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May 5, 2024

OC Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 3.5

Organization 3.4

Spectators 2.8

Number of comments: 181 [displaying comments 51 to 61]

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D. L. from Riverside,Calif. (5/17/2009) "the good, the bad and the ugly" (about: 2009) First Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The Good 1. Enjoyed the first half of the course. The run through the Back Bay was enjoyable. 2. Volunteers were helpful and very encouraging to the runners. 3. The medal along with the tech was well done. 4. The massage staff was awesome; they saved my legs. The Bad 1. The narrow trail under P.C.H. was a bit nuts. I couldn't image if the field was full it would be bad. There was a lot of bumping and having to slow down. 2. The river part of the course at mile 21 was long and boring. There were few spectators, and there were bike riders to dodge. That area of the course is not spectator-friendly. 3. A start separating the half-marathoners from the full would be nice. It would be nice to see on-course timing too. The Ugly 1. Paying to park at the expo is ridiculous. You are there for all of five minutes. 2. The starting area was confusing and the porta-potty situation was bad. I was a little surprised by the lack of trash cans in the starting area. Personally, this was my first full marathon. (I've done two half-marathons before.) So, not knowing what to expect, I was still a little disappointed. That all said, I still enjoyed myself and expect to be back next year.
g. m. from Southern California (5/13/2009) "Very Good Event" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 OC Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I thought the entire event was very well organized and well supported. The course was about as flat and as interesting as you could reasonably expect in a densely-populated urban area. I run about 6 marathons and 5 half-marathons per year. This event will definitely be on my 2010 calendar.
Paul Moeller from Carlsbad, CA (5/12/2009) "Mediocre, but would consider the half next year" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 OC Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 This was my 14th marathon. I live an hour away, so it was a convenient choice - though I did stay in the host hotel the night before the race (no day-of-race registration). Overall impression: they have mapped out a decent course (especially the first half), done a relatively mediocre job of organizing things, done an exceptional job of recruiting enthusiastic volunteers, and done a pretty lousy job of giving this race any personality. It's a moderately easy course (mostly asphalt, with several miles on bike trails, and a few small and medium hills, the biggest of which is at mile 23). But the whole event had a very antiseptic, uninspired, "corporate" feel to it. There were many opportunities missed to inject more fun into the proceedings. I sensed little involvement or "buy-in" from the community. Geez - think of all of the ways they could riff off of the "Orange" theme. The expo: About what I'd expect from a mid-sized event, with the usual types of vendors. The goody bag contained no pre-race instructions, and there was no swag (except for a pack of Clif Shots). All runners did receive an excellent, high-quality, technical t-shirt. I also snared a very nice technical running jacket for being one of the first 1,000 to register for the marathon. Since the expo was held at the Orange County Fairgrounds - where the race finishes ($5 parking each day) - it was beneficial to be able to scope out the finish area ahead of time. Host/headquarters hotel& Newport Beach Marriott. Top-notch accommodations, wonderful staff, beautiful setting, convenient location (a few blocks away from the start), but not a single indication ANYWHERE that it was the OC Marathon's host hotel (except for the presence of folks who looked like runners). No signs, no balloons, nothing to welcome me or to orient me in any way. I don't even know if they had a carbo-load dinner (it was certainly not promoted if there was one), but there are many excellent restaurants very nearby. We had a marvelous, reasonably-priced Italian dinner at Amelia's Restaurant - a couple of miles away on Balboa Island. Before the race: This is a point-to-point course, so many runners parked at the OC fairgrounds finish area, paid an extra fee, and took a shuttle bus to the start. I stayed at the host hotel and arranged to be picked up by my wife at the finish. I was able to walk from the hotel to the start area in about 5 minutes - though, again there were NO SIGNS anywhere!!! Nice PA system, with plenty of space and grassy areas nearby. But there was not a single trash can or porta-potty (or water) anywhere in sight, from the entire start area. I eventually discovered that the facilities were consolidated in an area a couple of blocks away - in the opposite direction from the hotel, at the shuttle bus drop-off location. If you were not arriving by shuttle bus, this counter-intuitive location would be easy to miss - as evidenced by dozens and dozens of runners looking in vain for some bushes prior to the start. There were over 6,000 runners entered in this race (between marathon and half-marathon), and perhaps 4 dozen porta-potties near the start. You do the math! Plus, the porta-potties were set up in a claustrophobic, u-shaped configuration, to insure maximum congestion and confusion waiting for, as well as exiting, that area. The race/course: Began just a few minutes after the scheduled 6:30 a.m. start-time. There were 3 "voluntary" wave chutes at the start (sub-4 hours, 4-5 hours, over 5 hours). There were several pace groups, but the leaders were very hard to find. Again, there were NO SIGNS (except for one "rogue" 3:40 pacer). The full- and half-marathon runners started together (and shared the first 12 miles of the course). I did not feel overly cramped for the first few miles. Initially, the course is quite scenic, with a nice oceanfront stretch, and a smattering of spectators. At around mile 5, we were routed onto a bike trail and under a coast highway bridge. For the next quarter-mile, the congestion was so bad (among the 4:00-4:30 runners) that we literally stopped at points, and walked or jogged at other points. Most of miles 6-12 were on a narrow road/bike trail through the peaceful natural beauty of the Upper Newport Bay Eco Preserve. The next 7 miles were mostly through uninspiring business park areas - with a brief foray through a small park and a shopping center parking lot. Mile 20-23 was on a bike trail adjacent to the Santa Ana River, which is nothing more than a huge, unattractive, concrete drainage ditch. The last 3 miles were pleasant - trails and roads through a park, and attractive residential community, with a bit of a climb around mile 24. Nice finish in the OC Fairgrounds. For what it's worth: on the course, there were no split times - anywhere. There was no entertainment - anywhere. There was lots of water/PowerAde, but no gels, and not nearly enough porta-potties. Post-race: Attractive medal. Minimal runner refreshments. Comfortable park-like setting, with shade and grass. No beer garden. Lots of "fair" food for sale. Live music. Spectator-friendly. Not too crowded - easy reunion with friends and family. Nice! Final thoughts: Weather was a bit humid, and it was very sunny (there's not much shade). I would consider running the half-marathon next year (especially if they remedy the mile 5 bottleneck), but would definitely look elsewhere for a spring marathon - and would not recommend this as a first choice to my friends. There are too many alternatives out there to be wasting time, training and dollars on an event as mediocre and uninspired as this one.
Kyle EricSon from Riverside, CA (5/8/2009) "Still Improving the OC Marathon" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 OC Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I have run this marathon all 5 years that it has been in existence and commend the organizers for trying to improve it every year. I had very high hopes for the 2009 edition. First off, there are many things to like about this race. Both the race and the expo are well run and organized, although I bristle at having to pay money to park at the expo since I'm typically only there for about 5 minutes to pick up my bib and chip. This year the first 1,000 participants were given technical jackets (by the way, does everybody's jacket zip on the left side instead of the right?), and in previous years we were given Avia (the main sponsor) running shoes. This year the medals are very nice and have the date of the race printed on them (last year they omitted that info to cram in the name of the sponsors), and we were also given technical running shirts instead of the standard cotton, white T-shirt. Now, for the only disappointing aspect of the race, as far as I'm concerned, and that's the course itself. Although greatly improved over previous years, I STILL HATE POINT-TO-POINT COURSES! Boston can get away with this, because after all, it's Boston. However, all other races should start and finish at the same place. I would think you would save some money by not having to bus people from one place to another (although this year parking at the finish line and being bussed backed to the start line was much better than the other way around). Additionally, although the course itself is much better than previous years, we still spent far too much time on the "bike trail" (i.e., river bed) from miles 5 - 12 and then again from miles 20 - 23 (although thankfully this year there was no running down the middle of the 271 freeway as in years past). I understand how difficult it must be to get permits and road closures for a busy and congested area in Southern California, but the current course seems to suggest that the communities want the money that the runners bring into the local economies, but not the runners themselves. All in all though, this is a good race which could become excellent if the organizers could ever devise a more runner friendly course.
J. A. from Orange County (5/6/2009) "Decent race, but some things need fixing!" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 3 OC Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 What worked well: The weather; the [limited] specators were very encouraging and kind; the stretch around the Back Bay was beautiful; aid station volunteers were OUTSTANDING; finish area was organized and well stocked with post-race food/drink. What needs fixing: the course - personally, I didn't enjoy running around the mall, business parks or bike path, and a better course would hopefully bring out more spectators; porta-potties at the start - terrible design; waiting till the week of the race to announce the sports drink made it impossible to train with it. All in all, I think it was a good race, and I appreciate all of the work that went into the planning. I hope to be out there next year!
a. l. from Irvine, CA (5/6/2009) "Time-splits seemed off" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 4-5 OC Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Good: 1. Plenty of volunteers. 2. Plenty of water and energy drinks. Bad: 2. There was not a single clock along the course. 3. No gel/bars on the course.
j. b. from Flagstaff (5/6/2009) "On its way" (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 OC Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 This has the makings of a fantastic marathon course. Contrary to previous postings, I thought it was very flat and fast. There was good variety too, going from the ocean, to the preserve, to the neighborhoods, with just a little unavoidable strip mall nastiness. The expo seemed okay, as did the finish line, but the start was a mess. Porta-potties were arranged in a horseshoe shape, and there was no way to form orderly lines to get into them. There also were not enough of them. Additionally, they were a 1/4 mile or so from the actual startline. I also could find no water at the startline. I asked a volunteer about it, and she said that I could get water during the race. That said, the course was fantastic, and the water stops were well-manned and organized. As far as I could tell, there were more volunteers at each water station than there were at the start line! This has the makings of a great marathon. I PR'd and had a great time, despite some snags.
M. G. from Anaheim, CA (5/5/2009) "Much Improved OC Course" (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 OC Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my 2nd time running this course. This year it was a much more scenic and faster course. The first half was mainly along the water. The second half ran through town, then down a long bike trail, and then back to the fairgrounds. The start was very crowded. I started in the "B" Corral and passed numerous walkers during the first mile?? Please, if you are a walker, stay at the back of the pack. There was one ginormous hill out of Back Bay - maybe 60 feet(?) - but it was very short and came at mile 9, so no big deal. There was another big overpass to conquer at mile 14 over the 405, but not too bad either. There were two other gradual elevation climbs - one around mile 11 and another at the end, coming out of the bike trail (which was tough when your gas tank is fast approaching empty). Weather was good (in the 60's when we started), but the humidity was a bit high. We had to run against a headwind on the bike trail for at least 4 miles. This was tough, but fortunately, it was not a windy day. Overall, a fairly fast course, and this was the first time I ran a sub-4 marathon. Aid stations were well stocked with water and PowerAde. Great volunteers and nice crowd support in many places. No gels, but this was disclosed on their website, so I brought my own. The only major area for improvement revolved around the porta-potties. There were not enough at the start line. By 6 a.m., it looked like a 30-minute (or longer) line had formed. They probably needed at least 4 times as many. Then there were only 2 per aid station. I saw long lines. I also saw numerous people as early as mile 3 duck into the bushes to take care of "business." I know we have new owners for this year's race, but maybe they can learn from last year, where there were plenty of facilities for use. Overall, with the exception of the porta-potties, this was an enjoyable and much improved course. I hope to be back next year.
A. H. from Fresno, CA, USA (5/5/2009) "Decent course, easy run" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 OC Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Like others have said, great first half! After that, it's a mixed bag. Plenty of course support, although no gels (I have my own favorites, anyway). Not too crowded! Pretty flat; the worst hills are only freeway overpasses (or about the same size as overpasses) - and there are only a few.
Quang X. Pham from Orange County, CA (5/5/2009) "Second time is a charm..." (about: 2009) 3 previous marathons \| 2 OC Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran my first marathon (OC) in January 2008 in the rain. It was uphill in the second half and wound around an old military base with limited spectators at the end. The new course (2009 race) was 100% better, with routing improvement and finish line. Spectators lined Mile 25 to the finish at the OC Fairgrounds. The race will continue to improve in 2010. And hopefully, my time will too.

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