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Nov 14, 2024

Georgia Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.1

Organization 3.1

Spectators 4.0

Number of comments: 459 [displaying comments 401 to 411]

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R. S. from Baltimore, USA (3/26/2007) "Great course - worst organization" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 The beauty of the race course unfortunately did not make up for the unbelievably unprofessional organization of this race. While every single runner of this race was prepared for hot weather and knew about it at least a week in advance by following the weather forecast, the race organization must have been too busy piling up Coke cans at the finish line. There is NO excuse for the lack of sports fluids along the course - in particular given the lengthy article about de-hydration and over-hydration in the race booklet that was given out with our race package. It emphasized the need of electrolyte replacement during endurance sports events in hot weather and warns about the danger of replenishing lost body fluids with water only. Perhaps the race director should not measure the temperatures of the city a year before the race, but perhaps a day or two before, in case she does not have access to weather forecasts using the internet. And even without the hot weather, there should always be an excess of sports fluids available to ALL runners, not only the first 300. Poor planning and hopefully a learning experience for future races to come (certainly without me or any of my running friends among the participants).
L. T. from Florida (3/26/2007) "Nice tour of Atlanta; some organization issues" (about: 2007) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The course is a lovely tour of great neighborhoods, and interesting sights in Atlanta. It passes the MLK Center, the Carter Center, beautiful neighborhoods, and the downtown area. It is a little hilly - but that's Atlanta. The locals were very nice, with many people turning out to support the competitors. For spectators, it was a beautiful spring day. Many of them seemed pleased to have a crowd of runnners passing by their front doors, and they set out chairs or blankets and brought their kids and dogs out to wave and cheer. Having first names on the race bibs was a nice touch - the spectators could and did personalize their support by using your name. As others have mentioned, it was unseasonably hot on race day. In fact, a record high for that date. Hopefully next year will be a little cooler. I did find a little PowerAde at one of the stations - but it wasn't marked at all. Just happened upon it. Water (lack of) was a problem. MARTA didn't seem quite up to the challenge of getting so many people transported to the area where the race started. They should try to add more service in the morning for next time. Also, future runners using MARTA will definitely want to add lots of extra time to allow for unexpected delays. I didn't notice any after-race activities. In fact, other than a bottle of water, I didn't even see any of the normal post-race snacks.
T. P. from Bellbrook, OH (3/26/2007) "Atlanta has the Makings of a Great Marathon Venue" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Atlanta has the makings of a great marathon venue. The course was excellent! There were lots and lots of rolling hills (so be prepared) through some beautiful neighborhoods. Crowd support was great! Many individuals came out along the course to cheer the various runners on - not just in the dedicated cheer zones. Many went above and beyond, providing encouragement, water, food, beer, etc... to those in need (thanks!). These individuals truly had that Southern charm. Organization at start was fine, however, things went decidely downhill from there.... After mile #2 there was no PowerAde available on the course. In fact, I don't recall a drink station being set-up between Miles 2 and 8, despite seeing the signs for Publix water and PowerAde ahead. This was especially problematic given that a record temperature (for that day) was reached/surpassed in Atlanta. Other than that, everything else seemed to go rather smoothly. Atlanta has the makings of a great marathon venue. I recommend this race!
A. E. from Melbourne, FL (3/26/2007) "Inaugural is the word" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 While one would expect that a marathon whose primary sponsor is ING would be a well-organized marathon from the very start, one might be a bit disappointed. There were many things about this race that were well-organized: 1. Packet pick up and expo 2. Bag check 3. Two Clif Shot stations on the course that we still well stocked when I went through. 4. Finish area (unlike one of the previous reviewers, I actually had access to plenty of food and beverage after the race) There were items that definitely need improvement: 1. The start area was an absolute mess. Even though I planned to run between a 4:15 and 4:30 marathon, I started behind the 7:00 pace group because I couldn't get any closer to the start. I bobbed and weaved around people for the entire race. 2. As you've read, there were serious issues with the fluid stations. The one supposed to be around mile 6 was missing, and only two of the fluid stations had any PowerAde at all. And that was severely watered down. 3. There wasn't enough room to run. I often found myself having to run on the outside of the cones. Perhaps I wouldn't have had an issue with this if I had been able to start in an appropriate spot. Hopefully, the race organizers will learn and improve.
A. B. from AL (3/26/2007) "First and last time for this race" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Although I am pleased to have another 26.2 finish, this was definitely not the ideal experience, especially considering it is a HUGE name event, being sponsored by ING. My primary concern is with the water/aid stations, or lack thereof. The website and race guide specifically indicated there would be water & PowerAde every other mile. There were signs reading, "Water or PowerAde Station Ahead"; then there would be nothing, or even the signs where the station should have been but nothing else. From mile 4 to 8, there were no fluids available - big problem on a hot day when early hydration is important. Not only were water stations missing, but there were only a small handful with PowerAde (I believe specifically at miles 4, 15, then 23, 24, and maybe 25?). The hot weather was in the forecast for weeks, so if anything, there should have been additional aid stations. I actually had to borrow a spectator's cell phone and have my family bring PowerAde to me on the course; for those of us who can't tolerate Gu, gels, etc., having some kind of calorie/sugar/electrolyte replacement is vital! Another problem with the aid stations was them being located only on one side of the road, which caused MAJOR traffic jams. Even small races have aid stations on both sides of the road. Finally, the finish area was lacking heavily in organization. Chip removal was extremely difficult to find; several volunteers could not even direct me in the right direction for chip removal or baggage check. Plenty of water (although it was hot) and Coke products at the finish, but NO PowerAde. It is understandable to have kinks in an inaugural race, but Atlanta has experience with other large races, and certainly floating a name like ING should ensure at the very least proper organization. Hopefully with feedback from participants, things will change and this can continue to be a successful premier event. One more thing... "hilly" does not even begin to describe the course!
J. K. from Michigan (3/26/2007) "Going to be GREAT in a year or so" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Clearly we've covered the PowerAde issue, so I won't waste my time confirming what others have already written about. For an inaugural event, particularly one of this size, I thought it was well done. There will ALWAYS be glitches with first-time events - you just really hope that it doesn't involve hydration issues. Unfortunately this one did, but I would be totally shocked if the same mistake is made ever again. Believe me, the RD is hearing about it from angry runners and it will be fixed for next year. There were SO MANY good things about this race that you should also know about. 1. IT STARTED ON TIME. This is also a hydration issue that was well handled. We all knew going in to race day that it was going to get really warm and that a prompt start was crucial to getting in as many miles as possible prior to the sunrise/rising temps. 2. BEAUTIFUL COURSE. Great neighborhoods, gorgeous spring scenery. 3. SIMPLE, CLASSY SHIRT/MEDAL. A big plus for a lot of us. Technical Mizuno short-sleeved shirt with a great, simple design. Not a lot of stupid junk printed on it to fill the space (like dumb running fish - sorry Sarasota!). 4. WELL RUN EXPO. Smooth packet pickup, lots of good booths, fun to browse - lots of running specific exhibitors. 5. GOOD LOOT IN PACKETS. Lots of good freebies - we love that! Mini cliff bar, sports hair ties for the girls, coupon for Big Peach running company, massage thing.... 6. ACCURATE AND WELL PLACED MILE MARKERS. I was wearing a Polar RS800 and the markers were right on - I never even came close to missing one. The layout of the post-race situation needs to be tweaked a little - chip removal was quite a distance from the finish line and the bag drop/pick up was practically in another state. However, all of these things will be analyzed for next year and I'm sure adjustments will be made. I would highly recommend this race, it's going to get good! Ps. Did I mention that the course is super tough? Beautiful, but not really PR material. TONS of hills, and some of them are really long and steep. Don't be afraid; just come prepared.
K. F. from Texas (3/26/2007) "No PowerAde was INEXCUSABLE" (about: 2007) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 One of the core basics of a marathon is to provide runners electrolyte/fluid replacement at approx every 2 miles. EVERYONE knows this and ING HAD to have known of this pending disaster prior to race day and chose NOT to resolve it. It was too important to have been overlooked, etc. Isn't PowerAde a division of Coke, with headquarters in Atlanta? Way to go guys! I planned, trained and traveled assuming ING did the same. What a phyiscal and mental disappointment. Other than my fellow dying and dehydrated runners, I truly felt sorry for the Publix water volunteers who had to deal with desperate SHOUTS of "WHERE is the PowerAde?" Of course, they had no clue. ING owes each and every runner an apology, a refund and an EXPLANATION of how a ball THAT large could be dropped. What should have been a challenging run on a rolling hills course with heat was made miserable without proper fluids. Why?
C. J. from Louisiana (3/26/2007) "Great race, but how can you not have PowerAde?" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 Atlanta was great! The expo was very nice we enjoyed it. The Omni Hotel very nice, but the fact that there was no PowerAde just blew me away. Every time I got to a station I would ask, "Where's the PowerAde." And the workers would say that there is none. I knew before the race that it was hilly and knew I would have to train for it. It was a nice course besides the hills, but what I didn't know was that there would not be any PowerAde - and I never drink water during a run. I can't; it makes me sick to my stomach. So needless to say, by mile 7 I was so sick to my stomach that it took every thing I had to make it to the end. It was not the hills that got me down, I'm proud to say it was the fact that in 15 years of running I can't drink just water, and that was all they had, so the hotter I got, the more water I drank - and, of course, thirstier I got. NOT GOOD AT ALL. I was so furious at every station. How did this happen that there was no PowerAde? I don't know, but it's a shame because it's really the only bad thing about the first year's race and it could not have been a worse thing to have happened. Please correct that if you do anything. Good luck; next year you'll need it.
Diem of MA from Boston, MA (3/26/2007) "Never again an inaugural event!!!" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 I was coming into this race with high hopes and expecting to have a good time. The predicted heat was expected, but I didn't expect it to affect my time so badly. I gained an hour on my marathon time. The heat was one of the problems, but the main lack of foresight was in the hydration aspect (explanation was that the PowerAde got ordered but lost in transit). Water on a day that by 12:30 hit 81 deg. F was not enough. Electrolyte replacement was scarce. Fear of hyponatremia was real. In 20 miles, there were only 2 PowerAde stations, and as others mentioned, plenty of signs for them. Early on, I think it is important to not have water every 2 miles or so but to have them more frequently. Because of a missing water station between miles 3 and 8, we didn't have water for nearly 5 miles and by this time, the sun was coming out to greet all of us. BIG props for Team in Training for going out of their way to provide salt packets and Gatorade (not the official sponsor of the marathon, by the way). Also, I have to thank the citizens of ATL for coming out with hoses of water, orange slices and bananas, and one home with Gatorade. I would probably be in pretty bad shape if it wasn't for the extra bits of sugar/electrolytes. A real big safety concern was the scarcity of aid stations. I think I counted 1 medical tent on course and 1 EMT vehicle. I had contemplated getting off the course because of heat-related cramping issues, but feared no one will pick me up and take me back to the start. I kept going. More signage is needed at the start. Race crews misdirected me a few times and I found myself in a bad part of Five Points Station. Can't complain about the Port-o-Johns. I got in line twice in 30 minutes!!! The expo was excellent! Vendors were varied and substantial. Nice touch with giving coffee out while waiting in line to get into the expo. There need to be more safety pins in the bags or sitting around by the number pickup. I had only 2 in my bag. The choice of speakers was amazing, especially Billy Mills and Dick Beardsley. Great inspirational speakers. And handy enough, there was a mini-Barnes and Noble for book signing. Nice touch. Hills were a problem, but they didn't need to be. Never in a marathon - and I've done 4 others before this one - have I seen so many walkers among a strong group of runners. It was most obvious between miles 18 and 20. People just gave up and walked up 18 to 19, and because of the heat and lack of proper hydration, walked down to 20. Unheard of!
R. B. from Katy, Texas (3/26/2007) "Pretty course but plenty of heat and hills" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 It was probably my mistake to run this race as my first full marathon. I'm used to the flat lands of southeast Texas and the course is extremely hilly. I would not recommend this marathon for first-timers. It was also the hottest day of the year, which made the lack of PowerAde stations that much more problematic. Next year, the mile markers need to be improved on both courses. When I ran the 26.2, many of the markers were hard to see because of all the runners. The markers needed to be taller and wider. My wife walked the 1/2 and they had no separate markers for those folks - that needs to be remedied as well. No organized pasta dinner at the host hotel, and no real post-race organization to speak of. Expo was well done, but the 1/2 marathoners had quite a wait to get in the door while the marathoners were able to get their packets immediately. This was the inaugral marathon and I'm sure most of this will get worked out. The crowds were very good and very encouraging, especially on the last half of the course. The scenery was beautiful, great visual route, and it was fun to go through the different neighborhoods. This marathon event will only continue to improve.

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