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Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon) Runner Comments

Back to Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon) Information & Reviews

Course Rating Course 4.3 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 3.9 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 4.2 
 
 
Number of comments: 338 [displaying comments 191 to 201]
More Comments: [ < 1 .. 18 19 20 21 22 .. 34 > ]

 

Connie Gumulauskis from Southern Arizona (12/9/2007)
"Best big-city marathon in the USA" (about: 2007)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


I have run all kinds of marathons since 1994 and Dallas race this year was the best organized, best laid-out and best supported race yet. I was so impressed. The post-race party afterwards also filled me with pasta, coffee, chips, fruit, smoothies and even beer (and I don't think the servers counted how many some runners were drinking).

I will most definitely do this one again. Having never been in Dallas before, this race has given me a positive feeling for the city and its people. Dallas rocks!!! Tucson, which hosts its own marathon on the same weekend, has some serious competition.

 

j. k. from new york, new york (11/5/2007)
"easy on the mind" (about: 2006)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 3


The Dallas White Rock is a great smaller marathon. The organization is fine. The expo was fun and the post-race party was a blast. But what I like most about Dallas is the course, which is easy on the mind - it's about ten miles from the downtown start on out through beautiful homes to the White Rock Lake and more beautiful homes. It's about nine miles around the lake and then you head home for the remainder of the race.

The weather was cool in '06 and the race is basically flat. I will definitely do this one again!

 

Ron Gebhart from fort riley, kansas (6/10/2007)
"Great race with minor problems" (about: 2006)

First Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 5


First, the host hotel was awesome and within walking distance of the packet pick-up. The expo was ok, but we are runners. Who cares about buying a Hummer??? They gave away free hats but nothing to do with running. The race course was great; I did not train properly, and that will not happen again. However at one point I was almost run over by several marathoners. We who complied and stayed to the right lane to let them through were ok. The pasta meal deal was boring; I just wanted to eat and get to bed.

The first bad thing I saw and felt at the end was the fact that there was a bottleneck and I felt like herded cattle. Second, I was only able to find the food by asking no volunteers to tell me where to go. People I ran with had no idea there was food. And the transportation back to the hotel was a bust - the locations kept changing.

I will run this again in 2007. The crowd was not on my side.... I guess I should not have been wearing a New Orleans Saints t-shirt on a day Dallas played them. But the crowd was in good humor about my team, which did beat the Dallas Cowboys that night.... Great times.

 

M. D. from Columbus, Ohio (5/14/2007)
"Race was fun; organization leaves much to be desir" (about: 2006)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 1  FANS: 4


I drove from Ohio to do this race because I have family in the area. The expo was nice; packet pick up was unorganized but everything I needed was there. The morning of the race we had to catch shuttles to the starting line and when the driver said we were there he did not tell us that we had to walk a half-mile to the start line. The race was great; I enjoyed the crowd and the different themed water stations. Too bad it wasn't warmer for the Hooters girls, but I would have to agree with everyone else about the food afterwards. Everything seemed so bottlenecked getting around. But I am very surprised that there was no food left because some of the workers were very nasty about people taking food. We even named the beer lady "the beer nazi" because she kept kicking people out of line. It definitely could use some reorganization. My last complaint is the fact that today is May 14th and we have still yet to receive the certificates for completing and the results book. I have e-mailed everyone on the website and not one response. You will not attract repeat runners if you treat everyone like they do not matter.

 

J. B. from Texas (5/11/2007)
"Change the 1/2 Marathon Course!" (about: 2006)

3 previous marathons | 2 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)s
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 1  FANS: 5


Runners have been telling organizers for several years now that they need to change the half marathon course so that the marathon runners don't have to contend with the 1/2 walkers. This creates total chaos over the last five miles of the race. Particularly if you're shooting for sub-3, you're going to have to run extra distance as you weave around the walkers plodding along, four and five abreast. After running 21+ miles, dealing with this problem is very unpleasant. I will not run White Rock again until they change the half course and get the walkers out of the way. That's a shame, too, because it TOTALLY RUINS what is otherwise a very good race.

 

K. B. from Dallas, TX (3/9/2007)
"Okay marathon but where is the food?!?!" (about: 2006)

1 previous marathon | 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 1  FANS: 4


It was a wonderful day for a 1st-time marathoner finishing in 5:15. Many people were out cheering on the runners and the weather was almost perfect, except for some cold rain at the end of the race. The course was beautiful and all of the aid stations were fantastic. It was an unforgettable experience.

My only complaint is: where was the food?!?!? Better organization needed in regards to the having food at the end of the race for the marathon runners. There was nothing left when I finished but beer and smoothies. I noticed several people that were not runners were eating all the food, which was not right! You should have separate tables for the runners and separate tables for the spectators. Or you need to have a lot more food!! That's part of what I paid $90 for when I entered, and food should be there for all of the runners that cross the finish line!

 

P. A. from Arlington Texas (3/2/2007)
"First-time 1/2 marathon; disappointed at finish" (about: 2006)

1 previous marathon | 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 3


This was a great experience for me. I am 33 years-old and just started running in May 2006, with this being my goal race. Prior to May I had never even considered running 1 mile, much less 13.1. The goal was to finish, and I did. The course was perfect for a first-timer; the spectators and support were phenomenal.

BUT... when I crossed the finish line they had run out of 1/2 marathon finisher medals. I was told one would be mailed to me... but as of today, March 2, 2007, I have not received it. It was heartbreaking to work so hard, and be disappointed at the end. According to the standings, there were over 250 finishers behind me. I know there will be other medals in the future, but there is nothing like the first time.

 

R. C. from Austin, TX (2/22/2007)
"What a great course!" (about: 2006)

3 previous marathons | 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


I have to say, having the last 5 miles downhill was an absolute dream! The spectators, though thin around the lake, were wonderful in the neighborhoods! The number of bands seemed a little thin, but overall a great marathon!

 

a. j. from Birmingham (2/5/2007)
"Where's the food???" (about: 2006)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 2  FANS: 4


Ok marathon. Very senic, great crowd support, and lots of fluids and stuff on the course. The problems came at the end. When I finished (5:00 - broke my foot) there was absolutely NOTHING left to eat. Not even a bagel, nor a banana. Unacceptable! Some people that I know who did the 1/2 didn't even get a medal because they ran out of medals. Someone dropped the ball on this marathon. I emailed the race director with questions and comments, as did others. No one has heard back from him/her. Go figure??

But hey, I loved Dallas!! A special shout out to the Dallas PD. They were all so nice and helpful.

 

T. Y. from Augusta, GA (1/7/2007)
"Great marathon, but..." (about: 2006)

3 previous marathons | 1 Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon)
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 5


The White Rock was my favorite marathon to date (my 3rd). The course is very good, although it is a bit tougher than a lot of people say. The course gently rolls all the way to the lake and then there was a fairly stiff breeze coming down around the lake. The spectators were OUTSTANDING. The Dallas PD does an exceptional job with traffic control. The expo was nice and the T-shirts are excellent. However, the major problem with this race is the 1/2 marathon merging at about the 22-mile mark. I was trying to run a 3:15 BQ when I hit the bottleneck. Like some of the previous posters, I dodged hundreds of people ambling along to a 2:30-2:40 1/2 finish, some of whom were walking 4 and 5 abreast. I wrote the race director and he said they are working with the City of Dallas to completely change the 1/2 course and keep it separate from the marathon. The only other issue I had with the White Rock was the AA Center. A lot of the staff in that place were rude - I guess they already hate their jobs and hated having to be there on a cold, rainy, Sunday morning. Overall, a great marathon.

 

More Comments: [ < 1 .. 18 19 20 21 22 .. 34 > ]


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