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☰
Long Beach Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Long Beach Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.0 
Organization 3.6 
Spectators 3.6
Number of comments: 242 [displaying comments 181 to 191]
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D. D. from San Diego, CA
(10/11/2004)
"Excellent except for starting line" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Long Beach Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 POSITIVE: I ran my fourth LB Marathon today (10/10/04). The course is great and the spectators are excellent. A few places where spectators are sparse, but quality makes up for the lower quantity. They started the race an hour earlier this year, because last year was disastrously hot. Today also turned out to be very hot, but that's the risk of a marathon in October in Southern California. NEGATIVE: I will not run this marathon again unless they have starting corrals. I spent the first two miles dodging walkers and slow runners. LB Marathon is notorious for huge packs of walkers at the front, blocking runners. Same thing the past three years... next year I'll remember! Don't expect a PR here unless you start at the very front of the line. | |
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J. S. from USA
(10/10/2004)
"poor water & distribution" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Long Beach Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 I appreciate all of the people handing out water; they just need to be informed that they don't put their fingers inside the cup they're handing out. When they have their fingers in the cup the only thing it is good for is to dump on your head to help cool down. I told several that were handling the cups by the bottom that I really appreciated them not having their fingers in the cups. It would also be nice to have better water than the water out of a bladder or tank. | |
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C. H. from Southern California
(10/10/2004)
"A well-organized race" (about: 2004)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Long Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Just ran the 2004 edition and they've addressed the complaints from years past. They moved the start to 7:30, although they could still go earlier. Plenty of water and volunteers at the aid stations. The weather was cooler, but the early morning sunshine still made it warm. And for those who complained that they didn't hang medals around their neck at the finish, they were hanging them this year. All in all, a well-organized race. | |
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Upset Runner from Fullerton, CA
(9/10/2004)
"I won't run this again" (about: 2003)
First Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 This being my first marathon, I had a very bad experience at this race. I won't complain about the weather, since it is something you can't control, but the fact that there was no support between mile 19 to 21, the hottest and longest part of the course (near the industrial plant), was disappointing. People were dropping like flies in this stretch. Then spectators starting thinning out between mile 21-26 and it was lonely. I began to lose motivation to finish. I will never run this race again. | |
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C. L. from Southern Califorina
(9/9/2004)
"Need more time" (General Comments)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Long Beach Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Long Beach Marathon is limited to 6.5 hours. Need to extend the time to 8 or 9 hours. I admit the course is better than the Los Angeles Marathon because it is scenic, mostly flat and usually cool. In general, the LA Marathon is better because of the fun, big sponsors, etc. | |
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A. S. from LA
(7/19/2004)
"Underrated Up and Coming" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Long Beach Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I'm also surprised at negative comments here - this is one of my favorite races. The course, for the most part, is more scenic than most urban marathons. If you're not familiar with Long Beach it is actually pretty spectacular and supports big events well. If the weather cooperates and is more normal for October, it has all the makings of a very fast course. Most promising aspect is the the improvements every year. This will be my third LBM and I love having this great fall race here in SOCAL. | |
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Kyle EricSon from Southern California
(7/15/2004)
"Did I run the same race?" (about: 2003)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Long Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I have to admit to being somewhat puzzled by all the negative comments about this race. Yes, the weather was rather hot in 2003, but there's really not much that the organizers can do about that. I do agree that the start time is not perfect, however I've been told that for 2004 the marathon is going to start 45 minutes earlier which should help with the heat. Also, please remember that it's a marathon people, it's supposed to be hard! I also find it rather amusing when other reviewers are complaining about the 'hills' on this course, which are nothing more than slight elevation changes when you have to go over the riverbed (max elevation change of about 50 feet!). If you want a perfectly flat course, go run on a high school track or at the gym. And as far as complaining that you didn't get your medal hung around your neck like an Olympic athlete, puhleeze (I think marathons are supposed to be about personal achievement, not drawing attention to yourself or your accomplishments). I can't comment about things like hotels, shuttles to the race, etc., since I live in the area, but I like this race and plan on being back in 2004 and recommend it to all my running friends. | |
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disappointed runner from Glendale, CA
(3/10/2004)
"BAD" (about: 2003)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Long Beach Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 This was Marathon number four, and by far the worst of the bunch. (LA, San Diego, and Twin Cities were the other three). I asked an LA Marathon executive what fall marathon would be a good one to do, and Long Beach wasn't even mentioned. I still took a chance. I will never do the LB Marathon again nor recommend it to any one else. There's nothing you can do about the weather, but the price you pay for taking a chance on a Southern California marathon is the heat, and unfortunately it was way too hot this day in October '03. Everything about the event seemed cheap to me. The main objective should be on the race; doing it and finishing it, which I did. And I am so glad that I can say I did it and finished number four. But everything from registration, to the expo, to the race, to the finish, the medals, t-shirts and the finish area seemed so minor league. The course, well the first half was fairly flat and had its nice scenic views. That was nice. However, once you got away from the ocean, it was bad. Hilly and HOT. When I got to the 20-mile mark I thought good, the hills can't go much longer - it's got to start declining. But it didn't. Even the last 6 miles were up hill. That was so bad. And what really started to irritate me was when marathon volunteers/officials around mile 24 or 25 said; just up ahead it starts to go down hill. Yeah right. The decline didn't start until the last quarter of a mile at best. The finish line? It sure would have been nice, like other marathons I've done, if the medal would have been placed around my neck. Instead the kids were just handing them out like candy. At least there was fruit and water at the end. No certificate in the mail. No contact whatsoever from the marathon after the event. The other marathons I've done have given away event posters to the runners. LB was selling them for a buck. The sad part? It wasn't even worth a penny. It looked like a piece of junk. A jr. high art student could have probably come up with something a little bit more creative and worthy of a dollar. But still they shouldn't have been selling them. How tacky and embarrassing. The medals and T-Shirts seemed like more of a promotion for the city of Long Beach rather then the marathon. The medal doesn't even say "Finisher". Nothing I got from the marathon says that I finished the race. You would think that the event officials would care a little bit more about their participants. Instead, it sure felt like all they cared about was getting their money and nothing about the runners. Considering what I paid for the event, it was a rip off. The only positive thing was my time. 3 hours and 58 minutes. | |
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C. G. from Southern California
(2/4/2004)
"It would take so little to make it better" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 My first small marathon, and it was a pleasure to be able to get to the porta-potties and starting line without a lot of hassle. The race starts too late in the day, so you have potential problems with the heat (sure did in 2003). There really is too much concrete on this course, the route along the beach is a real pain. They really need to do something about the Ultima (or lack of) at the water stops. I could not find any until mile 10. I had no problems with the water stops except for the fact that much of the water and Ultima was so warm. Nothing like a nice run in 80-degree heat and a nice warm cup of Ultima to slack that thirst. I am surprised I did not puke. Yuk. Had no problem with the finish, there were cold ice cream (like) bars still available, and any race with a beer garden can't be all bad (it was the first cold drink I had all day). Two other gripes: do not expect a finisher's certificate, they do not send any out. You get your medal and that is that. Finally why, why, why do they still make us go to the expo to get our bib. This expo was so lame and so small, I cannot for the life of me see how they are making any money from it. Charge me $5 more and mail my stuff... please. All in all, this race is off my list. | |
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J. M. from Southern California
(2/1/2004)
"NICE SMALL MARATHON" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Mostly positive comments. Very scenic/flat-fast course, well organized, great start/finish area, although spectators are sparse the ones that are there are wonderful (thank you to the man with the garden hose on that warm day). Only 2 negative comments: 1. The power drink. 2. Although running on the beach path was beautiful, the concrete was tough on knees. I would definitely recommend this marathon! |
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