Great course, great volunteers and great potential - but not this time. The organizers ran out of both half and full marathon medals. I was served warm water more than once as the aid stations did not seem to have enough ice, and when asking for a second water bottle in the finish area, I got a cup of warm water since they were saving the bottles as they were running out. When I complained to a race director I was told that he was sure I did not have water on my training runs either. That is correct; however, I do not pay for my training runs. They need to make sure that enough supplies are there and that the race directors are more friendly to runners. What's up?

Organizers in south Florida need to supply ice and sponges to marathon runners. This is a common problem in all the south Florida marathons I have run including Palm Beach and Miami. In the heat, runners like to put ice in their hats and even suck on the ice. Sponges soaked in ice water would have been awesome. Also, it would be nice to have had just one flavor of Gatorade. I don't know whether I got Gatorade or PowerAde, but it should be uniform throughout the course. Great organization. Great attendance for a first-run event. The awards ceremony was too far for us to walk at the finish.

Going into it, I knew this would be a quick course because of the elevation (or lack thereof), the limited number of entrants, and the weather. The course was great and scenic, with the exception of the stillness for 2 miles while in the public park near the end of the course.

However, and it's been said before, how can a race run out of medals? It didn't apply to me, but a friend that was in my group did not finish the half before they ran out and got to carry around a yellow slip of paper after the race. She was a first-timer, and I can't imagine how she was feeling after completing such a great achievement.

Also, the "shuttle" to take runners back to the start line from the finish line was pathetic. There were only two 12-passenger vans that came around every 15 minutes. I actually saw runners hailing cabs to go back. I ended up sitting in the luggage area of one of the vans with 4 other runners. Great way to end a race.

That aside, great course, and it being local for me, one I really couldn't miss.

With the exception of not having timing chips for everyone at packet pick-up (no problem to pick them up at start line that morning), the organization was GREAT. Water stops were well-placed, and having lots of porta-potties on the course was a plus. Course was flat - except for the bridge at the start - and scenic. It got a little warm near the end, but the buildings did a good job providing shade for the first half of the run. Finish line was well run with plenty of food, drink, support and a great photo-op with a cool sand sculpture. This one will grow in popularity fast; I definitely recommend this race.

Positives: I agree with a previous poster - the volunteers were great, and the course is beautiful.

If you're not from FL, you should be aware that it is possible (as it was on 2/19) for the temps to hit the upper 70's or low 80's and there is no shade for a large part of the full marathon course. If you're doing the half, it isn't a big deal, but it could end up being a lot of time in the heat and sun for the full.

Negatives:
1. No gels on marathon course.
2. No medals for many half and full marathon finishers - they ran out of both.
3. Management had an attitude when my friend tried to work out a pre-race problem at the expo. From the look of her, clearly the woman was NOT a runner!
4. NO shirt for another friend who was unable to pick up her packet until race morning. (Did they order enough of anything?)
5. Two miles between start and finish lines - options: walk back, pay $30 for VIP parking at the finish and take their transportation to the start prior to the race, or stand in the sun waiting for the bus.
6. It not only gets hot in the second half of the course, but it gets lonely as well, with only about 350 running the full marathon. Maybe the organizers should just call it the A1A HALF Marathon and order more medals next year. It would result in a much better event overall. (Hard to believe they ordered fewer than 350 finishers medals for an inaugural marathon.)
7. My gut feeling: this is an event put on by promoters for their own financial or promotional gains, not for the greater good of the running community. I recommend finding a smaller race put on by a Road Runners Club, like the wonderful Ft. Lauderdale RRC volunteers who worked a water station!

A few more runners would be nice for the full marathon. It gets a little confusing during the last couple of miles with all the spectators and people on the course, but overall I had a great day and ran my second best time.

I did the full marathon and had a great time! The weather got a little bit warm for my taste, but overall a good experience.

The Good: The volunteers were great and enthusiastic, the traffic control was excellent. They had plenty of PowerAde/water at every station, gels at the 1/2-way point and cookies at mile 22. Plenty of porta-potties.
Not much for fan support, but the ones who were there we very energetic and encouraging. I was even given a bottled water by one of them.
The starting line parking was free, easy and abundant.
The expo was fair.

The Not-So-Good: The T-shirt logo is beautiful, but the t-shirt is 100% polyester, and not of very good quality. The logo is an iron-on and the back has all the sponsors' logos; good for a 5K, but not for a marathon. The t-shirts ran small and the bottom and sleeves flare out, not nice.
The preferred parking spots were sold for $40!! they were right at the finish line, but I don't think that charging such a large amount was right.
Finish-line shuttles. I'm sure they tried their best, but there was a lot of traffic and the runners had to wait a long time in the hot sun for the shuttles to arrive.
The course lends itself to people cheating and cutting the course. I saw people going from mile 21 to 25 without doing the detour into Birch Park. I saw one of them after the race and he was wearing a medal. :[
I don't know if the plan on keeping this race in Feb. but the day was a bit warm for my taste.

General comments:
I think that overall this was a greatly organized race. I know they had problems with the medals, but they are trying their best to correct that. I am sure they will fix all the glitches and next year this will be an even better event.

The race start was great but the finish was too far from the race start. In addition, the award ceremony was also too far from the finish line, especially after running a 26-mile or a 1/2-marathon event, not to mention the heat at about 12 p.m. Once we got to the award ceremony, there was a delay to get the awards, and the apparent free beer was not ready until the marathon awards were finally given. We obviously left before that, but many runners had the same complaints. We finally walked back hungry and thirsty to the finish line to try to get in a van that only held 12 people at a time. Fortunately we hitchhiked back to South Port Shopping Center where our car was parked. Many runners were expressing the same complaints.

Have entered many races, and found this INAUGURAL event poorly organized, as medals ran out early. The course was unrivaled; it was a great day and I know next year's event will be better planned.

A very well-run race for an inaugural. Seminars at expo were very informative. Packet pick-up was a little congested, but not too bad. Course was flat and fast, but could have used spectators other than at start and finish. One water stop was a beer stop! Needed to have more than just PowerAde and water at all stops. Could use gels or fresh fruit periodically for the 1/2 marathon course. The view was simply amazing and easy to get lost in the view of the ocean and cruise liners docked... in the middle of the course it ran through a birch-lined park - gorgeous and a very nice change of scenery. Finish line was organized and well run - nice selection and supply of PowerBars, Pria Bars, fresh fruit, bagels and water. Runners get a chance to have their picture taken in front of a huge sand sculpture replicating the finisher's medal - NICE touch! Race started on time, positive and fun, especially considering the fact that the original date of the marathon had to be moved due to Hurricane Wilma. I'd do this race again in a heartbeat and recommend it to everyone I know that runs!

They need more trash cans at start of race, and more potty stops on the course - plenty at start of the race and the finish, but not in the middle. Thanks guys!!