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Clearwater Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Clearwater Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 3.8 
Spectators 3.1
Number of comments: 170 [displaying comments 91 to 101]
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jan kamp from bergen op zoom the netherlands
(3/7/2003)
"not what i expected" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 This was my one hundred and first timer. The organization on the course was OK, the course itself, not as flat as promissed. Where was the crowd? I,m usually a 3.50 runner but because of the weather, everybody knows, i finished in 5 hours. On the finish line the medal was beautiful. One more marathon to go in Rotterdam, The Netherlands than its over and out no more marathons. | |
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j. k. from Florida
(3/5/2003)
"looking for fun on cloudy day" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Thank you so much for that e-mail on the marathon results and comment. that was the best laugh I have had in a while! I'm not being cheeky, really! As I read through the complaint portion I realized that you have a very tough job! This was my first time running your event and I run for fun, so surely these things are very important to the serious athelte, but please don't people realize nature is something even the race commitee can not control! Although me personal race time was terrible, I couldn't breathe, I had kleenex in my race ready shorts instead of Gu, and cloudy days depress me.....I had a great time! Thank you for all you did to put the event together! I'll be back next year! | |
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D. J. from Tampa, FL
(3/5/2003)
"If you're a real runner, then you had to love it!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 5th marathon and I considered it a tune-up for Boston in April. The course was great, including the bridges and hills. Nice challenge for us flatlanders in Tampa. Chris did a great job putting this together and my compliments to him. Great job by our local law enforcement for protecting us and providing us safety. Great Job! There were plenty of water stations with plenty of friendly people, oranges too! There were a good number of spectators that made my day, including the little kids waving those Bucs flags. If you are looking for a small marathon with plenty of challenge, beautiful senery, some couple miles of soft shell trail running, and hills. Then you gotta taste this one. Let there be no doubt about it, you'll know you ran a marathon but you will feel just as satisfied as finishing the Boston! | |
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M. M. from Maine
(3/4/2003)
"Great race for snowbirds from the north!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Race Report: Florida Marathon 2003 (Three-Part Harmony) www.floridamarathon.com The Florida Marathon, called the Gulf Coast Marathon by locals, starts at 7am from a postage sized park located next to one of the seemingly hundreds of causeway bridges that connect the beach communities of greater Tampa Bay. Kathleen and I arrived the evening before, picked up my bib and surveyed the lay of the land. On Sunday, the morning air was muggy and breezy with a temperature of 67 F. The breeze would pick up throughout the course as we wound our way across numerous bridges and beach towns. Overall, the one loop course was pancake flat with very few twists or turns. Three-Part Harmony Miles 1 through 6 (50 minutes) Part 1. Improvisation ? Going into this race I no clear expectations of finish time. Wearing a heart rate monitor, I set the upper limit to 155 and hoped to keep it below 140 for most of the race. Gulping water and Gatorade from the first of the numerous aid stations along the way, I told myself to smile and enjoy the scenery. After all, last week?s twenty miler in Gray, Maine began in 0 F temp?s. This was well on the way to being a nice easy long run. Miles 7 through 13 (60 minutes) Miles 14 through 20 (60 minutes) Part 2. Harmony ? At mile 10 I came upon the 3:40 pace group, a chattering gaggle of vacationing runners from various parts of the US. Normally in a marathon I want absolutely no part of conversation, but this was a different circumstance. I was in the mood for some levity and this group was just the ticket. We introduced ourselves and kept the conversation lively through the water stops up to and including mile 22. Miles 21 through 26.2 (60 minutes) Part 3. Dissonance ? Somewhere around mile 22 as we ran towards land and away from the Gulf breezes, the temperatures climbed above 80F and the humidity felt like a wet blanket. I just couldn?t drink enough liquid and, as Hans would say, the oil light lit up like a candle. My HRM blinked 155 ? 160. You can call a marathon a fun run or training run but the last few miles still hold a mystique. There?s nothing quite like the tunnel of pain between miles 22 to 25 where the only question worth answering is, ?When will this damn thing be over?? I shuffled it in and managed a smile as I crossed the finish a hair under 3:50. On the satisfaction scale of 1 to 10, this performance was a 7.5 | |
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A. I. from Clearwater, FL
(3/4/2003)
"It was wonderful and we will definitely be back!!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I loved the race and the organizers did a super job on race day. The overcast skys helped keep the heat to a minimum on what could have been an extremely hot day. The race was refreshing and the course was beautiful. This was my 35th marathon and I just loved running so close to the ocean. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the day and we will definitely be back. | |
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Alan Heyer from Clinton, CT
(3/3/2003)
"Organized, scenic, eventful, and challenging!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my seventh (7th) marathon and first time at Gulf Beaches. I'm from Connecticut, so I was tickled silly to be out of the snow and cold. Your course was basically flat with the exception of the bridges mostly. Personally, I like some hills for variety, and passed 3-5 people on every bridge. I loved the 7:05 a.m. start as I like early races. The lay-out and set-up were most adequate as well as the commentator accomodating. I thought that the course was well layed out, scenic, and challenging, especially the Pinellas Trails. It was exciting to see palm trees and water views as I was running down the trails. I always carry a bottle of water and plant them strategically, but didn't this time and found plenty of water and gatorade at every stops. I even enjoyed the orange slices that were at some stops. All the people at these stops were very pleasant, nice, and encouraging. The police did a great job at all the crossings. I had no traffic or pedestrian problems. The heat was unbearable, but I stayed focused and calm! The only areas that may be improved are to insure that all the mile markers are checked for accuracy and maybe consider more port-a-johns. Great job and great race. I even met people from 2 other countries! By the way, the rice and beans were excellent! | |
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Steve Grande from Sandown NH
(3/3/2003)
"Course Change & Date" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Cudo's to the Race Director! I have run this race every year. I would like to run this race on a sat am the week end of the Gaspirilla Madi Gras.So I could enjoy the festivites that saturday & sunday night. I would run the course out & Back from the same start location. I love going over the bridges along the beach.This would also reduce the need for the support from the police.I would run the 5k out & Back the same way. Post race food was teriffic, much better than the green bananas offered at the Hops Marathon.Thank You Chris Lauber for another great race.PS More port -o-potties are needed. | |
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D. S. from Gainesville, Florida
(3/3/2003)
"Thank you to all who helped" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My husband and I both ran the marathon and were pleasantly surprised by all of the support given by local law enforcement AND school crossing guards. We just thought that they went above and beyond their duty. Not only were they there on a hot, humid Sunday morning, but they offered support and encouragement to runners. We also want to thank everyone who stood on the road and cheered the runners, whether they were fast or slow or even walking. One Dad and son impressed me so much. They moved ahead with the race and cheered at every point. This is the perfect example of encouragement. Thanks again. | |
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Neil Meyerowich from Hermitage, Pennsylvania
(3/1/2003)
"Umm..HOT!!! But then again,It's freakin FLORIDA" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my 3rd marathon in 3 different states and all in the past 11 months.It was my slowest of the 3 and I wasnt very happy afterwards w/ my time of 3:49 especially considering that I was at 22 at 2:57. Hopefully one of these days I'll get into Boston...maybe in Cleveland in 2 months. I really feel that the heat kept me from breaking 3:30, but like I said in the begining people, IT IS FLORIDA!! What do people expect?? My son is still wearing the 'coolest' medal I've gotten yet. I would have liked some music on the course and a little more fan support but this race will only improve w/it's dedicated director.After seeing the slowww winning time and that even as bad as I felt I came in 17 out of 80 in my age group, I feel better about my performance.I'd have no problem coming back to sunny Clearwater again!! Anyone wanna come to lovely Western Pa. and shovel my driveway? Didn't think so...stop whining!! The race website was easy to understand and included everything you needed to know and questions were quickly addressed. Has anyone really ever run a marathon for the 'expo' or pasta party...you should say away from that stuff anyway the day b4 a humid race!! See you next time. | |
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Jim McConnell from St. Petersburg, FL
(2/28/2003)
"Growing, Improving, Fun race" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The Gulf Beaches Marathon is in my home area, which makes it is a favorite of mine. I live on the Gulf coast, so I am used to the uncertainty of our weather and running in the humidity and warm weather. This year's race was run on a warm, windy & humid day which seemed to affect some of the folks that had not trained well. I find it funny that when people are not well prepared for a race, they find something to blame their poor performance on other than themselves. Of course, weather conditions are something that the race director cannot control. This race travels through several city jurisdictions, with many police dept's and the sheriff's dept. to have to coordinate between. This is a HUGE task that I think was handled very well. Water stations were well manned and plentiful. The course traveled down the beach road then turned to our local 'rails to trails' jogging/bike path, which is a great running surface. Suggestions: I would like to see a few more 'porta potties' at the start and along the course. After running Disney & Marine Corp in the months before this race I was spoiled by the support of crowds, so I would like to see a few more people get out to cheer on the runners. This years expo was little light on merchants, but I didn't go there to spend $$. All in all, this is a race well worth the trip to Florida to run. The race director has improved the race every year, which is tough when in the shadow of a few large, long established races close to the dates for this race. The 'fellowship' out on the course was great. Runners supporting and encouraging each other throughout the entire run. Isn't this one of the things that makes running such a great sport? The warm weather was a bit of an issue, but if every run was the same, how would we know the difference between a good run and an average/bad run? Try it.... you'll like it! Oh... did I mention that the Running Starfish finishers medal is great? It looks great on the mantle next to my Mickey's and other marathon medals. |
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