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Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon) Runner Comments
Back to Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon) Information & Reviews
Course 4.0 
Organization 3.6 
Spectators 3.8
Number of comments: 222 [displaying comments 101 to 111]
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E. S. from Illinois
(6/3/2007)
 "GREAT RACE!" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I am so glad that I didn't listen to the 2006 race comments.... Although I'm sure they were accurate, I don't think anyone would seriously consider running this race based upon those comments! I ran the half, and just had a blast! The few hills broke up the course nicely and I though fan support was fantastic! I have run other half marathons where there were NO FANS at all, and Madison's fans were so much fun! The dirt path the first few miles of the race were awesome to run on! Running on the lakefront the last 2-3 miles was pretty, but to be honest, I was much too exhausted to notice the scenery! Great weather, great fans, great course (I even set a PR!). I would highly recommend this race to anyone. Plus, the Brat Fest was great! My boyfriend and sister had such a good time after the race thanks to the Brat Fest! I would definitely do this race again! | |
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Krissa Henderson from Columbus, Ohio
(6/1/2007)
"Fun, easy course; not a lot of spectators" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This race was really fun partially because I went to the University of Wisconsin. There are not a lot of runners in the race but everyone is really friendly. A lot of students run as well. Also, it's not very hilly. One thing that I didn't like was that the water stations were kind of random. I've run others where the water is always right by the mile marker and that was not the case here. There wasn't any water between 12.5 and 16 miles. However, overall the marathon is beautiful and I had a great time. | |
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Bob Bell from Madison WI/Oak Park IL
(6/1/2007)
 "A great place to run and visit - good marathon" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 4-5 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I was surprised by all the negative comments about last year's event! The 2007 event was my 65th marathon so I've seen quite a few, including several in Madison. The heat is always brutal, but I've run in heat elsewhere (Duluth, New Glarus, even Chicago!). Since I have a house in Madison it is ideal to walk to the start - can you beat the setting on the Square with the Farmers' Market and the good crowds to get us going? The course is beautiful, especially through Shorewood. Any place where there are residents they are very supportive... there are some lonely, uninhabited stretches, but the arboretum is so darn beautiful that makes up for the lack of support. I love the Brat Fest at the end, so I would rather finish there than the old finish area across the street in Olin Park. The aid stations were terrific - no problem and I was one of the last finishers. Thanks for eliminating the pedestrian overpass - that was absolutely no fun. Thanks for all the hard work to make the event a success. | |
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G. L. from Madison area, Wisconsin
(5/31/2007)
"Somewhat hilly course; sparse but good spectators" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)s
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The good: Endurance House is a nice addition. Top Promotions, nice try at providing event-related wear though higher quality would be nice. The earlier start time is better than last year. Nice job clearing spectators out the way in the finish area in comparison to last year. Post-race food was good for me - yogurt was cold! Brat Fest is an ironic event to couple with a marathon but it gives family a place to hang out while waiting for their racer. Fruit on the course is so appreciated. The volunteers, as always, were wonderful! Areas to improve upon: More potties at the starting line. The bike path and arboretum could use some Madison neighborhood or group to gather and make some noise for runners in these areas as it seems long and lonely for those miles. Overall, a somewhat hilly course is fine as long as one trains on hills. Sleeping and eating at home is a definite advantage. This race could use a major sponser to help fill in the holes where it's lacking and it would become a great place to race. | |
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Marathon Freak from The Great State of Texas
(5/30/2007)
 "Great route; super support!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Well I had avoided this race in favor of Med-City due to the lousy comments about the race. Either they listened, or I just missed it. This was a good marathon! Okay, a tacky little finisher's medallion - small, no year, etc - but it was enameled! The start area was easy to find... but then I had someone take me that wasn't running so we parked at the start and then at the finish. Both were very convenient. Others may have a different idea of "close and convenient" than I do. It was perfect as far as I can tell. The course was very nice. Yes, it wasn't flat by any means, but it wasn't like it was a course full of monster hills. It had some big grades and small hills, it ran though the neighborhoods, it ran through parks, and it ran through the most scenic and beautiful arboretum! This year the weather was nice - a good breeze to keep you cool as it was a sunny day. The miles were well marked, and there were a bunch of rest stops everywhere and more Gu than you could count! I was offered fruit from hundreds of friendly volunteers. I mean there were uniformed police officers ringing cowbells for us! Everybody was so friendly and good to the runners. How could this race ever have gotten a bad rep??? Okay, don't do this race if you're looking for a killer medal. Don't run this race if you're expecting 10,000 bands and 100,000 people cheering you on. Don't run this race if you need a killer shirt. This is a good, well organized event on a nice route. It isn't Chicago. I ran through the arboretum to the sounds of birds... no other sounds. It was wonderfully peaceful and one of the better miles that we ran... but the best were on the packed dirt trail along the water! It was a great route with super support. | |
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R. S. from Illinois
(5/30/2007)
"Great City, Great Runners, and a Great Time" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I just completed the half marathon. I took the bus to the start and it was so organized, I probably could have gotten there 15 minutes before the race. The good things were: A clean city. A prompt start. A perfect day. A well marked course. Very friendly runners. A course I really enjoyed. Chip timing and help along the course was great. Overall I would recommend this race. The not so good: A t-shirt with no date or year or mention of anything other than the marathon (so I hope they don't use them next year). Not enough toilets at the start... so, sorry; the alley came in handy. A few hills, but nothing to complain about. For some unknown reason, many streets had cones down the middle, although runners filled the entire street. If no one tripped and fell, a lot almost did, including myself. A tiny, bright yellow medal that said nothing other than the marathon. But the ribbon had half marathon and the year. Hope we don't see them again next year. Lots of items to munch on, but next year get a bakery to sponsor so you can put out some cookies. I like a little junk at the end of a healthy run. It was worth it. The good outweighed the not-so-good. Plus it's a beautiful city. | |
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J. K. from Madison, WI
(5/29/2007)
"Greatly improved" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I almost didn't want to do the Madison Marathon again, due to disappointments in the past. I was very impressed this year though. I'm a Madison native, and I like having this event so close to home. The finish line area was not as chaotic as in the past. I enjoyed the course, and the spectators were fantastic. I wish the medals had the date on them, but they were very nice. Just a note: I walked the 1/2 marathon, and I will do this event again. | |
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Joanna Binsfeld from Madison, WI
(5/29/2007)
"Excellent Experience!" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have only positive things to say about this marathon. This is my third year participating in the 1/2 marathon and by far this was the best year in terms of course, fans, aid stations and organization. For those people not familiar with Madison, the course allows you to see many things that contribute to making Madison an interesting city (state capitol, UW campus, lakes, etc.). | |
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D. H. from Apple Valley, Minnesota
(5/29/2007)
 "A good experience" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The 2007 Madison Marathon was well-organized and followed a scenic route. Water stations were plentiful and there was decent spectator participation. The course was not difficult, being very flat and easy to follow. The only drawback was a serious lack of toilets. But overall the race was very worthwhile to run. | |
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S. A. from Norwalk, IA
(5/29/2007)
"When the weather is good..." (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Madison Marathon (Mad City Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I love the course. There are some hills on it, so come prepared. If you do, you'll have no trouble. I beat my personal best by 24 minutes on this course and qualified for Boston on it - so don't let anyone tell you it's hard. It's beautiful, with some rolling hills, lots of shade and great crowd support for the size of race it is. It's a small marathon with just over 1,000 runners so don't expect huge race packets filled with goodies or a gourmet post-race feast. Expect to bring some friends, have fun, and do well! Madison's a great city and there were people cheering runners on the whole way. The spectators kept me smiling - one group was offering beer to participants, which was hysterical! I wish there was a way to more formally thank the spectators - they really made me feel good! I thought the race organizers did a much better job this year and took the criticism from last year seriously. There were more aid stations (THANK YOU!), more port-a-potties along the route, no race day registration (WOOHOO!!), and they changed up the course a little bit. The one little bit of criticism I have is the runners' area after the marathon. There was a changing area for men and women but due to the wind the tent was less than private (in fact not private at all). Next year, let's do a better job with that - and maybe get showers on-site?? Otherwise - bravo! A fun run in a great city. Also - side note - I don't understand people's frustration with Brat Fest. It's a BALL! It's so much fun to hang out (and quite a lot of the runners from various events do), cool off, listen to some good local music, and eventually eat a brat or two for a good cause. Honestly, Brat Fest is half the fun!! |
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