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Myrtle Beach Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Myrtle Beach Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 3.6
Number of comments: 318 [displaying comments 101 to 111]
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Thomas Paull from Whitewater, Wis.
(3/5/2009)
"Awesome marathon experience" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Myrtle Beach Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 A very well done marathon! It was my second time here and I had a blast even though I didn't make my goal time. The start and finish for both half and full are all within walking distance, with lots of free parking! I would love to come back and plan a family vacation for several days in town. Oh, the race organizers listen to us; there were complaints last year about the shirts and medals, and boy did they kick those up several notches for this year! Good job! | |
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V. Z. from Lexington, KY
(2/28/2009)
"My First Marathon; Great Experience, A Few Issues" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Firstly, though I've run lots 5K and 10K races, this was my first marathon. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience. Efficiently run (no long waits), great volunteers, well stocked and frequent aid stations, flat course, enthusiastic (if a bit sparse) supporters. My only two complaints: 1) My GPS, like others, registered a long 26.43 miles. 2) Most the course was down the right side of the road, which is the opposite side from which most of us train. | |
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Chris Speer from Florida
(2/24/2009)
"Great race - Boston bound!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was #6 for me and I was very pleased with this race. This is a great marathon that was not too big and not too small, but just right. I qualified for Boston for the first time, and the lack of 25,000 runners helped tremendously. Not knowing that Boston had already filled for 2009 was probably a good thing for me! This is of course a very fast and flat course, and the weather was fantastic... for me! GPS runners all complained that the course did not seem to agree with Garmin, but overall I was about .25 miles over. I did not make it to the expo and had someone pick up my packet, so I can't comment on the expo, but I heard it was decent. There were plenty of fluid stations, and porta potties were about every two miles, which helped tremendously for me. I'm not a big race shirt guy, but this one was one of the nicer I've seen. The medal on the other hand... a heart? I got it - 14th of February - but a heart... really? In the end, I would easily recommend this race to anyone wanting a small to medium race, or looking for a PR or Boston qualifying time. | |
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S. C. from Summerville, SC
(2/23/2009)
"Great race, great town" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My only other half marathon was the 2008 Rock-n-Roll Half in Virginia Beach, VA and I compare the MB Marathon to that one (although it had 1/5th the crowd). Organization was good and everyone had smiles on their faces. Course was flat and fast and since the temps were in the 50s at the start, I set my PR. R-N-R VBeach was hot - 80 degrees and 90% humidity. Even the elites complained of the heat. This is why I wanted to try one where the weather would not be so much of a factor. The start in MB was a little crowded but did not hinder my pace... slow. Walkers needed to be told to stay to the right. My pace girl was awesome. 5:00 hour marathon. (Told you I was slow.) But because of her I did not go out too fast and I finished in my goal time of "2:30." Now I have to work on beating that. The expos was nice; although it was a little small and crowded, there was no flow through it to ensure you saw everything. I had to go back a second time to sign up with a pace group (although not required) as I did not see them my first time through. The microbrew at the end was awesome. Only complaint: need a family meeting area at the finish to make it easier to locate friends and family. I stayed at the host hotel (Sheraton) and you couldn't ask for a better place. It was six-tenths of a mile from the start/finish, they had a whirlpool at the end, and they had all of the food and drink you needed without having to leave home if you were up for it. Staff was friendly, even though the hotel was full. I had an extremely good time and will be back next year. | |
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J. K. from NC
(2/23/2009)
"Great PR/BQ course" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The course is as flat as could be - you are at the coast!!! The fluid stations were plentiful and there were tons of great volunteers on the course. The medal, towel, and t-shirt were all nice. If you want to run fast or BQ, this is the place for you!!! The only negatives that I could think of were the 3:10 pacer, who, I think after the second mile, started getting slower and slower... so I am glad I left the group (not sure where they finished, but I didn't see anyone after mile 4). The wind could be a problem (for future runs), but it wasn't too bad this year. If you need tons of spectators, maybe this is not the race for you. But the ones around were great (some had their own mini water stations). Boston, here I come!!! | |
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J. M. from Springfield, MO
(2/22/2009)
"All-Around Great Race" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I found the Myrtle Beach Marathon to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Here are a few comments on each category: Course: It's just about as flat a course as you could find, with almost no real hills... just a few inclines. I found the course to be an interesting mix of high-rise hotels, ocean views, and neighborhoods. Yes, there are less exciting areas, but that's true in most marathons. Organization: Well organized from the expo to the finish. Just a couple minor points: I could find no water at the start other than bottled water for sale, and it would have been nice to have a warm place to go at the finish. I was one of those who finished in the rain. On the plus side, I loved the medal, the quality shirt, and the beach towel made for a great surprise extra. One other suggestion might be one more aid station in the last six miles or so. Spectators: I felt there was great crowd support. Thanks to the band at the start. There wasn't much music during the race (none that I can remember) but lots of people out to cheer us on. On a side note, the Myrtle Beach Police Department were some of the friendliest I have found in my ten marathons and countless shorter races. Great job, Myrtle Beach. Your race is well worth the trip! | |
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d. r. from Illinois
(2/22/2009)
"Needs some refining" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Where do I start? The volunteers were great! It seemed a bonus to have a 5K and fun run, but these races were Friday evening, giving us little time to fly to Myrtle Beach, check in at the hotel and expo, and get situated before hiking to the beginning of the races. Tickets to the after-race party were available for some races, but not for others? Shuttles to the start of the marathon never came. The course was flat, but not scenic, even in such a beautiful city. There were cars on the course nearly all the time. I even nearly missed being backed over by an errant van! Fan support was almost nonexistent. I recommend waiting a few years for this one to improve. | |
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C. P. from Chesterfield, VA
(2/20/2009)
"Great race - no finish time" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I am referencing a comment made by the runner who didn't have a time. The same thing happened to me, but I had all the splits and no finish time. I e-mailed the timing company and today I received an official time. Although I believe it's my clock time and not net time... for me it's about having a finish time not looking like a DNF. I think the time they took to answer my request shows what type of dedicated people you are dealing with in Myrtle Beach. Yes, if you wish to qualify for Boston, this is an easy course. I loved the heart medals and beach towel; it added to the whole theme. I really enjoyed the race, and kudos to the organizers for having rain slickers at the finish line since I was really wet from the storm! | |
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J. R. from Virginia
(2/19/2009)
"Great course, always have troubles with timing" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Myrtle Beach Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 There seemed to be some kind of malfunction with the 8-mile checkpoint, as many people did not register as going across. One trains all year only to have this malfunction. That puts doubt in people's mind as to whether your time was legitimate! Two other years have shown difficulty getting chip times separated from gun times, and finisher's certificates that were not anywhere close to actual times! This year some people had higher chip times than gun times. Not sure how that happens. The finisher medal folks had to be sought out to collect medals. They looked like they were doing some community service. Water was a long hike from the finish line. Wonder what happens if someone is dehydrated really bad when they finish??? It's always something at good ol' Myrtle Beach. What a great course though! Will I be back? Heck yes!!! | |
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M. H. from Independence, MO
(2/18/2009)
"Great race, but I think mile markers were off." (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I really enjoyed the race, and yes, it was flat; however, I believe that some of the mile markers were off. Several people near me commented that their GPS's were off with the markers. I ended up on my GPS with 26.46 when I crossed the finish. Not sure if it was off, but it sure made for a confusing run. I still hit my PR! But I fell 1 minute short of a BQ! Overall, great race! |
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