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Myrtle Beach Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Myrtle Beach Marathon Information & Reviews

Course Rating Course 4.2 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 4.3 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 3.6 
 
 
Number of comments: 318 [displaying comments 61 to 71]
More Comments: [ < 1 .. 5 6 7 8 9 .. 32 > ]

 

T. R. from York, Pennsylvania (2/18/2012)
"Flat, Fast, and Well organized" (about: 2012)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


PR (by 3 minutes) and BQ
Very well oiled operation from registration to the Runners expo. You can tell they've done this for 15 years. Port-a-Pots were ample..not much waiting. Water stops every 2 miles till 22 then every mile thereafter is perfect. Course is fast and condusive to PRs. Only complaint would be that it was quite a walk to get to drinks after the finish. Probably helps us keep moving but at the time, I didn't we'd ever make it to the refreshements. Outstanding overall performance...GREAT JOB MBMARATHON STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS!

 

Jim Irish from North Augusta, SC (11/12/2011)
"Organization was superb" (about: 2011)

1 previous marathon | 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


The course was flat; the weather was moderate. It was the perfect day for a PR. I only wish I had run 3:45 and qualified for Boston.

 

J. L. from South Carolina (7/30/2011)
"My first Half Marathon" (about: 2011)

1 previous marathon | 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


This was a great race overall! The only 'change' I would make was the cones around exit of Market Commons - - the cones to merge back to one side of the street were AFTER the median causing many runners to have to run up and over the curb/median.
I plan on running again in 2012!

 

D. H. from Midwest (3/9/2011)
"Excellent Event" (about: 2011)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


I can't say enough good things about this marathon.
- Nice host hotel
- Easy access to the expo
- Nice shirt
- Great starting area with lots of room
- Efficient start
- Wide streets for both the half and full starting together
- Great 10-mile stretch with intermittent ocean views (that's why I came!)
- Very nice course overall
- Water stops exactly as advertised
- Great volunteers all around
- Excellent finish line
- One of the best medals I've ever gotten

Myrtle Beach puts on a great event!

 

J. B. from Lynchburg, VA (3/2/2011)
"Best time to visit Myrtle Beach" (about: 2011)

2 previous marathons | 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


This was my second marathon and the flat course is definitely conducive to a PR. The weather was amazing for the race weekend, a welcome change from the previous year. The expo was adequate for the size of the race, but nothing special (surprised to have to pay for parking at this).

Headwinds were a challenge for the 10-mile northbound section of the race, but were manageable. I had anticipated more of an ocean view, but this is blocked by hotels for most of the race. The post-race and after-party events were well organized and a big plus.

Overall, I had a great weekend. With the fast course, I was able to achieve my goal of getting under 4 hours. With Myrtle Beach being off-season, hotels and local attractions are very affordable and accessible.

 

Terri Menghini from St. Louis, MO USA (2/28/2011)
"My Favorite Marathon Yet!" (about: 2011)

50+ previous marathons | 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


Awesome course - flat and beautiful! I have run 63 marathons and this by far is my favorite! It's my favorite course and my favorite medal. I only wish they had someone taking photos when we were near the park by the ocean to get the ocean view in our background.

I will be back in the future!!! Thanks for an awesome weekend!

 

R. m. from Northeast USA (2/28/2011)
"Highly recommended!" (about: 2011)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


Okay, first of all, about the headwinds everyone is mentioning: yes, there were some winds, but they really were not that bad and very short in duration. And if there is a headwind in one direction, what is there in the other direction? A tailwind! Plus the tailwind was during the finishing miles, so we can't complain about winds.

As far as everything else, the course definitely was flat as can be, the 6:30 start was perfect, and I can't say enough about the volunteers, medical personnel and fans! Course opened up after the half'ers were dropped at 11, which I personally like.

A little sunny after we turned off of Ocean Blvd, but hey, it's SC, so what do you expect? The finishing area was a logistical masterpiece. Most everything was within walking distance, less than 15-20 minutes from the start/finish.

Medal was very cool, and the expo was also a pleasant experience for the size of this race.

Tech shirt was kind of cheesy, in my opinion; the back is covered bya list of 15 sponsors, and I would feel like a walking billboard wearing that. Also, although it is a tech shirt, it's made from one of those cheaper tech materials.

If traveling, I recommend staying at the Sheraton Convention Center: it's the host hotel, the expo is there, and there's no need for a vehicle.

 

D. B. from Denver, CO (2/23/2011)
"Just a so-so race." (about: 2011)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 3


The race was generally well organized and I was able to change from the full to the half at the last minute with no problem. The expo was small but excellent in quality. The services, promotions, coupons and other discounts available to racers were fantastic.

The course was nothing too exciting, running on the boulevard through strip malls until the 10K point, where there were the best spectators. Otherwise we saw a lot of impatient drivers who apparently did not read the notices about traffic closures.

Water stops were fine and well placed, except right at the finish line. Finishers were handed a great medal and poncho, but no water until the food area. There was no line for beer, which made up for it, sort of.

I was NOT impressed with the chip-timing system. Not that I would have gotten one, but awards were based on gun times. Why bother with chip-timing then? It was the next day before we saw our official times, and in our group of 7 runners, several of those were way off, either the overall time, or the pace calculations.

Overall, we had a great trip and a lot of fun, but this is not a race I will run again.

 

P. M. from Sumter, SC (2/23/2011)
"Excellent Small Race" (about: 2011)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


This race was very well organized and lots of fun. The flat course made for a fast run - a great course on which to try for a new PB. Weather was great, and the headwinds I read complaints about in other reviews really weren't that bad. All in all, it was a great day with excellent volunteers and good crowd support. I'd be happy to run it again next year.

 

J. H. from Tennessee (2/22/2011)
"Nice race with great volunteer support!" (about: 2011)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


Pros:
1) Nice expo
2) Nice medal, T-shirt (bonus beach towel)
3) Volunteers at water stops were abundant and eager to help
4) Start and finish within walking distance of each other
5) Course was almost completely flat
6) Stayed at Country Inn & Suites - they were very flexible about late checkout
7) Traffic control was never a problem

Cons:
1) Ran along the beach but couldn't see it, due to hotels (not the fault of the race staff)
2) Too warm for my liking, with little shade the last 6-8 miles, plus a decent headwind for several miles (weather, not the fault of the race staff)
3) Nobody supervised entry into post race food area, so family members were eating the food (hope they didn't run out)

Overall, I enjoyed the event, from start to finish.

 

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