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BigDaddy Wilkinson from Michigan
(5/9/2011)
"Pretty good for its first year" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I did the half. 1. Parking and packet pick-up were easy and painless. 2. The starting corral was very narrow and congested. Once the race began, it was fine. It was difficult to line up towards the front unless you were willing to stand around for a long time. 3. The course had a lot more spectators than I expected. Parts of it were scenic and parts were industrial. Two pretty good uphills. 4. After the 11 mile-mark, one runner near me didn't see the turn-around. No one was there to alert us. I then nearly missed the trail were supposed to turn at. There were no arrows/cones/volunteers directing. 5. There was a long wait for results/awards. 6. The announcer was tireless and inspiring. It was a good effort for an inaugural race, but there is room for improvement. | |
M. S. from Palm Harbor, Florida
(5/9/2011)
"No free beer?" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Kalamazoo Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was a very nice, first-time marathon, with some hills thrown in to make it more challenging. There are 2 big hills in the last 10 miles that reduced most of us to walkers. Definitely not a Boston qualifier! I was surpised when the "beer garden" at the finish line charged $4 a beer with no free beers for the runners. I'm not in the habit of carrying money in a marathon. The Sat. night pasta feed was very good and cheap. If I lived within 250 miles, I would run it again. | |
L. C. from St Louis, Missouri
(5/8/2011)
"Congratulations K-zoo! You have a future diamond" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Kalamazoo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The pros: Registration and expo for package pick up was seamless. Pace groups were abundant. Good quality New Balance tech shirt and attractive medal. GREAT crowd turnout along the course. Truly a community event. Traffic control was perfect. The cons: Website could use some work. No info on what participants were getting. Start was crowded. Need to separate full from half. Mile markers per Garmin were off after mile 9/10. Water stations too far apart and crowded. Post race included/free food was limited to bananas and orange pieces. Bonus: the hills - up and down should not be underestimated. |
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