Marathon Details - Chesapeake Bay Bridge Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > VA > Virginia Beach > Chesapeake Bay Bridge Marathon

Chesapeake Bay Bridge Marathon

Anthem Chesapeake Bay Bridge Marathon & Relay & 5K

Virginia Beach, VA USA

October 19, 2003

http://www.baybridgemarathon.com

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Marathon Results

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2003 2002 Top 3 Finishers

Race Details

The course is point to point and fast and flat. The first 14 miles are on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and the last 12 miles are on the Va. Beach mainland, finishing on the scenic boardwalk.

Contact Information

Name:	Whit Collins
Address:	265 Kings Grant Rd Va Beach, VA 23452
Phone Number:	757-498-0215
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (19)

Course 4.0

Organization 4.4

Spectators 3.4

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Number of comments: 19 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 > ]

J. W. from Milwaukee, WI (12/1/2003) "Poor Organization" (about: 2003) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 Fair course. The scenic start out on the bridge/causeway/tunnel gets old after about the first 5 miles. Wicked wind. It seemed that no one but the marathon director knew anything. When asked simple questions the volunteers at the expo couldn't help with any real questions. No one showed up for the Saturday 4PM course briefing. Very spectator unfriendly! Spectators discouraged from going anywhere but the finish. The volunteers were great, however instructions for them was non-existent. My wife decided to volunteer because she was discouraged from spectating. Spectators were great along the beach in the last half mile.
Florida Runner from Florida (11/12/2003) "Strong Headwind" (about: 2003) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Good: Organization was well done from start to finish Nice age group medals, five deep, with a low amount of entrants Water/aid/Gu stations were at right spots Liked the tie-die t-shirts Bad: Extreme headwind for whole time on bridge More hilly than described Only Champion Chip time was at start and finish, no splits Receive certificate with medal at finish when sweaty and they don't put your name or time on it
A. T. from Suffolk, VA (10/29/2003) "Great First Marathon" (about: 2003) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and I had a great time running it. It was pretty painful waking up at 3am, and the bus ride seemed to take forever. But the sunrise over the ocean was beautiful and worth the wait. I heard stories of the terrible headwind last year, and although there was a pretty good wind blowing this year, it wasn't unbearable. I didn't even notice a gradual uphill towards Fort Story (as stated in comment below), so it must have been really gradual. The volunteers at the water and Gatorade stops were very supportive, and there were plenty of stops. I thought our certificates would be mailed to us with our official times. I was suprised to get a blank certificate at the finish. Overall, I thought it was a great race and I'd run it again.
J. U. from Pacific NW (10/24/2003) "One-time novelty at best" (about: 2003) COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I was very disappointed in this run. I know that weather can't be predicted, but to say in the promotional information that the wind on the bridge is usually a tailwind is not accurate. Getting off the bus and feeling the headwind, I heard others complain that it was like this last year as well. I also thought the description of the event as not having any hills besides the bridge tunnels was incorrect. There is a long, gradual hill up to Fort Story which is not mentioned at all and came as a surprise. I must not be the only one who feels this way, as last year there were 884 finishers, down to 577 this year. That being said, was impressed with the organization of the buses and thought the water/Gatorade stop volunteers were awesome. I also managed my first negative split.
S. R. from Raleigh, North Carolina (10/23/2003) "Wonderful Way to Start Your Day!!!" (about: 2003) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Waking up at 3:00 was tough, but watching the sun rise across the Chesapeake Bay made it all worth while. The only crowd support during the first 14 miles was friendly Bay Bridge Tunnel workers and smiles and waves from boaters below. The first half was very meditational. The second half had a little more community support. The volunteers at the water stops were AWESOME!!! The course was nice, except for the headwind. (Where is the mythical tailwind reported in all of the marathon literature???). I would highly recommend this race if a PR isn't your only reason for running. The kind folks of Virginia Beach are the salt of the earth.
A. D. from Washington, DC (10/23/2003) "Great sunrise - brutal winds" (about: 2003) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This is one marathon I will not run again. The headwinds on the bridge were awful but the sunrise was great. Another issue is when you finished race you were given your certificate for finishing the race, but you had to stand in line to get your name printed on it. Not a good thing after running 26.2 miles.
A. H. from Pennsylvania (10/23/2003) "An inspiring marathon" (about: 2003) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 If sunrise over the ocean inspires you to go on a long run, this marathon is for you. An absolutely gorgeous course! This was my first marathon and I want to do it again. I was a little concerned about getting up at 3:30 am and about headwind, but it turned out to be not so bad. Getting up was worth it and the wind was not too strong. The volunteers were great. The only negative - I could have used one or two more water stops than they had the last six miles. Overall, it was a great experience and I highly recommend this marathon to anyone.
Chris Bowley from Orlando, Florida (10/20/2003) "A great first marathon!" (about: 2003) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was a great first marathon, due to the organization of getting everyone to the starting line on a bridge, watching the sun come up over the water, running through the park and along the beach, the very enthusiastic fans and perfect weather. The race organizers did a great job with little resources and it's much appreciated. The headwind wasn't great, but not that bad. Being from Florida, I prefer it to running in cold weather, cold rain or on hills.
P. R. from CT (10/20/2003) "This marathon rates as scenic & different" (about: 2002) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 While I was hoping for the ideal warmish breeze, the headwinds were brutual and made me question my sanity as I tried running the first 14 miles, not even able to draft off of my boyfriend. But the view is wonderful, the accomplishment awesome, and the race to the finish along the beach the best. I even 'made it' onto the website via one of the pictures. Those famous devices made it into our pictures, as well. Flat, fast w/o the headwinds, and scenic, all make for a great time.
G. W. from Novi, Michigan (10/20/2003) "Well organized, good course..." (about: 2003) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The race organizers did a fantastic job to pull this off. The volunteers, police, and bridge personnel did an extraordinary amount of work for a relatively small race. For two years I've heard and read that the prevailing winds would be at the runners backs but for the second year it was in the runners face for 14 miles. Despite the headwinds, it was a nice course and I'm glad I chose this race but if you need big crowds and loud music for motivation, choose another race...