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May 18, 2024

OC Marathon Runner Comments

Back to OC Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 3.5

Organization 3.4

Spectators 2.8

Number of comments: 181 [displaying comments 121 to 131]

More Comments: [ < 1 .. 11 12 13 14 15 .. 19 > ]

Jimmy Freeman from Los Angeles, CA (3/10/2006) "The course will EAT your fast PR alive!!!" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 OC Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I came to this race this year as my fallback plan. I got really sick the weekend of the Tucson Marathon and elected to pull out of the race and save it for another day. Looking at the 2005 OC Marathon times, and talking to a few runners who ran well there, I elected to run the 2006 edition with hopes of finally cracking the 3-hour barrier! For starters, the ELEVATION MAP wasn't representative of the course. It was essentially measured at mile points and then a straight line was drawn between points. With today's MAP-POINT-SATELLITE technology, you think race directors would take advantage and offer ALL the ups-and-downs of their course. Miles 13 to 22 had nearly seven of the 10 miles a full mile of incline. The three miles that were supposedly flat had many UPS-and-DOWNS, and one mile had about 60 feet of drop and 60 feet of climbing, which to me seemed a pretty challenging mile (that looked FLAT on an elevation chart). THIS IS MY FAULT. I didn't do my homework on this race, and quite frankly, it was my fallback option. All in all, I ran my best effort (but a solid six minutes OFF my PR), albeit 18 minutes off of my goal time. C'est la vie! Next year, back to Cali Int'l....
J. A. from Lake Forest, CA (2/4/2006) "Much improved from 2004!" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 OC Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Great job to Coach, race organizers, crew and volunteers - this was one of the best races I've ever run! The start area had plenty of parking and were organized well. The course was definitely a little tougher than I anticipated - the steady uphill for so many miles made for a tough finish. Support was prefect - plenty of water, Gookinaid, gels and the volunteers were awesome. The finish line was a HUGE improvement over last year - thank you! The volunteers did their jobs quickly, and got runners into the food area efficiently. Parking was also tremendously improved. Great job, all - I look forward to being out there next year!
M. H. from L.A., CA (1/29/2006) "Great deal of improvement. 2nd half is hilly." (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 OC Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This year, the parking was excellent and plentiful. I think it'd be great if they could get the race to finish and start at the same place. The last half of this course would be great for someone interested in leasing industrial space in the O.C.- i.e., except for the mountain and farm views, some of the hills got boring. This race continues to have the best staff and volunteers. I did this race more than an hour slower than last year and was so glad to see there was still plenty of food and water left. And (unlike last year) there were shuttle buses waiting.
T. S. from San Diego, CA (1/18/2006) "Great day but tough course" (about: 2006) 1 previous marathon \| 1 OC Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran the OC Marathon this year because I didn't want to make the trip to Phoenix and I thought that the Carlsbad race would be too hilly. (What a surprise when I went up-up-up from miles 12-22!) The course was tough - the slow grade really crushed a number of my friends looking for PRs. It was also pretty lonely during the entire uphill stretch. I ran pretty well (3:54), but only because I really held back the first half, which had several downhills. The race was very well organized. Start line, water stations, finish line, buses - all smooth and well done. I entered with trepidation after reading last year's comments, but the organizers really did a top-notch job. I loved seeing Bill Rodgers and getting him to autograph my shirt at the expo.
g. c. from Irvine Ca. (1/15/2006) "did not improve from last year" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 OC Marathons COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 The course this year was crazy. Some areas by the lake were too narrow for marathon and half marathon number of runners. The 261 part was deserted. Having along the side of Peters Canyon Trail instead, with possible spectators from the residential areas by the trail. Running by El Toro on Irvine Blvd. was another mistake. This is a beautiful city. Why choose areas that lack support for the runners? Even last year with the bad weather people gave us a lot more support. Sorry, this was my last.
P. B. from West Covina Calif. (1/13/2006) "Another good OC" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 OC Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 It was another good OC for me. I PRed both times. This was my 11th, with 3 marathons in between the two OC's. I actually, liked last year's course better, because it was flatter and more scenic. I hope they change it again, and start and finish in the same place. If not, I hope they at least have us park at the finish, and bus us to the start; that would improve the race, big time. It was nice to see a couple of bands playing, and once again they had some really good pace leaders (sub-4 hour). I would try to do it every year, if the OC had more time between it and LA. I hope to do it next year. Pete
k. m. from Central Valley - CA (1/10/2006) "A Big Huge Home Run" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 OC Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The OC has arrived. The organization was outstanding - I have never in 28 races walked through the finish area, gotten my chip removed, had the medal, had some food and been at the door of a bus in 15 minutes! The longest wait was waiting for the bus to load. The course is a challenge - but not over done. The only downside is the students preparing to run the LA Marathon are learning how to run a race and that was a bit of a pain - but they are the future of our sport and we were all once in the same place.
K. K. from California (1/10/2006) "Great Job!!" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 OC Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran the OC Marathon last year and again this year. The weather was ideal: 60's. There was a lot of water and lots of volunteers on the course. The finish area was bigger and flowed very well. The course was a little more difficult but scenic. After the race I got my goodies, cheered other runners, and then got on a shuttle back to the start. There was no wait for the bus and it dropped me right near my car. Great job OC!! Look forward to next year.
Jeff Smith from Laguna Hills, CA (1/10/2006) "Marked Improvement" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 OC Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran the half last year and remember, vividly, the fiasco at the finish. Well, from the expo to the finish line, this race did a complete 180. The weather cooperated, and I'm sure that made a huge difference with the number of spectators that came out, as well as crew that manned the course. The change in course made it somewhat challenging in that miles 10-22ish were on a constant uphill grade. That took its toll. The course deviation at mile 17 was unexpected and threw off racers as well as supporters. The finish line, though, was great. Plenty of fluids and grub. And Mylar blankets.... All things that were lacking last year. The course was great for cheering, too, since it was highly accessible even with road closures. I had 30+ people out cheering and crewing and they had no problems getting around. I'm very happy with an 18-minute PR and BQ time, too! Great job Bill, Jodi, etc. You guys put on a top-notch race. One comment to the elite lady at the mile 12 water stop though: A remark like "you need to learn to hand out water" is totally inappropriate to make to a teenage volunteer that has come out to help YOU. Get some class.
Kyle EricSon from Riverside, CA (1/10/2006) "Much Better Than 2005" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 OC Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Just completed the 2006 OC Marathon and have to compliment the organizers for correcting everything that was wrong with the 2005 version. First off, the expo was held outside in a large tent at the finish line (similar to the Pacific Shoreline Marathon) and was much better than 2005 when it was at an abandoned warehouse. Plus, if the weather would have turned bad, we would have had shelter from the elements (something that we didn't have in 2005 when it rained). Fortunately, it was a great day and the tent was not needed. Secondly, the course was also greatly improved and we spent very little time on the riverbed where the majority of the 2005 race was held. The course was mainly on city/residential streets with a little bit of parkland and freeway thrown in, and was much, much better than in 2005, in my opinion (although I'll offer some constructive criticism later). Lastly, the finisher's medal was very nice, the T-shirt (at least for the marathoners) was a quality, long-sleeved one (although can we change things up sometime and maybe do a color other than white?), and as always, the spectators and volunteers were greatly appreciated (for all the people who always complain about the spectators and volunteers, I wonder how many times they have volunteered to give up one of their Sundays to hand out water and GU to a bunch of ungrateful marathoners). Lastly, a special "thank you" to McDonald's for providing the disposable drinking cups! Now for the constructive criticism promised earlier: Although, as I mentioned, I think the course was greatly improved over last year, I think it could still use a little work (and this just may brand me as a wuss, but what the heck!). From mile 10 to about mile 22 you are on a slow but steady incline, going from about sea level to about 400 feet. Granted that's not a dramatic increase, but since it's smack dab in the middle of the course, I think it really does some people in (and in case you're wondering, I finished in 3:50). Although I know you're limited by your surroundings/geography, something a little flatter would be appreciated. The other thing about the course that I think is less than ideal is finishing 13 miles away from where you started and having to ride a bus back to your car. I can only imagine how bad those buses must smell the day after the race, and many people had to be physically helped up the steps to simply get in and out of them. Once again, I realize that you're limited by the surroundings, but finishing where you started is always preferable in my book (Long Beach, Pacific Shoreline and Palos Verdes are some local races who manage to do it). Lastly, I think the motto of "Surf. Sand. Sweat." needs to be dropped, as it misleads out-of-towners into thinking that the race is run along the beach, when in reality it never even comes close. My last criticism is not directed at the organizers of the race, but at my fellow competitors (and unfortunately, this seems to happen at every race). Can we please start policing ourselves and start in the appropriate place? As I said earlier, I finished in 3:50 and started around the 4:00 pace group. Unfortuantely, I spent the first several miles having to pass hundreds of runners going much slower than I was. Especially guilty seemed to be all the 'Run LA' kids who were apparently running the half-marathon as a precursor to LA in March. Although I think it's great that these kids are training for LA and are actually outside being active instead of sitting inside playing video games, by mile 2 or 3 most of them were already walking and forcing everybody else to run around them. Kids being kids, I don't fault them for this, but rather the adults who should have had them grouped together and at the back of the pack where they didn't interfere with other runners. And for the rest of the adults who force themselves up to the front at every race, you should know better. I know everybody gets excited at the start and has the best of intentions, but please be a bit more realistic about where you're going to finish and start appropriately (if all your other finishing times are in the 4:30 - 5:30 timeframe, I really doubt that all of a sudden you're going to do 2:30 - 3:00 and win any prize money). In conclusion, I think the OC Marathon is definitely on the right track and one that I plan on adding to my yearly schedule along with Long Beach, Pacific Shoreline and Palos Verdes. See ya' in 2007!

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