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☰
Atlantic City Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Atlantic City Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.5 
Organization 3.4 
Spectators 2.6
Number of comments: 126 [displaying comments 101 to 111]
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Lawrence Herman from Frederick, MD, USA
(10/19/2005)
"I had a great time at this great race!" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Atlantic City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Although the marathon was not well-publicized (maybe not at all), there were incredibly small number of participants, and there was 35-mile-per-hour winds with gusts to 45, the people were friendly, nice cheering from the support crew, and very kind and enthusiatic volunteers! Yes, it was very windy, but perfect 55-65 degree temperature and the most gorgeous sun ever! They could not determine the weather. The course was nice and although I have often read 'flat and fast' about races, this one really IS!!! Other than going up and down the ramp between the boardwalk and the street (which is only about 10 PACES), it is truly, seriously, 100% flat as a pancake! There were 4 switchbacks which let me see the leaders a bunch of times, know how far I was from my friends, and be a bit of a spectator at the same time as I was a participant. So, I had a great time and suggest this race to everyone.... Even if I did get blown sideways into a parked car once or twice and ate some blown sand! | |
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marathon bug from NJ
(12/26/2004)
"great for my first marathon" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Atlantic City Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 OK, so the course isn't that great (lots of turns, dodging around some people on the boardwalk and strikers). Organization could have been better in terms of getting the word out about this race. And spectators? Ha. Not unless you brought your family and friends. But I absolutely loved this marathon! It was nice to switch between two terrains so that your legs didn't get too tired from either the road or the boardwalk. There were a lot of other first-timers who were very kind and easy to run with. The weather was absolutely perfect. My boyfriend biked beside me for half the way and cheered me on. We spent the rest of the weekend in AC and had a lot of fun. I would definitely recommend this race to a first-timer. I had trained for months by myself, always with music, but when I ran this marathon I met some good people and didn't need the music at all. I had trained almost exclusively on hills and in the heat of the summer, which also made this race not so difficult since it was almost completely flat and the weather was cool. As long as you do your training and the weather holds (and you can psych yourself out for a strong headwind for 2-3 miles), this race should be a breeze. | |
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B. M. from Oceanview, NJ
(11/8/2004)
"Horrible first experience" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Atlantic City Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This was my first marathon experience, and I will probably never run the A.C. Marathon again. I live in Palermo, NJ, so I like how convenient it was, however, I thought maybe the mayor could pull some strings and get the strikers off the boardwalk for a couple hours. Also, the course was not marked well at all. We were running around traffic, and the arrows were not clear! Sorry, but it was really bad! | |
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b. b. from Northern NJ
(10/22/2004)
"The 'invisible' marathon" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Atlantic City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This marathon goes on in and around Atlantic City and no one who lives or visits there seems to know about it. I was actually asked: 'What's with the number?' However, I love this marathon and here is why: 1) Not too far from home for a quick day trip. 2) It's not crowded with runners so you have plenty of space to yourself the whole way. 3) It's flat. 4) At least half of it is very scenic. I know what the negatives are and there are ways to get around it: 1) Know in advance you might not get your award that you've won, know that you've won one or that your time was officially recorded. It's not a top race in terms of organization. You just run it for your own time keeping and nothing more. 2) No fans. Bring your spouse or a friend and have them ride along side you on a bike the whole way for food, water and support. I have done this 2 years in a row and it works out great. 3) Wind. Just hope that the wind blows north (at your back) for the last 5 miles - it usually is at the beach, but no guarantees. Did you expect there to not be wind at the beach? 4) People in the way on the boardwalk. Yell as you come up behind them. No different than running in a park (or other races where there were walkers in front). 5) Too many turns on the course. They seem to change the course every year. Maybe next time there won't be as many turns. Then again there might be more. 6) No clocks at every mile. Every mile is marked with a sandwich sign. so wear a watch. 7) Not enough water stops. See #2 above. 8) People skipping parts of the course. It could happen at any marathon. Rat them out when you finish and they will be disqualified. This marathon is not for first timers or people looking for the New York Marathon experience. This a great marathon to run that is low-key and if you are lucky with the weather you could really improve your time. This is one of the few marathons that have slot machines in the same room as the number pickup. Enjoy it. | |
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L. H. from South Jersey
(11/20/2003)
"Nice race in spite of itself" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 The brutal wind and rain at the start to 2003 was a gut check. The first half is full of twists and turns which break your rhythm. I guess this is the way the course must be so as to stay within the city limits. The second half is a solitary experience. Unless you plan to run with a buddy, be prepared to tough it out alone with very little fan support. The level course makes it ideal for a first-timer with little hill climbing experience. | |
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J. Z. from Edison, Nj
(11/5/2003)
"A racer's marathon" (about: 1999)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I ran this five times. Liked course before they added all the turns. At the last turnaround it thins out so it's just you, the road and the person 200 yards ahead of you. Not a bad thing. Lots to do after the race. | |
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John Rus from New York
(10/14/2003)
"Ran 1/2, pretty good race, not as bad as I feared" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 Ran here for first time. Only did the 1/2 marathon. Race was pretty good. Flat course, but bad weather conditions made it tougher. Hard rain and strong wind. After reading reviews here before I ran the race, was scared. But race was OK. Seems they might have been missing a couple of mile markers and there are not clocks at each marker. Also, water stops were infrequent. I only remember stops at mile 5 and 8, and maybe one more after that. Saw some people at the halfway point of the marathon, does not look like a good place to run one. No crowds, looked depressing watching some of the marathoners trudge on by. Online results still not available 2 days after race, and that's unacceptable. | |
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J. F. from Long Island
(10/14/2003)
"Nice, small marathon " (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Prior to race day I had my doubts. The website did not provide that much information, and some of the previous comments were not that favorable. However, registration was easy and the people were very friendly throught the morning. Even with the terrible weather in the beginning everyone seemed cheerful, and one of the organizers correctly predicted the weather would clear. Having the other races start at the same time makes the 1st half of the marathon seem a lot bigger. By the second half I ran alone only seeing people at the turn-arounds. However, there were race volunteers and enough spectators to keep away the loneliness. THe turn arounds were not as bad as I thought. I actually like them because it broke some of the monotony of a long stretches, and it allowed the course to remain compact. The boardwalk is a great surface to run on, but I had to avoid the crashing waves splashing on the surface due to the storm. Also, It's nice not having any hills at the end of race, when the legs are sore. They could have one more water stop in each half. Before and after the race there is plenty to do. I had a fun 2 days. | |
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c. d. from New Jersey
(9/16/2003)
"Small, organized, but boring." (General Comments)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 I live in NJ, so I selected this as my first marathon to run. I have also run the 1/2 marathon twice. I loved the stretch along the boardwalk, watching the sunlight glittering on the breakers. It was very relaxing to get into your rhythm. I found the northern section to be extremely confusing, and was so thankful for volunteers pointing you in the right direction. And it was so flat, flat, flat it was hard on the legs. I did very much like that the finish line was the same as the starting line, so you didn't have to lug stuff around with you. The part I disliked most was that there were NO spectators, except near the finish line. Can't they do a better PR job to encourage people to come out? I ran a race in Sea Isle City (just down the coast) and there were people, people, people almost every step of the way. Not only were there few spectators, but there were far too many pedestrians who would look at you, then step in front of you at about mile 25, when you didn't really need to be zig-zagging the course. Please, maybe a runners' lane? | |
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A Runner from New Jersey
(11/11/2002)
"Pretty lame" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 I didn?t expect much form this race and rightly so. The course has too many loops and cutting back on the same areas and it goes through some pretty shady areas. There are no spectators except at the halfway point where you go over the finish line for the half marathon, the 10 K and the 5 K and the eventual end of the marathon. On the boardwalk in Atlantic City there are some gamblers that are in the way. I think that they could set up a few cones on the boardwalk to make a path for the runners. Add a few clocks or at least volunteers at every mile to let you know your time. There was no Gatorade at the end of the race. And they gave out one of the ugliest T-shirts I have ever seen!! I realize this is a small race but for the amount of money they charge for it I expect a lot more. |
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