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Florida Marathon & 1/2 Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Florida Marathon & 1/2 Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.8 
Organization 3.5 
Spectators 3.2
Number of comments: 49 [displaying comments 21 to 31]
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K. V. from Orlando
(2/11/2012)
"Great event and keeps getting better" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Florida Marathon & 1/2 Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This is the 4th time I have ran this race and it keeps getting better each year. Great music along the route and plenty of portapotties along the course. They need more portalets at the start and I heard food ran out after the 5 plus hour folks finished but it was great for everyone before that time. This is probably one of the best half courses around and highly recommend!! | |
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G. T. from New England
(2/10/2012)
"Overall a good time" (about: 2012)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The Good - Parking was a breeze and right next to the starti - Nice Shirt, Hat, Medal - Food at the finish was very good - but I only ran the half and do feel bad for those marathoners who didn't get anything - Musicians along the course were great - Volunteers were awesome - Frequent Water/Gatorade stations - very important given the humidity - Course was scenic and running the causeways added a little bit of a challenge to an overall flat course. The Bad - 1st 2 water stations were overwhelmed. I couldn't get to the 1st one and had to wait at the 2nd one because the volunteers couldn't keep up. - Gels should be handed out at the 3rd or 4th station, not the 1st. I planned to pick one up at the 1st and eat it about mile 5, but I couldn't get to it and had to do without until mile 9 (which was the only other place to get gels) - Spectators were sparse but I'm okay with that. - Was given a bottle of water at the finish, but had a hard time finding any more water. The Ugly - Very humid this particular day - not normal for February and nothing anyone has any control over. - Because the course is a double loop, not sure what can be done about the hand cyclists interfering with the runners. Letting them go 1st doesn't solve the problem since they will just impact runners on the 2nd time through. A wider course may alleviate the problem. Overall, Everything is setup for a really good 1/2 marathon and I'd like to come back and do it again, but more though needs to be done to accommodate the issues encountered by the full marathoners. | |
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C. N. from Bishop, CA
(2/8/2012)
"Fun Winter Race-Warm" (about: 2012)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran the half and my husband ran the full. Prepare for high humidity/warm conditions for this race. Thanks to mostly overcast skies, it made the conditions for the runners alittle more favorable, but still high humidity. Thanks to the volunteers and their support. Loved the orange half's, I took one at every aid station if available. The Gatorade was horrifically watered down and speaking of; found a piece of the plastic cup in the bottom of my Gatorade cup as I was drinking it; don't know how it got in there, but could of been ugly. The course was nicely planned; crossing over the 'causeways' was interesting and having a piano player at the top of the south causeway was cool. I would suggest, opening up the course where there was cones; it was very narrow for runners and was hard to find a flat area to run on. The roads dipped to the right, probably for storm drainoff's. Great finish area with plenty of good food. Loved the pizza and orange juice. I loved the announcer at the finish, he's comical. Nice medal and tech tee. Thanks Melbourne! | |
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B. D. from Bartow, Florida
(2/7/2012)
"2012 was hot and humid" (about: 2012)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Florida Marathon & 1/2 Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 Course layout was interesting with the four causeways to cross. May for some interesting Florida hills. I know the organizers cannot control the weather but it would have been nice to start earlier than 7 to be able to beat some the heat. Finish line was a little unorganized, I had to search for water and there was no sports drinks or food for the finishers. After a hot and humid marathon I am not ready to eat pizza and beer. Would have like to had a few more people to run the full with because most of the pack I run the first lap with where only doing the half. | |
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Seth Elsheimer from Winter Park, Florida
(2/6/2012)
"Disappointing and disrespectful" (about: 2012)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Florida Marathon & 1/2 Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 Several problems the organizers should fix: 1) Shirt size requests not honored for pre-registrants. Why didn't they set aside the shirts ordered for pre-registrants? 2) The food was gone before the >4.5-hour marathoners finished. Half marathoners, spectators, and homeless folks ate everything. Couldn't they control access and/or make sure there was enough for everyone? 3) Hand cyclists started behind runners on same course then pushed runners off the sometimes narrow course at up to 30mph. Why not start them first as other sensible organizers do? Disappointed in this one. Not recommended. | |
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R. S. from Missouri
(2/6/2012)
"Hot race with great potential" (about: 2012)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Florida Marathon & 1/2 Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 The half marathon was a simple course with few detours. However, it was very crowded at the start and for the first 1-2 miles. The initial left turn after the start jammed up the runners who were not properly staged (corralled for pace time) at the start, crazy mix of very fast and slow runners. The US1 (Harbor City) leg was narrow and the shoulder was crowned so you had to run on the cones (left edge near traffic). After 3 miles the packs of runners spread out and this was not an issue. It was a warm morning with humidity and as a sports medicine specialist, I had concerns real and convenient: 1. too few medial aid stations they appeared under-staffed. 2. water/Gatorade stations had very helpful volunteers, who could not keep up with clusters of runners, you just had to stop and drink 3. Convenience: I can't imagine the port-o-pot problems for women; there were only 4-5 on the course. Guys just left the course for a bush. This is and should be remedied especially before the first causeway and on Riverside drive. Overall, it's a flat and scenic course with many fast, competitive runners, it's not the Rock n' Roll series. So if you are a leisure runner, stay home as the temperature and humidity, if you haven't trained in that climate, are risk factors. Note the number of runners from FL to confirm this observation. I'm not a serious, competitive runner, I run for my own goals and I love Melbourne Beach. I'm glad that I did this half marathon once, but I'm not in the league for this group and it wasn't fun (music sucked as did peeing outside), when you consider the registration fee. As a medically educated, recreational runner, race organization, safety (medical and police), water/GU/Gatorade, and potties are essential. As such, the rating in this regard was a 1 or 2-star. Huge potential to improve, which I'm sure the organizers will do. | |
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B. W. from Winter Park, FL
(2/6/2012)
"Poorly done, Won't do it again." (about: 2012)
50+ previous marathons
| 2 Florida Marathon & 1/2 Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 The 1st half is okay, but the 2nd time around I nearly got run over by the hand cycles, there was no Gatorade at the last few water stops, no food at the end, and the age group awards had been removed by then time I finished. Poor grades. It would be so much easier to start the hand cycles early. | |
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D. R. from USA
(2/6/2012)
"Will not return" (about: 2012)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Florida Marathon & 1/2 Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 My friend and I finished her first marathon sub 5:30. VERY DISAPPOINTED and will NOT return to this race and will urge all my running friends to avoid it all costs. We were ignored on the second lap, water stations empty, muscicians quit, had to dodge handcycles for 13 miles and forced on sidewalks and dodging locals on bikes. NO food, fanfare nor amenities other than water at the finish. The shuttle from the host hotel had multiple schedules floating around and several runners missed it to the start. We were stranded at the finish without a shuttle and no cash for a cab back to the host hotel. We are not all elite runners that will finish sub 3. The course was open 7 hours and RDs must plan as such. | |
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M. A. from USA
(3/5/2011)
"Recommended" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Florida Marathon & 1/2 Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 For a smaller marathon, this is a very good marathon. I got a PR with a push at the end. Overall - B+, but I expect it will keep improving. Please don't let the B+ fool you. Read on... Before I give you my detailed assessment, I want to give the organizers their due.... Organizers - A+ - you can see the effort in everything they do, even if it is not "there" yet. If they keep improving this marathon (and I have no doubt they will), it will quickly become one of the best mid-size marathons in the USA. Here is the breakdown... Start - A+ - where else can you park and be at the start in a few minutes? A little confusing, but, a great recovery with megaphone lady! Crowd - C - very sparse, but those who were out were fun. Scenery - B+ - running around the water was great, but I couldn't help but think... gee, we are so close to the ocean. (I understand logistically that that may not be possible.) Course - A- - I liked the bridges as a nice way to breakup the run. Some of the roads do have strong curve/bank to them, but if you pick your path carefully, you will be okay. Water Stations - C- - I always appreciate the folks who volunteer, but weneeded more of them and needed 2-3 more stations and it would have been an A! Bib - D - I have never scored a bib before, but this one was not made of the usual material, so it ripped early. (No photos for me. :( ) Finishing area - A - it was great. Very loud (in a good way). Strong fan support here. Internet feed of finish - A+++ - smile; you are on TV (or at least the internet)! My family saw me finish - and they were in NC. That was cool. Food (post-race) - A+ - the pizza was so good. And then they offered breakfast to boot. It was great. (Sorry to hear about the later finishers who did not experience the food.) Additional thoughts... Having run several marathons recently, the cotton shirt was a nice change, but I can see why people might object. Word of caution: the hand bikes come through around 10 a.m. In one turn, the guy just missed it and crossed all lanes - had you been running at that time, yikes. That being said, it was a nice distraction and it was uplifting - ("What am I complaining about?"). | |
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C. L. from Parkland, FL
(2/9/2011)
"Very nice race!" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Florida Marathon & 1/2 Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was a very special race with the presence of runners like Zola Budd and Bill Rodgers. Got to meet them at the pasta party on Friday and it was a great experience. In general, the race seemed well-organized and there were plenty of water stops and entertainment along the course. Having pizza, beer, and live music at the finish was a nice touch. Small expo, but nice goody bag with a beautiful (cotton) t-shirt and hat. The shuttle from the host hotel was convenient. There are plenty of restaurants and shops nearby. It would have been nice for the hotel to offer a pasta dinner (Saturday) or early breakfast for the runners (Sunday). |
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