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May 4, 2024

Long Beach Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.0

Organization 3.6

Spectators 3.5

Number of comments: 240 [displaying comments 41 to 51]

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B. R. from Southern California (10/18/2010) "Another Marathon Grown Too Large" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Long Beach Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Typically I try to focus on the positive, but in this case there is one big negative that far outweighs the positives. The Long Beach Marathon is another example of an event that has outgrown itself. There are just too many runners on a course that cannot accommodate them all. With nearly 4,000 marathon finishers and 10,000 half-marathon finishers, something must be done to limit future congestion and organization must be improved. Both the marathon and half-marathon began at the same time, and the Wave 1 corral included marathoners with an estimated marathon finish time of under 3:40 and half-marathoners with an estimated finish time of 1:50. Eventually I would finish the marathon in 3:25. Once again there were walkers and joggers in Wave 1 who should have been much farther back in the start group. From miles 5 to 10, we ran along a windy strand path that may have been 10 feet-wide at the most. We were packed in like sardines as we wound our way along the strand. There was barely enough room to move, let alone run. Finally, just before the 11 mile-mark, the marathoners split from the half-marathoners. But guess what? At the 24 mile-mark, the marathoners rejoined the half-marathoners at their 11 mile-mark and we shared the road until we reached the finish line. Talk about a mess! Can you imagine running at a 7:50 pace and then getting dumped into a horde of half-marathoners moving along at a 15:00 pace? There was no separation in the road, no cones set up to separate the two groups. I literally weaved my way through the crowded street, running into several half-marathoners along the way. This was completely unacceptable and must be addressed in the future. How about starting the marathon at least an hour before the half-marathon?
T. K. from California (10/18/2010) "Great run but..." (about: 2010) 50+ previous marathons \| 4-5 Long Beach Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 A great run in a beautiful city and then... an hour waiting in line to get my bag back at the bag check? Are you serious? Talk about leaving on a bad note.
Ruben Quezada from So. California (10/18/2010) "My first Long Beach Marathon" (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I thought the course was going to include much more breathtaking scenery than it actually did. It was really tough trying to keep a good pace on the boardwalk and the bike path. Too narrow and too many runners too early in the race to enjoy it. Maybe that bike path should be towards the end part of the race. The CSLB path was nice but the surrounding streets were too lonely and boring. On a scale of 1-10, I give it a 6.
B. T. from United States (10/18/2010) "Nice, flat course; good fans here and there" (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Long Beach Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 It was about 65 degrees and overcast on 10/17/10. It was a little too warm for my tastes. The course is mostly flat with a couple of short small hills, but nothing too bad. The race was well organized and I never felt like the walkers and the slower runners were in my way. The CSU Long Beach fans had a lot of energy. There were three bands on the course and they were a nice diversion. There were a number of empty spots in the race that could have used some energetic fans. Overall the course was kind of boring.
B. N. from Long Beach (10/18/2010) "Great race, but what's up with public transportati" (about: 2010) First Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I thought the race was great and well-planned, but I was disappointed by the lack of cross-town public transportation options. I asked at the expo parking table since I didn't see any other transportation tables, and they failed to inform me that the bus I was planning on taking was out of service for the race. I ended up having to drive in a big U of freeways and barely made it into the 6th wave. Next year, how about posting all bus routes? And maybe a special cross-town bus? It would really help with the congestion on the 710.
Steve Harvey from El Cariso Village (6/21/2010) "Class operation" (about: 2009) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Long Beach Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Having completed 25 Long Beach Marathons, I can confidently attest that the current operation is the best. The organization has learned how to conduct a race for the "regular" runner and by doing so has earned his/her loyalty.
T. W. from Provo, UT (3/28/2010) "A pretty good first" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Long Beach Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon. I enjoyed the experience of the first 12 miles, but everything after that until about mile 20 (excluding the CSLB section) was pretty boring and uneventful. Running by the Queen Mary and up the coast was awesome, but the neighborhoods weren't the most "scenic." Overall, it was a good experience; I just wish we had double-backed over the same terrain.
Paula Jean SPHR from California (1/28/2010) "First-Time Marathoner; Fantastic Introduction!" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Long Beach Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The 25th LB ICB event was my first long-distance event (I'm a walker). The organization, information, support and follow up were amazing. I believe I have been spoiled for all other events! I walked the half-marathon, and by the time I had finished they had run out of medals, but I received one in the mail less than two months later. Every now and then there was a band playing, but once we hit Ocean Avenue, audience participation was pretty slim. There were two groups, though, who lived on that street and set up their own cheering sections - including boom box music - and they really perked me up for the finish of the half! The expo was "okay," but race day was absolutely fantastic. On time, well organized, easy to access and a great course for a newbie! My one picayune complaint is related to the course photographers. I had very few shots to choose from and there must have been 60 photographers on the course. Couldn't someone have taken more than three shots? (I think if you were cute or had large bazoombas, you got photographed more!) I highly recommend the event and will be back!
Patrice Porter from Anaheim, California, USA (1/20/2010) "Finally received finisher medal" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Long Beach Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I'm not going to belabor the matter further than my original post on 10/12/09, but suffice it to say that I finally received my finisher medal, following two more emails inquiring, on January 9, 2010 - three months after the run.
C. H. from Salt Lake City, UT (10/22/2009) "LBC Review - Pretty Good" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Long Beach Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my very first full marathon and I am happy that I chose Long Beach for this momentous occasion. The city was very easy to navigate by car, metro, and foot, and the scenery is spectacular!!! Several times throughout the beach portion of the run I looked out to the ocean and marveled at the beauty of the course. The course is advertised as flat and fast; despite that, I did quite a bit of hill training in my home town, hoping that it would only help my cause. I'm glad that I did, as there were a few hills that seemed pretty tough - particularly the one that was climbed to reach mile marker 18. I don't know if it's just that it's my first marathon experience, or where I was mentally in the race, or if the concept of "flat" is relative. Compared to mountainous races, I'm sure Long Beach is very flat. At the same time, if you're going to run this course, get some hills in beforehand. It certainly won't hurt. A great thing about this course was how spectator-friendly it was! I loved it! The folks who line the streets may not realize just how important their cheering and support is. Trust me, folks; we couldn't do it without you! This includes all of the aid stations that kept us going! THANK YOU! The students at CSULB were amazing and full of spirit! Next year, I want to see each of you out there going for it! Thank you to Long Beach's finest for keeping us safe, blocking streets, directing traffic, and making it possible to run the beach! Also, a thank you to the fire department that had Old Glory displayed on the course route near the starting line. It gave me goosebumps! The health and fitness expo was great - well organized, and full of fun and interesting people! The finisher's medals were/are beautiful, and the festival was well stocked with fans, food, recovery spots, and music. A few suggestions to the folks who organize this event: 1. Some of the PDF maps posted online weren't an adjustable size, making it difficult to study them. 2. The starting line should have been a party, with lively music and spirit - rather than a bunch of anxious runners rather quietly waiting for a gun shot. 3. The mile markers were clearly visible, which was great; however, having more than three clocks on course would be helpful and encouraging.

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