Portland Marathon Race REVIEW

The Portland Marathon was held on October 10, 2010, in Portland, Oregon.  The entry fee is $135, and there’s also a half marathon option.  There was about 10,000 runners total.

Runner’s World has called the Portland Marathon "the best people’s marathon in the West" and for the past ten years has ranked it as one of the top 10 or 15 marathons in the country.

THE EXPO

I wasn’t a big fan of the expo.  It was held in the downtown Hilton hotel, which is OLD.  Part of the expo was downstairs and part of it was upstairs.  It seemed a little chaotic and unorganized… you had to walk downstairs to get your bib then back upstairs through the maze of hallways to get your shirt and race bag.

_{The upstairs part of the expo.}

I had to ask for directions because there was very little (ie none) signage directing participants where to go.

There weren’t too many free samples at the expo, but there were a few neat things in the race bags including a commemorative coin and necklace.

THE RACE

The race started downtown Portland at 7am, right on time.  Again, there was no signage telling people where to go; I felt like it was also chaotic.  Because it was downtown, the starting line street was closed on both sides so people didn’t know how to get from one side to the other.

The course itself was mostly pretty and scenic.  We ran along the riverfront which was gorgeous, across St J0hn’s Bridge, through residential neighborhoods, but also through an ugly, boring industrial area around miles 12-15.  That was definitely the worst part of the course.

Most of the course is pretty flat except for one steep hill at mile 16 that leads up to St. John’s Bridge.

THE COURSE SUPPORT

I thought the support was outstanding especially considering the weather- it rained the whole time.  There were a lot of people cheering, bands performing, cheerleaders, and volunteers.

There were plenty of aid stations, about every 1.2-1.5 miles.  Every station had water and Ultima energy drink.  I didn’t think it was that bad tasting, but I read that many people didn’t like it.

There were also stations with Liquid Gold energy gel in little paper cups and gummi bear stations.  I thought the candy was awesome, and I grabbed handfuls of gummi bears at each one.  The Liquid Gold was slightly weird tasting but decent enough and super easy to swallow in the little cups.

THE POST-RACE

Along with the course support, I thought the post-race was great.  Immediately I was given a medal and a heat blanket, asked if I needed help, and then directed to the goodies.

There were bottled water, bagels, oranges, mini candy bars, potato chips, string cheese, tons of greek yogurt, little boxes of orange juice, Muscle Milk, and roses were given out along with fir tree starters.

Plus, each finisher was given a long sleeve technical tee to go with the short sleeve tee that we received at the expo.  That’s a lot of swag!

SUMMARY

I liked this race; it’s a good medium-sized race.  The supporters are fantastic, but the weather can be wonky… be ready for rain!  I didn’t like the fact that it seemed a little unorganized just like the expo, but overall, a great, friendly race.  I’d probably run it again.  Ranks 8.01 out of 10.

TIPS

-Be prepared for any type of weather.  Test your rain running gear out before you use it.  I wore a brand new rain jacket and it chafed my neck and collar bones pretty bad.

-If you have a sensitive stomach, bring your own energy gels and drinks instead of trying new stuff like Ultima and Liquid Gold.

-If it is going to be bad weather, make sure you have warm, dry clothes to change into immediately afterwards.

-Arrive at the race early so you can figure out how to get into your corral; it’s a little confusing.

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