Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Jul 8, 2024

Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.4

Organization 4.5

Spectators 4.4

Number of comments: 330 [displaying comments 171 to 181]

More Comments: [ < 1 .. 16 17 18 19 20 .. 33 > ]

B. D. from San Antonio, TX (4/27/2008) "Everything was good but the weather." (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the half this time around, and I really enjoyed the crowd support, the water stations and even the number of porta-potties. It was cold and windy (of course, to no fault of the organization) and the course itself was somewhat hilly... which is a good challenge. I think there could be more detailed directions to the start line and better suggestions for parking, but overall very good; I liked it a lot. The food and massage stations afterwards were AWESOME. They make the best of what the city has to offer. Good job, guys.
M. H. from Ft. Collins, CO (10/12/2007) "OKC is an underrated Goldilocks of urban marathons" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 ...because it's "just right." Not too hilly; not too flat. Not too big; not too small. Poignant remembrance, but also fun. Maybe I'm biased because OKC was my first (I don't live anywhere near OKC, and wouldn't normally consider it a place to visit, but I know some people there and I'm glad I did), but I have become familiar with other routes and races of various lengths, enough to judge OKC and give it a big recommendation. The course is reasonably flat, with just a few small hills to make it interesting, and the scenery (urban, plus the lakes) is varied. The downtown/expo area is fun and worth checking out. Where it really shines is the size and crowd support. It's not too big, but not too small. The crowd support in various neighborhoods is great - yes, it gets sparse in some areas, but it's nice to have some "quiet" time too! I put it somewhere between a nice, peaceful morning run, with occasional cheering and crowd support as needed.
J. M. from Yukon, Oklahoma (9/16/2007) "One of the Top 10 Marathons" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The OKC Marathon was my first marathon in 2005 and I've run it ever since. Oklahomans put on a great race and they are the friendliest people you will ever meet. My only complaint is the starting time. The first two miles are slow because of all the walkers. A staggered starting time would be something to think about. That's a minor complaint because the rest of the marathon is spectacular. I've run marathons in other states and the Oklahoman people make the differance.
J. H. from Lubbock, Texas (5/29/2007) "An Awesome Experience!!" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This is an outstanding marathon. The setting and meaning behind the event raise the general marathon atmosphere to another level. The start was a bit confused and congested, but as with any race, getting there plenty early helps to alleviate some of those problems. For the first couple of miles the starting ceremony continued to play in my mind (the prayer service at the survivor tree; the 168 seconds of silence; Amazing Grace and the national anthem ringing through the early morning air)... truly inspiring. The course was challenging (I'm from West Texas where hills are hard to come by) but manageable. The steady incline from miles 21-24 didn't look so bad the day before when I drove the course. However, on Sunday morning that became a significant climb. The volunteers were outstanding. They could not have been more supportive or encouraging. Truly, they were the main reason I was able to reach my BQ time which made the day that much better. It was getting a little warm during the later part of the race and the water stations were well staffed with very energetic supporters. That makes such a difference late in the race. The only (minor) negative comment I would have is the placement of the port-a-potties. They were typically clustered at the relay exchanges, which meant long lines if you needed to stop. A few more scattered a long the course would be great for the marathoners. I've never needed one in a race before, but I learned that when you need one... you REALLY need one. I will definitely run this race again. The course is beautiful... I had no idea OKC was such a beautiful city. And I certainly did not realize what great people were there. This race is a wonderful tribute to the memory of those who lost their lives in 1995. Congratulations to the organizers and THANK YOU for a great experience. To the volunteers and supporters: Your are the best!! See you next year.
L. R. from Wichita Falls, TX (5/8/2007) "Excellent Race. Awesome Support" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Wow! This is only my 2nd 1/2 marathon and I don't think any future one will be able to beat it. It seemed as if the whole community was out in force. The support from by standers was incredible. It was awesome to see so many people out cheering us on and the live bands on the corners were so fun. I never got bored and there was always something to see and encouragement from all. What a moving experience as we took 168 second of silence to remember the victims and their families. I was honored to run in this event and will do so again in the years to come. I will continue to recommend this race to all.
D. W. from Houston, TX (5/4/2007) "Very moving tribute to the OKC Memorial" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I did the early start at 4:30, which was a great idea given the hot day. Before the race, the view of the Memorial was incredible. The banners along the way remind you of the lives lost. This is a special race. I live in the flatlands so I found this course to be quite hilly. None of the hills were real steep, but they were frequent and some pretty long. From mile 21 to 24 is one long, gradual hill. It was mentally tough at that point in the race to just keep going up, just enough harder to make it noticeable. That stretch was also shadeless, so the sun made it harder. If you are from somewhere with hills, you would probably think this course wasn't too hard. For me, it was tough. The stretch along the lake was pretty but mostly without shade. Several parts of the race were through pretty neighborhoods with shade, and in general it was a pretty route. No problem following the course even at the early start before race officials (or the sun) were out. If you do the early start, carry fluids because the water stops aren't open until Mile 8.5, but that was a great stop, with decorations, cowboys on horses, cheering volunteers. After that all the water stops were great. I was impressed by OKC. There are several restored old hotels downtown that are very nice. Bricktown (a block from the packet pickup) has a lot of restaurants. Everyone was very nice, very helpful, and the weekend went perfectly. This was my 20th marathon and I thought it was well run, well supported, and a nice race.
E. E. from Baton Rouge, LA (5/3/2007) "Magnificent" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my seventh marathon, and my favorite by far. The volunteers were really wonderful, the course was good, the expo was great, and I've never been part of a race that was so deeply connected to its community. Everybody I met was incredibly friendly and kind. The race hotels were all an easy walk to the start/finish area. Lots of fluids available on the course, and plenty of good stuff at the end. The only negative comment I have relates to the walkers: I think it's fantastic that there are so many people involved, but I spent the first two (very slow) miles running around walkers. Constantly. Could they start the walkers and the runners side by side? Or perhaps after the runners? But this is a quibble. I'm going to try to do all 50 states, and so my plan is to not double up on any state. Until I ran OKC, that is. I'll be back next year, and probably many more after that.
B. M. from Yukon, OK (5/3/2007) "Motivation for this is great! Execution can improv" (about: 2007) 3 previous marathons \| 2 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 There is no question the inspiration for this marathon is unequaled. Taking a trip to the memorial the night before and the 168 seconds of silence before the race will stay with you. The number of volunteers for this race is amazing. There were over 20 water/energy drink stations along the course. The atmosphere of this event is awesome, but the organization, although good, can use some improvement. 1. Ranking runners by gun time defeats the purpose of having a chip time. Other marathons I have run or viewed rank runners by chip time (see Phoenix, Chicago, Dallas). For elite runners, it usually does not make a difference since they all start up front anyway, but for the rest of us, it does matter. There are no corrals for this event, so runners etiquette is supposed to prevail when lining up for this race. This is hard to achieve when all runners (half, full, and relay) and 5K walkers all start at the same time and the chaos of runners making their way through the streets of downtown through the spectators and around barriers to get into the start area. If two runners of equal ability line up differently, one is essentially giving the other a 3, 4, or 5 minute head start. This is further magnified when the runner further back is slowed by having to go around slower runners and walkers for 2-3 miles until it thins enough to get on pace. So, knowing this event uses gun time, there is incentive for more runners to try and line up in front which only adds to the congestion at the start. Please consider corrals, use the chip time, and start the walkers after the others have gone. The walkers could start with the kids marathon. 2. The finish area is still a little confusing. After getting my medal, which is a prized possession, I got some fluids and some food. There is no shortage of food or drink in this event. However, after my trip to the food tables, I had to walk around and ask where to turn in my chip and get my shirt. If you could make this area more of an assembly line at the front end, it would be a smoother process. 3. Did we need another hill at the beginning going over the Walnut Street bridge? That was not there in 2005. This course is laid out to cover as many areas of the city as possible, but by no means would I say this is an easy course. There are a lot of short hills and a lot of turns, which makes the course longer than the 26.2 you think you are running. Twice Ive run this and twice my GPS had me at 26.5 and Ive been conscious of trying to run point-to-point. This is compared to another course with less turns where I was only slightly over 26.2. I will do this one again and look for these improvements next year.
C. B. from Mesa, Arizona (5/2/2007) "People Helped Me in a Bad Situation" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The race organizers let me start the race even though I showed up an hour after the start, due to failure of a wake up call. Traveling from Arizona, they were very helpful and accommodating. It was definitely different running the first five miles by yourself and following the discarded clothes. Sorry to have missed the memorial at the start. The course was fine, especially by Lake Hefner - a nice, cool breeze. The volunteers did a great job, as well as the police controlling traffic. Thanks again for letting me complete the run.
J. M. from Springfield, MO (5/1/2007) "A great experience all around" (about: 2007) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 As many others have noted, the memorial aspect of this race really makes it a special, moving experience. And it's also a beautiful, well-run marathon. Here are some thoughts on the three categories: I found the course to be interesting and enjoyable; I never got bored with the variety of neighborhoods and business areas, and the lake was beautiful. The last five miles do contain some uphill sections that are challenging at the end of a marathon...to me anyway. Support on the course was great. Lots of aid stations and port-a-potties, and the sponges and pretzels were a nice touch. Organization was generally as good as I've seen at marathon events I've attended. The added finishers shirt was a nice bonus, and I thought the medal was well done. My one concern was that the start area really didn't have enough room for the size of the crowd. Many, many starters, including myself, were outside the corrals. I was left starting with folks running well over two minutes below my desired pace, as well as some walkers. Starting the 5K separately would be a good idea, and perhaps starting the full and the half separately could be an option. Overall, though, it was well organized. The spectators were great. Many who lived along the route offered cups of water and even some welcome sprinkler showers as the heat of the day grew. The OKC Memorial Marathon is well worth the trip, and a moving experience. I plan to do it again.

More Comments: [ < 1 .. 16 17 18 19 20 .. 33 > ]

Quick Links

Marathon Search
Upcoming US Marathons
Upcoming International Marathons
Search Marathon Results
Latest Running News
Recent Newsletters
Race Director Tools

Become an Advertiser

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Become an Advertiser

© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC

Privacy Policy Refund Policy Terms of Use