You really couldn't ask for a more scenic race - several miles along the beach, past the Queen Mary, around the UCLB campus... it was all lovely. And the community really came out to support and cheer for the runners. I was handed everything from a few gummy bears, to doughnut holes (or Long Beach Energy Balls, as they were called), to a small cup of beer! Unfortunately, the poorly planned race overshadowed all of this positiveness. The course had the marathoners running with the half marathoners through mile 11 (nothing shocking there), at which point we split off, but reconnected at mile 24 for the finish. The big problem with this is that, since both distances started at the same time, competitive runners spent the last 2 miles of their marathon weaving through much slower half marathon walkers. Come on, ladies; do you really need to walk four abreast, hand in hand, ensuring that no one can get past you? Also, as others have mentioned, the baggage claim was a joke. Hopefully they will learn from their mistakes, and plan for a better 2011.

The start of this was probably the most crammed in I have ever been in at the start of a race. The marathoners should start an hour before along with the walkers as there are over 11,500 half marathon runners but only 5,000 running the 26.2. Way too many people were allowed at the start who were just spectators - not runners. Needs a complete organization overall. The course is scenic for the first half but nothing to look at the second half. Spectators were amazing, and great job by the volunteers also. Plenty of water stations, but only had blue PowerAde that I could not stomach. Gatorade is much better and more forgiving on you body. Hopefully these tips will be taken into consideration for improvements as I feel they are needed. Great first-time marathoner course though. Nice and flat....

I arrived at the course at 6:40 a.m., which was too late as the waves are not accessible from the side - I arrived in wave 6, and waded up to wave 4. This meant that I bobbed and weaved for 8 miles to catch up to wave 1 runners, which I suppose was my fault, but this would be eliminated by simply having side entry access to each wave. The course is flat, the weather was perfect for running (overcast/60 degrees) and I was able to haul through to the end. The largest issue was the JetBlue bag check - it was absolute chaos. After waiting for over an hour for my bag, I was told to return in 2 hours to see if it had surfaced. I watched them stepping on Blackberries, car keys, wallets, etc. Security was eventually called in, where they announced that any runner who tried to breach the tent to find their valuables was "trespassing." Pretty unpleasant ending to an otherwise ok experience. My advice is to put an adult with those 18-year-old JetBlue volunteers to help them sort and retrieve the 20,000 identical bags instead of leaving them alone to fail. I eventually got my bag back.

I had a great time in Long Beach and at the race. It was well organized, and the course is very manageable. The mid-section of the run is a bit boring, but the start and finish miles more than made up for the boring parts. Got lucky with the weather, and would definitely consider running it again. Thanks, Long Beach.

Pros:

- The course is about the fastest I've seen, outside of Chicago, and barring any run-ins with the walkers.
- Weather was 62 and sunless, which is pretty much ideal for a marathon.
- The snack and aid stations were well equipped and ideally spaced.
- The expo was very efficient, in spite of what others have said previously.
- The field is small, compared to LA, making for an easier start. Plus it has self-assigned waves (though it would be nice if these were officially assigned, like Chicago, and easier to get to).

Cons:
- Air quality is never great in Los Angeles County, so don't expect to achieve a personal best unless you've been training here.
- Walkers and half-marathoners seem to make up the bulk of the entrants. It only becomes problematic at the finish, though, when they're all lumped together. It would be helpful if the race set up discretely marked lanes for each set of contestants, since I found myself having to navigate between bodies.
- The organizers screwed up my timing, having given me a half-marathon chip instead of a full. It remains to be seen whether that will get fixed or not.

Summary:

This is a nice, runner-friendly race, in spite of some logistical drawbacks. It's much, much better than the LA Marathon, which has all of the above mentioned problems tenfold. I would recommend it as the best destination marathon for fairly new runners wishing to come to California.

The start of the race is poorly organized. Many people inside the corals that were not runners and just got in the way. Runners were climbing over the fences to jump ahead of the crowd because the were unable to get to their wave start. It was extremely overcrowded. They need to see how NYC organizes the start; it's much more efficient. The course itself is very scenic for the half marathoners but once the course splits for the full marathon it gets very boring. Going through the college campus is reenergizing with the students cheering you on. It's mainly a flat course with few minor hills and other than the start it very nicely run. Spectators are sparse but the ones that do come out have gummy bears or candy or fruit, which is awesome. All in all, an enjoyable run.

I have very mixed feelings about this marathon. The weather was good for running (overcast, cool), and you have to give the race director credit for the variety (kid's 1-mile run, 5K, 10K, 1/2 and full marathons, and the option to ride a bike on the course before the runners started!). However, I left feeling somewhat disappointed and frustrated.

The expo was OK and convenient. I didn't like the 6 p.m. end for packet pick-up (with no race day pick up), but planned my schedule around it. For us out-of-towners, and the number of people, you could have thought the packet pick-up could be open until at least 8 p.m.

Anyway, the biggest challenge I had was getting to the start and back to my hotel from the finish. The layout is such that there are limited paths to and from the hotels (other than the host hotel). It's hard to describe here, but suffice to say that it caused a lot of confusion and delays, which is not how you want to start or finish a marathon.

Then there was the difficulty finding the "California Dreaming" tent to pick up my medal for finishing the series. After finishing, I got my marathon medal and asked the volunteer where to get the CA Dreaming medal. I went through 3 different volunteers in 3 different areas until I finally found it. It just shouldn't be that hard! It should be conveniently located or have appropriate signage.

After hearing other comments, I'm sure glad I got to the start early so that I could line up in the correct wave. The start area is totally fenced in, with 6-foot high fences, and those who weren't there early couldn't "move up" to their wave through all the people. Some climbed over the fence, which wasn't a good thing for anybody. Also, I'm glad I didn't use a drop bag for my clothes. I understand that was a nightmare trying to pick them up at the finish.

All that said, the course itself was nice. The start weaves around the docks and the Queen Mary; then there's a nice stretch along the ocean, and then the second half of the marathon is through residential areas and a campus. There were lots of water stops, porta-potties, and enthusiastic cheering.

Bottom line, it was a good race course, but the difficulties with logistics in several parts left me with the overall decision that I won't be back. But the California Dreaming medal (once I got it) is awesome, as is the jacket! And, as always, big THANKS to all of the volunteers!

I was excited to run this race, and everything was going as planned until mile 24 when the marathon merged with walkers from the half marathon. They took over the entire street and I had to weave my way through the final two miles. I still PR'd but those last two made a huge difference.

But here's what takes the cake: I stood and waited in line for over an hour to retreive my bag from the JetBlue tent only to find that several hundred runners had already stormed the tent and were frantically looking for their bag. It was total chaos. People were trampling not only on each other but on everyone else's bags as well. Luckily, I found my bag with all the goods, and made a few feeble attempts at shouting out the number of any bag that I touched along the way.

This was my 8th Long Beach Marathon and 22nd marathon overall, so I know fairly well what to expect at this race. For example, I know that with 3,500 people running the marathon, 9,800 running the 1/2, plus several thousand more for the bike tour and 5K (not to mention all the volunteers - a huge "thank you" for a great job as always!), that traffic is going to be horrendous getting into downtown Long Beach. I also know that this race hasn't (yet) reached the "mega" status of LA, New York, Boston, etc., so there is a certain lack of spectators and bands to cheer you on and entertain you on the course (if you need that, I would suggest those bigger races might be more your style). All that being said, this is still my favorite race by far. However, as the title of my comments suggests, I believe this race is quickly outgrowing the course and surrounding facilities. For instance, I saw several cars still pulling into the Convention Center with bikes strapped to them, 30 minutes after the bike tour had left. Additionally, the "wave start" is in name only, as it seems nobody lines up in their proper corral, and instead insist on forcing their way up into the first one (and shame on those runners who were climbing over the partitions into the first corral, and then swearing and berating the volunteers who were mostly teenagers simply doing what they were told!). I really think that in the future, the wave start needs to be more strictly enforced. Perhaps have your corral assigned to you based on the previous year's finishing time and stamped on your bib - those who didn't run the previous years race would automatically be assigned to the last corral. Instead of having the volunteers trying to get people into their proper stalls, a few of Long Beach's finest could do it! Also, I really think that the marathoners should start first, 5 or 10 minutes before the 1/2, and then have the 1/2 marathoners go out in waves. That should alleviate some of the congestion of the early miles, as well as thinning out all of the walkers on Ocean Boulevard over the last few miles.

I hope my suggestions are taken in the manner in which they are offered, and the organizers read them not as from some whiner, but from somebody who really likes this race and only wants to see it get better.

P.S. Although I like and appreciate the space on the back of the finisher's medal for my name and my time (I always have my medals engraved afterwards), I already know my name (although I might have gotten even that wrong around mile 24!), and instead would suggest that the titles be changed to "position" and "time."

I worried about the 2009 comments saying the course was crowded... but I didn't find it to be too bad. I went out in Wave 2 at a 9:00 pace and never felt too mismatched (unlike SF on the Golden Gate Bridge).

Perhaps the slower waves have more of a problem, but if you are in Wave 1 or Wave 2, I think you'll be ok.