year, due to a scheduling problem, so my next choice was the Eisenhower Marathon in Abilene, but the weather got crazy (NOAA issued a 'severe threat of damage and death' warning), so i though it better i stayed home with my family that weekend. So I fell back to this one, and i'm glad it worked out this way. The weather was as close to perfect as possible and the organization was really nice! The course isn't all that interesting, (strip mall the first couple of miles, neighborhoods and then the out and back bikepath/fitness trail), but pleasant enough. The fitness trail is small 5 foot-ish rolling hills which probably won't show up on Map My Run or your Garmin. Fairly fast course, but a lot of turns and it's narrow in spots. There wasn't just a TON of spectators, but the support was very good for a race this size. The aid stations were well placed and the folks were friendly. Post-race celebration was good. It wasn't a buffet, and i really couldn't eat the barbecue chicken after finishing, but i'm sure it was good. there was a beer tent with free beer for the runners, and a massage tent, but it was crowded. The medal and finisher shirt was nice and i would definitely recommend this race. I thought the organization was really good. | |
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Daniel Petty from St. Louis, MO
(6/7/2012)
"Enjoyable, friendly, mid-size marathon" (about: 2012)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 3rd marathon, first time doing the Garmin Oz Marathon however and I felt that everything went spot on for this race from packet pickup right down the amazing weather and nice huge medal! The packet/shirt pickup was very smooth. The highlight of the expo was meeting Bart Yasso who signed autographs and spoke at the pasta dinner. He actually ran the marathon too which was pretty exciting! It was probably the most perfect picturesque day you could ask for a mararthon with sunny skies, temps in the mid 60's with a light a variable wind, which is rare for Kansas. I felt that the organization was great and there were plenty of water/aid stations. There were parts of the route where there was lack of spectators as there is a lot of marathons but all the volunteers made up for that. The volunteers were very spirited and enthusiastic along the route at each and every water stop, even at mile 20! It was really neat seeing them all dressed as characters from the Wizard Oz, Dorothy, The Tin Man, The Cowardly Lion, all were there! It was really motivating and greatly appreciated! I came away with three shirts and a huge finishers medal. This years medal was the scarecrow and each year they are going to have a different character so that you will be able to collect all of them, which is a neat idea. You definitely received a lot at this race, which made it a great value! The only things I would possibly change would be to make the expo larger and taking out the section of the route that goes around the Great Mall of the Great Plains during the first part of the race. It was a pretty boring part of the race but fortunately there were many wonderful people running alongside me to keep me distracted. All in all, this is a really nice race with a great theme! I highly recommend it! | |
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J. M. from Springfield, Missouri
(4/27/2012)
"Garmin is a fast, enjoyable race!" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have done the Garmin/Oz Olathe Marathon two years in a row, and it's quickly becoming one of my favorite races. Positives: The organization is superb from expo to finish line, and the addition of Garmin as the title sponsor will only make it better. I came away with three shirts (cotton participant and Garmin shirts, plus tech finisher) and a great medal, so it is a good value. The course is very enjoyable if you like a more suburban, even rural, type of setting. It is flat for the most part (just a few hills and grades here and there to keep it interesting), and I found the last half along the trail to be quite nice. I had my fastest time in a couple of years. The volunteers are friendly and well-prepared. Potential Improvements: A larger expo would be nice, though 2012 marked an improvement over 2011. The new location at the Holiday Inn is great. The course tends to be a bit congested until the half-marathoners split at mile 12; it is also exposed for the first few miles, leaving it vulnerable to bad weather (i.e., the 40 mph gusts in 2011). Suggestions: Make your motel reservations early. There are some great places to stay for relatively reasonable prices near the start (Days Inn is nice). I waited this year, and ended up at Econo Lodge. Nice people and near the start, but a motel I would avoid in the future (bad shower, useless breakfast, non-working TV). All in all, this is a really nice race with a great theme. A large number of costumed runners make it extra fun (I think I saw four Dorothys this year). I recommend it wholeheartedly! | |
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David Zajic from Alabama
(4/23/2012)
"Good Job for small race!" (about: 2012)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 What a great run! The weather was great - cool and no wind (for Kansas). Pros: Plenty of aid stations. Many 'Wizard of OZ' costumes (aid stations and runners). First time I've seen two pacers for same time (traded off). Good job by Police and traffic control. First half run on city streets second half on paved bike trails. Still had some cheer stations and a few spectators on bike path. GU stations. Huge finisher's metal - scarecrow (if I only had a brain). Cons: Hard to crew runners on 2nd half. Map needs addresses for GPS. We tried to drive the course the afternoon before but hard to follow on course map. All in all, I'd do it again on my next trip around the 50 States. | |
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Mark Dingmon from Lenexa, Kansas
(4/23/2012)
"Sometimes Simple is Better!" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 This was my 34th full marathon and 3rd time for Olathe. This is a small marathon, and typically I will pass on a marathon of this size, but I am so glad that I didn't! This was a small but very well organized event. All of the Wizard of Oz characters were there, I even saw a male runner wearing a powder blue Dorothy dress! What impressed me the most was the friendly attitude of the volunteers at packet pickup, and spirited and enthusiastic volunteers along the route, especially at mile 20! The volunteers at this station were dressed as characters from the Wizard Oz, Dorothy, The Tin Man, The Cowardly Lion, all were there except for the wizard! And from the perspective of this chronic BOP'er I greatly appreciated thier support and enthusiasm so late in the race. It was a picturesque day for a mararthon with sunny skies above, temps in the mid 60's, with a light a variable wind, which is rare in Kansas for this time of the year. As with many marathons of this size spectator support was very light, and almost non exsistant on the final 13 miles, but it is the friendly and spirited support of the volunteers that made the effort worth the while. The race begins and ends at Garmin (The Event Sponsor) The first 12 miles runs thru commercial and residential areas, miles 13 thru 23 runs on a paved trail, and the final 3 miles resumes thru residential areas and then ending at Garmin. The finish line was well organized and spacious. And unlike many mararthons that I have done in the past, after crossing the finish line, I did not feel like I was trapped in a box, and unable to make contact with family members who were waiting on the other side. And the finishers medal??? Well that's one huge medal! I needed help carrying it back to my car! The Olathe Marathon AKA Garmin-Oz Marathon is a small no frills event, but I would recommend this event to the 50 staters club. The Olathe Marathon is proof that SOMETIMES simple is better! | |
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J. V. from Philadelphia, PA
(4/23/2012)
"Enjoyable, flat, friendly" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Very much enjoyed the Garmin Marathon in the Land of Oz. Perfect weather this year, mid-40s at start, sunny, no wind. Race sets up in two phases - 1st 11+ miles around the streets of Olathe, last 14+ on a paved trail. I was wary of the out-and-back on the trail, but the marathon is small enough that the crowd is spread out and the scenery is nice enough (lots of wooded area, shade) that you don't get bored seeing the same thing twice. Lots of encouragement among runners passing each other heading back too. Aid stations were good. One suggestion to the race committee: encourage the GU volunteers to space themselves a few hundred yards ahead of the water so that runners have time to intake and then wash out at the water stop. Medal was great, my favorite I've received so far. Race shirt was cotton, but finishers in the full got a nice tech shirt (short-sleeve). Massage at end was very helpful. Food selection was below average (yogurt, bananas) - I didn't partake in the free chicken sandwiches though. Overall, definitely a nice course, can be fast, fun atmosphere. Had a great time! | |
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C. A. from Kansas City
(4/23/2012)
"Course too long?" (about: 2012)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Garmin Marathon (prev. Oz Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Pros: 1. Incredible weather, great organization 2. Fast, very flat course 3. Nice post-race and great tech T Cons: 1. 4hr pacer was way off pace and subsequently had to make up for it the rest of the race. Not as advertised. 2. No chocolate milk at finish = fail 3. Course was too long by .20 (too many runners claim this same thing to pawn it off on zig-zags.) Major fail. 4. Can you set up a 'runner's line' for the food? I stood in line for a chicken sandwich behind 30 non-runners. Not cool. Overall, I loved this race. Perfect weather, good org, set a PR. I will be back but would like to see some improvements as it continues to grow. Also, how about putting some bands along the course? Not original, but really helps especially when you have small crowd support. |
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