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☰
Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Marathon) Runner Comments
Back to Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Marathon) Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 4.8 
Spectators 4.3
Number of comments: 123 [displaying comments 61 to 71]
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Kerry Oedel from United States
(3/7/2010)
"The organizers of this race totally get it" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Maras
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is one of the most friendly, well-organized races around. It's easy to park, easy to check your bag, easy to find a spot at the starting line, and the course is well-suited to running a fast time. While the course is not particularly scenic for the first half of the race, the volunteers were out in full force and were so friendly that it made the miles pass by quickly. Traffic control was excellent, water stops were plentiful, and there were enough participants that I always had other runners in sight but never had to jockey for position. I also like that the half marathoners split off very early in the race, so we were not running in a crowd one minute and suddenly heading out to do 13 more miles while most everyone else headed to the finish. This year they had pace groups, and I ran with one for most of the middle miles, which really helped. The finish is at a park along a river, and the awards were very nice duffel bags. Everyone in my group qualified for Boston. Thanks to Albany for putting on a great race! | |
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d. s. from Decatur, GA
(3/6/2010)
"2 thumbs up but a few changes would be nice" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Mara
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I ran the half today and would run it again. My biggest beef is the shirt - there is not a woman's shirt and my small fits like a dress. For that much money, you have to step up and get the swag right. I really liked the course - primarily running through tree-lined neighborhoods. There were old trees covered in Spanish moss, and the magnolias and camillas were in bloom. It is NOT flat, but instead has gradual inclines. There is no crowd support but the volunteers were enthusiastic and well positioned. All intersections were manned. The actual course was never in question. There was no shortage of water or Gatorade. The stops were not consistent - e.g., the Gatorade was first at some and the water was first at others. The race started right on time but it would have been nice for an 8:00 start. It was chilly at 7:00 a.m. We stayed at the Comfort Suites - $90 got us a huge room with a microwave and fridge. Breakfast started at 5 a.m. and they gave us a late check out 1:00 so everyone got to shower. Friday night dinner was a challenge, so I recommend getting to the restaurant of your choice early. We waited over an hour (arrived at 6:45). One of our group qualified for Boston and another set a PR. Those who ran the marathon claimed the course was long - .4 of a mile, specifically, and they cut every corner. | |
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R. E. from Augusta, Ga.
(5/5/2009)
"flat and fast!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Mara
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This is a great marathon for first-timers and veterans looking for a PB. It is very well organized, with plenty of volunteers (who are all amazingly supportive) and water stations. The course is very flat and very fast. As a 50-year-old guy with 13 marathons, I ran my fastest time in 10 years! If you are looking for a well run, small race, don't miss this date. Oh, and the shirt for the marathon is a cool windbreaker-type - very cool! | |
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P. L. from Macon, GA
(3/22/2009)
"FAST, FAST, FAST" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Mara
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This is by far the fastest of 6 marathons I have run including Huntsville and Memphis. The porta-potties were hilarious at the start. Thank goodness we are good athletes or we would have been hurt. Very flat for Georgia. Not too flat, like a beach course, where you work the same muscle group for 26 miles. I was in the 3:20 pace group and our leader ran nearly perfect splits. I qualified for Boston and was elated. | |
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T. M. from Senoia, Georgia
(3/18/2009)
"Second Marathon" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Mara
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I was not impressed by Albany! They had rocking porta-johns and lousy jacket (can't read black lettering on blue background, and it says nothing about running the marathon). They advertised a tech shirt, and I would have rather had a shirt. When I requested a shirt, they gave me a half-marathon shirt. I told them that I didn't want a shirt that says I ran a half marathon when I ran a full. They didn't get it? Half marathoners got a better shirt. There were more people out on my training runs than at this marathon. The expo closed before the time listed, and all the booths were closed by the time I got there. The 3:20 pace group that I was in was great, and the organization definitely had some upsides, but overall I wouldn't recommend it. | |
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L. L. from Valdosta, GA
(3/12/2009)
"Great course & organization" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Mara
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This race does what communities that have great organization and support should do: put on a great event! The course had just enough change from flat stretches to bring in the other parts of the legs. The volunteers were wonderful. For me, the lack of many spectators made no difference because the volunteers were so great with their enthusiasm and ability to get the logistics right. The finish area had all that made for a relaxing and scenic end to the race. Just one small suggestion: At the start, other racers and I could not hear the preliminaries, national anthem, description of the course, etc., due to poor positioning of the sound system. But everyone could hear the loud cannon shot for the start! | |
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J. R. from Huntsville, AL
(3/12/2009)
"Great marathon, especially for a PR" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Mara
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a wonderful marathon! It was my 19th so far and definitely one of my favorites. The course is nice and flat, and the volunteers and spectators are friendly, helpful, enthusiastic, and many in number! There were ample water stations - more than I needed, but that is never a bad thing. I broke 4 hours for the first time ever, giving me a 20-minute personal record. Can't beat that! | |
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C. T. from Cataula, GA
(3/12/2009)
"A hidden treasure this race is" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Mara
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 As the many, many reviews state below, this race is fantastic in many ways. The course is fantastic (if you like flat courses; if not, this is a quad-killer), the organization is top-notch, and the spectators are the friendliest anywhere. Enough really cannot be said about this race, and the people that put it on. I highly encourage everyone to take a trip to Albany, GA in the early Spring for the Snickers Energy Bar Marathon. It's worth the effort. | |
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J. A. from Colorado
(3/11/2009)
"Course design should be a model for others" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Mara
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I agree with all of the positive comments and would like to add one about the course design. The full and the 1/2 split in the first mile with the full taking a 4-mile warm-up loop. When we rejoined the course, most of the 1/2 runners had already passed and we received the full attention of the enthusiastic water stop volunteers. At some point, the 1/2 took a shortcut across the loop course. I think this design gets the most use of the porta-potties, water, and spectators without ever over-loading. It was probably easier on the volunteers too. Great job!! | |
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J. R. from Smyrna, GA
(3/11/2009)
"A great first-marathon experience." (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Mara
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The 2009 Snickers Marathon was my first full marathon and I've never been happier. Having never previously run 26.2, I was obviously apprehensive about race logistics and readiness, but the good people in Albany made everything easy and painless. I stayed at a Comfort Suites hotel located about 2.5 miles from the course, but I had no problem with the logistics of driving to the expo packet pick-up or driving and parking at the starting line area. There were plenty of parking spaces for everyone alongside the starting area. If I had to make one suggestion for future races, I'd recommend more stability with the portable toilets at the starting line so that they won't move about when people step in and out of them. For the first ten miles of the race, we traversed a river park and then ran down a long straightaway, but the foggy morning helpfully obscured the distance view ahead on the straightaway and made this part of the marathon easier. A Marine Corps volunteer cheer section helped to get me fired up around mile 10 at the end of the straightaway. Miles 10-26, mainly through the residential areas, were wonderful, with remarkable volunteer spirit at every single turn. The section of the race goes through the inside of a building by the riverside (nice touch!) and there's a easy downhill in the final moment to the finish line. There was plenty of water and Gatorade at each of the frequent aid stations. There were never any lines to the many portable toilets along the way, either. For the most part, I didn't indulge in any food at the aid stations and preferred my own energy jelly beans, but I did enjoy orange slices and fruit at the last few aid stations. Plenty of Snickers Energy Bars around at each aid station, that's for sure. I finished my first marathon in 4:53, so no complaints here; and I was grateful to be able to finish my first one in less than five hours. For the first several miles, I stayed with a 5:00 Pace Team that really put me at ease and acquainted me with some great fellow runners. I gradually stretched ahead of them with my Galloway intervals, but was thrilled to see most of them cross the finish line a few minutes after I did. The finish line logistics were quite good, with volunteers ensuring that everyone crossing the line was alright. There was a ready supply of water, Gatorade, and food along the riverwalk by the finish. The process of finding my vehicle and driving back to my hotel was easy and quick. A couple of hours after the race, I returned to the Albany river walk area and spent several hours checking out the Albany Mardi Gras street festival, the Flint RiverQuarium, the Ray Charles Plaza, and the scenic river walk itself. It's definitely a pretty area of the town. I'll give one more friendly tip of the hat to the amazing volunteers and police officers that controlled traffic and cheered everyone through the course. It's tough to run 26.2 miles, but there's also something to be said for the endurance of the volunteers and police officers to stand still in the middle of a street for hours direct traffic or cheer the runners that pass by. Thanks! |
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