Back to Bayshore Marathon Information & Reviews
Paula Antoniou from Lake Orion, MI
(5/30/2009)
"Incredible Race in Beautiful Northern Michigan" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Bayshore Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and I picked a great one! It was an amazing experience from start to finish. And I don't only mean the race. The Traverse City area is a great place to vacation, especially for the outdoorsman or wine enthusiast! As for the race experience< there really wasn't much of an expo. But I knew about this before I chose the race. The local running store sets up a little bit of merchandise and there are a few pamphlets to pick up about other events - that's it. I'll also add my only other negative - the color choice for the shirts was horrid! Women's shirts were pink (eeew!!) and men's were bright green. The shirt itself was a nice, Brooks Podium, short-sleeve, but it is so incredibly ugly. I was warned that packet pick-up lines would be long. They weren't! It went very fast! I got my bib, my shirt and free socks (Yes! Free socks!) very quickly. My husband and I had no trouble finding parking race morning and we got there about a half-hour before the race start. After the gun, I had very little trouble negotiating the crowd before finding room to run. The size of the race is just right. There were plenty of aid stations and the stations were very big and spread out, with plenty of volunteers who did a great job shouting out "water!" or "Gatorade!" Kudos to those volunteers! The race course was beautiful - better than I had hoped for. The sunrise over the lake on the way up the peninsula was amazing. The finish on the track with stands filled with spectators was uplifting. The post-race refreshments were awesome! Lots of bananas, oranges, cookies of all kinds, YOGURT (!!), and Coldstone Creamery ice cream! Even though I became personally acquainted with the dreaded Wall during this race, I still consider it an amazing experience. Do this race! | |
S. J. from North Carolina
(5/30/2009)
"Great Race!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Bayshore Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was an excellent race. Great course, great conditions, great shirt, nice people - just an all-around great race. FYI: this race is not as flat as the Chicago Marathon. It is in no way hilly, but I was glad to know ahead of time that it did have gentle, rolling hills throughout. Maybe "soft inclines" is better way to describe them. Despite this, I PRed (and I have run flat Chicago twice)! This was my 14 marathon, and first Bayshore. I would do it again, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a race at which to PR or qualify! | |
T. J. from Chicago area
(5/28/2009)
"a beautiful and well-run race" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Bayshore Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I would highly recommend the Bayshore Marathon for anyone who needs to run a Michigan marathon for the 50 state club, or else for anyone who wants to run a relatively small, well-organized race on a beautiful course. The only negatives (and they are no big deal) were that the expo was small, and that by the time I finished the marathon they had run out of ice cream (oh the humanity!). All in all, a great race. | |
R. H. from Grand Rapids, MI
(5/27/2009)
"Great race and will do it again." (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Bayshore Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Expo was a bit chaotic, due to the size and number of people. Nice shirt and finisher medals. Course was beautiful and temperature was perfect. The conditions and course allowed me to beat my PR by 6 minutes. Will be back next year. | |
B. V. from Clawson, Michigan
(5/26/2009)
"Perfect Race" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Bayshore Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Not enough good can be said about the 2009 Bayshore Marathon. It was the best-run race that I have ever been a part of. I have run marathon majors and small-town races, but this was better than all of them. I will return. From beginning to end, my wife and I had a great experience. The highlights are: 1. Fast, PR course (4 minutes for me; 16 for my wife) 2. Great Brooks tech-shirt 3. Easy registration process 4. Well stocked and prepared water stations 5. Finish on the track was memorable 6. Great finisher medal 7. Age-group awards are available when you are ready to get them. No ceremony. (I have waited 45 minutes at other marathons to find out that I won a coffee mug.) 8. Free socks at the expo (good ones too) 9. Free pictures at the local Running Fit after the race (very classy) 10. Fast and easy expo 11. Good spectator support 12. Beautiful course | |
E. C. from Chicago, IL
(5/26/2009)
"Fantastic marathon - I highly recommend it!" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Bayshore Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 4th marathon, with my prior 3 all being Chicago. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I absolutely loved it. The course was beautiful, the race was well-organized, and the course was flat. There were lots of water and Gatorade stops, GU stations, etc. The organizers were all very friendly and helpful. Good t-shirts too. There aren't a lot of spectators, which is due to the race size and course layout, but I thought it was great anyway. It was a peaceful course and the spectators who were out there were awesome. | |
b. c. from rockford, michigan
(5/26/2009)
"fantastic" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Bayshore Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race just keeps on getting better and better. Well organized. Everything one could ask for in a race. This is my fourth and, God willing, I'll be back next year. | |
W. B. from Ionia, MI
(5/26/2009)
"A Grand Hotel Experience" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Bayshore Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The expo is small, and not worth going to. With that being said, that is probably the worst thing about the entire marathon experience. You can see the Grand Hotel and a lot of multimillion-dollar homes along the course. The roads only had a few potholes to watch out for - very few compared to many Michigan roads. The fan support was limited and spread throughout the course. The aid stations were adequate. The finish was at the high school track. This was a good idea, as there were bleachers for spectators to watch and cheer you on as you finished. The refreshments were above average: They had cookies and ice cream, just to name a couple. In addition, the finisher medal was big, heavy and well crafted. Finally, the support staff were very friendly and helpful. I would like to see a marathon course that runs the entire peninsula in the future, if at all possible, but other than that, I really wouldn't change anything. | |
F. A. from Chiacgo, IL
(5/25/2009)
"The course was terrific." (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my fifth marathon, and the one I liked the best. The course was absolutely terrific. It was very scenic and flat for the most part. The weather was perfect. I will probably do this one again. | |
B. S. from Charlotte, NC
(5/24/2009)
"Fantastic race with great scenery and organization" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Bayshore Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first time at this race, but not my first marathon. I thought the organization and friendliness were outstanding. Yes, the expo is small, but it is well organized and I was in and out within a few minutes. The whole course is basically flat, with great scenery and plenty of aid stations. I will definitely do this one again. There are not many long straightaways, so you won't get bored looking too far ahead. Highly recommend it!! |
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