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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 111 to 121]
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Grannie Annie Singer from Suffern, New York
(12/10/2007)
"Runners, Start Your Engines" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 CHECKERED FLAGS: * Expo was well run. * Blue long-sleeve cotton shirt - nice. * Convention Center to stay warm in before the race (with bathrooms!) * Pasta dinner was very nice. * Directions and police on course - WELL DONE. * Water stops until the end. * Great start with engines a-roaring. * Mile 24 Rocky music was inspirational. * The race director was very helpful. * Charlotte is a great city to visit: shopping, theater, Bobcats, dining RED FLAGS: * SIX-HOUR LIMIT - NO KIDDING. * Host hotel was very pricey; parking was $18.00 a day, but you can walk to the start and finish. * Hills the first half.... Suggestion for those of us who don't come in by award time: move awards out to the table at the finish line, so if you win an award, it can be presented.... | |
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k. b. from Charlotte, NC
(12/10/2007)
"Well done race that is growing" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The race was well organized and I hope it continues to grow. We were fortunate to have great weather this year! The water, PowerAde, and Gu stops were well stocked and had lots of happy and helpful volunteers. The course is challenging but scenic, especially the first half. You get some great crowd support through some neighborhoods from mile 21 - 24. Lots of music along the course. It was great to have our names printed on our bib number so people could cheer for us by name! It was a great boost towards the end. | |
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Kami K. from Corpus Christi, TX
(12/10/2007)
"Hilly!" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Charlottes Thunder Road Marathon Charlotte, NC Saturday, December 8, 2007 8:00 a.m. This marathon was born three years ago and its registration has quadrupled since then. This year's event was very well organized. Packet pick up at the Convention Center was efficient. There was also a fairly good expo. All runners received long-sleeved cotton T-shirts. Race day temperature ranged from mid 40s to low 70s. It was sunny and the light wind was not a factor. The run started and ended outside the Convention Center. The route was quite challenging, as there were a large number of hills/inclines. The estimated elevation gain and drop were 1,045' and 1,106', respectively. The first half was quite scenic, as we ran through very nice residential neighborhoods. The second half wasn't scenic. There were water/sports drink stations at every other mile, and sports gels at two locations. Mile markers were visible and splits were digitally displayed. I was quite impressed by the presence of a large number of police officers and sheriff's deputies on the course, especially in the second half where we had to cross several roads. The sporadic crowd support was good. There were several bands/individual musicians alongside the route. The finisher's medallion was a nice one. The post-race recovery zone was limited to the runners and there were ample refreshments. The Convention Center was available to the runners before and after the race. The race hotel, Hilton Charlotte Center City, was across the street from the Convention Center, as well as close to a variety of restaurants in the downtown area. I am a 50-stater and this was #33. | |
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J. K. from Lincoln, NE
(12/10/2007)
"Nice weather and first half; second half not" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my second marathon. The weather was perfect unless you are a spoiled Southerner. It was 35 to start, and in the mid 50s at the end. I liked the first half of the course - rolling hills and nice houses. Second half was more industrial/lower income. The hill at 24 was totally unfair, but I was cramping up severely and just trying to finish. Great organization for a smaller marathon. Well spaced water stops. Could have used more porta-potties, particularly after the half mark. Crowd support was pretty lame on the second half, except the house party. Expo was pretty quiet. Could use more civic support and maybe more play on the Nascar theme - maybe some cars at the water stops or having a Nascar driver be the grand marshal? Overall it was a lot nicer than it would have been running in Nebraska at this time of year. | |
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J. T. from Boston
(12/10/2007)
"good, solid event" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I ran this in 2007 and it was my 13th marathon. I have done the very large (45,000+) to the very small (200). Pre-race organization was perfect. Number pick up was easy. Small, nice expo. Course was more challenging then I expected. Lots of hills - not big ones, but fairly constant rollers. Crowd support was minimal. The course was okay - parts were nice but parts were not so nice. Some of the aid stations could have used a few more people, but this did not have a negative affect on my race. There are other better races out there. | |
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G. H. from The worst state in the union (NJ)
(12/10/2007)
"Well organized, small race; hilly course" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I was impressed with the overall race experience. The course has large number of rolling hills, and has more hills than flat running, but most of the hills are short. The first half ran through beautiful neighborhoods, but the second half could have been routed better (more neighborhoods). Water stops were plentiful, the expo was nice, and the medal was fantastic. Stay in the Hilton and you can get up one hour before the start and return to your room ten minutes after the race. Fan support was average, but good for a small race. The Dri-Fit shirts at the expo were excellent; consider offering them as part of the entry fee next year. | |
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j. n. from statesville nc
(12/8/2007)
"The perfect weather made up for the hills" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Well organized race. I liked the expo on race-day for number pick-up. The first half is really beautiful. I would recommend this race. Do not expect a PR. | |
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J. F. from Charlotte, NC
(11/13/2007)
"Needs More Support" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon)s
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Not overly excited about the lack of community support and the cold weather. | |
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P. K. from Atlanta, GA
(9/18/2007)
"Great race" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 First I have to comment on the other guy from Atlanta a few posts down. Sorry you didn't get yourself up for the race but you have it all wrong. Sure there are lots of hills, but walk out your door in Atlanta and you are seeing the same thing. Not to mention that you could have looked at the elevation map before the race. Yup, it was cold out to start but hey, it is a December race, right? I could go on, but the bottom line is you didn't have a good time because it sounds like you didn't want to be there. Don't pan a great race because of that. This is a very well run marathon on a great course! The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it doesn't have everything. By that I mean: If you are looking for crowd support, you won't find it. This is a "runner's marathon" and the only support you will get is from other runners and yourself. That said, it is a very relaxed and fun race. Personally, I found the icy water stops in the early morning funny more than anything. Heck, it was below freezing; what did you expect the spilled water to do? The organization was fantastic. Post-race food and the shirts leave a little to be desired (go Dri-Fit). Great race... pretty challenging. Of course I am already signed up for '07. | |
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K. G. from Western Massachusetts
(4/6/2007)
"This was a great experience" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Charlotte Marathon (formerly Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I thought ths marathon was very well done. I have been running and racing for 30 years and this was my 26th marathon. I have run Boston, NYC, Philadelphia and a variety of other marathons since 1986. It takes quite a lot of energy and planning to put together a marathon. I found the volunteers and staff incredibly supportive and efficient. The weather didn't bother me since I live in Massachusetts and the cold was perhaps an advantage given the conditions in which I train. I ran with a pace group and the group leaders were wonderful in applying just enough pressure when needed and guiding us with care to the finish. I'll never see the times of my youth again, but the pace group got me to the finish under my goal for the race. My family arrived on Friday night and we found everything easily on Saturday and throughout race weekend. I thought the course was wonderful and provided a nice balance of rolling hills in neighborhoods and some urban views as well. I don't focus as much on spectators as long as my husband and son are out on the course. There is enough noise in my head as I talk to my muscles about not giving up! It takes time to build up crowds anyway and I am sure that will happen in future years. I will do this marathon again for sure and appreciate all the hard work of the Run For Your Life crew. Thanks! |
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