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Apr 29, 2024

Georgia Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.1

Organization 3.1

Spectators 4.0

Number of comments: 459 [displaying comments 41 to 51]

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R. T. from Atlanta, Georgia (3/25/2013) "gets better every year." (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Georgia Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was my 5th time running the full here, and the course this year was the best yet. There were just a few small changes, but very fluid, and appropriate. Even the out and back in Piedmont Park was shorter than in years past, and that was very much appreciated. This is a hilly course, but the difference here is that cumulatively, the downhills hurt you more than the uphills. My advice would be to train the downhills as much as you do the up when preparing for this one. Organization and Expo was excellent. No complaints. Pre and post race was great, and this may be the first time I have ever said this, but this event actually had well more than enough porta potties, both on the course, and at the start finish. Aid stations were spaced perfectly, well stocked, and run by amazing volunteers. I was never once left wanting for anything. Spectators. Minimal at best, but this is not a race problem, it's a city of Atlanta problem. Race T-shirt.. It was St. Patrick's day, so I feel this was a missed opportunity at a really cool shirt. The one we got was standard white with a couple small shamrocks on it. Race medal.. this was fantastic. Very well done, and very appropriate for the day. The Full medal was bigger than the half medal, which was incorrectly reported on a comment below. The medals did look very similar though, which I have no problem with since they were very cool. Overall, highly recommended and is pretty much a must do.
R. T. from Pensacola, Florida (3/21/2013) "Wow The Hills" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I have completed the Half for this course twice before and decided to go for the full. The race is sponsored by PUBLIX and they do a great job. They started a new process by adding food stations along the course. Also there was a GU STOP towards the end. I can not emphasize more, but you need hill training for this race, but overall a great race. Atlanta really supports the race and getting to the race is a breeze if you use one of the downtown hotels.
K. M. from Atlanta, GA (3/20/2013) "Great mid-size marathon on scenic, urban course" (about: 2013) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The 2013 race was terrific. Fantastic weather, great course and the coincidence of the race being on St. Patrick's Day added to the festive atmosphere throughout the race. PROS: - It's Atlanta! (I'm biased, I live here, in fact, the course ran by my house) - Start / Finish area at Centennial Park (directly across from CNN Center) was very well-organized. Corral process for start was great. I was in corral E, and crossed the start only 2 minutes behind the gun. Compared to other races I've run, Miles 1-2 weren't quite the cattle call as other races. Crowded, but after we made the first left turn on Piedmont Road (.75 miles), you were able to maneuver. - Very scenic course, especially the first 23 miles. You run through some of the great historic in-town neighborhoods (Old 4th Ward, Inman Park, Decatur, Emory University, Druid Hills, Virginia-Highland and Piedmont Park). - Food/Water stations were spaced right and the well-organized. - Volunteers were tremendous. From the cops holding up traffic at cross-streets to the amazing support workers at the drink stations. A+ in this regard. - Chances are the third week of March in Atlanta will be perfect running weather. - Pro (or con?). I think they had about 13,000 runners for the half + full, and I think only 1,800 did the full. So once the race split off at mile 7, it was smooth sailing. CONS: - This is not a course to set your PR on. It's hilly. Very hilly. At Miles 16-19 you go through the Druid Hills neighborhood on a net-uphill, and then keep climbing from there. Mile 22, when you exit Piedmont Park has the hardest hill, four blocks straight up 12th street that really made people suffer. - Sadly, the least scenic and fewest spectators are on the final mile. The way the course loops back into the finish area takes it out to a part of town that has almost no fans. Mile 25 is tough. - No one will mistake this for Boston, with fans cheering every step of the way. The fans who did come out were amazing, but I don't think this race has the same amount of fan support as the Fall marathon in Atlanta which is sponsored by the Atlanta Track Club. This race is not sponsored by the ATC. - All in all, I give the Race Directors a solid 'A' but my one gripe was the parking situation for the Expo. It was a joke to charge $10 to park in order to spend three minutes grabbing your race bib. - My one suggestion is that going forward, the course really needs to incorporate the Atlanta Beltine, which is one of the premier inner-city rails/trails projects in America. Would be great if the full marathon ran on it. And as mentioned above, they need to re-work the run-in to the finish. Mile 25 needs fixed. Otherwise, I'd give the race a solid 8.5 out of 10.
s. t. from Orlando FL (3/19/2013) "'GA proved too much for the man...'" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The expo was AWEOME! Probably one of the best that I have been to (THANK YOU PUBLIX!!!). Everything about this race was SO WELL ORGANIZED! I never thought at any time, 'Wow, this is a total cluster...'. The corrals were perfect, there was no jockeying for position like most races. The finish line was perfectly executed. The volunteers were so friendly and helpful! The aid stations were awesome- plus the 'goodies' stations were a pleasant suprise! (oreos, jellybeans, M&Ms, etc...) There wasn't a whole lot of spectator support, but the ones that did come out were so inspiring! And then there's the HILLS...... OH, BOY! They were ever rolling and never ending. This was one of the HARDEST races for hills.
M. D. from Georgia USA (3/18/2013) "An excellent mid-sized race." (about: 2013) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Georgia Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have completed this race all seven times it has been run and it get better each year. The weather was outstanding and Atlanta never better in its spring colors. There was a small tweak to the course in Emory University and I believe it was for the better. Fan support is improving, volunteers are great and organization is excellent.
Chuck in Cincinnati from Milford, OH (3/18/2013) "A hill runners dream...or nightmare" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a very well run race. I have nothing to comment on, flaw wise. Weather is a non-issue, because you get what you get, and it doesn't change the comments of the race as a whole. The start corrals worked well. I thought I was bit far from the start (H corral), and expecting a ton of walkers in front of me, but the course was open, and the walkers in front of me, didn't go 4 wide. Running with the half marathoners for 6 miles kept me from going out hard, which saved me... until 21 The water stops were plentiful with everything from jelly beans, gels, oranges, cookies, peanut butter pretzels, depending on what water stop you were at. Well trained, enthusiastic volunteers. Port-o-lets everywhere. The expo. was nice and opened, with lots of stuff to be had. This was my 28th marathon, and as course beauty goes, one of the prettiest urban and neighborhood, running wise. I must warn you this is a hilly course. I don't mean a few hills. I mean from start to finish hills. I was good with them till 21 miles, but from there on, the hills just broke me. For me it was a training issue. None of the hills were thigh burners, or that long, but they were forever rolling. The Georgia Marathon in Atlanta has it all together, and is worth running it. I'd do it again, but there are so many to do. Hopefully I can make it back ? Keep up the great job Atlanta !!!!!
D. H. from Southfield, MI (3/17/2013) "A Challenge" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The course is approx. 18-20 miles uphill. I basically used the race as a prep for the flat and fast Fargo Marathon 2 months later. Other than the hills the race is above average in scenery, expo and organization. Spectator support for first time marathoners is below average for a big city. The medal is nice although the marathon and half-marathon medals are the same size. The 3:45 pacers basically only talked to each other and weren't friendly. Overall, I give the race a B-
J. V. from Niceville, FL (3/17/2013) "Great city, great organization, TOUGH marathon" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Pros: This city knows how to put on a race. The expo, the marathon, and the volunteers are WONDERFUL. Cons: I can't think of any off the top of my head, other than not a lot of crowd support for a race this large. Volunteers more than made up for it, and the course is VERY well marked. PLEASE NOTE: The course is BEAUTIFUL. But it is also BRUTAL. I got a 10:00 min PR, and was running great until the last 8-10 miles, when the uphills got me. It is well worth signing up for this race. Just be aware that this is NOT a PR course, unless you are used to hills. I PRed only because I was spot on with training.
B. H. from Chicago (3/22/2012) "Profile as advertised - solid event" (about: 2012) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 For ANYONE coming from the airport, skip the rental car and take Marta. I am from Chicago and have no way to train on the magnitude of hills this course provides. You must be mindful of pace, do your long runs and especially tempo work. The course is NOT boring and in part that is thanks to the hills. Great spacing and frequency of aid stations. The hot water and food bag at the end are disappointing. I will run this again, as Atlanta is so easy to get to. Next year the race is on St. Patrick's Day, I wonder if the parade will be happening during the race or will alter the course?
A. D. from Erie, Pennsylvania (3/21/2012) "Hilliest race ever" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was the hilliest race I have ever run. Every time I thought, surely these hills have to be finished soon we would turn the corner and there would be yet another hill. Running to the finish line uphill was killer!! Hills aside, the entire race/expo/registration process was very organized and well done. I had a lot of fun at the expo. Some of the water/gatorade stations got overwhelmed backing runners up but nothing too bad and every volunteer I met was extremely helpful and friendly. Not a ton of spectators but the ones who came out were amazing! The finish line area was awesome too; plenty of food, support, and things to do. Plus my hotel was right across the street; you can't beat that! I would recommend this race for sure.

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