Back to Myrtle Beach Marathon Information & Reviews
R. E. from New Castle, VA
(2/18/2009)
"Fun, Fast Course with Great PR Potential" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is a great marathon. The course is fast, and has some nice sections along the coast. The volunteers were great, and there was always plenty of water and PowerAde (not watered down). I was able to cut off a half-hour from my previous personal best and beat the 4-hour mark (just partly with the course's help... I really vamped up my training)! My only suggestion is to add another food stop or two earlier in the race. I'll definitely be back! | |
Michael Baldwin from Richmond, VA
(2/17/2009)
"Teriffic race!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Excellent early season marathon for first-timers as well as veterans. The expo was small but adequate. Well organized with friendly vendors, volunteers and participants. The grab bag, race shirt and towel were very nice. The race start was a little congested and around mile 12 due to the combined half and full marathons. The course was well marked and the clocks were visible. The water stops were hectic because of marathoners who stop to get a drink but do not get out of the way. There was no warning; they would just stop in front of you. The water stop volunteers were energetic and encouraging. Plenty of fluids to go around. Plenty of oranges, bananas and GU in the later miles. The crowds were enthusiastic. Overall the course was scenic with a good mixture of residential, commercial and high-rise hotels to see. Earlier comments reflected on how boring the last 4 miles were on Kings Highway. This was not a factor for me. I met several people during the race and had a wonderful time. The finish line was good, with no congestion. I would have liked to see a free short massage at the end rather than having to pay. The post-race food was typical. The weather was perfect until it started to rain 3 1/2 hours in. Myrtle Beach knows how to put on a fantastic marathon experience. Go ahead and sign up for 2010! | |
G. N. from Marietta GA
(2/17/2009)
"Excellent Mid-Sized Marathon" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I had planned on running Tybee Island, GA until the marathon was canceled in August. MB Marathon was a very nice mid-sized marathon. The course, start area, and spectator support were great. The weather was OK and the rain held off until my last mile. The only thing I would suggest is to make the finish line area easy for friends and family to meet you after the race. If you're looking for good mid-sized race to travel to in the Southeast that you don't have to spend a lot of money at, I would recommend this one. | |
L. H. from North Carolina
(2/17/2009)
"Great race, but..." (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Myrtle Beach Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is a great race to run. It has a nice, flat course; the spectators are great; but did anyone else have trouble with the new and improved timing chip? Unfortunately my chip did not register at the finish, which is too bad for me, since I ran a BQ time. I have e-mailed the organization but they have not yet responded. This will be my only complaint will be if this is not worked out. I probably would not trust this marathon to run another BQ. | |
I. C. from NJ, USA
(2/16/2009)
"Well organized, and a doozy for a PB" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 As flat as you could want, and not congested at all; there's no excuse for not hitting a PB here. For me, 3:30 pace crossed start within 20 seconds of gun, and everyone was running free within 1/4 mile. Miles 21-26 were flat and boring (through a strip mall), but by then I was past looking at scenery and into grind-it-out mode. Good support, especially from the schoolchildren manning the water stops, they were great! Yep, I got a PB. Can't say I will rush back until I want another PB, but this is a must for anyone wanting to see just how fast they can cover 26.2 miles. | |
J. C. from Tallahassee, Fla
(2/16/2009)
"Great race. Interesting course. Fun town." (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I have run 8 marathons. This one was great. It is small enough that you don't get caught in crowds. You can run your pace. But it's large enough so that when the half marathoners peel off, you are not alone. I generally hate having the half marathon end while the full people have to keep going. You do hear the half marathoners talking about being "almost done" at mile 9. Nothing you can do about that. The course is great. It runs through cool beach areas and into nice neighborhoods. Mile 21-23-ish were not so nice (or was it 24?). You were in one lane of a big road with lots of traffic. It rained, so there were fewer spectators. The town did not seem to come out for this one. Tourists were out at the hotels. Very few people in the neighborhoods (rain). Yet, the volunteers were great. There were retired people wearing race shirts standing in the rain and encouraging runners. That was nice. The cops were great also. They talked to you and did a great job stopping traffic. Good expo. Good schwag. Nice technical shirt. I would like to do it again. | |
R. D. from Washington, DC
(2/16/2009)
"Great race, very nice people, well organized" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Very much enjoyed the race. Great spirit by the spectators. Very well organized. Lots of volunteers, plenty of water stations. Nice shirt, decent expo, microbrewery beer at the finish. It doesn't get much better than this. Small comment: it was difficult for spectators at the finish to make it across to meet finishers. A sign or two might have helped. Overall, a great race experience. | |
M. K. from Charlotte, NC
(2/16/2009)
"GREAT BQ... GREAT RUNNERS." (about: 2009)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and I was hoping to qualify for Boston. And I did! Great, friendly crowd and the other runners were very encouraging. Course is flat; there's a slight hill on 22 or so, but it's nice. I hit a wall at 17.5 and the wind off the coast wasn't helpful. Mainly it was my fault for setting PR's at every checkpoint on the first half of the race. GREAT MEDICAL TENT with superior doctors and nurses. I will definitely be back and always hold this one close to my heart. | |
E. D. from Cary, NC
(2/16/2009)
"Great, flat course" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Myrtle Beach Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was my 3rd full MB Marathon. However, I've raced here since 2004 alternating between the half and full marathon. The race is a good size, which makes running it very easy compared to larger races. I like the early start because it gives you more time in the day to celebrate with friends. The course is very flat and fast, but after the half marathon, the course gets very lonely. The occasional views of the ocean and the spectators that were stationed along ocean-side neighborhoods did a lot to lift your spirits. Water and PowerAde were plentiful. The weather on race day predicted showers from the beginning, but the rain held off until 10:30 or so. But this didn't stop all of the volunteers from cheering the runners on. Nor did it hamper all of the finish line celebrations. Photographers kept at it and the beer poured freely at the end. | |
T. K. from Concord, NC
(2/16/2009)
"Wonderful event" (about: 2009)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon (though I've done quite a few triathlons) and I thought it was very well put together and very organized. I'll be back next year for sure. |
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