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Big Sur International Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Big Sur International Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.9 
Organization 4.8 
Spectators 3.7
Number of comments: 212 [displaying comments 181 to 191]
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M. B. from Bermondsey, England.
(5/9/2003)
 "Thrilling" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I'd done London and New York before this run, but enjoyed Big Sur much more. The course is hilly but the scenery is spectacular. The entertainment along the way was topnotch. The belly dancers at mile 25 were great fun! The organization could not be faulted and I was touched to see the race organizers at the finish line to shake my hand and thank me for running this race. A marvellous experience. If anyone SCUBA dives I can also recommend that activity in this area for some post-race relaxation. I saw beautiful kelp and harbour seals. Bring your PADI card or the equivalent. | |
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K. J. from Van Nuys, CA
(5/9/2003)
 "A marathoner's experience of a lifetime." (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Even more than the spectacular course itself, it was the people associated with this event that made it a marathon to remember. Each volunteer was kind and generous. Some even related their own experiences on the course to give me a sense of what I could expect during the run. Also, this marathon seemed to attract kind and generous runners. There was more camaraderie and there were more words of encouragement than I have encountered in 8 previous marathons. Plus, I PR'ed. Yes, the course was a thing of awe to behold and a sadistic tyrant to run, but it was the people who made this memorable. Big Sur is a spiritual as well as a physical journey. It cannot be missed. | |
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J. L. from Sterling Heights, MIchigan
(5/5/2003)
 "Breathtaking!!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This marathon is breathtaking in more than one way. The views along the course are breathtaking as are the hills. The course is harder than it seems at first glance, but very well worth the effort. | |
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J. F. from Oak Park, Ca.
(5/1/2003)
"Mystical Exhaustion" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Any marathon is daunting, but the BSIM is also humbling. The course is (as everyone describes it) beautiful and treacherous. The hills - much like the view - are endless. The energy at the start is radiant and almost enough to get you through the course. (But stick with the gatorade and GU to make sure you finish). It seemed a bit crowded near the end with the walkers and relay buses going by. But the day itself was as good as it gets. The management and the volunteers deserve an amazing amount of credit for their organization and super friendly attitude. After Hurricane Point, a positive attitude can really make a difference. I'll be back next year for my fourth attempt at lovingly killing myself! | |
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K. R. from Santa Barbara, CA
(4/30/2003)
"Awesome Marathon - Highly Recommended" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 What more can one say about 26.2 miles along a closed Pacific Coast Highway on a picture-perfect day in Big Sur ! Absolutely Awesome. Lots of hills - Hurricane Harbour is something else. Not, at all, a PR outing. But an incredible, well organized, marathon. Truly a great experience. Add to that a chance for a great week-end in Monterey & Carmel. | |
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Robert Sampson from Boston, MA
(4/30/2003)
 "You, the coast and the course" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 Spectacular scenery lives up to the hype and so do the hills! The 3:30 a.m. wakeup from Monterey was a little rough and so was the 1 1/2 hour wait at the start in 40 degree bitterness, but the weather turned out to be absolutely perfect for a marathon. The course is closed to spectators and is a point-to-point so don't expect to have any fan support along the way until you hit the last mile . Train for hills (the rollers from 18 to the finish are worse than Hurricane point), don't expect anything spectacular for your time and hopefully this marathon will show it's training potential for the fall marathon season. Friendly staff/volunteers! | |
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Anna Slattery from San Francisco , California
(4/29/2003)
"Great marathon again, sun, not much wind" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is the second year in a row I ran the Big Sur M.and it was great as expected. I like the fact that you get an update at each mile marker on how you are doing and what your estimated finish time will be. I found that very helpful and I actually qualified for the Boston Marathon for my age group. The weather was nice and not very windy. | |
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A Runner from Palo Alto, California
(11/1/2002)
"Pretty, but you won't qualify for Boston here!" (General Comments)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Course beauty: What can I say, Big Sur is perhaps the prettiest coastline in the US. We saw whales breaching around mile 6. On a nice day, running the BSIM is perhaps *the* most incredible way of seeing this incredible coast. Course Traffic: It sucked. Buses spewing smelly diesel exhaust were numerous. The buses ran in order to ferry the relay runners to the finish line. Relay/Walkers: The BSIM is open to walkers and a 4-leg relay run. I found this VERY distracting. The relay people really broke up the natural pace of the marathoners. The walkers were usually pretty good about staying on the shoulder of the road, but I wasn't thrilled to have some walkers taunting me ('Hey marathoner, are you tired? Wanna quit?') around mile 24. Since one lane of traffic was closed for buses, I found the course quite crowded at times. Race support: Superb. Aid stations appeared often and were fantastically staffed and supplied. Praise Allah for the Strawberries at mile 23!!! | |
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Tom Norris from Castle Pines, Colorado
(5/6/2002)
"Number 1 for a Reason!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran this year's BSIM and was very impressed. The course is beautiful beyond description; you have to see it to believe it. The organization was superb. The pre-race seminars at the expo were informative and also a great way to stay off your feet prior to race-day. The entertainment along the course was a plus, including classical piano, a drum troop, jazz bands and belly-dancers! They definitely have a sense of humor. My favorite was at mile 25 where you'll encounter 'De- Composer', a severely dehydrated runner. (actually a skeleton in running clothes) I would whole-heartedly recommend this marathon to anyone. BSIM is also certified and a Boston-qualifier. You could find flatter courses, but you won't find one more beautiful. | |
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A Runner from Washington, DC
(5/2/2002)
"It's all true." (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Finally ran Big Sur for the first time the other day. Everything that's been said about it is true - it's an *amazing* experience, but I think it's gotten a little too crowded. Yes, the marathon is limited to 4000, but with the 10 & 20 mi. walks and relay (many of whom were walking) there are MANY more than that on the course. There's a total of 10,000+ participating in the Big Sur events. The road isn't very wide. I could hardly move, even towards the end. I wasn't trying to break any records, just wanted to run at a comfortable pace and enjoy the scenery. Also, if time doesn't matter on this course, why are pace and projected finish time called out at every mile? Granted, I found this *extremely* helpful and wish every race would do it. My point about the timing is this: Clearly, the marathon is playing with the big boys in terms of corporate sponsors, number of participants, and entry fee, so why not just get the chip already?! It took me longer to get to the start than in NYC. |
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