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☰
Grand Rapids Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Grand Rapids Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 4.9 
Spectators 4.0
Number of comments: 329 [displaying comments 101 to 111]
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M. F. from Edwardsville, IL
(10/24/2011)
 "Excellent Organization...Flat Course" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Grand Rapids Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I really enjoyed the Grand Rapids marathon. I was particularly impressed with the novel Celebrity Pace teams. For the Celebrity Pace Teams, they identify the finish times of celebrities who have run marathons such as Al Gore, Oprah Winfrey, Lance Armstrong, etc., and pace the team to finish at that time. I echo all of the comments from the other runners particularly concerning organization, ease, convenience, flat course, food. I also would call this an excellent choice for a 50 stater. | |
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A. B. from Raleigh, NC
(10/21/2011)
"A top notch race!" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The Grand Rapids Marathon has top notch organization. All the hype about this marathon is true! It truly rocks! Pros: 1. Great Medal! 2. I have never seen so much food at the end. Bagels, chips, chocolate milk, yogurt, fruit, ice cream, chili, beer, string cheese. And the salvation army was providing hot dogs, chips, and cookies to everyone-spectators and runners for free! 3. The starting area/finish area is great. The YMCA opened their doors to runners, pre run and post run. It was super easy to park the morning of the marathon and to find my family afterwards. 4. The course was awesome. It is flat and fast! This is a PR shattering course for sure! There are some hills from about mile 7 to 10 but they are small. And 200 feet of total elevation gain over 26.2 miles is nothing. You run in the city for about the first 6 miles. Then even though you are on streets or paved greenways for the rest of the marathon it is does not feel like a city run. Kind of reminds me of running on back roads not necessarily country roads. 5. The organization is AH-MAZ-ING! It start from the top (Don) all the way to the bottom. They didn't miss anything. Don really knows what he is doing. From the monthly emails, to daily emails close to the marathon, to my name called and a hug at the end of the race. Everyone is treated like they are elites. The volunteers put the medal around my neck and when I couldn't quite figure out how to put on my space blanket, they wrapped it around me. Never once did I hear your almost done, until I was actually almost done. I heard words of encouragement and saw signs that kept me motivated when I needed to be. Cons. 1. There really wasn't that much music on the course or spectators outside the viewing area. But the spectator viewing areas were lined with cheering fans and these areas were great! But that being said, I did see my family 5 times at different points along the course, which is fantastic! Overall, Grand Rapids is an awesome race that I would highly recommend to anyone from the novice runner to the experienced marathoners. This race has world class organization! Keep up the great work, Grand Rapids!!!!!!!!!! | |
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J. E. from Kansas City Missouri
(10/20/2011)
"Great race in Michigan" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Grand Rapids Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran this race under the recommendation of other Kansas City runners. They did not disappoint! I echo all 2011 positive comments so won't repeat what has been said. I would like to give a two thumbs up to the Clarion hotel. They were fantastic in their hospitality for runners. Free shuttle to and from the airport and the race. And, a 3:00 pm check out time! I don't think I've ever been given that option. They were very kind and accommodating!! | |
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J. R. from Virginia
(10/20/2011)
"Three thumbs up" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Grand Rapids Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Grand Rapids put on a model race, one that should be emulated by others. In addition to the stellar organization and nice course, the relatively small size (1,600 marathoners and 1,700 half-marathoners) was just right for an enjoyable running experience. The course was mostly flat with very gentle grades (virtually unnoticeable). The one alleged hill was gentle and perhaps 150-200 yards long. The course was mostly run through wooded areas (parks and parkways), quite pleasant, but not particularly scenic. Each mile was prominently marked with a large flag. These couldn't be missed. Packet pick-up was a breeze (I went Saturday morning) and was open on race morning. There was ample parking within a block or two of the start/finish line. This was important because I couldn't find a hotel room within walking distance of the start/finish, even though I started looking 4 months prior to the race. The YMCA, a block from the start/finish line, was open race morning to give runners shelter from inclement weather. This was much appreciated. The race director and staff worked their magic on race day: the light rain stopped when the gun went off and they managed to completely corral the 20-30 mph winds that we experienced on Friday and Saturday. Overcast skies and high-40s and mid 50s temps also made for good running. Plenty of enthusiastic fans and clever signs along the course, even in the park areas that weren't center city or residential; i.e., people had to travel to get there. Plentiful volunteers who were uniformly smiling and encouraging. Half marathoners started with the marathoners and rejoined them at about mile 22.5. This did not create any crowding at my pace (8:20/mile). A wide and plentiful variety of food and drink was available at the finish, the usual bananas and water, but also apples, cookies, bread, chips, Gogurt, custard, ice cream, and chocolate milk. The email newsletter provided useful, late-breaking information, rather than just cutting and pasting from the website. Why can't all races do this? The race packets were classy; the bag was a nice cloth mini-backpack carryall that could be used as a gear bag on race day. Also included was a pair of technical socks. Gear drop off took 10 seconds and pick-up took 1 minute. Finishing time and places were posted at the race site and updated about every 30 minutes. This allowed runners to see how they did and whether they should hang around to pick up their award on-site. Grand Rapids was a nice destination for a fall marathon; good eating at reasonable prices, a fun museum across from the YMCA expo site (with a spooky Halloween light and music show in the planetarium) as a diversion, and it was easy to get around. The race staff put in a lot of hard work to make the race successful and it showed. Most importantly, everyone, both associated with race and not, was very friendly and helpful; even the TSA screener at the airport who told me that he liked my Flying Pig marathon jacket. | |
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D. D. from Portage, Michigan
(10/18/2011)
 "Good marathon with first-class organization" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Grand Rapids Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is my second time running the GR marathon. It is run by runners and you can tell as things just run smoothly and without any fuss. The post-run refreshments are very generous, escpecially for a smaller race. The course is flat, but has two little turnarounds that detract from the appeal. The finisher's shirt previously was a nice long-sleeve Brooks wicking shirt. This year it was replaced by a cheaper short-sleeve model from some off brand. It's a pretty cruddy shirt which is too bad, as I wear last year's model all the time. Still despite the course quirks and cut-rate shirt it is a very well-run race and worth doing if you are looking for a fall marathon in Michigan. | |
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P. C. from East Lansing, Michigan
(10/18/2011)
 "Awesome Race" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Grand Rapids Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is the second time that I have had the pleasure, yes pleasure, of running the Grand Rapids Marathon. It is the most well organized marathon that I have had the opportunity to run. The text/email alerts were an excellent addition this year and would love to have them back next year!! | |
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k. g. from south bend indiana
(10/18/2011)
"overall amazing well organized race." (about: 2011)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Amazing race, course, volunteers, organization. | |
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J. S. from Gurnee, IL
(10/17/2011)
"nice marathon, nice weather, nice race director" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my 5th marathon overall and all in the past year, and my 1st GR marathon. I picked this one because I didn't want the large crowds like Chicago and I wanted a flat fast course in a cool time of year. This race was also in the top 25 marathons in the Midwest. I had my doubts about the weather, but the rain quit just in time to make the weather perfect. I enjoyed the course but could do without the turnaround #2 in the woods....when I see a turnaround it usually means I'm heading back to the finish. Also, I recall reading about the incline on the paved bike path, but realized yes it was a pain to run on, literally. A little while would be fine, but the course spends a lot of time in the woods. It was difficult running on the incline, I either wanted to run in the middle or to far right side. Overall, I think I may do this one again. I didn't BQ, but did get my 2nd fastest time yet and enjoyed getting emails from the race director (and I think a hug from him at the finish - not sure it was him or not. lol), hearing them announce my name over the speaker and the nice lady at the finish who helped me get a plastic blanket. | |
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K. Y. from Kalamazoo, MI
(10/17/2011)
"Life-time Runner" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 4-5 Grand Rapids Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 There is nothing for me to add to all of the positive comments. It is all that and I love it so much that I am a life time entrant. Doesn't that say it all! 2011 is my 4th running. | |
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Kelli Dib from Michigan
(10/17/2011)
"Gorgeous course with excellent organization!" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Grand Rapids Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I couldn't be happier I chose the Grand Rapids Marathon for my first marathon. The weekly, then daily newsletters leading up to race day provided all the information I needed. Scenery along the course was beautiful and the spectators were wonderfully encouraging. My husband was able to 'chase' me along the course and cheer for me at several spectator sites. Aid stations were abundant with Gatorade and water as were the medical stations. The amount and variety of snacks and refreshments at the end were wonderful. This was such an excellent event that was clearly very well organized. I'll happily run it year after year. |
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