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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 281 to 291]
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J. M. from Ridgefield, CT
(5/27/2003)
 "Best value in marathon running" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I thoroughly enjoyed the 2003 marathon. Here are some of the positives: - I've run 11 marathons and this is by far the flattest one I've ever run. Very fast, PR type course. I've read that people say that there are hills in Forest Lawn Cementary, but these are very, very minor. - The start and finish are a block from the host hotel - very convenient. - For $30 you get 2 quality, ad-free t-shirts, a medal and a pasta dinner. - Very pretty course. Lasalle Park and the Marina provide nice lake views. The historic houses on Franklin are beautiful. Forest Lawn Cemetary and Delaware Park are extremely beautiful. These are all in the first half of the marathon. The second half winds through Kenmore (not great, but not horrible) heads back to Delaware Park (pretty) and ends in a 2 mile slightly downhill finish (nice). - The first half of the race is pretty well shaded. The sun takes a toll in the second half, but the nice breezes tend to counteract the sun. - I had no problems with traffic - most streets were closed to traffic and the ones that weren't had police/voulunteers directing traffic/runners at every corner. I think the organizers learned from previous years' problems and greatly improved the organization. - Crowds were small but loud. - Overall, there are a lot of marathon options for Memorial Day weekend, but, this one should be at the top of the list. I've run Vermont, NYC, Philadelphia, Adirondacks and a few more, and this one ranks right up there with any of them. John, the race director, did a tremendous job in 2003!! | |
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E. H. from Rochester, NY
(5/27/2003)
"Very nice course" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is my 7th marathon. I loved this course, and think it is ideal for someone looking for a personal best. My favorite parts were the harbor front and the cemetery. The city of Buffalo seems clean and nice. There were plenty of volunteers who did a fine job with traffic and rest stops. Finally, we were very lucky with the weather. The predictions were for occasional showers, but we got 100% sunshine. | |
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C. B. from Toronto Canada
(5/26/2003)
 "This was good value for the money" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 For my first marathon, this was a great experience. I only gave the course a four star rating, since having the course intersect (near the 1/2 marathon start) made for tricky navigating and dodging quicker runners! The organization was just great. 5 stars. Easy to find the expo, pre-race dinner and post-race party. How do they manage to do all this for only a $30 fee? Lots of helpful people on and off the course. I didn't expect to see many spectators, but there were more than when I ran the Toronto waterfront and Niagara half-marathons last year! And they provided some great support. | |
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P. A. from Aurora, Ontario, Canada
(5/26/2003)
"convenient, flat, and friendly course" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I just got back from Buffalo having run what I would call a very friendly, flat, and inexpensive marathon. As a Canadian, I must say I did appreciate the singing of our national anthem at the start. Overall, I found the visit to Buffalo very affordable, and the hotel, which is located at the starting line, has to be one of the most convienently located host hotels that I've stayed in for a marathon. The marathon itself had adequate police support and great volunteer support. A few cranky motorists, and the course itself being flat had a slightly uneven camber that seemed to take its toll after 42km. We were very fortunate to find a restaurant called 'Just Pasta' that treated us extremely fairly in serving a high quality family style pasta dinner. This was an alternative to the race pasta dinner which we, as a group, usually stay away from. The expo was a little light on content. I missed not being able to buy my 'Marathon Mug', but we did get two t-Shirts - one earlier in the mail - and a marathon medal. This is a great small marathon, and if you live in southern Ontario, or upstate New York, I would certainly put it on your spring calendar. | |
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C. L. from Upstate NY
(5/26/2003)
 "Not as good as I thought..." (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I expected to see fuel stops (Power Gu, fruit...etc) starting around mile 10, but the race provided NOTHING. Make sure you carry something with you, otherwise you will be drained. They were good by offering water and Gatorade every 2 miles. The course was beautiful, and went through many different areas... city, lakefront, and rural. The police did a good job of keeping the roads clear, although one crazed driver tried to run over some runners. The course was well marked, although the half and full marathon had the same mile markers, so it was sometimes confusing. I did not attend the after race party because they waited too long after the finish to start it. All in all, it was a good deal for the entry fee that I paid. If you want to PR, I would recommend it. | |
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K. P. from Central, NY
(5/26/2003)
"I was very impressed with this Marathon." (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I was very impressed with the '03 Buffalo Marathon. The course wound through many beautiful neighborhoods (I didn't realize Buffalo was so nice!!) Spectators were not abundant but were enthusiastic. This course is flat and fast like no other could possibly be. There are only a few very minor hills in the cemetary, which is about 2 miles of running, right in the middle of the race. Pre-race pasta dinner (free) was of good quality. The race start was right out the front door of the official hotel (which granted a late check-out) and had a special rate ($27 cheaper than regular room rate). ALL of the volunteers were enthusiastic. Traffic was well maintained and runners had absolute priority over traffic. Local police were wonderful and friendly. The race was tremendously well organized, with water and sports drink at every two miles. At the finish line there was bottled water, blankets and bananas. The web site is a bit lame but so what. If you choose to run this race, you'll likely get a nice day as it's usually nice in Buffalo in late May. | |
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M. M. from Philadelphia, PA
(2/1/2003)
 "The low-down on the finisher's medal" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The finisher's medal: For some folks, this is a big deal. They have a collection hanging on their wall, an elaborate wind chime, or something similar, and really look forward to a large/unique/pretty finisher's medal. If this is you, don't sign up for the Buffalo Marathon. The finisher's medal is a round medallion about the size of a silver dollar (but bronze!) My recommendation for you is Vermont City. For those of you that enjoy the race purely for what happens between the start and finish lines, run this race. It's small but well put-together, and the entry fee of $25 can't be beat. If you're solidly in one of the two groups above, appreciate the fact that you probably won't see the other group at the race ;) | |
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A Runner from Cleveland Ohio
(10/28/2002)
"A positive thing for the city of Buffalo" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The host hotel allowed a free late check out which gave me time to shower and nap prior to the drive back to Cleveland. The soccer kids must have been pretty quiet since I did not even notice them. Hotel room was really nice fireplace and all A+. I have ran 5 marathons including Cleveland and Columbus which are both pretty big. Ther was vheicular traffic at both if I remember right. Colombus was just last week and I know there were cars crossing and opposite direction, I do not see the problem. I had the stomach flue so my pace was a little off and my 3:42 finish was no where near fast enough to be an age group winner my pr would not be enough either but I would never complain about the trophy I would be thrilled that I won one. The course was beautiful the race was well managed this is something Buffalo can be proud of. I went to Buffalo thinking it would be a crummy dump of a city but I wanted to get in a spring marathon so I went anyway. I left thinking how wrong I was. I now have another spring marathon on my list. I did not realize that the pasta dinner was included in the entry fee, what other race gives that? A nice sweatshirt, cap and finishers medal all for $25, I left thinking what a good find this race was. And by the way what do people really think a finishers medal should be? I have heard that complaint a lot 'the medal sucked'. Should the medal be made of real gold or weigh 5 lbs.? I think all five of my marathon finishers medals are great the value is what they mean to me. Thanks for a great race. | |
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A Runner from Virginia
(6/7/2002)
"Good Value- Good People-Stop Whining" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I enjoyed the Nissan. No problems or major complaints and another PR for me. It was an excellent value,a small marathon, a fast course, and a good experience for most of the runners. Sure there is room for improvement, as with any race or anything, but the marathon is much better than all the reviewers on here would suggest. The free pasta dinner was fine for me! Come on! Especially sorry that all the abundant free food/beer/drinks at the convention center celebration didn't meet some people's more cultured palates...Oh my God!!! The male winner/whiner Steve Wilson should learn some PR (public relations) instead of trying to set a PR...what a bitter ungracious whiner/winner. Maybe he should get a real job...as a greeter at Walmart. The home-town female winner (Sikora)was great and gracious- congrats to her!!! The people of Buffalo though sparsely out on the course were 95% supportive and enthusiastic- thanks for all the smiles and encouragement. Buffalo could benefit from greater community support for the race to bolster much needed tourism in the economically depressed area. My biggest complaint?- realizing that so many 'fellow runners' are bitter, whiny, self-centered people...I was running partly to get away from people like you...If I mail you a check for your $25 will you shut up? | |
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A Runner from Toronto Canada
(6/4/2002)
"The best value for money marathon" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have done many marathons in both the US and Canada and I can give some honest comments. The Buffalo marathon is by far the best marathon that I have done and I have done a lot in different cities. For $25 you get a very good sweatshirt, a good cap, a pasta meal with free beer, very good post race foods with free beer, pasta , pizza, etc, plus a nice place to sit, relax and enjoy the moments with family in the Convention Centre plus a very good scenic course. I know there were some problems with no baggage check, maybe pasta ran out or a long wait, traffic control etc. These are problems that can be corrected easily so do not be so negative. I was told that last year almost no one showed up at the Saturday night pasta so how was the director to know the turnout would be extremely good.Please do not forget that the director has a small budget also. As compared to the Chicago, Disney and New York marathons, the Buffalo marathon is extremely superior. At the Chicago , NY and Disney marathons you get a cheap , cheap $2 t-shirt and some stale dry bagel, if you are lucky. The directors of these marathons take the huge entry fees $90 and pay the no name elite athletes huge appearance fees. Disney take the money period. Buffalo do not offer a lot of prize money but they do give the runners value for their money. I have read a lot of comments on various marathons on this website and do not know why runners are so negatives to races like Buffalo. The directors of the small marathons like New Orleans, Hartford, Buffalo, London Ontario try very hard and runners should be more supportive of their efforts. I like big marathons since I am not too swift. However the big marathons cost a lot and give nothing in return. Runners should go to marathons where the directors give a lot to runners. I certainly would not go out of my way to do Chicago again even though I like big marathons and big expos. The directors of Chicago, NY etc would certainly be receptive to runners concern if their numbers drop. I would certainly ask fellow marathon runners to carefully consider the small marathons like Buffalo, Hartford, New Orleans to name a few. |
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