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☰
Richmond Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Richmond Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 4.7 
Spectators 4.5
Number of comments: 401 [displaying comments 151 to 161]
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P. M. from Atlanta, Georgia
(12/15/2009)
"ALL GOOD!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon was a pleasant surprise! It's got an easy airport to get in and out of right nearby, and there are convenient hotels and a good expo. I like the indoor track. Great organization, and a great course that is varied, and by no means easy (it is a marathon, after all). Great spectator support throughout. Great scenery, from the monuments, to the neighborhoods, to the river, to the skyline. The race amenities were great during and after the race. Water stops were frequent and run well by friendly volunteers. I enjoyed it - all good, Richmond! | |
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L. W. from Vienna, Virginia
(12/11/2009)
"Great Race Organization and a BQ!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Richmond Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I happen to enjoy a little diversity in a course - some flat, some rolling hills, scenic, urban, etc. Richmond certainly delivered. There were plenty of cheering spectators, plenty of water and PowerAde along the course, extra goodies in neighborhoods, and plenty of SMILING friendly volunteers. I would recommend this marathon to anyone for a really enjoyable experience! Oh, and I did qualify for Boston for the first time. :) | |
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M. J. from Boone
(11/28/2009)
"Friendliest Marathon!" (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 3 Richmond Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 In years past, the Richmond Marathon has fallen short of its claim of being "America's Friendliest Marathon," but they really shined in 2009. Spectators were more enthusiastic than ever this year! This marathon is one of the best marathons in the Southeast, if not the best, and one of my all-time favorites. I even loved the hills this year! | |
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J. T. from New Mexico
(11/25/2009)
"Scenic, with wonderful volunteers and spectators" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a gorgeous marathon despite damp weather. I ran from event to event instead of mile to mile, high-fived all the energetic kids, waved at the crowds that were cheering us on, and looked at the monuments, the trees in fall colors, the shops, river, and homes. Fun? YES. There was something for the senses at every turn. Hills? Really? My husband and I both PR'd on this marathon and BQ'd. A well organized finish near the hotel allowed us to shower and return to cheer on all the 6-hour-plus runners. | |
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Liz Simon from Atlanta, GA
(11/24/2009)
"Great Organization!" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the Richmond Marathon as a part of the Runner's World Marathon Challenge. The race had the best organization of any race I've run in the past. The race provides directions for spectators to get between the start, three spots along the course, and the finish, so there is plenty of cheering along the way. With PowerAde and water at every two miles, and "junk food" twice along the route, you almost don't have to carry anything with you as you run. The bus tours of the route really helped to know which miles to save your energy for, and the bus tour guide also provided a little bit of history about the city along the way. There are definitely some hills, so if you're looking for a flat race, stay away. But they're manageable. The roads on a lot of the course are slanted, so IT band issues could present a problem. Overall, great experience! | |
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C. R. from Chapel Hill, NC
(11/19/2009)
"Beautiful course with great organization" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I loved this race. I had an easy walk from my hotel to the start. The course was beautiful. The spectators and volunteers were wonderful. The course was a bit more rolling than I expected, and miles 15-18 were tough. I needed water at mile 19, and angel spectators were handing out bottles of water. Thanks for a great race. | |
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N. R. from Raleigh, NC
(11/18/2009)
"Not so great" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I wasn't so impressed with the Richmond marathon. The streets on the course are in horrible shape. I was constantly avoiding potholes, I ran on an angle most of the course, and we just bad road conditions in general. It is hilly! And I train on hills. I saw several people having to walk through the finish line because the downhill finish they brag about is a very steep downhill, and after 26 miles your knees and hamstrings aren't up for it. The aid stations were poorly organized. One would have water first and PowerAde second. The next would have water on the left PowerAde on the right, so people were bumping into each other at the aid stations. Consistency! The traffic was an issue. Where were the volunteers/police to keep cars from turning in front of us at intersections? I finished in 4:06, so it's not like I was waaay behind. Cars were not friendly in several areas. And the cold, wet wash clothes were dry and hard... not good for rubbing the sweat off of my face. The weather could have been better. But, for me, that's not really an issue. The fans were great! And it is a pretty route. The James River was really moving because of all of the rain and it was fun and peaceful to watch. I was hoping it would be a race I'd do again since it's close to my home, but I don't think so. Worst of all... they lost my time! My husband received one text during the race with my time, so I know the chip was on right. But so far there are no results for me. I did hear that the timing company had to rush out for another race on Sunday and that a lot of the times were lost! Bummer. I hope no one who qualified for Boston had their time lost. | |
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Peirce Mac from Baltimore, MD
(11/18/2009)
"Great race all around" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I can't say enough good things about this race. This is my fourth marathon and my favorite one to date. Great organization, and a great course that is varied and fair, but by no means easy. Great spectator support throughout. Great scenery, from the monuments, to the neighborhoods, to the river, to the skyline. And great amenities during and after the race. Water stops were frequent and run well by the volunteers. And at the end, pizza! I even liked the shirt, which I've heard has been weak in the past. | |
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M. w. from Irvine, CA
(11/17/2009)
"Really nice folks in Richmond" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I did encounter quite a few nice people along this course, so I can see how it earned its moniker as the friendliest marathon (well, it is at least one of the friendlier ones, in my opinion). The expo was pretty easy to get through, and pre-race was well set up. (It was nice to be able to walk a few blocks over and see the first finishers of the 8K run.) The marathon itself was fine, with a good amount of variety - over the river and through the woods (well, not through the woods, but next to some natural areas, and alongside the river). Of course, there was also plenty of urban running, past shops and homes. There were lots of people along the course offering words of encouragement, and the good music at spots was nice. Some parts were flat, but there were also some ups and downs. The post-race area was small, but close and adequate - well done. And picking up checked gear was easy and close; there was no need to walk all over! Overall, nicely put on. | |
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M. L. from Tampa, Fl
(11/17/2009)
"Great Support - Great Race" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Richmond Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my third Richmond Marathon in seven years, and it gets better every time. Moving the expo from the Omni to the Community Center was a big plus. I hope the use of this venue continues. The route change near the end of the race heading downtown was also a stroke of genius. For the most part, the aid stations were well stocked, but a couple were short on hands. I also want to thank Dave, who led the 3:15 pace team; this was the first time in 21 marathons that I ran a negative split. Awesome job! Since I trained in Tampa, the humid weather did not both me at all, as the temps remained in the 50's the entire race. The light wind was actually a nice bonus, which I thought cooled things off a bit. This is a must-do marathon or half for everyone: the course is runner-friendly; there's plenty of support during and after the race; and the mid-November temps are usually very marathon friendly also. Thanks again to Richmond and all of the volunteers. |
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