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Marathon Details - A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy

North America Marathons > USA > OK > Ardmore > A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy

A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy

A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy & 20M, Half Marathon, 5K

Ardmore, OK USA

March 31, 2019

http://www.a2amarathon.com

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Race Details

Uniquely beautiful Marathon and Half Marathon courses begin in the Arbuckle Mountains. The rolling hills of Scenic Hwy 77 take you downhill through beautiful countryside, a private horse ranch and Ardmore Regional Park before finishing on the 50 yard-line inside Noble Stadium at nearby Ardmore High School. The 5k loop-course begins and ends at Noble Stadium.

Contact Information

Name:	Alison Smalley
Address:	2414 Augusta Dr. Ardmore, OK 73401
Phone Number:	580-222-6829
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (32)

Course 4.0

Organization 4.9

Spectators 4.0

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Number of comments: 32 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 > ]

m. s. from mansfield, TX (4/1/2019) "one of my fav's" (about: 2019) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Great Marathon! 2019 was the 10th - and final A2A, which is sad because this is (was) a great course, overall flat and downhill thru serene OK countryside. Great aid stations, great finish. Perfect weather in 2019. Few spectators and Expo was just a packet pickup, no pasta party but despite these minor negatives, this was one of my favorites, a great one for a BQ - if I had trained better. Congrats to race organizers.
S. K. from Dallas, Texas (5/1/2015) "Excellent small marathon" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is an excellent small marathon. The community provides fantastic support. I believe there were less than 100 runners in the full marathon, and there were 25 water stops with 5-10 volunteers at each stop. The course is difficult mainly because of three things: headwinds (which seem to happen every year); the fact that most of the run into town is on a straight small highway, so not very scenic; and the fact that it is so small you are often running by yourself. But all this is overshadowed by the great people of Ardmore who come out to support the race at the water stations. It was a really nice and fun race.
D. R. from Cincinnati, OH (3/31/2015) "Great small Oklahoma marathon." (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is one of the best supported marathons I have ever done. The number and helpfulness of volunteers really stands out: Pros: 1) nice course but 4 stars for strong, unrelenting head wind (which cannot be helped but my goodness, this was my 50th marathon and so far the toughest due to the wind). 2) nice medal and zip shirt 3) nice pasta feed - runners got one free ticket 4) easy to get to the race end where buses took runners to the start 5) runners could stay on buses to stay warm until the start 6) easy packet pickup 7) volunteers were great 8) aid stations had everything you needed - lots of GU, lots of sponges toward second half of race, they even had ice at several of the aid stations (helped in keeping cool) Cons: Only one - the head wind I recommend this race to someone looking for small city, well-done race. A great option for Oklahoma if looking for something to do in the area as one can take the 90-minute drive to Oklahoma City to see the memorial.
J. B. from Austin, TX (3/30/2015) "Great race support!" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I just finished the race yesterday and wanted to record my thoughts before I forgot. The reason for doing this marathon is for the 50 states club. I have not done one this small before and was a little anxious about it but turned out I had no reason to be. I didn't make it to the health/expo in time but packet pickup was a breeze, literally no one in line. The day of the race started off with a shuttle bus ride to the starting line. Once there we were able to wait on the bus right up until the start, which was nice as it was cold and windy. There were port a potties there and no wait at all. The start was pretty much uphill for 4 miles and then a nice 2 mile descent until it relatively flattened out. The course was scenic until after the first out and back, then it was a long stretch of nothingness until the last out and back around mile 20. After that it was nice. The waterstops were well supported and volunteers very friendly and helpful. As far as I could tell there weren't any other spectators on the course at any point. The weather was cold and windy starting out but quickly warmed up and stayed a bit windy but not bad in my opinion. I forgot to put sunscreen on my arms and neck so was sunburned and would suggest to anyone running in the future to not only wear sunscreen but also a hat. There is no protection from the sun at all. The lap around the track at the end wasn't so bad and your name is announced at that point, the medal is big and nice and the post race food was decent. I was pleased with this race and would suggest it to anyone wanting to experience a small town marathon adventure!
L. K. from DFW, USA (4/1/2014) "Great small town marathon" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Really enjoyed this marathon for the great town support and tight organization. But it was by far the hardest marathon I've done due to the strong head wind. If we'd run the day before there would have been a tail wind which would make it a fast course. I ran it as a last long training run for Boston; it simulates Boston's course nicely with an early downhill and late uphills. The water stops were great, and there were lots of volunteers on bikes were on the course to look after us runners. One even brought the guy I was running with a cup of ice after he'd requested one at the water stop. Pros: organization, enthusiastic town support, frequent water/gatorade stops with snacks also available, allowed to stay in bus up until start to stay warm, bag check (though not specified on website), low hassle (easy parking at stadium race am, packet pick-up/'expo' very easy), low entry fee, nice quarter zip shirt, overall scenic course. Cons: head wind makes it difficult, pretty hilly, shirt doesn't specify race distances (medal does though), not a ton to do/eat/see in Ardmore.
G. C. from Idaho (3/19/2013) "Very well run small race." (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a very well organized small race. I ended up running it because of a last minute conflict with another race. First marathon of this size I have run. I will look for similar sized races in the future. The travel, lodging, and race day logistics are so simple and low stress compared to large races. The only thing you have to worry about is your run. The course is very good. I liked the short out and backs. Plenty of aid stations with great volunteers. Thought about responding na instead of 5 stars for the spectators, there were none (well very few). Those that came out were great. Nice finishing is the stadium. Makes it very easy for friends and family to see the finish. Its all about the race, not the expo or any of the other stuff. I highly recommend the race. Thanks to the organizers and volunteers.
A. R. from Franklin, TN (3/12/2013) "Tough, windy point to point course" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Tough course, into the most consistent 20+MPH headwind I've ever felt. But it IS Oklahoma. Great organization. Free pasta dinner was a plus, pre-race bus transport was a snap, great aid stations with plentiful, very enthusiastic volunteers. The course was a bit dull, especially miles 9-20 on a perfectly straight 4 lane highway. I could see the water tower in town, and knew we were running to it, but it seemed to never get closer. Niles 21-26 in hte park were easier than the long stretch. My only gripe was the website, which was never updated. I had also signed up for pre-race email updates,and never received a single one. This was my only complaint, which is very minor. The people of Ardmore were fantastic, though, and I would recommend this to anyone who likes smaller races, and don't need a lot of spectators and fanfare.
B. D. from Kansas (3/5/2013) "Great small town race." (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Beautiful and unique scenery! Really- in Oklahoma! Very nice crowd support. Great drink and goo stops. Volunteers were just awesome. Tough race, wind was a bugger. But folks, that is between you and God! If we wanted to have control of all the possible elements we would run marathons in shopping malls!
M. D. from GA-USA (3/4/2013) "Great small town low profile race." (about: 2013) 50+ previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is an excellent small town low key race. I believe there were less than 100 marathon runners. The marathoners, half's and 5K runners are all separate The RD and volunteers are great. I suspect volunteers outnumber runners. The course, is challenging, but great. The first 4 miles are brutally up hill into a sever head wind. Next 7 miles are nice, and the last 15 are up and down into a headwind. At 20 miles you can see the finish, but make a 5 mile loop though a lovely park to a lake. The town of Ardmore is very friendly and make runners fell welcome. This is a point-to-point run starting in a state park by a beautiful waterfall. At 4 miles you are at the top of a hill that you can see where you have been and where you are going. The course is only moderately difficult, but the headwinds make it challenging. The Port-on-Potties are very plentiful. No waits even minutes before the race. Rather than a T-Shirt, runners get a nice wool hoodie.
M. A. from Illinois (3/4/2013) "If you could control the wind..." (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Top notch organization. Everything was well done from packet pickup, busing, course support, etc. Loved the hoodie (even though it didn't say anything about distance or location). Organizers and community seemed genuinely happy to have us. Although I generally like point-to-point courses, and this is the perfect size race to do it well, the 9 or so straight south, rolling, full sun miles along Hwy 77 (a 4 lane concrete road) was tough. It would have been tough in the best of conditions, but running into a 20+mph headwind for that length of time on concrete sapped a lot of energy. Loved the first 10 miles of the race, and the last 6 through the park were a welcome change from the concrete wind tunnel. I am glad I did it and do recommend it to those who like small, well-run point-to-point races with some challenge, but I probably wouldn't do it again myself.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 > ]



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m. s. from mansfield, TX (4/1/2019) "one of my fav's" (about: 2019) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Great Marathon! 2019 was the 10th - and final A2A, which is sad because this is (was) a great course, overall flat and downhill thru serene OK countryside. Great aid stations, great finish. Perfect weather in 2019. Few spectators and Expo was just a packet pickup, no pasta party but despite these minor negatives, this was one of my favorites, a great one for a BQ - if I had trained better. Congrats to race organizers.
S. K. from Dallas, Texas (5/1/2015) "Excellent small marathon" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is an excellent small marathon. The community provides fantastic support. I believe there were less than 100 runners in the full marathon, and there were 25 water stops with 5-10 volunteers at each stop. The course is difficult mainly because of three things: headwinds (which seem to happen every year); the fact that most of the run into town is on a straight small highway, so not very scenic; and the fact that it is so small you are often running by yourself. But all this is overshadowed by the great people of Ardmore who come out to support the race at the water stations. It was a really nice and fun race.
D. R. from Cincinnati, OH (3/31/2015) "Great small Oklahoma marathon." (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is one of the best supported marathons I have ever done. The number and helpfulness of volunteers really stands out: Pros: 1) nice course but 4 stars for strong, unrelenting head wind (which cannot be helped but my goodness, this was my 50th marathon and so far the toughest due to the wind). 2) nice medal and zip shirt 3) nice pasta feed - runners got one free ticket 4) easy to get to the race end where buses took runners to the start 5) runners could stay on buses to stay warm until the start 6) easy packet pickup 7) volunteers were great 8) aid stations had everything you needed - lots of GU, lots of sponges toward second half of race, they even had ice at several of the aid stations (helped in keeping cool) Cons: Only one - the head wind I recommend this race to someone looking for small city, well-done race. A great option for Oklahoma if looking for something to do in the area as one can take the 90-minute drive to Oklahoma City to see the memorial.
J. B. from Austin, TX (3/30/2015) "Great race support!" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I just finished the race yesterday and wanted to record my thoughts before I forgot. The reason for doing this marathon is for the 50 states club. I have not done one this small before and was a little anxious about it but turned out I had no reason to be. I didn't make it to the health/expo in time but packet pickup was a breeze, literally no one in line. The day of the race started off with a shuttle bus ride to the starting line. Once there we were able to wait on the bus right up until the start, which was nice as it was cold and windy. There were port a potties there and no wait at all. The start was pretty much uphill for 4 miles and then a nice 2 mile descent until it relatively flattened out. The course was scenic until after the first out and back, then it was a long stretch of nothingness until the last out and back around mile 20. After that it was nice. The waterstops were well supported and volunteers very friendly and helpful. As far as I could tell there weren't any other spectators on the course at any point. The weather was cold and windy starting out but quickly warmed up and stayed a bit windy but not bad in my opinion. I forgot to put sunscreen on my arms and neck so was sunburned and would suggest to anyone running in the future to not only wear sunscreen but also a hat. There is no protection from the sun at all. The lap around the track at the end wasn't so bad and your name is announced at that point, the medal is big and nice and the post race food was decent. I was pleased with this race and would suggest it to anyone wanting to experience a small town marathon adventure!
L. K. from DFW, USA (4/1/2014) "Great small town marathon" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Really enjoyed this marathon for the great town support and tight organization. But it was by far the hardest marathon I've done due to the strong head wind. If we'd run the day before there would have been a tail wind which would make it a fast course. I ran it as a last long training run for Boston; it simulates Boston's course nicely with an early downhill and late uphills. The water stops were great, and there were lots of volunteers on bikes were on the course to look after us runners. One even brought the guy I was running with a cup of ice after he'd requested one at the water stop. Pros: organization, enthusiastic town support, frequent water/gatorade stops with snacks also available, allowed to stay in bus up until start to stay warm, bag check (though not specified on website), low hassle (easy parking at stadium race am, packet pick-up/'expo' very easy), low entry fee, nice quarter zip shirt, overall scenic course. Cons: head wind makes it difficult, pretty hilly, shirt doesn't specify race distances (medal does though), not a ton to do/eat/see in Ardmore.
G. C. from Idaho (3/19/2013) "Very well run small race." (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a very well organized small race. I ended up running it because of a last minute conflict with another race. First marathon of this size I have run. I will look for similar sized races in the future. The travel, lodging, and race day logistics are so simple and low stress compared to large races. The only thing you have to worry about is your run. The course is very good. I liked the short out and backs. Plenty of aid stations with great volunteers. Thought about responding na instead of 5 stars for the spectators, there were none (well very few). Those that came out were great. Nice finishing is the stadium. Makes it very easy for friends and family to see the finish. Its all about the race, not the expo or any of the other stuff. I highly recommend the race. Thanks to the organizers and volunteers.
A. R. from Franklin, TN (3/12/2013) "Tough, windy point to point course" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Tough course, into the most consistent 20+MPH headwind I've ever felt. But it IS Oklahoma. Great organization. Free pasta dinner was a plus, pre-race bus transport was a snap, great aid stations with plentiful, very enthusiastic volunteers. The course was a bit dull, especially miles 9-20 on a perfectly straight 4 lane highway. I could see the water tower in town, and knew we were running to it, but it seemed to never get closer. Niles 21-26 in hte park were easier than the long stretch. My only gripe was the website, which was never updated. I had also signed up for pre-race email updates,and never received a single one. This was my only complaint, which is very minor. The people of Ardmore were fantastic, though, and I would recommend this to anyone who likes smaller races, and don't need a lot of spectators and fanfare.
B. D. from Kansas (3/5/2013) "Great small town race." (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Beautiful and unique scenery! Really- in Oklahoma! Very nice crowd support. Great drink and goo stops. Volunteers were just awesome. Tough race, wind was a bugger. But folks, that is between you and God! If we wanted to have control of all the possible elements we would run marathons in shopping malls!
M. D. from GA-USA (3/4/2013) "Great small town low profile race." (about: 2013) 50+ previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is an excellent small town low key race. I believe there were less than 100 marathon runners. The marathoners, half's and 5K runners are all separate The RD and volunteers are great. I suspect volunteers outnumber runners. The course, is challenging, but great. The first 4 miles are brutally up hill into a sever head wind. Next 7 miles are nice, and the last 15 are up and down into a headwind. At 20 miles you can see the finish, but make a 5 mile loop though a lovely park to a lake. The town of Ardmore is very friendly and make runners fell welcome. This is a point-to-point run starting in a state park by a beautiful waterfall. At 4 miles you are at the top of a hill that you can see where you have been and where you are going. The course is only moderately difficult, but the headwinds make it challenging. The Port-on-Potties are very plentiful. No waits even minutes before the race. Rather than a T-Shirt, runners get a nice wool hoodie.
M. A. from Illinois (3/4/2013) "If you could control the wind..." (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Top notch organization. Everything was well done from packet pickup, busing, course support, etc. Loved the hoodie (even though it didn't say anything about distance or location). Organizers and community seemed genuinely happy to have us. Although I generally like point-to-point courses, and this is the perfect size race to do it well, the 9 or so straight south, rolling, full sun miles along Hwy 77 (a 4 lane concrete road) was tough. It would have been tough in the best of conditions, but running into a 20+mph headwind for that length of time on concrete sapped a lot of energy. Loved the first 10 miles of the race, and the last 6 through the park were a welcome change from the concrete wind tunnel. I am glad I did it and do recommend it to those who like small, well-run point-to-point races with some challenge, but I probably wouldn't do it again myself.

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Marathon Details - A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Race for Mercy