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☰
OBX Marathon Runner Comments
Back to OBX Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 4.5 
Spectators 4.3
Number of comments: 183 [displaying comments 161 to 171]
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S. L. from Atlanta, GA
(11/14/2006)
 "Good course, but needs some tweaking" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I'll keep it short. Great community support. Weather was bad but not impossible - a steady rain, but not too cold, with temps in the high 50's or low 60's. Course: good, varied terrain, some asphalt, some trails, some of the dreaded concrete. Covered a good representation of the Outer Banks. Generally flat and conducive to PR times. Liked the point-to-point. Expo: good, but forego the number lookup and have alphabetical race pickup. Shirt: cheap cotton, uninspired generic design with every sponsor under the sun. Did not like to be shown a great design that could be had for additional $15. Print a great shirt on technical fabric and the word will get out. Medals: fabulous! Beautiful. Probably my first or second favorite of all that I have. Shuttles: you've got to fix this. Two hours to get back to my race hotel. Better traffic control in Manteo needed. Otherwise, for the first year, I'd say this one is a success. Work out the tweaks and you'll have 4,000 marathoners and 3,000 half marathoners in three years. | |
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F. W. from Chicago
(11/14/2006)
 "Outstanding Inaugural Race!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The race organizers did a FANTASTIC job for an inaugural race! It was extremely well organized. PROS: 1) Communication to the local community was excellent. The residents and merchants all knew that a marathon was taking place and they were very Welcoming to the runners. Our hotel, the Comfort Inn, had shuttle schedules and the front desk personnel knew exactly where to direct people to get to the expo. 2) Shuttles to the start line and back from the finish line were prompt and efficient. 3) Course was well marked and the police support at the intersections was good. 4) Pre-race bananas, bagels and water were made available at the start area. 5) Medal is in the shape of a clamshell and has the year stamped on it. 6) The volunteers were WONDERFUL. They never abandoned the aid stations even though it was pouring rain for two hours. CONS: 1) Mile markers were not easily visible. They need to attach balloons to them so they can be seen from a distance. 2) The plus is they served Gatorade and not that nasty Ultima stuff. The bad side was it was FULL strength and only available at every other aid station. Aid stations were every two miles so you only got Gatorade every four miles. 3) Right before you approach the finish line, you had to run through a short section of the high school track, which was covered in mud! It was a mess! 4) This was not made clear in the race literature but approximately four miles of the race are off-road on a trail through the woods. It's not bad but it sure came as a surprise! If you need to cross NC off for one of your states, this is a great race to do! It can only get better! | |
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c. s. from Myrtle Beach, SC
(11/14/2006)
"Very Nice First Effort!" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 For an inaugural race in a small town(s), many more things were done right than wrong. Obviously the weather (rain and wind from the south) took its toll, but there were still a lot of intrepid spectators cheering in many locations. Course was very well marked, with lots of volunteers at (nearly) every turn to give directions. About 3 or 4 miles were on hard-packed dirt roads (with 1/2 mile after that consisting of a narrow woodchip trail - who knew you'd get some small rolling hills on a barrier island?). Great job organizing the starting corrals by mile paces. Nitpicks: Two or three stops (about six miles) with water only - no Gatorade. Several of the mile markers were not visible and/or did not coincide with aid stations. Hard to keep your mile splits. Finally, a late change in the location of the finish was NOT publicized very well, if at all. I had to ask about conflicting printed information at the expo - one volunteer knew the correct answer, one did not. But overall, an interesting, varied course. And the Outer Banks was very beautiful and hospitable. I'd recommend this for those looking for a smaller race in a very nice location. | |
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DJ Hanson from New York, NY
(11/14/2006)
"Loved this race!" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my second marathon, and wanted to do a smaller one (ran NYC for my first). I was a little nervous because it was their inaugural marathon, but you never would have known it. It was very well organized, lots of fluid stations, plenty of Gu for the taking and a beautiful, relatively flat course! Plus, i took over 30 minutes off my time. The spectators were great considering the fact that it was cold and raining. I highly recommend this race! | |
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B. V. from North Carolina
(11/14/2006)
 "Despite the weather, it was great" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I thought the race organizers did an outstanding job considering this was the first running of this marathon. The fans were great, despite the downpour of rain, and the wind. The race should do away with the trail run in Nags Heads Woods. Way too narrow and sandy to expect runners to navigate it safely. Should have some sort of fruit for runners to eat along the route. Also, should somehow have the course run along the ocean; afterall, it is the Outer Banks! Plan to do it again. | |
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D. I. from Gainesville, Florida
(11/14/2006)
 "I" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I was so impressed by this inaugural marathon! Of course, the scenery was beautiful, but the volunteer, police, and medical support was incredible. I'm a walker and found continuous support throughout the course to the very end! The shuttles were well organized and on time. The course was well marked. In spite of the rain and wind there were cheering crowds all along the way... even for us walkers who were at the end of the pack! The medal was beautiful. I can't say enough good things about this marathon. Congratulations on an inaugural event well done! | |
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sonia francis from Freehold New Jersey
(11/14/2006)
"Spectators were awesome! Volunteers were great!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Huge success for an inaugural. No one had any control over the weather, but spirits were high and enthusiastic. Love the mix of trail and asphalt. Gorgeous scenery. I could not believe spectators were out so early. It was wonderful. | |
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L. K. from Pa
(11/14/2006)
 "For their first time, okay, but needs work" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This marathon was my tenth marathon and it was very disappointing. The expo was small, and there weren't enough bathrooms (I stood in line for 45 minutes and almost missed the start). The course was blah, and they used plastic cups and not paper ones at the water stations.... The course was scenic, though, and the sites were beautiful. My daughter loved the vacation but overall the marathon was not worth my time. I understand that it was the first one and I am sure it will be better next time, so I would be willing to run it again to see if improvements were made. If you are going to participate for the vacation time, it is worth it because the area is beautiful and there is lots to do. If you are going to run for a PR or so then give it a year or two. | |
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F. D. from Harbeson, DE
(11/13/2006)
"A very commendable inaugural marathon!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 On the positive side, the expo was small but nice, with first-class OBX Marathon merchandise. The shuttle system to the start worked well for me, though some of the directions the day before the race were more confusing than they needed to be. The course was scenic and varied and very well marked. I loved the trail section, complete with orange painted roots to alert the runners! The spectators and volunteers were incredible on a very nasty, rainy day! The support from the local communities was outstanding, with law enforcement officers and firemen everywhere! Even the drivers that were stuck in traffic rolled down their windows to cheer for the runners. The water stops and first aid stations were well-manned and adequate. On the negative side, the staging area at the start needed MORE port-a-johns!!! Also, at the finish, the post-race fare consisted of fruit and bagels with peanut butter. Some salty snacks would have been nice, please. All in all, a great inaugural marathon! | |
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W. M. from Chicago, Illinois
(11/13/2006)
"Liked it a lot" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 A really fun course, although not as flat as you'd expect or their promos would lead you to believe. Having a three-mile cross-country trail stretch in the middle of the race was different, for sure, and more fun. Didn't care too much for the long walk from the finish line to the shuttle bus, but San Diego is worse, so everything is relative. An excellent effort for an inaugural event. They didn't have enough port-a-potties at the starting line, but who does? The community really seemed to get behind the event, and it was just a lot of fun, despite the mid-race heavy showers. |
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