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Charlottesville Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Charlottesville Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 3.6 
Spectators 3.0
Number of comments: 240 [displaying comments 131 to 141]
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M. T. from Shelby, NC
(4/21/2006)
 "TOUGH COURSE!" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Charlottesville Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Everybody expected the course to be difficult, and we weren't disappointed. Unrelenting hills, roads with no shoulder, lots of traffic to dodge in the final ten miles, a twisting, confusing finish, and on top of this -- high temps and humidity. You feel like a champ after getting through this one! For some folks, this is what running a marathon is all about, and I must say, I kinda liked it. I suffered, but it was a good suffer. I'll be back next year. BUT -- May I petition to organizers? Ten port-a-johns four blocks from the starting line for 1,700 runners? You could have lined up thirty of them along the sidewalk there. The volunteers were super although some were apparently uncoached in what to expect (having the drink cups filled before the runners arrived, for example), and I would like to praise in the highest possible terms the woman at mile 21 who was handing out popsicles. She saved me! | |
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J. A. from Minnesota
(4/20/2006)
 "Why lie to us?" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Charlottesville Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 I agree with all of the postings that note that while this race has beautiful scenery, it still leaves a lot to be desired. My biggest issue is the way in which it is billed: "rolling hills" and "be sure to enter early as this race closes" are both blatantly false. I would probably still have come here if they had billed it as a challenging course. With 1,300 total runners they are only a third of the way to their posted maximum, but 1,300 is probably 1,000 over what they can handle. Charlottesville is a nice town. Too bad this race will be getting a negative reputation. | |
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a. l. from charlottesville,virginia
(4/20/2006)
"very challenging course" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Charlottesville Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I would not recommend this course for a first-time marathoner. If you are a seasoned marathoner then this is the course for you. There are lots of hills. We had very hot weather (about 80). They did not have enough water at mile 17. I thought the food could have been better. Finisher medal was unique. | |
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E. S. from Arlington, Virginia
(4/19/2006)
"Very hilly!" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Charlottesville Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The course was beautiful, but extremely hilly! The race organizers should post a hill profile chart on their course so runners know what they are in for. My only major complaint was that they ran out of cups, and we had to reuse cups from previous runners. Also, I would not recommend this race to a first-time marathoner. I have never seen so many people walking the hills in a marathon before! | |
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D. S. from Wilmington, NC
(4/19/2006)
"Tough day" (about: 2006)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon ever. I would have liked to have known how hilly it really was before I entered. The scenery was great, the hotel prices were nuts with no discounts and the goodies were thin. The people were nice but they needed more potties. I had no trouble with the water or anything; I just think they could have used more stops. I also think a better course description would help. The good news is that I ran C-Ville, so now I should be able to run anywhere without reservations, right? | |
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T. W. from Richmond, Virginia
(4/19/2006)
"Most difficult course I have ever run!!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Charlottesville Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Organization was good both before, during and after the race. Very limited spectators, as race was run on mainly country roads. Very hilly. | |
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M. H. from Ohio
(4/18/2006)
"Tough race with a lot of potential" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Charlottesville Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 Runner's World said it all when they said this was one of the most scenic courses. What they didn't tell you about were all the hills - and neither did the race web page. The course was very challenging but rewarding. But like so many others have already said, this race needs some serious help. First of all, there need to be more water stops. Having stops every 2 miles when the weather is in the high 80's is too infrequent. Also, put on the web page and application that this is a running event only. My wife and two of her friends trained and registerd to walk the half-marathon and were told they were not able to due to this being a running event only. And finally, the medals were nice, but my training partner got last year's medal at the finish. Not sure on the confusion there but he was disappointed. | |
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J. L. from North Carolina
(4/18/2006)
 "Poor value and many blunders!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Charlottesville Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I was very disappointed, particularly in the organization. There were so many blunders, it is hard to imagine this race has attracted as many as it has. To their credit, they do advertise "bad to the bone"... but running out of water... on an 85-degree day is inexcusable. They advertise 75 policemen and 300 volunteers... no way. The volunteers were enthusiastic but I would estimate a total of 100. I saw a handful policemen at best, probably 20. Course was poorly marked: how can the 9-, 10-, 11-, and 12-mile markers for the half marathon be a full half mile farther from the the marathon marker of mile 22, 23, 24 and 25? It should be no more than .1 mile farther! I didn't know which one to believe. At mile 24, I had to cross a street with no support... I had to stop for traffic and almost got hit cause I foolishly thought I had right of way. If I had paid $20, I could understand, but this was a full-price marathon. There are much better values out in the running world from organizations that put the time and energy into putting on a tight race. The course is very scenic... no question about it. But no way it overcomes the problems. Finally, my stopwatch time was 10 seconds faster than the clock at the finish line... they even managed to mess this up. If this was a restaurant, I would have asked for my money back! | |
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J. P. from Arlington, VA
(4/18/2006)
 "Hot and Hilly" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Charlottesville Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I ran this marathon partly because of the glowing recommendations from the 2005 race. If you are considering this marathon for 2007, you now have some negative comments to balance out the glowing comments. So, if you are thinking about running this, please pay close attention to all of the comments here, ask questions of the RD, and decide for yourself. 1. I did not get off track, but a significant number of runners did. The Runner's World forum also contains comments of a number of people who got off-track, so this is not an isolated incident. (There's a particularly bad story of a FULL marathoner getting turned around at the halfway point). This was a problem in the 2005 comments and was obviously not addressed adequately. Without this basic necessity, how can anybody say the organization was perfect? 2. What's up with the cotton T-shirt - especially for the relatively high cost of the race? The organizers are major running-types, and they would NEVER run a marathon (or even a training run) in a cotton T-shirt. Please, some Cool-Max or other technical fabric. 3. This race needs an elevation profile. I don't think every race needs to be "flat and fast," but without a detailed elevation profile, you have no idea how hilly this course actually is. I say "detailed elevation profile," because this course is filled with endless small, short, steep hills that may not show up on a general elevation profile but will still suck the life out of you. It was BRUTAL. I was running with a 50-stater, who said that this was the most challenging of any marathon he'd ever done. Another guy said this was "way tougher than Big Sur!" Please put one up, RD! 4. I'd like to thank the spectators and volunteers. You were the best part and made this hot and difficult day bearable. The person at mile 18(?) with popsicles was like an angel at that moment in time. | |
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B. H. from Quantico, VA
(4/18/2006)
"Not a good marathon for first-timers." (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Charlottesville Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This race has beautiful scenery but be prepared for a very hilly run. I can't recommend this race if you are a first-time marathon runner. I decided I could handle this race as a first-timer, but the hills and heat were too much for me. I will stick with a flat course on my next marathon. For those who live in Charlottesville, my family enjoyed the weekend visit. |
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