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☰
Georgia Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Georgia Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 3.1 
Spectators 4.0
Number of comments: 459 [displaying comments 421 to 431]
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M. M. from Chattanooga, TN
(3/26/2007)
"Difficult course, organization lacking" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 The start was difficult, with all 15,000 runners starting together (no wave start). Aid stations were poor. No station between miles 4 and 8, and most stations had only water. On a hot day, more PowerAde was needed. The course was difficult, with lots of inclines. That would have been okay if it had been cooler. Organization of the race needs to improve a lot for this to be a great race. | |
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R. G. from chattanooga, tn
(3/26/2007)
"Almost 2 thumbs up!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I know there are going to be a lot of people slamming this marathon for one problem. I for one really enjoyed it, though. To keep it short and sweet, here are the positives: Great expo. First-class tech shirt and nice medal. Very nice/scenic, somewhat challenging course. Top-notch organization (albeit with one slip up). Volunteers were plentiful and friendly. Easy access - parking was no problem - which is unusual for Atlanta. Porta-pots were all over the place. OK. There was one problem - and I suppose it is major. No PowerAde. I think there might have been one spot on the course that had it. None at the finish area. I too am disapointed with this. It is Atlanta - home of Coke. It shouldn't have been too difficult to get some there. I'm sure they'll get this corrected for next year. If there are 100 things to judge a marathon on, they get an A+ on 99. The 1 thing people are going to crucify them for is not having any replenishment drinks. This was still a great marathon! | |
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P. Q. from Tennessee
(3/26/2007)
"Challenging course, lovely neighborhoods" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 Worst organized race ever. Almost got run over by the traffic, and there was NO water between miles 4 and 9. NO PowerAde, and they were a sponsor! Hilly... very hilly. The homeless ate better than I did at the finish. Thanks to the citizens along the course for their kindness. I expected more out of ING. Go to Rock and Roll school and learn how to do it. | |
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M. W. from West Lafayette, IN
(3/26/2007)
"Nice city, terrible organization" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 While I loved the city of Atlanta, ING failed to provide proper water stops for the full marathon. With tempatures in the 80's, I was surprised to see that more people didn't have to be hauled off on stretchers. False signs advertising water and PowerAde stops were disheartening. | |
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J. L. from Starville, MS
(3/26/2007)
"Challenges" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 First of all I want to say what a beautiful course the Georgia Marathon was. It was so nice to see everything in bloom in Georgia. Also, the fan support the entire race was terrific, especially for a first-time marathon. However, I think there is absolutely no excuse for there to be no PowerAde on the course. I made the decision before the race not to carry a Gatorade pouch because I knew there were be PowerAde every two or so miles on the course like the course map showed. The one station that had something resembling an electrolyte replacement drink was mixing there very own, SELF SUPPLIED little container of GATORADE (even though the sponsor was PowerAde) into a cooler. However it was so diluted since they were using the one container sparingly that the sodium in it was non-existent. I am not sure if the race staff was even aware that there was no PowerAde because at the start of the race, the announcer told us not to drink anymore water after mile 16. Surely he could not know there was no PowerAde on the course and still make that comment. On the hottest 80+ day in Georgia of the season when all of the runners have trained through the cold winter, it is imperative to have sports drinks available. I am highly disappointed in this aspect of the race, and I know others are more angry based on the comments I heard throughout the race. Thank goodness Publix water showed up to play yesterday. Also, I have one more gripe. At mile 6 there was a power station ahead sign and there was not a WATER station until after mile 8. That was the start of making everyone really mad. If there had only been one missed water station, I think the runners could have dealt with it. ...Pepsi is looking pretty good, and so is Gatorade. | |
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C. C. from Atlanta
(3/26/2007)
"One Sports Drink Station On 26.2 Mi Course" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 As a runner in the new ING Georgia Marathon, I encountered only one water station with sports drinks on the 26.2-mile course. Doctors strongly recommend that when exercising for more than one hour, which is obviously the case in a four-hour marathon or two-hour half-marathon, that runners drink sports drinks, not water, to replenish their systems. With temperatures approaching record highs, the lack of sports drinks on the course was more than just an inconvenience; it compromised the health and safety of all runners. I trained for this event for over five months, always drinking sports drinks during long runs (it makes a big difference). To have the runners' "big day" spoiled by poor planning is very unsettling. Maybe race director Victoria Seahorn should check a weather forecast in order to prevent from being unable to "foresee the extremely warm weather." (AJC 3.26.2007) The 10-day forecast had "foreseen" the weather ten days in advance. Even if temperatures had been in the 40s, sports drinks still would have been a necessity. I think all runners are owed an explanation and a formal apology. It is a shame that such an easy-to-correct issue detracted from a day with good local fan support along the scenic course. | |
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R. H. from Georgia, USA
(3/26/2007)
"Challenging course with potential" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I found this to be a more challenging course than I expected. The above average temperatures made everything seem a little tougher than expected. Course: I did like the course overall and the enjoyed the views along the way. I live outside of Atlanta and had never seen many of the sites along the course. I liked the layout. The hills seemed a little longer and more frequent than the elevation map showed. Organization: This was the inaugural race so you would expect some "learning curve," but this race was hosted by ING, which has experience with marathons in other major cities, so my issues could have been prevented. My major concern was that the water stops ran out of sports drink early on. I finished in under four hours and there was no sports drink left after mile ten. This really bugged me since the sports drink manufacturer is a major, Atlanta-based bottler that should've been more than happy to provide the sports drink. They did make sure there was enough of their soft drinks at the finish though, but I'm not a fan of sodas after running 26.2 miles. The high temperatures also did not help out at water stops and the water was too warm for me (this is not the race director's fault, just a general statement). Because this was the first ING Georgia Marathon, I will give them some forgiveness, but please work on adding more water stops along the course and increase the amount of sports drinks at these stops in future years. Spectators: I felt the crowd support was much better than the Thanksgiving Day Marathon in Atlanta and was impressed overall. I was really happy with the encouraging words from the crowds in the final few miles as I started dragging. I really liked the number of families offering water, ice, pretzels, oranges, and water hoses along the way. Thank you!! Overall: I liked the race and am glad to have a spring marathon in downtown Atlanta. I just wish the race directors would do something about the heat. Haha. | |
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Z. S. from Indianapolis, IN
(3/26/2007)
"Fantastic course, great spectators, poor support" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 The course, winding through Atlanta and its surrounding areas, up and down many hills, was very scenic and enjoyable. Spectators, while not nearly as numerous as at a larger race like Chicago, were enthusiastic and helpful - several families were handing out ice cubes, orange peels, etc. outside of their homes. This was an inaugural marathon, so some speed bumps were expected. The start and finish areas were well-manned, but the aid stations along the course were lacking. Namely, they were lacking PowerAde. Only three stations had PowerAde when I hit them, and I finished well over two hours prior to the course limit. Please ensure that all stations have sports drink in the future! Preferably, use the superior Gatorade in place of PowerAde, as well. I'm sure the kinks will be worked out next year, and the course is definitely worth running! | |
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J. S. from North Carolina
(3/26/2007)
"Tough, tough course" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Wow, this was a brutal race. Nothing the organizers could do about the heat - over 80 by the finish - but this course was an absolute killer. I don't recall very many flat stretches at all during this race; it was constantly up and down, and the long uphill at mile 23 was particularly demoralizing. If you want hills, this marathon is for you. My biggest complaint was the lack of water and complete absence of PowerAde on the course. I finished in the top 1/2 of the marathon, so if I had trouble finding water and PowerAde, I really feel bad for the folks behind me. There were signs for water/PowerAde at mile 6, but never saw it.... After mile 4 there was no PowerAde to be had, on a hilly course with 80-degree temps, I think this is inexcusable. I know there will be glitches in an inaugural event, but I expected better from an event put on by ING. On the plus side, the course was beautiful in terms of scenery and neighborhoods, and it had lots of shade, with the only real sunny stretch between 18 and 20 miles on the highway. The expo was good, nice shirt, and the medal was OK, though it fell apart on me.... I am not the complaining type, but I was underwhelmed by some facets of this race. I will say: Despite finishing 30 minutes slower than I anticipated, I was prouder finishing this race than any other marathon besides my first - I felt I had "survived" something here. I am sure this race will improve over time, but I won't make the trip back for this one. | |
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B. B. from Fairfax, VA
(3/26/2007)
"ATLANTA - GREAT COURSE; ING - LOUSY ORGANIZATION" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Course and spectators: Awesome course! A real challenge, never dull. Very scenic, city and suburbs. Some serious hills that didn't let up. Toughest was at Mile 19, but with so many it is hard to recall at which mile. Vehicle traffic minimized by police. Marathon walkers were a bigger problem. The finish was a well-deserved downhill slope. Spectator participation was pretty good. Crowds weren't big or very loud, but the people were very nice. Organization: Disappointing. ING didn't deliver. Expo was great. Lots of vendors. (I received three massages!) However, packet-pickup lines extended a city block! Should've had more volunteers working packet-pickup. Getting to the race was easy: MARTA was convenient. Baggage handling seemed to work for most people. Race morning tents were late setting up and there was no food or drink. Race started a few minutes late so "thank you's" could be given. And as much as I enjoyed the pre-race prayer, it had runners grumbling. It would have been better offered 30 minutes before the race to those who wanted to hear it. (I hate to admit that because I did want to hear it and enjoyed it.) Course organization gets a big fat ZERO! Very little water between Miles 2-6, and only one PowerAde station the entire race! PowerAde sponsored the race; why didn't they show up as advertised!?! It was advertised that PowerAde would be available at every mile from Mile 10-26. Water is great, but between Miles 16-26, I need my sport drink! The half-marathoners said they had several stations. Another nice touch would have been giving out gummy bears, energy jelly beans, etc. the last few miles. Thankfully, some of the spectators willingly gave of their personal stashes! At the finish runners were given water or soda; both warm (after some searching, I found some cold water). Soda??? Warm soda??? Unbelievable. Where was the PowerAde?!? The food at the finish wasn't much better. Bananas, apples, and bagels were nice, but beyond that there was nothing to speak of (some mini-muffins). At Richmond last year we had pizza, assorted breads, and much more. Overall: The course alone would be enough for me to run it again, but ING has got some serious work to do. Great job to the City of Atlanta and her citizens. |
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