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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 301 to 311]
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K. L. from Rockville, MD
(12/1/2004)
"Well planned course!" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was one of my favorite courses that I have run. Granted, a PR does tend to improve the impression a race leaves. It starts out flat for the first few miles to get a chance to settle into a comfortable even pace. The middle section has some gradual rolling hills to keep things interesting. Then it ends with a fast downhill finish. This year's race size was also comfortable in that there are enough competitors that you are never running alone but not so crowded that others get in the way. The only negative was the post-race food. They need to get some more quantity and variety and have a bigger area to serve it. | |
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E. L. from San Diego, CA.
(11/26/2004)
"Not as friendly as the ad states" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Great course, and spectators were great even in the ice-cold weather. The race was great till the end. The people protecting the food at the end were rude and you'd think they were giving out gold. Someone forgot to tell the staff that people who have run 26.2 miles want as much food and drink that they can stuff. Also the people providing massages closed up shop for anyone over a 5-hour pace. This marathon needs to get back-of-the-packer- and walker-friendly. Tell Your Food Police to chill out. Other than that, a great marathon experience. | |
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A. E. from Phoenix, AZ
(11/26/2004)
"Great mid-size race" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was a great race. Although I ran L.A. in 2003, I consider this in many ways to be my first marathon because I made so many mistakes in training for LA and ended up walking the 2nd half. The crowd support was good in the residential areas and the 4 party zones that were set up. In my mind this is perfect, because if there are spectators all the way I feel like I have to smile at them and give them something back. Being more of a solo runner who likes to 'zen out', this was helpful for me, because I tend to spend too much energy giving back to the crowd during the early parts of a race. Having lots of spectators at the end certainly boosted me and kept my mind off of my hamstrings, which were screaming at me to stop! The toughest part of the course was mile 15 at the Lee Bridge, which seemed to go on forever! I was very glad I hadn't ditched my outerwear yet. I ended up ditching it at mile 17 when the sun came out. Also, the hills are no problem if you do minimal hill training in your race preparation. I loved the scenery of the course, especially the area by VCU and also Monument Avenue. I also loved the fun signs that were on the side of the road by VCU, such as 'sports lube - not just for chafing' and 'you're all Kenyans!' The signs made me giggle. Also there were some fun college kids in sombreros that I saw four times or so as they moved around the course. Start and finish were good, especially being able to go into the Omni Hotel atrium at the finish to rest, because it was seriously windy! I skipped the post-race food and had a recovery drink instead. The only negative thing I have to say about this marathon is that I almost got run over twice by drivers who tried to cross in front of me behind the police's back. This is not the fault of the course organizers or the police, but just ignorant people who need to respect the rights of the runners and slow down! It's ineffective to shut down traffic for a race of this size, and the traffic control was very good. I just question drivers that obviously know that there's a race going on, given the amount of signage that was up before and during the race warning them! Just be careful and aware if you are a back-of-the-pack runner like me. I would not wear headphones on this course because you really need to be aware. | |
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Scott Saunders from Las Vegas
(11/24/2004)
"This is the friendliest marathon!!" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What a great day!! The wind was tough but the crowd was great. Not as hilly as I thought it would be but challenging. The crowd support is inspiring. This is a great marathon to do as your first. | |
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G. E. from Arlington, VA
(11/24/2004)
"A Great Experience" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon experience, and it was definitely a positive one. The downtown start is convenient, and there are at least a few large hotels within a few blocks of the start / finish. The ?host? hotel, where the expo was held, was just 1 block from the finish. The expo itself was a little crowded, but it took no time at all to get our numbers, timing chips, and t-shirt. The vendors section was pretty crowded, but I?m not too interested in that stuff. The weather in 2004 was overcast and in the 40s, with a significant wind. It was very nice, though, to stay at a downtown hotel and be able to walk just a couple blocks to the start. The start was organized well, and the race began on time. The water stops were every 2 miles (until around 20 miles, after which they were every mile), and while they were a little crowded, I never had a problem getting something to drink. There was always water, followed by PowerAde, which was in separately colored cups. The course itself was easier than I expected. There was a huge downhill on the way to the first crossing of the James, and some rolling hills between miles 10 and 14. I barely noticed the ?steep? hill on mile 10. As people have noted, crossing back over the James into downtown, there was a strong headwind, which made going a little tougher. On the other side, there was a moderate hill, but it wasn?t very long. Around this time, 11 a.m., the sun began to shine, which was quite welcome. There were two gel stops, but I brought my own, since I didn?t like the raspberry flavor they had very much. There were a surprising number of fans, and they were very enthusiastic. Plus, the 3 ?party zones? were fun to run through. Other small groups of spectators were playing radios, cheering, etc. Several people were handing out candy, which I gratefully accepted. Plus, there were some improvised stops, set up by churches and other groups; one table around mile 22 was handing out beer. The end of the course is downtown, with many spectators along the last mile, and generously downhill. It?s a great way to end the nicely designed course. There was plenty to eat afterwards, in a runners-only section, just 1 short block from the finish. They had fruit, bagels, Cliff bars, PowerAde, and Papa John?s Pizza... mmmm. The pizza wasn?t too warm, but it was quite cold that day. Besides, it still tasted great. There were plenty of volunteers at the end to help take off our chips, give us food, and cover us with those Mylar blankets (did I mention that it was cold?) And if you stayed at the 'host' hotel, you were basically back at your comfortable room. There were plenty of good places to eat dinner out that night. This was my first experience, and I would definitely run this race again. There are enough runners that you?ll never be alone, but not so many that you?re always elbowing your neighbor. I lined up near the back of the pack (around the 5-hour runners), and was over the starting line within 3 minutes. I ended up running 4:30, and really enjoying the interesting course, the fans, and the whole experience. It?s a well organized, fun race that is just the right size! | |
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Alan Feigenbaum from Chapel Hill, North Carolina
(11/21/2004)
"Enjoyable and comfortable first marathon" (about: 2004)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 For a first marathon, this was a great experience; 3 hours from where I live, so I took advantage of a nice perk offered by the downtown Y and walked a mile from the finish to shower there before heading home. The course is much less hilly than I expected from its description as 'rolling hills.' There is a difficult uphill (but not a severe grade) couple-mile stretch in the middle of the course going across a bridge, and the winds were about 20-25 mph when crossing it (about 15-20 mph average for the whole almost 5 hours I was out there). Combined with 45-degree temperatures, that bridge stretch made my mid-50's bones glad I was wearing an ear-covering hat, gloves, 2 long-sleeve shirts under a zip jacket, and long running pants--while watching several runners who had earlier discarded coverings look very uncomfortable in short-sleeve shirts and shorts. This stretch was made extra difficult because there's no crowd support during it. I agree with earlier comments about the car fumes for several miles late in the race; in fact I remember punning to fellow runners about how we were 'doubly exhausted' during that stretch because of it. Volunteer support and supplies were great, but I do think the stations could have been better organized as the area was very congested and it was difficult to find the Powerade in some cases behind lots of people offering water. Also, runners routinely discarded the cups in the middle of the road within and just past the stations, and when combined with spilled fluids, the going was a bit treacherous there. Overall, crowd support was quite good, and when combined with most of the last 6 miles being flat or slightly downhill, you're in good shape if you've paced yourself to mile 20--as you can kind of cruise home with lots of encouragement. Finally, I'll add comments about one problem made by other runners on specific Richmond Marathon board: although the race was billed as requiring a 14-minute pace to ensure availablility of fluids and gel, it seems that runners doing more than a 13-minute pace were finding some stations closed in the latter stages, and bands and other volunteer support no longer available--and the post-race party and free massages at the hotel closed down I wasn't affected doing an 11.5-minute pace, but because the marathon bills itself as being particularly attractive for first-timers, this should be corrected to make this the best possible experience. | |
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A. S. from Washington, DC
(11/19/2004)
"Can you say PR?" (about: 2004)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my third marathon and I cut more than 10 minutes off of my time. Excellent course, rock star crowd support and weather conditions in Richmond are perfect for running your best 26.2. Definitely a must-run race. | |
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C. M. from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
(11/18/2004)
"Superlative Marathon" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My seventh marathon, ran a PR (3:31:37), could have done better had I not started too fast, oh well. Course starts downtown, heads to the south side of the James River, proceeds along the river (best part of the course), then back across the river, north through city, and back to finish downtown. Good variety along course, great spectators! More hills (small) than are reflected in the elevation graphic on the marathon web page, but nothing ridiculous. Windy the day we ran, beyond the organizer's ability to control. Bring $5.00 if you're going to park in a city lot, or arrive earlier than 0700 for free parking on the street. Good looking shirt and medal. Overall, I strongly recommend this marathon, like Goldilocks said, 'It's just right'. | |
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D. S. from Little Rock, AR
(11/17/2004)
"LOVED IT!!!!" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Richmond Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was our 7th marathon and definitely our favorite! Beautiful city and amazing crowds. We made so many friends along the way. You gotta try it! | |
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M. L. from Tampa, Fl
(11/16/2004)
"Post-race needs help!" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Richmond Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was my second Richmond Marathon, and both times the post-race food was inadequate. Directors should think about having soup available, the last few race temps have been cool and soup would have been great! Pizza is not the most appetizing food after munching on bananas and bagels. Many smaller races have better post-race spreads such as hot dogs, cookies, orange juice, colas and plenty of water and sport drinks. The downhill walk seemed awful far to get to the post-race tent, which was very poorly organized. Runners had to load up on eats and drinks and then had to walk around to a crowded entrance. This is a great race and course, but the post-race amenities and organization leave much to be desired. The volunteers were great, but the cold weather kept some of the fan support indoors. |
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