Omaha Marathon

Maybe because my expectations were low given past complaints on this site, but I was pleased with the race. The course was not very exciting but it was fair with some undulating hills and a mixture of urban and country. It was a hot day, but the organizers were prepared with adequate aid stations, after being "black flagged" at another Omaha marathon two years earlier, I'm pleased that the racers were allowed to choose for themselves whether they continued. The medal and shirt were very nice with no ads on the shirt. Stop at Infusion Brewing for carb loading.

Since taking over this event in 2013, HITS Endurance (the organization from NY who purchased it from the previous race director) has literally managed to 'run' it into the ground. Almost 6000 people participated in it when the Omaha Running Club was involved and they ensured it was well organized, doing all of the work for the paid race director/previous owner. I ran the half and 10K several times before moving to KC. Participation has declined since as the new owners have declined assistance and ignored advice from the local running community experts. In 2020, 'almost 800' were registered (according to one of the news stories) and just over 600 finished the events. Comments on social media regarding the marathon being long (anywhere from 26.8 to 27.2 miles) have been brushed off by event staff, saying 'the course was USATF certified'. That does not mean the course was marked correctly by the organizers! Results not available during the race (in 2018, the last time I ran it, the results were not published for 3 days after the event), inadequately marked course, limited aid stations, poor quality shirts, and medals and neck ribbons without the event date have been a common complaint since 2014. HITS has had opportunities to correct all of these but has failed! Avoid this event at all costs. I gave them another shot in 2020 because I believe in 2nd chances. Call me silly. Never again. I would recommend the Heartland Marathon which was established by the Omaha Running Club after HITS told them that they did not need their assistance and expertise!!

I don't usually write many reviews, but I feel that I really need to write a review for this one. I am a 50 state runner and chose this race because it fit my schedule, and because it is the 2nd largest Nebraska race in terms of marathon runners. PLEASE read the reviews from 2018...I wish I had! NOTHING HAS CHANGED!!! I know that race directors deal with a lot of logistics so I generally try to be understanding about issues. However, I have run hundreds of races of all different kinds and distances, and this was BY FAR THE WORST RACE ORGANIZATION I HAVE EVER SEEN!!! From the beginning... The race description from 2011 above the comments is WRONG. There is NO MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT EITHER ON COURSE OR AFTER THE RACE! THE COURSE DOES NOT GO THROUGH OLD MARKET AND DOES NOT GO ANYWHERE NEAR THE DOORLY ZOO, CONAGRA CAMPUS, OR ROSENBLATT STADIUM!! The "Fitness Expo"...basically non existent...a few tents in a parking lot. The shirt...generic garbage...throw it in your bin of rags or better yet the recycle bin. Parking...The race starts/and finishes at TD Ameritrade Park, a baseball stadium where they hold the College Baseball World Series. The stadium is surrounded by surface parking lots. While there was plenty of free on street parking, a fact that is not mentioned in the athlete guide (Omaha gives you a free day on Sunday...thanks Omaha!), runners were charged $8 if they chose to park in the lots that were not being used for any events and were otherwise empty. The course...awful and boring and does absolutely zero to showcase anything that the city of Omaha has to offer...but that is strictly an opinion. Many of the mile markers were off...I was hitting a mile marker 1/3 of a mile after my watch had me hitting that particular mile. This was confirmed by a pacer I spoke to after the race. The total race distance however was correctly measured. Spectator support...virtually non existent...however the handful of people out there did cheer you on. Post race...this is where this race company totally dropped the ball. The post race food was deplorable...bananas, oranges, bite size candies, some kind of sandwiches that I didn't even bother to check what they were, bagels that were covered with flies, and jars of peanut butter...THATS IT! Oh..there were a couple of food trucks where you could BUY food. I have had MUCH MUCH BETTER post race food at many 5K's. Health and safety: the race is advertised as having an average start time temp of 50. This year it was almost 70 at the start and climbed well into the 80s by the finish. The post race area is held in a concrete parking lot. There were no extra tents put up for shade, there were a bunch of chairs for runners sitting in the middle of the parking lot under the blazing sun, they did not hand out any ice bags to runners as they finished (although I did see them in the med tent), they had no hoses or misting station set up so runners could cool off...in other words, although they knew it was going to be extremely warm, they did NOTHING extra to prepare and to help the runners. Results...same problem as people reviewed in 2018. The marathon/half marathon started at 7 a.m. followed by a later 10K, 5K, and friends and family Mile Run. By allowing people to sign up for a race up to 1/2 an hour before the start and allowing people to change races that morning, it completely messed with the timing system (I was personally told this by the timer)...or maybe it was the same "glitch" as 2018. As a result, at 12:00, five hours after the start the marathon, I could not get the overall or age group results. Totally unprofessionally run in this age of computers and timing chips. Age group awards...made in China plastic with a piece of paper in it. I'm guessing it's the same as 2018 The medal...again, I'm guessing it's the same deal as 2018...piece of generic garbage with no date on it, just Omaha Marathon. I guess it's good business...they can pass out the leftover ones next year and put more money in their pockets! There is NO difference (not even the ribbon) between the marathon/half marathon/10K/5K/Friends and Family Mile...everyone earns the same. To me, that is cheap and unacceptable but again, that one is just an opinion. The race is put on by a company called HITS Endurance...maybe they should change their name to MISSES Endurance. All in all, for a race that starts with an "early bird" fee of $85 and goes up to a race day fee of $140, I would say if you're looking to run a marathon in Nebraska...LOOK SOMEWHERE ELSE! To me, this race amounted to legalized stealing. They don't give a sh*t about the runners. This race should have its permit revoked as long as HitsEndurance is running it...ITS THAT BAD!!