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New Jersey Marathon Runner Comments

Back to New Jersey Marathon Information & Reviews

Course Rating Course 4.3 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 4.5 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 3.9 
 
 
Number of comments: 464 [displaying comments 271 to 281]
More Comments: [ < 1 .. 26 27 28 29 30 .. 47 > ]

 

F. D. from New Jersey (5/4/2006)
"Proud to have a great marathon in my home state!" (about: 2006)

4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


I would like to congratulate all race personnel involved for coordinating a brilliant NJ Marathon. It was a great day and everything was smooth, from the expo to post-race baggage pick-up. The medal was really nice. You actually get a REAL running shirt and hat, not that cheesey cotton T-shirt. The course was OK. I'm not a fan of loops, but this was fine. As far as spectators, let's not compare to NY because this is a different type of race. Course was pretty flat but there were some long steady hills that you really feel the second time around. I thought some of the fluid stations had water quality issues, but all in all, a great event put together by great people.

 

C. R. from West Milford, NJ (5/3/2006)
"2006 Half Marathon" (about: 2006)

2 previous marathons | 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


Great race - I only ran the half marathon this year, but it covers the same course. Great weather. Great organization. GREAT volunteers. LB Police Dept. did a great job. Crowds were light in some areas due to the early (7:15) start, but the people that were there were fantastic. The only negatives to the race were that it no longer goes though Sandy Hook and the wind out of the north was a real killer. I'll be back for the full 26 next year.

 

B. R. from Ramsey, New Jersey (5/3/2006)
"A New Jersey Gem" (about: 2006)

11-50 previous marathons | 6+ New Jersey Marathons
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


TO: Art Castellano, Race Director

Thanks again for all your efforts over the past 10 years to make the NEW JERSEY MARATHON a reality. You should be really proud!

The new course is good, especially since there is only one section of concrete on Lincoln Avenue between mile 9 and 10. I shuddered on the old course when we hit the sidewalk out of Sandy Hook. That was a tough two-mile stretch.

Please help me next year, I don't want number 13 again! Twice in a row was too much!

Congratulations on a job well done!

BR, AKA #13

 

B. D. from Newton, MA (5/3/2006)
"A Great, Big, Small Marathon" (about: 2006)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


This is a small marathon (1,700 runners) that thinks and acts big. Great tech T-shirt, great medal, great hat, great FLAT course in a picture-perfect Jersey Shore town. The volunteers and organizing staff are extremely friendly and enthusiastic. Directions to the start and parking areas were very clear. Plenty of water stops (every 1.2 miles or so) and the one in Elberon (at Miles 9 and 22) gave out every kind of goodie imaginable, including Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies! And a nice party at the finish.

Having Katherine Switzer as the 2006 Grand Marshal was fabulous!

Two minor complaints: Team in Training "Coaches" on bikes on the course, especially when it narrowed on Ocean Ave. (unfortunately, no rules ever seem to apply to TNT) and not enough Bruce! Hey Race Director, where are we? Sheboygan? Send us off with a nice, loud "Born to Run," why doncha?

 

C. T. from upstate New York (5/3/2006)
"great spring marathon" (about: 2006)

50+ previous marathons | 2 New Jersey Marathons
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


All-round well done by an all volunteer team, including RD. Once they address the pasta dinner cost, it'll be the best marathon in the tri-state area for its numbers. Nice finish line perks: hat and a marathon pin attached to the medal's ribbon.

 

G. W. from New Jersey - 60 miles north (5/3/2006)
"Nice Small Marathon" (about: 2006)

1 previous marathon | 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 3


This was my first marathon, so any comparisons or expectations are based on other races I have run....

Recap:
The field was small (1,500-2,000 marathoners). The marathon starts about 45 minutes after the half marathon and their 1,500-2,000 runners, so you do run into their slower runners/walkers along the course. It's two loops, which I wasn't excited about in the beginning, but in retrospect I think it's fine. You start and end at the beach, which is really nice. The crowd support on the boardwalk (mile 12/25) and at mile 5/18 is very good, but sparse everywhere else. The volunteers were excellent, so my hat's off to the organizers for that. The weather is perfect (mid 50's), but it would get warm for those expecting to finish after 4 hours (noon). Some elite runners complained of slight wind, but it was a non-issue for a casual runner like myself.

Disappointments:
Pre-race organization was chaotic. The hotel where race check-in was is too small to accommodate all the runners milling around. Rather than a timing chip on the shoelaces, you get a Velcro ankle strap that cuts into your skin. Whose brilliant idea was an ankle strap?? The start was anti-climatic (no hype, no excitement, no music, just, "Get set, go."). The mile markers are knee high and difficult to see ahead of time or if running with a crowd. At least stick a pole in the cone and put the marker on top! There were not enough time clocks - I'm used to seeing them at every mile, which wasn't the case here. Water stops needed to be extended by an extra table or two (or put them on both sides of the street), as they got very crowded. At the finish, the bottle water was warm. I expected more options than chili, bananas and oranges for post-race food.

Overall:
I had a good time. It was a great first marathon and I would recommend it. I may return simply because it's convenient for me to get to but I wouldn't go out of my way if I lived more than 100 miles away.

 

Steve Powell from Colts Neck, NJ (5/3/2006)
"fast, flat course; problems with staggered start" (about: 2006)

6-10 previous marathons | 3 New Jersey Marathons
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 4


I loved the new two-loop course; it's fast and flat. I think it's potentially even faster than the old point-to-point course. Not as much of the new course is run on the oceanfront, and therefore generally not as windy. All of my marathon PR's have been set at this race.

Major drawback this year: the 1/2 marathoners and slower marathoners started 45 minutes earlier on the same course. It was difficult to navigate through this field. The race director advised me though that they are considering a single gun start next year, which would eliminate this problem.

Great Boston qualifier.

 

J. B. from Brooklyn, NY (5/3/2006)
"1st-time half-marathoner" (about: 2006)

1 previous marathon | 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


Beautiful course, perfect weather, amazing volunteers. The organizers did a fantastic job. I don't see how they can top themselves next year but I can't wait to find out!

 

L. B. from Riverview, MI (5/3/2006)
"Excellent race, support is great." (about: 2006)

50+ previous marathons | 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


Enjoyed everything about the race. Great course with significant ocean views, nice expo, tons of friendly volunteers, vegetarian chili, etc. afterwards. The only negative point was the pasta dinner, at $30. A nearby restaurant, Freddie's, gave us an all you can eat dinner for $7.

 

C. L. from Philadelphia, PA (5/3/2006)
"great spring race" (about: 2006)

3 previous marathons
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


I ran the full marathon and was very impressed. My previous races have been megathons (MCM and NYC) and I preferred NJ! There were spots where there weren't many spectators, but where there were people, they were very enthusiastic and friendly! A lot of community volunteers helped with traffic and aid stations, which were well stocked with Gatorade/water, and there were a few snack stops (gummies, jelly beans, oranges and bananas) too. Awesome! I really liked the two-loop course and the way it was set up; it was very easy for spectators to find their runner on multiple places on the course. There were also plenty of porta-potties and I really didn't have trouble with parking. The shirt was very nice (technical long-sleeve Mizuno), as was the medal, and the finisher hat was a nice touch. The only complaint I heard a lot of was that there were parts that were not too shaded, and it was a sunny, dry day, so I think a lot of people were deceived by the conditions and went out too fast.

 

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