What do you want from a marathon?

ThePiedPiper

There's been quite a lot of talk after the spring season of marathons about people's expectations of what they expect or think important. Many have widely varying expectations, and the absence of some of these leaves many feeling cheated.

Personally, these things are important to me:
1. An accurate course that is marshalled properly and is designed to showcase the location and be fair.

2. Water stations at regular intervals. Cups are fine. It's not rocket science.

3. Something in the way of a medal or memento at the finish.

4. Water and some type of drink at the finish line. Beer is a big bonus, not uncommon.

5. A reasonable price. Apart from the US majors, I would be loathe to ever pay €90 or more for a marathon. If London charge £27 or so, €50-€60 should be close to normal.

6. An understandable entry process.

7. An efficient method of collecting race number.

The top things that are not important in my opinion:

1. A free T-shirt. In theory, I like the German way of buying one as an option, although charging €20 or more is over the top.

2. A goody bag weighed down with rubbish. Putting wart cream or blister pads is idiotic, and masses of random leaflets a nuisance.

3. Overpriced merchandise and photographs that are pushed on you through aggressive marketing for 2 years.

Maybe this belonged in the rant thread!!

Señor Fancy Pants

Goody bags are a waste of time imo.

I always feel like a kid at Halloween when I get one. I'm all excited until I open the bag and all there is are leaflets and useless nonsense.

As a "grown up" I'd actually prefer an apple, an orange and some nuts in it as opposed to when I was 10.

I'd prefer there to be fruit, drinks and some sort of recovery bar or something at the finish line. A take it if you want it affair.

In Belfast the other day, I got a packet of beef flavour crisps and a bag of liquorice in it......I didn't run 26.2 miles for liquorice all sorts thank you very much.

Medals are grand and all but I'd prefer if the sponsor wasn't stamped on it.

At least with a tshirt, you can wear it training.

Photos can get fcuked, I'm always fat and crying in them anyway.

I'd be happy with a bottle of water and a high 5 at the end of a marathon.

robinph

The fake chocolate milk thing they had in the London Marathon bag will hopefully never be seen again. Even in my knackered state at the end and not being particularly fussy, it was disgusting.

ThePiedPiper

Back in 2012, the London marathon had a razor and a bag of rice along with a can of ale!! Random indeed. A half I did one time had a supposed fitness and running expert hired to do a talk afterwards, a hat and a loaf of bread in the goodie bag, but unfortunately, the race was 12.6 miles long!

If a race gets the basics right, the gimmicks don't bother me as much

libelula

Having crisps, chocolate and a bottle of liquidised sugar in a bag is brutal. Way to promote health and fitness lads :rolleyes:

A banana, sandwich, and plenty of water at the end would do grand.

Ruu

I have run a few marathons in the US where they have virtual goodie bags, yes please. Cuts down on waste, hate a bagful of fliers!

Prompt results. Don't drink so beer is of no importance to me, as above hate the Muscle Milk or manufactured milk drinks, disgusting!

libelula

What's a virtual goodie bag Ruu? Do you just get emailed all the ads/offers etc?

Ruu

libelula wrote: »

What's a virtual goodie bag Ruu? Do you just get emailed all the ads/offers etc?

Yeah, any coupons or future races, you can get emailed.

Cartman78

ThePiedPiper wrote: »

Back in 2012, the London marathon had a razor and a bag of rice along with a can of ale!! Random indeed. A half I did one time had a supposed fitness and running expert hired to do a talk afterwards, a hat and a loaf of bread in the goodie bag, but unfortunately, the race was 12.6 miles long!

If a race gets the basics right, the gimmicks don't bother me as much

Agree strongly with the bolded sentence above.

An accurate and safe course is fundamental for any race from 5k to full marathon (and beyond)

Good marshalling and organised fuel stations will always be far more important than the contents of a goody bag, the colour of the medal or the size of a flipping t-shirt :rolleyes:

re: London 2012 - I got that same bag of crap as well at the expo. The beer was probably the most useful thing but it was a close call :pac:

Murph_D

It's all about a good course, isn't it, and one that encourages people to come out and support. While I don't expect to be treated like an Olympic athlete, a bit of enthusiastic public support is invaluable for providing a bit of a boost, in the latter stages of a marathon especially. I love the way in Berlin people bring saucepans and spoons out to make a bit of noise (not to mention all the musicians lining the route, an organic 'happening' that the Rock n Roll people are sadly trying to commodify - i.e. make the music a selling point to the public, while paying little or nothing to the musicians).

Good marshalling, especially at the start and finish areas, and the water stations, is a must. Hats off to the people who do this.

All you need at the end is a cup of some sort of liquid and a piece of fruit. Chocolate milk always goes down well, fair play to anyone who provides that. There's never anything good in the goody bag so that should be abolished - terrible waste of time especially for the poor sods who have to pack all that crap in there. [Exception: the Raheny 5 goody bag, which is packed full of chocolate and therefore lives up to the name].

I like the souvenir shirts but there's no room left in the drawer. Agree with the optional purchase option.

Medals? No need. Maybe for the really big events (majors only).

johnruns

All I want is a PB:D

Seanie_H

A punctual start time with a nice smooth flow.

Staggered starts help.

menoscemo

libelula wrote: »

Having crisps, chocolate and a bottle of liquidised sugar in a bag is brutal. Way to promote health and fitness lads :rolleyes:

A banana, sandwich, and plenty of water at the end would do grand.

Seriously? After a marathon all your body needs is food of any sort. The more sugar and salt the better because that is exactly what you are lacking. It's not a time to worry about healthy options, just eat what ever is palatable.

I love a chocolate bar/can of coke and a bag of crisps at the end of a marathon.

chinguetti

A pb:)

libelula

menoscemo wrote: »

Seriously? After a marathon all your body needs is food of any sort. The more sugar and salt the better because that is exactly what you are lacking. It's not a time to worry about healthy options, just eat what ever is palatable.

I love a chocolate bar/can of coke and a bag of crisps at the end of a marathon.

Fair enough, ya got me. I've never turned down a whomp of chocolate after a race, and it's only heaven!
Came straight in here from the 'we're all gonna be obese soon' thread and forgot to get down off the healthy eating high horse :pac:

ger664

Spain do marathons. Water,Oranges and Real Beer at the end. Only complaint is the 500m walk to pass the water and Oranges

tHE vAGGABOND

Gotta say the best part of a marathon for me, is the beer in my hand moments after finishing [kudos to Berlin and Chicago, where that time is very brief indeed and they throw beer at you the second you leave finishing area!!]

MisterDrak

2:59:59...

rom

Berlin where they line the road with portaloos at the start so you don't have to wait 20 minutes. And waves that are actually enforced correctly. No relay runners of any sort.

hardCopy

rom wrote: »

Berlin where they line the road with portaloos at the start so you don't have to wait 20 minutes. And waves that are actually enforced correctly. No relay runners of any sort.

I don't think I've ever run a race that wouldn't have benefitted from at least doubling the number of portaloos at the start. Most races seem to get by on the fact that lads will just p1ss anywhere.

One of these bad boys and a packet of Hunky Dorys would be the business for a goodie bag.

Dubgal72

What I put into it

rom

hardCopy wrote: »

I don't think I've ever run a race that wouldn't have benefitted from at least doubling the number of portaloos at the start. Most races seem to get by on the fact that lads will just p1ss anywhere.

One of these bad boys and a packet of Hunky Dorys would be the business for a goodie bag.

Berlin the queue is 2 or 3 people max. That is at the start.

ger664

To be fair the discrete urinals they had in Limerick made a huge difference.

Bahanaman

2:xx:xx!!

ThebitterLemon

Bahanaman wrote: »

2:xx:xx!!

I've been waiting for you to come along Bahanaman and was pretty sure your number one request would be for an accurately measured course, sure haven't you a 2.xx already

TbL

adrian522

Not this anyway...Vancouver

http://www.runnersworld.com/races/runners-stopped-midrace-for-traffic-during-vancouver-marathon?adbid=10153290306817090&adbpl=fb&adbpr=23403427089&cid=social_20150508_45453676&short_code=2ye92

Bahanaman

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

I've been waiting for you to come along Bahanaman and was pretty sure your number one request would be for an accurately measured course, sure haven't you a 2.xx already

TbL

Ha ha tbl! I suppose that's what I should be asking for! Maybe I'm getting over it at last? NOT!!! :P My trusting nature is such that I assume that every race I do is measured correctly. There are enough things to worry about before races, especially marathons without having course accuracy as one of them! Anyway as it stands, the next attempt at the 2:xx:xx will happen in Frankfurt this Oct. The day before Dublin. Surely I can trust the Germans to have it right? The big problem though is that they work in those pesky kms :mad:
Seems a long way off but it's dominating all things running with me at the moment!
And no I don't have a 2:xx already

dwayneshintzy

ger664 wrote: »

Spain do marathons. Water,Oranges and Real Beer at the end. Only complaint is the 500m walk to pass the water and Oranges

I don't drink, and was a big fan of the non-alcoholic Erdinger at the finish line in the Berlin Marathon.