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☰
New Jersey Marathon Runner Comments
Back to New Jersey Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 4.5 
Spectators 3.9
Number of comments: 464 [displaying comments 41 to 51]
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Eliot W. Collins from Raritan Borough NJ
(5/16/2012)
"Had a Nice Time - Will Return Again in 2013" (about: 2012)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ New Jersey Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I was the 6-hour pacer and my time was 5:59:57 (3 seconds too early). I look forward to returning to the New Jersey Marathon for the 13th time in 2013, and I will continue to recommend this race to others. | |
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C. S. from South Jersey
(5/15/2012)
"Fast flat course good for a PR" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 New Jersey Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The course was a reasonably scenic run mixing in some boardwalk. It was basically flat with a few rolls. A very good course for a BQ or a PR. Fan support was about standard compared to previous marathons I've run. Both the shirt and finisher's medal were high quality. Only negative was getting to both the expo and to the race. Severe traffic congestion. We got off the Parkway at 6 am and it took us ~50 mins to cover the ~5 miles to the race track where the races started. We were there in plenty of time for the marathon (8 am start) but many half-marathoners (7 am start) were late or even missed the start due to traffic. Suggest looking at changing the race start location or the order/times of the 3 races. | |
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s. d. from usa
(5/15/2012)
"skip it-unless u try 4 boston QT" (about: 2012)
3 previous marathons
| 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 NJ MARATHON 2012 finisher There are limited ocean view, mostly toward the end,, there is chaos in getting to the start - HUGE traffic delay, several friends missed the start of the 1/2 - sat in traffic for over an hour,, the course runs through sad depressed looking neighborhoods, reminds you of the income gap between uber-wealthy and the uber-poor, course is fast and flat good for making boston times. | |
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m. m. from san antonio, tx
(5/12/2012)
"Cold, Flat, Fast" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This marathon was near perfect. The sun was out, but I don't think it got over 60 degrees. The course was good, nice and flat. I PR'd, but I did have one complaint. The roads. They were horrible! Potholes, uneven surfaces, asphalt that wasn't smootheven the boardwalk along the beautiful shore was full of boards that stuck up unevenly and that I sometimes fell into the cracks of. Having said that though, I would recommend this race because it's so flat and fast, and the scenery wasn't too badno industrial sections or rows of warehouses. Just neighborhoods and shoreline. Also, stayed at the Staybridge Suites near the start. Clean, quiet with a small kitchenette and free breakfast every morning. And I must give a shout out to the Good Karma Cafe in Red Bank. Amazing vegan food! | |
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R. R. from New York, NY
(5/10/2012)
"Way to go New Jersey!" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 *PROS 1) This is a small town race that has a big marathon feel about it. The quality of the organization and expo are similar to much larger marathons. 2) I don't know the area at all, but the course seemed to make the best of what it had to work with. 3) The water stops were well run by supportive volunteers 4) The 'wavish' type of start was nice. I say wavish because the groups were so small that there was probably 30 seconds between the starts. 5) The bus transportation back from finish to start seemed to work well. The busses were parked approximately 3/4 mi from the finish, so it gave you a chance to walk some of the marathon pains off. *CONS 1) The 5:25 pace group leader was not at the start, although all others leaders were very visible. A small group of us searched and searched and then gave up when our wave started. A downer for me, as I was relying on her to get me in at 5:25. I later saw her she blew by me with 1.5 miles to go. I finished at 5:27. I don't want to be too critical because she may have had a good reason for not meeting her commitment of being at the start, but if so an email would have been nice (provided at expo pace table). 2) The parking seemed a bit log jammed, although we heard of the headaches with it and arrived very early to avoid the problem. 3) There was a stretch of the course, possibly in the 13-7 mile range, where there were no water stops available. 4) As usual, there was nothing going on with the post race food for a 5.5 hour marathoner. I mean nothing. 5) One of the medal presenters caught up with me after I had mine draped around me, and questioned the sanity of me drinking chocolate milk after a race. He was sincerely concerned. I was sincerely surprised with his lack of running recovery knowledge. Overall GREAT job New Jersey!! I'll be back whenever I can fit you in my schedule! | |
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M. R. from Brooklyn, NY
(5/10/2012)
"It's getting better all the time" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 New Jersey Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 My second time running this race. Improvements over last year: a free train from Manhattan and moving half-marathoners to a whole hour before the marathon so there was as little overlap at the finish as possible. And, the train station back was in walking (hobbling) distance! Bag check was a little baffling, and I didn't have a car so didn't run into the traffic jam problems that others did. I could have used some more crowd support, and I felt that last year we ran through more town centers (although I might be deluded), but it was a nice day, and I hope to be back same time next year. | |
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S. M. from Berlin, NJ
(5/9/2012)
"Great Experience" (about: 2012)
1 previous marathon
| 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Nice flat course, enjoyed the scenery. Running the boardwalk in Asbury Park was fun (good crowd there).I arrived at 6am for an 8am start and glad I did.Lots of traffic for later arrivals.The start seemed to go off with out a hitch.Spectators were scattered through out but very supportive! Really good crowd at the finish line and great finishers medal. I would recommend this one to others. | |
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D. F. from Scarsdale, NY
(5/9/2012)
"You want to PR? Do it here." (about: 2012)
3 previous marathons
| 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Let me be the first to review the 2012 New Jersey Marathon, the first since major POSITIVE changes took effect. In short, it was a fast, professional and well organized race. If your goal is a PR, or more specifically a BQ (as mine was), this is the race for you. One huge change new to 2012 is that the race began over a full hour after the more populated half-marathon race. What this means is that the old complaints of fast marathoners dodging packs of walking halfers before the finish line no longer apply. Another change is that the race begins at Monmouth Park race track, a huge facility with ample indoor space, bathrooms, and even a carpeted second floor, which came in very handy as it was cool at the start. I'll start from the beginning here. In the months prior to the race, there was a funny and inspirational Facebook group with daily posts and feedback from race personnel. Always good for a laugh, or to compare workouts with other racers. On race weekend, the Expo was held at Monmouth Park. Bib pickup was seamless, and the D-chip could remain on your bib, not needing to be tied to your shoe, which I appreciated. Race morning went smoothly. I showed up at Monmouth Park with an hour to spare but didn't need to have. Getting into the assigned corral (one for each hour of estimated finishing time) was easy, and once in the corral you could easily stand wherever you like. Which brings me to the pace groups. My goal was a BQ+5, meaning 3:05. I introduced myself to the 3:05 pacer and met the others in the group. After a quick speech and the national anthem, the gun went off (10 minutes after 8, but no matter) and the Elite A corral took off. One minute later, my B corral was released and my race began. I stayed with the 3:05ers the whole time, so the pace was steady and there was good company throughout. The race had a number of turns, but I knew that going in and tried to run the tangents accordingly. Most of the first half of the race was through neighborhoods with occasional cheering spectators. Being among the faster marathoners, I caught up to some walking half-marathoners between about miles 6 through 12, but they were manageable and generally courteous enough to walk to the side. By the halfway mark, the halfers were gone and the course was all ours. Based on what I'd heard about this race in prior years, this was a HUGE improvement. The second half of the race went down and then up the shore with a few additional turns. The out-and-back nature of it was pretty cool, as I got to see the leader at mile 21 when I was at mile 16 or so, and then check out the 4 hour marathoners at 16 when I got to 21. In the end, I stuck with the 3:05 pacer, who was a little ahead of schedule, and ended up running a 3:03:51. There were lots of fans cheering before the finish line, and the 'death march' post-finish was as humane as can be with a short walk. My wife and 2 young kids could meet me minutes later. Best part was afterwards, when we could drink at the tiki bar, listen to the band, and still watch the runners coming in while my kids played in the sand. A great marathon to run if you've got a young family. What else? The medal was really cool, too, if you care about that sort of thing. To sum, the course was flat and the race well-organized. Weather is always iffy, but it's typically 50s or low 60s in early May in NJ, and our day didn't disappoint. Run it! | |
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A. K. from Boston, MA
(5/9/2012)
"Great Boston Qualifier" (about: 2012)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The course is fast and flat with no real hills to speak of (I BQ'd with a 3:01 PR). In '12 there was a 10mph breeze out of the east which wasn't an impediment as much as it kept you cool. I would say the two drawbacks are 1) thin crowd, especially on the second half and 2) the second half is an out and back, mostly on one road (Ocean Ave.) that can be boring. I got in with a pack which helped pass the time. Overall a fun experience and great qualifier. | |
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m. p. from DC
(5/9/2012)
"Flat course" (about: 2012)
1 previous marathon
| 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race was well organized. The course was flat. The course is nice particularly by the ocean. My friends and family enjoyed it as spectators too. The tech t-shirt was well done. The medal is appropriately 'bling' this is jersey after all. I chose this marathon because it is fast and they have pacers every five minutes. The pace groups are a reasonable size. I was not disappointed with a terrific pacer. I think if you are looking for a good BQer as I was this is a great race. |
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