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Jul 7, 2024

Cleveland Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Cleveland Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 3.9

Organization 3.9

Spectators 3.3

Number of comments: 299 [displaying comments 141 to 151]

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p. m. from Louisville, ky (5/20/2008) "Ugly course, great organization" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Cleveland Marathon COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I just ran the Derby Marathon 3 weeks ago, through a beautiful course through Louisville, KY that really showed off the great parts of Louisville. I've never been to Cleveland, but if this was the prettiest parts of Cleveland, I don't have to come back. Is there any other place where you can run this race besides freeways, alleys and down rows of abandoned buildings? I've run 12 marathons and this was probably the ugliest course I have ever run. Ok, so much for the complaining. Now the good stuff: The expo was great and fun. The medal and shirt were fantastic and the organizers seemed to know how to put on a race. the water stops were plentiful. Could you do something about the wind coming off of Lake Erie??? It almost blew us away for the last 8 miles of the race. My son won his age group in the 14-and-under division for his first marathon!!!
R. S. from Chicago, IL (5/19/2008) "Not Bad, But..." (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Cleveland Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 The course itself was fine. And I'm very glad that I ran it. The finisher medal alone made it worth the trip. The following comments are from a person who finished in around 6 hours, so keep that in mind. The overall impression I got was that this was really a half-marathon event with a marathon thrown in. The First half was great with crowd support and lots of help along the course and no question about which way to go. However after the half-marathoners broke off for the finish line, almost all of the crowd support was 99% from people working the marathon until you got to the finish line. A lot of the locations that were suppose to be playing music weren't, and there were stretches were I was totally alone and didn't see anyone else and began to wonder if I was still on the course. Also, coming back into town headed west on Marginal Road was kind of brutal, heading into the wind along the lake. But that could have just been that day. I don't know what happened at the finish line before I got there, but by the time I crossed it I got the very fantastic finisher medal, a bottle of water, a banana and two bags of pretzels and couldn't find anything else. Not quite the "food" I thought might be there (compared to 4 half marathons and one other marathon that I have run). Also, there weren't that many people hanging around the 26.2-mile event. So it was kind of like, "So is that all there is?" Didn't take too long to decide to head back to the hotel and take a nap. All in all, the course itself was a good experience, but for myself I could have used a little more crowd support in the second half of the course. I'm glad I ran it, but I doubt I would ever run it again. There are too many others to choose from.
A. P. from Chicago (5/19/2008) "Decent Times, Great Volunteers, Scant Spectators" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Cleveland Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 The course is pretty flat and fast, but there are a few "bridge hills." The volunteers were plentiful and cheerful. The crowds also offered great cheering, but there very few of them. Don't run this race if you need the crowds for encouragement. I'm also glad I didn't need any medical help because I saw practically nothing in that department. I finally saw a medical tent around mile 19 and I really needed a bit of Vaseline for some chafing. I yelled ahead to the three men manning the station and asked for Vaseline but they were still fumbling for it in a box and I was past them before they had anything for me. Is it so hard to have a few tongue depressors in a tub waiting for us? They had almost three hours for me to get there! I hate to nitpick about little stuff like this, but little stuff matters when you run 26 miles and it's so easy for these problems to be made better. If they had that much difficulty providing Vaseline, what would they do if I had a "real" medical problem?
D. E. from Granville, Ohio (5/19/2008) "Beware of the wind" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Cleveland Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I loved the course overall. The start wasnt too crowded. The toughest part of the course was at mile 19 when you turn back towards the city and run along Lake Erie into a stiff breeze. Without wind it would have been perfect.
Michael Maillis from Campbell, Ohio (5/19/2008) "Great course, fun." (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Cleveland Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I was a 3:30 pacer in this race. I haven't run Cleveland since 2001. It was my favorite marathon then. It ranks behind Boston now. Why do I love it? Let me tell you. Great course. I met fantastic people who love running. Very flat course - much flatter than the internet makes it look. FANTASTIC finisher's medal. Negatives: Crowd support was great only at the end, but it was a very bad day. Also I could not determine at water stops who had water and who had PowerAde. the volunteers, God bless them, were unorganized. Cleveland needs to put PowerAde first, then water - or put them on different sides of the road. Overall, great, great, great race. Go BROWNS!!!! I STRONGLY RECOMMEND CLEVELAND AS YOUR SPRING OHIO RACE.
T. R. from Columbus, OH (5/19/2008) "Better course than in the past!" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Cleveland Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Not a bad event but a few things could have been better! My comments are for the half. Pros: -The subtle change to the course from last year was good! Running many miles on that freeway wasn't fun last year so halving it was a nice touch! -Aid stations were just the right distance apart! -Crowd support was generally good. -A nice-sized expob which seemed to be easy to navigate. Cons: -I got to the expo late (decided to do the half the morning before the race) and they were completely out of ALL shirts. I could understand better if they didn't have my size but they didn't have any size. Not a huge deal to me but for others who trained for months for the race, they may be a little upset! -Revolutionary chip timing: I followed the instructions on how to affix it and it's still on my shoe. The problem is there is no official time for me finishing the race and no split times recorded. I also think the female winner on the website is incorrect as according to my local paper, there was a female two minutes ahead of who they claimed the winner was. Big oops if that's what happened!! Also a huge issue for those who ran the race and didn't get a recorded time (especially if this was their focus race)! -The race started about 10 minutes late. It wouldn't have mattered except it was raining AND in a big city; there should be no reason to start late! All in all, not a bad race if you're looking to do a nice-sized event!
J. B. from Dayton, OH (5/19/2008) "You'll love the course!" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Cleveland Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran a PR on this course on just two weeks rest. Next year I will try it fresh. Start/finish area was very well organized. Get to the race early and park right next to the starting line! Great race announcer at the start and finish. No relay runners to clog things up at the start. Gradual downhill from 16-20 along Museum Parkway. Loved it! Two hills are both manageable.
D. V. from Michigan, USA (5/19/2008) "Fantastic" (about: 2008) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My first full marathon. Great expo, great staff and volunteers, and the pacers were wonderful. Other than a wicked incline near mile 23, a great course for a first-timer. Very ample water and fluid supply - more than I needed and I tend to need them a lot in my shorter races. Good refreshments at the end, and a GREAT medal. If the races I run in the future are anywhere near this well done, I'll be very happy.
S. F. from Ohio (5/19/2008) "Shame on Cleveland" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Cleveland Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 The course adjustments were terrible, boring and the fan support stank! The volunteers and police were wonderful and did a great job, but everything else regarding the marathon was awful! Here are some suggestions for future events: 1) Start the wheelchair division 30min before the start so they do not have to fight through the crowds of runners and walkers. 2) Run through some nicer neighborhoods where people can walk out of their houses and show some support. 3) Start the event on time! If the start is 7am start at 7am! 4) Force walkers to start at the back so that runners don't have to plow into them from behind at the start of the race. 5) The new timing system was not great, since there was no beeping sound when crossing timing mats. 6) No mylar blankets? 7) Why are we running down an alley at mile 24-25? Is there no better way to route the course? That is enough complaining. I hope to see improvements in 2009.
M. M. from Cleveland, Ohio (5/19/2008) "Carbon copy of 2006!" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Cleveland Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Although there were some slight changes to the course, this marathon day was strikingly similar to the 2006 race. It started with standing in a steady rain for an unexplained 5-minute delay (the gun went off closer to 7:05). The course modification of running to the north of the Browns Stadium gave a fairly big hill combo (that and the entry to the Shoreway), but being that early in the race, it shouldn't have posed too many problems. The water stops and porta-potties seemed to be frequent enough... although runners do need to be courteous and not weave back and forth through them and mindlessly toss empty cups back into oncoming runners' paths. Once the half marathoners broke off (and there are so many of them that perhaps they merit their own start time), the race definitely quieted down. The sun also came out, which could have been a problem had the temperatures not been unseasonably cool. The headwind that was there in 2006 came back for this year's marathon, but not with such a vengeance. Still, it appeared there were headwinds for miles 19-24 in the 15 mph range, adding to tough miles along the boring marginal road. While we all know no one can control the weather, more often than not winds are coming off of the lake in a W/NW fashion, so headwinds will always prevail unless the course is changed. The last two miles back in downtown do plenty of looping around and doubling back and forth; it's mentally challenging at that stage of the race. The post-race food seemed pretty low-budget. Local 5Ks offer water and bananas. Couldn't find a bagel or any type of carbs for that matter, with the exception of potato chips. All in all, the race was very well organized, and if you register early enough, it's a bargain. Marathoners registering early received technical caps and shirts and the finisher's medal is very nice (and very similar to 2006). I'd imagine Cleveland would be pleasant for out-of-towners, due to the smaller field and easier logistics related to them (many hotels near the start, plenty of parking, little traffic). The crowd support was good when you were in residential neighborhoods, but a lot of the course is not. Finally, the general public seems more put off about the race than anything. There were plenty of blaring horns at intersections, with people eager to cut off runners to get to Sunday church! Kudos to the traffic control staff for fending them off! Unlike the previous post, I had no trouble with my timing device and was glad to not have to attempt removing the chip after finishing the race!

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