Prior to running the half marathon this year (2019), I last ran the marathon back in 2011 when it was under a different ownership. It is now organized by and part of the Revel race series. They're known for their rather extreme downhill courses, but this one is not one of those. There's plenty of rollers on this course so be sure to do your hill training! The race was very well organized from the expo to the post race festivities. The expo was conveniently located at the Oregon Convention Center. The start and finish lines were located on the Pacific Highway next to the Tom McCall Waterfront Park. There were a lot of portapotties available. One of the big highlights of this race was that they provided a lot of post race goodies which included a slice of Pizza Hut pizza, Voodoo Doughnut, Salt & Straw ice cream, and grilled cheese sandwich. I'm glad to see that the race has improved quite a bit under the new management. I wouldn't mind returning to run this race again. read more

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I raced in the 2021 Austin Half Marathon, and Pasadena Half Marathon, but the organizers for this event were the best by a huge mile. The 2021 marathon was great. Loved the medal and the swag they gave out this year. Post-race we received a Voodoo donut, sage, a rose, bananas, water, beer, a slice of pizza from Pizza Hut, bottles of Topo Chico, and an awesome medal! The expo was a little disappointing and picture opportunities were just so-so. Overall, the event was awesome. I look forward to next year's 50th anniversary of the Portland Marathon. I hope they do it big. read more

Portland Marathon - Finish line Start line - Races & Competitions Near Me - Portland, Oregon

This is a very well run event. I'm happy with the expo, course, race support and communication. It's a good first marathon, and is geared toward the everyday runner. read more

My sister ran the Portland Marathon last year, and the entire family went down to support her over the weekend. I did the same thing a few years ago for my friend Joe. The entire race is very well-organized. She found all the information she needed about the race online - the elevation throughout the 26.2, where to stay, how to get to the starting line, advice about training and week-of tips, etc. My parents had no trouble finding a convenient hotel, no traffic on the drive in, etc. The check-in expo was quick, fun, and lots of cool free stuff! Plus the hotel is located at the heart of everything so we walked around a bit "downtown". The -1 star is *not* for the race organizers, but perhaps useful for the runners who may be reading this: -Weather isn't great. It's so grey and wet. When Joe ran a few years back, it was his first marathon and at the end I swear he was blue. It was scary how much he was shaking at the end - he had to immediately get a blanket on him and go sit in the car. It wasn't so bad for my sister in 2011 though. -Make sure you reserve someplace for dinner the evening before the race!! We made that mistake and could NOT find a place to sit down - sis didn't want fast food obviously - so we ended up ordering her some pasta and salad at Red Robin. Ugh, sad, we wanted to try out a local Portland restaurant, but didn't get the chance. Every single place had a wait until about 10:30pm or completely booked. -Sis said there was a major hill in mile 18 that "should not be in the last half of any marathon, ever". :) She still qualified for Boston though, which is awesome - and we're going to support her April 2013!! Then I will write a review of that one, muahaha. Half marathons only for me, please. read more

Portland Marathon - Way cool finisher tee. - Races & Competitions Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Just finished my third Portland Marathon today. Never participated in a marathon anywhere else so I don't have a lot to go off of. However, I can see why the Portland Marathon has been rated the best race in the North West. Although the race can seem uneventful in spots, such as the industrial way portion, volunteers, entertainment, and aid stations fill the void. My only major complaint is the weather. Having a race in October, I guess it can be expected to either be cooler or rain, but likely both. This year it rained about a half hour total. Last year it felt like it rained the entire damn time! I keep registering and spending my hard earned money to run 26.2 miles so something must be special about this race. I encourage everyone to try out at least one marathon in their life. The Portland Marathon is a great place to start. read more

Portland Marathon - Races & Competitions Near Me - Portland, Oregon

This was my first marathon ever- and I couldn't have picked a better place to run than Portland Oregon. My family and I read that this marathon was very 'first marathon friendly' and one of the best to run. How true! Portland is absolutely gorgeous. The weather the day of the race was perfect. There were ample port- a- potties (which for a runner like me was a blessing). Fluids were also plentiful, about every two miles. The scenery along the race was wonderful. I didn't find myself getting too bored. My one complaint had to be the race bibs. Those things were massive. I hooked it to my running belt and had to keep moving it around when I saw photographers. It wouldn't fit on my shirt without making running uncomfortable. I will say that the course was pretty hilly, especially right before the St Johns Bridge. I wasn't quite ready for that (lack of research on my part). The 'first marathon friendly' title is due to the fact the course stays open so long, so pretty much anyone who wants to finish, will finish. You won't get cut off like most other big races. This was also the first race I have done where you only get a finisher's shirt and not a participant shirt. For such an expensive race I was expecting a shirt at the expo, but only got the poster and a bag. Not really fair for runners who got injured and couldn't complete the race and didn't even get a shirt out of it. I love the finisher shirt, don't get me wrong. I just haven't seen that setup before. The 'swag' for this race is definitely the best I've seen. The medal- compared to the past years for this race- is amazing. A giant gold rose with two little runners in the middle, it really is impressive. We also got a coin that is a replica of the medal, and a small charm that can be worn on a necklace, keychain, bracelet, etc. A finishers shirt (several color options were offered), a blue windbreaker. The volunteers were also handing out multi colored roses, and let's not forget the tree seedling! So unique! And the finish line was very organized. Lots of tables FILLED with refreshments of all sorts. Gatorade, chips, chocolate milk, grapes, etc. I highly recommend this race- and make it a long weekend! So much to see and do in the area. I didn't want to leave! read more

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So much fun. My first portland marathon. I have run handfuls of marathons, half's, Etc. and all over the world. This was the best organized race. You are pampered whole way through. Plenty of porta potty's (totally not used to that!). Lots of people and entertainment and cheering along the way. The course was hilly and challenging but too much fun. Thank you for a good memory, free donut and beer, great tech shirt and huge metal. read more

A few observations and lessons learned from the 2007 Marathon... **Shoes will make or break you. Get fitted by an expert (size up) and break 'em in. **iPods are life savers. My marathon playlist helped me laugh, cry and curse my way through a long, long day. **Bring food. If you're a walker, most of the booths will close or run out of treats before you arrive. It almost reduced me to tears to see the discarded wrappers on the ground by mile 15. **Watching the race leaders was awe inspiring. They are so elegant and powerful it is almost as if they belong to a different species. **What's in a name? You can personalize your bib and volunteers yell your name for encouragement along the way. Next time I'm going to choose something more interesting... Yo Momma? **St. Johns is beautiful. The first time I saw this part of Portland was on foot. **Katie Holmes is a b*tch. Sorry, still have some residual anger after watching her run her first marathon then go to a movie premier in 4" stilettos a few hours later. My confession... I had the best of intentions but did zero training before walking the marathon. I figured, how hard could it be -- it's walking, right? Got a little busy, bought and sold a house, blah, blah, blah. I was doing pretty well except for the humiliation of being passed by everyone (including a gaggle of Red Hat ladies), until about mile 22. I gutted out the last four miles and finished. Woo-hoo! The next couple of weeks I lost four toenails, couldn't wear normal shoes for ages and had a couple of nice visits to Kaiser for antibiotics and assorted remedies. So why am I writing this review now? Kinda want to do it again. You see, I'm a glutton for punishment (obviously) and I would rate my performance a two, so I'd love to raise my personal score. Am I training? Hmmm, well, there's still time. I'm giving the race a four because it is a great event and interesting course, but the race support wasn't as good as I've experienced at some of my other races. Also, it wasn't as wacky as I expected. Guess most people take it seriously. There was one guy in full army gear, including boots and pack, running the race, but he can't compare to the foam Guinness beer cans and leprechauns you see at the Shamrock Run. read more

I must say that Portland's been sitting quietly, minding its own business just a short 2 hour plane flight north from me. It's ashamed that it took me all these years before ever visiting. I ran the Portland Marathon because the area's the training grounds for US Marathon running Olympians. For marathon runner's, the 2013 Portland Marathon was the perfect day to run one. Cool crisp morning with the sun waking up gradually. Mile 1: Is Downtown, mostly flat, and cruises past Chinatown and circles along the Waterfront on Naito Parkway. Mile 2: Finds the runner passing great music and onlookers cheering with witty signs Mile 3: Goes uphill and circles back down towards Downtown Mile 4-8: Passes downtown and heads along the Willamette thru boring, flat industrial areas. The course monotony is broken by the "ARRRGH" pirates and cheerleaders along the route. Miles 8-11: Circles back and goes thru the same industrial monotony. Very flat and easy running. Miles 11-15 is the turn-off and a takes the runner along charming residential roads en route to the St John's Bridge. Mile 15-17 is a gradual uphill battle that takes the runner to the St. John's Bridge, a very scenic part of the marathon. Miles 18-20 finds the runner on the opposite side of the Willamette in a cozy residential neighborhood. Miles 20-23 has a lot of nice downhills until around 22.5 when there's a pretty big hill; Miles 23-25 takes the runner across the Broadway bridge and places the runner in Downtown where's there's a warm and wonderful crowd rooting the runners on. FINISH: With about 1/2 mile left, you'll hear opera music and see a hilarious sign of a Fat Lady Viking Lady singing. The ending on Salmon is wonderful. The medal is beautiful. There's even a free beer stop with cool halloween cups somewhere around mile 12. The music was great. My favorite was the jazzy band that performed a jazzy cover of Men At Work's "Overkill" at around mile 15 or so. May have to run this one every year it's so good. read more

I ran this race in 2004 side by side from start to finish with my sister. I gave this race 4 stars because it was my first full marathon experience and for the friendly locals that made the race enjoyable. We were running the race while Mt. Saint Helena was erupting, which gave us a reason to pick up the pace. :-) The Portland Marathon is held in the first part of October when the weather is sunny and cool. The race is one of the flatter races which makes it a great race to qualify for Boston or to have a PR. Runners complete 26 miles on a course that begins downtown and then heads out Highway 30 where runners cross the St. John's Bridge. Runners then follow the route as it turns south and loops back into downtown to the finish line. Along the way, runners are entertained with bands, watering and snack stops, and thousands of enthusiastic spectators with colorful signs and banners. At the end of the race, you get the usual marathon medal, race shirt, and food to re-energize, but they also gave us a Douglas Fir (Oregon State Plant) to take home and plant. I think this is a great first race for someone who wants to complete their first marathon. Definitely a good race for a PR. read more

Great event - well staffed, plenty of aid tables, security is everywhere, and they start off with 13,000+ singing the national anthem. The start corrals make it a smooth beginning and you wont have trouble passing...or being passed. If you are looking for swag, they got it. Awesome finisher medal, finisher coin, rose, pine tree, 2 tech shirts, and a little ornamental thing (I dont know what I am supposed to do with) If you want support they are there too. Very organized with military and police security. Medical staff available all over. They also have great volunteers stocked with Ultima, water, pretzels, gummies, bananas... And the crowd of 20,000+ is amazing. Fun signs, panoramic views, and people cheering you on for most of the way. Great experience! read more

DO NOT RUN THIS RACE IF IT IS YOUR FIRST RACE! This race does not care about its racer. I don't think this race cares about their racers. I will start with what is good. Whats good 1. The volunteers are troopers it was 45 degree and raining the whole race. They were troopers being outside supporting the runner. The water station was every mile which is great! 2. Smaller race and the corrals were spread out pretty well. There is also official pacers who are awesome! What is bad 1. The package pick up was not easy to figure out. especially when i need to change from a full to half cause of unforeseen medical issues with a doctor note they wanted 150 dollars change fee in the name of charity. It seem like very deep I end up paying 300 dollars for a half marathon. I think this race organizers are greedy 2. the race markers are white and small you can barely tell. On some of them it is hard to see. They could spend a little more money on that. its been 45 years in the making come on! 3. They need to have more official race people instead solely dependent on volunteers. my husband had hyperthermia because of the weather asking people to help him. the volunteers turned him away he couldn't find a single official to help him. He just wander around in the cold for 40 minutes by himself. This is super dangerous for race participant. This race does not care about its runners and again lack of official organizer people at the finishing line shows again they DON't care about their racers. He is not alone. I talked to multiple people who said the finishing line was so disorganized. 4. The weather is bad I would imaging the whole race crew WHO are getting PAID should be there. I only see volunteers out there busting their butt. Again in the name if charity they are greedy. I want to see proof on their claim on their charitable donation. When it is raining and this cold I would imaging the race organizer would care more. read more

They have full and half marathon options. At times the race course is very dull. Poor race organization at the end with everyone crammed into a small space trying to find their loved ones. The course also has trains coming through stalling runners. I for one do not like being stopped in the middle of a marathon waiting for a train. You lose your rhythm and your muscles tighten up. The biggest pro to doing this marathon is that is a great excuse to travel to Portland. read more

I would give it a 3.75-star rating (not 3, not 3.5, and not 4). Plus: - live bands/great music during the first half of the course. The music was refreshing and uplifting. I got motivated and felt so good. - the course was not that bad. Actually part of the course was through the beautiful downtown and suburban area. Runners run along the river and can see the views on the other side of the bank. - Good logistical support and volunteers at the water stops - Snacks/drinks in the post-race area. - Every finisher receives a Douglas Fir seedling - Good start/finish location - Great support/cheering from spectators on the course and in the finish area. Minus: - I didn't hear any live music on the second half of the course, wondering why - There were not enough porta potties in the start area. I waited in the line for almost 30 minutes. I didn't make it to my pace team but I started with the next team, it didn't affect my overall time anyway. - I heard some runners had to stop to wait for a train to pass (it's mentioned in the previous review as well) - There was supposed to be a water station and a liquid gel station after the St. Johns Bridge at mile 18, but according to my Garmin watch, the water station and gel station were at Mile 19. I think it gave lots of runners a hard time after they climbed the hill and crossed the bridge. read more

My experience with the Portland Marathon in 2010 was a fun and exciting one. I chose this one among a few dozen marathons that I could have done for the state of Oregon (50 states challenge). The race field was as large as 10,000 participants and have already ran 10 marathons prior to my arrival in Portland. The marathon expo that year was held at the host hotel, which was the Hilton Portland in downtown Portland. I'm not sure what it is this year for 2012, but it was a small enough expo where you can get through pretty much everything in under 45 minutes. Weather that morning was rainy. It rained overnight and continued to throughout the morning, so it was a wet start. When I reached the first 5K mark and continued to downpour steadily throughout the race. Yes, running in the rain can be frustrating and annoying, but it also can be awesome as well. It beats the heat any day of the week, that's for sure. I met any friends there, mostly new, some old friends, just because I wore that infamous yellow singlet that makes me a part of the most insane running club in the world: The Marathon Maniacs. You can always spot us anywhere in any race. The Portland Marathon weaved through the streets of downtown Portland for a few miles before going outside through suburbia. There was some highway stretches on this course, but there are a lot of participants to keep you company and focused to keep your eyes on the prize, which is crossing that finish line in one piece. The thing I love about the Portland Marathon is the personalized bib, with your name on it - or whatever name you want to put on it. While I did try to push myself and stretch my limitations, I could not beat my previous marathon time and missed PR'ing by a measly 2 freakin minutes. Ugh. That really deflated my bubble, but the most important thing was that I finished another marathon in Portland Oregon, so I can say I picked up Oregon for my 50 States marathon challenge - from Hawaii. I would recommend this race to anyone who is looking to do their first marathon. They allow everyone who signs up and toes the line to finish, regardless of pace. While the price of admission is trending higher this year, I know that the price of finishing a marathon is so priceless, that it's worth the money, sacrifices, and effort to train and be there on race morning. Showing yourself that anything is possible if you believe in yourself is what makes life so amazing. B+ #Yelp Marathons read more

This review is for the full 2016 marathon: All years good until 2016. What a let down for all of those who participated. Hopefully, some one new running the show in 2017. As always, the volunteers were great. They were going with what they had, disorganization. Corrals led in the wrong direction....close to 27 mile marathon for them so times were off. All previous years were fantastic. read more

Thank you volunteers and staff of the Portland Marathon. I'm glad I chose you to run my first marathon. It wasn't pretty for me but the course was. The staff and volunteers were so great. Perfect for walkers and runners alike I was so happy to get my finisher's medal, jacket, coins and snacks! It still hasn't sunk in that I finished a marathon. read more

This marathon did not live up to expectations. It was billed as the most runner friendly in the West, yet there was an obvious error in the direction of my corral resulting in a very "long" mile, and no race official in sight to resolve issues. I could find no extra pins for my bib and had to fold it up in my clothes. There was no official bag check! .While the volunteers and musicians were outstanding , the Expo was substandard held in a parking garage. It was a rainy cold day and there was no tarp or dry area or warming area at the finish. Very disappointing! read more

I ran my fastest marathon to-date yesterday so I'd love to give this a 5-star rating but... -I expected more from the Expo--it was OK but not much gear schwag. Ugliest Nike hat ever designed--could not buy it--looked like the race sponsor was house painting (the Sherwin Williams Portland Marathon!). I kind of expected/hoped that with the Northwest being such a running mecca and Nike Intergalactic HQ and Adidas US and all the others being up here we would see some great gear but...nothing special, it was like being in Sacramento and not as good as Cincinnati for example. -The start was crazy; people pushing all over, the fast pace groups right on top of each other, really crowded. People could not tie their shoes. It does NOT have to be this way--go check out the Austin marathon, the same number of people and plenty of room, there I walked right up the start and could stand with the 3:00 place group and have room to move around and stretch. Not at Portland. -Crowd support was kind of sparse and many places people just watched--no cheering. Weird. The first situation I've ever been in where Portlanders are less friendly than other places. Usually Portlanders are so much more friendly and supportive than any place in the world. Are you all angry because the marathon disrupted traffic for a day? -The course, while fast, was not that pretty...and I love Portland I expected more scenery. -The mile markers were inconsistent around the first few miles...the worst example being mile 4 where there were two girls reading off the times with no marker, and I asked was this the mile 4 marker and she says, "it's around here somewhere." Huh? Why not get the lighted clocks like every other big race--big useful and easy to see? -This did not effect me but....my buddy ran a 3:20ish pace at at mile 5 had to sprint to get across a train crossing ahead of a train that stopped runners for three minutes. He made it and we were talking about how awful it would be to be caught behind the train, when another friend arrived and she WAS caught by a train at mile 24! She was with the 4 hour pace group which was cut in half by the train! She had to stand there for 3 minutes and restart, and finished with a 4:03 instead of 4 flat--luckily she still qualified for Boston but some people needed a 4 and must have missed their Boston time. I would have cried. Really, multiple trains in one race? But for positives... +Fast course, and while not consistently beautiful the few from St Johns bridge and now and then from the bluffs on the East side of the river made me remember how nice Portland can look. +Well organized water stops--all were set up the same (Ultima first, water second) so a runner could know how to grab what they needed). +Friendly volunteers--even the water stop volunteers cheered for us which is much more friendly than usual races. A little girl at the finish area, who had volunteered with her entire youth soccer team, offered to open a bottle of milk for me as I was fumbling with it. That is the friendly Portland I love! +Great food at the end. read more

As a runner, I liked this race. We left about 30 minutes before the race start at 7am. It was easy to find my corral. They had a lot of entertainment and cheerleaders along the way. They had a Chinese dragon, drums, pirates, bubbles, and a lot more. The course was mainly flat wit some hills. I definitely think a beginner could do this marathon. Only a few critiques: I signed up for a half, and they gave me a full bib. It was a little co fusing for observers. And a train stopped us at one point. But this was a good race, and I recommend it. read more

Alrighty guys, 3 weeks until the marathon. Last year totally sucked 'cause of the pouring rain. I'm gonna wear a cap this time if the weather channel tells me its gonna shower. I hope its sunny so I can just strip my shirt off and take off like a Greek athelete. But no, no, this is the pacific nw, no, its gonna probably rain. sad. Though the food in the end is awesome. Don't ever do the seattle marathon, that one ran out of bagels and bananas by the time I finished... and my time was 4hr05min. Sucks to everyone else behind me. PS: Write your name with a sharpie on your arm, so ppl can shout your name on the route. read more

Very disappointed in the management of this race. They don't support their runner's needs by allowing results to be listed on Athlinks--a useful app that allows athletes to keep track of their race stats! read more

The good: the volunteers were amazing despite the downpour almost the entire race. There was overall good entertainment during the race - including pirates and huge bubbles! The bad: No bag check! It was freezing and cold out. Luckily I stayed close by. However, many others looked very unwell (likely at risk for hypothermia) at least in part because they didn't necessarily have family or friends to help change into dry clothing. I have never run a race, even smaller races, that didn't have a bad check - nevertheless a full, major city marathon! The race organization was awful. All of the corrals except for one made a wrong turn during the first mile of the race which ended up adding 0.5 miles!!! How does that even happen in a major race in a major city with a decent amount of security and volunteers/employees? This was a never event for a major marathon. I haven't heard anything from the organizers (like an apology), which is disappointing as well. All in all, if you don't mind dis-organization and potentially running a bit longer than a marathon, then sign up at your own risk. read more

This is very sad review !! This marathon was the best in the northwest. 2015 was a declined from years before. The 2016 was when it hit bottom !! The expo was almost none existent !! The race was disorganized with some runners and walkers doing an extra half mile for no reason. Runners trying to qualify for a larger race were denied. Other walkers like me were treated very badly. At the end of the race ,the race director decides NOT to put up tents so all the food was soaking wet and should have been thrown out. I will NOT be back after coming for many years !! read more

This review is for the full 2017 marathon held on 10/8/2017. Yuk. I've run this marathon three times now. I won't do it again. What used to be a decent - albeit boring - course was changed to an out and back. Ironically the out and back portion took the worst of the previous course and had you run it twice. While on the "outbound" leg of the marathon I was surprised to see motorcycle police coming towards me yelling "move right, move right!!". After complying I saw the race's leading runners coming TOWARDS my group IN THE SAME SINGLE LANE that had been blocked off for the race. Nuts. Both half and full marathoners share the first and, being an "out and back", last part of the course. Marathon runners wore blue bids. Half marathon runners wore white bids. Unfortunately the mileage signs - which were not always conspicuous - were colored white for the full marathon and blue for the half marathon. Aid stations were well staffed with enthusiastic volunteers. During the full marathon I noted two or three "gummy bear" stations and as many "pretzel" stations. There were also a good number of water and "Ultima Replenisher" stations. Is it only me or did others scratch their head at the choice of a ZERO CALORIE replenishment drink AT A MARATHON? Really? Other than the very upbeat drum line performing at about mile 2 there was little in the way of "motivating and upbeat" entertainment. Don't get me wrong - there was some nice music but the last thing I need at mile 20 of a marathon is soft jazz music. Again - it's sad to see how far this race has "fallen". Portland should either do better or stop the race until such time as both the course and management can address the many glaring deficiencies that were apparent this year. PLEASE - IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING THIS FOR YOUR FIRST MARATHON - DON'T. There are others out there that are so much better organized and which run much more scenic courses. read more

Great race, wonderful route, awesome crowd support ( I mean they were out there even though it rained sideways the whole time.) Support stations are frequent and well managed. Only knocked it down a star because the route got messed up and ended up running more than a 26.2 read more

I had done as much research on this race as possible prior to running it. I do not have huge ties with Portland (Seattle's more my city) so when my client asked me to run it with her, I was willing, but not excited. I have run only one marathon before. It was the R & R Seattle. I have done about 5 other races, so I am pretty in tune with what they consist of. We trained for 3 months leading up to this and became very close friends! I almost rated this 4 stars because they failed to sing the National Anthem before the race. I was there 30 minutes prior to the start. After the race I decided to research if this was something they always skip. I was very relieved to see that it was in the schedule for 6:55. I still don't know whey it didn't happen, but happy to know it was not a usual thing, and assuming it was an epic oversight. *****i have been informed that it was sung! I guess it was sung before I got there****** Thank you fellow Yelper!! Race support was phenomenal. Running the Rock 'n Roll was supported, but this was another category all together. The support was more meaningful. I felt as though the people on the sidelines were cheering as if they were vested in our journey. The start: They had port a potty's in each corral!!!! Once it was time to start, it wasn't long before we were crossing the start line. Very efficient and I didn't feel smooshed and crowded. It did take quite a few miles for things to thin out though. The course: Another participant told us he heard it was hilly. I have learned that a hills difficulty is in the legs of the beholder. There were some, but not the constant up and down that Seattle seemed to hold. Of course getting up to St. Johns bridge was a significant climb, probably due more to the distance of the grade, which was gradual. We decided to run the whole way up so as not to stop then not be able to start again (We were doing a run/walk/run method). St. Johns comes after doing 17 miles, so the hill is felt. I did not feel that the industrial area was all that bad, but I had a running partner so I didn't notice as much. I did find that I was just eager to head up to the bridge and was a little frustrated with running circles before we could do that. Overall, this course was beautiful and very well planned. I liked that we could travel on both sides of the river. Going over bridges is always a plus in my book! The finish was great! Beautiful medals, lots of food, but no water :( . With Seattle, I had to walk around on some very weak legs to find my finisher jacket, where with Portland every goody is a straight line. This was the best race I have ever participated in. I think now I might have some ties with Portland. ;-) read more

I ran & walked my first three half marathons in 2012, the Portland Marathon being the 3rd one. What an awesome event. This marathon is SO well-organized and has so much swag! I came right home and signed up for the FULL in 2013. When you sign up, you can opt to begin receiving monthly or semi-monthly newsletters, year-round. They're full of helpful and informative articles, training tips, injury advice, upcoming dates and events, and they're very motivating. The pre-event expo, where you pick up your bib, was chaotic but very large. I was glad to be able to pick up a headband and energy gels without having to stop somewhere else. You get so. much. swag. You get a tech tee at the expo. a sweet poster, and a boat load of samples and coupons. At the finish you get a long-sleeve finisher tech tee, a gorgeous (award-winning!) medal, a matching pendant, a military-style "challenge coin," and a rose. After the finish gate there's a large area for finishers with more food than I could have expected x100. There were doughnuts, bananas, oranges, apples, dry cereal, orange juice, apple juice, teddy graham crackers, cookies, and a lot lot more I can't remember right now. The whole thing was SO well organized. There are, I believe, 7 different starting areas, divided by pace. I was in the "W" area - for walkers and slowpokes. It was about a 24 minute lag between gun time and when we reached the start but it didn't feel too long. There were ample toilets and a bag check in each starting gate. There was music playing and it was great chatting with folks. My only complaint was that there was no additional lighting so it was very dark instead the porta potties!! I think I'll bring a head lamp next year. There was so much on-course support and entertainment. There was an entertainer about every 3/4 mile that included cheerleaders, live bands, DJ's, PIRATES, all sorts of stuff. There was a water / electrolyte / toilet stop about every 1.5 miles. Some stops had pretzels, gummy bears, vaseline. Of the 3 Halfs I've done, I've never seen the volunteers cheer and encourage even slow pokes like me so heartily. Usually by the time I come around, they're cheered out but not this time. It rocked. In all, this is an awesome awesome event. You'll find me here every year from now on until I'm 101, God willing. read more

Picked Portland for my first marathon based on it being in a top 10 list for beginner marathons. I am very happy with the decision to run Portland as my first. Very nice course, support is outstanding and the aid tables are plentiful. Stayed at the "official" race hotel at the Hilton and the location was perfect. Great swag and the race support by the volunteers and local folks was great. Two things preventing a 5 star rating. 1. Official Portland running shirts were mostly sold out within the first few hours of the expo. By the time I got to the expo at 6pm Friday I was left with scraps. This was the case for both mens and womens shirts. 2. The supports holding the blue fabric barrier on the Broadway bridge extended out into the path of the runners. At mile 24 my legs were tired and my toe caught the horizontal support bar causing me to trip. Luckily I was able to keep myself up by grabbing the fabric barrier. The running path on the Broadway bridge was narrow enough, but to allow support bars in the running path is just not well thought out. read more

This review is for the 2017 marathon (recognizing that the course had changed, and whatever happened with the administration of the organization...). That aside, the race was well organized. The new course leaves a lot to be desired, as it is just an out and back. There were aid stations every 3 or so miles, but they just had water and an electrolyte drink. Occasionally there were gummie bears or pretzles, but not at every aid station. There were no bananas, no gu, no other energy/electrolyte-laden foods for runners. This was my 7th marathon, and the aid stations were the worst I've seen, yet the entry fee was one of the highest. read more

love this race! Highly recommend it. Lots of my friends start with the 5-miler and then end up running the marathon a year later or so.

Terribly unorganized race that has you wondering whether the Director or the city really gives a damn about the race at all. The course is anti-climatic as you spend most of your time either in an industrial neighborhood or running on the shoulder of a highway. After the race they will walk you thru a chute which you cannot see any spectators and are just hoping that you are able to find your family/friends after the race. Boston Qualifiers beware! The group I was running with had to be stopped by a police officer to let a train go by. Luckily, it was only 10-15 seconds of time that did not DQ me from Boston, but I cannot speak for everyone. That was just indicative of how ill-prepared this race seemed. The BAA needs to strongly consider stripping this race from its qualifying list to wake the organizing committee up. read more

The expo was awful, the shirts were ugly, the course goes through some very nasty areas, and the post race fare was just plain gross. Not worth the money. If you want to run a marathon in Oregon, try Eugene. River trails, cheaper lodging, and a finish at famous Hayward Field. Right now it's only $90, compared to the "early bird" price of $125 at Portland. read more

I would give this race a 5 Star rating if not for the confusion at the expo for bib pick up. Outside of that it was a really good event. I see people complaining about the rain. It is Portland...not Death Valley. Rain is and was expected. I ran the 1/2 marathon. The start line and corrals were easy to find. I loved the bands, drummers, and cheerleaders along the route. I was shocked that the Pirates shot off a cannon. I had just run by when all of a sudden I heard what I knew was a bomb. Me and the runners near me were more than alarmed. We looked back to see what the heck just happened. We all looked scared, and then we realized it was not a bomb so we went from frightened to maybe a little ticked off that they would allow that to happen in a run. Hello...Boston! Also, a bag drop would have been ideal for a run in the rain and even if there was no rain. Fortunately I had a friend there who had a towel and dry clothes for me to change into. However, it took me a few minutes to connect with her, and I was really wet and cold, as were many others who were trying to find friends at the end. A bag at the finish line would have come in handy to pack up some of the goodies they handed out at the finish line. It was kinda hard to grab food, drink, and our trinkets with just our hands and no real pockets. I did not see medics throughout, perhaps because I did not need one, but I see some people stating they needed them and couldn't find them. I saw one guy at the finish line and he asked me if I was okay, and that was reassuring. I was okay, but it felt good to have someone there just in case. I was also surprised to see my RunKeeper tell me that I had run 13.44 miles. What happened to 13.1? LOL! No biggie, that just made me think I was a bigger boss than I already believed I was. Back to the positive. The volunteers were all amazing and real troopers for putting up with the weather as they hung in there cheering us on and giving us water and Gatorade. They were very enthusiastic and encouraging. Someone mentioned the mile signs were not very visible. I saw them all just fine. I loved the medal, pendant, and the coin. Seems too that the local diners and eateries were being very kind and supportive to the runners. I was treated like a VIP at The Daily Feast PDX. Met the owner and she was giving all runners a warm welcome and a free pastry. The food was great, and all the staff were friendly, professional and on point. I will run this race again. I do hope they will tweak it a bit in some of the areas I and others have mentioned. I'm ready to run there again. Nice Going Portland! read more

This was my fourth marathon. Overall I liked the course and I did pretty well. I liked that they had coins and pendants and roses at the end, nice touch. The bands were unexpected and great! Really enjoyed the drums, they are super energizing. music as often and as good as the rock and roll series races, not sure who did it first but it's really nice so keep that up. The hills were really not that bad, maybe because I had properly trained for once. There were probably good views, if not for clouds and rain. Before the race, they sent out a notice about how the course was measured and why many people see that their finish time is longer in a certified race- the certification length must be 26.2 miles, at its absolute shortest, so they cut every corner when measuring, and then they have to add 1 meter for every km of distance to account for.. what, I don't know. ok, so 26.3 is expected and the other courses I've run have been around that or even 26.4. but this was closer to 27. I read 26.7 on my watch and strava. and found out that everyone else in my corral did as well. So the course was definitely measured wrong and heard from others that some corrals were routed around different streets than the map said. If I was trying to qualify for Boston, that could have made the difference between qualifying and not qualifying - so thats 18 weeks minimum down the drain, and in some cases a year or more, because people make life choices around making time for training, like holding off on job changes or having a kid... The pirates! I love the pirates, and it didn't really bother me that they had a cannon, but I felt like there should have been more warning about it. I didn't see a warning sign on the way out, but there was one on the way back. I was startled by the cannon blast, and I know others were freaked out about it, and in light of Boston and other races which had been targeted with bombs, it seemed a bit inconsiderate. Corral changes - they literally had the national guard tasked with keeping people from changing corrals on race day. I didn't realize that I'd selected a slower corral because I signed up long before I started training, my finish time was 15+ minutes faster than I had expected when I first signed up- I really wanted to follow the 3:30 pacer, but he was in a different corral and they did not allow corral changes at the expo. so, don't sign up for this race unless you're certain that you won't be any faster than you predicted, or you'll be stuck in the slower corral. Maybe just always sign up for a faster corral than you think you'll need. BTW National guard - thanks so much for volunteering, both for the country and for the race! but maybe not acting as the barrier for the corral's as that kind of dampens the mood a bit. There's nothing they could do about the weather, but due to the fact that there was no bag check, that was an important consideration - I was freezing at the end and the shirt and coat they gave out was not much in the way of protection from the rain. Luckily I did not get hypothermia but it did take hours for my hands to warm up afterwards. maybe get some heaters and easy up tents next time... or just organize a bag check like literally every other race I've run recently - even 5k's have a bag check! I imagine it's because the start and finish are literally downtown so they don't really have a place to park a bunch of trucks, but for the cost of the race it should be possible to do somehow. Post edited: After ranting a bit in this, and thinking about it more, I really did have a blast so upped it to 3 stars. With a few tweaks they could be back to "one of the best marathons around" status in my mind. They got back to me about my feedback and said there was a bag drop - but it was not organized by the race and was not free, so my previous comment still stands. read more

Very upset, ran the marathon, finished into a very crammed finish corral, and it is nearly impossible to find your loved ones after the race (giant mob waiting on you). On top of that, my time is not posted on the results page and I have had no contact form race officials after inquiring about my time (no response). There are plenty of photos of you running to purchase at inflated prices though. I would recommend the Eugene Marathon over this in a heartbeat, butter fan support, better bands, waaaay better finish and much better organized event. Portland is a wonderful city to enjoy but the marathon is a rip-off big time. Will never run this one again. read more

Absolutely Terrible.... I've run 19 marathons and I can easily rate this as the bottom of the barrel... Terrible route... Portland has much more to offer than an out and back route thru old buildings, busy roads with truck traffic. I signed up for this marathon months ago in paying for non refundable flights, non refundable lodging and a non refundable entry fee only to find out they changed the route from what once was a loop to now and out and back... I've seen it once, why would I want to see it again? I run marathons to explore cities, unfortunately this was not the case. Music? Would you prefer quantity or quality? The music was terrible... Why would you not have some up beat music while running? No, not in this case... Run and I do mean RUN away from this event. The race organizer should be ashamed.... So disappointed that I traveled from Austin, TX to Portland for the bottom of the barrel marathon.... read more

I'll NEVER run this race again. I ran the half, and as far as races go, it wasn't bad. The course was fairly flat, kind of boring, nothing special. The organization was decent, wave set up, and portolets was good. The food at the end is a joke, hard bagels, candy, junk. I've been to races with a quarter of the people for half the price with stellar spreads. What really turned me off is that I came in 5th in my AG. All top 5 finishers in each AG receive an award, which they mail out to you a month after the race ---- which I never received. I've inquired to several people, all who gave me the run around. I finally got an answer from someone in late December saying I came in 11th, which is incorrect. I came in 11th on gun time, but 5th in chip time, which is how the awards are given out. I've tried explaining this, no one bothered to answer, no one gives a crap. It may seem like a small thing, but when you train hard for something, and EARN that award, it means something. The people behind the scenes of this races are assh*les. They are clueless as to what they're doing. read more