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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 151 to 161]
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A. D. from Columbus
(10/22/2007)
"Fairly flat marathon - manageable size" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Columbus Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was 31st marathon and 6th time running Columbus. They seemed to have learned from Chicago's fiasco and made sure they had plenty of water and volunteers on hand. It was a warm sunny day with highs into the 70s during the race, but the water stations were frequent and had plenty of water. The course is mostly flat, though the second half has a few little ups and downs to it. No mountains, but enough to make the second half a little more difficult than the first. The course is for the most part scenic, running through some nice Columbus neighborhoods. It's all paved roads except for about 100 meters on bricks in the fourth or fifth mile. They start both the marathon and the half marathon together which means that it can get a little crowded, however the first three miles are on Broad Street, which offers plenty of room. The spectators are plentiful and vocal. The course is not lined with people the whole way, but there is more than ample support for the crowd. There are also several bands out on the course for your entertainment. I give this marathon high marks. Since the change of management, they seem to be more dedicated to quality, while the previous administration was concerned only with quantity. | |
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N. B. from Lafayette, IN
(10/22/2007)
"A beautiful day for a beautiful race" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 4th marathon and I really enjoyed it. The first half of the marathon was my favorite. Absolutely gorgeous neighborhoods with plenty of shade. The mature trees were spectacular as they were turning colors. The fans were great...they were friendly and encouraging and there never seemed to be a place without fans. Lots of entertainment on the way too. The expo was pretty good and well organized. The stretch on High St. got to be a little long and there was relatively no shade on the second part of the course. However, lots of water stops which were nice. I wish there would have been some food on the course (bananas or oranges) but they did hand out gel at miles 7 and 17. Overall, a great experience and I would definitely run this one again! | |
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M. M. from Vancouver, BC CANADA
(10/21/2007)
"Awesome marathon. Beautiful course." (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Loved this marathon. The weather was unseasonably warm and absolutely beautiful. Lots of water stations - even near the back they never ran out of water, gels or Gatorade. Really nice medals too! The course was fairly flat, but with enough hills just to keep it interesting. Would definitely do it again! | |
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Aaron Domini from Ohio land
(6/14/2007)
"Great midwest race if your not doing Chi-town" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Columbus Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I did this race about 3-4 years ago and had a great time. Like others have said, it is a fun mid-sized marathon. The course goes through some interesting neighborhoods, the downtown, and through the University District (go Buckeyes!). Be sure to wear your scarlet and gray to this one. I plan on doing it again this year as I was late signing up for Chicago. Who needs the crowds anyways? | |
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B. W. from Lexington, Kentucky
(4/29/2007)
"Excellent Marathon" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second marathon, having run the Jacksonville Marathon in 2002. It's a fantastic course for anyone who is running their first marathon or is looking for a fast time. I was hoping to qualify for Boston, which I did here, finishing in 3:06. The course is really interesting - the run through Bexley early in the race shows some amazing houses, and there's also a large portion of the race run through downtown. There is a bit of a dead stretch around miles 18-21, but compared to others I've run, the course is very interesting. There are a decent number of spectators throughout and they're all very enthusiastic. There is a slight incline somewhere along High Street, but it really wasn't bad at all. The only hiccup I had was around mile 8, when the half marathoners rejoined the marathoners. This marked only mile 7 for them, but mile 8 for the marathoners, so all of a sudden I was flying past people and didn't understand why until I realized there were half marathoners with us. I was running at a fast enough pace so that it wasn't too congested, but if you're a middle- to back-of-the-pack runner, I would think it could get pretty congested around this section, which would be compounded by the fact that half of the people are running markedly faster than the other half (the half marathoners). But, certainly not a huge deal. I'll be back next year. I'd definitely recommend this race. | |
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N. Z. from Cleveland OH
(4/17/2007)
"The crowd was very inspiring." (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and those who told me that it would be a good first marathon for anyone made a believer out of me. The course was flat and the crowd was really into it throughout the whole race. The crowd really came in handy when I hit mile 20, where the wall is said to occur. I liked the signs that were posted that said, "Don't let the wall slow you down." I finished in 4:00:58. I also learned that all the training that I did without a crowd helped me at the race when I saw the crowd. I can't thank them enough for helping me accomplish my goal of finishing my first marathon. The aid stations were very well organized by having a section for water and Gatorade and directing runners and walkers to go to get what they needed. Once again, a great marathon, and I recommend it for anyone who wants to run a marathon for the first time. | |
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B. T. from Columbus, Ohio
(2/9/2007)
"I'm only 14 and this was my first half. I loved it" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 I actually did the half marathon and I loved it. Most fun I ever had. | |
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S. M. from Columbus, Oh
(2/8/2007)
"It was alright" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Being from Columbus is nice because I can drive downtown to the start and park in a decent amount of time. The course is fine, it was much easier than the Airforce in Dayton. My biggest complaint was that the race sucks for anyone finishing the race in longer than five hours. I hit the 20-mile marker in 4:30 and the police were behind me and another lady and getting ready to direct traffic. From then on, I never saw another mile marker or stocked aid station. It was a DNF race for me, and these concerns do not affect most people, but there were still a good number of people out there and it sucked for us at the end with no support. I will give it a go again in 2007, but I have not had much luck with this race yet. | |
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D. G. from Wellesley, Massachusetts
(1/25/2007)
"Great course, fans, weather; disappointing expo" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 First, the minor negatives: - Packet pickup was not very well organized. - At start, spectators were allowed to amble about in the road and get in the way of marathoners. - Course was crowded around Mile 8 marker, where marathon and half-marathon came back together. - Music was sometimes excessively loud, especially one set of speakers near Mile 21 marker. Now, the over-arching positives: - Fantastic, scenic, fast course: a fair number of hills, but all were manageable. - Great fan support. - Course allowed fans to cheer at multiple locations. - Good price: not just the race entry, but hotels as well. - Good race swag: tech shirt was simple but high-quality (and easy to spot! - bright yellow). I think the best endorsement marathoners can give is that they would do the race again. I would absolutely choose Columbus again, and recommend it to friends. | |
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Cecilia Vedra-Mallett from Kalamazoo, Michigan
(12/14/2006)
"My first marathon, and I totally enjoyed it!" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, so I had no idea what to expect. I totally enjoyed myself from the beginning to the end. There was plenty of everything along the way. |
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