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Jun 30, 2024

Omaha Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 3.3

Organization 3.7

Spectators 2.9

Number of comments: 183 [displaying comments 71 to 81]

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A. M. from Omaha NE (10/18/2010) "Great weather for a loopy course" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Omaha Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my first half marathon in my home town. I did it because it was the 35th anniversary. Sadly, the shirts mentioned none of that, and neither did the medals. Loved the unique medals made out of recycled glass... very cool! The expo was kind of small, and entering and exiting through the same doors made things crowded and confusing. Great support along the race; I loved the "human cones." With all of the beautiful places to see in Omaha, the course did not do Omaha justice. Running the race in loops was strange though it was nice to see the marathon runners loop back up with those of us who walked. Lots of encouragement among the racers.
C. G. from Houston, TX (10/11/2010) "Fun time for all" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Omaha Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Several friends and I traveled to Omaha for the 2010 race. The course has lots of rolling hills (as disclosed on the race site), but the grade isn't all that steep and we all ran well (including one PR in the group). The perfect weather definitely helped. Packet pick-up was well organized, the shirts were nice technical long-sleeved shirts, the medals were interesting, the crowd support was amazing (given the size of the race), all the people of Omaha were as friendly as could be, and downtown Omaha has plenty of hotels and restaurants that are within walking distance. My only complaints were that the pasta dinner was over by 6pm (before we even got there), and it would have been helpful to see a course elevation profile for the race. We all had a great time and I'd definitely recommend this race.
J. H. from Texas (10/4/2010) "Be Prepared!" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Omaha Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I ran this marathon because I knew I would be in town on business that weekend and I needed to add Nebraska to my list. I had prepared for hills but not for the kind of hills on this course. The elevation map I found online was not even close. After driving the course the day before the race I at least had some warning. The course itself, as stated by others, is not the most beautiful, but is a fun run just because of the variety. The hills between mile 7 and 14 are significant (6-8% grades at times) and provide a challenge (especially for a flat land runner from West Texas!). That said, they at least come at a good point in the race but definitely require some strategy to make sure you have enough gas left to finish. The organization was great, though it is probably time to try and set up a corral system for the start. The first mile is pretty brutal trying to find a place to run with the 10K, half and full all mixed together with very little staging. I was surprised by the lack of community support for this race given that this was the 35th anniversary. As we talked to people around town the weekend before the race, few even knew that it was taking place. The few fans on the course (probably family members of runners) were enthusiastic and GREATLY appreciated. The volunteers were also top-notch and did a great job at aid stations. And special thanks to the Omaha PD - great job with traffic control and even cheering for the runners!! The expo needs some work. Location was terrible with not nearly enough room for vendors, runners and guests. The finisher medal (made of recycled glass) will be one of my favorites!! Was fun to see all of the different colors - truly works of art! The shirt is also a top-notch, long-sleeve, tech material but I would prefer a different shirt for each distance. Post-race food was the same as at most local 5Ks with bagels and bananas... but I was glad to see the chocolate milk! All in all, I would not consider this a "destination" marathon, but has a small-race charm about it with a lot of the perks of a major marathon. Will probably not make the trip back but am very glad to have had the experience. Keep up the good work! And if you plan to run... do your hill work!!
M. H. from Omaha, NE (10/2/2010) "A well run marathon with great volunteers!" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 3 Omaha Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is my hometown marathon. I have run in other marathons, but I consider Omaha my every-year-have-to-do race. The course is challenging but not impossible. The race wouldn't be what is is without the great core of volunteers who assist year after year! The best part is seeing a familiar face as a "human cone" from the previous years. The bands were great! Plenty of water stops with enthusiastic volunteers! I LOVE this race.This year's finisher's medals were the best I have ever seen. I love the artistic component of each and every medal being unique! This years the expo was better than in years past. Awesome speaker at the pasta dinner. Looking forward to 2011!
T. J. from Fitchburg, WI (9/29/2010) "Well-organized marathon" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Omaha Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The organization of this marathon was great. Plenty of free parking by the start/finish line. Friendly and very helpful volunteers. I'm glad I participated in the 2010 Omaha Marathon and would recommend this event to a friend. Omaha is my birthplace, so it was extra special to run this marathon.
T. E. from Omaha, NE (9/28/2010) "Much better job this year" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Omaha Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Hands down I thought the run was much better this year than in past years. Maybe it's because I had already run the course before but I think there were a lot of improvements made such as: -Expo - it was a lot better at DoubleTree. There was more room, better merchandise, and it had the feel of a bigger marathon. -Medals/Shirts - the medals this year are unique. Not sure if I'm crazy about them yet (it's hard to see the Omaha Marathon logo on mine) but I give them credit for trying something new. They also went to tech shirts rather than cotton, which is awesome. -Finish line - I love the finish on the riverfront. Yes, the course is hilly, but it's Omaha and it's a hilly town. It's at least a good challenge. There are a few things that still can be improved. You hit a few spots multiple times, which can be boring and it still goes through some areas that could use some renovation. But overall I felt it was much improved from last year.
t. h. from missouri (9/28/2010) "Unique and challenging course" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Omaha Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I've only done a handful of marathons, but the 3 loops are a bit different. I enjoyed the race and meeting back up with the half marathoners later in the race. Industrial and park areas were a little boring, but aid stations, finish line and uniqueness of the race make it a thumbs up. Support people, aid station workers, and Omaha folks were all very friendly and supportive!!! Also, a smaller group makes it less crowded and intimidating. Another note: the events (western days) going on at the Qwest Center made it even more eventful and helped distract from the running towards the end. Weather was awesome!!!
L. K. from North Liberty, IA (9/27/2010) "Great hometown marathon" (about: 2010) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Omaha Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Course: The first half is fairly hilly, which really zaps your second half. If I enjoyed hills or wanted a challenge, I'd have given the course a "5." As Omaha re-invents its downtown and North Omaha areas, this should be a better looking course as well. Organization: The race director was great. She spoke to us before we went on the bus tour of the course and she seems like a very genuine person. She also shaved her head for Locks of Love, which is very admirable. It's a small marathon, so limited amount of volunteers (but they were great). The finish was confusing, but that may have been due to the fact that I finished slow. Spectators: It's a smaller marathon. It was mostly half-marathon participants, so that is where the spectators were. After mile 13, you're mostly on your own... except for the volunteers and bands. Some of the previous comments talk about how it would be nice to have the 2nd half in a better part of town, but since that part of town is the flattest within that area... it makes the most sense to have it there. It does make it less appealing for spectators, but since I'm from that area, I didn't have a problem running through North Omaha. I think the area will continue to revive itself. It was my first marathon and I ran Omaha because it is my home town. I wanted family/friends to be able to support me. I'd recommend it for people from Omaha or for 50 Staters (there were quite a few there this year). It definitely isn't a destination marathon, nor a PR marathon.
M. D. from Lincoln, Nebraska (9/27/2010) "good but could be better" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was my first Omaha Half. I enjoyed Omaha and will do it again. I just think the first 10K of the race could be more scenic. I enjoyed running the rest of the course from 10K on, but I would prefer running through a prettier part of town in the first 10K. Overall, it was a very enjoyable experience!
A. R. from Nebraska (9/27/2010) "Great Marathon - Great Day!" (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Omaha Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second marathon - my first being 1 week earlier. The weather was perfect. The course, in my opinion, is great. It does go through some areas of town than are somewhat barren or rundown but it also goes through the downtown area and out by the zoo. There are definitely hills around the zoo, but these are fully disclosed in the description of the marathon (unlike many others) and they really are manageable. Things were a little crowded for the first 10K as all runners (full, half, 10K) run together for the first 10K; but then it thins out a little. Crowd support was sparse in areas but much better than I had expected. Local bands and musicians were positioned throughout the course, which was very nice. Aid stations were nicely equipped and gel available around mile 18. The finish area was perfect (right on the Missouri River). Organization of the entire event was great. Finisher medals were unique and beautiful (individually made from recycled glass). The expo was small but had a lot of booths that were pertinent to runners. Great marathon: to me not as hilly as made out to be.

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