The Irving Marathon Running Series presents the annual Irving Marathon at Toyota Music Factory this March! The Irving Marathon is the biggest event in the series where runners from all over the world come together at Toyota Music Factory, America’s #1 Concert Venue centrally located in Dallas Fort Worth, minutes …
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The Irving Marathon Running Series presents the annual Irving Marathon at Toyota Music Factory this March! The Irving Marathon is the biggest event in the series where runners from all over the world come together at Toyota Music Factory, America’s #1 Concert Venue centrally located in Dallas Fort Worth, minutes from the DFW airport!
The course is nicknamed “Fast & Flat” making it an ideal Boston Marathon Qualifier! Expect to achieve your PR this year. The new course takes you from Toyota Music Factory, through the scenic and newly developed downtown Las Colinas, across the Las Colinas Canals, along Lake Carolyn, newly developed Water Street, and the iconic Las Colinas Mustangs. Runners then will go back onto Las Colinas Boulevard where they will enjoy scenic water features before crossing the finish line at Toyota Music Factory, America’s #1 Concert Venue for free beer, food, entertainment, and much more!
Race day perks include CASH prizes, FREE professional race photos, gender-specific performance event shirt, custom event bib, chip-timed race, live tracking and course maps w/ GPS Progress Alerts, age group awards, team challenge awards, convenient parking, and more. The post-race party on Texas Lottery Plaza includes free beer, food, entertainment, and much more!
Join the team challenge for the chance to win the Fastest 5K Team Trophy, Fastest 10K Team Trophy, Most-Participation Team Trophy, or the Best Dressed Team Trophy!
The Irving Marathon Running Series benefits the Irving Schools Foundation. Each event brings people from all over the world together for a great cause by providing meals for children, school supplies, scholarships, and more. A scholarship is given by IMRS to ISF at each event totaling eight scholarships a year!
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Run away!! Not ran well!
I have participated in a lot of races. This will not be one of them again! The course is fine, it was how it was ran. I have been ran … MORE
I have participated in a lot of races. This will not be one of them again! The course is fine, it was how it was ran. I have been ran much bigger marathons and didn’t notice the 30,000 people. This race however, everything had a looong line. The paid parking lot, the bathroom, the food, the medal stand, and couldn’t even get out of the parking lot. There are much better races!
Not a fan
This was my first marathon and I chose this race because it was advertised as flat. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The whole thing is up and down … MORE
This was my first marathon and I chose this race because it was advertised as flat. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The whole thing is up and down hills. Not enough event staff, not enough water. A lot of people almost missed the start because the line for the bathroom was so long with only 12 port o potties, many of which were out of toilet paper. There aren’t a lot of spectators or things to look at, so it’s super boring. Also, the marathon route is just the half twice. Really disappointing that I trained so hard for this.
Great. Will be Coming Back Again.
Very good production all the way through. I will be back again. By the way, they advertise this race as "Fast and Flat." WRONG. It's a very, very challenging course. … MORE
Very good production all the way through. I will be back again. By the way, they advertise this race as “Fast and Flat.” WRONG. It’s a very, very challenging course. Long inclines, no joke.
Disappointed again
I first ran this marathon in 2018 and was super disappointed in the race. I decided to give them another chance this year since they've had time to fix rookie … MORE
I first ran this marathon in 2018 and was super disappointed in the race. I decided to give them another chance this year since they’ve had time to fix rookie problems (this was their 10th year.) While some things have improved, I would still not recommend the full marathon to anyone. I’ll start with the positives:
-they started on time
-there was still food and beer available after my slow finish
-parking seemed to be smoother
-the medal was nice
-there was a participant shirt and a nice finisher shirt (although they ran out of correct sizes for the finisher shirts)
Here’s where they went wrong:
1. There was no Gatorade on course until almost the halfway point. And then it was hit and miss (mostly miss) as to which stops would have any. When they did, it was so watered down as to be worthless. Each stop appeared to have gotten only one small canister of powder, so of course they ran out almost immediately. On the other hand, each stop had cases upon cases of pickle juice! I had to run off course, back to my car in the parking garage at mile 13.1 to grab some of my own Gatorade powder I had stashed! I’ve done almost 80 marathons and I have never had almost zero Gatorade available from the very first mile!
2. The water was in bottles, not cups. Mostly small bottles, but some had full size bottles. Not only is this not “green” (all that plastic!), but it’s hard to open them while running and carrying your own hydration. And with the small bottles I needed two or more bottles per station to get enough fluid on this 80 degree day. So much time was lost having to juggle two bottles, open lids, hold both. Cups are way easier! Also, they had bananas and granola bars at most of the stops until they ran out. But focus on the water and Gatorade! It just goes to show that non-runners must be making the decisions because the majority of full marathoners are not going to want a granola bar during a race. Save these for the finish line.
3. The course really sucks for a full. It’s the half course run twice and you literally have to cross the start line twice. The previous course was 2 loops also, but at least it had a long section run on the city’s trail system for variety. The current course has a 4 mile loop around the canals with tight turns, narrow paths where one person bumping you could shove you into the water, uneven brick and parking lots. After that it was an out and back on city streets with 2 lanes open to traffic. So marathoners are seeing the same scenery 4 times. It’s so incredibly boring. Bring back the old course.
5. They ran out of t-shirt sizes for the finisher’s shirts so my choice was either too big or too small.
6. The finish line food bag contained a fruit cup and a package of 2 saltine crackers (and a foreign brand, at that!) WTH?! Again, 80 marathons here and I’ve never seen that. How about some pretzels or yogurt? This is also where the granola bars could have been given out. It just goes to show that the organizer/committee does not have a marathoner on staff or does not try to get opinions from runners, because this is Marathons 101.
7. Portapotties at the start were located where no one could find them, a block away from the start behind a row of buildings. And there were only 12 available for 3800 runners. I just happened to stumble upon them. Put them on the street where the corrals were supposed to line up or have signage. And have a lot more!
I really want to like this race. The DFW area needs more local spring marathons, but the course and the water stops need a lot of work before I could recommend this race to anyone other than 5k or 10k runners.
Poorly managed, less than ideal course
First of all, great job on the marketing team for making this seem like a more organized event than it really was. Branding on the website and in the marketing … MORE
First of all, great job on the marketing team for making this seem like a more organized event than it really was. Branding on the website and in the marketing is definitely better than your typical race event. And that’s where the positives stop unfortunately. There was no expo, the swag is poorly designed, the course is two laps of the half marathon route, Gatorade was hit or miss, no proper nutrition available on the course, water was provided via FULL sized water bottles (why?!), many of the water stations had no garbage can, no port-a-potties available prior to the start of the race, just one restroom so there was a freaking long line, it was a cluster to get to your starting place prior to the start of the race, mostly flat until the last two hills near the end of the race that SUCK, some of the early miles in the laps are more scenic but you’re going through a parking lot at one point and around tight corners near water without any barrier. Also to pick up my initial swag, there was a ridiculously long line for that! I will not be doing this series ever again. Btw, second marathon overall.
No shade, lots of twists and turns
-They definitely over promoted electrolytes on this course. It was more like Gatorade essence. -No shade, wear sunscreen! -Lots of twists and turns on the half/full course. Some of the … MORE
-They definitely over promoted electrolytes on this course. It was more like Gatorade essence.
-No shade, wear sunscreen!
-Lots of twists and turns on the half/full course. Some of the turns around the water front were tight and hard to pass
-Irving Police Department was PHENOMENAL and would not have been successful without them
Don’t Believe the Hype
Positives: - high energy pre race area with music and MCs on stage - early miles are scenic as you run along water’s edge and through Irving’s center - race … MORE
Positives:
– high energy pre race area with music and MCs on stage
– early miles are scenic as you run along water’s edge and through Irving’s center
– race is for the most part flat with a coupe of hills
– public address announces your name as you finish
Negatives
– poorly organized
– majority of race lacks shade; lots of pavement in Irving which makes it feel even hotter
– route, especially late miles, is confusing
– as scenic as first set of miles are, the rest of the race is boring
– way more marketing hype than anything
Irving could be an improved experience if it was better organized and managed more effectively. There is a heavy police presence along the route and there are pacers. But the gate situation at the start is confusing and the route itself really needs some help. I chose Irving as my first marathon out of convenience but there are so many better choices in DFW. I recommend skipping this one
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Don’t do it!
This course is a miserable full marathon. The first 5-10k are pretty, the next 10 abysmally ugly, unmanned and without medical aid. And it’s a two loop course so miles … MORE
This course is a miserable full marathon. The first 5-10k are pretty, the next 10 abysmally ugly, unmanned and without medical aid. And it’s a two loop course so miles 18-26 fundamentally suck. Far better marathons in the region. Glad this wasn’t my first marathon or I would never do another.
Could be a GREAT race
First of all, the race is marketed as a "fast and flat" course. While it is NOT a hilly course, it's definitely not flat either. I think a better description … MORE
First of all, the race is marketed as a “fast and flat” course. While it is NOT a hilly course, it’s definitely not flat either. I think a better description would simply be “flatter than Dallas” and it’s 100% true.
It was pretty warm by the second half of the race this year. And that made the lack of water stations a challenge. Further, the station at mile marker 19 was UNMANNED and runners had to come to a complete stop and serve themselves. That was the begin of the end of me. Stopping my body and getting water took me totally out of rhythm. This race probably needs a few more volunteers.
Confusing course
Main challenges with this course is that it`s really confusing if you don`t "study" for it ahead. I screwed up a turn on the first half, which cost me about … MORE
Main challenges with this course is that it`s really confusing if you don`t “study” for it ahead. I screwed up a turn on the first half, which cost me about .5 miles. Fortunately, I had a friend that noticed and chased me to advise about my mistake – it was difficult to regain the focus as it`s so frustrating a run an extra half mile on such a long race, at least mentally.
They advertise the course as “flat and fast” which I disagree. There are some hills that may affect your end result. Weather in TX might be a little bit hot in late April also.
Race production is ok – had plenty of water stops and bathrooms along the course.
Wouldn`t do it again.
Under staffed, and unorganized.
The route was not clear and the volunteers did not understand the route. More then 50% of the runners messed up on the course. I’ve never seen a race so … MORE
The route was not clear and the volunteers did not understand the route. More then 50% of the runners messed up on the course. I’ve never seen a race so unorganized. Even the top male with a police escort unknowingly got the course wrong. It was insanely frustrating.
Disaster on Course Running
In studying the results by segment, over 75% of the "winning" marathoners by group did not run the whole course. The course was not easy and many people on the … MORE
In studying the results by segment, over 75% of the “winning” marathoners by group did not run the whole course. The course was not easy and many people on the second lap just ran back north on Las Colinas Blvd and did not run the small loop. This resulted in most of the racers in the race running about 1.7 miles shorter than the whole course or being some 12-18 miles less running time. This is a complete disaster. I studied all the results and almost all of the group winners are affected by these totally invalid results. By my count I had over 40 of the top 60 people that did not run the short loop in the last lap. It is very easy to tell since these people have a split time from 13.1m to 16m of only about 10-12 minutes with the rest of us having 22-26 minutes. It is easy to tell what happened since so many people cannot run the equivalent of a world class 4 minute mile for 3 miles in the middle of the race exactly at the course point where they were supposed to turn back for the short loop before heading north on Las Colinas Blvd for the second loop. Simple unacceptable and totally invalidates virtually all placements outside of the top 3 finishers overall. In analyzing, virtually every age group was changed when you disqualify people for not running the whole course. They ran 1.7 miles less and were still given medals and placements by the organizers, unbelievable, it is so easy to see in the time splits from 13.1-16miles; totally unquestionable
A Cluster
I should preface this of course to keep in mind we are in COVID times and I do understand that some planning elements were forced to happen last minute... however, … MORE
I should preface this of course to keep in mind we are in COVID times and I do understand that some planning elements were forced to happen last minute… however, I think that there are many things that should be considered for future races. Parking was rough with long lines due to people not being prepared with their cash or credit to pay. I don’t see that much could be done differently here. Bathrooms were ample and lines were not too long which was pleasantly surprising however participant capacity helped. Start was supposed to be at 7. Everyone was lined up in the gun by then with no explanation as to why we didn’t start until 7:20. Aid stations were ok but at the finish, there were mini bottles of water, bananas and chips. Water was not chilled or cold, etc which in my experience has been standard at races. Never saw the pancakes, must have run out with the Powerade they had and had also run out of when many people hadn’t even finished their races yet. Poor planning. If you know that you have a participant count of X you would think you have at least one item for everyone? Today was a gruesomely hot and humid day and it really felt like that was an oversight. Aid stations overall were ok but needed more trash cans available. Volunteers were good but this race needs way more. Which brings me to my real pain point of this post. The course. Very poorly designed and communicated in my opinion. The map and guide outlined for participants online was confusing, the signage was lacking at the turnarounds and having to do a circle a million times (which I understand many people missed at least one rotation of) was nonsensical. If you’re going to have a “tricky” course layout you need to either have half and full marathoners running separate directions or need something more definite so people know where they’re going. I wonder how many chip times are skewed because people shaved off a mile or two by not running the proper route. Shame because the rest of the course was fine. Anyway, I will probably not run this one again unless it’s the only option. Sorry and thank you anyway.
Not worth it
Course was an out and back on several major streets where one lane was dedicated to runners. Zero shade on the course made it difficult once it warmed up. Aid … MORE
Course was an out and back on several major streets where one lane was dedicated to runners. Zero shade on the course made it difficult once it warmed up. Aid stations were not prepared and ran out of water, Gatorade and cups.
Not much for the marathoners
Once again, a race that calls itself a marathon, yet puts all effort into the shorter races. Two loops of the half course, which is tough mentally. Finishers got 1 … MORE
Once again, a race that calls itself a marathon, yet puts all effort into the shorter races. Two loops of the half course, which is tough mentally. Finishers got 1 apple, 1 orange, tiny bag of pretzels and a green banana at finish. No beer, no yogurt, no treats. Extremely disappointing. Finish area deserted when marathoners came in. The worst though was all the water/gatorade at aid stations was in tiny Dixie cups filled 1/2 full! Maybe 1 oz of fluid per cup. Major Fail for a marathon. I would have PR’d except I lost at least 10 min at all the water stops trying to get enough fluid combining multiple cups. If the weather would have been hot and humid as expected in springtime Texas, they would have had huge problems! Shirt was blah. Said “Irving” in giant letters, and “marathon” in letters so tiny below you could hardly see it. Same with the medal. For the good: Las Colinas is a beautiful city and the combo of urban streets and wooded trails was nice. Volunteers were great. Hills were few. I would love for this race to be better because N Texas needs more spring marathons and with some tweaks it could be: bigger cups!, more and better food and beverages at finish for full, better shirt, start on time.
Easy Course, Lots of Potential
Packet pick up was easy to access with free parking. The race is located in a newly developed music center. Access to the race was easy, but parking was paid … MORE
Packet pick up was easy to access with free parking.
The race is located in a newly developed music center. Access to the race was easy, but parking was paid only and was supposed to be $8, but on arrival we were told it was $10. They didn’t provide any other parking options, but I’m sure there were other garages available.
The start of the race could have been better organized. Runners couldn’t hear when their race started and some started late, because later racers were standing int he corrals. The course was easy out and back on city streets. It was well marked and the path was wide.
Post race activities were plentiful with live music. There was plenty of post race food and water. The medals were awesome and well done.
Overall not a bad race.