To the Organizers of the ING Atlanta Marathon:

First the good:

Nice scenic course - Hilly but that is expected in Atlanta
Nice Expo - well laid out - a varity of vendors
Good Tech shirt -
Nice email communication before event
Nice Volunteers - I am sorry you had to put up with the complaining runners but you were kind, gentle and appologetic
Neat fake balloons over the start line lighting up the night sky-
Great people along the course coming out of their homes to cheer the runners on

But know the reason you will NEVER see me again in Atlanta - NO POWERADE - and unfortunately I will be telling others in my running circle here in Orlando is that you forgot to pay the Powerade invoice or the delivery man showed up today with the Powerade drink - or the organizers thought this was a personal endurance event for 15,000 people so 'Let them drink only water' (Instead of 'Let them eat cake.'- or the first runner selfishly drank it all - BUT someone messed up - over something that could have been solved - as I am sure you knew before the race started that there was no Powerade on the course and yet did nothing about it leaving the runners and the volunteers in a state of confusion.

It is hard to believe that in Atlanta the home of Coca-Cola it would be impossible to get Powerade delivered onto the Marathon course.

With the weather so hot - you cannot control that:

The course so hilly - it is Atlanta so you can expect - you cannot control that:

That there would be NO and I do mean NO Powerade on the course is hard to believe - this you could control:

This evening I checked my materials to see if I was delirious yesterday and did see that there was listed 18 water and Powerade stations on your maps and printed material has Powerade listed as a sponsor - yet no Powerade could be found on the course.

If I had known that there was not going to be any Powerade I would have brought my own to drink as I cannot, nor can most runners run 26.2 miles, without electrolyte replenishment. As I ran by stores I wished I had brought a few dollars so I could go in and buy a bottle of Gatorade (as I will Never use Powerade again), but who thinks they will need to bring money to buy their own drinks on a marathon course.

I, along with other runners in the Marathon, rely on electrolyte replenishment to prevent leg cramps and based on what I was seeing over the last three miles - severe limping, excessive walking and thowing up - a large number of runner did not finish the marathon they set out to complete.

I had to walk, as I had severe calf cramps for the first time in my running experience - was it the heat - was it the hills - or was it NO Powerade - well the first two I expected when I signed up and trained for or when I was watching the weather reports over the last 7 days - I have run in the heat in Orlando - but I always drink electrolytes on runs greater that 12 miles.

The volunteers at the water stations dealt with a lot of angry upset runners, including me, I wish I could apologize to all of them personally as it was not their fault, they were put in a terrible position by the organizers.

I am sure you are getting a lot of emails on this issue today - BUT this was controllable and runners who train for this for up to six months - and travel to Atlanta pay for hotels and airfare - should have Powerade, if so advertised. For first time marathoners - this could keep them from ever trying another distance event as they were exposed to poor organization on something that is SO SIMPLE. For runners like me I will just never be back to the ING Atlanta Marathon as I will spend my time preparing for and entering races that respect the runners who have worked hard to train for an event of 26.2 miles. This race has so much potential for such a simple oversight.

Maybe you should talk to Pepsi and get Gatorade to sponsor the event - I think that you can find Pepsi in Atlanta.

In addition there was a missing water station between miles 4 to 6 - signs stated a Publix Water station and a Powerade Station was coming up but it was never found.

As an Atlantan, I was proud of the course. It was tough yet very beautiful. The city and its neighborhoods looked great. With no PowerAde, it was very difficult. It's the first big race of any length I've run that was without sports drink. With Coca-Cola based in ATL, I expected more. NONE is unacceptable. Real shame....

The course is very challenging. Once you enter Druid Hills and work your way back downtown it seems to be a long uphill climb. The neighborhoods were great, and of course Decatur had the best spectators. But come on; it is the home of Coke, and the PowerAde was totally missing.

But overall it was a lot of fun.... I will do it again.

Like the previous, commenters I found the lack of promised PowerAde and inadequate water stops critically dangerous. That far overshadowed any good points. Pretty shirts and fancy medals are far secondary to hydration and heat stress issues.

As a local, I knew the course was tough, but it was a beautiful tour of our city and I loved that. Organization however was abominable! Even if it was 30F, you still need plenty of water and POWERADE or Gatorade on a half marathon/marathon course. What were you thinking? I mean ING sponsors/run many races across the WORLD, not just in the USA.

Thanks to all the spectators who lined the streets with water and fruit and Gatorade - you are awesome Atlantans and made me proud to call Atlanta home.

You always expect some problems with first-time marathons. This race was no exception. It was a little difficult to find the start. I was not familiar with this area of Atlanta and the start line was several blocks from where I parked. With no race officials directing you to the start I had to ask fellow runners if they knew where the start line was. Quite a few did not. Fortunately I found someone who did.

First the Negatives:
Race temperatures were 66 degrees at the start and a record 87 degrees by the end of the race. Naturally fluids would be vital this day. This proved to be a big problem as the day went along. At many marathons water is available to runners at the start as well as out on the course. None at the start, and several missing water stops on the course as well. I'm a back-of-the-packer. So by the time my group came through some water stops had run out of cups and we were handed a jug. We saw signs for two water stops that did not exist. No PowerAde at any of the water stops for us. Thankfully many residents along the course provided us with water and ice.

The finish line area was chaotic. By the time I arrived almost all of the post-race food was gone. I got a bag of pretzels, a bagel, and a small bottle of water. All of the fruit was gone. No post-race activities to speak of.

Now the Positives:

The expo was well run. Plenty of vendors. It was a good experience.

The marathon course was excellent. The hills were a challenge but the course truly highlighted all that Atlanta has to offer. Well done! Nice medal and shirt.

This marathon has some room to improve. However, in time I believe this race will be a must-do on the spring marathon calendar and it will overshadow its big brother the Atlanta Marathon.

Beautiful course. Awesome spectators. Pitiful organization. NO PowerAde on the course AT ALL?? And no water between 3.5 and 8 miles? On a day with record heat? Are you KIDDING me??

Nope, that was the way of it. There are some HUGE kinks the organizational team needs to work on before 2008. Good luck, because near the back of the pack (where I was), I saw some REALLY unhappy runners. If it weren't for the fantastic citizens of the Decatur and Atlanta neighborhoods we ran through, there might have been more sick and dehydrated people than there were.

These folks need to take some lessons from the people who organize Mercedes, which I ran last month. Now THERE'S a well-organized event.

Eventually, I'm sure they will get it right. Especially after the barrage of e-mail the RD is sure to be getting.

What can I say that hasn't already been said? The course was lovely and scenic. The hills were continuous and challenging. The fans were extremely enthusiastic and supportive. I had high expectations for an event sponsored by ING, so I was let down by the organization. The following areas will need improvement if the event is to continue successfully:

1. Give runners electrolyte replacement as advertised before and DURING the race. Seeing the signs saying that PowerAde was just ahead, and then finding out that it was not, was very discouraging. I was relying on it for my fuel and electrolyte replacement. If I had not worn a fuel belt, I would have been in big trouble.

2. The starting line was a mess. Corrals may be needed in the future to provide ample space for each pace group.

3. The start itself was confusing. I crossed two starting mats. Which one activated my chip? Also, the announcer who began the race simply stated, "On your marks, GO!" There was no bullhorn! If I was a front-runner, I would have been confused.

4. The aid stations should have been placed apart from the mile markers. I missed two mile markers along the way, presumably somewhere close to the aid stations.

5. The break-off point of the half marathon was poorly marked. I saw ONE volunteer with a hand-written sign indicating which direction the halfers and full marathoners were to go. He could have used some help. There also should have been a more prominent and visible sign.

6. The finish line was also confusing. I got my picture taken before I came upon the chip removal station! The volunteer would not help me untie my laces to get the chip out through the extra loop. I have never had anyone NOT help me with that before.

7. Without PowerAde along the course, there should have been more electrolyte replacement choices for post-race food. There were only pretzels and bananas. In the future, I would recommend offering Gatorade/PowerAde, energy bars, orange slices, fruit juice, and potato chips. Other foods that could have been offered: cookies, Fig Newtons, peanut butter, muffins.

8. There were no size small technical shirts left at the expo. This is typical of most races I run. I simply do not understand why smalls run out, especially when people pre-register.

I have high hopes that the organizers will rise to the occasion and improve this race. It has a lot of potential!

According to the AJC, the race director "Didn't foresee the extremely warm weather." She must have been the only person involved in the race who was unaware of the weather prediction for record-breaking heat. It is difficult to understand how, as a marathon runner herself and an Atlanta resident, she wasn't able to adequately plan for sufficient hydration for the runners. The value of this run is questionable. We paid $65-$70 for a shirt???? The legacy of 400 people going to the medical tents, 10 to the hospital, is not something ING should be proud of. With ING's marathon experience, this should have run more smoothly. Perhaps ING should have consulted with the Atlanta Track Club because they run huge events smoothly. Race director should resign!

What a nice surprise that there were so many people out to cheer us. Going over the map on Saturday, I thought we would run a long way with no cheering. The expo was first rate. The downside of the whole day was the lack of PowerAde and the disorganized water stops. Many times I saw runners pouring their own water. Both sides of the road would have helped a lot with the congestion. In the heat, I was desperate for something other than water and did not find any until Mile 16. This was not a day to fail at water stops. I had plenty of water handed to me at the finish along with Diet Coke, and was directed to the chip takeoff area clearly. Overall, I really liked the marathon; it was the first time I challenged myself with hills. And challenging it was!!