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Route 66 Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Route 66 Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.9 
Organization 4.5 
Spectators 3.7
Number of comments: 254 [displaying comments 101 to 111]
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L. P. from Tulsa
(5/7/2009)
 "Good Course, But Post-Race Suffered" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Route 66 Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was my first half, but the course was awesome. No shuttle was available, as advertised from the hotels, so I had a great warm up by sprinting 2 miles to the start line about 4 minutes before the gun. I finished in 1:58, and moved through the chute for food and beer. To my surprise, the beer had been finished, there was a 45-minute wait for burgers, and there was no pizza. Tulsa could have hit a grand slam if food and beverage were available. If you're not going to have it, don't advertise it. Hopefully '09 will improve on the athlete condiments, or we can tailgate post-race. | |
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D. M. from Tulsa
(1/7/2009)
 "Well Done" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Route 66 Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was very impressed with the organization. The volunteers were all exceptionally nice. At about mile 18 we encountered a man who was struggling with leg cramps. One of the volunteers offered him water and some food. He (the volunteer) ran all the way back to the aid station and then ran back to catch up with the man who had continued on. I was impressed! | |
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D. S. from Knob Noster MO
(1/5/2009)
"Great Spectator Support" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Route 66 Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Thanks to all of the friendly folks from Tulsa who came out to support the runners. This was definitely the right time of year for a race, as the weather could not have been better and the enthusiasm was contagious. Frankly, the course was boring - 20 miles were mostly out and back, with a nice climb through the neighborhoods in the last 6 miles (boy, that was cruel hill placement). I do like to see where I am going and that endless stretch of concrete was lacking in visual appeal. I echo the previous comments about organization.... After 26.2 miles, I feel I earned my beer. There was no reason to run out. Putting up signs for shuttle drop off/pick up would have been very nice. Fortunately, the shuttle driver saw me rapidly waddling to catch up and waited for me. Signs indicating where various post-race services could be found also would have been helpful. A side note: Oklahoma apparently has small burrs in the grass.... I found this out the hard way when I sat on a curbside lawn to treat a blister. Talk about motivation applied to the glutes. Be wary where you sit. | |
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R. M. from New Jersey
(1/5/2009)
 "It was okay" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Route 66 Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Tulsa was my 8th marathon. I finally decided to embark on the 50 state quest, and this one fell on a weekend that I was free. So off to Tulsa I went. I could summarize the marathon - and, actually, the entire weekend - with one word: Meh. For the most part, it was a well-organized race. My only complaints are at the finish. The entrance to the food tent was a zoo. The last thing I wanted to do after running 26.2 miles was to stand around in line for 10 minutes before I could leave the finish chute. Also, I was disappointed that the beer was gone. I finished in 4 hours, so there were still a lot of people behind me. That was poor planning. But otherwise, it was well organized. Crowd support was sparse. Many of the people who did line the course were sitting on their hands. I don't really NEED crowd support - I don't have a cheering section on my training runs - but a little more life would have been nice. As for the course, I seem to be in the minority here; I didn't particularly like it. We ran alongside the Arkansas River, but we were far enough away from it that you couldn't see it for most of the time. I found the out-and-back stretch to be rather boring. And it's a looooong stretch. I won't complain about the hills, because we all knew about them going in. In fact, because the hilly part was in a nice section of town with some nice houses, it was actually my favorite part of the course. So while there wasn't much wrong with the race, there wasn't a whole heck of a lot to hang your hat on, either. My opinion would be that if you're doing the 50 state thing and need to cross Oklahoma off your list, then Tulsa is fine to accomplish that. But if you're looking for an fun or exciting race, then you could probably do better. And if you do go to Tulsa, don't stay at the Doubletree (host hotel) if you want entertainment. The hotel itself was fine. But the neighborhood around the hotel downtown apparently shuts down on the weekend. There was NOTHING to do in that area for 48 hours. No restaurants, bars, etc. Heck, I couldn't even find a fast food restaurant for a bite to eat. If you're looking for a fun area, stay somewhere else and arrange your own transportation to the start/finish line.... | |
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T. S. from Arkansas
(12/28/2008)
 "upon further review..." (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Route 66 Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I commented previously and complained about the lack of beer. Reading it now it sounds too negative. Heck, I can buy my own beer. It was really well done. The 5-hour pacers (11:27 mile) got behind their pace and ran mile 11 or 12 in 9 minutes to catch up (their chip splits confirm this), leaving everyone they were with. In their defense, I'm not sure what they should have done once they realized they were so behind. But I had my watch, so I could live without the pacers. Again, I don't want to be negative; it was a great marathon. | |
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Z. R. from Kansas
(12/7/2008)
"Good overall race, so-so course" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Route 66 Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The expo, pasta dinner, shirts and medal were all very well done. Everything was very well planned, except the shuttle (was there only one?) back to the hotel. It was impossible to find the location of the return shuttle; there were no signs and I finally found it a block and a half away, marked by a sign that said it was the relay shuttle. Trying to find a race volunteer to answer the question while runners were still coming in was difficult. The hotel is a long way away - too far to walk. The hills are steep and long, and at a difficult place. Not fun. It presents a real dilemma. If you go too hard, you have nothing left for the hills. No one was running up the hills - everyone was walking except the 4:15 pace group leaders, who through the first hill lost everybody. If you save up for the hills (go slower up to then), I really doubt you could make up the time, and you will still be walking most of the way by the time you hit the bad hill in the park. The rest of the course is nice. I probably won't return to this one even though it is only three hours from home, unless they reverse the course. | |
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T. S. from Arkansas
(12/1/2008)
"nicely done, but where's my beer?" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Route 66 Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Nice course for Tulsa. I would prefer the river trail, not road, but there's no way to enforce making people do the trail bends and not short-cut them, so the road is the best choice. I liked the hills at the end, but my right hip is still killing me from the severely cambered concrete road the last couple miles. They gave us beer tickets this year, but to no avail, as they were long gone by the time the slower marathoners got there. Is it so hard to bring as many beers as you gave out tickets for? You can take extras back, right? | |
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John Roman from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
(12/1/2008)
"Incredibly Well-Organized Marathon" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Route 66 Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The best organized "small marathon" that I have run. There were an incredible number of supportive volunteers made this a pleasure to run. From the registration desk to the aid stations, everyone was very helpful. The course was well laid out and marked; there were many clocks throughout the course; there were a good number of well-manned aid stations; and there were supportive spectators. They even provided a Red Sox fan as starter/announcer, which was an unexpected premium. I would strongly recommend this race. Great job!! | |
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Alfred Keep from Alberta, Canada
(11/23/2008)
"Course was well laid out" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Route 66 Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I was very impressed with the race expo. It was well laid out. I was able to donate three pairs of my old running shoes. The course was incredible. It ran along the Arkansas River. I was worried about the 8 a.m. start and the heat, but the weather turned out great. Would I travel down to Oklahoma to run it again? Hell yeah!!! | |
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John Vinings from Ft. Worth TX area
(11/21/2008)
"Effective organization; good, small marathon" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Route 66 Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 My 16th start, and 13th finish. Thoroughly enjoyed everything about the race except the course. Typically out-and-back courses or "modified" out-and-back courses are boring and fast. The run along the river provides a nice setting for running out and back. Beautiful neighborhoods into downtown for the finish. However, the hills through the neighborhoods between miles 22-25 were at a bad place in the race and advertising made them sound insignificant. They were not. I suspect the position of the hills in the race slows everyone's times, including the winners (by several minutes, if not more). I recommend running the course in reverse. |
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