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May 18, 2024

OC Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 3.5

Organization 3.4

Spectators 2.8

Number of comments: 181 [displaying comments 71 to 81]

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Gavin McKiernan from Long Beach, CA (5/4/2009) "great, flat course; well organized" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 OC Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Great race, even though I had a poor result. Course was really nice; plenty of volunteers at water stations, I was wondering if everyone got to the start line in time. A lot were waiting when I got on my bus and I only had a couple minutes to spare. It was billed as a net downhill, I think, but my Garmin said that it was slightly uphill. There were only a couple of hills in the whole thing though, and they were brief hills, like when the route went over the 405 Freeway. The first couple of miles were mostly downhill though. The half-marathon splits at mile 12, which I like because it gives you more people to run with at the beginning. Weather in '09 couldn't have been much better - 60 degrees and overcast at start. The sun came out after about 3:30 after the start gun. Post-race food was sparse: bagels, bananas, chocolate milk, oranges and Clif Shot Blocs. That's it. It's a mostly quiet course, with no bands or music, and few fans. The course is good and diverse; we ran through parks, shopping malls, residential areas, by the ocean, and by the performing arts center, It had a little bit of everything. It was a big enough course that it thinned out quickly in the first few miles; I cant remember a race where I had so little trouble passing people in the early going.
S. N. from USA (5/4/2009) "Awesome course for a Boston Qualifier" (about: 2009) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great course and organization. Scenic, many spectators and volunteers, and a variety of areas that we ran through (near the beach, Back Bay reserve, park bike trail, residential, and business). The business area was lonely because there were no spectators. Only suggestion I have is to have more port-a-potties at the start line.
K. W. from Alhambra, CA (5/4/2009) "Good Race" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 OC Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The course (for the half-marathon) was great. Nice scenery (mostly) and it was just challenging enough. I would like to run it again. My only (constructive) criticism would be regarding the pace groups. I was happy to see pace groups advertised for the half-marathon and intended to run with one. At the start of the race, though, the group I intended to run with (1:50 for the half) was right behind the one in front (much faster than a 1:50 pace) and I never saw the next group at all. Otherwise, a fun, challenging course (even if the spectators were dead silent at the end) and I'm looking forward to next year.
R. Ramirez from Orange County (5/4/2009) "Beautiful and fast course. Loved it." (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 OC Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 There was plenty of parking close to the start. The course was beautiful; it had great views of the Pacific Ocean, running around Back Bay, into Irvine and Santa Ana, and then back to Costa Mesa. The last 10 miles were quite lonely. Absolutely no crowd support. I was generous in giving 2 stars, but didn't see any people out on the course. I would do it again. This was a much better course than they had in '08. The weather was perfect for running. Finish line goodies were ok: bananas, water and bagels. I wish OC had a better turnout, but with San Diego and Los Angeles in the same month, it must be hard. Thanks again for a great race.
B. M. from Newport Beach, CA (5/4/2009) "A few glitches but still a good experience" (about: 2009) 3 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I ran the half-marathon and couldn't have asked for better race-day conditions: temps in the 60's, a light breeze, and a bit overcast, so the sun wasn't beating down on us. The course was fairly flat and wound through residential streets, the Pacific Coast Highway, and the beautiful Back Bay nature preserve. The marathon and half-marathon split off around mile 12 and the last mile in for the half-marathon was a boring, quiet stretch down side streets and through a parking lot to a well-hidden finish line. Spectator support was sparse for much of the course but in sections it was very enthusiastic. It was great to get a true flavor of OC when women in pajamas outside their homes were offering racers mimosas. The spectators along the hill around mile 9.5 were awesome and really helped make it up the short but steep hill. Overall, it was well-organized, with clear directions for folks getting dropped off in the morning at the start line and well-staffed aid stations. The one downside was the bag check. After finishing the half-marathon, it took me a good 20 minutes to find the bag pick-up area (there were no directions or signs to the bag pick-up). Once I finally located the bag pick-up, I discovered that not only was there only one race volunteer working the station, but the bags also had not been unloaded from the truck yet, nor had they been placed in the truck in any sort of order. A bunch of racers and I climbed in to the truck and had to sort through hundreds of bags and help organize them into bins in order to find our bags. I've run quite a few half-marathons and several marathons, and I've never seen a bag pick-up so poorly organized before. There were a TON of volunteers otherwise throughout the course; perhaps the OC organizers should take some of the people handing out medals and food at the end (there were so many of them it was tough to walk through the finish area) and move them to the bag area next year so tired racers don't have to dig through piles of bags to find their belongings. Otherwise, though, a great race and I'd do it again next year.
C. M. from Dallas (5/4/2009) "good course, horrible organization" (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 OC Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I understand that it was a new course, and it was nice. However, there were absolutely NO instructions in the race packet; there was very poor (no) directional signage to the expo (which was several miles from the host hotel at a fairgrounds); and there were no directions to the start line (which was about half a mile from the host hotel - thank goodness for the hotel concierge), and we had to scramble to figure out how to get back from the finish line to our hotel, since it was a point-to-point course with no race-sponsored shuttles. The course was net downhill. I ran along some pretty beach neighborhoods and then through the preserved wetlands. It was very serene and quiet, with not much crowd support, but the course really didn't lend itself to it. Water was plentiful, but there was no PowerAde as promised until mile 10. If you had to make a pit stop on the course, you had at least a 10-15-minute wait, as the johns were few and far between. And oh, who in their right mind puts the start line johns in a horseshoe shape???? Nice course; I would run the half again but would lower my expectations for the organizers.
P. K. from Orange County (5/3/2009) "Nice, flat course" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 OC Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I did this race back in 2007, when it was really hilly. This course was much, much better. There were plenty of water stops, and the course was very scenic - especially the first half. I loved finishing at the fairgrounds, and parking was really easy. Things for the race directors to work on: the porta-potties at the start were shaped like an open square, all facing in - oh, the smell and confusing lines - and this could have easily been fixed by turning one row of them around. The porta-potties for the first 14 miles had very long lines. Those at the end had none, so why not put just one each mile after mile 14 and put those extra (there were two every mile) 11 towards the beginning of the race? When I signed up, the website said I could catch a bus from 4:30 to 6 to get to the start. Once I signed up I received a mandatory bus time. A little bait and switch. I knew this couldn't possibly be regulated so I went as late as I could. Had I been there when they said to, I would have had to get up at 3 a.m., drive for half an hour to the finish line, get to the start, and stand around for an hour and a half just waiting to run. Making mandatory bus times just stressed EVERYONE out and yet was totally unnecessary. Most people are nervous and will go early because they don't feel safe until they are at the start within good time. If they do get there late, that's what the chip is for. All in all, a wonderful race. Hats off to the new race directors for a well organized, beautiful, new race. I will be back next year for sure.
R. R. from Seal Beach, CA (5/3/2009) "First time; great experience" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 OC Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I walked the half-marathon. The volunteers and community people were awesome.
C. V. from Long Beach, CA (5/3/2009) "They Finally Got the Course Right" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 OC Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my third time running the OC Marathon. After changing the course each year, they finally created a route that was challenging, with great fan support. There were water stations at almost every mile and no students this year! The only negative is that it is not completely flat and fast, as advertised; but I still beat my PR by 30 minutes and almost qualified for Boston. The pace groups were also accurate according to my husband who was a fan and spectator at the finish line. I would definitely do it again.
D. H. from Diamond Bar (2/21/2008) "Good marathon, but not like the advertisement" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 OC Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Good marathon but the course isn't even near the ocean. Its just residential areas and a farm area in the second half. The weather was also horrible, since it rained and then there were winds. There were great pace groups, which helps a lot.

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