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☰
OBX Marathon Runner Comments
Back to OBX Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 4.5 
Spectators 4.3
Number of comments: 183 [displaying comments 21 to 31]
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M. A. from Niskayuna, NY
(11/13/2013)
"Fun Race" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 If you are looking for a fun mid-sized race in a scenic locale this is it. A variety of scenescapes to the course, including neighborhoods, historical sites, substantial water views, multi-use paths and trail running. Crossing the bridge to Manteo can be viewed as a positive or negative. It is a very pretty view, but it was very windy this year, so the hill on the bridge combined with the wind just fried me for the last three miles. I also would note that the post-race festivities are one of the best I've seen. An entire street in Roanake Island is closed to cars so that the runners and their supporters can enjoy food, beverages and live music, all the while the shops are open to customers (some spouses will like that!) While there are not a ton of spectators, they did a great job cheering on the runners. The only downside, also mentioned in other reviews, is the several mile component where you run on an unshaded four lane busy highway. My only other critique would be that there needs to be a better parking arrangement for the Expo, or find a different site - it was a somwehat of a long wait to find a parking spot, and many it seemed needed to walk quite a ways to get to the Expo once parked. | |
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m. l. from kansas city MO
(11/13/2013)
"most beautiful course" (about: 2013)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 one of the prettiest courses I've seen, esp. early miles, but it got tough on Croatan Hwy into the wind and really so crossing Roanoke Sound. Didn't care much for forest part - fun at first, but not for several miles. I guess OBSE has its reasons for providing escort cyclists, but they either rode back toward us in narrow traffic lanes or crept by without warning, and in late stages of marathon when our senses aren't so sharp, that's more than distracting. And please discourage the unofficial cyclists from 'supporting' their friends as it can be hazardous on a course that has narrow running 'lanes.' Aside from that, things were great. If it got warm I didn't notice, and the overall crowd support was more than I expected. It's great to see a community get behind a marathon rather than treat it as an annoyance! | |
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Nathan Rhode from Pittsburgh, PA
(11/12/2013)
"Lot of fun" (about: 2013)
1 previous marathon
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my second marathon ever and had a great time. The volunteers and crowd support was great, although sparce at times. The first third of the course is the fastest, which makes things difficult for many as many people go out too fast already. The middle third includes a hardpacked dirt and gravel road that does break pace leading into a narrow trail (somewhat hilly) that really can break pace. Both were soft. We had a strong headwind when we got to the bridge which destroyed pacing. After talking to others who have run this race before, they said the wind was the worse ever. However, The weather was perfect and the post party was well organized and very helpful. Volunteers were amazing. Course did run long, even though I hugged the turns, 2 tenths long according to my watch. | |
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K. H. from Ashburn, VA
(11/12/2013)
"Great race in one of my favorite places on earth!" (about: 2013)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Though I didnt perform to the level I had planned, the 2013 OBX Marathon was still a fantastic experience. This was the first time I have truly hit that proverbial 'wall' at mile 21 or so, but I was still able to take intermittent walk breaks and finish within 14 minutes of my 03:55:00 goal. The organizers did a flawless job from my perspective; from the expo/packet pick-up to the finish line. I have spent a lot of time in the Outer Banks in the past 30 years, but this is the first OBX Marathon I have run. The course was great. The only surprise to me was the narrowness and 'roller coaster' character of the mulched path portion of the course. Don't construe this as a negative comment; I was just surprised by it to some extent! The spectators and volunteers were great every step of the way. Tons of great smile inducing signs and crowd encouragement. My son ran the 13.1 race (his first half marathon) and loved every minute of it also. I will be back, and hopefully with a wind at my back instead of in my face for miles 21 thru 24.5! Thanks to all involved for a great experience. | |
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nate phillips from Rockwell, NC
(11/11/2013)
"Great first marathon!" (about: 2013)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 A couple of months ago my buddy and I decided that we wanted to run a marathon. We are from North Carolina so it just made sense to run this race. For the both of us it was our first marathon and we couldn't have picked a better one! The course was amazing, offering fantastic views along with what I would consider an easy difficulty rating. The organization of the event was flawless and the atmosphere for the entire weekend was more than I expected for my first marathon. From the expo to the post race party we were very satisfied. However, if you are a first time marathon runner I would highly suggest doing proper training before jumping into one of these events. I underestimated it and ended up with leg cramps that forced me to walk the last six miles or so. I definitely look forward to making this a regular challenge each year, already looking to sign up for 2014! Thank you to all the volunteers, participants, and spectators cheering us on. | |
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R.L. Bynum from Durham, N.C.
(11/11/2013)
"Terrific race" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was the eighth running of this race and the people who told me that this is a good one definitely were right. You can tell that the Outer Banks residents embrace the race. Nearly all of the signs in front of businesses included a message such as runners welcome or good luck runners. The course support in the residential areas, particularly in the first 8 miles, was excellent and vocal. When I checked in at the Colonial Inn, they gave me a special goody bag they had ready for runners that included trail mix, an energy bar and a bottle of water. The management also was nice enough to give me extended checkout until 1 p.m. I've made long drives after marathons when the hotel/motel wasn't so accommodating. Its no fun to have to wait a few hours to take a shower, particularly for others in the car! In the weeks leading to the race, I got several informative emails about the race that were very helpful. Packet pickup was smooth (although parking wasn't easy) and the official pasta dinner was excellent. I left there completely stuffed, loving the tortellini with cheese sauce. I've gone to official pasta dinners for marathons that simply weren't that good. This was excellent and among the best (possibly only topped by the dinner at the Detroit Marathon that included cheesecake). Parking at the start was smooth. We parked at a nearby Wal-Mart and took a short shuttle-bus ride on a school activity bus to the start, where Porta-Potties were plentiful. The first 8 or so miles are a mixture of residential areas and trails, with good views of the Albemarle Sound. Mile 9 is a nice stretch that takes you through the park that surrounds the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Mile 11 and part of mile 12 shift to Old Nags Head Woods Road, a hard-packed dirt road, which wasn't too bad and did feature some mild hills. It was so heavily wooded that I actually felt a bit cool during that stretch. I also didn't trust my Garmin readings during that stretch. After that was the Nags Head Woods Nature Preserve trail with rolling hills for about 3/4 of a mile. I didn't mind the hills, but there were roots to avoid. With a classic marathon shuffle, I was constantly examining where I was about to step to avoid stumbling. I was glad when that stretch ended and I was back on pavement! From there until just after the 21-mile mark, the course mostly was a U.S. 158, a 5-lane highway. Traffic was closed to the far-right lane. There were two up-and-back sections off 158 toward the Albemarle Sound. It offered a welcome relief from 158, but each also put us into a strong headwind heading toward the sound. In each case, it was nice to get a tailwind coming back go 158. Shortly after the 21-mile mark, we shifted to U.S. 64, which also is a 4-lane (and sometimes 5-lane) road with the far-left lane closed to traffic for the runners. After the bridge, we take a left toward a beautiful finish in Manteo. I passed lots of half marathoners who were walking and that was fine until I was approaching the finish line. It was highly irritating about 50 feet from the finish line that I had to detour a bit to go around 3 walkers who were side-by-side. In addition to a nice medal featuring the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, finishers also got a nice visor. Here is my blog post about my race: http://runningtarheelfan.blogspot.com/2013/11/not-so-fast-my-friend.html | |
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M. T. from Salisbury NC
(11/10/2013)
"tough course- cross country trails and big bridge" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 4 mile Sandy Cross Country Course with sharp turns and hills. At least 1000 ft climb on the big bridge at mile 23. Winds were 15+ MPH today which added at least 5 minutes to finish time from years with no wind. This is NOT a easy flat beach course like Myrtle Beach. Well organized, Disappointed with a short sleeve T-Shirt for a marathon in November. Age group awards were a tiny pin that you attached to your finish medal landyard. Weak. Got a visor for finishing that says Half Marathon. I ran the Marathon. Nice celebration station at the end. | |
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M. H. from Davidson, North Carolina
(10/16/2013)
"Great Organization - Fun Race" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is a great race if you want to go to a fun place to run in a very well organized event: especially for a volunteer organization run event. It's the most scenic marathon I have run (about 25). Some folks complain about the unpaved road section but I found it to be a nice diversion. It's a flat, fast course. The finish is well supplied with food and in a great location right in the heart of small town Manteo. One thing to note: the race is certified for distance only. It is NOT certified for state records. Separation from start to finish mean that is you are wanting to post a fast time on a fully certified course, you'll need to go somewhere else. Other suggestions: 1) take a friend who will help you with transportation to start. The race is nice enough to supply bus transport from the finish to start in the morning but you'll be up at 4:30 making it a long time between getting up and the start. 2) have your friend meet you at locations on the course with supplies. This race is a bit thin on aid stations. | |
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R. R. from NC
(8/7/2013)
"Well organized" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is a well run marathon. The only issue is if you are running it for a fast time I would go elsewhere. The trail section gets really bottle-necked and if it rains (as it did the year I raced) it is a slippery mess. Otherwise it was well run and some beautiful scenery. | |
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K. M. from Vermont USA
(11/25/2012)
"Pretty course esp. 1st half of marathon" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Nice weekend fun course. Would be great if more were in the wooded area. Great finish area. Pulled pork sandwich settled stomach Blue Moon beer great and cold! |
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