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Jul 2, 2024

Kansas City Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.2

Organization 4.1

Spectators 3.7

Number of comments: 207 [displaying comments 91 to 101]

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J. A. from Shawnee, Kansas (10/24/2008) "Challenging Course. Good Marathon." (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Kansas City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 First, this is a challenging course. There is very little in the way of flat areas. It consists of rolling up- and downhill sections. The uphill section from mile 20-23 is tough. However, having said that, it's also a very scenic and pleasant course. It really showcases what KC has to offer. I have run eight marathons and many half marathons. The organization was very good and rivals the best of the bunch. From the expo to the start and finish areas, I have no complaints. All were very well done. There was a good selection of post-race goodies available. They gave out a finisher's technical shirt, which was nice treat. The pace teams were great! They employed a slightly slower start pace to warm up and then settled in to an even pace. The leaders were very encouraging and knowledgeable and knew what to expect on the course. This is far better than the average marathon, with some runners carrying a sign. The crowd support was okay, on par with smaller marathons I've run. Those that were there were very vocal. Overall, a very good experience. I would recommend this race to anyone. It may not be your fastest race, but it will probably be a lot of fun. Give this marathon a try!
S. S. from St. Louis, MO (10/23/2008) "Awesome Race!!!" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Kansas City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon, and I have run two half-marathons earlier this year. I have to say that it was an awesome experience! I heard it was a hilly course, but it didn't really bother me that much. I trained on some hills over in St. Louis. Overall, the organization was great. The expo was huge and the pasta party had some great food. Just thinking about it is making me hungry again. On the course everything was very well plotted out. They had water and Gatorade at least every two miles if not more. The crowd was great too. I've only been to KC once before, so it was fun experiencing the city throughout the run. I don't really have any other marathons to compare it too, but based off of my half-marathons, this one was way better. I have to say thanks to everyone in KC for getting me hooked. This was my first marathon but it definitely will not be my last.
Loudean Marks from KC, MO (10/22/2008) "I'd do it again" (about: 2008) 2 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race was only my second half marathon and I loved it! Everything was great; from the "pep talk" from Dick Beardsley to post-race festivities, I'd not hesitate to do this one again. The course was challenging, but fair. Miles 2-4 would make you want to cry for your mama, though! Having a pace team for the half was awesome. My pace leader, Ellen, was great. So upbeat and talkative. If not for 2 horrible calf cramps that I got around mile 12, I would have finished with her. I hope other races decide to add pace teams for half runners.
R. H. from Twin Cities, MN (10/21/2008) "Beautiful Challenging Course" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Kansas City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon, so I don't have a lot to compare it to other than other half-marathons and shorter races. The course had many hills but they were mostly early on in the race. The course itself took you by many fountains and pretty parts of KC. There were many people cheering in the beginning and less towards the end. The bands also were front-heavy and disappeared near the end. I thought that actually the start of the race was Kansas City's asset and the finish was disappointing. They didn't even call my name out at the finish but rather called everyone around me. They also stated in race literature that there would be a "Runner's Food Court" that only consisted of bananas and oranges by the time I made it through (which was still under 5 hours). They also had an "after party" advertised that started late and was extremely disorganized. It also promised entertainment and food, and neither were present. The finisher shirt and medal were great! Overall, a great race but the finish line could be much improved.
S. D. from Norman, OK (10/20/2008) "Just OK..." (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Kansas City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon in KC (actually the relay) and I have to say that while the course was beautiful and the weather was nice, I was very disappointed in certain aspects of the organization and support during and particularly after the race. On the plus side, the transportation to/from the relay stations was very good, although I was surprised by a lack of water/aid stations at those relay points. The main issue that I had was that I have honestly never felt like I didn't get enough food/drink during or after a race until this one. Our team finished in 4:20 and there was virtually nothing in terms of food (e.g., bananas and a few bagel bites) and absolutely no Gatorade/PowerAde or other electrolyte drinks at the finish line. I was shocked to see that there were actually food vendors charging $5-10 for food at the finish line! That has never ever been my experience with a race, whether it be a 5K or a full marathon. In addition, I felt that the maze of railings at the finish line was very confusing and hard to maneuver. The support on the course was quite good at some stations, but very spotty in others (at some key points around mile 10-13) with sometimes only 1 or 2 people manning the tables. I think I may try to run this race again individually, but I am somewhat wary considering that the registration fees are similar to other races (on the same weekend) that traditionally have better support.
M. S. from Minnesota (10/20/2008) "Tough course" (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Kansas City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 There were some good and some bad about this marathon. The weather could not have been better. It was the perfect temp for running! There were not a lot of spectators along the course, but the people that were cheering were wonderful! The volunteers were great too. At the finish, there was not much food there - just oranges, bananas, and cookies. It would have been nice to have a little more to eat. Also, the beer was gone by the time I realized that there was beer. There was a band in the finish area. It was so loud that my family and I tried to move a few times before we gave up and left. No one seemed to stick around and it is probably because it was so loud, no one could relax - it was terrible. So I left with a headache and an empty stomach. I found the course to be tough, but that was not a surprise. There were a few areas that we ran through that were not very nice and seemed run down - it was towards the end, so I may have just been rundown. There are a lot of fountains though!! I will not be back to this marathon. But if you want a no-frills, semi-challenging marathon, this one may be for you.
M. A. from Atlanta, GA (10/20/2008) "From expo to post-race party, terrific!" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Kansas City Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Expo: Packet pickup was a breeze. They had adorable souvenir shirts and other fun merchandise available, with better designs and selection than some of the 15-50K races out there! (When I'm running a full, I like to buy shirts to document it!) Lots of great vendors there. The course designer Eladio Valdez was presenting at the expo too! He gave a great walk through of the course, and explained the logic in where he placed the hills. Although I knew this was a hilly course from running the half last year, knowing why the hills come when they do was a great mental break and discussion point in my pace group while we were running them. This marathon is the absolute perfect size. About 1,300 run the full, so you're never running alone, but sure don't have to dodge other folks either. Start was well organized - signs for both pace groups and minute/mile goals helped folks line up. I was back behind the 11:00's, so no clue if this worked as intended for the folks up front, but it only took me 4 minutes to cross the start line - compared to over 20 in some less-well-organized (and only slightly larger) races I've run. The course itself is really pretty. The hills they warn you about are for real. But, you're always somewhere pretty (and the couple times you're not, you will be again in under a mile; there are no long stretches of industrial areas, as can easily happen in urban courses). On-course support was fabulous. All water stops had promised Gatorade and water, and there were oranges, gummy bears and more along the way. The volunteer and spectator support was AMAZING! I don't expect to see many folks on a small race (especially once the half splits from the full), but there were far more than I would have guessed, and they were quite enthusiastic. Even the neighborhoods we ran through were a great surprise - lots of residents were out on their porches and driveways to watch! All of the bands kept things entertaining too. The course-cutting problems from last year seemed to be eliminated. A slight course redesign eliminated the cheaters opportunity from last year, and volunteers were checking badges at the one very short out and back that would have presented an opportunity to cut. That and a chip mat sure seemed to do the trick from what I saw. Great changes there. Also had some folks calling splits at some of the mile markers, so you could check your watch time with the official course time. Nice touch. And a fun aside: the course designer was out on the course as he'd promised he would be at the expo speech! He said he'd be out cheering us on at mile 24ish, and when I ran by he was still there with high-fives! Even at my non-front-of-pack pace. ...Which leads to a shout out for Kirk - the 5:00 pacer. He was wonderful. Kept the pace honest, and was a great leader. I ran with him for 25 miles, and then his motivation got me to run ahead for the last mile and finish with a strong PR! Finally, the post-race area. This has to be my favorite part! First, as noted above, I'm not that fast. Finished well ahead of course-close time frame (6 hours) but still, 5 hrs has seen the bulk of finishers come and go. I was just hoping they had some food left. Well, as I turned the corner for the downhill stretch to the finish, I heard cheering! The announcer called out my name and home state as I ran down the stretch - I couldn't believe how many folks were still out on the sidelines cheering the finishers! I got my absolutely fabulous enameled medal and moisture-wicking finisher's shirt! It says, "FINISHER" in huge capital letters on the back, along with the marathon logo, etc. It's totally worth running for! (I saw all the full finishers get these last year when I was running the half, and it was a huge reason I wanted to run the full here this year). The sponsors were all still out with goodies, the food was still well supplied, and the band was still playing! I think this is the first full marathon I've finished where the party was still really rocking by the time us less-speedy finishers got to the finish line, and I can't tell you how much I appreciated it! Just a real top-notch act across the board! The only possible change I would suggest is more porta-potties! They had the exact number zand location of each porta-potty stop on their website, which was great, but one time I needed to go a couple miles before the next stop and ended up detouring to a Winsted's. ;) As a side note, my family ran the 4-person marathon relay, and from all reports on that front, that was also a great event! None of them are very serious runners; they just did it because I convinced them it would be fun, and at the end, they said it actually was! And also, they got great marathon-relay finisher medals. The transition points for the relay were fun - huge balloon finish lines for each leg. The family said it was a great event and they were glad that they did it. Really high praise from folks who really only signed up to humor me!
A. C. from Orange County, California (10/19/2008) "Excellent, well-run race!" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Kansas City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was in town for business, and since I am training for a December marathon, I decided to run the KC Half Marathon as a training run. I have run many half marathons and marathons, and I cannot say enough about the quality of this race. The race started at 7 a.m., which is still dark in KC. We got to run through downtown as the sun rose over the city. The course was scenic and gave a great tour of a neat city. There were bands along the way, including a classical ensemble right outside the symphony hall. Yes, there were gradual hills but they were mostly near the beginning, nothing killer - and the last 5K is all downhill for both the marathon and half marathon making for a fast finish. I thought the race a bit expensive at first, but considering that for $60 I received a race entry, course support (including coffee at the start), pace team, T-shirt, medal, $25 gift card to Jack Stack BBQ, finisher's breakfast, three pints of Boulevard, and numerous other goodies at the expo, I think I came out actually ahead! The marathon is a small additional charge but they also receive a special marathon finisher's shirt. I am not sure if I can make it out for next year but I would encourage all Midwestern runners or anyone looking for a road trip to take advantage of this excellent race. Well done, Kansas City!
R. H. from Kansas City, Missouri (10/18/2008) "I'm proud of my city." (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Kansas City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I am 25 and this is my third marathon. I ran Twin Cities in 2007 and Boston in 2008. I decided I needed to run my hometown marathon. It's hard to say it's on par with Boston because Boston's Boston, but this race is definitely starting to compete with some of our country's bigger marathons. The course was very fair and offered all the sites and sounds that KC has to offer. You'll see Crown Center, Union Station, our new downtown arena the Sprint Center, the Liberty Memorial, the Country Club Plaza, the historic 18th & Vine jazz district, and some of the most beautiful neighborhoods with giant old homes. There are bands all along the course (not so much after we broke from the 1/2 marathon course but picked up again when we rejoined) playing everything from Otis Redding to the Killers. I've run in some races that tried to do the band thing and a lot of them sucked. These bands were excellent. The first 1/2 of the marathon course has two series of pretty good hills. The second 1/2 includes a lot of flat and downhill running and about 2 miles (around mile 21-23) of gradual uphill. There were water/Gatorade stations every 1.5-2 miles and GU at miles 12 and one other mile marker later in the course. On top of that someone ordered up temperatures that ranged from 42-50 degrees during the race with bright sun and light winds. Obviously that enhances the experience (weather is a gamble in KC and we lucked out this year). The spectators that were on the course were fantastic, but I must say there were some areas that got pretty lonely. The KC Marathon is growing and now I see why. I really am proud to be a runner from KC and hope that people will consider this marathon when looking to run a race in the Midwest.
S. A. from Columbia, MO (4/13/2008) "Great race; would do it again." (about: 2007) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Kansas City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great and slightly challenging course with the hills. The out-and-back portion around miles 18-22 was a challenge at that part of the race - and the most boring part of the race. For those commenting on the sparse spectators, you have obviously never run a SMALL marathon. There were always spectators within cheering distance, and the names on the bibs allowed the spectators to cheer you on as if they knew you by calling you by name (GREAT touch). Except for that one stretch, the route was scenic and fun. I really liked the last two miles (flat to slightly downhill). I had determined I would probably not run another marathon after Kansas City, but I will be back for this one. GREAT experience. Great race. I hope it does not grew too big, but with such a well done job, I can see it growing quite a bit.

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