I came to this race because I hear the course was flat and the weather was usually ideal for a PR. The year I ran it the humidity decided to … MORE
I came to this race because I hear the course was flat and the weather was usually ideal for a PR. The year I ran it the humidity decided to show up but the course was very flat.
There is a lot to like about this race. I stayed at the Embassy Suites in downtown Houston which was two blocks from packet pickup and where the race starts and finishes, so very convenient. I love that you didn’t get your race shirt until AFTER you finished instead of before so you actually had to earn it. I also liked the mug you got after finished, that was a nice touch. The post race food wasn’t great but at least they had a decent amount of it. The pre-race bag drop was a bit confusing and signs could have been a bit better there.
The bad parts-the area where the marathon starts and finishes isn’t great. It is like a really dead part of downtown where no one went. The course didn’t have a ton of people cheering on runners even though we were in the 4th biggest city in the US. There were some potholes on the course that if you ran in a crowded section could cause trouble.
Overall it was a very easy marathon as far as logistics and one I might do again sometime for that reason alone. The expo was a decent size and had lots of great clothes. I was sad that the race shirt didn’t have a space shuttle on it but I did find a shirt with the Houston Marathon logo on it online that I purchased later. The official race shirt said race finisher on it which I hate when races do that. If I have the shirt on, I finished the race, otherwise I wouldn’t wear it (I know others who do that though). All in all, a great PR course.
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Flat race with great organization
I came to this race because I hear the course was flat and the weather was usually ideal for a PR. The year I ran it the humidity decided to … MORE
I came to this race because I hear the course was flat and the weather was usually ideal for a PR. The year I ran it the humidity decided to show up but the course was very flat.
There is a lot to like about this race. I stayed at the Embassy Suites in downtown Houston which was two blocks from packet pickup and where the race starts and finishes, so very convenient. I love that you didn’t get your race shirt until AFTER you finished instead of before so you actually had to earn it. I also liked the mug you got after finished, that was a nice touch. The post race food wasn’t great but at least they had a decent amount of it. The pre-race bag drop was a bit confusing and signs could have been a bit better there.
The bad parts-the area where the marathon starts and finishes isn’t great. It is like a really dead part of downtown where no one went. The course didn’t have a ton of people cheering on runners even though we were in the 4th biggest city in the US. There were some potholes on the course that if you ran in a crowded section could cause trouble.
Overall it was a very easy marathon as far as logistics and one I might do again sometime for that reason alone. The expo was a decent size and had lots of great clothes. I was sad that the race shirt didn’t have a space shuttle on it but I did find a shirt with the Houston Marathon logo on it online that I purchased later. The official race shirt said race finisher on it which I hate when races do that. If I have the shirt on, I finished the race, otherwise I wouldn’t wear it (I know others who do that though). All in all, a great PR course.
Great fun winter race w/ large crowds
I really loved this race. Out of the 11 I've now completed, I would put this at or near the top for a combination of reasons: the gentle course, excellent … MORE
I really loved this race. Out of the 11 I’ve now completed, I would put this at or near the top for a combination of reasons: the gentle course, excellent logistics before and during the race, the nice weather, the very solid aid stations, and the surprisingly enormous crowd support on the course (they say 200,000+ and I actually wouldn’t doubt that, it was at least 100,000 by my internal counter.) The only ‘knock’ I’ll give is for the folks who like swag, the medal was bland, the T-shirt was bland, and the goodie-bag was…a bag. (The expo was quite nice though). If there’s one thing though that blew me away was the City of Houston. I had never been to the city, and I really enjoyed my stay in the downtown area, and I thought that the course selection did a nice job in showing off some nice neighborhoods and parts of the city. (I would not call it a beautiful run though, it was definitely an urban run with a fair amount of running through sprawl.) I loved Houston and look forward to returning. (I’d run this race again in a heartbeat but need to factor in that I’m running in other states as well.)
View from the back of the pack
Always a top notch event. 32k announced participation, although the actual numbers would indicate something closer to 25k for the full and the 1/2. Volunteers and crowds are awesome. Course … MORE
Always a top notch event. 32k announced participation, although the actual numbers would indicate something closer to 25k for the full and the 1/2. Volunteers and crowds are awesome. Course is flat as a pancake. Support is everywhere. The only downside is that they ran out of men’s xl and xxl finisher shirts when I went to pick mine up. Hopefully this will be remedied soon. Being from Houston, this is an annual event.
Flat course and nice tour of Houston
Great spectators with good signs. Well organized and lots of water/aid stations. Fabulous post race food. Full on buffet with scrambled eggs, sausage, biscuits & gravy, pancakes and ice cream … MORE
Great spectators with good signs. Well organized and lots of water/aid stations. Fabulous post race food. Full on buffet with scrambled eggs, sausage, biscuits & gravy, pancakes and ice cream sandwiches (all free!). Stay at the Hilton for easy access to start and finish lines. As well as expo in the convention center.
Amazing vibes
It was a great experience. It is a chilly race but once you get going it’s great. Not many great views but it was amazing. The spectators was out in … MORE
It was a great experience. It is a chilly race but once you get going it’s great. Not many great views but it was amazing. The spectators was out in full effect that made up for the lack of views.
Amazing marathon - perfect PR race
This is a perfect PR race: Typically cool weather Flat course Absolutely superb organization Wonderful pacers The loop course makes this relatively convenient from a logistics standpoint, and there are … MORE
This is a perfect PR race:
Typically cool weather
Flat course
Absolutely superb organization
Wonderful pacers
The loop course makes this relatively convenient from a logistics standpoint, and there are lots of accommodation options in Houston.
This was my first marathon, and I’m glad I chose this race.
The best of the best!
Houston is amazing. I am biased because this is my hometown, and I flew home to run this as my very first full. As expected I was not disappointed. I've … MORE
Houston is amazing. I am biased because this is my hometown, and I flew home to run this as my very first full. As expected I was not disappointed. I’ve always heard “if you run Houston as your first full, prepared to be disappointed by all others.” It was amazing. The crowd is simply incredible, even though it was in the 30s (which is very cold for most Texans), there was still enormous crowd support. Everything was organized perfectly from expo to race day to after party. The course is about as flat as it gets at sea level, with one little overpass at mile 12. Great volunteers and aid stations. The course went through some of the more beautiful parts of Houston. It is held on Martin Luther King weekend most years, and the entire downtown literally shuts down in support of the race. Make sure to get some Texas BBQ and texmex while you’re in town and enjoy the city. I can’t speak highly enough about it!
Great weekend
The Houston Marathon is a truly wonderful event. Coming out of the COVID lockdowns - I thought they did a great job and the Expo was very nice. The 5k … MORE
The Houston Marathon is a truly wonderful event. Coming out of the COVID lockdowns – I thought they did a great job and the Expo was very nice. The 5k the day before was picture perfect and marathon days was great as well. The course is mostly flat and this was my 4th time running. I twisted my ankle the night before so it was a painful run for me – I was expecting to run it about 30 minutes faster than I did run it. I BQ’d here in 2019 (the ill-fated 2020 Boston entry that never happened). This is a fast course with thousands of spectators along the course (that is what gives the scenery 5 shoes). Ample water stops and volunteers. Houston goes all out for this run and it is appreciated. Will run the weekend series again in 2023 -already signed up!
Typical Urban run
Well run, city supported event. Scenery is just the Houston streets. Largely attended event. Parking can be difficult. The expo is always amazing, and the volunteers are 1nd to none. … MORE
Well run, city supported event. Scenery is just the Houston streets. Largely attended event. Parking can be difficult. The expo is always amazing, and the
volunteers are 1nd to none. Swag is minimal, and the finisher’s shirts are always disappointing, varying by size year to year. With that being said, I’ll continue to participate seeing that it’s in my own backyard.
Incredible Race
This was an incredible race, it was my first time in Houston. The community was incredible. The spectators, the volunteers are the best of any race I’ve done. The Memorial … MORE
This was an incredible race, it was my first time in Houston. The community was incredible. The spectators, the volunteers are the best of any race I’ve done. The Memorial Park Tunnels were so magical, I would go back just to run through them again. The course is a fantastic choice for the marathon if you’re trying to run a PR. I won’t soon forget my marathon in Houston.
Definitely recomend this race
I can't say enough good things about this race. Everything was so well organized from picking up my bib to the start line and then the finish line. They really … MORE
I can’t say enough good things about this race. Everything was so well organized from picking up my bib to the start line and then the finish line. They really kept the crowds going so you weren’t bottlenecked trying to get your medal or water after the race.
The volunteers were wonderful and the crowd support was amazing!
Great Race and Well Organized
Well Organized Race all days Lots of Volunteers and Space for 30k runners Great Swag and post race events Super Crowd and beautiful course MORE
Well Organized Race all days
Lots of Volunteers and Space for 30k runners
Great Swag and post race events
Super Crowd and beautiful course
it was a real fun
The marathon was organized in a very well manner. hydration and toilet booth every 1.5 miles. people were so energetic and cheerful. I was very charged up. The medals for … MORE
The marathon was organized in a very well manner. hydration and toilet booth every 1.5 miles. people were so energetic and cheerful. I was very charged up. The medals for 5k were really small but the actual half marathon medal was good. Expo was also good with awesome deals on shoes and running gears.
I made a PR!
Excellent race! I highly recommend it without hesitation! From the expo to the post race party, everything is so well organized and top notch! MORE
Excellent race! I highly recommend it without hesitation! From the expo to the post race party, everything is so well organized and top notch!
#RUNHOU
This was my third time running this even. Last year I ran a BQ. This year, with no pressure, I ran this as a long training run and just enjoyed … MORE
This was my third time running this even. Last year I ran a BQ. This year, with no pressure, I ran this as a long training run and just enjoyed it. This is a relatively flat course. The course did change slightly from the first two times I ran it (2018 and 2019) . The people of Houston put on a fantastic event. The people at FleetFeet gave out beanies at Mile 7 – nice surprise at that water station! The neighborhood near Rice University is awesome. The residents there are out in full force and it is a long unofficial aid station and it was greatly appreciated. Will probably run it again. Love the finishers’ mugs but would like a long sleeved finishers’ shirt since it is a winter event. On the plus side – the organizers did change the finisher area and it was a lot less confusing!!!
Awesome!
I don't have much to add to others' reviews. I loved the size of the race--I was never lonely but only crowded a bit at the beginning (not a big … MORE
I don’t have much to add to others’ reviews. I loved the size of the race–I was never lonely but only crowded a bit at the beginning (not a big deal–26 miles to find my pace).
I loved the expo–I had time to kill and listened to talks about nutrition during the race and the mental aspect of the race which I found helpful. The race production was clearly experienced and I was a little worried I was too much a back of the packer for the field, but the race attracted not only elite runners (and the very skinny) but also people like me 🙂
The volunteers were amazing, and so numerous. A lot of them had helpful comments (as opposed to ‘you’re almost there’ they said things like ‘nice pace, nice work, keep going). The fans (especially for the first 8 miles, with the halfers) were great, with many funny signs. It was cool that elite runners were on the same course (many hours before me). There were messages in lights on construction signs toward the end–“optimal conditions” as a reminder to go hard the whole way. There were weird bluetooth speakers around mile 21-24 playing the Rocky theme song on repeat (not a fan), Kanye West’s Stronger (a fan), and something in spanish. That was a bit weird for me, but I am nitpicking.
I loved that there were kilometer markers for every km. Made it feel like time was moving. Plentiful water and Gatorade stops, two GU stops. Gorgeous weather, mostly flat course through beautiful neighborhoods, Rice U campus, few turns.
I ran the fastest I have run in 2 years. I will wear my finisher shirt proudly. Thanks, Houston!
RUNHOU ROCKS
Definitely run this race. Great production all around. Great course, weather, expo, post party, sponsors, and the whole nine yards. Everyone should take the chance if given the opportunity. MORE
Definitely run this race. Great production all around. Great course, weather, expo, post party, sponsors, and the whole nine yards. Everyone should take the chance if given the opportunity.
Great time
Nice and flat! I finally bagged a sub 4! The race offered several pace groups if you’re looking to hit a certain time. The expo was huge I could have … MORE
Nice and flat! I finally bagged a sub 4! The race offered several pace groups if you’re looking to hit a certain time. The expo was huge I could have spent an entire afternoon there. The swag was awesome too not only do you get the standard t-shirt and finisher medal but I was also surprised with a finisher t-shirt and a really nice beer mug.
My first marathon!
This was my first marathon and I’ll definitely be running it again next year. The course was relatively flat but challenging, and the people were amazing. I finished just outside … MORE
This was my first marathon and I’ll definitely be running it again next year. The course was relatively flat but challenging, and the people were amazing. I finished just outside the cut-off time but they had a special area for the people who did that was very nice and set up just like the “real” finish. We got all our swag and snacks, and they were so awesome. I hope next year to finish faster but am happy to know that they care just as much about the slow runners as the elites.
BQ time for 2020!
The Houston Marathon is just a really good and heavily participated run. You will never run very far alone during this event. I had planned for this to be my … MORE
The Houston Marathon is just a really good and heavily participated run. You will never run very far alone during this event. I had planned for this to be my big BQ 2020 attempt and the course did NOT disappoint. While I bettered my time from the Dallas Marathon 6 weeks prior – I honestly believe I would have run about 3 to 4 minutes faster had I not run Dallas as hard as I ran it.
There is one hill around Mile 5.5 that is really a bridge. The only other hill of note on the course is around 25 and that is running up the underpass coming into Downtown Houston. Relative flat is a good and fair statement for course technical difficulty. I gave the race 3 shoes for difficulty because of the distance. Any marathon should rate at least 3 shoes for difficulty because you are on your feet for such a long time.
Crowd support and aid stations are fantastic. Houston really shows off and it is impressive. Will run again next year! Only negative (personal opinion only) are the finishers’ shirts – I would prefer a long-sleeved shirt.