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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 191 to 201]
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Marc Stallings from Richmond, VA
(11/19/2008)
"Awesome, Awesome, Awesome" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon. I met all my goals. Luckily some smart people talked me out of having a time goal for my first marathon, because yes, the weather was brutal. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, be it positive or negative, but I thought we had great support, and I loved the three separate party areas where you ran through throngs of people yelling your name, the beautiful stretch next to the river, and the cramp-busting, wickedly fast, downhill finish. A huge thank you to all of the volunteers (official and unofficial) that make this race "America's Friendliest Marathon." | |
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S. M. from Philadelphia, PA
(11/18/2008)
"weather was a downer but I loved the race!" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I too was disappointed in my time but disagree regarding the crowd support. This is a mid-size city and there were quite a few spectators for the population. Some thin pockets were to be expected. The race website advised ahead of time that the water stops were two miles apart until 20 miles, and I made sure I trained accordingly. There were wet washcloth stops, junk food stops, a whiskey stop, and orange stops. A couple of kind residents set their sprinklers up for runners to go through. There were also signs ahead of the stops that had Clif Shots warning runners with tunnel vision that it was coming up. There was lots of varied terrain, from the lovely Monument Avenue (lots of enviable real estate!), to the park setting along James River, to great view of the skyline coming back over the river,and& of course the downhill finish. I would happily do this one again and hope for better weather for the "rematch." My big suggestion for next year would be to bring the expo back to a more central location, or to try harder to stick with the advertised shuttle schedule. | |
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T. S. from Connecticut
(11/18/2008)
"fantastic friendly marathon!!" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have done many marathons and this ranks up there as one of my favorites! It was warm and sunny - different from what was forecasted, but who could complain about sunshine?! It was a flat course 99% of the time, and the hills were infrequent and minimal. The party zones were awesome, and crowd support was phenomenal! Water stations were well stocked and frequent enough for the weather - and the wet washcloths were perfect for a warm day. I would recommend this race to anyone. Definitely lives up to the name "friendliest marathon." | |
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s. s. from Chicgo
(11/18/2008)
"lousy race" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 The course was hilly, boring, and at times, ugly. There was limited spectator support. Pre-race parking was awful. The weather was horrible. It got to nearly 80 degrees. The medal is the ugliest I have ever seen. This marathon had gotten some good reviews in the past years, which surprises me. | |
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K. M. from Indiana
(11/18/2008)
"Good Race, I am still faster than Aaron Allen." (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 PROS: * well organized * reasonably priced * nice medal and running shirt * scenic course, especially 1st half * Papa John's pizza at the finish * good music at finish * personal best despite the conditions CONS: * headwind between miles 19-23 made me wish I were dead * they need to have cold beer at the finish * $21 for 1/2-day parking at the James Center! * huge photos of an aborted fetus at mile 18; my guess is that this group did not win the $300 for having the most spirit | |
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K. S. from Goode, VA
(11/18/2008)
"A drop-off from previous years" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Richmond Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my 5th Richmond Marathon in a row and probably my most unenjoyable one. The weather - warm and humid - made for a tough day, but since the organizers have no control over that, I will not allow that to affect my comments. I thought that the water stops were sufficient considering the weather. I also thought that the organizers did a good job coordinating three major races, all with over 4,000 registered participants. Very unusual starting process, however, for the races in which the shortest race (8K) started first, a full hour before the marathon. Not sure of the logic behind this, but I guess there was a reason? Seems like the marathon should start first and the earliest, since those folks are going to be out there the longest. Spectator support seemed to be down in numbers and less enthusiastic than I recall in years past. The course is challenging, with some rolling hills, and I liked the change at the end for the last few miles - more scenic. The medals were very similar in design to last year, so not much to get excited about there. The tech shirts were okay but I would have liked a nicer logo. I continue to run this race year after year because of its affiliation with Donate Life and its support for organ and tissue donation, a very noble cause. | |
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J. D. from Boston
(11/18/2008)
"Chips" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The humidity definitely played a factor in this race. Work with what you get. We had 20 runners in the half and the marathon. The "official" results have completely missed one marathon runner and many have the same chip/gun time. Not one of us was at the start line. The chip system was horrible. | |
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Brian Pike from Derwood, MD
(11/17/2008)
"Outstanding course, volunteers, & organization" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I'd like to thank the Richmond Sportsbackers and all of the volunteers for putting on another outstanding marathon. The entire event was extremely well organized, the volunteers were numerous, supportive and enthusiastic, and there was tons of crowd support all along the course. There were ample and well-stocked fluid stations. The iced towels at two spots in the latter half of the course were thoughtful touches and gratefully appreciated. The folks that live in the Hermitage Historic district were again particularly supportive and encouraging during the difficult 20-23 mile stretch. The residents all along the course were great, handing out their own supplies of water, oranges, jelly beans, shots of Jim Beam and cold beer (I refrained from the last two items - I'll have to wait for colder marathon temps!). And of course, they offered lots of encouraging support and shout outs to everyone and made the runners feel welcome in their neighborhoods. This is a great, fun and scenic medium-sized marathon that I highly recommend! | |
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S. R. from Alexandria, VA
(11/17/2008)
"Friendly run in unseasonable sun!" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Excellent race. As a first note, the overall organization of this - three big race starting within an hour - was incredible! Glad you pulled it off. Great course, with what I understand was a new finish after Mile 23. Still kind of desolate there, but it would have been a great place to watch! Great support at the stations and the party central sites. The people with the Jim Beam were wicked. Yes, they DID twist my arm to make me take a shot... all part of the fun. It was indeed friendly. Allowing headphones lowered the stress level of those who wear them anyway, and greatly enhanced goodwill among the runners. Parking was a zoo at the start, as the various racers filed in for their start times. I hope everyone made it. Excellent pre-race materials - on the web, in the pulp handout - and best of all, in the calendar I'll keep all year long to remind me of the great Richmond Marathon. | |
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P. H. from Chapel Hill, NC
(11/16/2008)
"great course & fans" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 After running Raleigh last year, I was look for something flat, fast, and local on which to BQ. Richmond certain delivered (except for the BQ part). The expo was good and the start was very well orchestrated. The course was beautiful and not too challenging. The stretch along the James River was especially nice. The weather was the only downer - very humid, windy, and a little hot. Overall, great experience. I'll be there next year, hoping for better weather! |
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