State #10: Richmond Marathon

I'm back on track! Yesterday, I completed a marathon in the tenth different state ... in my home state of Virginia. The organizers call this one "The Friendliest Marathon In America". I don't. I'll try to write more about why it's definitely NOT the friendliest of marathons. It was a good marathon that was well-run, but it wasn't the friendliest. In fact, if I rank the ten marathons I've completed, I'd rank it dead last. That's not to say it was unfriendly, it wasn't. But when you call yourself "The Friendliest", you better back it up. Talk is cheap, but at $95, this marathon wasn't.

First, you don't force people to spend the night before the race in town. "Absolutely no packet pick-up on race day"? That's friendly? Not in my book! The only two hotels near the start were between $200 and $300+ per night. That's not friendly. That's extortion. For $95, they should have let me pick it up on race day. The organizer, Sportsbackers, pull this same crap with the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K, so that's "the way they roll".

Second, if the marathon starts at 8:00AM, don't block off all the roads that lead to the parking lots before 5AM. I'm sure the locals know their way around, but us out-of-towners can have great difficulties. Following the detour signs doesn't get you around the roadblocks, they just seem to dump you out-of-town. That's not friendly. Once I found my way near the starting line, all parking lots either said they were for monthly renters only or warned that unauthorized parkers were subject to booting or towing. No signs said "Marathon parking here". THAT would have been friendly. After nearly one hour, I finally found an on-street parking spot. THAT'S not friendly, either.

Third, you need to do SOMETHING to get more neighborhood participation. The Flying Pig Marathon had much better involvement, with many neighborhoods having a party-like environment. Most of the areas in Richmond were ghost towns. I appreciate the few who DID show, but where was everybody else???

Finally, after I've just completed 26.2 miles, I'll be sore, tired, and, more than likely, unstable on my feet. Don't fuss with me. If I exit the food tent, don't tell me I can't pass back through it to get to my car. Don't make me walk the extra distance by forcing me to go all the way around the outside of the tent. The tent was practically deserted by this time. What would it have hurt? To the unsympathetic lady who denied my passage, I say "This kind of treatment was NOT friendly!".

In summary, a good, well-run marathon, but "The Friendliest"?DREAM ON!


- Posted From My iPhone