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Apr 28, 2024

Carlsbad Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.2

Organization 4.3

Spectators 3.7

Number of comments: 188 [displaying comments 41 to 51]

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T. S. from Washington State (1/26/2010) "Fabulous Views, Great Weather, But..." (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Carlsbad Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 The best race weather I have experienced. I am usually not a sun worshiper, but the coastal area, low humidity and N-S direction of the race kept the bright sun from beating down on us. A good start time separate from the half marathoners at 6 a.m. let us tackle the uphill out-and-back portion before the sun crested the hill and prior to the massive merge of 13.1 runners. Great aid stations, plenty of port-o-potties with tissue at the start and on the course, and a decent expo with a shirt and hat for the full marathon runners. Some drawbacks: there was no instruction/information sheet for the race in the packet and we had to go back to the expo again to learn which streets would be closed for the early morning drive into the start area (mall parking lot). It turns out that Highway 101 is closed off at 5 a.m. and people had to take I-5 to get in. Also, I would have been nice to know what the winners received or if any elites had entered the field. Bands along the route didn't start until the half marathon started at 7:30. No BEER at the end of the race. A big let-down. And probably the wimpiest post-race food I have ever come across. In a bag for each participant: a banana and two PowerBars. For the price of entry, I would have expected much more, as this is a pricey race. Where are the bagels when you need them? Decent overall.
J. T. from melbourne, australia (1/25/2010) "Fantastic crowd support" (about: 2010) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Carlsbad Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The crowd support was second to none on this one, from 6 a.m. onward. I love it when they put your name on your race tag so people can call out to you. I didn't make life easy for myself by having two weeks off from running (going on a skiing holiday instead) before doing the marathon. So I found the long uphills hard. It took me an hour to get out of the car park after the race, during which time I stiffened up so much that when I go to my hotel I could not get out of the car. Then I had a bit of rest, drove to LA, and caught my flight home to Australia, 120th marathon accomplished.
Brendan Young from Holly Springs, NC (1/25/2010) "Great Race, Beautiful Sights" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Carlsbad Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I traveled across the country to run this race, and I wasn't disappointed. The weather was perfect, and I set a PR by over 9 minutes! The course is beautiful, especially the parts along the coast. I was kind of lukewarm on having the half marathon start 90 minutes after the full marathon. The full marathon start was in the dark, and it was almost hard to see the ground or the people around you. I liked the parts when we were running with the half marathoners. After mile 21, there was a lane for full marathoners, so it wasn't necessary to dodge runners. My one gripe was the end of the race was so congested. There were people waiting for runners in the exit area, and I felt that the organizers were pushing runners out of the exit. There were just too many people in that small area, and I had no where to stretch out. This was caused by the massive numbers of half marathoners who were finishing at the same time as the full due to the delayed half start. The traffic was a mess too... there should have been some police directing traffic to clear the parking lot. There were so many great volunteers, and so much GU, water, and electrolyte mix on the course!
J. F. from Texas (3/9/2009) "Do this marathon. It's worth it." (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 3 Carlsbad Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great support for the full marathoners. Loved the separate start time from the Half. Best aid stations in any race. GU everywhere. Ocean views are to die for.
G. S. from Wanship, Utah (2/6/2009) "Excellent marathon that I would gladly run again" (about: 2009) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Carlsbad Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my 119th marathon and one that I hope to be able to schedule again. The course was great, and what I would consider rolling and not hilly. The views were great, and even when we weren't in view of the ocean, I never felt like I was stuck is a "residential area" either. The organization was second to none, with the exception of the "merge" of the marathoners and halfers. Coming off of an injury, I took this race slow and ran at the back of the pack so the half marathoners didn't alter my pace. I would have been annoyed if I had been pushing the pace though. Traffic control was excellent. I don't think I saw more than 5 cars all day and personally had no problems with parking or leaving the mall. I left a drop bag with extra clothes and recovery drink at the finish and they had it well organized. I was quite surprised more runners didn't take advantage of it. The spectators were very enthusiastic, even at 6 a.m. By the way, I loved the early start. This one is a keeper. I hope the race committee stays intact, even if the race course changes a bit. I made some great friends while running this race; Henry and Steven (both from San Diego), congrats to both of you.
R. K. from Midwest (2/5/2009) "Carlsbad: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Carlsbad Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 As a race director, I know how much time and effort goes into preparation and logistics for a race. And so, I have waited till now to post this. And, having personally run in over 30 marathons in the past four years, I can offer a contemporary perspective on this marathon. The Good: 1. Running along several miles of beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean. Decent course elevation: not too flat, not too hilly. 2. Comfortable temps and only mild headwinds (55 to 60 degree range). 3. A nice expo, even though in an outside tent. 4. La Quinta Inn - far enough away to avoid the many blocked streets, a good breakfast, hot tub, and an extremely generous late checkout after the parking lot disaster (see the ugly). 5. 6:00 a.m. start, even though it was a bit dark at that time. The Bad: 1. Bland, off-brand tech shirts ran about a size too small. Tried three times to exchange for a larger one, unsuccessfully. Hint: If you take medium in tech, ask for a large. If you take an extra-large, good luck. 2. Course maps were inaccurate. My wife came to watch me, but the race map put her in the wrong spot. 3. Ultima sports drink. I cannot understand who drinks this without throwing up. I drank only water. 4. Mediocre goody bag, despite the high race fee. 5. Post-race food. Marginal. Need protein after a race, not pasta. 6. Course had many rolling hills, which were OK, but several roads were canted, which is not good for ankles and knees. The Ugly: 1. Trying to leave after having run 26.2 and being stuck in the mall parking lot for two hours is not pleasant. We would have been stuck even longer if we did not take a chance in weaving in and out of the parking rows and moving to a traffic line further north. Some cars probably sat there for close to three hours. Perhaps Californians are used to sitting in traffic for hours, but it's not my cup of tea. Police should have manned the traffic lights. Advice for next year: park outside the mall and walk the extra half mile. 2. The full marathon runners had to join the 8,000 half marathoners around mile 13 and 20. I was running 8:30 miles and had to dodge 10-15 min/milers: very tedious. A full marathoner I talked with was nearly knocked over in the final mile. 3. The finish line was enclosed in a fence with only a tiny opening, which added to the congestion. Took five minutes to walk 20 yards. 4. Told to come to the info booth for age bracket awards. No marathon results posted; so I left. Volunteers said their two printers broke down. Moral: if you charge high race fees and have 10,000 sign up, buy a new printer for the race. Suggestions: 1. Consider making this event solely a half marathon. Why subject those who have run so many miles to have to deal with dodging a pack of slow runners? Not fair! 2. Consider either a smaller field or a larger venue with adequate traffic control. I don't know how an emergency vehicle would have left the mall after the race. Very dangerous. All lanes were full and ours was completely stopped. 3. Choose Gatorade or PowerAde. Take a survey and find out what runners like to drink during a long race. 4. Be honest with your shirt sizing. If they run small, mention that on your website. Will I run here again? Not unless there are major changes made. Even though some of the course had gorgeous ocean views, it was not worth flying 2,000 miles.
J. A. from Oceanside California (2/3/2009) "Great local race; challenging course" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Carlsbad Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The course is challenging but not as difficult as San Francisco. Beautiful coastal run, and the climb out on Palomar Airport Road only adds character to the event. Support on the course is fabulous! Like clockwork: water and sports drink every mile. It would have been perfect marathon if we did not merge with the half-marathon folks for the last 5 miles or so. I ran 3:18 and had to fight through 10-minute/mile half-marathon folks to hit my goal times. No sour grapes: the race was terrific fun and the expo (considering the size of the event) was excellent! Our 3:20 pacer was awesome; he ran an impeccable race. All in all, this is a challenging, well organized event that needs to clean up the finishing merge between the 1,500 marathoners and the 8,000 half-marathon folks. Thank you, Carlsbad Marathon; we all appreciate your efforts on our behalf.
M. A. from Glendale, CA (2/1/2009) "Scenic but very hilly course." (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Carlsbad Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I ran the half-marathon and was expecting "gently rolling hills" that felt more like the Sierra Nevada. The spectator support was the best I have encountered yet. I really did appreciate all of the support from the locals. My one complaint is the parking situation. There was supposed to be plenty of parking at the mall, but my husband dropped me off, then left after the start. When he returned to pick me up, there was NO PARKING anywhere and the staff were no help. He had to circle around near our planned meeting until he saw me. Also, the congestion at the finish line was ridiculous. I got my water and food bag and couldn't get out of there due to the small opening in the fence.
D. P. from Portland, Oregon (1/28/2009) "Great race... except for one little thing...." (about: 2009) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Carlsbad Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Great course, good weather, and except for my own little complaint, good organization (oh yeah, besides the parking situation).... When I finished, I needed to warm up and put a jacket on or something similar. I asked the medical tent for a space blanket, but they were only available to runners "under treatment by medical staff," so I had to walk out to my car and grab my jacket and come back (not my favorite thing to do after finishing), where I was promptly denied access back to the finishing area with all of its food for the runners. Not cool at all....
Roopinder Tara from Novato, California (1/27/2009) "Well organized, course a bit harder than most" (about: 2009) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Carlsbad Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Great race. I was a bit worried about the 300-foot climb up Palomar Airport Road. The race organizer told me that I would have no trouble with it since I was from San Francisco. Still, I was intimidated by all of the warnings by previous runners not to expect a PR on this marathon or use it for a Boston Qualifier. But as the Boston deadline loomed and with no other marathon around, what choice did I have? To qualify, I needed to run a 3:35 race, 17 minutes faster than I had run my first marathon about a month ago. I was prepared to "leave it all on the road," but I was totally unsure of my ability. I was counting on following a pace group. I found my pacer who had written "3:35 or die" on his bib. He was at least determined. At about mile 5, I learned that my pacer had run the Carlsbad Marathon - but about 20 years ago. I shouldn't have worried because he turned out to be exactly what I needed. He was very steady, reaching his goal pace within 2 miles. He would inform us (there were about 10 of us in the pace group at the start) of his over/under time at each mile, never letting it vary by more than 30 seconds. He gave tips to his group - and others - such as "shoulders down; you're all tensed up." I found out that he was a cross-country coach for a local high school and knew the route like the back of his hand. He would manage his "banked" time to give us a little relief on uphills. Though by mile 24 his knees were "killing him," he kept the pace till the end and he finished 20 seconds under the 3:35 time. It is to him that I owe my PR and my Boston qualifying time. Having a smooth, steady pace was invaluable, but what was great for me was at mile 24, he said, "You look great - go for it." By then I was not sure if I was going to finish at 3:35; I was becoming quite aware of my tightening calves. I was doing my best to just hang in there, but when I heard those words, I took off, surprised myself, and finished at 3 minutes faster than my goal time of 3:35. Oh, about Palomar Road, it was gradual uphill with one steeper section (about 4-5% grade) for about half a mile near the top. I handled it by taking control of my breathing. Luckily my pacer slowed down for the ascent. But future marathoners won't have to worry about it at all, as Palomar Airport Road will soon be history. The Carlsbad Marathon is morphing into the Beach City Marathon and will now follow much more of the Pacific Ocean - instead of heading inland and uphill. Now they tell me! Weather was in the low 50s at start - a bit too chilly for me as it makes for many pit stops. We started in darkness 6 a.m., and as it got light, it stayed overcast: perfect running weather. Also, because of the early start, I didn't have to worry about clogging sweat pores with sun screen. My biggest criticism of the race would be the lack of an express lane for the marathon runners. The marathoners meet up with a huge crowd of half-marathoners in the last quarter of the route. There was absolutely no attempt to channel the slower runners to one side, so getting to the finish was a zigzag with much threading the needle between groups. A couple of times I had to go all the way from one side of the road to the other, even going outside of cones markers to get some clear sailing. Though it made the last part of the race very interesting, there were far too many bumps and "excuse mes," and a pretty high risk of collision and injury. It appears that in previous years, the slower runners and walkers were channeled to one side. I'm not sure why this was not done this year. Overall, the race was very well organized and I had a great experience.

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