The Big D Texas Marathon

I’ve done the half marathon for this particular race a few times over the years. I generally prefer to run the full distance however most of the time I will travel for 26.2 and run a destination race (a few I’ve run in the past… Chicago, Marine Corps in DC, San Diego, Vegas, etc). After running so many races in Dallas, the routes end up being the same. A bunch of races start/​finish in and around the Fair Park area, including this one. The weather this time of year is often extremely unpredictable, but generally fair/​warmer than races in Feb & March. Mellew Productions puts on this race and over the years they have improved on the course and other items many have complained about. It would not be my first choice of races to run simply because there are better races & courses to choose from. But if you live in the area or just need something to tack on to the calendar for the month of April I’d check it out! There will be plenty of parking and no stress getting to the start line.

I ran Big D full in 2015. Everyone warned me not to do it, but I decided to risk it since it fit my location and schedule requirements.
The race day was hot and humid, so you’d think the organizers would have plenty of water. Two stations along the course were out of water. Worse, they were out of water at the end of the race. There was no water at the end of the course. We were directed to go inside where there were a few breakfast tacos left. When I asked for water I was directed to a massage tent who had a small cooler of water. When friends finished 20 minutes later there was no water at all. This goes beyond bad t-​shirts. How does that happen? This gets dangerous.
I should have listened when everyone warned me about this race. I won’t make that mistake again.

Decently expensive race and they gave us poor quality, cotton shirts. Who wants to run in a gray cotton shirt? Also, at the end of the race it was really confusing on where to go and there were no signs or anyone directing the half marathon or marathoners so we were wandering around trying to figure out where to get water after running 13.1 or 26.2 miles. Not fun. Then when we finally get to the place where «plenty of food and beverages» are made available, they run out of chocolate milk so early that most do not get any. I will not run this race again and ensure I tell others not to as well.

I ran in Mellew’s Big D marathon on 4÷14÷2013. i had several issues with the race. 1) It was the incorrect distance. Really? You are a marathon company and can’t get the distance right? 2) The hotel that Mellew suggested shut down the pool and hot tub the day if the race and when we tried to check in, at 3 pm, our rooms weren’t ready yet. Nice corporate partnership. 3) The parking plan and map that Mellew company provided for drop off the morning of the race wasn’t even close to accurate. All but one gate was closed. I emailed Mellew’s so called customer service and all I got were Mellew company’s excuses for the issues. I asked what their course of action was to rectify the situation. It was clear the Mellew company were placing the blame on everyone else and refusing to represent THEIR event with any integrity or morality.
Mellew, as the company in charge and primary entity, IS RESPONSIBLE for the service and facilities of their partner hotels. Does the Mellew company make a regular practice of not being aware of the hotel conditions and available amenities on race weekend with their partner hotels? Corporate partnerships most certainly have elements of control from both parties.
Mellew, as the company in charge and primary entity, IS RESPONSIBLE for the information and execution of the parking plan and gate staff. If the gate availability is determined by the Fair Park staff, why does the Mellew company publish and disseminate false information regarding directions and logistics for their paying customers? Does the Mellew company make it a regular practice to make parking arrangements, maps, give directions and suggest routes without confirming availability and accuracy with the site company?
Mellew, as the company in charge and primary entity, IS RESPONSIBLE for making sure that the marathon is an actual marathon… not some random distance.
The Big D marathon is supposed to be a Boston qualifier. What a joke! I see that they sponsor several other events across Texas. I will NEVER, I repeat NEVER, waste my time, money and effort on a Mellew race EVER again. Neither should you.

Ran this race and the marathon was more than a mile longer than it was supposed to be and the mile markers were incorrect. The race directors started the race going the wrong direction. Not enough water, there was supposed to be water every mile, but it was more like every 2 miles and the first water stop wasn’t until 40 min into the race. No food at the end and if you wanted a finisher shirt you were expected to buy it for $ 10. I have done 60 marathons and this was the most disorganized and worst.

Do the organizers know anything about races? Anything at all!
I get that smaller races with fewer participants cannot have fancy free stuff and tons of goodies. But the least they could do was calculate the distance correctly. Most people who ran a full marathon said their watches gave them 27.4 miles instead of 26.2. That’s just ridiculous. Even pace groups lead by experienced runners were finishing later than their target times.
Also, the quality of the tech shirts provided to participants was questionable. It looked like it had been made from the cheapest material possible. Finishers got a beer mug at the end and that was probably the only positive thing about this experience.
Neither my friends nor I will ever run this ‘race’ again.

A medium-​sized race with marathon, half-​marathon, and 5K events. From the marathon perspective, this is a gorgeous course that winds through White Rock Lake and some of the prettiest lake neighbourhoods. There are some inevitable hills, but attack them steadily and you’ll be fine. With its medium size (800 marathoners, 2000 half-​marathoners, 500 5K-​ers), there’re no road closures per se. But the street lanes are clearly marked, and the police do an excellent job of facilitating the traffic flow. There won’t be as much crowd support along the way compared to the White Rock Marathon & Rock ‘n’ Roll Half, but this low-​key nature also means no traffic jams for parking, shorter lines for porter-​potties, and none of the other logistical nightmares associated with bigger events. The differential start times (7:30am for full, 8:00 for half, 8:20 for 5K) also help. The aid stations are just as great (and closely spaced) as the other races. I especially love the abundance of banana & orange slices today. The one time I tried to carry banana myself ended up … inedible, let’s just say.
My main complaint is the mile markers: they are tiny and situated at the eye-​level for pets, not humans. You’ll spot them if you’re seeking them out, but I would recommend wearing a GPS watch. The organizers were not proactive at sending out reminder emails & race tips prior to the event — the only update was a statement on the website about the potentially inclement weather. But when I was able to sit at a table and down a bowl of freshly-​cooked pasta post-​race, I was a happy girl.