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Runners' and walkers' comments and ratings about road races

These are comments submitted by participants at road races. These comments are designed to inform other runners and walkers of races about events they might like to attend and also to let race directors know what participants think about their events. There also is a form for these directors to use to reply to any comments. Hopefully critical comments will be of the constructive types so that events might try to correct any perceived shortcomings. To submit a comment, fill out this form. Race directors who would like to respond to any of the comments can fill out this form. The comment section will be updated every week to two weeks, depending on the number of comments received.

Arlington Turkey Trot Boopas 10K Bold In the Cold Bud E. Bee Boo Carrollton RC Monthly Runs Communities Against Crime

The Cowtown White Rock Marathon White Rock Half Marathon DRC Frigid 5K, 10K DRC Half Dreams on Wings D.O. Dash

Don Zetnick Winter Run Esperanza 5K Fire and Ice Half Marathon Firefighters For Freedom Fighters FWRC Einstein Run 10K

Fort Worth Half Marathon FWRC Mercury 10K Fort Worth Zoo Run GHS Fillie Trot, 2011, 2012 Help The Homeless

Haltom Stampede Honored Hero Hot Dog Trot Joe's Run Lake Benbrook Half, 2011 2012 Las Colinas Cool 10K, 5K

Lone Star 5K, 10K Mayfest Medal of Summer No. 1 MLK Day & Dream 5K Radiant Sprint For Cancer 5K, 10K

Resolution Solution, 2011, 2012 R.O.C. 100-Year 5K Santa Scurry 5K Sizzling Summer Half & 10K SNAP Strut Your Stuff

Soles For Souls Speak Up for Kids Casa (Cleburne) Super Bowl Sunday 5000 SWEat for SWE Toys For Tots (Arlington)

Trail Blazer Two Fifths Marathon & 5K Tyler Rose Half Marathon Uptown Run 10-4 For H.A.N.K.

Wounded Warriors Half Marathon

*****

Arlington Toys For Tots 5K, 2010

Date of event:	Dec. 11,2010
Where?	Randoll Mill Park
	Great venue, plenty of parking, great course with variation in topography, a good location for other runs. Minimal post-race refreshments, insufficient restrooms
	J B
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Arlington Turkey Trot, 2010

Date of event:	Nov. 25, 2010
Where?	Arlington, Texas
	Good inaugural event. The route was good, but the large number of runners was too much for the marked lane. The organizers should coordinate with the city and the Rangers to use their larger barricades and widen the route. I ended up on the sidewalk half the time. Cars kept trying to cut through the race because of the Cowboy game. Better traffic control and closing off completely the road on the west side of the Ballpark and Road to Six Flags on the north side of the Ballpark would help. I think the organizers did a good job considering the last minute change, but it will need some work before next year. My family and I will be back.
	Scott Camp
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

***

Date of event:	Nov. 25, 2010
Where?	Arlington, TX
	This is the perfect location for a turkey trot, ample parking, great views of Cowboys Stadium and the Ballpark.The course is flat and fast. Because of the location this could become the premier Turkey Trot in N. Texas
	Don Strout
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	Jan. 8, 2011
Where?	Grapevine, TX
	Great event. Good course with rolling hills. Course well marked with plenty of monitors as well. Like the 8 a.m. start. Also liked that they take the old shoes for recycling.
	M. Kercho
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	March 5, 2011
Where?	Saginaw
	The course had a little hill at mile 2 that was a nice change from all the flat courses around here. Race was very well put together with a lot of volunteers at every corner.
	Tri Rider
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	Nov. 27, , 2011
Where?	McInnish Park, Carrollton
	Flat course for both the mile and 5K. The other runners are very friendly. Great if you want to run a small race and set a new PR. My only complaint is the course is not well marked; therefore, a little confusing for newcomers.
	Danny Fuller
Star rating 1-5	4/5
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	Oct. 29, 2011
Where?	Hulen Park, Cleburne
	This was a terrific race! It was nice to see where the money was going to. The volunteers were very special people! They were the ones we were running for! They were so enthusiastic-- I loved all of the cowbells that were ringing!! Great work! Great course... Will definitely do this one again.
	Janice Joslin
Star rating 1-5	5/5
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	Sept. 10, 2011
Where?	Legacy Park, Arlington
	It was ladies day at the park. The first three runners to finish were all women! First time I've seen that. Fourth was a guy (poor guy). As always, Jeph (Yberra) and Ricky (Cox) know how to put a race on. It was a slightly different course, but still mostly flat and into the woods. Still a bit warm but, at least, not a 100. I've never seen so many prizes given away at a race to include two American Airlines tickets to anywhere in the USA. The awards took a while to get to because of all the prizes, but what the heck. Two things I want to see at a race (any race) are awards starting with the oldest age group and going down to the youngest, and where is the yogurt I used to see at all the races anyway? I've done this race many times and I'll be back nest year.
	Barney Snitz
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	Feb. 26-27, 2011
Where?	Fort Worth
	Cowtown Executive Director Heidi Swartz said she has been almost overwhelmed by e-mails praising the new venue at Will Rogers. It's surprising that no one has commented here about not only the new venue but also the bigger and indoor Expo, and the splitting of the races to two days rather than cramming them all into one day. So, I will offer my comments. Actually, I believe everything could be summed up with one word -- GREAT. Am planning to run the half next year, and hopefully be in shape. I did the 10K this year and ran out of gas at the 4-mile mark. The 10K course, by the way, was nice. After a brief uphill near the start, it was mostly downhill or level for more than four miles. Kind of a tough finish, at least for me, with a couple of hills, but they weren't bad and they weren't too long. Loved the roomy Expo. Heard a few spectators complain about the lack of visibility at the finish area, so maybe Cowtown will improve that next year.
	Charles Clines
Would you recommend this event?	A big YES

Date of event:	12/5/2010
Where?	Fair Park, Dallas
	Loved the move to Fair Park! Lots of history there. Parking was a challenge at 1st arrival but leaving was a breeze. The new portions of the course were a nice feature and the old course was just as awesome as ever! A TON of spectator and volunteer support! Heard that some half runners missed the split off and ran a portion of the full, however I myself noticed there were two BIG white signs indicating where to split so I don't know how that was missed? Some runners also had an issue with some of the later corrals starting almost an hour after the initial wave started. Maybe that can be fixed in next year's race (my corral started around 8:20. Just fine with me). I was so exhausted afterwards that I didn't notice what refreshments were available in the runner's village. I did hear that the selections weren’t what they used to be like in past DWRM. Finisher's long sleeve tech t's and medals were pretty sweet but also heard that some runners were left out in the cold (pun) without a finisher's shirt after running out. Something else they should correct for next year. All in all, awesome time and FANTASTIC experience!
	Ant C.
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	Oct. 15, 2011
Where?	UNT Health Science Bld., Fort Worth
	No dislikes. The certified course had to be revised with last minute road repairs and concrete trucks on Clarke. Demery Cox and the race director did an outstanding job of organizing and re-routing the course. I was pleased to have a tech type shirt and wish other race directors would evaluate and possibly provide this type of shirt. I am happy to pay a couple of dollars more for a quality running shirt. Finally, the race & staff always put on a quality race with great post-race activities.
	Jim Engstrom
Star rating 1 to 5	5 of 5
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	12/4/2010
Where?	Arlington
	A great event. Started on time, monitors on the course, a clock at the 5K point, and plenty of food and drink afterward. Good course with mostly downhill to the halfway point and then back up to the finish except for the last tenth which is down. Wish award ceremony could start a little earlier so it could end earlier.
	Charles Clines
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	Jan. 7, 2012
Where?	Winfrey Point, White Rock Lake, Dallas
	New registration system slowed things down immensely. There was no advantage to being pre-registered. But you know, things happen. Just wish it had been a timed race.
	Karl Zuber
Star rating 1 to 5	2 of 5
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	Nov. 7, 2011
Where?	Norbuck Park, White Rock Lake, Dallas
	This is my favorite race in the metroplex. Every year it's well organized and the temperatures are ideal for a PR. Parking was limited but that forced me to warm up and warm down for a mile between the DART station and the start/finish area. The course itself is mostly flat, but it rolls enough to break up the monotony and I think a few fast downhills in the middle help me to keep my turnover high after my mind wanders. The race started on time but it ended two minutes after I wanted it to (joke!). Bag check was exceptionally well-run. I never have to wait for a massage at the end (provided by the knowledgeable, friendly staff of Chirosport). Great swag, long-sleeve colored tech shirts, plenty of food and drinks. The only negative was the large crowd forces you to start slower than you want to, but it's popular because it's so user-friendly.
	Charlie Hart
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	May 12, 2012
Where?	Weatherford
	Such a wonderful race for a great cause benefiting the Hemispherectomy Foundation and brave families that undergo radical brain surgeries. Challenging course in a great neighborhood. So well organized by the Hall family of Aledo, definitely my favorite race of the year.
	Debra Thomas
Star rating 1 to 5	5 of 5
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	10/24/2010
Where?	Trinity Park, Pavillion #1
	Great cause, all proceeds go to leukemia lymphoma society. Medals were awesome, pancakes, hot dogs, muscle milk, fruit at finish. Plenty of water stops (every 2 miles), energetic volunteers on course and at finish, fun things for kiddos (face painting, bounce house, balloon artist. DJ played great music, good course along Trinity River on mostly soft surface versus the cement bike trail. Overall a solid 10 rating on a scale of 1-10!
	M R
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	Aug. 6, 2011
Where?	Weatherford
	Good registration, friendly race staff. 15-minute late start; very good course with several hills; mile markers not visible, confusing turn mid-race (no one there to direct runners) Good timing and quick results, average medals for winners.
	JB
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	March 24, 2012
Where?	Fort Worth Samaritan House, Rosedale and Hemphill
	Did not like the 9:30 start time. Llast year it was at 8:00. Did not like that results were not posted in the paper. The 5K was well organized, but heard complaints about lack of water on 10K course, and lack of food after 10K.
Star rating 5 to 5	3 of 5
	Deborah Ruiz
Would you recommend this event?	No

Date of event:	March 26, 2011
Where?	Fort Worth Samaritan House
	Great race to usher in the spring after a rough winter, and people were up for that! The race started on time, slight uphill at first, followed by a mostly flat loop running through the hospital district. The sunny day blinded me to anything wrong about this race. The food and swag afterward were amazing, including sushi, tapas, beer, coffee, plus the usual sports drinks and fruit. Unique trophies (colorful carved parrots for the first three in each age group) and enthusiastic youngsters who medaled in their age group kept everyone entertained. Good race if you don't mind a crowded field.
	Charlie Hart
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	Jan. 28, 2012
Where?	Lake Benbrook
	Good event. Plenty of volunteers at all stations, from registration, chip pick up, water stops, chip removal. Gu and sports drink was available on course. Food after was tasty. Typical Benbrook run- cold, windy and the hills haven't gotten any smaller. Love it! Highly recommend
	Ninetoes Rodriguez
Star rating 5 to 5	5 of 5
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	Jan. 29, 2011
Where?	Lake Benbrook
	Usual tough course, which we like. A good gauge to where your training is. Post race chili was fantastic. Medals are unique and beautiful design. Understand there will be sports drink available on the course next year. Massage therapist was definitely a special extra. Recommend!
	Ninetoes Rodriguez
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	10/30/10
Where?	Irving, TX
	Everything about this race, fee, pre and post race activities and food, etc is outstanding. This year however they had a major issue with the 10K timing. It seems after the first 10K finisher crossed the finish mat they counted the slow 5K runners along with the 10K runners in the results. This delayed the awards significantly. Hopefully Run On will filter out the 5K entries from the results and re-post the results. (Note: Results have been posted, presumably with corrections made)
	John Studebaker
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	March 31, 2012
Where?	Arlington, TX
	Pre-race was not great. They listed packet pick-up in the registration form, but didn't have any information on the website or in their e-mails about where/when packet pick-up was, so I couldn't get my packet ahead of time. The directions that they post on the website of how to get there included roads that were blocked off for the race, and you couldn't easily get to another route because of other roads blocked off and no u-turn signs. They really should have given directions that took closures into consideration. Then because I couldn't pick up my packet ahead of time, (didn't know where to go) and the extra 20 minutes I had to drive around trying to find the entrance (bad directions), they were out of my size T-shirt by the time I got there (and I actually liked the shirt design so I'm bummed I don't have one in a size I'll actually wear). The safety pins were the giant diaper-size safety pins and ripped holes in my shirt...that was the oddest choice to me. Why would they get the large pins for bibs? The race course (I ran the 5K) was nice and post-race was great. The band was good, snacks good, and lots of space. I also loved that there was plenty of parking and it was close to the start/finish line. I couldn't find results on their website or Facebook page (actually came here -- Clines Running Corner -- to find them!) which was another odd choice. All in all, I think the race is a great concept and has potential to be awesome, but the management really needs to tighten up the pre-race experience and post better information on the website for it to get there.
	Emily Tate
Star rating 1 to 5	3 of 5
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	June 25, 2011
Where?	Oak Grove Park, Grapevine
	It was too Humid, too HOT and too hilly. What more could you ask for? I like the 7 AM start. ALL races should start early in the summer. Parking was plentiful even with double the # of runners as anticipated. It was well RUN by the director (Jack Haase) and the cold water at the 1/2 way point and finish were REALLY needed. It's the same well marked route as the LGRAW and Fillie trots have been run on which are also a lot of FUN! Just $5 for no shirts, no bibs, no problem. The results were FAST and the medals are colorful. I'll do #2 too.
	Harold Jandreau
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	Jan. 17, 2011
Where?	River Legacy Park, Arlington
	Well organized. Great entry fee. Good course, well marked and good location. Took too long to get official results and begin the awards ceremony.
	J.B.
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	April 16, 2011
Where?	Las Colinas, Irving
	Despite pretty good organization, this race fell short. Or should I say long. The 5K was 3.3 and the 10K therefore was 6.6 Final results also didn't incude paces to reflect this added mileage. This frustrated the serious runners; their timing devices reflected this. This course needs to be measured correctly or it will lose a lot of runners. It has already lost me. Also you don't do raffles 10 minutes before the start of a race, at the start line no less. Nobody could hear the announcements, nor did we care. People were focused to run, not to hear their bib #'s in a raffle,
	Chris Kobos
Would you recommend this event?	No


	Thank you for your feedback on Sprint for Cancer. I am sorry about the issues with this year's race. We are working with our race management company to ensure our length is accurate in future races. We will obtain USATF certification and take extra steps to ensure proper cone placement on race day. We are also looking into creating a loop course. I agree that the door prize giveway should not take place right before the race and we'll change this next year too. If you'd like to run the race next year or in the future, I'll gladly comp your entry and welcome your feedback. We feel strongly about making the race a positive experience for all participants while supporting local cancer causes

	Jill Jung

Date of event:	1/1/2011
Where?	Trinity Park, Pavillion 3
	Good course. Sort of a loop as opposed to a boring out/back. Well marked. Champagne at finish was a nice touch. 10:00 am start was a plus since it was very cold earlier.
	M Rod
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	1/1/11
Where?	Trinity Park
	A great way to start the New Year! I participate in many races managed by "RunTime Racing Services", they always do a first class job. A race is about doing many things well and RunTime never disappoints.
	Mark Johnson
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	Jan. 1, 2012
Where?	Trinity Park, Fort Worth
	Returning to competitive running after a 35 year absence, and this race was a great experience. Plenty of helpful people on hand to get me where I needed to be, good group of people to run with, very laid back. I was able concentrate on running, everything else was pretty well taken care of. Only problem I noticed was not enough toilets, but the organizers already noted that and promised to do better next year. I plan to come back.
	Jim Klein
Star rating 1 to 5	4 of 5
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	4/2/2011
Where?	Carrollton
	Well-organized, accurate course. Fast, accurate results. Entry Fee $10. (Race celebrated Republic of China's Centennial)
	Dennis Maietta
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	December 3rd 2010
Where?	Keller
	Ran this race last year and it was awesome! Along most of the course were tiki torches. It was dark along the trails and the torches lit the way, made it really fun!
	DC Scire
Would you recommend this event?	Yes

Date of event:	July 23, 2011
Where?	River Legacy Park, Arlington
	Let’s see, where do I begin? How about limited volunteers handing out race packets before the start as well as Run On’s start/finish line crew not being set up at least an hour before the scheduled 7:30 a.m. start, causing a 30-minute delay; trying to cram several hundred runners on a 4-foott path at the start was an accident waiting to happen; a “no name” brand tech shirt that was marked for my size but fits like a youth size, and basic finisher’s medals. That’s not even mentioning no mile markers of any kind (how the heck do you host a race with no mile markers?), no course monitors to instruct where to go, compromising the runners safety with limited water on the course on a record hot morning here in North TX (plenty of water at the finish but kind of useless when you're actually out on the course having ran farther than expected), no turn around signs of any kind. I guess the bright side is that I ended up running about 8 miles instead of 6.2. All in all, a poorly organized race that was supposed to be fun but ended up being a nightmare for some as I overheard one runner say. I will definitely not be back as a paying customer. More than likely as a bandit runner.
	Anthony C.
Would you recommend this event?	No