From Co-Race Director Michael Skipper:
The Following are the entire survey results as a composite
from all of the on-survey responses received through October 9th. There
were 15 surveys sent in. I think we were able to get a good cross section from 8K to 50K and from elite runners to slower
runners. Overall, I felt things went very well with our September 15th
race from start to finish. We did have a number of workers and staff that had other things come up at the last minute, so
we did our best to cover. Thanks to the number of people that stepped up to help! Our grill master did not show up, but thanks to Bill Sanders and his crew for grilling
the meats. I think our general organization improved from last year, but still needs a little work. I have placed my comments below most sections in
red bold italics.
Co-Director
Tracy Skipper: Having been through this from the beginning until now, we have
made great forward strides. We know we still have room for improvement. What most people do not realize, is that for the most part, this entire event is put
together by just the two of us. We continue to try and recruit more help and
our race day volunteers are INVALUABLE to us. However, that being said, we need
more help! There are areas we want to improve, but simply do not have the time
or manpower to do more. While we love what we do, to continue to grow and improve
we must have more help. We are working hard to raise awareness about the event
in the community, and to get more folks to pitch in – especially on race day.
The more help we have, the better the race will get. Are we are so grateful
to all of the athletes who have come out to run and have been so gracious to share their perspectives with us and help us
make things better each year. Thank you everyone – runners and volunteers
both. This event does not happen without you!
Q1 Was the Website Helpful?
(1) Yes, (2)
Very! Everything you need to know is on it. (3) Very! Everything you need to know is on it.
(4) The format is weird, too bright. (5) Yes (6) Yes
Yes, it's
a great website for such a small race!
Website was very helpful. Found
the race and all of its details on the website.
yes very helpful
It is nice to have all the info I need right there, with
last minute revisions as well. It could be organized a little better though
Somewhat -
do not need all the background pictures. It makes it hard to read.
Very Helpful
and user friendly.
Yes. It had a lot of great information. I
also appreciated the emailed updates just previous to the race.
Co-Race Director Michael Skipper: We put a lot of
work into the web site; looks like the background images cause a little difficulty for some; otherwise, very favorable responses.
Registration Process
(1) easy;
(2) easy; (3) good : (4) No problem easy (5)
Easy (6) Fine (7) Very Easy
Great, Fine, easy, Good Easy,
I registered online Easy, I registered online
Did same day registration. I thought that it went
fine. Glad to see that the race offered that option.
Co-Race
Director Michael Skipper: Although not mentioned in the surveys, race day registration could have used a little better organization.
Next year I would like to close registration on the Thursday before the race day. Over 90% of participants registered on-line.
We plan to also keep the option of mail-in forms available if you do not want to register on-line.
Pasta Dinner
Excellent
Yes terrific delicious!
Yummy
Wonderful.
We liked the environment.
It was prefect...and
free!
Co-Race Director Michael Skipper: Combined Community
Service Staff prepared the dinner –favorable comments basically from all . Although not mentioned here, we took down
the registration table a little before closing Friday evening. I think there were a few people that were not happy as they
came in close to 8 pm to pick up their race packet.
Maps – helpful?:
no...but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed
the course.
the course
was good, the map could use some help. We tried to follow it the night before and it was very confusing near the lake part of the course, although I never has any problems
course
map could be improved to be on one page with mile markers and better arrows for directions.
Could be some
improvement on the course map. That being said the course itself was easy to follow with the arrows (not sure if had
it rained, what it would have been like)
Helpful
Yes, Yes, Yes
Confusing
that needs
some work. some kind of better markings bigger signs etc...
Course map
could have been better. Possibly use www.mapmyrun.com next year. Fantastic tool.
Area maps were helpful
for finding the race. I did not understand the course map.
A little confusing,
but certainly easy once in the race
Co-Race Director Michael Skipper: We did put a lot of work into the course maps, but it is clear they still need some
work. USA Track and Field required to put the entire course on 1 map, and that made it harder to read. I like the suggestion
above by a runner (www.mapmyrun.com)
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/in/winona-lake/303857875
Race Date and Time:
· I
think april would be great! BUT, if in april, maybe start at 8 am and NOT 7 AM.
· Does
not matter! I plan my schedule according to the date posted.
· I
like it where it is now. But given the competition you point out on the web site, a move should be considered.
· Keep
it as is!
· This
same time. April might be an issue with the Indy Mini so close. Also Boston so close. Whether spring or fall there will
be conflicting races.
· Any
date which it is a low of 48 degrees and high of 55
· Nov
1 (50-state runner request from Utah)
· The
best time for this race would be Mid to late August 2008. Moving it
to 2009 in April would be to long of a wait. I always look forward to a good fall marathon. This one is a good one!
· i thought the time and date were great
· I prefer having the 1/2 marathon start 30 minutes after the marathon. This is nice
for couples where one is running the 1/2 and the other the full marathon. I think most people running the 1/2 would like to
be done in time to cheer in the marathoners. I know I would rather stand around after the race than before and also want to
be able to see ____ finish.
· The weekend it was held or later. Heat is rough.
· Maybe an hour later, although it was unseasonably cold for the day.
· KEEP THE SAME. We would not run this race if moved to the fall. Too many
other races. This date was a nice fit. There are few marathons in September. More people from Chicago would
come to your marathon if there was better communication about it in Chicago.
· same time next year works for me
· The date was nice. Late enough that it wasn't hot, but before the hubbub of the
school year (for us students) really began
Co-Race Director Michael Skipper: There is so much that goes into the selection of a date. The race director
from Parlor City (Mac) has told me that there is another half marathon that will be held in September (last Saturday of the
month). If we keep the mid September date, there would be 3 half marathons in a row.
I personally like a later date; even November 1st or even late April. October is the biggest marathon month. September is risky with warm weather.
Also, I don’t think there are any major community activities in town here (except the 5K Turkey Lurkey Run in November).
November 1st may be cold but heat will not be an issue. We are looking
at a marathon early start time/50K start time of 8 am; Marathon start at 9 AM
and half marathon at 930 AM. These times work very well keeping runners more spread out. The times also work good for our
photographer. If we have the 8K, we would have it late Friday afternoon or early Friday evening. I would like to place a 5
½ hour time limit on the course with wave 1 (early start) from 4 ½ hour to 5 ½ hour estimated finishing times.
Aid Stations, Sufficient?:
I was impressed by the number of aid stations. Saturday
was cool, but on a hot day, that would have been a really added plus to the race.
Excellent,
well spaced, good amount of volunteers and enthusiastic
NO, the first
5 miles there weren't any fluids available!
More than I have seen at any other race! Chicago, HUFF,
and Arizona have them about every 3 miles.
yes, but needed more support and guidance on how to had
out drinks to runners so they don't have to stop.
could of been
more spread out
Yes
(The following came from the last runner that finished) The aid stations were spaced sufficiently and were great once things really got underway.
There was no water until mile 8 for early starters, the stations were set up, but no one seemed to have any supplies,
the first one that had water didn't have any cups yet! And there were no cups left at the (unmanned) stations on the
last 50k loop.
What we did good?: last 15 miles of the water stations
Needs Improvement: Beginning water stations
Aid Stations: Yes, and very much appreciated. That
was the best banana of my life.
Aid Stations: Yes.
Aid Stations: The people and stations were great!!
Aid Stations:
Smaller cups.
AidStations: They were plentiful. More with powerbars would have been nice.
Plenty of water stations.
Co-Race
Director Michael Skipper: The first 2 aid stations and the Williams aid station (about mile 11.5) were slow on getting going, but once they got going, it looks like it was OK. I think we need the 1 mile
(actually 0.8 mile) interval, especially if we chose a September or October date. We used about 200 gallons of water on the
course or the equivalent of about 2 gallons per 26.2 miles of running. If this was a warm day, we would have needed much more.
As mentioned above . I would like to place a 5 ½ hour time limit on the course
with wave 1 (early start) from 4 ½ hour to 5 ½ hour estimated finishing times. Also, looks like a number of people prefer
paper cups. Aid Station water was 100% Cullligan or Rabb (local dealer) reverse osmosis filtered water. (You can’t get much purer than that!)
Post race:
good, I had
to leave right afterwards.
Great! Although it was obvious you could have used
a lot more volunteers.
FOOD? That was a meal! Food is usually fruit
and water.
We cooked the meat. You could of used a few more
volunteers.
The chicken was great! Maybe some cookies would good next
year:)
Great, pizza,
and plenty of it!
Excellent,
some of the best food I have ever had. I won my age group and a trophy, so cannot really complain.
(The following
came from the last runner) It was all done and gone by the time I finished, including most of the finish line (and I finished
an hour faster than I expected!) There were a few slices of pizza and some apples on the table, everything else had
been packed away... A bit anticlimactic, if not disappointing... (At least have some music playing or something
if the band is already finished, so there's some semblance of celebration for the slower people.)
Oncourse:
on , on, on, on, on, on, on, on , on, on , on (off) (off)
I ALMOST went off course at a T-intersection. I was
needing water, and I saw a nearby aid station off to my left. I turned for it, not realizing that I was supposed to
go straight. Fortunately, another runner notified me just as I was turning.
Saw people
miss the turn onto Faunn and redirected them
Where lost: NO. I ran an extra 1/2 mile.
Where lost: At the 'T' where you are supposed to pass the
trail. Got confused when a an aid station volunteer pointed me towards cookies on the other side of the road. I
thought he was pointing at the course.
Co-Race Director Michael Skipper – We improved from last year, but as mentioned
above there is still room for improvement. I have been working with Mac (race director of Ft Wayne’s Runners on Parade
and Parlor City half marathon) where we help one another out. We donated 20 – 5 gallon jugs for his use. He said we
could use his turn signs, so this would help. I was also thinking of marking the 1st
6.5 miles in orange and the last 6.6 miles in green (had a hard
time finding green chalk- will have to order on-line).
Mile markers:
fine , good, Great, fine, Great, easy to see, good , OK,
great, good
Exact and easy to see. Easiest race to pace yourself.
Excellent,
accurate and easy to spot.
okay could
of been better should be larger and maybe on a stand
milemarkers: For some reason I seemed to only see markers
for miles I wasn't on, but that was probably just me not paying attention.
Co-Race Director Michael Skipper – All the mile marker points were measured out and all of the signs were placed
on the course before the race started
Direction arrows:
fine , Good
Became fuzzy a few hours into race Good a little shaky fine
nice, abundant, pretty
clear most places
Great
Worked
fine.
Excellent, but if had rained...
BRIGHT
maybe put
a number with the arrow at intersecions with multiple differant directions so runners know which ones to follow
Co-Race
Director Michael Skipper (see comments above in the “ON COURSE” section
Overall Comments:
Some arrow
signs would help. One could not go into a zone and run. You always had to be mindful of where the next turn would
be. At one point when I was in my zone I got lost.
the course
itself was great looking forward to running it next year wishing you had a start mat as well as finish mat
overall, i was pleasanty suprised because in all honesty,
I heard some negative things about the race from years past.
Maybe get
rid of the sharp turnaround at mile 23.
Co-Race Director Michael Skipper – It would be nice to get rid of this, but this would take an exceptional amount
of work as this was the point that distance was added on to the course during certification to make the course exactly 13.1094
miles.
I thought it would be a very hard course to PR on because
of all the turns. But I was wrong, this turned out to be my best half ever. Really appreciate all the hard work
it must have taken to put the race together.
It was a blast
and I will be back next year.
The cups were
difficult to grab and drink from due to the large size. It was nice to have a variety of flavors!
Well organized.
We did have our doubts given the size and the course but everything was great.
(The following was from the last runner that finished) Please remember that ALL runners, fast or slow, 8k-50k deserve the same support and
amenities (we pay the same entry fees!) Those that are slower who are out there by themselves before or after all the
other runners probably need more support than the average person, even if they are hours behind everyone else someone should
be out there to check on them!
This was my
first marathon. I wish the T-shirt said "Marathon" somewhere. My wife came to watch, and she was so inspired,
she is now training to run the half next year.
Really like the race. Being able to shower at the
Y was great, it allowed me to run the race and still make family commitments back home.
Great course.
We really enjoyed our first marathon!
What we did good?:
Plenty of aid stations!!!!!!!
The course
plan was very good. The post race awards/entertainment was good. Appreciate the trophies/awards.
(50K) You
took out the trails of the 50K. Last year It was very confusing whether or not you were going the right way and there were
no aid stations in the trails. I like the fact that you know exactly where your going and water was everywhere.
Good time of year. Nice early start time. The course was fast, flat, and senic.
This was my favorite course so far (2 previous races).
Love the course,
love the food, lots of age group prizes for the small amount of participants, love the local nature of the race
A
good race, in a beatiful area. Please, try to keep the same route for next fall!
you did a
great job for as little as volunteers as you had
The new course is a
great improvement, and the website is really informative.
Clear pre-race
instructions. Friendly and adequate aid stations. Same day sign up. Shower option at YMCA for those traveling
the same day. Free, close parking!
The low entry
fee and nice town is why I chose this race.
Race was in
September. Price was affordable. Spirit of pasta dinner good. Plenty of water stations. Fun atmosphere.
Needs Improvement:
Would have like some kind of splits somewhere on the course.
maybe not every mile, but perhaps at the 5k, 10k, 15 mile, 20 etc.
Maybe have
more water and gatorade for post race refreshments.
More volunteers. Plates and utensils for the food
would be good. :-) Also this is kind of trivial but paper cups instead of styrofoam along the course would be great. It's
easy to squeeze the top of a paper cup and keep running.
better
course markings and hope you can get more volunteers and that the volunteers wear matching shirts
Before the
start, it is hard to find the portapotties in the dark, but I sure found them on the course!
The water
tasted a little off. Well water? Just not used to it, I guess.
Can’t say
course directions,
guides/ people( multiple arrows going differant directions in the same intersection is confusing)
I would worry
about the course markings if it rained and the chalk got washed away. Better map on the web site.
Advertisement of event
keep at least
a couple staff/volunteers out on the course until all runners have finished... Maybe a bike with your last runner, just
to be sure they are Ok?
Overall
Satisfaction (3 choices: Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Not Satisfied)
Very Satisfied -
10
Satisfied – 5
Not Satisfied – 0
RaceEntryFeeMar50K:
$45 , $40 $40
Not enough,
great value for the money
I thought
the price I paid was fair
If you have
won the race in the past, it would be nice to get your entry fee waived.
I
thought the same day fee of $65 was fair, but as high as I would go.
depends on
the amenities each runner has available to them
Co-Race
Director Michael Skipper – There were about 3040 miles ran during our race. It cost about $2.36 per runner mile to put
on the race. This comes to about $12 for the 8K; $31 for the half marathon; $62 for the full marathon and $73 for the 50K
Entry Fee Half Marathon:
$25 , $20 , $50 $35
Co-Race
Director Michael Skipper – There were about 3040 miles ran during our race. It cost about $2.36 per runner mile to put
on the race. This comes to about $12 for the 8K; $31 for the half marathon; $62 for the full marathon and $73 for the 50K
Prize Money:
not necessarily
yes, yes,
yes
Yes, prize
money brings out good competition. The times were awesome this year.
Doesn't matter to me, I never win any. :-)
Wouldn't
matter to me
Did not realize
there was any until I saw the note on the web site this week.
I don't care, but it is cool to see the elite runners go.
of course!
it will bring
in more faster runners from out of town/state if you do, but really makes no matter to me personally
Yes - but
for top 3 - not top 4 in some catagories and then short change top 3rd woman. This seams wrong.
*shrug* doesn't
affect me...but it was really cool to see a really fast runner (won the half maybe) out on the course cheering the marathoners.
Money into community:
$150, $20, $60 $100
Traffic Control:
Traffic was
so light, it never crossed my mind.
What traffic?
Only saw cars on one road, so it wasn't a big deal to step
over onto the shoulder.
There were
a few cars trying to get through along the course but I didn't notice anything terrible. It's a little more difficult
when there are people running both ways on the road.
None
No problems
with this at all.
(very late
finisher) Traffic was much better on the new course than the old one! The only place I think any control would be needed
is on Winona Beach, where many cars just blew by us like we weren't there. Maybe a sign that says "Slow, race in progress"
or "Slow, watch for runners" at each end would solve that.
Co-Race
Director Michael Skipper – I was concerned about this area and see what I can do next year about having some law enforcement
out there at least later in the morning.
Early Start:
11 YES
2 NO
Post Race
The food was tasty, but the presentation and organization could use some help.
Most people left before the food was done/arrived. I know your food person didn't show so that complicated things.
not enough fruit and carbs (like bagels) awards were very nice
Finished
last, so I missed most of it, but it seemed like a good time. Saw the ultra awards get handed out.
My wife and
I finished about 2/3 through the pack (a little after 4 hours) and were dissapointed that we missed most of the ceremony and
barbecue. Ordering pizza was a nice way to make up for it.
