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☰
Columbus Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Columbus Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.4 
Organization 4.1 
Spectators 4.2
Number of comments: 335 [displaying comments 111 to 121]
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A. M. from Pittsburgh, PA
(10/20/2008)
"Good marathon; could be great with few improvement" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 My 10th marathon overall, and 1st Columbus. Runner-friendly course - I kept waiting for the hill at mile 20 but never felt it. A couple of dicey spots where we suddenly got "squeezed," which caused some traffic jams. Spectators were good in spots, mostly in the first half. The second half got lonely at points. Enjoyed the bands along the way. Didn't check gear because there was no extra tag with the number provided, and everyone given same goody bag, so it was hard to find yours in the mix that way. Volunteers at fluid stations were great - I easily knew which were handing out water and which Gatorade. Almost had a collision with a car, even with traffic cops at the intersection - UNACCEPTABLE!! If you can't guarantee runner safety - CLOSE THE ROAD! All in all, a good marathon that I would consider running again. After all, I did PR yesterday!!! | |
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V. J. from N.Lawrence,OH,USA
(10/20/2008)
"Great marathon! Fast and flat!!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Columbus Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is the third time I have run this marathon. It is a top-notch race all the way. This year, nothing could have been improved on. Spectators were great, weather was great and the volunteers were as always superb! I can't stand it when people whine and complain about little things, so I wont. But... the t-shirt given to us was pretty lame. Come on... a t-shirt???I have gotten better at a 5K. Might be nice to reconsider this and give tech shirts. Loved the bag, though - very nice. The expo is a little small, but, really, who cares? I think Columbus is a great town-but a lot of folks in town don't even know there is a marathon going on. Maybe get a little more press so the town might embrace the event a little more; after all, this brings a nice chunk of revenue into the city and a lot of potential advertisement. Give the sport of running the respect it deserves, Columbus! And... I fell coming into the homestretch - around the last corner.I want to thank the man who held his hand out to me and helped me up. I made it for my Boston qualifying time, and I'm sure this helping hand up was one of the reasons why. With your own finish line in sight, it's hard even to notice anyone else. This kind man noticed, paused, and helped me up. Thank you and God bless you! | |
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S. M. from Columbus Ohio
(8/6/2008)
"It's alright..." (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 Columbus Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I finally finished this blasted race, which is most likely why my feelings towards it are not the happiest. Columbus and I have been fighting it out for the last few years. I was glad to have finished... but the medal... seriously... I thought they were joking. Thanks, Nationwide (please note my sarcasm). | |
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K. B. from Columbus, Ohio
(7/27/2008)
"Well done, but disappointed by medals" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Columbus Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I am a native to Columbus, and have run the marathon twice now. I think the organization and course are fantastic; however, I was very disappointed with the race shirt and medal this past year. They are both a walking advertisement for Nationwide, which happen to mention the Columbus Marathon in small print below. I plan to run this race again because my family and friends are in the area, and I love running through my city. If I were from out of town, though, I would be put off; they could do a much better job with getting the university involved and toning down the Nationwide involvement. Several miles of the marathon go right through campus, but in my years of being a student at OSU, I never once saw any indication that the marathon was happening. Contrast that to running Boston, where the local weather report on race day speaks in terms of mile markers instead of time of day. The whole city is involved. I am well aware that Boston is a much, much bigger race, but if they want this race to be big, they need to do a better job of getting the rest of the city involved. | |
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D. W. from Richmond, VA
(3/23/2008)
"Nice, but a few improvements" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Overall the Columbus Marathon was nice. The course is flat. The fans were great. The technical running shirt and expo were good. The first part is scenic with nice shade. The second half is a little bit more boring and sunny. I wish the first part was at the end, especially with the warmer temperatures. Overall no complaints about the course. The start was frustrating because my Garmin never did find a signal and I wasn't the only person with problems. I was a little disappointed with the medal. I saw great medals in the shape of Ohio from years past. The medal is all about the runner. The medal appeared to be an advertisement for Nationwide. The technical shirt was fine with the sponsorship information, but not the medal. My other problem was at the end. I could not find the runners bag pickup and spent time looking for it. It wasn't easy to find. | |
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L. W. from nw ohio, usa
(3/16/2008)
"first marathon" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The course is advertised as flat. If you live in NW Ohio, you will notice the hill at miles 16 and 18, and then the last 4 miles of incline. (We in NW Ohio know what flat really is. =)) It was my first marathon. The race organization was perfect for me: I knew where to go and felt well taken care of the entire race. The flyover was great at the start. I wish they had more bathrooms on the course for miles 6, 7 and 8; I had to wait 4 people-deep in line. I wish they could encourage more of the students on campus to come out and cheer. | |
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S. E. from Cincinnati, OH
(2/13/2008)
"Great race/any finishers certificates??" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 It was a well-organized race and very reasonably priced. Course is pretty flat and was good for my first marathon. Needed a 3:10 to qualify to Boston, but it got really tough around mile 18-19 and only held on to run a 3:26. Does anyone know if we are getting finisher's certificates? I still have not received one. | |
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D. O. from Normal, IL
(1/9/2008)
"3:30 Pace Group ROCKS!!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Course: Other than a small hill between mile 18-19 and the nice downhill cruise to the finish, any incline change is gradual. It's not the most scenic course I've ever run, but it's reasonably flat; a good PR or BQ course. However, there are places on the course where it gets pretty crowded and tight - Bexley, High St. until the half-marathoners turn off. Therefore, I don't see where this course could comfortably handle a larger field (currently limited to 10K for all the races). Organization: From this perspective, Columbus was the best race I've ever run. Cannot say enough positive things about the folks at the information booth at the expo. Spoke with a couple people at length about the race and the best viewing spots for spectators. Also, as we were wandering around the finish line area the day before the race, a fellow who was helping set up came over and answered any question I had about the race. He went over and above. Also, the race map showed that the first water stop was after the 2 mile-mark. However, during the race, they had it set up at the 1 mile-mark. Given the prediction of warm temperatures that day, it sounds like the race organizers made the decision to move that water stop up and get fluids to the people quicker. That's just a smart decision. Fans: This is my one area of disappointment but I don't think this was a "Columbus thing" per se. I've noticed this at other medium-sized to larger races as well. As more people get involved in the sport, it seems many spectators will cheer only for the runner or runners they know. Otherwise, they don't cheer. Pretty strange to be running by a large group of people and only hear a buzz of, "Do you see him/her yet?" The best fans cheer for ALL the runners. I will say, however, that the fans in the residential area around the 20 mile-mark, while small in number, were large in voice. Thank you so much. It is appreciated. Finally, my sincerest thanks goes out to Jay, George and anyone who ran with me in the 3:30 pace group. Jay and George were absolutely top-notch in laying down the pace. We went out a touch fast, but stayed consistent throughout the race. If you need a 3:30 for Boston: do your training and run this race with this pace group (led by Jay and George) and you will succeed. Pure and simple. Thanks again, guys, for helping "Big Dave" get to Boston. | |
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C. J. from New York, NY
(11/19/2007)
"Great race!" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 In response to the comments from the disgruntled walker below: If you are traveling in a car, do you not yield to faster vehicles? It is not a question of convenience, but of safety, and the same rule applies for footraces. Walkers in this marathon had sponsorship support from Prevention; they were allowed to start an hour before the runners; and they were vocally cheered for along the way. Get over it! My only suggestion would be to create different color bibs for the full and half marathoners, as this provides an easy way to make sure one has taken the correct turns to follow the full course. However, there was ample signage on course, as well as recorded announcements, to make sure no one took wrong turns. This was a fantastic race, and I'll be back next year! | |
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R. T. from Cincinnati, Ohio
(11/16/2007)
"Well... the weather was nice" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Flat course. Nice crowds. I walked some and ran some. Walkers are second-class citizens. Walkers made up a HUGE population of this marathon but were told to "get out of the way" for the runners? I paid my money. I should enjoy the road no matter who wants to share it. I'll stick to my Flying Pig in Cincy. |
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