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☰
Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon) Runner Comments
Back to Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon) Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 3.4
Number of comments: 181 [displaying comments 101 to 111]
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M. H. from Florida
(12/22/2007)
"A bit disappointing" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my fifth marathon. I had hoped that a town like Charlotte would have a little bigger feel than this race. The expo was pretty dinky. I had also hoped that in view of last year's comments, the organizers would have upped the t-shirts to technical running shirts. Not so. Also, the host hotel would only give you a 1 p.m. late checkout time. Pretty tight when the marathon starts at 8. In all, though, the course was pretty, the weather was good, the water stops were well organized and staffed, and the small pockets of fans were enthusiastic. | |
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C. L. from Coastal North Carolina
(12/21/2007)
"This one's a character-builder" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 In retrospect, I'm thankful I ran this marathon. I'm not going to lie: the hills were grueling - but given that fact, I'm thankful that I can say I completed this challenge without stopping and I encourage others to take on this challenge too because it's quite a character-builder. Charlotte will always hold a special place in my heart because of this marathon. I gave my perseverance and sweat and the race gave me more courage than what I already had. Moreover, the convention center was a wonderful place to be before the race and the homes along the route were gorgeous. And who could forget the Charlotte skyline? Lovely. | |
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P. R. from Washington D.C.
(12/20/2007)
"Best "1,000 or fewer" marathon I have run" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Let me start by saying Charlotte is a great marathon. The weather was perfect - 40 degrees at start and finished at 65. There were clocks at every single mile and water/Gatorade stations every other mile. The course was well managed and great staff/volunteers at all points in the race. Finally the gentle ups and downs (what some are calling rolling hills) offer your legs a chance to use different muscles than when you run on flat surfaces the entire way. The first half is very scenic, so relax and enjoy it before buckling down for the less scenic but faster second half of the race. Perfect set up for negative splits if you run smart and within yourself. Great marathon. | |
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C. G. from Marietta, Georgia
(12/13/2007)
"Not as bad as the profile indicated" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I almost did not register for the race after looking at the profile. It was scary. It needs to be displayed in a different way. Turned out the hills on the course were not nearly as bad as the profile and compared to most I have run. The registration form had a place to pay for the pasta dinner but nowhere on the website did it mention anything about the pasta dinner, the time or place. I did not participate. Another thing lacking was information about the bag drop. Nothing on the website about it. Us out-of-towners need as much information as we can get for planning purposes. As for crowd support, the only races where there is any crowd support are the big ones like NY, Chicago, Boston, etc. The only people cheering you on in the other races are friends and family of other runners. In the second half, when the runners got spread out, there needed to be some signs at the intersections where hard right or left turns were made. A couple times I had to stop and shout at the cop about which way I should go. Just a sign with an arrow on it would be great. All in all, a well-run, small race with good volunteers at the water stops and other places. I also liked being able to wait inside before the start even though it wasn't very cold this year. Enjoyed everything but the warm weather. - A 50 States Finisher | |
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k. w. from Charlotte
(12/12/2007)
"Great Work, Organizers!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 THE COURSE: I volunteered in 2005/2006 for this event and ran the half-marathon in 2007. I ran the entire marathon course on 2 separate days. Yes, this is a challenging course and it's no different from the Marine Corp Marathon ending on an uphill. I will say, it would be nice to have a course that avoids the rundown areas. THE SPECTATORS: It's a small race, so you're going to have small crowds. Those that came out to cheer were very enthusiastic. Thanks for the support! THE ORGANIZATION: I was overwhelmed by the organization of this event. Everything from start to finish was "top-notch." It had the feel of a "mini" NY or Chicago. The expo was easy to navigate for packet pick up. The baggage area at the start seemed to be professionally done. Most of the water stops were well-stocked with fluids and volunteers; a few could have used more people. The finish line was unbelievable: lots of food and volunteers, cheering fans, banners, and music. There was certainly a lot of work put into this race. Again, it was a big marathon production on a smaller scale. Well done! | |
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J. L. from Georgia
(12/12/2007)
"Great Race for Its Size" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Great weather, continuous rolling hills, some very nice residential sections, and convenient expo and parking. I like the music and beer at the finish area. Not every marathon needs to be a giant. Sometimes marathons should be for running. This is it. | |
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D. N. from Houston, TX
(12/11/2007)
"Great, Challenging Marathon" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I thought they did a very solid job at Charlotte. I liked that the start and finish were so close to the host hotel. The expo was smallish but I found a pair of shoes, which made it very worthwhile. The pasta dinner was the smallest I've ever attended. The spaghetti was tasty but for 12 bucks I would've appreciated being able to get second helping. I don't criticize a marathon for weather but it was great anyway. The course features rolling hills and it's not for PR's - challenging but very enjoyable. The aid stations were very well supplied. Spectators were very supportive and I think the police did a great job with the Sat. morning traffic. The medal is nice, but the shirt is cotton and not memorable. Keep up the good work, people! | |
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G. K. from Northeast Tennessee
(12/11/2007)
"Surely there has to be a better course layout!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Having your name in big letters on the race bib is a great idea. People yelling your name as you're flagging helps perk you up. This helped make up for the surprisingly small crowds, especially since we ran through mostly residential areas. That said, the course is hideous. Two different marathons in Charlotte and both have been on very grueling courses. Also, there were more turns on this race than any two other marathons combined. Great city at a great place on the calendar, but the course needs work. | |
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Michael Stone from Hickory NC
(12/11/2007)
"This was my 4th marathon and second here. Great." (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This event was VERY WELL organized from music to fans to food. THANKS!! | |
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R. R. from blowing rock, nc
(12/10/2007)
"Perfect Weather and Good Crowd Support" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I trained in the mountains and the hills in Charlotte were almost as challenging. It was not especially comforting to have big hills in the last 4 miles when everyone is struggling to make it in, but everything else about this race was great. The first half was beautiful, the water/PowerAde stations were adequately stocked and the volunteers and spectators were awesome. Made my first marathon a great experience. My legs are still hating those hills. |
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