Product Description

The Britax Marathon is a convertible car seat ideal for parents seeking premium comfort and a higher, forward-facing harnessed weight capacity. The tangle-free, five-point harness with four harness heights ensures a snug and secure fit. Premium push-button latch connectors provide a quick, simple and tight installation. Unique features include the patented Versa-Tether for energy management, and rear- and forward-facing recline for child comfort and positioning. The Marathon fits children rear facing from five to 35 pounds and children forward facing from at least one year old and 20 pounds, up to 65 pounds. The Marathon is made in the USA with U.S. and global components.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6788 in Baby Product
• Size: Carseat - Brooke
• Color: Brooke
• Brand: Britax USA
• Model: E9L06D6
• Released on: 2008-08-11
• Dimensions: 27.50" h x 19.50" w x 25.50" l, 16.50 pounds

Features

• Convertible, rear facing five to 35 pounds and forward facing from at least one year old and 20 pounds up to 65 pounds
• Side Impact Protection distributes crash forces, shields from vehicle intrusion, and contains the head and body
• Higher forward facing seat capacity allows children to remain harnessed up to 65 pounds
• Tangle-free, five-point harness with four harness heights for a snug and secure fit
• Premium push-button LATCH connectors for a quick, simple and tight installation

Customer Reviews

Great, but not perfect.
Don't get me wrong....I would own nothing other than Britax seats at this point. We have 4 children and we've tried various models. We've donated the others to Goodwill. We currently own 5 Britax car seats for 4 children. We have 2 Regents, 1 Parkway(used as a spare), 1 Marathon, and 1 Roundabout. I feel as though I'm a walking advertisement for Britax and we've been accused of being uptight about car seats.

As far as I'm concerned, there are three main features that we look for in a car seat:

1. Does it fit securely in the vehicle?

Forward facing, this seat is awesome. We don't have the latch system in our van, so we never had the opportunity to use the latch belts although I'm sure they work fine. We use the shoulder belt and we've never seen any other seat get as secure as our seat. When we try to move the seat side to side, the van moves instead. The beauty of the system is that after you've tightened the lap part of the belt down as far as you can, you then slide the shoulder part of the belt into a slot that latches down on the side of the seat. Once you've done this, the belt doesn't develop any slack. Then for good measure, you attach the tether to the underside of the rear of the seat (or a tether hook in some cars). This seat doesn't move after that.

Rear facing, the seat could be improved. This is why the seat doesn't get 5 stars from me. The side lock down mechanism is tightened more by the thickness of the belt. Unfortunately, it can pop open without much pressure. (As a side note, the lockdown on the side of our older Roundabout works great. It is a different design. I'm not sure if Britax thought they were improving and have changed the design or if they have a different lockdown on this seat.) The annoying thing about this is that you have to continuously check to see if it has released.

2. Condition of the straps is important. I haven't seen one manufacturer compare to the quality of the straps. The shoulder straps are thick and wide. They don't fold up on themselves or get tangled. They are also wide across your child's shoulders.

3. Child's comfort. The side guards around the head are great for when they are getting tired and the safety foam is the same as you would find in bike helmets.

Overall, the seat is great. If I could have given it 4.5 stars, I would have. The rear facing problem was minor to us because we could use our Roundabout rear facing, but for someone who needs to use it rear facing for a while, it might be more of a problem. I'm hoping Britax improves that one thing, but overall, this seat is highly recommended by me.

A Miracle!
This car seat was a life saver!

Our daughter is almost 4 months now and cried everytime we placed her in her infant seat, except on the day home from the hospital. We couldn't drive down the road without listening to screams - the only time we went anywhere was if she was asleep and often she woke up the minute we put her in her seat. My 8 year old and I would both sit in the back seat with her, it didn't matter. I read the reviews on this seat so we went to 2 different stores and placed her in the demo. She was fine. My mother offered to purchase it for us so we got it.

Sketptical?
I was skeptical, so I first took her for a 5 minute ride - no crying. The next day I chanced 15 minutes - still no crying. The third day we went to my mother's - a 40 minute drive each way. Within a week we were willing to try her on a 3 hour trip. She did great!

I think the key for us was my daughter can see out and doesn't feel confined like the infant seat. She spends most trips gazing out the window and quietly sucking her thumb.

Size
I've read people complain about the size, but it fits fine in our Toyota Prius and our Subaru Outback. In fact it actually allows the front passanger seat to be further back than our previous car seat with a base (Graco Snugride).

Buy Two!
We've had the seat now for 3 weeks and no crying! My husband asks me everyday "How was she in the car" and everyday I say "GREAT!" We bought a second one for the other car.

Installation
This is the easiest car seat I have ever installed, we use the latch system in the Prius and in my mother's car. IT is so much easier than the latch with the Graco seat. Using latch it takes only minutes to go from one car to another. In the Subaru we use the regular shoulder/seat belt (it's 8 years old so latch wasn't available). Which I still like better than the Graco.

It is quite expensive, but to us well worth it. If you're still reading this then you want this seat! (It doesn't feed hungry babies, so they may still fuss.)

A year late...

My daughter is 15 months now and the seat is still wonderful! We now have the seat facing forward and we still love this car seat.

Amazing!
This seat is really great, I can't say enough good things about it.

First of all, my 7 month old son fits perfectly and rides so comfortably in it. He outgrew his carrier, and I wanted a safe, and snuggly seat for him to move into. He not only loves the look of the cow print (he smiles and laughs at himself in the Baby In Sight mirror!), but the fabric is so plush and soft. If you're going to get a top of the line model, I figure take advantage of the fun prints that are offered! It's great because it is so soft and lush, but he doesn't sweat in it at all, and he's a big sweater! The BRU exclusive fabric, Racer, looks chic, but is very rough to the touch down the center stripe.

Also, this seat was almost too easy to install. It was so simple, I felt like that couldn't possibly be "it". But it was! The LATCH connectors have clicks similar to seatbelts, and easy to pull straps - this was nothing like trying to install the base to my Graco Snugride. I'm confident that the seat is installed properly, and it's not difficult to remove and install quick in another car, if need be. The tether anchor was also much easier to hook up than I anticipated. It's a great safety feature that only Britax has. The seat is large, but does not take up the entire back seat, still allowing two other passengers to ride back there.

While the carrier was great for the early months, this is the absolute best for older babies, and kids. I would recommend Sleepy Wings or extra head support for newborns, however.

The Marathon is the way to go for durability, safety, luxury and longevity for your child. I guarantee that this is worth the extra money! I am forever a Britax customer!