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Apr 27, 2024

Miami Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.5

Organization 4.2

Spectators 3.5

Number of comments: 312 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 32 > ]

G. B. from New York, New York (3/23/2016) "Good race but poor organization" (about: 2016) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Miami Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 The course itself is nice but there are challenges prior. I traveled to the expo from the Bayside (downtown) location. There was signage indicating where the shuttle left from but no people there and no way to know which bus of the many tourist buses/vans circling is the shuttle (they are not marked). Same thing at the expo; no signage and no people to guide you. Just walk in and wander until you find the bibs. The corrals are organized just OK but I agree with a previous commentator; the first group to leave are groups pushing wheelchairs and these need to be dealt with for the first few miles. 90% of the runners do the half marathon so the first part is very crowded. Look out for a tight corner at about mile 5; on a narrow street in South Beach, water and Gatorade are on opposite sides of the street, so people are zig-zagging and you get some full contact running at this point. The South Beach and causeway runs are scenic and the second half is through mostly quiet Miami neighborhoods, which is nice. Lots of support in Coconut Grove, nice views from the Rickenbacker Causeway and the finish is great, with good support.
E. H. from NY (1/27/2016) "Beautiful course but chaotic experience" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Miami Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 The course itself was really beautiful. Most of it was along the water. Unfortunately this year was unseasonably windy and cold which was tough especially going over the bridges. The criticism I have is that the race is overall chaotic. The corral system was meaningless as no one checked numbers. My corral (C - one of the first) had people walking the half marathon with disabled children. Therefore, there is a lot of weaving around walkers for the first few miles. The expo was very energetic but again chaotic - space was too small and cramped. Notwithstanding the above comments, I really did enjoy the race and Miami is a great city to visit! I would strongly recommend that the race director take care in future years to corral participants properly. Walkers should be in the back.
N. C. from Boston, MA, USA (1/26/2016) "It's Miami, after all!" (about: 2016) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Miami Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 If you are looking for a mid-winter marathon, I'd put this one on the shortlist, despite some drawbacks. Note that in 2016 the marathon took a different route due to the closing of the Venetian Causeway. It was also much colder than normal temperatures. If you are not staying in downtown close to the start/finish, expect some traffic issues getting to the start. Downtown hotels are at a premium $$$. This is a huge race and you will feel very crowded for a good number of miles. Somehow it seems that 1/2 the field is in the wrong coral and has no etiquette expect some jumping around very slow racers. It almost feels like two different races. The first half is crowded and basically consists of going to Miami Beach, running Ocean Drive and back. After the half-marathoners peel off, the route will take you through some unexpectedly quiet Miami neighborhoods for a different feeling. I like it. Expect wind running over the causeways. You will feel it more on the Rickenbacker causeway in the second half, as there will be no crowds to hide. The spectators are great, although they may be a bit thin for a city of 2 million. You will get to enjoy some good views, although I have, maybe too optimistically, expected a bit more. The race photos are a ripoff. Major negative point. The route is essentially flat. I can recommend it.
r. s. from portugal (2/7/2015) "Flat and fast" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Miami Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Start corrals very well organized. great course for PB. aid stations in both sides.
S. P. from Ohio (1/26/2015) "Great race, beautiful views" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Could have been water stops on left and right side Of course, and flags in air so you knew the stop was coming up
V. C. from Tampa, Florida (1/26/2015) "Superb race, weather was a blessing" (about: 2015) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Miami Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This year's race was perfect. I took a gamble when I decided to register for Miami and try to BQ. The Expo was great; tons of goodies. Got dropped off race morning by start line early (by choice to avoid road closures). Drop off was easy and low stress. Plenty of restrooms available by start. I actually thought the lines were super short. Bag drop was well staffed (keep in mind it's by the finish not the start, but still only 3 short blocks down the street). Wave start worked really well. Mix of marathoners and half marathoners in corrals but I didn't think it was too bad. Noticeable thinning when half marathoners peeled off. Tons of water stops (approx. each mile), well marked and well attended! Beautiful scenery on course. Great medal. I used the metromover (free) to get back to where I was staying. The station was right across the road from the finish. It doesn't get easier than that! I managed a PR and BQ! The weather was unusually cold so I credit that. Overall I highly recommend!
P. W. from Miami (1/26/2015) "Awsome cold weather and good Marathon 2015" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Miami Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Had a great run for my first Full Marathon. I will be running the full again in 2016.
j. M. from Caracas Venezuela (6/28/2014) "Thes was my first marathon and was wonderful" (about: 2014) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 For me was a wonderful experience to run my first marathon in these beautiful city and with my nice months before his weding, after these race we are planing to run in Sydney in 2015
Kami K. from Corpus Christi, TX (2/18/2014) "#101!" (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Miami Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Miami Marathon Miami, FL Sunday, 2 February 2014 6:15 AM On Saturday, the packet pickup at Miami Beach Convention Center was very efficient and did not take more than 10 minutes. Getting to Miami Beach and back was a different story and took me more than 4 hours due to heavy traffic and road constructions. Sunday, 2.2.2014, was the big day. I took the Metrorail and Metromover to the start line in downtown Miami. There were approximately 25,000 marathoners and half marathoners, mostly half marathoners, at the start line. Temperature ranged from low 70s to mid 80s. There was a wave start. There were pace groups. Traffic control was very good. A large number of volunteers staffed the 24 aid stations. The mile markers were easily visible and the elapsed gun time was digitally displayed at every mile. The mainly flat course was scenic and I liked it. It was still dark when the marathoners and half marathoners started the race and in spite of the wave start, it was a bit congested for a while and I wished the aid stations were on both sides of the route for the first 13 miles. We ran into Miami Beach via MacArthur Causeway. We then ran through the city via Ocean Drive (South Beach) and Washington Avenue, crossed Rio Alto Island, Di Lido Island, San Marino Island, and Biscayne Island, via Venetian Causeway, before returning to Miami. At mile 13, the marathoners and half marathoners were diverged and the course became far less crowded. We ran through downtown Miami and reached Coconut Grove at mile 18. It rained for several minutes, which was actually helpful as it had already become quite warm. The finish line was close to the start line. There were 3,529 (2,307 male, 1,222 female) finishers in the average finish time of 4:43:42. The winning times were 2:19:45 (male) and 2:49:27 (female). There were 15,453 half marathon finishers. The finisher medallion was very nice. There were plenty of recovery drinks and food items. This was my 101st and last marathon! I started my marathon running career in Miami in 1992 and wanted to end it there. No more marathon running due to bum knees. Daily runs will continue, though.
W. S. from Punta Gorda, FL (2/18/2014) "HOT, wonderful Miami" (about: 2014) 3 previous marathons \| 2 Miami Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This is my second time running this race. It was a lot hotter this year, and people were having difficulty ( I was one of them!). I am from Florida so heat is normally not a problem, but it was really humid. The other runners were happy, excited and super friendly ( I collapsed at mile 24 with leg cramps, and the guy behind me stopped immediately and spent 5 minutes helping stretch. I was this a lot). They fixed the corral problems of previous years. The biggest problem I had was after the race. If you are looking for a cab to get you back to your hotel, think again. It was adventure to get to my hotel, and you normally do not want an adventure after a marathon. The medal is awesome, and each year they get better.

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