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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 221 to 231]
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G. L. from Hillsboro, OH
(8/3/2005)
"My first marathon - great experience" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Columbus was my first marathon, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. I thought I was going to freeze my rear end off at the beginning but when the race started, the magic of going across the starting line of a race I had trained months for took effect and the feeling was almost overwhelming. There was a distinct lack of porta-potties but fortunately I have a niece who lives on the course in German Village so I got to stop there. High Street was 26 miles long by itself. The other .2 miles breezed right by. The fans were great and the organization was great. My family found me fast after the race and that was appreciated. Columbus will always be special and the feeling will always be overwhelming because that is where I summoned the courage to do that which I wasn't sure I could do because 47 years ago I was stricken with polio and suffer from its debilitating effects. It did not, however, paralyze my will to overcome my deficiencies. I look forward to doing it again this year. | |
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D. S. from Red Lodge, Montana
(6/26/2005)
"Great course, great organization, darn good city" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Columbus Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran this in '01, '02, and '04. The first time it was only because it's near my family in West Va. But it's brought me back twice more because it's such a great course and so well run. As for the course, it's darn flat and real fast--each time I've run it I've PR'ed. About the only uphill is mild, as you enter the OSU campus (around mile 18 as I recall). As for well run, I particularly appreciate the digital displays of splits and the volunteers shouting paces. In '01 they were a little rocky at the expo and start-finish, but I've seen noticeable improvement since. As for Columbus, it's got downtown amenities of a big city at a still managable scale. Mind you, I like big cities and loop races that start & finish at the heart of downtown--you be the judge based on what you prefer. My schedule doesn't allow running it this year, but I'll definitely be back! | |
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P. M. from Atlanta GA
(5/15/2005)
"A Great First-Timers Marathon!" (about: 2004)
First Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was the first marathon I ever did and the course was friendly for it. Flat with some minor hills; don't let anyone fool you, the hills are very minor. The biggest obstacle is Mother Nature! I thought I was going to freeze my ass off in the beginning. I must have looked like a bird in the wind trying to run up High Street with that wind blowing in my face. My eyes were so teared up I couldn't see. Most of the course was scenic (as scenic as Columbus can get, but it's no Boston or Chicago). The run through Bexley, German Village, and Downtown were the highlights. Running through Olde Town East is still a few years away from nice and I don't know what that neighborhood was that we ran through after Ackerman, but I thought I was going to quit at that point it was so boring. All the residents that came out looked pissed they couldn't get in their cars to go to breakfast at Wendy's. Loved the ending at Nationwide Arena and the fan support there was great. Watch the brick street and potholes - you could lose a leg. Didn't do the pasta party but the expo was actually not bad (not great though). All in all it was a good race, with a few course tweaks and some more fan activities and bands along the way it could be great quickly. It would also help if they moved up the date a few weeks, as that way the weather won't be so awful (my understanding is it's like that every year). Idea: maybe coordinate it with Oktoberfest in German Village and you could generate some more fan support and have an exciting finish... | |
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B. J. from Newark, Ohio
(5/2/2005)
"Disappointing Event compared to Flying Pig" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Save your money and run another fall marathon. Average spectator support with the exception of running through Bexley. For the 25th running not much in the way of souvenirs. Medal is okay. Needs to re-route race to avoid boring stretch from miles 12-17. In my opinion, the best marathon in Ohio is the Flying Pig in Cincinnati in May. Great support, scenery, and goodies. | |
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J. B. from Washington, DC
(2/22/2005)
"I agree with S.C. from PA . . .It's fast!!" (about: 2002)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I wouldn't say this race is my favorite, but I've done 27 marathons and it REMAINS my PR (and I didn't even think I was having a good day). I've qualified again at other races, but Columbus holds a special place in my heart. :-) I'll be back to try to recapture my old glory. | |
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A. R. from Powell Ohio
(2/19/2005)
"Excellent First Marathon!" (about: 2005)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon although I am no newbie to racing. The crowd control was excellent from the start; however there was some confusion on the direction of porta-potty lines which caused some people to wait in line forever and others to zip in and out. The course was beautiful into the residential area of Bexley and Schiller Park. The long run up High Street is 5 miles of all incline... thus I would NOT say this course is flat. Then there were several hills after mile 18 to 22 which makes for a wonderful 'wall' if you are going to hit one. The finish is downhill over a bricked street which could have caused some serious falls if a runner should have tripped on the stone or have a hamstring locked up. (I almost did). The post event was wonderful beginning with the Mylar blanket immediately after crossing the line. Lots of bagels, bananas, yogurts, water, Gatorade. My family found me very easily after the race due to the excellent organization, which is a major plus in this marathon. We left immediately after the race so I didn't check out the post-race massages, etc... I will definitely want to run this marathon again. And thank goodness the weather was great, although a bit windy. | |
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R. M. from Michigan
(1/29/2005)
"good well organized course, scenic in some areas" (about: 2003)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Columbus Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have run this marathon about 5 times, the last time in 2003. I found it well organized, a good number of spectators in most areas, very friendly and cheering you on every step of the way. Usually decent marathon weather. Great college town feeling. | |
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E. D. from New Jersey
(12/29/2004)
"Great course, well organized, good for PR" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my eighth marathon (including New York, Chicago, Marine Corps, Disney World) and I would definitely rate it one of the best. I thought it was very well organized. The spectators were modest in number but enthusiastic in spirit. The volunteers were great and the aid stations were well stocked. I'll admit the website could be more informative, but we don't run marathons for their websites, do we? You can definitely set a PR running this marathon. I cut six minutes off my prior PR, despite a strong wind. | |
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T. U. from Dublin, OH
(12/14/2004)
"Good race - even on a windy day" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Columbus Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my 2nd time at both Columbus and the marathon distance so I'm beyond the euphoria of finishing the first time. I was trying to improve my time and achieved that goal easily. I didn't quite reach my goal of breaking 4:00 hours, though. The cold wind really took a toll on me late in the race. The course is a good sampling of Columbus - flat and fairly boring. The autumn colors make up for this quite well, especially early in the race. The minor changes to the course this year weren't an improvement, IMO. The supposed 'hills' going up High St. are nothing. If you haven't trained properly, you'll feel lousy at that part of the race and they'll seem like mountains, I guess. The headwind at mile 18-19, on the other hand, was obvious and chilling. The volunteers, staff and police all did good jobs. Didn't do the pasta dinner and the expo was ok. Didn't like the t-shirt because the sizing was wrong and it wasn't a technical shirt. The race packet was clear and *did* show the relay stations location and procedure quite plainly contrary to a prior reviewer. I am planning on running this race again next year but will consider other marathons for a different experience, too. | |
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s. c. from pa
(12/12/2004)
"know why you're going" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Columbus Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 In response to the average at best comments below: You?re right. If you want 26.2 of pretty, Columbus is not your course. If you want a shot at Boston, Columbus is your race! I did the Flying Pig 2004. I remember a steady rain and 45-degree weather, hills and more hills. The course wasn?t any prettier than Columbus - just harder! I did my homework and knew about the hills! I ran Las Vegas in 2000. To me, it was a boring course but very fast. I knew if I went back I could qualify for Boston, and I did (no wind the year I ran it)! Columbus 2004 also got me to Boston 2005. It?s all relative to the experience you?re looking for. Boston isn?t that pretty or fast, but I can?t wait to get there! |
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