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Jul 2, 2024

Omaha Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 3.3

Organization 3.7

Spectators 2.9

Number of comments: 183 [displaying comments 91 to 101]

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L. B. from Nebraska (9/28/2009) "A better course than in 2005, but..." (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Omaha Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I'd still prefer a flatter course in order to make me want to run this on a regular basis. There are just too many other faster courses out there that are more appealing. The parking at Gallup was as easy as advertised, the volunteers were very enthusiastic, and the bands were a nice touch. I have two suggestions, but these are aimed at all marathons, not just Omaha: Order more medium t-shirts. Yes, runners come in all sizes, but by and large, marathoners are not Clydesdales with gorilla arms. Why organizers cannot figure this out year after year is beyond me. Second, don't make age-group winners wait two or three hours for their awards and then wonder why 50% or more go unclaimed.
J. S. from Kansas (9/27/2009) "A Good Try..." (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Omaha Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 An odd combination of good and bad here. The course: -Moderate hills at the beginning/middle, but fairly flat with some stretches of downhill after the halfway point. -Starts downtown, which is pretty, but winds through some pretty sketchy neighborhoods and not-too-pretty parts of town. The final miles run through some sort of park, which is also pretty. -Although not much of the race took place on busy streets, when the course DID, there were some big intersections that were not supervised. Some exhaust was inhaled, and some dodging of cars occurred. -The race was pretty small, so starting the 10K, half marathon, and full marathon at the same time wasn't THAT much of an issue, although the space allotted for the runners along the course got a little tight at times. The 10K runners peeled off at mile 5 1/2 or so, and half marathoners split at about 9, with certain last parts of the course again shared. -A pretty complicated course. A few turnarounds, hairpins, etc. Also saw some scenery quite a few different times. -Signs were SMALL to make sure runners turned at the right spots! I actually saw a half-marathoner miss his turnaround and go at LEAST 5 extra miles because the turnaround sign was so small and there wasn't a volunteer there to make sure all knew! The spectators: -Very few. The ones that were there didn't seem too enthused, either. In some parts of the race this fact made the course seem serene and peaceful, and at other points made it seem LOOOONG and painful! Aid stations: -Average. The first few of course were very busy and difficult to get the drinks. -They served water and yellow Gatorade only. Only once along the course was some GU provided. Volunteers: -Mostly GREAT! Many were hollering and cheering the runners on. -The intersections that WERE supervised were done so very adequately. -BUT!! I was very turned off when I saw some who were supposed to be guiding runners in the right direction and cheering them along, but were sitting on the ground talking amongst themselves instead. Medals: -Kind of plain... no color or anything, but good enough for me! Shirts: -Really cool! Long-sleeved with the option of buying short-sleeved or tech shirts. I liked the shirt a lot; it was red with a nice, colorful logo along the back and on the front-left chest. It also says "marathon" nice and big on it. Expo/Pasta Dinner: -Unfortunately I signed up late for this race and decided to forgo the expo and free pasta dinner. Late packet pick-up the morning of the race was a very swift and easy process. Porta-Potties: -I thought they had an adequate number for the size of this race, but they didn't have hand sanitizer in them! Also, they were pretty far from the finish line, and most of the toilet paper was gone if you needed to go after the race! After-race snacks: -Eh. Bananas, bagels, oranges, water. Weather: -Beautiful. Nice and cool in the morning, but got a little steamy for the last few miles. Wind was pretty minimal this year, but as a Kansan I know wind in the Midwest is hit and miss and can get pretty brutal. Parking: -The start and finish line was held at a large convention center of some sort, and there seemed to be adequate parking for most. Spectating: -I had 5 spectators who thought it was difficult to access the course except in a handful of spots. This is because the course ran along the river on one side for awhile, next to the zoo and a dead-end street for awhile, and in a park sort of thing with minimal outside access for awhile. They did enjoy the fact that when they COULD see me, it was usually at a turnaround where they could see me twice at one spot, although just a mile or two later. The City: -OK. The downtown area was pretty neat, and there was a lot of good restaurant choices in that area. It's also home to Rosenblatt Stadium (which you get a GREAT view of during the race) and Creighton University (which you run past briefly). Would I run it again? Honestly, probably not. No offense, though. It was a good try.
Benjamin Moore from Bellvue, NE (9/27/2009) "A fun run with beautiful weather and great fans!" (about: 2009) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Omaha Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first time running the Omaha Half Marathon and my wife's first marathoning experience. It was perfect weather with a fairly flat course with one long hill to climb, but that's okay because not long after cresting you turn around and get to go right back down it. We only had to run next to moving traffic for a very short distance, and the aid station competition made those stations highly entertaining and excited (most of them made us laugh). There was plenty of food at the finish, with good music, and my favorite: Robert's was handing out bottles of chocolate milk. The night before, the packet pick-up was easy and the pasta dinner was good (not restaurant quality, but that was not really expected). Overall, a good course, though not the most scenic, and fun for the runners I think.
m. r. from ankeny, ia (7/22/2009) "Not a single complaint, really" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Omaha Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I actually liked this marathon, contrary to what many others have written! It might have something to do with the fact that I PR'd here, but really, I have no big complaints. The expo was small and well-run. The post-race food was fine, but I didn't eat much (and never do). The course was definitely challenging. Quite hilly but not the toughest I've run. There is a mile-long hill after you leave the zoo (mile 12, I think) that can seem daunting, but the organizers were smart to put a loud (!) group of cheerleaders at the top. Very cool. It is an urban run, if you enjoy that. Plus, you get to run through the zoo and ConAgra's campus which were both very nice. The crowd support was middle-sized but my family was easily able to watch the finish without having to strain to see me. It was just the right size. I can imagine that heat might play a factor since this marathon is in September when it can be warm in the Midwest, but the day I ran was quite pleasant, with temps in the high 70s/low 80s at the finish. More than anything, it was emotionally special to me. It was my 8th marathon on my daughter's 8th birthday! The stars seemed to all be in line on this day, and it was nice. Good luck if you do this; I really think you will enjoy it if you have the right mindset!
J. L. from Omaha, NE (11/16/2008) "Pathetic organization ruined this one for me" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Omaha Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I've run quite a few half-marathons now (this one twice), and this is the worst one I've done so far. For the price, I thought it was ridiculous that that ran out of t-shirts for last day sign-ups. I can understand they may be out of some sizes, but they said they had none and wouldn't be ordering more. Sorry, have a nice day. I even emailed the race director to ask to have my name on the list if some more were ordered and I never even got a reply back at all. That's just rude. Then, no pace clocks, and very few mile markers for us half-marathoners. And a terrible route. And that expo? Pathetic. But really, that's been an ongoing problem with the Omaha Marathon. Nothing new there. It wasn't all bad. I enjoyed the bands, and the finish line area was nice. I liked that chocolate milk. But, really there are so many areas that could be improved with this race. The items I've already mentioned, and a new location away from the poor, industrialized areas of town would be good. Blocking some roads would make things safer too. All in all, I think I'll just find other fall races to do and take a break from Omaha for a year or two. Hopefully they can get their act together and produce a better race soon.
J. M. from Springfield, MO (10/3/2008) "Well Organized and Challenging" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Omaha Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Omaha is a great marathon if you're looking for a friendly, organized race but aren't terribly concerned about a PR (it was my slowest marathon ever). Here are some brief observations from my perspective: Course: This was my 8th marathon and certainly the most hilly. The hills require some planning because they all come in the first 14 miles; go too hard the first half and you'll pay later - I speak from experience. But the hills weren't the reason my rating isn't higher... a challenge is a good thing. There is a lot of concrete, which is hard on the legs. Also, the course is somewhat open to traffic, and I saw a number of cars rush past volunteers (and even police) to get through intersections. The Omaha police are awesome, though... the friendliest I've ever met at a race. In addition, the last few miles are unshaded and directly into the sun, which is tough. And I echo so many others in saying that the course hits a lot of less attractive parts of the city. Organization: It was very well organized from pre-race to post-race. I liked the shirt, though it is cotton. The medal is fine, although my wife was disappointed that the half medal was just a smaller version of the full (it didn't say, "half"). A couple suggestions: Keep the water cold at the aid stations. That was huge for me; the warm water was not good. Also consider starting the 10K later to minimize congestion at the start. Fans: The aid station volunteers were especially enthusiastic. I really enjoyed the music, especially the polka band at mile 20. Everyone was extremely friendly. All in all, Omaha is a good marathon and a worthy choice if you are looking for a race in Nebraska.
S. G. from Omaha, NE (10/2/2008) "Good race, but there IS more to Omaha" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Omaha Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first Omaha Marathon. I really enjoyed it; however, I couldn't help but wonder throughout the course how much more of the city there is to show off. What about Happy Hollow, Elmwood Park, and the UNO area? Old Market? Etc. Pros: Lewis and Clark Landing was an excellent start/finish area. Gallup, Con-Agra, the zoo, Qwest, and Rosenblatt. Post-race festivities. Good music. Great aid stations. It was good to see many area youth helping out. Music along the course. Nice crowd support in riverfront area. Great volunteers! No race is successful without them. Enthusiastic race director. Cons: Industrial north O... twice!! Perhaps the continued development north of I-480 area will help change that perception. Weak crowd support in most other areas. I, for one, liked the combination of the three races (10K, Half and Full). I feel crowd support might be somewhat improved if the race ran through areas where fans and family would feel comfortable parking for a while. To address the porta-johns at the start/finish. There were easily 20 more not being used on the south side of the landing. Perhaps there could be some signage to let people know about additional locations. It is obvious Susie and the marathon organization are working hard at making this a destination event. It will continue to improve and I will definitely run it again.
Dick White from Cocoa Beach, Florida (10/1/2008) "Best City Marathon So Far" (about: 2008) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Omaha Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Omaha is #40 in my ongoing quest for 50 states plus DC !!!! Great city race - and I must say upfront that your host hotel is the HOST with the MOST!!! (They haven't all been.) Excellent city course - hills in the first half (where they belong) and VOLUNTEERS ALL OVER THE PLACE!!!! Some had nothing to do but stand and cheer for us!!! As a hometown race director, I'd LOVE to have that problem!!! GREAT "last five" along the river that afforded a cool breeze, even though the temp was climbing by the time I got there! The hard rock band in the Steel Factory District was a nice touch - I would have liked to see them more!! Finish area was good - well organized and efficient. The beer was WEAK, though - REAL MARATHONERS don't let friends drink ULTRA!!!!! The OLD TOWN DISTRICT has a terrific Brew Pub though, and they have REAL BEER, and a CINDERELLA CARRIAGE RIDE to DIE for!! Keep up the GREAT WORK; I'll recommend this race as "Nebraska's Designated 50 States MUST-DO!!!"
B. H. from Denver, CO (10/1/2008) "playing in traffic and starving" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Omaha Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 If you like playing in traffic and not having anything to eat after a race, Omaha is for you! On the first half of the course, about every 4th intersection had police. On one of the big hills, cars were going along with the runners. Two hours into the run they started running out of food. They REFUSED - that's right - REFUSED to give participants refreshments. They had a small amount under the table that they were "saving" for marathoners. Well, marathoners were finishing and not getting anything. It was unbelievable. Later they finally restocked. If the volunteers had said something like, "We are really sorry; the early people took to much. Are you feeling faint? Do you absolutely need an orange?" or, "We would really appreciate it if you can wait until we have more...." Something to show some compassion!! Next year, do a bag, put in one of each item and pass that out. At this point, I don't think I'll recommend this race. I need to see what they plan for next year to correct the issues from this year. The course was okay. Some of the areas were a bit sketchy, but every city has that. I like hills so that made me happy, but the many potholes were a challenge. The weather was good for the early finishers. The volunteers at the aid stations were great. Fan support was sparse but enthusiastic. Ps. I loved the orange "Human Cone" volunteer shirts.
B. S. from Salina, KS (9/30/2008) "Hills and Loops" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Omaha Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my second marathon. I really liked the start location as far as getting dropped off and having my family come back later. They were able to park and spend time at the finish line with little hassle. My four-year-old son actually ran the last 50 yards with me. Plenty of food and such at the finish. Omaha has hills and we ran them all... at least once. :) I didn't like the loops personally, as I like to see different parts of the town and going backwards the same way I came doesn't count. But, it did allow spectators to see the runners several times if you knew where to be. Get rid of the loops (and add a mat at the half for the full marathoners) and this could be a five-star marathon.

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