A few weeks ago we ran the 2011 Eugene Marathon. Finally. I've been wanting to run this race for several years but the dates never seemed to work out.
The race started bright and early at 7am. The weather was dry with temps were in the high 30s/low 40s which made for a cold start. There were three corrals with about 8000 runners total.
Miles 0-8 were an out and back loop that held the biggest hills of the day - not huge and after Mile 9, the course was very flat. The miles clicked by quickly and before I knew it we had crossed the Willamette River and were running through Springfield. After crossing over Interstate 5, we were already at Mile 16 passing the U of O (the Ducks) football stadium. Wow, that thing is B-I-G.
Miles 17-25 followed the river northward, crossing over at Mile 21 and heading back south.
The last mile was a blur with a super fast finish on the track at Hayward Field - incredible way to finish a race. As the race slogan says, you feel like you are "running in the footsteps of legends"
Overall, here's how the run rates in my book:
Organization – Very well organized and staffed. Grade: A
Course - River section is scenic, neighborhoods are fun. Not a ton of crowd support. Grade: B
Aid-stations - Seemingly everywhere. Grade: A
Swag – Nice technical long-sleeve and medal. Grade: A-