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Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.0 
Organization 3.5 
Spectators 2.7
Number of comments: 121 [displaying comments 41 to 51]
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L. G. from Texas
(3/11/2010)
"Not slow runner-friendly" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 If you are a slow runner like me (5:45+), this is not a marathon you'd enjoy. Hardly any spectator support, no gels, and no food at the end - just a bottle of water. There's absolutely no interest in slow finishers. I had to ask where to go to get the chip off of my shoes. It felt like they had already closed up the finish area, and nobody was around to direct me to any refreshments (maybe there were none). I almost got lost on the last few miles heading towards the oceanfront; markers/signage were not clear and I followed the cones on the A1A instead of the small parallel road to the left. Very disappointing experience, given that the fees charged were comparable to larger and better organized, friendlier marathons. | |
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M. S. from Orlando, FL
(2/23/2010)
"A very good event but could be better easily" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 1. Expo: Easy packet pick up. It wasn't the biggest, but you could buy some last-minute stuff as needed. There were lots of samples, and it was easy to get to. 2. Parking: Close to the starting line but I was a bit impatient for the shuttles back from the finish line, so I took a cab back. Bars were closing as I arrived, so I had to be careful in the garage. 3. Start: Race started right on time. 4. Course: Enjoyed the state park portion (lots of trees). Having runners going in both directions on A1A was not ideal, but I knew that going into it. Plentiful water, but I didn't see any gels out there. :-( I almost ran over a spectator who a volunteer didn't catch jaywalking. It's easy to run the "long way" around the course; watch the tangents. Mile markers were off - one was off by about a quarter-mile (seriously, 15). I couldn't have confidence in the mile markers. The live music on the course was played well, but the selection wasn't exactly "pro-marathoner." Rumor has it that the ocean was right next to the road. Unfortunately, I kind of zone out and don't notice much on the sides of the road during races. 5. Post-race: plenty of room. Wide variety of food and drinks. The medical tent was without any Mylar blankets (yes, I know it is Florida) and the lady who finished shortly after me with the goosebumps could have really used one. 6. Overall: I would (will) do this race again. Once the half marathon peels off at mile 9 or so, you have plenty of elbow room the rest of the way. Weather is hit or miss, but the course is flat and the pace teams seemed to hit their goal times (in case you need a little help). 7. Spectators: There weren't many (this isn't Boston, and who is going to wake up at 6:30 to watch me run?), but the volunteers were enthusiastic and those who were on the course were very supportive. | |
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B. H. from Nashville, TN
(2/23/2010)
"Great Course - Organization Needs Improvement" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Suggestions for improving the expo: move it to another location, add more vendors/products for sale, and make sure you have enough shirts. A crowded mall is not a good location for an expo. I was looking to buy a couple of shirts at the expo and there were hardly any for sale. Running out of shirts is almost inexcusable. Suggestions for improving the start line: provide more portable toilets and scatter them about. There were only a few toilets and they were all bunched together right at the start line. Also, provide more trucks and personnel for gear check. Standing in a long line to check gear at the start just doesn't make sense. Suggestion for improving the race: provide Gatorade, Accelerade, PowerAde or some other well known brand of drink. Active Water is just not a good choice. Suggestions for improving the finish area: enlarge the finish area and move everything farther away from the finish line. Everything seemed to be crammed next to the finish line, causing a traffic jam with everyone trying to pick up their medal, get water, get their chip removed, get food, etc. Suggestion for improving the shuttle buses back to the start line: provide more of them. I waited with approximately 200 other people for 30 minutes to catch a shuttle bus only to have a small bus show up that could hold about 20 people. I wound up walking the 3 miles back to my hotel. Suggestion for improving the course: change the loop through the park to the end of the race instead of the beginning. The path through the park is narrow and the runners are still bunched together early in the race. There was no way to run at any other pace than the one the "pack" was running. If the park is at the end, the runners will be move spread out and it will be easier to maintain one's own pace. Suggestion for travelers: don't stay at the Hampton Inn downtown. That part of Fort Lauderdale is scary. Overall: the race itself was fun and the course was very scenic. The weather was just about perfect. | |
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G. S. from South Florida
(2/22/2010)
"Great half-marathon - very fun!" (about: 2010)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 After reading harsh comments from years' past here, I felt this run deserved some good press. This really was a fun run and done very well. Parking was not a problem, but I did get there before 5 a.m., like we were told. The race started very smoothly. While there weren't thousands of spectators, there weren't thousands of runners either and the spectators that were on the course were great. There were refreshments at every mile and music every few miles. The run through the park was really a nice break from the ocean run (which was fantastic!). The after party was great. Lots of happy people, lots of food (including Mexican food!) and free beer! The medals were awesome. The only bad thing was the shuttle back to the start line. Took forever! However, all in all, a great experience. Highly recommend for those wanting fun (vs. I guess a challenging course). And the beautiful weather didn't hurt... P.S. There were almost no drivers anywhere on the course as others posted for years past. | |
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Charlotte Baxter from Palm Beach Gardens, FL
(6/21/2009)
"A Can't-Miss for Locals" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I came down from Palm Beach for the day for this great race. Nice, flat, easy course, and not too many runners (good size). Probably worth traveling to, but as a local, I advise others in the area not to miss this. Major complaints: 1) The start was steps to the west of an active railroad track. We had to wait over 20 minutes for a train to come through, and in South Florida, every moment counts. The last 3 miles of the race were excruciating due to the direct sun coming in from the east, and I was very bitter at the notion that I could've been there 20 minutes earlier if they had moved the race start literally 100 yards to the east. 2) Gels/GU/food... where was it? I didn't see any the entire race. According to other posts, there was some GU at mile 8, which sounds pretty unhelpful. Later in the race is where it is really needed, not to mention things you CAN'T carry on you like bananas. But overall, a positive review for this marathon. | |
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Lyn Connelly from Rochester Hills Mi.
(3/25/2009)
"A Great Race!!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I loved the race course. Running along the ocean was beautiful. I'll be back next year. The medals were great. Thanks to all of you who made this a great half-marathon! The temperature at race time was perfect. I trained in snow. | |
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T. S. from Superior, WI
(3/1/2009)
"Enjoyed the Florida sunshine!" (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Overall I thought this marathon was worth the trip for me. I didn't have really high expectations, and it turned out better than I thought it would. The pre-race website registration and info were good, though I found the hotel reservation system a little misleading for a first-time visitor to Florida. That resulted in less than satisfactory lodging at the Days Inn, but close to the starting area. I liked the course along the beach and the beautiful sunrise, after that it got a bit boring along the condos, but the finish back on the beaches was great and pumped me up for a strong finish. The finish line food wasn't the best; I would have liked ice cream or some cold treats. The rock band music and beer made for a fun finish for me. The shuttle back to the start area was easy and comfortable; there was no long wait either. Water stops and volunteers were fantastic! Plenty of porta-pots also. My complaint on the course was the lack of food. Gels were handed out but bananas, oranges, and apples would have been great. I would suggest food on the course next time. I thought the temp and conditions were great, and I liked the early start. Having trained in subzero weather back home, the weather was on the warm side but not a problem for me. The shirt was quite plain, but the medal was very nice. The biggest problem I had was at the starting line parking garage, where there were 2 meters to take required prepayment of parking, and one meter quit working, The lines were very long, not moving, and the cause of a lot of frustration. There was no warning about this. Had I known about this strange payment system, I would have avoided that parking garage. Because all the pre-race time was spent trying to pay the parking, there was no time for the usual pre-race activities. A bit of frustration. Some were quite upset, and were still in line at the start. Overall, it was my 22nd state of my quest for 50, and I would recommend this race. | |
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J. R. from Florida
(2/28/2009)
"Enjoyable and fast, but watch the potholes" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 My second year, and with the cool weather and flat course, my time was 15 minutes better and got me a BQ. The only real negatives were a few potholes and what looked like a 6' pipe hole before we went into the park. If any one stepped in it, it would be bad news. Put a cone on it or something. | |
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G. R. from Canada
(2/25/2009)
"Previous comments are too harsh" (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Why so harsh with the previous comments? There were lots of positive aspects: the medals (wow!); quick and efficient awards ceremony; free beer; great sand sculpture at the end; early start; great volunteers and medical help (one of our group needed medical attention, and he got fantastic care); effective traffic control. Things to work on: convert some of those half-marathon runners to running the full; give gels much later in the race - say 10,14,18 and 22 miles instead of at 8; add smaller sizes for race shirts. And, maybe the organizers should consider changing the half course or start time, as I heard that the front-runners had to fight their way through hordes of half-finishers. | |
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John Reed from Parma, Michigan
(2/24/2009)
"A1A says it all!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Ft. Lauderdale is a beautiful and friendly city in which to run a marathon along the Atlantic Ocean. The race is the right size, with a total of 3,000 runners. Ft. Lauderdale has a great running group called the "Road Warriors." The expo at the mall was small, but nice; and packet pickup was organized and quick. The new bamboo shirts are great. There was lots of parking near the start line. The medals are really nice. There was plenty of food and refreshments afterward, and the entertainment was excellent. The course was nice and shaded until the last six miles, and those are always hard anyway. I paced the 4:00 hour group and had a great time. The bus ride back to the start was so nice, with comfortable, roomy seats and air conditioning. The hardest part was getting back up out of the seats. I will return next year if I am able. |
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