The Eugene Marathon was held on May 1st in Oregon. There was also a half marathon, 5k, and “kids marathon”. Over 8,000 people participated in the 2011 event, and registration for the marathon was $100.
I think this was only the 5th year of this small-town race, but it has consistently received great reviews, and the race has grown quickly.
THE EXPO
Personally I thought the expo was a little weak. It was held at the Hilton in downtown Eugene; it was a little crowded and not a whole lot to offer.
Because we had to drive nearly 4 hours to get there, we arrived close to closing time, and the Clif Bar booth ended up giving us a bunch of bars and gels. schweet.
They also had ran out of shirts by the time we got there so Matt got a half marathon shirt, and I didn’t get one, but they said they’d send it to me.
Someone tell me what my brother’s doing?
The race used the old school chip timing plastic square thing that you have to zip tie on your shoe. You don’t see that many races as highly touted as this one still using the old chips, but it wasn’t a big deal.
I thought it was strangely interesting that we were in the center of Nikeville and Nike wasn’t a sponsor or in any way affiliated with the race. Instead Krusteaz was the title sponsor which was nice because we ate a lot of muffins:
THE START
The race starts and finishes right at Hayward Field which was awesome. There were 3 corrals (A, B, and W for walkers) and I think they could even break them down even further.
We found easy street parking within walking distance to the start, and it seemed like there were adequate porta potties. We were there pretty early though so that could have made a difference.
The race started nearly 15 minutes late. I admit, I don’t have much patience for races starting late.
With the halfers starting with us, the first couple miles were pretty crowded for the small streets. From the reviews I read, this was the #1 complaint – not enough corral control and that wave starts need to implemented.
THE SUPPORT
Because it’s a smaller town, this is a great race for spectators to drive around and see you – we were able to see our family 4 or 5 different times. There weren’t a ton of spectators, but there were some fun fans like this lady who’s drowning in taffeta:
The aid stations had water and Gatorade every mile or so, but they were really crowded and backed up. You did the herky jerky start and stop, try not to run anyone over, water grab thing. There was also Clif gels at 2 or 3 different spots on the course which was more than I had expected and a nice surprise.
There were Clif Bar pacers running as well, I think in 10 minute increments, but we didn’t use them.
THE COURSE
I thought the course was really pretty; I was expecting more of a city feel, so I was surprised to see that a lot the race was ran on bike trails and by the river. I personally really liked the course and felt like it kept me interested with the changes on it.
I hate when a course bores you – it might be beautiful but sometimes you want it to change a little to keep you interested.
It’s a flat and fast, very green, lots of scenery, PR course, but I did read that some people said there was too much concrete. I didn’t think so but I guess some people did.
THE FINISH
The finish at Hayward Field is really fun: you feel like you’re in the Olympics running on the track with crowds up in the stands.
The finish support was great: a lady gave Matt a Gatorade right away because it was a long walk over to the water, and he probably looked like he was dying… We also received heat blankets.
There was great post-race food: bananas, water, Famous Amos cookies, granola bars, chips, and a Krusteaz pancake feed, but my big complaint is that the finish area was secured and sectioned off from the fans. So you could go eat pancakes while your family stared at you behind a gate. Like that wouldn’t be weird.
THE SUMMARY
Eugene was a good, small town, getting better and growing-type of race. Logistics were super easy – parking, getting in and out, to the race, etc. The course is really pretty and fun to run, and the people are friendly.
The negatives would be that the expo is small, the race started late, and I think they need more chip timing mats on the course so you can see your splits later online.
Overall I really enjoyed this race and would definitely run it again.
TIPS
*Be ready for Oregon weather. We had great, almost too hot, sunny weather but the day before and the day after it rained. So be prepared to run in the rain. or sun.
*Book a hotel a lot sooner than I did! Eugene is not a big town and if there’s a sports game going on the same weekend, everything is going to sell out. We ended up at roach convention for 50 bucks a night 20 miles outside of Eugene.
*After the race while you’re wandering around looking for your fans, remember that they’re outside the gate waiting for you to come out.
*Possibly carry your own water because the aid stations are slow and backed up.
*Wear throwaways or warm clothes in the morning because it was cold! About 40* when the race started.
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{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
I was really unimpressed with the support on the course. I ran the Portland Marathon this year (I think you said that you did too!) and even though there torrential rain the entire time, there were still more people on the course cheering us on.
Eugene was definitely a PR race though! I cut 3 1/2 minutes off my time!
‘Someone tell me what my brother’s doing?’
Uhm…sniffing your hair?
Did you wash it? 
I didn’t think anyone was using those zip tags anymore. I have had chronotiming on my bib for the past 2 races I’ve done.
Hey SR! I was at Eugene on the starting line and the race was late because someone tried to jump the fence and knocked over the starting/chip computer minutes before the race. It was a technical nightmare and I felt sorry for the race director/team. We could see how bad they felt about the delay. Just wanted to throw that out there, that it really was not their fault.
the finish of the race looks really sweet. Also, the muffins. I want some muffins.
mmmm… muffins.
LOL, that just reminded me of the Saturday Night Live skit with Betty White!!!! hahahahaha!
Hey… this is the third time I’ve run Eugene and it is the first year that the race was not a Nike race. In the past they have been my absolute favorite Nike race shirts. This year they sucked! What a bummer. Also, I think they use the old chips because it is important to them that the chips be recycled in Eugene, not thrown away.
Sounds like a good race, even if there are still a couple of things that need to be worked out!
Love your race recaps–they are so helpful, and there’s nothing like getting the truth directly from the source!
I had such a blast at Eugene. I really had so much fun. I agree that that while there weren’t tons of spectators, the ones that were out there were hilarious.
I actually liked that the finish area was secured so that it wasn’t as crowded and I could actually grab the snacks I needed without having to fight off families and their screaming children and there was actually stuff left when the slower folks (like me) came in.
p.s. SR, your fingers got mixed up spelling Eugene in the post title.
awhh! hate typos! thanks for the heads up.
I always wonder what the cost difference is for races when they go with the big ‘ol square chip over the d-tag.
I ran the Eugene Marathon this year and I loved it. I didn’t think the start was too bad as far as crowding goes, but maybe I just positioned myself well. The water stops were a bit challenging, but not much more than any other marathon water stop.
When you get your tshirt try not to be too disappointed. They are unisex and the small is like a tent on my women’s size medium frame. That was a bummer, especially since I saw the previous year’s shirt and it was awesome.
Overall, I thought the race was beautiful and well done. Definitely a PR course with great support for a small town!
Is Matti hooked on running now? Hope the no-smoking sticks – that habit’s a bugger to get rid of.
I love the stadium finish!! If they don’t send you a shirt let me know and I’ll snd the Navy Seals out!!
I so appreciate the honesty in your race reports!
Eugene looked gorgeous this year and I keep reading fabulous recaps. BUTTTT, there is always that PNW rain factor!
Love the lady and taffeta and the term roach convention (although I am sure the convention was NOT funny at the time!!!).
=)
That race course looked very pretty.
Yeah, that is odd that Nike was not there as a sponsor…
I love reading the race recaps.
Does anyone know what D-tag actually stands for? It always makes me think of d-bag
i think its because its shaped like a D
hmmm thanks
I was hoping it would be more exciting…but that makes sense.
You just have to be as slow as me and the water stations aren’t crowded at all.
I am glad that you enjoyed the race overall. I lived in Eugene for 8 years and it is a great city. Krusteez has always been the main sponsor for some odd reason…I have no idea to be honest since Phil Knight and Nike own the town.
As for the spectators, this was the smallest turnout I have ever seen, and I have participated in the half marathon the past 3 years. It was so strange. Last year and the year before (when it was 38 degrees and pouring) there were a ton of people. Eugene is strange.
And they do use the old annoying tags for recycling purposes.
Would you do it again?
too much concrete? haha. weird thing to notice. I heard (and I hear this at almost every race) that there were too many turns. I’m not bothered by such drivel!
I 1000% agree that the shoe chip was old-timey, and the finishing area was pathetic for being closed off. It actually made for a very bittersweet end for me, as I was so happy, but then very stressed because I couldn’t find my sweetie
Good summary! But wheres your number score? I’m guessing 7.688?
Hey SR, it was fun meeting you and your family at the race. Congrats to Matt on breaking 4 hours in his first marathon! My race kind of fell apart, so my first wasn’t awesome, but I thought Eugene was a great course. Compared to Israel, where there is never a single spectator (minus the hookers at the Tel Aviv marathon, seriously), the crowd support in Eugene was great.
And like other commenters said, the shirt sucks big time. I asked for an XS when I signed up, and they didn’t even print XS shirts. The small is like a tent.
I’d run Eugene again, since it was pretty and the logistics were so easy. I totally agree that they need more corrals, though.
Let me know when you get a big sponsor to fly you to Israel, I’ll run the Jerusalem marathon with you.
Great recap! I was at this marathon and agree with just about everything that you said. They need more corrals, the expo was boring, it didn’t start on time, they ran out of shirts. It was nice that the course was flat, and there were lots of fans. It was my second marathon, and it was okay. I enjoyed the Rock n Roll Seattle a lot more.
Thanks for the recap, SR. I am contemplating running this marathon while I’m Oregon visiting family (how convenient, I know) so this is helpful. Just an FYI, if you google “Eugene Marathon course preview,” you come up first
man, im finally known for something useful besides posting pics of lindsey lohan in a bikini
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