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Jul 7, 2024

Hartford Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.1

Organization 4.3

Spectators 3.9

Number of comments: 306 [displaying comments 191 to 201]

More Comments: [ < 1 .. 18 19 20 21 22 .. 31 > ]

R. C. from New Englander (10/27/2007) "A Disastor - Cheap Dollar Store Medals" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Hartford Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 General Comments: First the CONS: (1) Medals: I finished late and did not receive my medal at the finish. About 1 1/2 weeks later, it arrived in the mail. One doesn't run the race for the medal, but you want to talk about disappointing! Last year's medal was gorgeous and truly memorable. This year's was a piece of thin metal. They are an embarrassment to the finishers and even more to the race organizers. Quite unmemorable and am considering sending it back to them. (2) Organization: Ultra-Poor (3) Pre-race Pasta: Not so good. Better to eat at a local eatery. Pros (1) Course: Last year's was better, but overall good course. (2) Volunteers - Excellent; plenty of refreshment all along the course. (3) Fans - as many as can be expected. Conclusion: Return next year? NOPE. Worst marathon organization - by far - of any of the 14 in which I've have previously competed and given the medal they gave out to the finishers, it's better to go elsewhere.
D. S. from Burlington, Vermont (10/25/2007) "A great marathon with low stress" (about: 2007) 3 previous marathons \| 2 Hartford Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I've run Hartford twice. Overall, this is a great race. The weather has been great for the past few two years. A few minor complaints: 1. There weren't enough port-o-potties. The wait was 25 minutes at 7:30. 2. It was tough to see the mile markers on the ground. 3. Having done both courses (West Hartford vs riverfront), the river section was bleak due to the lack of spectators. When I could have used spectators the most (last 10K), there were the fewest spectators. Here's my two suggestion: Have the race start with the riverfront loop (when the runners are more bunched up to provide support for each other to compensate for lack of spectators) and then head out to Windsor. Pros: 1. I love the Saturday race instead of Sunday. 2. There isn't a need to get to the race super early. Parking and bag check is easy. The pre-race expo is easy to get in/out. 3. The course overall is nice, although there are sections with few spectators. I like the location of the start/finish in downtown Hartford. The start/finish area has some activities for kids including a carousel and a nice playground. 4. I love the pace runners, but how about a 3:00 pace runner? The fastest pacer is a 3:10. 5. The volunteers were great and appreciated. It seems to be well-staffed. 6. I like the massage and post race food. I'm not very picky but it was still nice to have some gourmet Whole Foods dishes. Keep up the great work! Hartford is highly recommended.
Ben Woods from Richmond, VA (10/22/2007) "5K race very disappointing" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 My family of 6 travel just about every year from Richmond, VA to Hartford, CT to enjoy the 5K race and marathon. I don't know what happened this year, but the race (and packet-pickup) was very poorly organized. Some of my family missed the race because of very long lines, confusion at the registration tables, and bogus chip timing. It didn't used to be this bad! In fact, I especially enjoyed previous years (even 2 years ago when it poured!). It is clear that the race organizers care very little about the 5K. The chip time wasn't even a true chip time. There was no mat at the starting line. Very unprofessional in my opinion. Also, the bleachers were missing this year. So some of group that were watching had to stand the whole time or sit on the ground. Why did they take them away? Also, the 5K course was through the slummiest areas of Hartford that I think you could find. Please, please, go back to the 'unimproved' way you did things.
J. B. from East Tennessee (10/21/2007) "A great race right up to the finish..." (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Hartford Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This is a nice mid-sized race with a small-town feel. The expo was small but had all of the essentials. It was well organized and packet pickup was smooth. I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Downtown on Asylum St and it was a great location on the park close to the start/finish and just a few blocks from the expo. I recommend staying close so you can avoid having to use the port-o-lets, which appeared to have long lines. The race start area was pretty well organized and I didn't have any trouble getting in when I lined up about 10 minutes prior to the race. The half marathoners split off from the full between miles 3 and 4, which greatly reduced the crowds on the road. Aid stations were located as advertised, and had plenty of volunteers. I wish they were serving Gatorade rather than Ultima, but they did warn us of that ahead of time. Gu was seemingly everywhere - much more frequent than at your average marathon. The course had a few hills in the beginning, then a l-o-n-g flat stretch, followed by some rollers in the final 6 miles. I think it was PR-friendly. I thought the course was quite scenic, as it went through some cute neighborhoods and then along the river. The finish line is nice - you run through an archway into the park. Now for the not-so-good part. This year they decided that they wanted to be environmentally friendly, so they did away with offerring bottled beverages at the finish. They had a giant water fountain in the finish chute, and then water dispensers with dixie cups in the park, but no bottles of water, soda, or sports drink that you could grab and sit down with or take to the food tent. While I'm all for helping the environment, I think that having the water fountain in the finish chute AND bottled water / sports drink (along with recycling bins) would be much more runner-friendly. I would recommend putting a bottle or two of your favorite post-run beverage in your check bag if you're doing this next year. I wound up heading straight to my hotel room for some gatorade, and never made it back to the finish area to explore.
A. T. from Stamford, CT (10/20/2007) "A Great First-Marathon Experience" (about: 2007) First Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first go at 26.2 so, admittedly, I don't have much to compare it to. That being said, I can't imagine more perfect conditions for achieving this personal feat: The course takes runners through capital city sights, as well as historical districts of neighboring towns and waterfront paths along the Connecticut River - all with only slight elevation at the end. The registration and packet pick-up was about as smooth as you can make it and the support of volunteers and spectators at the start, along the course, and through to the finish was, perhaps, small in numbers but big in spirit. The weather, while always the least predictable element of running, was PERFECT this year. Treat yourself to this one!
Ron Steinhilber from El Mirage, AZ (10/19/2007) "Good race, but nothing spectacular" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Hartford Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 12th marathon, each in a different state. I think when I look back on the Hartford Marathon in the future nothing in particular will stand out. I guess that could be good or bad. The course was pretty good. The hills at the end were challenging, but not unfair. Running along the river was nice as was running through downtown and the outlying neighborhoods. My only complaint was that I did not see a mile marker until Mile 3. They really ought to be marked better with signs or clocks. The orginization was good. I got my packet, number, and shirt easily. The course map and directions were easy to follow. All the volunteers were helpful. Not many spectators, probably less than I imagined, but that may have been due to the significant road closures around the course. The water stops were well stocked and the volunteers seemed happy to be there for us. Thank you. Overall, a solid race, but nothing overwhelmingly memorable.
K. D. from Carbondale, Illinois (10/18/2007) "Great small marathon" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Hartford Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 We stayed at the Goodwin hotel which was right across from the park and right around the corner from the Expo. The Expo was nice and the pasta dinner was ok. Actually the food looked great, but the night before a marathon I like just basic pasta with marinara sauce and not all that rich food like losbster stuffed ravioli. It sure looked good though. We left the hotel at 7:30 and had plenty of time to head over there, warm up, and strip down. It was perfect. Gear check was super easy at the start and to pick things up afterwards. Alsothis might have been the most perfect weather I've ever done a marathon in I loved it! I love small marathons so small crowd support didn't bother me. I thought there were some great sized cheering sections in spots especially between 20 and 21 when you are in downtown. My friends loved how easy it was to see me on the course and that they weren't 6 people deep like in big races. I agree with what another runner said in that the mile markers need a vertical component as well as that tape across the ground. I missed one of the markers because I was on the other side of the street and the tape was only on one side. Some balloons at those spots to let you see where the next mile is would be great. I loved the big Gu signs before all the water stops it was great to see that and know that right around the corner would be the water stop. The hills in the last 6 miles were more than I bargained for, but I hadn't trained on any hills, so it might not have been so bad for those who had. All in all, everyone was super friendly, I got my second best time and really enjoyed the race!
K. B. from New Jersey (10/18/2007) "PR course with great support" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Hartford Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I would highly recommend Hartford for its flat, fast course (except for the last 10K) friendly volunteers and small-town, friendly logistics. The weather was near perfect and the post-race beer tent and food are something that you won't get at Philly. Hartford is one race that any runner should run if they want to avoid the mega-thon crowds and have an excellent chance to PR.
R. S. from Boston, MA (10/18/2007) "Very Enjoyable Race." (about: 2007) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Hartford Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I really enjoyed this race. The course was varied and interesting. The volunteers were numerous and very enthusiastic, and the pace groups worked out well. Hartford was a much nicer place to visit than I had expected. The only problem that I had with the hills at the end of the race was that it was advertised to be a flatter finish, and the hills were demoralizing because they were unexpected. None of them were that big. The finish area was great, and the food was still plentiful when I finished towards the back of the pack.
T. S. from Nashua, NH (10/17/2007) "Excellent Race, with a fine finish!" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Hartford Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was an very well organized and well directed race. I was very impressed with the Expo, the set up in Bushnell Park, and the organization on the course. I also like the isea of a Saturday marathon, so you could relax in hartford saturday and not have to immediately head home for work, school, etc. on Monday. There were abundant water stops, with gels, water and sports drinks available at all or in one combination or another. The addition of the bicyclists passing out GU along the course and checking on runners was a great idea. The security of the course was outstanding. I never had to worry about cars cutting to close or passing through intersections. Every intersection was blocked off with Police present at the intersection and motorcycle cops patrolling along the route. Also complete roads were shut down and traffic rerouted, so this enabled you to not be concerned about some fool cutting close to you while you run along a road! At some intersections the Police were cheering us on and shouting words of encouragement. Spectators were great. The only really completely 'spectatorless' area was out in farm areas in South Windsor, and the one ugly stretch where you cross rail road tracks (covered over) and an underpass around mile 25. I was very impressed with the Bushnell Park finishing area. There were medals, ample food and 'spirits' available and a large amount of spectators to cheer you in. It was well enough organized where my friend could get in real close so she could take some excellent photos. The course itself was good. One of the nice things is starting and finishing at the same point- eliminating the need for busses and the moving around of baggage. It was simple to leave the bag in one locale and fetch it when you were done. The only negative was the final hills in the last few miles, I was not well prepared for them but thats more of a training issue than the course itself. I stayed till the park closed at 2 and enjoyed the cameraderie and discussion with other racers. I recommend this course and will do it again in the future.

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