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Miami Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Miami Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 4.2 
Spectators 3.5
Number of comments: 312 [displaying comments 291 to 301]
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Chad Perlyn from St. Louis
(2/7/2003)
 "THE SUN HAS RISEN OVER MIAMI!!!!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I am an experienced marathoner and this was the most wonderful course I have ever been on! Great scenes, flat, fast, easy. Where else can you run through a downtown area, along the beach, and past giant cruise ships heading out to sea! I loved running through the neighborhoods of coconut grove. People were coming out of the houses and offering me drinks, cut fruits, or pieces of ice -- it was so nice of them. The staffed water stations were great. No problems, many of them. Temp was great. City does need to promote it more and actively encourage the crowds to come out. In time, they will. Overall, the Miami marathon will become one of the best! | |
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M. B. from Miami, Florida
(2/7/2003)
 "WOW! PERFECT WEATHER & SCENERY" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This course was amazing. The views were majestic. It takes you through Cruise Ship Alley and the islands of the stars. You experience South Beach by running down Ocean Drive as the sun rises over the calm, warm Atlantic Ocean. You head back to the mainland through a string of islands and over the historic Venetian Causeway. You experience old Miami and continue through the heart of downtown. Next, you go over the Miami River and down Miami Avenue, a grand, tree-lined boulevard. Then, into the Grove, both the commercial and densely vegetated residential areas. Back towards downtown along Bayshore Drive with a refreshing sea breaze. Down Brickell Avenue through the residential areas where each condominium is a piece of art. Then, a path through Brickell's shining sky scrapers in the financial district. Back across the Miami River with a post-card finish at Bayfront Park. This is God's marathon. Don't miss this marathon while it is still small and cozy. This will be another New York, Boston, and Marine Corps in years to come! | |
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David Andersen from Boston, MA
(2/6/2003)
"Great Race!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 It was about 80°F when I strolled over to the awards ceremony. The sun was burning hot on my flesh. Thankfully earlier in the day when I began the 26.2 mile trek through Miami it was in the mid 50's and dark. The race started at 6:00am and sunrise wasn't until 7:00am. This was the inaugural Miami Tropical Marathon and the organizers hard work was evident in all aspects of the pre-race planning. They had $50K in prize money and a flat course. Prize money went 10 deep so they had a world class field. These 'elites' started 2-minutes before the rest of us which I found odd. based on my 2:59:19 from last May I was given a seeded number (66). There were over 2,000 runners and another 3,000 in the accompanying half marathon... we would all start together. My goal was to run 6:45/mile pace. I was hoping I could manage that and deal with a minimal slowdown at the end. Although I was mentally ready for some of those last miles to be around 7:00/mile. That was my goal but I was prepared for worse given how I was feeling and how hot it got. Thankfully, the race went pretty much how I anticipated. Here are the facts: Miles 1-5 in 34:14 (6:51 pace); 5-10 in 33:37 (6:43 pace); 10-15 in 33:14 (6:39 pace); 15-20 in 33:41 (6:44 pace); 20-25 in 35:48 (7:09). I was the 29th male to finish (perhaps the 15th American), 5 women beat me so I was 34th overall, 4th in my age group. My time of 2:59:15 (net) was a 4-second (over age 40) PR. My gun time was 2:59:18. It never got uncomfortably hot, it was probably in the mid 60's by the time I finished. At 8 miles I caught up to a guy that knew (recognized) me from the internet. We chatted and ran together for a few minutes before he had to make a pit stop. I was moving along comfortably, passing people every so often, not knowing if they were entered in the half or the full marathon. By the time I reached the halfway point it was light out but the sun wasn't shinning on us. I was feeling good and really focused on my body signals. I wasn't really enjoying the tour of the different sections of Miami we were running through (downtown Miami, Miami Beach, and Coconut Groove). I either had my eyes on the road or the runners in front of me. I reached the halfway point in 1:28:44 and 20 miles in 2:14:46 (which would result in a 2:56:41 marathon if I kept pace). The first negative body signal I received was from my quads. I was nervous about my calves and hamstrings but they never became a problem. However the distance was wearing on me and by 19 miles the sub 6:50 miles were turning into 6:56, 6:53, 6:58. I was still moving along okay but my legs were losing strength and I was now putting forth a much greater effort yet going slower. I passed the occasional straggler, including some 'elites' that must have decided it was quicker to jog back to the finish than wait to be picked up. I caught one guy who appeared to be my age, but he wouldn't fade away. He fought to stay with me (or vice-a-versa) for 2 miles. I thought I might crack first but going up a 'hill' (bridge overpass) I dropped him like a bad habit. Those miles were the toughest (and slowest) of my race... 7:17, 7:25, 7:12. With the end in sight someone else came cruising by. Nobody had passed me since the 6-mile mark! I tried to go with him but there was no way. I was giving it all I had. For the last 1.2 miles I averaged 7:09 pace. And so it was, I crossed the line and came to a hobbling stop on hurting quads. I was thrilled to be back on the sunny side of 3-hours! I greeted my wife and started rehydrating. I was back to my hotel room by 9:30am and eventually found my way back to Boston and my keyboard. It was an awesome race and a great weekend getaway, Up front three guys ran 2:12 and two women ran 2:40. Upon reflection of my race I'm completely and totally satisfied with it but can't help but think if I had just started a little quicker and not slowed so much at the end... well, it gives me incentive that I may someday run 2:55 or better. | |
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M. N. from Pembroke Pines, FL
(2/6/2003)
"Great start!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I only ran the half, but I thought the course was just beautiful (it didn't hurt that the weather was great, too!). There weren't many spectators or entertainment, but I wasn't surprised since this was the first year. That aspect will only improve. I thought the water stops were fine, it was nice to have both gatorade and water offered at every stop. There weren't enough portapotties along the course and I was surprised that there were no visible clocks along the course. I wasn't wearing a sports watch and I had no idea what my splits were. But, I considered those issues minor and thought it was a wonderful first year and look forward to doing it again next time! | |
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G. A. from Daytona, FL
(2/5/2003)
"Incredible. Miami has joined the ranks." (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is probably the beginning of new big race. This course gives you a chance to see all those movie shots. They need to work on a few first year problems but overall it will be on my list to run again. | |
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K. S. from Kauai, Hawaii
(2/4/2003)
"Great First Year Showing" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Weather turned out to be great for the entire race. Runners were friendly and spectators, the ones who were there, were very enthusiastic and motivating. The course was the star with great views of Miami Beach at sunrise and cool, shady roadways over the second half. Miami also offers a variety of activities for those visiting the area. Congratulations on a great event! | |
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F. C. from Atlanta, Georgia
(2/4/2003)
 "Finally experienced that 'runner's high' thing." (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Incredibly scenic course - gives a great tour of Miami - not a bunch of back roads like some other marathons. Sparse spectators, but existing ones were enthusiastic. Weather was perfect, volunteers seemed eager, and easily clocked best marathon time on this route. Even with 6am start you need to get there early to figure out where to park. Plenty to do after the race also...well worth the trip. | |
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L. F. from Norfolk, Virginia
(2/4/2003)
"Great race through all of Miami!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The race was a good inaugural offering. The course had a few low points (running through the homeless folks) but running through the communities around Miami made the run worthwhile. The crowd support would have been better if there had been more people but the police were cheering folks on all the way until the end! Well done Miami. | |
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L. G. from fort lauderdale
(2/4/2003)
 "great route!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run several 1/2 marathons and marathons. I will definately make this a regular stop for my marathon travel. What a great route and the water was more then ample! | |
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C. Y. from SW Ranches, Florida
(2/4/2003)
"Already looking forward to next year." (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Organizers did a great job, a lot better than I expected. Very scenic first half (lots of water, and the cruise ships in port was a bonus) and a shady second half (a little too much camber on the old Miami roads, almost as bad as Disney-I ran the half 3 weeks ago). Tons of water/gatorade/cliffshot stations, and volunteers were great, but mile markers were hard to find (especially in the later miles) and the lack of spectators was expected. Nice medal design, but could be a little heavier. Who said Florida was flat, I thought Chicago was flatter, but maybe it was all those bridges in the first half and the big surprise (heartbreak bridge) at mile 26. Otherwise, I had a great time, got a great medal, and even better, had a PR. Great job Miami, already looking forward to next year. |
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