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Memphis Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Memphis Marathon Information & Reviews

Course Rating Course 4.2 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 4.7 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 4.2 
 
 
Number of comments: 382 [displaying comments 231 to 241]
More Comments: [ < 1 .. 22 23 24 25 26 .. 39 > ]

 

J. T. from Jackson, MS (12/7/2006)
"Very good organization and great PR for Memphis" (about: 2003)

6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


Very good course and organization. Walking up the steps of the stadium after the race was a bit tough. Thank you for keeping it on Saturday! Everyone was very nice. Hope to do it again.

 

M. M. from West Monroe, LA. (12/6/2006)
"Cause outweighs anything else" (about: 2006)

First Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 5


St. Jude Memphis was my first half-marathon and I want to thank the many supporters of this race and St. Jude CRH. Was a great time and a better cause. The course was not overly hard, but demanding. I thought those who complained about hills really should go run somewhere where there are hills! The supporters along Poplar St. were great just when I needed encouragement. I would recommend this event highly to anyone - and especially for those first-time jitters, the St. Jude Marathon is just the cure for those as well.

 

R. S. from Collinsville, IL (12/6/2006)
"Great Run! Will do it again" (about: 2006)

2 previous marathons | 1 Memphis Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


I ran the Memphis half-marathon last year and came back to do the full marathon this year. The course was great with gently rolling hills (no killer hills). This time of year in Memphis provides great running weather and this race day was no exception. It was well organized with aid stations well staffed. The race finished into a ball stadium which had great post-race food/drink. Crowd was pretty sparse during the second half. Need to improve traffic flow the morning of the race. I would suggest that the city of Memphis run the trolley that morning because a lot of the hotels are up and down the trolley line. The trolley didn't start running until after the start of the race. With the great course, temperature, and organization, I'll be back.

 

K. S. from Lawrenceville, GA (12/6/2006)
"I loved this race." (about: 2006)

1 previous marathon | 1 Memphis Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


This was my first race ever and I can't wait to run my next. I am hooked on running. This race has special meaning to me. My 10 month-old granddaughter is a St. Jude patient. She was diagnosed with AML when she was only 9 weeks old. She is in remission now thanks to the support/great medicine/prayers of the St. Jude staff and our friends and family. I ran this race as a St. Jude Hero to raise money but it also got me hooked on running in future marathons. I also stayed at the Peabody and loved it. I already have this race on my calendar for next year. The event staff were great and I really enjoyed the expo. And kudos to all the people who came out to cheer us on when the temps were only in the low 30s. For those of you complaining about the gifts being cheap, please remember this is a fundraiser for St. Jude's. My next race is the ING in Atlanta, GA.

 

Nikki Scrivener from Springhill, Tennessee (12/6/2006)
"What a heart-warming experience!" (about: 2006)

2 previous marathons | 1 Memphis Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


Ok, so it did not have all of the "extras" that I had in Pittsburg, but who cares. This was for a GREAT cause and the bystanders were an absolute inspiration. I did not fully understand the true meaning of running for a cause until this marathon. I hope to be injury free so I can run this race again one day. God bless the people of St. Jude. You guys did a great job! I walked away with a new outlook on marathon running, especially when I saw people who were running for family members or friends. It was amazing!

 

c. r. from knoxville, tn (12/5/2006)
"Great organization and great cause" (about: 2006)

2 previous marathons | 1 Memphis Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


I was really impressed with the organization of this race. The volunteers were wonderful, and I loved having aid stations every mile. The course was rolling but not too challenging. It does not matter if roads were cambered or certificates were not mailed out - what matters are the children in St. Jude's hospital. If children can suffer, we can run on cambered roads and live without a certificate. God bless St. Judes Hospital and those precious children.

 

L. M. from Madison, WI (12/5/2006)
"I recommend it ONLY because it is a great cause" (about: 2006)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Memphis Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 2


This is a great cause. I've never been so depressed and uplifted at the same time by the "in memory" signs, or the "my son is alive because you are running this race" sign.

But other than the nature of the cause, the race itself is unremarkable.

The Good:
+Volunteers, as always, were great.
+Good number of aid stations, sufficiently stocked with PowerAde and Gu, even for those bringing up the rear.
+I thought the food at the end was excellent, especially since I was a late finisher (pizza; hot, cheesy chicken soup; sodas; much more).
+The finish line at the ball field with locker rooms available was appreciated.
+Decent size expo for a race this size.

The could-be-improved:
-UGLY cotton t-shirt. For a race this pricey (even considering it being a charity event), it should be a technical shirt. It must be Murphy's law, but it seems that the the people running the 5K get t-shirts in a much better color. You'd have to be pretty proud of your accomplishment to voluntarily wear this "diaper beige"-colored tee.
-The course was unexceptional; only a few spots that I considered to be interesting or pretty. For some stretches you have to run alongside backed up traffic, and I could hardly breathe due to the exhaust fumes.
-For an urban marathon with such a good cause, the spectators were incredibly sparse. Hats off though to the few that were out there - you always had encouraging words for all of us

 

J. R. from Indianapolis, IN (12/5/2006)
"Nice marathon, but needs a little work" (about: 2006)

1 previous marathon | 1 Memphis Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 4


This was my first marathon and I really enjoyed it. I do have a couple of suggestions to make next year's run even better.

First, making runners walk upstairs to get to food after the race seems a bit silly (cruel?) to me, plus it hurt my already sore legs.

Second, it would be nice to finish on Beale or near the river. Why not have the post-race stuff in Tom Lee Park along the river? There is certainly enough room.

Third, it can get a bit lonely out there, so more entertainment would be appreciated.

Overall, I really had a blast and will definitely be back next year. Thanks so much for such a good time.

 

s. a. from birmingham, al (12/5/2006)
"lack of fuel on course!!!!" (about: 2006)

2 previous marathons | 1 Memphis Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 3


The course was enjoyable. Limited specatators, especially after mile 14.... Very suprised that there was no fruit - especially bananas - available for the participants. In fact, some of the volunteers were also suprised. Even though GU gels were offered some first-time users experienced the cramps - something to be aware of for the next time guys!!! Some disorganization, as volunteers were unsure where to send folks. Where were the massages after the race? However, overall I did enjoy the race - I kept my pace slower than I would have liked, as I did not know how I would do, knowing no snacks were available on the course!!!

 

J. S. from Southern Illinois (12/4/2006)
"Another great St. Jude Memphis Marathon" (about: 2006)

6-10 previous marathons | 4-5 Memphis Marathons
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


This was my 4th Memphis Marathon and every year it gets better. For the first time I was with a pace team (5:45) from mile 3 until mile 19 and I enjoyed that experience very much. Our informative and helpful pace leader, Fred, was a tour guide as well as a pacer. Learning about the city made the run even more interesting. Our group, as well as all the cheering volunteers along the way, was a big plus for me. Two of us from the group finished together in what was surely my most enjoyable marathon. The medal this year was very handsome.

 

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