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Apr 28, 2024

Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.0

Organization 3.5

Spectators 2.7

Number of comments: 121 [displaying comments 61 to 71]

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K. P. from USA (2/19/2008) "Park was boring - and no music! Ugly shirt." (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathons COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 What a boring, unorganized race! The course was out of control, people were on the course that were not even in the race. No respect for the runners; cars, trucks, bikers, stroller and just anyone who wanted to be on the course could be. Almost got hit three times - once by a biker and twice by cars. Where is the crowd control? I have never seen this in an organized race!!!! Get a real expo; there were tons of empty spaces, and leftover, old merchandise that should have been at the flea market. No promotional giveaways - an empty goody bag with the world's tackiest shirt. I used it to clean my car yesterday. They have the nerve to call it a tech shirt. I want a refund. Skip this one. The medal was okay, but the line for the photo was impossible - I gave up. Tiny bottles of water at the end.... How cheap can you get?
M. M. from Florida (2/19/2008) "UGLY SHIRT! Nice Course." (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This is my third year running the half marathon. I have to say that there have been some good improvements over the first year. Bus back to starting line parking area is an A+. Traffic control was not great this year with the bikers coming head on at us in the course with the police just standing by it was an obstacle course. One car pulled out and just drove right through the runners; he finally got stopped in his SUV (white) by the police. The gray Lexus towards the finish line was another offender; shame on the residents of the area. Worst were the pro bikers; they probably do tri's and they should know better. I wish I knew what group they were with so I could run head on into them next time I see them out in a competition... just kidding. I said, "Unbelievable" to one woman and she rode back to harass me. Other than rudeness - and the race directors, I guess, cannot be blamed for that - I have to say that the tee shirt has won worst-looking in graphics and material of any marathon I have been in. This is three years running and the shirt gets cheaper and uglier each year. My teens call it a "FUGLY T-shirt." Next year please get some one with taste and talent to design it. Other than that the race was great!!!!!
runner from GA from Georgia (2/19/2008) "Pass on this one" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 The Bad: 1) boring course - most the scenery is condos, condos, condos and the jaunt in the park mile 22-24 is a miserable sauna 2) course open to anyone: there were cars, trucks, random runner and cyclists, and even large dogs that lurched towards the runners on the course. This was inexcusable especially considering that this race cost as much as a large city race with 4 times the number of runners. 3) expo was filled with a lot of vacant spots 4) MELTING temperatures The Good: 1) Friendly volunteers 2) Friendly pacers 3) Nice to finish right at the beach
R. E. from Washington DC (2/18/2008) "Could be improved" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This is a small race (500+ marathoners) and it is super smart to have the race start early at 6 a.m. because it is nice to see the sunrise and try to beat the heat as much as possible. The strengths would be: nice expo for a small race - nothing to munch on, nice shirt, easy course map to understand and for friends/family to get around, and a good post-race menu supplied by CPK and others. Plus it was nice to be able to run outdoors in February. Had digital mile markers every mile with plenty of water/Gatorade and the stations were appropriately staffed. Things to improve: no 3:10 or 3:20 pacer (website has misinformation) and we were only told about this at the expo. Very few crowds as the race was like an afterthought on the main A1A strip until the final mile as people just casually walked by... no signage or advertising around city about this marathon. Almost no music on the course. Super-long line for the massage tent (only 3 massage tables) and half-marathoners dominated the line. And then the unforseen: just tough conditions as, despite it being a very flat course, there was a lot of wind and a lot of heat. I'm neutral on the race, as it was well done in many respects, but I don't feel like I have to make it a part of my future running schedules.
J. P. from Fort Lauderdale, FL (2/18/2008) "Lots of Fun Again" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran the half this year as opposed to the full last year. It was still a lot of fun and a beautiful run. The one comment I heard from a lot of runners this year was that the park at the end has got to go. I didn't hear one positive comment from all the people I spoke with. The other problem was the finish line was a bit crowded for the number of people that decided to stay and have fun. All and all, though, I think the rest of the race was great. It is turning into a great event for locals and the out-of-towners who want to get away from the cold. I just hope they keep their cap at 6,000. I know they haven't reached it, but I think that is plenty of runners for this event.
J. B. from Ft. Lauderdale (2/18/2008) "Fun celebration of local running spirit!" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the half-marathon and totally enjoyed the course especially seeing the sun rise as we arrived at the beach and local spectators along the way! Great medal, organization and support. Thank you to the many, many volunteers who helped make the event a success! Only negative: T-shirt.
M. Y. from Maryland (2/18/2008) "Still learning..." (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 Good half marathon destination race. Ft. Lauderdale is a great place for northerners to get out of the cold for awhile. Gorgeous up and down the shore. Think 'Palm Beach south'. Organizers are still learning on the full marathon side. Course was completely flat. No hills at all. Spectator interest was very minimal. Race organizers should create cheer zones for the 2nd half of the marathon. Post-race massage tent was closed early. No food on the 2nd half of the course; only Gus at the 13 mile turnaround and water/Gatorade stops at each mile. Very warm this year; not sure if there was enough volunteer presence on parts of the course to respond if a runner had a medical issue. Organizers will work out the kinks. Nice expo (well organized); great finisher's medal. Should get better with time.
R. P. from Ft. Lauderdale, FL (2/18/2008) "Fun Race" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I'm training for Rome and I'm a local here so I decided to do the full marathon as a training run. There are two great things about this race: 1. Running along the ocean, and 2. The most frequent and best water stops I have seen to date. #1 is self-explanatory... this race has a pretty nice view most of the way, even though you loop around and run along the same course most of the way back. I can't say enough about the water stops. It was hot and sunny once day broke, so they were very needed, but there was water and Gatorade at or near every single mile post, and I can't thank the volunteers enough for always being so friendly and ready with cups for every runner. That part of the race was a huge success. My main criticism of the race is that on the last 1.5 miles - the "home stretch" - the race course was full of motorcycles, bikers, skateboards, pedestrians, and - yes - even Segways, who wanted to enjoy their Sunday on the beach, took advantage of the road being closed to cars, and didn't care one bit about the race going on. I suppose the best solution would be to either start the race earlier or use better barriers along that stretch of the course. But being a native here, I know that many people would probably go wherever they wanted anyway, barrier or not. On at least three other occasions during the main stretch of the course between Oakland Park and Atlantic, police motorcycles were using the empty lane right next to the runners and blazed by at 40-50 mph, which was pretty uncomfortable, and I'm not the kind of person that gets uncomfortable easily. Perhaps they can be asked to use a more appropriate speed when riding alongside the runners unless there is an emergency. Otherwise, the police were great and helpful in keeping traffic off the course. The spectator support was OK... there were a few small groups on every mile clapping and smiling. There were 3 or 4 spectators who took it to the next level and were screaming all-out both times I passed, which was fun. The best was a small group of people who set up a beer stand on the street.... There was practically no entertainment other than a saxophone player and a reggae-guy with a steel drum, but I actually liked the quiet course. The expo was good, the medal is nice, I really don't like the shirt (gray with tiny writing... for Ft. Lauderdale, you'd think it would be a bit more lively and interesting), and there was adequate food and drink at the finish, with massages, medical support, a good announcer, and a nice crowd. I'm glad I ran this race, and I prefer it over the Palm BeachMmarathon... this race is getting the fundamentals down well, and if it develops a unique personality (there is plenty of it in Ft. Lauderdale) it could be a great marathon.
G. Y. from Miami, Florida (2/17/2008) "Great first run" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my very first run and I have to say it was a delight - the weather was beautiful, the course was nice and the runners were respectful of everybody's space. See you next year!!!!
L. R. from Miramar, FL (2/17/2008) "Would have been great except for parking chaos" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Ft. Lauderdale A1A Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Parking was a disaster. We inched our way to the parking garages, taking more than 15 minutes to go one short block. I waited 45 minutes in almost stand-still traffic and fearing that I would miss the start, parked at a Burger King with about 30 others. When we got back all of our cars had been towed about 10 blocks away. We needed $100 cash (who carries that kind of money to a race?) to get our cars out. I had to hitch a ride to the only bank that is open on a Sunday and sit for 1 and a half hours for the bank to open. A most imperfect end to what could have been a perfect day. I will NOT be doing this race again (and it is less than half an hour from my home). Miami was 10 times better organized (parking) with 3 to 4 times the number of participants.

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