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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 81 to 91]
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C. Q. from NJ
(5/6/2010)
"Great race, brilliant volunteers... bad day!" (about: 2010)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Brutal conditions - It was ok at the start, but once the heat index topped 90 degrees (about 11 a.m.), there was carnage. Given that, the first thing due is a big "THANK YOU" to the volunteers, organizers, EMTs and town. They gutted it out for the duration. Thanks to the folks with the hoses, and those who ran water stations from the front of their houses, and those who gave encouragement! The expo was well organized and not overwhelming. The course is relatively flat, though it gets lonely at parts of loop 2. Tough day - I missed my BQ by a good 17 minutes. But really, it's a nice event. I will be back - I feel like I owe that course a good hammering! Small points: 1) The two-wave start was confusing and should be better marked - somehow in this I lost sight of the two pace groups I was considering joining (they may have switched pens?). 2) The 9 a.m. start, while probably good for those arriving by train, was a problem given the weather - I crashed at mile 17-18 after leaving the seafront on loop 2 (about 11 a.m. when the real feel hit the 90's). 3) The banners on the finish caused problems. When the wind blew (and we are by the sea!), the banner saying, "Finish this way" folded back on itself and read simply, "Finish!" I saw runners in front of me slow up under the banner until they realized that there were no mats in sight. | |
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J. E. from Munich, Germany
(5/6/2010)
"Special thanks to the volunteers and spectators!" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Although the heat was brutal, especially on the second loop of the marathon, this turned out to be one of my more memorable marathon experiences. The volunteers were terrific! Many thanks to the spectators who helped us with their cheering and their sprinklers and garden hoses! You probably saved many of us from ending up in the hospital ER. The finisher cap was a nice surprise. | |
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A. S. from NJ
(5/4/2010)
"Mixed bag... potentially disastrous" (about: 2010)
2 previous marathons
| 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 The good: >>On-time start >>Wave start really helped the second wave starters a lot >>Amazing crowd support! Not just verbal encouragement, but water, food, sprinklers, and even medical attention for fallen runners in the 85-degree heat. >>Great EMT and police assistance. I saw about a dozen runners down, and not a single one was without EMT or police assistance. >>Flawless traffic control. >>Rockin' bands and DJs throughout the course. >>Beautiful new course that was impeccably well marked and measured. All of the Garmins around me were beeping at the exact point where the mile markers were posted. The bad: >>10,000 starters and not even self-seeded corrals? >>No rhyme or reason to GU availability. >>Not enough food. I dont blame the half-marathoners one bit; it's the organizers' fault that food was sparse after mile 17 and non-existent after mile 22. >>What happened to the high energy food aid station with candy and soda? >>No protein at the finish. >>The only food at the finish was a banana and a fruit juice - if you happened to bump into the roving people handing them out. There was zero protein available. >>Not even a raffle ticket for one free item from the pay food vendors - this race is on the expensive side. >>The race website crashed the day before the race and is still only sporadically up two days later. >>Despite 3 factors leading to more traffic (later start, prime beach weather, 1,000 additional entrants), bus drivers still were not given maps and had to sit around waiting for the 2-3 drivers who knew their way around when they could have been ferrying more passengers. >>There was a 45-minute wait in the sun for a shuttle back to the parking area with only 2 race staff on hand who had all they could handle just getting people onto the shuttles. Seems like the organizers need to cap the field for a year or two while they get their act together. I feel like I got lucky and avoided major problems with the poor planning and 88-degree heat thanks to carrying my own nutrition and the fact that I was only in the sun for 3 and a half ours instead of 5 or 6 hours. I don't know how those guys finished given the poorly executed support. Marathons are dangerous enough in 88-degree heat without race organizers who fail to deliver what they promise. I'm local and really want to run this race again, but I plan to stay away for a couple of years until I see some real improvement in the eyes of reviewers. | |
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Otto Lam from New Jersey
(5/3/2010)
"Thank you everyone!" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 New Jersey Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Just want to say thank you to the organizer, volunteers, local residents, police, and everyone.... The race was tough for me, as I was training through the winter. I totally forgot what it was like to run in the heat until yesterday! Yet, it is amazing to see how supportive the volunteers and local residents were... they were spraying water, handing out drinks, and cheering for us. And the police officers were standing in the heat to direct traffic while cheering on for us. And I love the, "Welcome" banner in Oceanport! I tried to say, "Thank you" to each and everyone of them, but I ran of energy toward the end of the race, so here I am to say, "THANK YOU" again to all of you for your great support! It means so much to me! | |
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I. C. from New York, NY
(5/3/2010)
"best of both worlds" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This year was a steamer, with temps hitting 90 degrees, but the crowd support made it manageable. The volunteers were all great, keeping up their enthusiasm among the steady stream of runners and making sure the water, gatorade and GU actually made it into our hands. Residents lined the course in their front yards, spraying us with cold water and giving out their own fruit and drinks - very nice of them to do in what was no doubt steamy heat for them too. The enthusiastic and down-to-earth crowd support was probably the best feature of the race, giving a cozy feel to a relatively "big city" race. The course itself was a combination of residential streets and a stretch along the boardwalk, which was nice. But it was a tad too flat for my tastes, and there were a number of sharp turns with unclear indication of which tangents were allowed. (Do we run on the right or left side of the cones? It seemed to switch along the course and sometimes I didn't take a tangent that looked "legal" because no one else was - then some runners would slip over and others would follow...). Pre-race and post-race were so-so. I personally appreciated the later 9 a.m. start and the option for race-day pick-up, which made it an easy day trip from NYC (where I live). But it was chaotic at the start, with insufficient signs in the packed hotel to find one's way, creating undue anxiety when it would have been fairly easy to put up a dozen large signs (and have more staff/volunteers in clearly identifiable shirts to ask questions of - they were nowhere to be found). Post race, I could not find the promoted hot soup, bagels, yogurt, etc. - and no one else could either. We were just handed a bag with a juice and two bananas - the last thing I wanted to eat after 100 ounces of Gatorade and three GUs! Needed something salty and substantial, not something sweet and sticky. I ended up getting a burger from a nearby stand. But I do give the race organizers great kudos for managing the heat situation exceptionally well. There was plenty of water and Gatorade from start to finish, and even ice water/icy Gatorade during the second half of the race. The volunteers who worked the water stops seemed to have been clearly instructed to make sure we were all well hydrated. Also, the two-wave addition this year seemed to have eased congestion based on what I've read of prior years' races. I ran in the first wave and experienced little bottlenecking. Finally, I loved finishing at the beach! The weather was brutal during the race, but it felt great afterwards! All in all, there were some organizational glitches, but I had a great time and plan to go back. | |
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M. B. from Virginia
(5/3/2010)
"Could have been a better experience" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 First, the obvious: it was hot - 72 degrees at the start, and 90 when I finished 4 hours and 15 minutes later. The good: 1) the course is flat and under normal circumstances would be a PR course 2) the volunteers were terrific 3) the people in the neighborhoods who sprayed runners with sprinklers were awesome 4) the run on the boardwalk section was beautiful The bad: 1) no excuse for moving the start time to 9:00. And for not adjusting it once the forecasts showed temps were going to be at least in the 80s. This is definitely a half marathon with a marathon on the side. A 9:00 start time is fine for a half marathon - NOT for a marathon! I finished at 1:15 p.m. (when it was 90 degrees) - and there were still people out on the course 2 hours later! I can't blame the heat on the organizers, but let's use a little common sense here. 2) No food in the food tent when I finished (race time ~4:15) except for bananas. I heard from someone that there were bags of food for the half marathoners (fruit juice, bananas, PowerBars). No sign of any of this when I finished. Just the bananas. Unacceptable, especially considering that if you scroll down to see comments from 2009, you'll see this happened then, too. Another reason why I think very little consideration is given to the marathoners. I could not find anything to drink except the little cups of water/Gatorade right at the finish line. My wife went looking for something for me and came back with nothing because even the vendors were out of drinks. I was disappointed that the conditions weren't optimal for a great race, but even more disappointed that the marathoners were on the short end for post-race fluids/food (again!) - especially on a day where the temps reached the 90s. I can see giving the half marathoners good food/drink, but what about the people who are still out there 2 and 3 hours after most of the half marathoners finish? I'm proud that I finished the race and enjoyed the trip to/from New Jersey. With some proper planning/common sense, the actual race could have been just as enjoyable. | |
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d. j. from ohio
(5/3/2010)
"Nice course; needs an earlier start" (about: 2010)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Beautiful, two-loop, new course; plan on spending an extra day or two in the area for fun. The 9 a.m. start was too late for many full marathoners to beat the heat, and just make a 6:00 flight out of Newark Airport. The good news is if you arrive on race day before 7:00, limited parking was available at the hotel for $5, a great deal for getting close to the action a shower at the hotel or just a quick getaway after the race - without the shuttle bus hassles. They did seem to have a long period between miles 20 and 24 without water - maybe it was just the heat and the humidity the second time around. Many thanks to the residents with garden hoses! Aid stations were well stocked with everything, and a nice finisher's medal and hat! Great overall. | |
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C. M. from FL
(5/3/2010)
"The 9 a.m. start is ridiculous" (about: 2010)
50+ previous marathons
| 2 New Jersey Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Overall, this is a nice event if you do not mind the obstacles. Frankly, I will not be back! First of all, lodging is limited, and getting to Long Branch from Philadelphia, Newark, or NYC is difficult. Limited parking at the expo; and the expo closed early on Saturday, forcing late arrivals to pay $20 for race-day pickup unless you have a friend do it. Parking at the race track was convenient, although you should give yourself at least a hour to park because of traffic jams. Shuttles ran smoothly and there were plenty of port-a-potties at the parking area. Being mixed in with slow-moving spectators getting on the bus with their coolers, strollers, etc. was not pleasant when you just want to get to the start line. Then spectators were standing in the starting area! Confusing to say the least! Most of the field of this event are half marathoners, many with NO idea of their pace, so you had to pass groups of walkers for at least a mile. And a couple of baby strollers! The 9 a.m. start is real kicker! Huh? Made travel arrangements hard for anyone trying to get back for flights home on a Sunday! Suggestion is to start the marathon at 7 and let the half marathoners start late. Running on the boardwalk for the second loop of the marathon was tough because of the people now walking in the way. Also, slower runners were almost forced off of the course at around mile 22 and told to go to the finish. Heat made this tough even for the faster runners. I have completed over 200 marathon, and I will not do this one again! | |
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D. C. from Virginia
(5/3/2010)
"Thank you, volunteers!" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I have to send a special thank you to all of the water stop volunteers! The weather conditions were hazy, hot and humid, but the water stop volunteers gave it a valiant effort to keep up with the demands of the runners. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who went up to them with a dazed look in my eyes, which was probably downright scary at times. Again, thank you, volunteers. Would never have made it without you. | |
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G. K. from Southeast US
(5/3/2010)
"Heat = not their fault. Smelly buses = their fault" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 When record temps occur, you have to expect it's going to cause problems. My car said 95 degrees when I got back to it. The race handled the most important things, like runner safety, exceptionally well. There were plenty of fluid stations - all well stocked. Many of the stations had been given ice to hand out. Many of the kind residents ran their sprinklers at the road. As a result, I only saw a few runners down - amazing given the gruesome conditions. But the race has some issues: * Make sure you arrive at the race parking very early. Pretty healthy traffic jam trying to get in. * The start is too crowded for the number of participants. They start the marathon early, followed by the half. You tangled with walking half marathoners for far too many miles. * Don't see why the race has to start at 9 a.m. However, since the race starts so late, there's plenty of time for the race to manage race-day Sunday packet pick-up instead of requiring a $30 donation to have your packet held. * There has got to be a better bus solution than a half-mile-plus walk to get to the pick-up point with a 30 minute wait in the direct sun to get on a bus stalled in traffic with foul-smelling runners. * Not enough food at the end (for the cost). |
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