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☰
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 221 to 231]
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william carter from macomb,mi
(5/22/2006)
"a very nice marathon" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I must admit that my main reason for doing this marathon was that I had family in Cleveland. I was very pleasantly surprised about everything (except the monsoon like weather). The expo was very nicely organized, although getting in and out of Burke airport was something that needs to be addressed next year. Excellent, friendly vendors with all the good stuff. The start of the race was nicely organized and went off without a hitch. The course itself had some nice areas with great views of lake erie and some very nice parks. There was also a very nice downhill that seemed to go from around mile 18 to 20. Then of course we turned back into what seemed like a 25 mile an hour headwind! A very nice finish area, with an enthusiastic announcer and a nice crowd of people. I would like to thank our pacers Mark and Scott for doing such a great job. | |
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G. T. from Ohio
(5/22/2006)
"No Rock - No Repeat" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Ok - to start with something positive.... The people of Cleveland were wonderful. The race wasn't. From the lousy location and disorganization of the expo, to a boring course layout. Cleveland is a cool city with great architecture, but nope, they put us on the highway with minor views of the lake. Yawnnnnn. It wasn't as flat as expected. The indoor shopping mall at the start line was a wonderful dry play to determine if I wanted to run in the rain and the cold. The finishing medal states and the race logo is that Cleveland "Rocks and Runs" - BOGUS!!! Speaking of which, it was a cheap and dreary looking medal. Get rid of the corporate logo and use some imagination on the reverse. Better manufacturing would also help. There is no "Rock!" I do have to give praise for the single band around mile six. The Race Roadies were great! The water was bleach. Find a bottled-water sponsor! The tap water was foul tasting and just terrible. The three people out cheering were terrific. OK - so I exaggerate, the crowds were non-existent. All this and a butt-ugly t-shirt! Race director - go to Nashville and learn that attention to detail is important. This could be a classy race but it needs people to put it together with imagination and vision. | |
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D. L. from Cleveland, Ohio
(5/22/2006)
"Half Marathon Course was scenic, well managed" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Pros: I only ran the half-marathon. I loved the course, much more scenic than I expected. We ran over the river and flats, along the lake past Edgewater beach and boat docks, and through some beautiful residential neighborhoods. For slower runners like me I am grateful to the volunteers who manned the refreshment tables late in the race. When I ran the full marathons in Erie, Columbus and Pittsburgh (twice), the volunteers were packing up the water tables at 3.5-4 hours. The walking division was a good idea, it drew alot of walkers and kept the course open longer for slower runners. I plan to run the full marathon next year. Cons: Downtown streets were not completely closed, street crossings required attention to traffic, although there were plenty of police / volunteers directing and stopping traffic. Not enough Port-A-Johns on the course. Need better advertising and media hype to get neighbors out cheering for the runners. | |
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M. M. from Lansing, MI
(1/18/2006)
"What a great time!" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The people of Cleveland were wonderful. Everyone we came in contact with was friendly, outgoing and fun. Lots of things to do and see. The field of runners was small but very supportive. The course was a bit challenging and spectators were sparse (otherwise 5 stars). An overall great time. | |
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D. O. from Normal, IL
(10/12/2005)
"This race is a well-kept secret......." (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 even in Cleveland, so it seems. There didn't seem to be any buzz around town for this event. Perhaps it's because the race was in late May. I understand that it had been held in April previously. Given the unpredictability of early Spring weather, the move to May was probably a smart move. The race itself---I gave the course 4 stars but it's a shaky 4 stars. Miles 13-18 go through a bit of a well-worn area. Wouldn't want to be caught there after dark. However the park from miles 18-20 is pretty nice and you do seem to run by alot of landmarks. Plus you run by the Lake for a fair portion of the race. On a nice day, which it was this year, it's a scenic view. Hills? I train in a flat area and I didn't consider this to be a hilly course (although the pull up Shoreway at about mile 8 took me by surprise). Otherwise the other 'hills' (3 total) are highway ramps. Other than the last one being at a most inopportune point in the race (23 mile mark), they were no bother. This is mostly a flat course. PR/BQ is certainly possible; especially if you only have around 1600 people running the full marathon like this year. This race could easily be twice as large without feeling crowded. The Expo was a treat--well-organized. Everything was clearly marked out with plenty of friendly volunteers. A bit small in terms of the number of vendors but every vender there had quality stuff. No junk. It was also right next to a general health expo sponsored by Rite Aid which attracted alot of people. However, you could move around pretty easily at that as well. It was a nice change of pace to experience a well-run quality Expo after having experienced one that was a poorly run disaster the previous October (Marine Corps in DC). Fans? Not many. Bring your own. If you want the thrill of cheering crowds, this isn't the race for you. I was surprised, though, as to how few spectators there were. Again, perhaps the new date for this year's race had something to do with this. Water stops were well-manned when I passed through. Pleasantly surprised by the number of kids who gave up their morning to help out. Accomodations/Pasta Dinner--the pasta dinner at the Hyatt was pretty good. Plenty of food that was much tastier than expected and very attentive help to keep the glasses full and bus the tables. This is worth the price. We stayed at the Hampton which was about a block or so away from the start/finish. It wasn't included on the list of host hotels so there was no race discount. However, the staff was VERY runner-friendly and the rooms were more than adequate. I'd stay there again. Negatives: 1) The spectators who came with us could only see us again after the start at about the 12.5 mile mark. Being from out of town, we weren't familiar with Cleveland so we didn't know if there were easy ways to get to other viewing points on the course. If there are other easily accessable spectator points, perhaps this information could be included in the race packet or on the web page? 2) Your local average 10K has more energy and excitement at the finish than this race had. I understand that they brought in someone from out of town who does finish line announcing at other races around the country. He was pretty good and certainly tried to generate some excitement. However, other than him, there just wasn't much cheering or spark among the folks or volunteers who were at the finish. All in all, however, this is a good race to run and I'm glad to have been a part of it. | |
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M. K. from Central PA
(7/6/2005)
"Not as bad as people say" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 OK, so I only ran the half marathon, but I thought the course was terrific. A Cleveland native, I enjoyed revisiting some of my former haunts, especially the portion of the course near Edgewater Park, where I ran so many high school cross country meets. Perhaps because I live in a hilly area now, I thought the course was flat and fast, though it's true the bridges are actually *hills!* (I still smashed my half marathon PR here.) The one thing that others have said that I agree with is the lack of spectators for much of the course. However, having run a rather secluded trail marathon in the past, as well as many small local 5K & 10K road races with very few fans, I thought the fan support at this race was WAY better than those. So it's a matter of perspective. If you are happy with moderately sized, but enthusiastic crowds, this race is a good one. If you need GIANT sized crowds, you may want to race elsewhere. | |
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Kelly Lim from Singapore
(6/9/2005)
"Cleveland, Ohio - Great Place To Run" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I'm an overseas runner from Singapore. And this is my 1st time running in Ohio, USA. I'm totally impressed with the free singlet which was mailed to me as part of the early bird registration. I did not expect an overseas runner being eligible with no shipping cost incurred. This was a very sweet surprise! The finisher medal was GREAT! The nicest medal in my collection of 7 medals. Course-wise, the first part of the course was great, although running along Euclid Avenue & Chester (after the 1/2 marathon turning) was a tad boring. Also, there seems to be a little confusion after the bridge (after Jacobs Stadium), where you have to filter from left to right (just before the 1/2 marathoners have to break off with the marathoners). I was lucky as I was 100M behind some 1/2 marathoners and I knew exactly where to continue my marathon route. Also, the last part of the marathon was boring, as it was run inside the highway. There were only a couple of people (police guarding the intersection points). Not very exciting as this was the part where the slower runners like myself struggle to run with all the devils ringing in your ears... Also, the last part where you run round the loop (towards the West Street then back to East Street), was not very encouraging either. Imagine having to run past the finish (on the next street) and then u-turn back! Kind of demoralizing. But lucky for me, this was my 1st marathon (although the Mad City Marathon I did 1 week later at Madison also did the same thing), as I heard my home town (Singapore) being read over the public announcing system! That was COOL! And they knew where exactly Singapore is - a very far place from Cleveland, Ohio! Although this is my 2nd worst marathon (would have been my worst if I was 18 minutes slower), I had no hesitation in recommending to others. Just remember to do some hill training (it's not as flat as advertised). The charm of Cleveland will captivate you. I recommend the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and the tour of Cleveland's Red Indians (Jacob Fields) to anyone who have not visited Clevland. To the organizer: good job but do consider tweaking the final 2 - 3 miles. Also, do consider having your 1/2 marathoners start 15 to 30 minutes later! This is quite a BIG-scale marathon! : ) | |
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J. H. from Strongsville, OH
(6/3/2005)
"It keeps getting better" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Cleveland Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I have run the marathon the last four years, and the 2005 edition was the best yet. I like the course a lot. It is about as good a course as you can get while staying within the Cleveland city limits. The Rock Hall, Science Center, Browns Stadium, Lake Erie, Edgewater Park, Ohio City, Jacobs Field, Playhouse Square, Severance Hall, Art Museum, Rockefeller Park (best part of the course), Warehouse District... you'll run by them all. The course has several rolling hills in the first half (mostly on the Shoreway); the second half is almost all flat to downhill, with a couple of hills late in the race. I hesitate to call it a PR course -- I've only PR'd here once, and that was the first time, in my first marathon. But it is not as hilly as some might have you believe. I agree with the reviewer who pointed out the potential for cheaters to hop over the Shoreway barrier. Suggested solution: place a chip mat on West 117th (westernmost part of the course). The organization has definitely improved and shows that the race organizers are listening to runners' comments. The expo this year was much better; the medals are terrific; the T-shirt is a technical/wicking shirt; there were several bands along the course; they used paper cups at the water stops; the water stops had many more volunteers this year; the results were on the website by about 4 PM. It's almost like the race organizers read the prior years' reviews and set out to correct what they could. (They even brought better weather this year!) Not sure what to say to those who found aid stations that were unmanned or out of supplies; I don't doubt their experiences, but I had no problems getting water/Powerade at all the stops. My major issue was the lack of protection on Lakeside Avenue (for most of the last 1.5 miles of the race). Cones marked off one lane for the runners, which was fine - by that point in the race, one lane was enough. But that same lane also had many parked cars, so runners had no choice but to go outside the cones. The police seemed to do a good job of shooing away any cars, but it would have been nice to have two lanes marked off or to forbid street parking during the race. This isn't a race to run if you need constant fan support, although there are quite a few fans at the start/finish and at various points of the course. Certainly the Chicagos and Bostons of the world have larger cheering sections, but I have also run in races with far fewer spectators. Overall, this race felt like much more of an 'event' this year (overall participation was up by about 50%), and I really enjoyed it. See you in 2006.... | |
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J. N. from Jackson Heights, New York
(6/2/2005)
"Cleveland is Cool... Marathon is Average" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Cleveland is a cool city. There are many great tourist attractions in the downtown area... most within walking distance of the host hotel (the Hyatt). The race was average... room for improvement. Don't expect a flat course. Water stations were sub-par. Volunteers handled cups without gloves. Also many of the cups were barely filled, which doesn't help with water stations that were a dozen or so volunteers deep. | |
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J. R. from Canton, MI
(5/30/2005)
"Don't stay at the Marriott!" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Cleveland Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Okay marathon, but would not recommend it if you have to travel from out of town. I found the course more hilly than advertised and did not like the amount of concrete we ran on throughout the course. Most of all, I REALLY disliked the Marriott hotel (one of the hotels the marathon recommends). There was a large, loud party in the room next door to us and the hotel refused to address the situation or move us to a different room until 1:30 AM. In the end, I ended up with an hour of sleep and blame the hotel for my overly difficult marathon experience. Don't stay here if you want to get any sleep before your race! Positives...Great medal, nice race shirt and supportive spectators (though not too many of them!) |
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