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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 261 to 271]
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T. L. from Mapleton, UTAH
(3/3/2004)
"Awesome winter run" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I came from Utah where the winter was very snowy and cold this year. We were blessed with a gorgeous day except for a strong headwind for the last 6 miles. The volunteers were great! We had so much fun on our journey. Things were very well run and we didn't have any complaints. We did rent a car and did not have to be at the mercy of shuttles. The water stops were adequate, but the food at the end was just ok. I enjoyed the after race party and hope to be in better condition next winter. | |
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R. L. from Toronto, Canada
(3/3/2004)
"Great winter escape" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I'm from up North and this was my second marathon. The first one I completed was Niagara, and was it ever wet. This one was dry as a bone, but windy. I'm sure I'll get lucky with the weather one day. A suggestion for future races is to clarify information on the website. Since I did both the 5k and the marathon, it appeared that there was a pasta dinner for both. Fortunately a quick email to the event organizer cleared up the confusion. Second issue is that there were no zip ties for race chips on the Thursday. Race pick-up kit needed more goodies (ie: mints, pasta) and less coupons. There was no water available at the start of the race, but luckily I found a water fountain in the stadium. Positives for the event are that results were available almost immediately after the race, and there was lots of food/beer after the race and at the post-race party. Running through the aquarium for the kids must have been great. Maybe the 5k will go there next year ;-). Starting location had TONS of parking and police helped people get from the stadium to the parking lots. Will I be back next year? Maybe... but I'll be flying down instead of driving. 16 hours in a car a day after running a marathon isn't a good idea. | |
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Jarrett Roberts from Arvada, Colorado
(3/1/2004)
"A Great Destination Marathon" (about: 2004)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was a great race to do! The expo and pasta dinner were great! The medal was excellent! Best of all the start, course, finish, and marathon were well thought out and executed. Parking at the start was plentiful and across the street. This is one I would definitely do again. Thanks again to the great Southern hospitality from everyone involved in the race, especially the sponsoring brewery that gave out free beer and the massage therapists who gave awesome massages! I had a great time! | |
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David Spark from Upstate South Carolina
(2/29/2004)
"My home state marathon & I love it" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 So Myrtle Beach is a little bit shabby & common, but I love it. This was my third marathon & slowest yet (can't blame the organizers for the wind though, you'll have to have a word with God if you didn't like it). The organization was excellent (I didn't mind different spots for the packet pick-up, chip, party ticket & T-shirt, it was just a matter of getting oriented). Nice warm weather, easy access to the start/finish area, friendly spectators, helpful water stop volunteers & I particularly liked the cop who was cheering us on as he directed traffic. I hope to be back next year with less wind (please, God) & a better time. | |
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B. R. from Charleston, SC
(2/28/2004)
"A fine marathon for us locals" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Fortunately, because of pre-race recognizance and last year's commentary, I selected a hotel right near the start, at broadway on the beach, and didn't have to deal with any buses. It's not a race for which I'd want to incur any major travel expenses in that the scenery is sooo boring. No vistas of the ocean, road and busy highway routes, and a schmaltzy city of one junky hotel after another. But! For an entertaining good time, if within easy driving distance, it's well worth it with a pancake flat course, great people at the aid stations, and a fine finisher's medal. | |
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B. S. from Tucker, Georgia
(2/28/2004)
"Very nice marathon event" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I really enjoyed this course. There are two separate 13 mile loops you run doing the full but that is much better than running a double loop course. IMHO this course is flat. The few inclines are negligible compared to Atlanta. The only other course I have run that was flatter was Niagara Falls in 2001, when they forced us to run the race entirely in Canada due to the 9/11 events. Packet pickup was fine, although I think they could have streamlined things by having the packet, t-shirt and chip picked up at one station. But not a major issue. The volunteers were great at the water stops and at traffic control points along with the local police. I saw clocks at most mile markers. There was water and Powerade consistently every two miles. The food and Carbooms offered at miles 18 and 22 were invaluable. Great touch. The two poor ladies trying to set up the water stop at mile 14 got slammed because runners thought they were the 4 mile water station (which was a 1/4 mile further up) and didn't realize they were setting up for the marathon runners instead. This is a very nice race. The RD and organizers probably have the best course available to them considering the layout of Myrtle Beach. The weather was outstanding. I was aware of the winds and they slowed me down a little, but overall they didn't give me as much of a problem as they apparently did for some others. I highly recommend this race, especially if you are very close to your BQ time. | |
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M. L. from Cleveland, Ohio
(2/25/2004)
"Family Friendly Getaway" (about: 2004)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This race was very organized. It is a great location for a 'family' marathon. You can walk up and find a beachside hotel for $40! The volunteers are as good as I have seen. The expo is the best. Great deals, free adult beverages (if you like), and short lines. Parking at the race is no problem. You could even take a shuttle from the hotel. Nice shirt and nice medal. Nothing special. The course: If this were a point-to-point run from the south, you would have to close it out. This is due to the high winds that seem to be a reccuring theme. If the course were run backwards so you had the wind at your back coming in, it would make things easier. Does the wind usually come from the south or is this something you can't plan? You are running next to cars for about 1/3 of the race. Post-race - not congested, can find your family easily, massages, food, and once again, free beer. Getting out of the parking was a piece of cake. This is definitely family friendly with many places for them to see you. There are also two different post-race parties (adults and children). | |
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A. M. from Eastern
(2/24/2004)
"Third time is the charm" (about: 2004)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I've run this race 3 times and finally qualified for Boston on it. The weather was a surprise. It was 58 at the start and 70+ around 10:00. The wind was very strong out of the south, 20+ mph. A lot of runners were slowed down by the strong gusts. The course is generally flat. It has some boring stretches. Route 17 Business is a poor choice for a marathon, and you are on it for around 10 miles. It is three lanes in each direction and one lane is for runners. There is a car exhaust issue, but I understand they cannot shut down 17. The running lane is rutted from heavy trucks. Cars are right next to you the entire time, and they cut in front of you to turn into stores. I kept myself entertained by counting pancake houses on Rt. 17--I came up with 8, but I think I missed a few. Maybe next year I'll count stores with Nascar signs, or t-shirt shops. The spectators were sparse after the 1/2 marathon except around the relay areas. One of the volunteers sent me the wrong way around mile 22 at one of the intersections. I can understand the confusion because all fo the runners come through the intersection 3 times, and there were runners everywhere, some running 3:00 hour marathon, some 5:00 hours, and some 1/2 marathoners. The t-shirt is consistently disappointing, but the medal is nice and the expo is good, with free food and beer. It was funny to have a nutritionist set up next to the local grocery store. The nutritionist was expounding upon the virtues of a healthy diet. The local grocery store was giving away Oatmeal Cream Pies and Moon Pies. Guess which booth was getting the business? Post-race food is average, but there is beer and the race results are posted and updated very quickly. All of the logistics (parking, packet pick-up, finish support) are perfect. I just wish they could change the course. I didn't go the the carbo dinner or the post-race party, although it looked like fun. | |
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S.L. Lyon from Greensboro, NC
(2/24/2004)
"Good flat course with plenty of wind" (about: 2004)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I only ran the half marathon this time around since I have a full one on the calendar for March. I live (and run) in a pretty hilly area so the course was pancake flat to me (just like the webpage claims). The wind was incredible... I'd rather run hills. Anyway, the course was good. The spectators were few but enthusiastic. My biggest gripe was the disorganization. The packet pick up was a zoo. Just finding where to pick up my packet was an exercise in patience. The webpage was misleading about where to get the packets at specific times (during the 5K). I know I wasn't alone because there were several other people at the 5K also looking for their marathon packets. Then when I found out the packets weren't at the 5K I asked where they were and was told they were at the Holiday Inn. I asked where that was and the lady looked at me like I had sprouted horns. I reminded her that I was not from 'around here' and asked for directions. She gave me some directions and away I went. I found out, the hard way, that there were two Holiday Inns fairly close together on Ocean Blvd. When I finally got to the right one, I had to stand in a line for everything. A line for the packet, a line for the chip, a line for the shirt, a line for tickets to the party, etc. Then on race day I made the mistake of driving out to the starting line and parking by the stadium. I then walked up to one of the staffers and asked them where I should park and was treated to angry threats to tow my truck if I even thought of parking at the stadium. This was while I'm asking where to park. She went on in her rant to tell me they weren't playing around this year (I guess she never thought I wasn't there last year and possibly was open to suggestions on parking). The webpage did lead me to believe I could have parked there if I wanted to as long as I got there by a certain time. It also mentioned parking across the street. Perhaps I should recommend active listening classes for staffers for 2005. The course was a good one like I said, and my time was better then I set out to run. I don't think I'll come back since I prefer friendlier interaction with the event staff. However, if I need a quick course to qualify for Boston, this would top my list. | |
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R. L. from Seattle
(2/24/2004)
"More comments" (about: 2004)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Thought I'd respond to some of the comments. Regarding the water stop with only one volunteer: I think what happened here is that this particular stop wasn't officially 'open' yet. I distinctly remember passing it around mile 3 or 4, but seeing a mile marker for mile 14. Due to the looping course, I think this was the mile 14 water station, but they hadn't staffed it yet... we had all just started running. However, there was one poor lady volunteer there with a bucket of Powerade, who, well... I think they just shouldn't have set up until we all went by. When we came back to mile 14, it was fully staffed and fine. I TOTALLY AGREE with the comments about having to visit 4-5 different tables at the expo just to pick up bib, chip, tickets, shirt, etc. This seemed really wonky, and the tables were at different places in the room. As for the comment below chiding runners not to attach chips to their shoelaces, here's the thing: 1) neither I nor my friends received a zip tie with our chip - it wasn't in the envelope and it wasn't on the table and 2) I distinctly remember that they had a model shoe on the table WITH THE CHIP TIED TO THE SHOELACES. So... I hear you on not clogging up the exit chutes, I mean, the last thing I want to do is bend over and fiddle with my shoes two seconds after running 26.2 miles... but, dude, it wasn't our fault. A couple people have noted that some of the volunteers, while friendly, were kind of clueless. To me, it never felt like anyone was in charge. It's ok as a volunteer to not know everyone's random questions, but point me to someone who MIGHT know. As for the host hotel, yeah, it did seem pretty lame and VERY FAR from the race. Maybe it's just where they could get a big room for the expo for cheap? I stayed there... it was clean, but definitely 'a motel at the beach'. (I've left my positive comments previously.) |
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