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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 61 to 71]
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W. C. from Philadelphia PA
(1/13/2010)
 "Great job, Mobile!" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Congratulations to Mobile for putting on a good show in some frigid weather. Southern hospitality? You bet. I hope he reads this: many thanks to the volunteer at the water stop at Mile 15 (teenage fellow, blonde hair, wearing a SF 49ers hooded sweatshirt) who literally sprinted after me for about 100 meters with a cup of water in his hand (yelling, "Sir! Sir! Do you need water?") after I had tried and failed to hydrate at that station. Young man, you did the right thing; I really needed that after 2 hours and 18 minutes of running. | |
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T. S. from Audubon, PA
(1/13/2010)
 "Small, Pleasant, Unusually Cold" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I chose Mobile in order to visit a friend in the area and use it as a training pace run. The race was enjoyable, despite the very cold temperatures (which I had hoped to escape by traveling south from the Northeast). I liked the course - particularly the two college campuses and the park, all in the second half. There were very few fans given the weather. I loved the worthy cause this race supports and the unique finisher's medal. | |
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W. T. from Dallas, TX
(1/12/2010)
"More difficult than advertised" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran this as the second of a double - with Mississippi Blues on Saturday - and paid for it here. Great organization given the extreme weather. | |
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D. D. from Texas
(1/12/2010)
 "Great value, great course, well organized" (about: 2010)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was very impressed all around with the First Light Marathon. It's a great value for $60 with pre-race dinner thrown in. The course was well thought out, providing a tour of old Mobile neighborhoods along with U of South Alabama campus and a some pretty Alabama scenery (swamp included). The course was well managed, with traffic police at every intersection. Despite the frigid 22-degree weather, all water stops were manned appropriately. My only quibble is that the last mile approaching the finish was strangely deserted and the quietest part of the race. | |
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H. P. from Mt. Pleasant, Michigan
(1/11/2010)
"Great job!" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Well organized. Lots of water and Gatorade. Lots of volunteers. Good, visible mile markers. Should use chip timing for quicker results. | |
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F. J. from Mobile, AL
(1/11/2010)
"Tough race" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)s
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 If you are looking for a race that skimps on medals, shirts, post-race food, and awards, then this race is for you. The course, while hilly between miles 10-18, can produce a BQ. The spectators are sparse but they are enthusiastic. There were plenty of water stops and they were well manned. This is a good race if you are interested in a decent course and a friendly atmosphere. Just do not expect a whole lot of bang for your buck. | |
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Katrina Fontanet from Melbourne, Florida
(2/9/2009)
"A marathon easy to recommend." (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 My trio dittos all of the positive comments! We'd like to add that, since we missed the pasta dinner, we ate a couple blocks over at Buck's Pizza and found it to be ideal (you could do a pasta dinner there, too). I was impressed with how the "back stretch" was just as scenic and interesting as the first area. It really helps to have such a nice variety. Miles 13-19 are toughest for me, and in this marathon I actually enjoyed them! Spring Hill Avenue was the only "plain" section, but hey, that's when you're on your way home, and it's flat and a busy part of town, so you feel like you're performing for an audience. All of the police officers and traffic control people were very nice. We never had to use our sunglasses (except for wind perhaps). The only thing I'd have done differently is to have worn running tights and long-sleeved tech instead of my skirt and t-shirt. I was so cold for most of the run and super chilled at the end. Will I ever learn??? Excellent job, Mobile and L'Arche! | |
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D. R. from Cumming, GA
(1/27/2009)
"Another Great, Small-Field Marathon" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This marathon was the second leg of the 3N3 Alabama Marathon Challenge. This was my first Mobile and 12th overall marathon. The course was scenic, with a bad hill at mile 17. The course was safe, with several places with uneven and rough asphalt. Mobile is a great town, where everyone was friendly and helpful. The new Hampton Inn, which is 2 blocks from the start and finish, was first-rate. | |
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B. D. from Pacific NW of US
(1/19/2009)
"Great Value!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I would echo many of the comments from this year's race - especially the positive ones: well-marked course, attentive volunteers (even for back-of- the-packers), etc. I would add that this marathon is an excellent value: low registration fee, long-sleeve tech tee, warm food at the finish line, free (included) pasta dinner the night before, bands at dinner and finish, etc. Mobile is a great, historic city, and the folks are very welcoming to visitors. | |
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M. K. from New Jersey
(1/19/2009)
"Mobile Massage?" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 My friend and I loved this marathon. Any marathon where you can walk out of your hotel room 10 minutes before the start is a major bonus in our book. Pros: 1. Unique, wooden medal especially made for the runners. 2. Marathon money goes to a great charity. 3. Challenging course/not for wimps. 4. Southern hospitality EVERYWHERE on the course. From expo to finish. 5. Free pasta dinner. 6. Great post-race food. 7. Easy to get to from the airport. Hassle-free. 8. Gave food in the early miles of the course. There was enough for the back-of-the-packers. 9. Great expo giveaways. 10. Nice friendly town. 11. Tech shirts. Cons: 1. When are race directors going to understand that massages should really be saved for the marathoners AND ESPECIALLY the back-of-the-packers? When I finished, the massage people told me they were closing down because they had been out since 7 a.m. The people who truly need the massage are not the ones who ran 13.1 miles, in my opinion. The 26.2-mile runners need it more, and maybe the massage tent shouldn't be sent up until the 3-hour marathoners come in. And marathoners get priority over half marathoners! PLEASE, RDs! I've seen this happen in so many marathons and the first marathon to get it is super smart. 2. Gatorade only please. Although the fluid didn't upset me, it did others. 3. When I got to the expo, they had the wrong size for my tech shirt. At first they said, "Tough." But their Southern hospitality took over and they made sure to correct their mistake and gave me the correct size that I signed up for. Other than these 3 cons, there are more positives than negatives. You should definitely try to run this marathon. It is worth it. And stay at the new Hampton Inn. You can't beat it for the money: Free breakfast, internet and walk to the start! |
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