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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 261 to 271]
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R. H. from Virginia
(11/12/2006)
"True to its claim as Friendliest Marathon" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 4-5 Richmond Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Just completed my fourth Richmond marathon. The Sportsbackers seem to get better at staffing and organizing the event each year. The community support is amazing. Thousands of volunteers and fans showed up to support and encourage the runners. My only complaint would be the location of the race headquarters downtown. The packet pickup and expo in the heart of downtown makes parking pretty challenging for race participants. The course has some nice scenery down historic Monument Ave. and the James River. Overall, a great experience and well worth the trip. | |
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d. h. from Laurel, MD
(11/12/2006)
"Fun day in the sun" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 After doing the Marine Corps Marathon last year as my first, I wanted to do a smaller marathon so I could run my own race away from the crowds. I had no time in mind - just ran according to my heart rate. Ran 3:41:37 - just slower than MCM but a heck of a lot less pain this time around. This was great prep for IM Florida next year. Richmond was spectacular. There were loads of fans along the route, plenty of water, PowerAde, gummy bears, beer(!), and impromptu water stops from the neighbors. The NBC12 party zones came at just the right time and provided a raucous tunnel of noise. Lots of potties with no lines. Post-race food was exactly what you needed to replenish: bagels, bananas, fluids, Fig Newtons, etc. Lots of vendors with free give-aways, such as tea, coffee and energy bars. The course is hillier certainly than MCM but manageable. The first half is easier than the second, but what about the downhill finish? Brilliant!! My kids did the fun run and had a blast with face painting, etc. We were blessed with good weather, if not a little warm with temps close to 80 towards the end. I sat here today typing and it's 50, rainy, and very windy. If you choose this marathon, you won't be disappointed with the things that can be controlled. Just pray for great weather and have fun running. | |
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R. B. from Fairfax, VA
(11/11/2006)
"A Race That Lived Up To Expectations" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Today's Richmond Marathon was my first, and what a terrific race it was. Check-in and packet pick-up were very easy. The Omni Hotel was a very nice choice for race sponsor. The expo was good for this size race, but the pasta dinner was disappointing (but there are lots of great restaurants in Richmond). The course was nice, especially south along the James River where there was some shade. What I didn't like was all the highway running - too many cars and too much pavement. The weather didn't help either: all sun, mid-to-high 70s nearly the entire race. As for the crowds? Terrific. Those gummy bears and Skittles at mile 23 were a necessity! Overall, the race lived up to it's reputation and my expectations. Nice job to the race organizers and the City of Richmond. | |
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T. M. from Northern Virginia
(11/11/2006)
"Definitely the friendliest" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I had such a great time!! The Richmond crowd is one of the best I have seen. I was amazed by all the people that came out to cheer us on. They gave us food from their homes, they yelled our names as we passed them, and they ran with us to give us an extra boost. Their smiles, their joy will be forever embedded in my mind. It was a warm day for a marathon, but I didn't seem to notice; instead I was watching the smiles all around me. This was my 5th marathon and it will go down as one of my favorites. Thanks Richmond. :) | |
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N. R. from New York, NY
(11/11/2006)
"Great First Marathon" (General Comments)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Some hills, but not too bad. A lot of cheering spectators! Running through neighborhoods, families were out in their yard cheering runners on; some had their hoses out to help keep you cool if you need it, and some families even had water stands set up in their front yards! Great drinks and food both during and after the race. I would definitely recommend this marathon - it was great! | |
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K. S. from New York, NY
(11/6/2006)
"The Richmond Marathon is a great race" (General Comments)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Richmond Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have run Richmond twice. I love it - I think it is a really nice course and very well-organized. There are enough runners but no so many that you feel crowded (like at some of the larger marathons). The crowd support is great, I love the junk-food station, and course is fairly fast (although there are some hills). But I have run six marathons, and my two best times are from the Richmond Marathon. | |
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N. W. from Arlington, VA
(8/8/2006)
"My favorite marathon!" (General Comments)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Richmond Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Being from Northern VA and seeing the crowds from the Marine Corps Marathon, it's nice to have a well-organized, small marathon attended by a good number of fans near my home. Richmond is a fast course where you get to see a majority of the city as well as the scenic James River. The number of stations were plentiful and the volunteers are terrific. I highly recommend it. | |
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M. F. from Rockville, MD
(4/30/2006)
"Not the friendliest, but still a great experience" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 It was my first marathon and I decided to take awhile to add my reviews so as to have some more race experience in order to be able to compare. So, now after 2 1/2s and 2 10Ks, I can say that Richmond was a very organized event. Fluids and food were plentiful, expo was decent and there were reasonably enough port-a-potties. But I was expecting THE friendliest American marathon. As a matter of fact, that is the main reason why I picked that as my 1st. So, I can't deny I was a bit disappointed as there were plenty of people watching, but very few actually cheering. But still, that is a race worth doing. Once. I do not expect to be back. | |
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P. L. from Ottawa, Canada
(1/19/2006)
"Great marathon! Nice decline at the finish." (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I enjoyed the run. There wasn't much to do in downtown Richmond for before and after the race, but the run was nice. Not many hills. | |
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Rebecca Brun from Fairfax, VA
(12/13/2005)
"Great for the fun-lovers" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 For the most part, this was a great marathon. There are only a couple things to complain about - some roads were slanted, and my knees noticed towards the end. There were not enough toilets along the route and lines for the ones they had were long. Part of the course went through some not-so-attractive parts of town, but you can't have it all. This was a very fun marathon! There were party zones, bands all along the route, junk food stations, beer stops... anything you could ever want. There were fans pretty much all along the way, and the end was a nice downhill slope. The second we crossed the finish line there were volunteers handing us medals and t-shirts, cutting off the chip from our shoes, and even wrapped us in blankets. The hospitality was great and they treated us like superheroes when we finished. The food was a block or two away, but well worth the walk. I had so much fun running this marathon, and will definitely do it again! |
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