This is my third year doing the half marathon. I used to live in Western NY but moved to New England over the summer. I found pretty cheap direct flights … MORE
This is my third year doing the half marathon. I used to live in Western NY but moved to New England over the summer. I found pretty cheap direct flights from Boston to Buffalo and decided to come back and do this again. I have reviewed this race several times so will focus on some things that changed. I now needed a hotel and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Downtown Buffalo which is maybe 1/4 mile from the convention center and start/finish line and very convenient. You definitely don’t need to rent a car though I opted to due to plans not related to the race. I got my packet Saturday though they did offer race day packet pick-up this year. There was good pre-race communication except the time limit for the half was unclear. The website said 3 hours (yikes) but the guide said 3:30. I have done this race around 3:30 one year and had zero issues so I assumed that was the actual time limit and they seemed to keep the course open longer than 3:30. They also will keep the finish line open longer since there is also a marathon so you don’t have to worry about getting a finishing time for the half. The race is excellent and mostly flat with a nice tour of Buffalo. Production is really good with lots of aid stations, course marshals, and police support. There is a lot of spectators, musical acts and participants so it is a high energy course. My only complaint this year is there were some terrible and very rude drivers. This is somewhat outside of the races control as the volunteers and police would tell the drivers to stop and they wouldn’t listen so I had to stop a couple times for cars to pass. Perhaps a bit more police support would help though they weren’t really listening to police either. I decided to take the race slow and finish around 3:30 as I was initially planning to do Run to Remember in Boston on Monday which had a tighter time limit and I wanted to save energy (I ended up deciding to skip Run to Remember as it had a 3 hour time limit and I realized I didn’t need it for my goal to make sun level and I wasn’t in the mood to stress about getting a finishing time and definitely not in the mood for a DNF). I had no issues finishing this race around 3:30 except the last 2 musical acts were packing up but the aid stations and important stuff was all still there. The swag this year was nice with the long-sleeved hooded tech shirts with very bold designs and I liked the color block buffalo medals this year. They fixed the issue with the finish line food from yesterday and volunteers handed runners single items so I doubt they ran out of food as there was plenty left and I was one of the later half finishers. I also liked they had the snacks at the finish line as last year the only food was at the post race party. There is a post-race party in the convention center but I decided to skip as I wanted to have plenty of time to shower and check out of my hotel and I had enough food at the finish line. This is definitely a really good race and it would be perfect if Buffalo had less rude drivers. I would definitely recommend this race for NY especially if you prefer large, urban races and don’t want to run in NYC. I will be back again though I think I may be in Canada next year this weekend so probably 2026.
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A Memorial Day Tradition
This is my third year doing the half marathon. I used to live in Western NY but moved to New England over the summer. I found pretty cheap direct flights … MORE
This is my third year doing the half marathon. I used to live in Western NY but moved to New England over the summer. I found pretty cheap direct flights from Boston to Buffalo and decided to come back and do this again. I have reviewed this race several times so will focus on some things that changed. I now needed a hotel and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Downtown Buffalo which is maybe 1/4 mile from the convention center and start/finish line and very convenient. You definitely don’t need to rent a car though I opted to due to plans not related to the race. I got my packet Saturday though they did offer race day packet pick-up this year. There was good pre-race communication except the time limit for the half was unclear. The website said 3 hours (yikes) but the guide said 3:30. I have done this race around 3:30 one year and had zero issues so I assumed that was the actual time limit and they seemed to keep the course open longer than 3:30. They also will keep the finish line open longer since there is also a marathon so you don’t have to worry about getting a finishing time for the half. The race is excellent and mostly flat with a nice tour of Buffalo. Production is really good with lots of aid stations, course marshals, and police support. There is a lot of spectators, musical acts and participants so it is a high energy course. My only complaint this year is there were some terrible and very rude drivers. This is somewhat outside of the races control as the volunteers and police would tell the drivers to stop and they wouldn’t listen so I had to stop a couple times for cars to pass. Perhaps a bit more police support would help though they weren’t really listening to police either. I decided to take the race slow and finish around 3:30 as I was initially planning to do Run to Remember in Boston on Monday which had a tighter time limit and I wanted to save energy (I ended up deciding to skip Run to Remember as it had a 3 hour time limit and I realized I didn’t need it for my goal to make sun level and I wasn’t in the mood to stress about getting a finishing time and definitely not in the mood for a DNF). I had no issues finishing this race around 3:30 except the last 2 musical acts were packing up but the aid stations and important stuff was all still there. The swag this year was nice with the long-sleeved hooded tech shirts with very bold designs and I liked the color block buffalo medals this year. They fixed the issue with the finish line food from yesterday and volunteers handed runners single items so I doubt they ran out of food as there was plenty left and I was one of the later half finishers. I also liked they had the snacks at the finish line as last year the only food was at the post race party. There is a post-race party in the convention center but I decided to skip as I wanted to have plenty of time to shower and check out of my hotel and I had enough food at the finish line. This is definitely a really good race and it would be perfect if Buffalo had less rude drivers. I would definitely recommend this race for NY especially if you prefer large, urban races and don’t want to run in NYC. I will be back again though I think I may be in Canada next year this weekend so probably 2026.
Hometown Half
The Buffalo Half was a rewarding experience, and as a local, I'd certainly run it again and/or take a crack at 26.2 in the future. Downtown Buffalo is my go-to … MORE
The Buffalo Half was a rewarding experience, and as a local, I’d certainly run it again and/or take a crack at 26.2 in the future. Downtown Buffalo is my go-to training ground for longer runs as there are plenty of landmarks and scenic tree-lined villages to be enjoyed. The half is relatively flat, with a couple gradual inclines that take awhile to surmount, namely the first couple miles, and going through West Side neighborhoods between mile 6 and 7, and mile 8 and 9; then a final incline up towards the finish line. There was nonstop, jam-packed crowd support that made the race wildly fun – the best I’ve encountered thus far. Plenty of hydration stations with both water and Gatorade. Many volunteers and everything on the course is well-managed and clearly marked. The medal is adorable and I rather like the offbeat mesh hoodie that reminds me of a hockey jersey; I plan to wear it whenever I go ice skating. The main sticking point of the event is the accessibility of the convention center used for packet pickup, the expo, and post-race party. The finish line is located right next to the center, but it’s completely barricaded except at one, maybe two, narrow points. This made packet pickup difficult (I went as the 5K was finishing up) and it was even more congested leaving after finishing the race. It took me 5 minutes to exit the finish area, and several more minutes to reach the entrance of the center because of two-way foot traffic and spectators camping out on the sidewalks. This might be a minor complaint, but when you’ve been up since 2AM and your legs feel like lead, patience is scarce. 🙂 I enjoyed shopping around at the expo but was too tired to stay for the party.
One of My Favorite 5Ks
The 5K takes place the Saturday before the half/full marathon. This was my 4th time doing this race and I realized it is the race I have done the most … MORE
The 5K takes place the Saturday before the half/full marathon. This was my 4th time doing this race and I realized it is the race I have done the most times. As I have run it a lot and it has been the same course I will leave this review pretty short. It is one of my favorite 5Ks because it is such as fast course and I always have one of my fastest times and this year was no exception. They have race day pick-up for the 5K in the convention center right by the start line. The swag this year was a hooded, tech shirt. The 5K is well organized and very fast with a slight uphill the first half and slight downhill the second half and goes through downtown Buffalo. There is a nice medal for a 5K. The only issue this year was they ran out of food. Finishers got a big bag and there was a selection of fruit, granola bar, oreos, chips, and mini muffins. However by the time I finished (which was right in the middle of the pack) they were almost out of everything and I just got a bag of mini muffins. I will give this a pass as they have been experimenting with the best way to do post race food and they fixed this for the races the next day.
Hidden Gem
A well run and organized event. Consistent updates from race directors kept me informed in the weeks leading up to... the hooded tech shirt is a great idea, and a … MORE
A well run and organized event. Consistent updates from race directors kept me informed in the weeks leading up to… the hooded tech shirt is a great idea, and a very cool finisher’s medal top it off. The crowd support on the course was solid, and with water/aid stations every 2 miles along the way made it easy for runners to stay hydrated. The course had some small hills but wasn’t excessively hilly or flat…just varied enough to keep you pushing.
The massage tables at the finishers chute was great.
Cons…the Expo and post-race party were meh IMO.
Repeat race
I love this race. It’s well run, fantastic communication, great support, spectators… the town of Buffalo is also super cute and close to Niagara which is fun to hit while … MORE
I love this race. It’s well run, fantastic communication, great support, spectators… the town of Buffalo is also super cute and close to Niagara which is fun to hit while in town. I highly recommend again and again!
Fun race
There were many spectators which made this race more fun. I also enjoyed running by the water. My husband and kiddos were able to see me 3 times on the MORE
There were many spectators which made this race more fun. I also enjoyed running by the water. My husband and kiddos were able to see me 3 times on the route
Great Event/ Fabulous Swag
I loved the convenience of this marathon, especially coming from another state. It was close to the airport, easy to find parking to get in and out of the expo … MORE
I loved the convenience of this marathon, especially coming from another state. It was close to the airport, easy to find parking to get in and out of the expo and nice to be able to park free close to the start on race day! I love marathons that consider additional costs of the runner and make it easy to just get there and just run! Well supported course with great volunteers and plentiful aid stations! The announcer at the start, which is showcased with grand fireworks, was spectacular! We saw her again at the finish and she was so enthusiastic bringing the runners home! The long sleeve zip up we received was awesome and well appreciated! Loved the medal as well, it was super cool! Pizza, fruit, chips and cookies was easy to grab at the convention center right in the building next to the finish line making it easier for other family members to find their runner without everyone in the way in conversation. Great idea! Great event and loved how they catered to the runner, making the whole event just fun and stress free! Awesome organization!
Good race - crowded post-race party
Big, fun race. No issues with course, production. CRAP long sleeve hooded shirt. Yet another shirt I'll never wear. TOO many family members clogging up the food lines and taking … MORE
Big, fun race. No issues with course, production.
CRAP long sleeve hooded shirt. Yet another shirt I’ll never wear.
TOO many family members clogging up the food lines and taking up the seats at the post-race party. Ridiculous! I spent all of this money and I had to beg a family to move a kid to a stroller so I could have a seat. Meanwhile, the kids have numerous bags of snacks and I never got one. (family didn’t even offer one of theirs). Thank GOD there was beer with no wait! Drank a few with the “family” as they passed judgement.
Solid event, no issues, fun weekend.
Ran the Half. Nice expo. We stayed at Embassy Suites, 1.5 blocks from start/finish areas. So walked to race 15 minutes before start. 6:30 start is nice before sun and … MORE
Ran the Half. Nice expo. We stayed at Embassy Suites, 1.5 blocks from start/finish areas. So walked to race 15 minutes before start. 6:30 start is nice before sun and weather warmed up to much. No issues with the course, decent scenery, some live music, aid/hydration stations were adequate. Interesting artist designed finisher medal. Post race in convention center was good. I left fairly quickly to return to hotel for shower and breakfast, then checkout. Overall a solid event. I would run again if I lived closer. Just chose Buffalo for New York State in my 50 state goal. 👍
Much Better Swag This Year
This is my second time doing the Buffalo Half Marathon so my initial review is more detailed. Last year I enjoyed the race but I was disappointed that when I … MORE
This is my second time doing the Buffalo Half Marathon so my initial review is more detailed. Last year I enjoyed the race but I was disappointed that when I signed up the swag item was a tumbler and not a jacket even though when I registered it had me select a jacket size. Don’t worry that was not an issue this year. I appreciated they changed the sign up swag option when registering to pick a size if apparel is the giveaway so if it was not a shirt or jacket I would not be as disappointed. The swag this year was very nice, long sleeved hooded tech shirts. Not sure if it’s quite as nice as the jacket from 2 years ago but it is a very nice swag item and better than what you receive for most races so I was happy this year. There is a helpful athlete guide created before the event. Packet pick-up is at the expo at convention center. I got it after the 5K. Expo is mid sized. Street parking is super easy by the convention center. The race is really nice and organized. It is an early 6:30 start but that allowed for beautiful weather and it didn’t get very hot until the end. It is a nice scenic, urban course. It is pretty flat. Just small inclines. Maybe one minor hill. It’s a fast course. I had another half the next day so was doing run-walk intervals to conserve energy but it’s a good PR course. There are a good number of spectators and musicians throughout the course. Not quite as much as some of the party races like OKC and Little Rock but more than average. Also lots of aid stations. All with water. All or most with Gatorade. One had gels. The gels were salted peanut which I thought was kind of an odd flavor though. My time wasn’t super fast but I was aiming to complete both half marathons this weekend around 3:10 which was exactly what I did. There are lots of back of packers. It has a stated time limit of 3:30 but there were a bunch of people well over that. Some over 4 hours. Finish line is nice and I liked the medal a lot this year. I’s a cool Buffalo design. I do have one complaint about the race and that is the post race party. I didn’t get to go last year so I was excited for it. It is located in the convention center right near the finish line. But it was jam packed and this year they gave no food just water at the finish line. The line for food was crazy. I tried getting in line and was told it was actually further back and I couldn’t figure it out and the place was so crowded it looked uncomfortable and I just left and ate snacks I had in the car. Would recommend having recovery food at the finish line and just the party food (pizza) in the convention center like last year or having separate lines for recovery food and pizza so it isn’t one huge line. I don’t really care much about post-race parties so I didn’t take away a sneaker. Maybe people who care about them like them this crowded. Other than the post-race party this was a pretty perfect race this year. I would definitely recommend this race for NY state for 50 state half and full marathoners. Along with being a great race, Buffalo is also a very affordable, convenient city to visit and there are a bunch of hotels by the convention center so you don’t need a rental car.
Great city race
Buffalo runs a great race. Fireworks at the start add to the excitement. Knowledge of the course is important as you cross a high point (North Street) several times. Knowing … MORE
Buffalo runs a great race. Fireworks at the start add to the excitement. Knowledge of the course is important as you cross a high point (North Street) several times. Knowing the course is uphill toward North and downhill away, will help your pace if you don’t overcook going up to North. It is not a big hill, but will wear away at your legs. The section out to the lakeside park has a nice view of the BFD boat shooting off its water cannons! The post race party was upstairs in the conference center instead of being down at race level. If you want anything other than water and a recovery drink, be prepared to go upstairs into the event hall.
Fast, Fun Way to Start the Weekend
This is m 3rd year participating in the Buffalo 5K which is the day before the half and full marathon. It has been the same course for all 3 years … MORE
This is m 3rd year participating in the Buffalo 5K which is the day before the half and full marathon. It has been the same course for all 3 years so read those reviews for more details. This year it started at 8am. There was packet pick-up race day for the 5K at the convention center right by start. Everything went smooth. Race was well produced. It is a fast 5K course. With a slight uphill in the middle and a fast finish. I had my fastest 5K of the year this year and always have a fast time. Swag this year included a very nice hooded tech shirt and a cute buffalo medal. There was water bottles, chips and granola bars at the finish. Would recommend doing the 5K along with the half/full. It is also a great 5K on its own if you aren’t up for the longer distances.
Wonderful flat course, great city
The Buffalo Half Marathon was an excellent production. I loved the course--it was pretty much flat with lots of shade, and miles 10-12 were along the waterfront. Great spectators who … MORE
The Buffalo Half Marathon was an excellent production. I loved the course–it was pretty much flat with lots of shade, and miles 10-12 were along the waterfront. Great spectators who were cheering on the runners the whole way. The only disappointment was with the advertised live music along the course. There were only a few live music stations, and one of them was playing an acoustic guitar–not really the vibe I needed!! I also wish they had given out t-shirts (we got travel mugs instead). Those are minor complaints, though, and overall I loved it!
Really fun race
The communication from the race coordinators was great, very well organized start/finish, loved the accessibility to bathrooms both portapotties and in the convention center before and after the race. The … MORE
The communication from the race coordinators was great, very well organized start/finish, loved the accessibility to bathrooms both portapotties and in the convention center before and after the race. The swag I loved – a tumbler instead of a shirt (I have SO Many shirts!). After party was inside the convention center which I also liked, as I don’t always stick around since weather is so iffy. Tons of community support. I highly recommend this race!
Race with the herd!
Great starting line production. Excellent race management. This event is run like a big city event or major. Excellent race! The late May date ended up being a bit warm. … MORE
Great starting line production. Excellent race management. This event is run like a big city event or major. Excellent race! The late May date ended up being a bit warm. Hopefully they can move it to mid-May in later years.
Great Race But Disappointing Swag
Last year I did the Buffalo 5K and this year I did the 5K and half marathon. I was also on call this weekend but the race starts super early … MORE
Last year I did the Buffalo 5K and this year I did the 5K and half marathon. I was also on call this weekend but the race starts super early at 6:30am so I was able to squeeze it in before having to go to the hospital. I went to the expo the day before right after the 5K. The expo was decent for a race this size. I would say it was pretty average. There were some vendors and samples. I have definitely been to better and worse expos. It is at the convention center in downtown Buffalo which is right by the start of the races. It is really easy to find free street parking in downtown Buffalo. There are also plenty of hotels within walking distance of the convention center and race start/finish so you don’t need a car. At the expo you get your bib and swag. As most of the other runner’s pointed out the biggest disappointment and why I took a sneaker away is no race shirts this year. Last year I got an amazing quality race jacket for just the 5K and was expecting 2 jackets this year since I was doing 2 races. I did just check my registration and it did say jacket and requested a size so I was really disappointed when we got tumblers instead. Granted they are nice cups with designs of Buffalo, I really wanted the jackets since I used mine from last year quite frequently. Also I know a lot of 50 staters who like to collect race shirts so bigger races that lots of 50 staters do should have shirts. Since I had a jacket from last year, I didn’t buy a shirt at the expo but that was an option. I had some issues with traveling to the race in the morning which were not the race’s fault so I got there only about 15 minutes before the start. I had absolutely no problem finding parking even so close to the start time. The start seemed organized and there were plenty of porta potties. They had signs to line up by pace. I ended up in the back but I was planning to take this race very slow since I have 3 half marathons and 2 5Ks in 9 days coming up next week. The course is really nice and definitely has the best sights of Buffalo. There are views of the park, the lake, and downtown with some cool architecture. There were a good amount of spectators along with musicians and race signs. Course was easy to follow and even though I was very slow due to purposefully taking a lot of walking breaks and having to answer a few pages there was always plenty of water and gatorade at all the aid stations and gels at one of them. There were also not long lines at the porta-potties. The elevation profile is nice. It is pretty flat. Not quite pancake flat but it’s mostly just inclines and no major hills. Could be a fast course if you pushed yourself which I didn’t. Although it can be hot on memorial day weekend so it may not be the best PR weather. Today was beautiful and not uncomfortably hot but a bit hotter than ideal running weather. They also posted on the website there is a 3:30 time limit which I did make but was pushing it but from what I saw aid stations appeared open later and people got finishing times who finished after that so this seems walker friendly and definitely got the full race experience even finishing close to the time limit. At the finish line they announce your name and you get a medal. The medal is a cute design with a buffalo but I agree with the other reviewers it is a bit cheaper looking than some of my other medals and the one from last year. This was one of my worst finishing times but the last thing I wanted to do was reinjure my foot with my plans for next week and I had to answer a couple pages so I just aimed to finish under 3:30 and I did that. You also got a huge box of snacks. There is an after party at the convention center that I didn’t have time to go to that had pizza and beer and probably other stuff. Overall this is a great course and probably the best urban NY course outside of NYC. If you are a 50 stater looking for an urban NY race and not wanting to deal with the logistics of NYC I would definitely recommend this race. However I really hope they go back to the jackets and think they need better swag if they want to keep attracting 50 staters. Since this is local for me it is one I am sure I will do again but even if the course is great they need better swag for a 5 star rating (or a cheaper entry fee).
Average Buffalo
Expo was average, which for me was good for easy in easy out. No finisher shirt did leave me pretty bitter about this race (especially since I am making a … MORE
Expo was average, which for me was good for easy in easy out. No finisher shirt did leave me pretty bitter about this race (especially since I am making a 50 state quilt & had to spend another $20) race cost with shirt $140. Start was easy to get to (plenty of near by parking) and had plenty of bathrooms, cool fireworks! The course was nice with minimal hills, and the volunteers & police officers were awesome! Aide stations even had 5 hour energy’s. The after party was inside the convention center and had quite a bit of beer, finisher food boxes and pizza for all. The medals we just okay, the extra bottle opener was better than the medal. They do shut everything down & open roads pretty quick so maybe more challenging for the back of the pack. Overall the marathon/race itself was great, the swag just meh.
Got my groove back in Buffalo!
What an excellent, well supported course! Plenty of aid and medic stations throughout. Water, Gatorade, gels and fruit. Neighborhoods also participated with food and water sprinklers. Packet pickup was smooth, … MORE
What an excellent, well supported course! Plenty of aid and medic stations throughout. Water, Gatorade, gels and fruit. Neighborhoods also participated with food and water sprinklers.
Packet pickup was smooth, plenty of vendors if you’re into that. NO SHIRT given to runners…that was pretty disappointing. Spent $20 on a shirt…. Not too bad.
The course had a few steady climbs and rolling hills. The course took you through some great neighborhoods and cool sights…be sure to read and look for those while you’re running! Even tho this year was full sun, there was plenty of opportunities to find shade most of time.
I thought the medal seemed a bit cheap. Got a keychain bottle opener that was cooler than the medal.
Really nice 5K
This is my second year doing this 5K. It is the day before the half/full marathon so a great add-on. You can see my review from last year and my … MORE
This is my second year doing this 5K. It is the day before the half/full marathon so a great add-on. You can see my review from last year and my review of the half this year for more details. I picked up my bib morning of the race at the convention center which was easy. This year it was also a Tumbler instead of a jacket. This didn’t bother me as much for the 5K so I did give the 5K five sneakers. I think a tumbler is a fine swag item for the 5K and I would actually kind of like it if the 5K had a non-clothing item and the half/full had a jacket so you get two different swag items. This is a 5K that is great as an addition to the longer races but is also a great stand along 5K. It was the same course as last year which is a very nice course. I had to answer a page just before the race so started in the back but it is on wide roads closed to traffic so I had no problem passing people and finding a rhythm. Nice scenery. Just one minor hill around the end of the first mile. Not as much spectators as for the longer races but that’s fine. At the end you get a medal. It is a smaller version of the half/full medals. I was quite happy with my finishing time. It was a bit slower than usual for how fast the course is but it was my best since my foot injury and close to my usual 5K time. I did have time to go to the after party at the convention center. It had pizza, coffee and bagels along with granola bars and other stuff. I loved that they had almond and cashew butter along with cream cheese for the bagels. I would definitely recommend trying to do the 5K if you are doing a longer race or looking for a 5K in Buffalo
Fun race
The reason I ran this was the announcers are AMAZING. I try to follow "Team Noisy". Fitz and Rudy are THE BEST. The race course is nice. The volunteers at … MORE
The reason I ran this was the announcers are AMAZING. I try to follow “Team Noisy”. Fitz and Rudy are THE BEST. The race course is nice. The volunteers at the stations are awesome! There are water stations every 2 miles and I love that. it helps me break things down in my head and makes the race go by quicker. They gave a nice Tervis instead of a shirt this year. It was nice. However, they didn’t plan on that causing people wanting to buy shirts. By the time I got to the expo on Saturday at 1 everything was gone except S and 2XL. They did open an online store after the race though. This is a nice race and I would do it again as long as they keep Fitz and Rudy. They bring the energy and make this race a great event.