Ride Safely In A Britax Marathon 70 {Review & Giveaway}

We all want to keep our kids safe. There are some things we can't control, such as a nasty bump to the head when they trip over something while they are running full speed. Let's face it, we can't have our kids running around in helmets at all times. We also can't control car accidents that are not our fault. You can be the most defensive driver out there, but if someone runs a red light, or is busy talking on their phone and doesn't see you stop in front of them, there is not much you can do. What you can control, though, is making sure your child is protected as well as they can be while riding in the car. That is where Britax comes in.

When Rylie started to outgrow her infant seat, we did a lot of research before choosing a convertible car seat. After looking online at the many different brands out there, visiting stores to check out the various seats in person and reading as many consumer reviews as we possibly could, we ultimately chose Britax. Britax has been a leader in the car seat industry for years, and after owning four Boulevard convertible car seats, I can see why. Britax car seats are top of the line! As soon as you lift the seat out of the box, you know your child is going to be well protected. The seats are sturdy, put together well, and come with features that a lot of car seats don't have.

I was recently given the opportunity to review a Britax Marathon 70. As honored as I was to work with such a great brand, I have to be honest and tell you that I really didn't think we would like the Marathon 70 as much as we like the four Boulevards that we already own. I always tell my friends that the Boulevard is the "mack daddy" of car seats, and I just didn't think we would find another seat that we liked as much. Boy was I wrong!

The Britax Marathon 70 comes in several different colors and patterns. Most of the patterns are unisex, but I like that there is one in pink for the girls. However, I absolutely love the Cowmooflage print, so that is the one I chose for this review.

I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the box. From the moment I saw the new Marathon 70, I knew we were going to like this seat. You can tell by just looking at it how well protected your child will be.

The seat arrived just before a road trip my mom was going to be taking with Rylie. My mom had purchased a car seat for her car a couple years ago, and I have never been thrilled with it. Of course all car seats that are sold have to pass safety tests and have strict guidelines, but after owning Britax seats, that seat just didn't measure up. We were planning to transfer one of the Boulevards out of our car into my mom's for the trip, but then the Marathon arrived so there was no need for that. I knew Rylie would be riding safely in our new cow-print seat. Since my mom arrived pretty late the night before they were leaving, we got the seat adjusted for Rylie in the house before she went to bed. The seat was super easy to adjust, too! You don't even have to re-thread the shoulder harness.

Once we had the seat adjusted for Rylie's height, we installed it in my mom's car and off they went. They came back home a few days later, safe and sound. Unfortunately, Rylie had spilled ice cream all over herself and the seat, so we had to disassemble the seat to clean it. We took the cover off, and even though the directions state to hand wash it, we put it in our front-loading washer on gentle cycle like we have always done with our other car seats.

Reassembling a car seat can be a total hassle, but with the Marathon 70, it isn't. You simply slide the cover over the seat and fasten it to the underside with the little clips. That is a feature that we love, by the way, because the clips hold the cover in place well.

Once you have the cover on, the buckle threads easily through the pad. That is also nice, because on our Boulevards, you have to thread it through from the front and then reattach it underneath. On this seat, it slides through the pad and is held in place by elastic. The shoulder straps then thread through the seat and attach in the back. Easy peasy.

We decided to switch out Rylie's Boulevard with the new Marathon 70 to see how we all liked it. Rylie found the seat quite comfortable.

So what makes the Britax Marathon 70 so great? First of all, there are several safety features:

SafeCell™ Technology features SafeCells designed to compress in a crash, significantly lowering the center of gravity and counteracting the forward rotation of the child seat which normally propels the child toward the front seat.

Integrated Steel Bars strengthen the connection to the vehicle and reduce forward flexing of the child seat during a crash.

Energy-Absorbing Versa-Tether® features a staged-release tether webbing to slow the forward movement, reducing the crash forces reaching the child, and a two-point attachment to minimize forward rotation while anchoring the top of the child seat.

Tangle-Free, Five-Point Harness distributes crash forces across the strongest parts of the body and provides a secure fit, and the Harness Ultra Guard System (HUGS™) provides resistance to forward movement in the event of a crash.

One of my favorite features of the Marathon 70 is the Quick-Adjust, No-Rethread Harness. It allows you to reposition the harness shoulder height without disassembling the harness straps. You just squeeze the height adjuster, slide the harness into the desired position, and then release. This makes it easy for the seat to grow with your child.

The Britax Marathon 70 has Side Impact Protection comprised of deep side walls lined with energy-absorbing EPP foam which distributes crash forces, shields from vehicle intrusion, and contains the head, neck and body. You can tell this seat totally hugs the child all around. One of the reasons we originally purchased the Boulevards was because of the side head pads, and even though this seat doesn't have those, the side protection is even greater on this seat.

The seat can be installed using the seat belt or the LATCH system. We use the LATCH in my truck. It makes it very easy to install.

The "70" in "Marathon 70" means that it has a 70-pound weight capacity. Which means that I will be able to keep my kids in these seats for a long time, and I plan on doing so. It also has a 40-pound rear-facing capacity, which is a huge benefit! The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that all infants and toddlers should ride in a rear facing car seat until they are two, and this 40-pound weight limit allows most toddlers to do so. Rylie was actually rear facing until she was almost three, and Bryce was rear facing until he was two. It is so nice to have a seat that will accommodate extended rear facing, which is something I am a HUGE believer in.

I just want to mention one more feature that I love about this seat, and that is the fact that it has two buckle positions for your growing child, and the buckle is long enough to pull it forward while your child gets in. The one thing I don't care for on our Boulevards is the fact that when the kids get in the seat, I have to wrench the buckle out from under them. You don't have to do that with this seat.

To see the complete list of features you will find on the Britax Marathon 70 and to compare it to other Britax car seats, visit Britax online.

The MSRP of the Marathon 70 is $289.99. While that is definitely above the average price of convertible car seats, it is well worth every penny. You can't put a price on your child's safety!

I highly recommend the Britax brand for your car seat needs! From infant seats, to convertible seats, to booster seats, you can't go wrong with Britax.

~*~One of my readers is going to win a Britax Marathon 70!~*~

Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received the Britax Marathon 70 at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. A big Thank You to Britax for providing the giveaway prize!