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Deseret News Classic Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Deseret News Classic Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.8 
Organization 3.3 
Spectators 3.2
Number of comments: 96 [displaying comments 51 to 61]
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Benjamin Parker from Mountain View, CA
(7/25/2006)
"As my first marathon, it was really tough" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Deseret News Classic Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This race is a tough one, and if you are either running your first marathon like me, or you've been running them for a while, you have to respect the course. The declines really takes their toll on your quads. I'm only 17 years-old, and since it was my first marathon, I really learned how difficult marathons are. None can get much harder than this. In order to run it successfully, you HAVE to stay hydrated out there, take gels when you need to, and do whatever you can to prevent from cramping (taking salt tablets really helps). The most important thing is to keep yourself fresh for when you reach mile 19 and 20. If you can stay strong up to that point and not hit "the wall," you'll be fine. But I will say this: a lot of people were hitting the wall today. I was passing a lot of people at the end of the run, and I was running a 4-hour-and-20-minute marathon. I wasn't even running all that fast. The only reason I finished was because I was smart and I respected the course. If you are to run this marathon you have to understand what you are getting yourself into. Otherwise, things can get ugly. Overall, the race was run well. They had plenty of aid stations, so hydrating myself was never an issue. They had plenty of restrooms on the top of the mountain before the race, so the course was a lot cleaner, and the people in the community were fairly supportive. All in all, a good experience. I'll definitely run this again next year. | |
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F. W. from Melbourne, Florida
(6/19/2006)
"Quad Killer" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Deseret News Classic Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 The shuttling to the start line early in the morning was a bit of a mess. However, we all made it eventually. We weren't allowed to relieve ourselves on the mountain but there were insufficient porta-potties for all the runners. I think most of the runners broke the 'no-pee' rule. The race was late starting due to the shuttling mismanagement. I thought this race would be less stressful seen as a lot of it was downhill. However, the race profile fails to show the steep uphill portions in the first 6 miles. After that, running down a steep incline was very hard on the knees and the quads. Running through town for the last few miles alongside the parade was fun. Lots of people out for the parade were cheering for the runners too. The finish area was disorganised. All the property bags were in an unguarded area. Getting the shuttle back to the start was another exercise in poor management. | |
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J. D. from Connecticut, USA
(8/15/2005)
"Days of 47!" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Deseret News Classic Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I ran this race as a summer marathon. This was my 9th marathon, and I was looking for something different, having run NYC, Rome, and some smaller marathons. There are few marathon options around in the summer, so after reading the comments here at MarathonGuide.Com, I decided to do something different: Run this race. Flew into Salt Lake City late on a Sunday night, with the race on Monday. Pioneer Day is a state holiday in Utah, and the marathon is part of the festivities. I had contacted Bob Wood about arrangements for packet pick-up since we would miss the Saturday expo. He assured me that we would get our numbers and chips. They weren't at the hotel, but there was a note on the Radisson hotel room stating that they would be at the start. The Radisson was the host hotel (a block from the Delta Center) and the room was fine, the hotel allowed us a late check-out, and we got a $79 race rate for the room. Got on the bus at 3:45 am, no problem. We arrived at the top of Big Mountain with an hour to spare and got the race packet. Cool and refreshing. The start was delayed about 15 minutes, which was annoying but tolerable. The course for the first 16 miles during the Utah sunrise and cool temperatures was outstanding. Running downhill, viewing the canyons and the red rock formations in the early morning light was awesome. When you hit the city by Hogle Zoo, the course does become ordinary running through the city. And it gets hot. The police officers were great at stopping traffic; there were even volunteers that stopped a train so I could cross a railroad crossing unencumbered. The course does run through the Days of 47 parade route for a block, which is very uplifting and something to look forward to. It would be nice if it could be longer, but apparently the parade committee won't allow it. The finish is at Liberty Park, with your name and hometown announced, and some great finish line photos. There were some delays catching a bus back to the Delta Center. We took in the some of the Pioneer Day festivities for the rest of day, including the parade, visiting the Mormon temples and taking in the Days of 47 rodeo. Caught the red-eye flight home that night. All in all a great day. Notes: The race starts at 7600 feet above sea-level. Salt Lake City is 4330 feet above sea-level. Living at sea-level and coming in just before the race, I hadn't adjusted to the altitude, hence I ran with an elevated heart rate for the race. Did not receive a T-shirt race day, as they ran out, but I e-mailed Bob Wood, and he sent one to me afterwards. My quads and calves hurt considerably; the downhills have some advantages, but they can also be much more difficult than expected. Pros: Awesome scenery for the first part of the race. Great communication with the race director, Bob Wood. He was very accommodating with us. Fun and hokey taking in the other Pioneer Day festivities. Areas for improvement (but no whining!): This race had chip timing, but not a chip start, so be wary if you need those few minutes. Buses at the end were delayed, but I am told that this issue will be resolved in 2006. There could have been more food/Gu along the course, and more of the course could have been along the parade route. A 5:00 AM start could help with some of the heat later on. Have seen better organization/logistics/goodies in other similar sized marathons. Summary: The Days of 47 Marathon was awesome. I had a great day in Utah. I didn't PR as I would have hoped, given the downhill course, but that's OK. I never felt so good as I did at mile 17 of a marathon (and so crappy at mile 25!). Despite some of the nuances and inconveniences, this was a race and an event that I was glad to be able to participate in. It's a little different. I recommend it. | |
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A Runner from New York
(8/7/2005)
"Different " (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Deseret News Classic Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I did this race for the first time in 2005; I was able to get a cheap direct flight from the NYC area, which made the travel feasible. I will list my pros and cons. Pros: 1) Fantastic scenery for the first 16 miles of the race; running down and up a mountain was something I have never done in a marathon before. 2) Running along the parade route I also thought was uplifting. 3) The race is on a Monday and also in the summer, which may be beneficial to some. 4) Cooler temperatures at the start helped for part of the race. Cons: 1) It took awhile for the buses to get to the hotel or parking after the race was over. 2) Race packet was at the start as I did not go to the expo, but we did not know that until the night before in the official race hotel. 3) There could have been food along the course and perhaps a little more Gatorade, but overall it the rest stops were OK. However it always helps to bring some liquids. 4) The 15-minute delay at the start just meant running more in the heat later on. I think even a 5 AM start would have been better than the scheduled 5:30 AM. 5) Others may not agree, but I think the race should have been MORE on the parade route at the end, as the last mile was a little confusing. 6) I could not train on mountains or in altitude and these are a factor in this race so they could impact performance. If you are looking for a marathon with a local race feel that is a different and can deal with the above cons, it is a worthwhile race to consider. I have no regrets. | |
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Ross Brennan from Washington, D.C.
(8/4/2005)
"Spectacular start, with some quirks" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Deseret News Classic Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Spectacular starting line scenery and a beautiful descent through the canyon compensate for the flat, unshaded, and wearying second half. It?s fun to make the transition from wilderness to Center City. Yes, there?s room for improvement ? it took lots of digging to find out that packets could be picked up the day before the race, and there seemed to be two ?official? websites ? one of which was maddeningly out of date. Just remember that despite the big-city trappings this is a smaller marathon, with a few quirks, and you?ll have fun. | |
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chelsea mckell from provo
(8/3/2005)
"AMAZING! WOW! GREAT!" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Deseret News Classic Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Bob Wood is a great guy. He works SO hard to put this on. I admire him a lot and appreciate his generosity. They had GREAT food at the end! | |
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F. H. from Salt Lake City Utah
(8/3/2005)
"Organizational issues plague marathon yet again" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Deseret News Classic Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 I have run this marathon three years in a row, and noticed that the 2004 race had some 'issues.' Thinking the organizers would learn from the 2004 experience, I signed up again for 2005. Imagine my frustration as I had to run down the same two 'out and back' areas, up by the zoo and Research Park, and then finding yet another as we came down the canyon. At least they were on the map this year. Surely in a city as large as Salt Lake, we could find a course that we don't have to run out and back. The rest stops were inadequate for the hot weather, and the cups of water were as small as the little Dixie cups we used to have in our bathroom. This one was a bad experience for me, getting my slowest time in the 13 marathons I have run in the past three years. I was trying to drink 3 cups at each rest stop, but with only 1 inch of water in the cup, that's not enough. I finally stopped at mile 23 and drank 12 of the fullest cups I could find, then felt a little better. Another six cups at the last one; I think not enough water and Gatorade was a lot of my problem. The marathon started late, due to buses not getting there on time, making the end time later and hotter. There was no starting time from the chip, so everyone had time added to their overall time. The rest rooms along the course were inadequate since there was only one at each spot, and I lost 10 minutes waiting in the bathroom line. I did appreciate the spectators offering encouragement, and especially my new friend in the canyon who stood outside her house and handed me a large cup of water just to be nice. Other runners were also encouraging, especially those who encouraged me when I was leaning over a garbage can on 13th east. I ran the Park City Marathon in June as part of the Utah Grand Slam, and if there was ever a model of perfect organization that would have been the one. | |
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c. g. from Marietta Georgia
(7/31/2005)
"A very tough course with poor organization" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Deseret News Classic Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 This was my 41st marathon so I have plenty to compare it with. Take notes from Casper and Ft. Collins on organization. Saturday expo with a Monday race. Most of us out-of-towners thought we had to be there on Sat. to get our numbers only to find out they were available on Sun and at the start. Cost an extra day of motels and meals. Website did not mention a bag drop at the start. Nowhere on the shirt or medal do the words Salt Lake City appear. The website did not mention that there was no chip mat at the start. I lined up way back and it cost me 2 or 3 min on my time. Water stops every 3 miles is insufficient for a race in hot weather. I had an afternoon flight out and panicked at the end when the return buses did not arrive. Fortunately I caught a ride at the last minute back to the motel with a friend. Salt Lake City is really a great city but this race is not a good indicator. Better luck next year. I won't be here. | |
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R. K. from Idaho
(7/28/2005)
"poor organization" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Deseret News Classic Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 This was my 4th marathon, 3rd in the state of Utah. Others were in smaller towns, so I expected more from the race directors of SLC. We arrived at the Delta Center at 3:45 thinking we would get one of the last buses to leave to the start so we didn't have to stand out in the cold to long. Then we were informed at 5:15 that we had to wait for 3 more buses. So in a sense, we hade to run an additional 20 mins in the hot sun. At the start of the race, we were informed that there were no timing chip mats at the start, only at the finish. Also during the race, when we had out-and-back streets to run, we saw several people cut across the street, saving several miles. GU at mile 16, 18, or 20. Wouldn't do you much good at that point in the race. There was a clock set up at the half way point, but didn't work. Last couple miles on concrete, made all the downhill running hurt even worse. Could be a really good marathon and I hate to sound to negative. Thanks to all the people that volunteered their time at the aid stations. And a special thanks for the people who gave fruit baskets to the tired runners; I am aware it was of their own doing, and from their own pockets. For $50 there ought to be better support. | |
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j. c. from USA
(7/27/2005)
"just okay" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Deseret News Classic Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 First of all, the people/spectators are great. However, you do not see them until after mile 16. The course was very challenging. As you read in the other comments, the long descent at the beginning and the few ascents later in the race are quad-killers, and a little tough on the calves. The turnarounds were no fun, though. Unfortunately, the poorest mark goes to organization. There should have been info in the brochure or elsewhere about being able to pick up the bib and chip on the morning of the race. It would have saved on an extra two-night stay since there was an off day on Sunday. There also should have been some info about gear transportation from start to finish. Then there was the delay of the start due to untimely buses. Same discomfort happened for the return trip after the race. Most disappointing was the cheap t-shirt and medal. The medal should state the date and location. Everyone else I show this medal will have no clue what or where the Deseret Morning News Marathon was. |
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