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☰
Twin Cities Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Twin Cities Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.8 
Organization 4.6 
Spectators 4.9
Number of comments: 454 [displaying comments 351 to 361]
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D. B. from Western Wisconsin
(1/16/2004)
 "Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful!" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Twin Cities Marathon is truly a beautiful marathon! It feels as though I am running through a park the whole way! I've done this marathon about 7 or 8 times and most times it's during the peak of autumn colors--positively breathtaking! The organization and spectator support are fabulous! As far as 'all those hills', it's really not that bad if you're trained for them. I will do this one again, most certainly! | |
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K. A. from Houghton, MI
(1/1/2004)
"Great marathon to start with!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and it was a great experience! The spectators were probably the best part of the whole thing. They made it all worthwhile! The organization was good, although it was a little confusing before it all started. My friend and I didn't know where the starting line was because there were people going all over the place, trying to get rid of their bags and then there was a huge fence to go around. Maybe it was because it was my first marathon, I felt that I didn't know much about the start and finish beforehand. It would have been very helpful to know that there were places set up to meet up with people after the race so that I could have planned to do that. Overall, this race was excellent! I was convinced when I started training that this would be the one marathon that I ran in my life. The Twin Cities Marathon changed my mind! Thank you! | |
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T. T. from Dallas, TX
(12/12/2003)
"Great Race!!!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a great race to run. The weather was great and there was little wind. I was impressed with the fan support. Fans lined the entire course. This year they had a staggered start. This went a long way in thinning out the field. The scenery was wonderful. All runners need to be prepared for the hills at the end of the race. I kept thinking one more hill and then there would be another one. | |
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K. S. from St Paul, MN
(11/4/2003)
"First-timer and loved it" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 After seeing the marathon go by my house last year, I was inspired as it was something to do when you turn 40 - something to cross off your life list thing. Words cannot fully describe the awesome course and amazing spectator support! I didn't think spectators would make such an emotional difference. I saw the same guy high-fiving runners 9 times! Next year I'll volunteer to just be around all the good energy and maybe try NY... | |
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T. J. from Montrose, CO
(10/26/2003)
 " 5 stars all the way" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon so I don't have much to compare it to, but I thought it was incredible in terms of organization, etc. I finished in just under 5 hours and never had any problems with a lack of water along the way. All of the water stops were well supplied from what I could tell. Fan support was incredible. It amazed me that people waited around for those of us that were 3 hours or more behind the first finishers. I felt like somebody was sincerely cheering for me the entire time. It was great!!! | |
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R. M. from Texas
(10/21/2003)
"The best of them all..." (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've run about 40 marathons, and this one is consistently the best. Best organization, best fans, and wonderful course. If you run one marathon, this one should be the one. | |
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B. K. from Minneapolis
(10/17/2003)
 "1st marathon and it was OK" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and I was extremely excited for it despite an injury. The expo was okay but a quick run through. I skipped the pasta dinner and hit the local Olive Garden instead. From what I hear, that was a good choice and cheaper. Race day organization left something to be desired. The fence was just plain stupid. Racers were actually climbing over it. Extremely dangerous. There were only two pace groups that I saw (neither of them mine). About half of the water stops were poorly run. Runners had to stop and grab their own. Also, this created a very congested area and I actually had someone turn around and plow right into me on his way backwards to the water stop. Needless to say, not something you want at mile 4! I'm a slower runner and the crowds really dispersed after the 4:30 pace. No Clif Shots left for me at mile 16 and a fan actually jumped ahead of me twice at mile 19 trying to take a picture of someone. Also, I heard that the announcers at the end actually took an hour break during the race. No music, no nothing during that time. I don't see why they couldn't have gone to lunch separately. As I stated, crowds were small by the time I finished. Luckily I got a med. shirt and some water. No bananas left... no soup. I'll probably do the race next year. Hopefully I can run it fast enough to get the crowd support and all the goodies. | |
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R. i. from Eagan, MN
(10/15/2003)
"Awesome Marathon" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was definitely a beautiful course. Lakes, the Mississippi River, wonderful homes and neighborhoods all added to scenery. The crowds were so supportive and carried me along with their cheers. It was great having the Metrodome to stay warm before the race. The start was well organized, yet there were runners who stayed in the dome longer than they should have, and I was surprised at the lack of judgement on their behalf as a few climbed an 8-foot chain link fence. It was easy to enter the start area and move up or back to the appropriate place. I ran a 5+ hour and there was plenty of water and Powerade at every stop. The view of the last quarter mile was exceptional as I passed the Cathedral and saw the finish line with the State Capitol in the background. The shirt and medal were both special. I appreciated the discretness in the sponser logos on the shirts, as they did not distract from the event. This is one shirt I am proud to wear. The chicken broth at the end was better than I could have imagined. I was not impressed with the pasta dinner the night before. It didn't come close to comparing to the meal served at the Grandma's Marathon at Duluth in June. Overall, I will run this marathon again. The next one for me will be the Motorola at Austin, TX, in February. | |
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P. B. from Toronto, Canada
(10/15/2003)
"It was all great!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Running Twin Cities was a wonderful experience. From the convenience of waiting inside the Metrodome stadium before the start, to the beautiful (albeit rather hilly) course, to the great crowd support to the non-rushed, take-your-time relaxing finish area, this was a great race. That it was a beautiful day certainly helped make this a great experience. It was my fourth marathon and I would highly recommend it to anyone. Contrary to what some say -- the starting area was exceptionally well organized. There was a strictly enforced wave start and the only people required to scale the fence were those who only began making their way to the starting area mere minutes before the 8:00 am start. I headed out at 7:45 and had no problems getting into the right area at an appropriate pace mark. It took me longer to cross the starting line in the much smaller Las Vegas Marathon, and there you're out on the highway in the middle of the desert. They even offered free long distance calls at the finish line so you could call family and friends and tell them what a great event you just completed! | |
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J. B. from Washington, D.C.
(10/14/2003)
"Even better than the first time" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran Twin Cities in '99 and swore I'd be back. What a race! Unlike '99, I ran out of gas towards the end and it wasn't my day, but that's my fault. It's unfortunate that some runners who finished in over 4:30 had a negative experience. TCM needs to be careful when it comes to Cliff Shots, water, etc. There's NO EXCUSE for running out of supplies, provided the people are finishing before the cut-off time, which I would imagine was at least six hours. Having said this, I NEVER rely on the race to supply me with with energy gels, even if it's the kind I use. You never know what could happen: they could run or not be where they're supposed to be. You don't take chances like that in the 26.2. There are too many other things that can go wrong. Water is another story. That's up to the maraton. This is something that should be included in the registration fee. TCM should consider having water stops every mile, or at least every mile during the final 10K. If a marathon like Columbus can do this, why can't Twin Cities? I think people got confused by the fence at the start. That was for runners who were designated to start in the first wave - those who ran 3:45 or qualified for Boston within the last two years. I could see how this wasn't clear and many started panicking and scaling the fence at the last minute. Many of these people didn't belong there. They shouldn't have waited until the last minute to head to the start if they're the slightest bit competitive, especially in a major marathon like TCM. Still, TCM should have put signs on the fence. I agree with the previous comment about the website: It should be better. There should have been info with regard to expo seminars, etc. I know we received an e-mail about this, but I'd accidentally deleted it then was out of luck until I got to Minneapolis. This is all constructive criticism. I've done 22 marathons and TCM is my second favorite - only NY is ahead of it. I did Boston this year and thought TCM was a much more enjoyable experience, and I loved Boston. |
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