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☰
Buffalo Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Buffalo Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 3.8 
Spectators 3.3
Number of comments: 315 [displaying comments 111 to 121]
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A. L. from Sheffield, MA
(5/26/2009)
"pretty nice" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Well organized and a nice race. The first half goes through a more industrial part of town, which is fine because you are with the half-marathon people. The second half is in nice neighborhoods, where there was really good spectator support. The police and volunteers did a good job of closing roads. There could be more information on race parking, pre-race toilets, and bag check. But all in all, a fine race. | |
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M. L. from Rochester, NY
(5/25/2009)
"A nice morning and a decent race" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was my first Buffalo Marathon, and based on previous negative comments I was a bit nervous, but happily things went fairly smoothly. Pros: 1) A relatively flat course, although there are definitely a few significant overpasses in the first half and some long, slow inclines in the second. 2) Race volunteers at every intersection did a great job of controlling traffic and were cheerful at the same time. 3) Water and Gatorade were plentiful and it was fairly easy to tell which was which. 4) The finish line announcers did a nice job and I enjoyed the party atmosphere afterwards, even though I was in no shape to be drinking a beer! 5) We got lucky with the weather this year. I feared it would be much warmer. Cons: 1) As I'm not from Buffalo, I relied on the website for info and found it lacking. For example, I could find no information on parking, nor did it state clearly when online registration would end. 2) No porta-potties at the start. There were huge lines in the hotel restrooms and seemingly public restrooms on upper levels of the hotel were LOCKED. 3) I strongly dislike having the half and full marathons start together. The first half felt quite congested and the second half felt the opposite (it seemed I was almost running alone at times). 4) Probably at least 3/4 of the course was beautiful, but the rest was pretty sketchy and/or industrial. 5) Spectators were few and far between, especially during the second half. | |
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M. B. from Tonawanda, NY
(5/25/2009)
"Perfect weather, best crowds around!!" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first Buffalo Half-Marathon. The course was intermittently disappointing; there are beautiful downtown areas, and about half of the race venue (and smell) was disappointing! The registration area at the Hyatt was too small for the number of people present for registration, shopping, etc. The port-a-potty situation was better than expected. The participants were great and friendly; and the crowd and well-wishers were the best!! I loved the waterfront portion of the race!! | |
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B. C. from Windsor, Ontario
(5/25/2009)
"NOT as advertised" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 If you want a flat, fast course, do NOT run this race. Rolling hills and long gradual inclines and declines would describe the course's geography. Apparently somebody stole all the "$35.00 New Balance" technical shirts and replaced them with very cheap knock-offs. The weather was good, and the hotel was very close to the start (and quite affordable - nicer than expected). Water stations were fine. The first half of the course (approximately from mile 7 to mile 12) was changed about 3 days ahead of time from a flat waterfront view, to a hilly, industrial wasteland view. More notice next time please, so I can make arrangements to run Ottawa instead. Don't fool yourself; the course (with or without last-minute changes) is NOT flat. I guess that was my biggest gripe - advertising a race as a flat, fast potential Boston qualifier, when it is NOT. Please don't fall into the same trap I did. If you don't mind rolling terrain, this course is fine. To end on a positive note, the Anchor Bar (where Buffalo chicken wings were invented) was an awesome place to eat. | |
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J. Z. from Michigan
(5/25/2009)
"A well-run marathon" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Not having been to Buffalo before, I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the city was. I enjoyed the course, and I thought the spectators and volunteers were great. There were plenty of bathrooms, the water stations were well spaced out, and the finish area was well organized. Small but decent medal. Plenty of food. I can only say good things about my experience, and I would recommend this marathon. | |
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R. D. from NY
(5/25/2009)
"Nice Job, Buffalo!" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 First off, do not look at past reviews and judge this organization or the race itself. The Buffalo Marathon organizers, director, and volunteers did a phenomenal job this year, I felt. We stayed at the Hyatt right near the start and finish lines, and the staff were very courteous and helpful. The room was nice, and they offer a marathon discounted rate if you tell them you are there for the run. The packet pick up and expo went really smoothly. I liked the shirt that they gave out this year. It's nice for running/sweating in. It's got the simple Buffalo Marathon logo without a bunch of ads all over it. The expo that they had was small, but there were still some nice things to pick up if you wanted to do some small shopping. The disposable chip was a nice touch, so you didn't need to worry about making sure it got turned in at the end also. The course itself was scenic but does have some hills (the bridge overpass areas). The residents and support along the course this year were really nice, with a lot of cheering - especially near the 10K portion. There were even a few neighborhoods around 22 miles handing out ice-cold Gatorade to runners on their own. Thank you. The finish was nice, and they called out your name as you came in (if they could, due to runner volume), which was nice, as this was my first full marathon. Very nice finisher's medal, and they seemed to have a lot this year. I didn't hear of anyone finishing and not getting one. There was plenty of water, orange slices, etc. at the finish. The gathering at the Convention Center afterward was nice, with free beer and food during the awards ceremony. Very well handled marathon this year, and we will definitely be returning next year. Well done, Buffalo! | |
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T. H. from Corning, NY USA
(5/25/2009)
"Loved it, for the most part!!" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Buffalo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 2nd marathon. The crowd support was excellent, and the weather was good. The free pasta dinner was AWESOME!! It's not as flat as I thought it would be; there were lots of long, gradual inclines. Very crowded in the first 4 or so miles - annoyingly so. Also, they ran out of small shirts. Overall, great though! A 20-minute PR for me! | |
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J. C. from Port Perry Canada
(5/24/2009)
"Good job, Buffalo" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Buffalo Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Interesting course, in terms of variety of scenery - waterfront, old industrial area and pleasant neighborhoods. Fairly flat. Good volunteer support. Fans, although spread out/sparse in places, are strong in spirit. My second time at Buffalo, and I'd recommend it, or consider doing it again. | |
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s. s. from buffalo, ny
(5/24/2009)
"Terrific time!!" (about: 2009)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first-ever road race - the full Buffalo Marathon - so I don't have anything to compare it to. Registration was easy, water/Gatorade/gel/oranges were plentiful, the course was well marked, and traffic was managed well. A+ job by the organizers. | |
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M. F. from Buffalo, NY
(5/24/2009)
"Could be great... in another couple of years" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Buffalo Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Being from Buffalo, I WANT to like this race... but it's just not there yet. It's not that it's horrible; it just doesn't pay attention to details, some of which would be SO easy to fix. They changed the course this year - partly for congestion, and partly due to a bridge being out. I really like the course changes, although they added 3 good-sized rolling hills to the first half. They say that "the race shirt will be New Balance technical shirt." Funny... mine is from some company I've never heard of and doesn't say, "New Balance" anywhere. The start line is a mess - just put some "pace balloons" or something to mark where people should line up. There was WAY too much racer traffic early on for such a small race. Even with the changes, why go to the most depressed (and depressing) industrial part of the city? (Can you call it "industrial" if all of the businesses are closed?) I'd rather zigzag on millionaire's row to make up those miles. The spectators are great; there just aren't a lot of them. The medals are crap. If you like attention to detail, this is NOT your race. It has poorly marked miles and extremely few split clocks. Fluid stations slightly confusing (different colored cups for water and gatorade, please). If you'd like to do your long, slow run with a lot more people, and some food and beer afterward, this is perfect for you. |
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