This car seat is just wonderful! My daughter loves it. I was undecided between the Marathon and the Decathlon. I put my daughter in both seats to see how she reacts. She put up a little fuss with the Decathlon (I have no idea why). But as soon as I put her in the Marathon, she seemed to have taken a liking to it. They're both basically the same seat with the same features, just the Decathlon has the removable newborn pillow. Once your child reaches a certain age, the body pillow will be of no use because they will outgrow it. Basically it won't be used for long. I just couldn't justify paying so much more money simply for a removeable piece of padding, so I went ahead with the Marathon. My husband and I noticed that the padding was a bit on the thicker side in the Marathon (especially around the head and shoulder area). We also noticed that the harness was much easier to adjust in the Marathon. Best of all, it passed the big test...my daughter falls fast asleep in the car when I put her in her car seat. She seem so peaceful and comfortable. And the Olivia print is just darling! I fell in love with the color and pattern. The picture here doesn't do it any justice at all! The picture is very blurry on this web site.

After our son out grew his Graco Snug Ride infant car seat. We started to research convertibles car seats. The Britax Marathon's name came up in every online forum as well as writing reviews giving this seat very high ratings.

We visited a local store in our area who carried the Britax Marathon as we wanted to see how it would fit our child. We were very pleased that the seat has a growth potential of up to 65 lbs and 49" in height. This calculates that on average a child can stay in this seat in a five point harness until the approximate age of a five year old.....reassuring.

As most seats on the market have five point harnesses that have a weight limit of 40lbs. The Marathon would allow us more long term growth instead of transitioning into a booster early on and bipassing the shoulder/lap belt combination.

We shopped online and found that babies r us had a large selection. However the more we researched we found the prices to be considerably lower and made our purchase from travelingtikes.com. They had a great selection as well but the same seat was offered at $219.99 shipping included.

Our seat arrived just a short four days later. The Britax's owners manual was easy to read and the seat installation with the LATCH system was simple to install. However I found it a little more difficult TETHER the seat in the rear facing postion. Once installed the seat was very secure and did not have any movement as compared to the our Graco infant seat.

Our son seemed to be so happy from the get go. The harnesess were easy to adjust and we liked the fact that there was excellent side wall protection. I especially liked how soft the fabric is to the skin and the belly pad that adds a little extra comfort to the legs from the belt buckle in case it may get hot from direct sun light.

We are very happy with our purchase and highly recommend this seat to all.

I love this car seat! we bouught this just as our daughter started to outgrow her infant graco, the installation was easier than that of The Graco. Very easy, just push into place, litterally the LATCH system is incredible. THE INSTALLATION WAS SO EASY and the security was amazing, this seat isnt budging anywhere if its in an accident, it's a solid install. I've already washed it twice. taking it apart, now that is a little complicated, especially if you werent paying attention as you were taking it apart. But it washes great, without any fading. She loves this seat compared to the graco, falls asleep all the time in it. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMENED THIS SEAT!

I love this seat so much I wish I could ride around in it myself. Installation was simple and it is wonderfully secure. The seat is soft and plush but stays cool in hot weather (BIG plus!). One of my favorite little features is the velcro on the sides that allow you to anchor the straps out of the way while you get the baby positioned inside. Ingenius. Also, it came out of the box FULLY ASSEMBLED!!! After months of putting together baby gear this was a welcome relief. I chose the seat based on the strength of it's safety features and the high recommendations it received when I did my research and I have to say it lived up to my expectations. Well worth every penny.

So many convertibles car seat to choose from but the Britax Marathon name kept coming up in every online review as well as every online forum.

I was very pleased that the Marathon can handle a child up to 65lbs in a five point harness. No other seat that I reviewed offered this feature. I also liked the fact that the seat was very easy to use and install with the latch and tether strap.

My son fit nicely at age 7 months and the transition from infant car seat was very pleasant for him as he did not like his Peg Perego Primo Viaggio.

The price for the Britax Marathon retails for $270.00 everywhere. However the price differed tremendously when I shopped online. I did find traveling tikes.com to have the most competitive price at $220.00. Their price included free shipping and I payed no sale tax as I lived outside California.
They offered a great selection of colors to choose from and had the color I wanted in stock.

I believe I made the best choice after very carefull review and hope that this add if published help those whom review my comments.

My husband and I bought this after returning the Alpha Sport 3 in 1. It was more than twice the price but worth it. My daughter fits very well in it. Both the harness and the recline device are easy to use and adjust. The button to adjust the harness sits high enough that you can get to it while the seat is installed rear facing (a problem with previous seats)and the little snuggly pads keep the straps from cutting into chubby baby necks. There are 2 things that I would change though, 1. it doesn't have a leveling guage so you have to eyeball it and 2. you would think for all that money it would have a cup holder! With or without those features though I love it and more importantly my daughter is safe and comfy in it.

When my daughter had outgrown her Graco SnugRide car seat, we looked at several different convertible car seats before making a purchase. We read lots of reviews, and we purchased the Eddie Bauer Cosco Elite car seat, basically because of the price. We should have listened to the reviews, because this seat was huge and it did not fit correctly or safely into our Jeep Grand Cherokee. We took it back and opted to purchase a more expensive car seat. I think the Britax Marathon is well worth the extra money we ended up spending, and we feel we should have purchased it to begin with. When it comes to the safety of a child, the price is not the most important issue. This seat fits perfectly into our Jeep, it fastens in securely and does not move like the other car seat did, and it was easy to install, it took my husband about 10 minutes. It also has 2 latch clips instead of one. We also like the fact that you can remove the car seat cover and it is machine washable, and you can also purchase other covers in a variety of colors to fit this seat. We love the pretty flower print for our daughter, but it is nice to know that if we ever have a son, we can purchase a more masculine seat cover and use the same car seat again. Our daughter will be able to use this seat for a very long time, though, since it accommodates children up to 65 lbs. Overall, this is a terrific car seat and we are very happy with it. We would definitely recommend it to other parents.

I am absolutely in love with this car seat!! First of all, the design, colors and fabric are unlike all the other car seats available. It's very bright, soft, and pretty and my lil' Princess looks adorable sitting in it. It's definitely a girly seat, and it's almost impossible to find girly looking car seats.

I was really impressed with the fact that the cover is removable and machine washable. A very good thing for messy sippy cups and cheerio crumbs! It's super easy to remove and replace.

It was very easy to install, and it has the Latch system (a definite plus!!). All I had to do was open the box, and slide the lap belt through it. Phoenix was sitting in it within minutes. What I really liked was that the buckles aren't complicated, and it won't ruin your manicure like trying to release other buckles would. It even has a "belly pad" and "hugs" to reduce any irritation or pressure from the straps while they are buckled in.

The price is a bit much, but worth every penny. The cost was $269.99, but we were able to get a $15.oo coupon. I highly recommend this car seat!!!

Britax Marathon was the easy chioce for me. Excellent growth up to 49"-65 lbs as a 5-point harness. The seat was extremely easy to install with the latch system and versa tether strap.

I especailly liked the head support on the side which is reassuring for side impacts. The marathon is well padded and my 7 month old Jack looks so comfy in his seat that I wanted to jump in there with him.

There are better prices online as one amazon consumer stated in her review online about traveling tikes.com. They are selling the same marathon at $219.99 shipping and tax included. They had a great selection of patterns to choose from which made it easy for me to make my decision.

Im one totally satisfied consumer!

We have an older Marathon for our two year old and just bought the Olivia print for our baby. It's been a great car seat for our eldest, Consumer Reports gives it glowing safety reviews, and the chest clip on this newer model is even better than the old one.
My husband thinks the Olivia print is a little gaudy, but I love it and think it won't show stains.
This is an expensive car seat, but it is usable up to 65 pounds, so you won't have to get a new one (or two) when your child outgrows it. Also, it's very easy to install, adjust, and transfer to another car/plane.

After much consideration I chose the Britax Marathon for its safety and features. As I have an older car that does not have latch. I was pleased to see that the Britax Marathon with its built in lock-offs allowed me to secure the seat in place with our cars shoulder lap belt. Although I did have to add a anchor for the tether strap, the seat stayed firmly secured and did not move at all once installed.

I was especially pleased with the thought that my child will remain in a five point harness up to 65 lbs. That is comforting knowing that most convertibles go to 40 lbs and then a child is transitioned into a booster that only has a shoulder lap belt combo.

I shopped around online and found babies r us to have a good selection but made my purchase at traveling tikes an online store. Their store offered free shipping and no sales tax as mentioned by a parent at babies r us online kids review.

I can can now rest assured that I made my purchase with safety confidence in mind.

My husband and I bought this car seat after returning the Evenflo Triumph Marimba. It was so big and took up a seat and a half! It also was pretty hard turning that yellow wheel to release the straps and also it only went to 45 lbs. On the Britax, it has a button you push to release, it's real easy, much slimmer and it goes up to 65 lbs. The idea that you can buy changeable covers is awesome, I got the "Olivia" print, but I can change it for the next baby to be gender friendly. I know this seat will last, it's made better than the other seats, is more UTD on safety and is more durable. Worht the $$$

I bought this carseat for my four-year-old daughter after carefully reviewing all options. I am a fan of Britax and had been very happy with the Roundabout, so i bought the Marathon because I liked that I could keep her in a five-pt harness a bit longer. The seat installed easily and was very secure in the car. However, whenever my daughter gets in, it is almost impossible for her to do so without sitting on the bottom buckle. I then have to reach under her to pull out the bottom buckle, which is awkward. She is small and thin for her age, but even so, the crotch buckle is very close-fitting. Since she wears skirts and dresses more than pants, she then has to pull her skirt up over her waist in order to expose the bottom buckle so I can snap it; then travel with her skirt all bunched up the whole way and her panties showing. Needless to say, she was very unhappy about that! I am going to return it and get something a little more suited to a kid, not a baby.

When it came time for our 6 month old daughter to move from her infant carrier to a bigger car seat, we researched everything. We finally decided to go with the Marathon b/c of Britax's great reviews and the weight limits on the Marathon.
We are SO VERY pleased with our decision! The seat took my husband 10 minutes to put in both of our cars (we purchased 2) and our daughter has never even wimpered once when being in the seat. She comfortably falls asleep and loves looking all around. We're even able to get her out of the seat while she's sleeping without waking her.
The Olivia pattern is so pretty and b/c Britax has slip covers, if we are to have a little boy in the future, we'll be able to get a different cover.
It's a great buy!

After I am able to get over how much this car seat costs, I will be fully in love with it. It fits great, does not budge after being latched in, and is super easy to use. The latch system is phenominally designed! And my 15 month old loves it. However, my gripe is how small the fabric strap cover is. So I bought another one. And the fact that the straps can velcro on the sides so that they do not get in the way is sooo great. I would bye it again.

I know that I will learn to love this seat, but it is taking time to get used to. I had to put my 9 month in this rear-facing. She seems to really like it, but I cannot see her at all. It is very big and would not fit rear-facing unless it is in the middle. I do feel extremely comfortable knowing it is one of the safest on the market. That peace of mind is worth the extra money for me.

When I first wanted this one with my first child my Husband said no. There was no way he was going to pay that kind of money for a car seat. She is now 2years old and the Evenflow we first bought seems too small for her. We finally bought a Britax and DH went out and even bought a second one for our 8 month old son. Ah I love it when I'm right. I also love the new features like the latch system. It is so easy to install I can do in 5 minutes tops. I can also WASH IT!! Big key in why we had to buy a second car seat. I know the it's very pricey but little key features on it are well worth it. Oh and did I mention it goes up tp 65 lbs??? +++++

I love this careseat! After much research and deliberating about which carseat to get, we finally decided on the marathon! It is all that we expected! It fits great in our car, my baby girl will be able to sit in it until she is 65 pounds and the pattern is so cute! TOTALLY WORTH THE MONEY!

We just got the Marathon Olivia for our Honda CRV. I like it, and had a hard time between this, the Decathlon and the Roundabout. Our almost six year old has a Roundabout and still loves it, although we will be moving him to a booster shortly. The Marathon has the velcro to hold the side straps out to ease putting in baby, but what about the crotch strap? This and the belly pad always get in the way, and I think Britax should do the same holder with that. Did anyone else have this problem? Also, baby kind of slouches in it, and although it's tilted back (rear facing), she still seems to be a little too far forward. Anyone else out there with a CRV that solved these issues?

What a great seat!!! Excellent growth for the long term. I especially like the sides of the seat that offer great side impact protection. Also a five point harness that accomodates a child up to 65lbs and 49" in length. The 5-point harness was super easy to use and adjust. Seat installation was a breeze with the latch system included.

I bought my seat online at travelingtikes.com who's prices were far lower than any other advertised price by more than fifty dollars shipping included.....right on! I purchsed the tan seat "portland" that best matched our car interior.

Im so happy that Britax is rated so well and that their seat is such a household name which made my purchase that much easier to research.

My little guy is styling!!!

We absolutely love this car seat. After buying 3 different Eddie Bauer carseats that did not fit our daugther we decided to buy a Britax. It truely is easy to install and it doesn't move at all once it is installed. Our daugther also seems to love it and slept over half of the time in it on a 10 hour car trip and the rest of the time she was perfectly content sitting in her seat. The pattern is adorable as well.

I had orginally bought the Decathlon seat and my daughther did not like all the extra cushioning. I sold it and bought this Marathon, not only does she love this seat, the print is BEAUTIFUL!! I am so glad she is riding in comfort as well as safety. No more fussy rides in our car. Highly recommended!!

I absolutely love this car seat. I looked and looked at all BabiesRUs had to offer, and just kept coming back to this one. I am a very frugal shopper, so I kept telling myself I should just be sensible and pay less for a car seat, but when it comes down to your child's safety and comfort, I think it's ok to splurge a little!
I use the seatbelt installation as opposed to the latch installation. On first installation it took me a little bit of time to figure it out. I think the clips on the side are a little difficult and can be awkward to close, however I love how secure the seat is because of them. On second installation, it took much less time.
The fabric is wonderful and extremely comfortable for my little angel. She used to complain every time I put her in her seat before, and now she thinks its play time and just coos and chatters with me while we drive. She certainly seems much happier. I have yet to wash the main piece of the car seat, but the strap covers I have washed and they look good as new.
I love the tangle free straps. It makes snapping the harness together... well, a snap! The buttons and buckles are all very easy for me to push, which was my complaint on some of the other car seats available.
One thing that was very important to me was being able to loosen the harness easily. Some of the other models that have knobs are extremely difficult for me to adjust and both my daughter and I would be near tears by the time I got her out of the seat. This one is a metal latch that is underneath a velcro flap on the front of the seat. It is so simple and the straps just glide through. It takes me exactly 4 seconds to undo the harness to get my baby out.
Besides the fact that this car seat will last my child up to 65lbs, the best feature of all is that this seat exceeds US Saftey standards. Every penny is worth knowing my child will be safer in an accident!
I am hooked on Britax!


By the way, my daughter is a very tall, thin 5 month old... 16lbs, 27.5"... we had to get a new seat because of her length. I was afraid this seat might feel too big for her, but it works great!

Yes,at the begining of purchasing this item I was thinking i was going out of my way for the price of this car seat.Now I see that my baby is really comfortable on it, and it's all well worth it.I notice she sleeps better and she enjoys sitting on it on those long roads.All those reviews of other parents really help me out deciding what car seat would be best for my daughter.So I hope this will help on purchasing yours.have fun shopping around and hope you'll find the best for you.

I absolutely love the Olivia carseat! It is comfortable to my baby girl. She has never fussed about being put into it like our old seat. It is very versatile and will grow with her as she grows. However, with all the special touches and safety features included I would love to see Britax make one with the same pleasing appearance that also had some more reclining positions and either a built in or attachable snack tray and cupholder. It seems like it should not be that hard to do and it would be so much more convenient for parents and children alike.

We found that the Marathon is very easy to install, comfortable, safe, and cute as well. It took me approx 5 minutes to install the seat into my Toyota 4-Runner. My 8 month old daughter seems very comfortable. I still have it in the reclining position, but she always falls asleep while in it. She also likes it because she can see out the window. I looked at other seats and none of them seemed to be as sturdy or safe as this one. Not only that but it should last her until she can safely be in just a seatbelt. So spend the extra money and buy this seat, it really is fabulous!!!!!

I love the look of this carseat. It is easily installed and gorgeous. The only con I see is that I cannot get the straps as tight as the Graco Snugride that I moved my daughter from. Does anyone else have this problem or is it just me? Overall great purchase!!!

I purchased this carseat about 2 months ago for $202 during a closeout sale on another website--could not be happier about my purchase. My daughter fell in love with the big 'ol box it came in first, then she was fascinated by the feel of the seat (very soft, almost like velour). I'm not a big floral print person, but honestly this pattern isn't too overwhelming in person. We had a Graco snugride infant seat, but she was never a fan of it plus she outgrew it really quickly. So at 7 months she got her big girl seat and I haven't heard a complaint (i.e. whine) since! She has room to kick her legs, she can see out the side windows of my car much better, and she has no trouble falling asleep in this seat. It is easy to get her in and out of the seat and to take the seat in and out of my vehicle. I think this will be a plus as she gets older and starts to go on outings without mommy and daddy. This is a large carseat, so I would not suggest it in a compact vehicle. My husband has an Accord and I have a small SUV and it fits perfectly in the rear facing, center position of the backseat. All in all, if you value comfort and safety I doubt you will be disappointed in purchasing this carseat--so whaddaya waiting for?

We love this car seat. We ordered the Cowmooflage for my son and the Olivia pattern for my daughter. My husband was able to install them in less than 15 minutes, which I must say is amazing. The kids love the patterns. They are super plush, basically they are like mini lazy boyz. The price was high in comparison to other car seats but the thing is that these will last until the kids are ready for the booster seats, which many others will not. All in all this is so worth the money.

This carseat replaced an Evenflo Triumph. It is narrower, so it fits better on the seat, as well as supports my 30 month old's head better when she's sleeping. I love the pattern and the EASY LATCH buckles. However, even though my daughter is tall and thin (38 inches, 28 pounds), it is really hard to buckle her in since the crotch strap is not adjustable. I don't see how this seat could POSSIBLY hold up to 65 pounds! The seat would be perfect if the crotch strap were adjustable and it had a cup holder.

What a beautiful carseat! Soooooo soft and super comfy! Fits great in the car.This seat is sure to last a long time! AWESOME LOVE IT!

With so many baby car seats to choose from out there its no wonder why it can become so confusing. Infant car seats, convertibles and boosters. 20lb's, 40lb's 65lb's Yikes! What's a mother to do?
I did my research and found that the Britax Marathon gave me more value and safety for my buck than any other car seat on the market. The Marathon is a Convertible Child Seat with LATCH that can be used rear facing for children 5 to 33 pounds and forward facing up to 65 pounds. The child's height should be between 18 and 49 inches. Not to mention that your little ones are secured by a five point harness that displaces the energy evenly across their precious little bodies. The Marathon with its patented lock-off, versa-tether and latch belt make this the easiest and most secure seat to install. Even though I was not thrilled about the color choices for my son online. I chose the Racer pattern and found the best price of $219.99 offered at travelingtikes online including shipping and I paid no sals tax. Do yourself's a favor and invest in your child's safety. I know that when I get behind the wheel of my car that I feel more confident now knowing that I have a Britax, than when we had our first infant car seat. Happy travels!

After a month of researching several different brands of car seat I found Britax to be the safest one with the best reviews. I had already had an Evenflo Comfort Sport and despised it. The straps always twisted and were always uneven on my daughter and she just never seemed comfortable in the seat.

So, after doing the research I went to Babys R Us and looked at both the Decathalon and the Marathon. I put my daughter in both and she snuggled right in to the Marathon, but didn't really care for the Decathalon. The Marathon installed very easily and sits up higher than the Evenflo, so now she can look out the window! I recommend this car seat to everyone I know who is in the market for a new one. My sister even bought a marathon for her baby girl, they both love it. It is a bit pricy but my baby girl comes first and foremost, her safety in the car is the most important thing to me and my husband!

I guess you could say I agree with the others - I absolutely love this seat. I've only had it a few weeks, and am very pleased with it. It WAS very easy to install (less than 5 minutes, if you're familiar with installing carseats). I love the print and the material of this particular one, very cute and comfy (and sides will show less stains, I agree). I do have an explorer so it does fit very well, never had to install rear facing (my daughter is 17 mos), so I can't give any input on that issue, but as far as foward facing goes, it's great. It IS MUCH bigger than our other one (that one is in daddy's truck now - Evenflo), definitely had to get used to that and the fact that she sits up higher now. This is more than I planned to spend on a car seat, BUT you can't bargain shop when shopping for a safe one. And I definitely have to add my absolute excitement for the ease of the LATCH system!! WOW!!! That's how I install my carseats, and it's the EASIEST I've ever had to work with. I can remove and install in seconds. In addition to the ever so lovely latch system it has, I love the fact that when installed in family/friend's cars w/out latch, and using the seatbelt function - it has locks already on the carseat to lock in place. Wonderful! I absolutely recommend this carseat if you're looking for the Best! Well worth the money spent!

We were searching for a car seat that would last until our daughter is bigger & the marathon is the perfect seat. It goes up to 65lb and is very comfortable. Our daugther just loves how high the seat sits and the beautiful Olivia seat cover.

After 3 kids, I finally found the best carseat!!! I'll try to sum it up with a few words...Beatiful print, comfortable & plush, stylish, baby approved by my daughter Julissa, and it rocks with it's safety features. It was definitely worth the money!

Our daughter really likes the seat, she's 11 months now and falls asleep everytime. I have the Alpha Omega in ther other car and hate that seat. However, if I had the extra $$ I would of bought the Decathlon, as the middle bottom buckle is adjustable (when I lifted the cover, I saw more holes)to make it bigger to accomidate dresses and not fit so close between her legs as she gets older. But for now our dd really likes it. I think its because of safety, the reason it doesnt have a cup holder. Dont want cups or bottles bumping around during an accident that could hit the child etc.

We absolutely love this car seat and so does our daughter. We originally purchased an evenflo triumph - but after "playing" with it in our house for 2 weeks - we still could not adjust it properly, and our daughter screamed everytime we tried to put it in her. We returned it and purchased the Britax Marathon in the Olivia Pattern. We love it and our daughter LOVES it. It is easy to install (we use latch) and easy to use. We could not be more happy - and most importantly our daughter is safe!

I love this car seat so much that I purchased two of them so we don't have to switch them out of our trucks. They fit the trucks so nice. My daughter 7 months old is so comfortable in them. They are made really well. I feel she is really safe in this seat. She is tall for her age and I feel this seat will last her a long time. I love the fabric on them they are so soft for her. They are really easy to install and adjust. I love the velcro idea so that the straps stay untangled. They are easy to get her in and out of.Love these seats!!!!

I've been using Boulevard Convertible car seat ever since my daughter was 3 months old. Now I bought this Marathon Oliva style for my husband's car. The pattern of this car seat is wonderful and I love it very much. So as my daughter. She is now close to 9 months old and total I can tell how comfortable when I put her in this car seat. She fell asleep within 5 minutes everytime we brought her out with us. Again, typical Britax - safety, beauty and comfortable. Compare to the Boulevard style, I'm still love the adjustable head rest and true side impact cushion. However, this is a very comparable option. Seriously, I bought this carseat because of this wonderful girly color. If Boulevard has this similar color option, I will go with it instead. In general, this is another best beautiful car seat from Britax. You will not feel disappoint in any ways. I am glad that I made this purchase decision.