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☰
Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon) Runner Comments
Back to Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon) Information & Reviews
Course 4.4 
Organization 4.7 
Spectators 3.7
Number of comments: 153 [displaying comments 31 to 41]
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M. V. from Spring, TX
(1/15/2013)
 "Great, well organized race" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The race was very well organized and everyone involved was extremely nice. Packet pickup was easy and the course was very well marked. The fans were enthusiastic, including the police directing traffic, as couple of them voiced encouragement as we ran by. The course was scenic and pretty hilly between miles 10 and 20. There were plenty of water stops manned by enthusiastic volunteers. The host hotel was very convenient to everything. The free shower afterwards at the YMCA was nice as we had an eight hour drive after the race. All in all, a very good marathon that I would recommend to anyone. | |
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E. T. from Chicago, IL
(1/15/2013)
"A wonderful race in a great town" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is a great race. The packet pickup was simple and well organized. The course was scenic and a good tour of Mobile. It was clearly marked and there was a very high police presence at all of the major (and even some of the minor) intersections. On the busy roads there were plenty of cones and police to direct traffic. The finisher's medal is awesome (one of my favorites) - made by the residents of L'Arche Mobile. For me, the only downside was the high humidity and there were a lot of hills between miles 10 and 20. In addition, the spectators were fairly limited. Overall, an excellent race and I would highly recommend it. My son ran the Kids Race and that was also very well organized and one of the best kids races that he has run. Also, Mobile is an interesting city with lots of things to do and the people are incredibly friendly. I would also recommend the marathon hotel - the Hampton Inn in downtown Mobile; it was excellent. Also, really enjoyed the True Midtown Kitchen for dinner. I cannot imagine a better Alabama marathon than First Light. | |
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Chris Johnson from Canton, Mi
(1/14/2013)
"Very Friendly Spectators" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon in the southern portion of the US. I welcome a race where there are breaks from the spectators as was the case in Mobile but the ones that were there were very friendly and encouraging. The pre race dinner and the unique finisher medals were the other major positives. I would recommend this race to anyone looking to get away from the overcrowded starting lines, obnoxious spectators, and too many bands. | |
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J. D. from Georgia
(1/13/2013)
"Great race, not great for minimalist runners" (about: 2013)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a very well-done race. However, for those of us who wear minimalist shoes, the gravelly roads were not ideal. My feet are used to running distance in vibrams or sandals, but the rocky roads were a bit too much. | |
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W. M. from Columbia Tennessee
(8/15/2012)
"Awesome experiment" (about: 2012)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Pretty cool. It was my first half marathon and it was great. | |
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J. K. from Wisconsin, USA
(1/25/2012)
"Nice marathon for January" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 About first 8 miles flat, mid miles were hilly, and last part flat. Overall, a good course. Very nice food/drink at the end. Friendly people! Wooden medal for finishers hand made by local folks with disabilities. Nice job all around. | |
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V. D. from Omahe, NE
(1/14/2012)
 "OK Low Key Marathon" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I ran this as part of a double marathon weekend because the race partners with the Mississippi Blues Marathon the day before, and both races offered a 20% registration discount. This race is a good low key race. The packet pick up was very organized, and offered a nice free pasta buffet for runners. This is not a chip timed race, no race banners, basically not a lot of frills. The course is very flat the first few miles, then rolling hills in the middle 10 miles, then flat again at the end. Not a lot of spectators, but plenty of volunteers and police support at intersections. I did notice that volunteers were dipping their hands into the water buckets to fill cups, I'm not a fan of that, so I made sure to only get cups that were poured from pitchers, or from the container itself. The race shirt is a cotton shirt, short sleeve for the half and long sleeve for the full, with an option to buy another tech shirt if you wanted. Back to back runners also received a custom made 5x7 plaque by the L'Arche community adult group home residents. The finishers medal is a painted block of wood with a schellacked race sticker with a piece of craft ribbon. Definitely not as flashy as other medals, but the same folks that make the plaques hand make the medals, so they definitely have a deeper meaning. Some of the proceeds from the marathon goes to the group home as well. They also had a really nice after party, with BBQ sandwiches, beans and rice, cole slaw, cookies, and drinks. The humidity was high this year, which made it a little uncomfortable running, but everything else was great. | |
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Beth Miller from mobile,al
(1/12/2012)
 "Terrific race with great course and crowd support!" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run the first light several times and seem to never get tired of the course. The course is very scenic and full of spectators. The police are excellent at all busy intersections. The course showcases all the attractions of Mobile. The medals are the BEST. They are handmade and presented by the residents of L'Arche. Looking for a GREAT marathon to start the year...this is the ONE! | |
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M. D. from Georgia USA
(1/12/2012)
"Excellent race" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I completed this race in 2012 and found it to be everything I had anticipated. First it is an excellent value with a reasonable entry fee and both pre and a post race meals. Proceeds are for a good cause. The food at the ending was great. There are two nice hotels across the street from the start and the Expo and two luxury hotels about 3 blocks away. The course is totally flat for the first 10 miles, rolling hills for the next 8, and flat for the last 8. It runs through downtown Mobile, historic areas, into upscale residential neighborhoods, university campuses and back to town. I highly recommend this race if you like nice well run small races. I have no complaints. | |
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p. p. from somerville tn
(1/11/2012)
 "great experience" (about: 2012)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran this marathon as my second one and my first attempt at qualifying for the Boston Marathon. What a good choice I made. It was well organized, the host hotel was great, the course was challenging. The weather was a little too warm but nothing you can do about that. I had a time that qualified me for Boston. Yeah!!!! |
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