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May 19, 2024

Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Marathon) Runner Comments

Back to Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Marathon) Information & Reviews

Course 4.5

Organization 4.8

Spectators 4.3

Number of comments: 123 [displaying comments 81 to 91]

More Comments: [ < 1 .. 7 8 9 10 11 .. 13 > ]

D. W. from Warner Robins, Georgia (3/8/2009) "Great, Fun Event (Half-Marathon)" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the half marathon. It was my favorite half by far. Tons of people were cheering us on. Pleasant course; nice neighborhoods.
H. S. from Tucker, GA (3/8/2009) "Great race" (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Mara COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This race is well organized with enthusiastic spectators and volunteers. Easy course. Only negative, and this is a big negative to me: no race-day packet pickup. If they added that, I'd definitely be back. Without, though I liked the race, it will depend.
W. B. from Detroit, MI (3/8/2009) "A great, small race" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Mara COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 A great course. Small, rolling hills throughout the course; great course support from the spectators; and well organized water stops. The course was clearly marked and there were volunteers at every turn. Because this is a small race, the first mile is on pace and there's not a lot of traffic to fight through for passing.
J. C. from Rome, Georgia (11/20/2008) "A great place to chase a fast time." (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Mara COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Just like another person who commented here, I was initially attracted by the combination of a good prize purse and slow times from the previous year. I was hoping to go run just under 3 hours and have a chance at winning - then I heard rumors that some ladies were planning to use the race to try and qualify for the US Olympic trials. My husband and I drove down the day before the race and had no trouble at all finding a hotel room and getting checked in for the race. Driving the course was a bit of a challenge with the map provided, but we eventually figured it out so I wouldn't get lost on race day - I have a phobia after running off-course and losing the regional cross-country meet in college! Race day, the weather was perfect, the start area was very good (could still use a few more porta-johns), and the course was super. The race started, and I went out much faster than I had hoped for - at 5 miles, I was running under 6-minute pace and was in 4th place! Thanks to a little encouragement from my husband and some other cheering spectators, I managed to work my way up to the front and caught the lead woman just before the halfway mark - and on pace for a 10-minute marathon PR. I wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not! I hung in there for the next 8 miles, and with 5 miles to go I felt great and pushed hard to finish in 2:37 - 11 minutes faster than my PR. Overall, this was a great marathon and a wonderful event to have in south Georgia - it had friendly people, a super course, great weather, and even palm trees! I would definitely recommend this race to people looking for a good marathon experience or those needing a faster course to chase a PR. There were a few confusing turns in the final miles, and a couple of deep "dips" to cross in the second half that might not be so great for tired marathoners, but I'd rather have those than steep hills any day. Janet Cherobon Rome, Georgia
M. J. from Florida (9/9/2008) "Great Organized Race!" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Mara COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon and I am so glad I ran this one. It was staffed well and very organized. The water stations were always plentiful, even towards the end. The volunteers were wonderful and very friendly! It was great to have the half and full marathon split from the start. The weather was perfect and the course was flat. Suggestions would be to increase the vendors at the expo and measure the course accurately. My Garmin showed the race to be longer than 26.2. I would definitely recommend this race to anyone who is looking for a small, flat, organized marathon!
C. F. from Georgia (5/29/2008) "Great Race - Very Organized" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran the half and plan to return next year to run the full. Course was flat and the organizers did an excellent job. Everyone was helpful and very friendly.
D. S. from USA (4/20/2008) "A fast course, great people, nice area" (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Mara COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The race was great; a flat, fast course helped to improve my PR and the people are some of the friendliest you'll ever meet. Good sponsorships gave out a lot of energy bars, drinks, etc. There were a lot of other events besides the race-cycling event (Mardi Gras) made this a great family outing for a getaway weekend with a healthy purpose. Can't do much better than that.
B. B. from California (4/13/2008) "Very enjoyable, well organized, small race" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Mara COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I would recommend this race. The course is fairly unremarkable, as far as scenery goes. It was mostly residential although the race finished downhill into a nice riverside park. The course is flat, as advertised, with only a few mild upgrades. The parking at the start is plentiful, with easy port-a-potty access. The race was well organized, with excellent traffic control. The spectators, as well as the volunteers (even policemen directing traffic) seemed bent on making sure it was an enjoyable experience for the runners. In 2008, the weather was perfect, cool and overcast for the whole race. They gave a very nice technical t-shirt and the awards ceremony was actually on time!
C. H. from Upstate, SC (3/12/2008) "Great smaller marathon" (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Mara COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I went to Albany for one reason: a smaller marathon on a flat course with mild temperatures, looking for a Boston qualifier. After all the hot races in the fall it seems that many other people had the same idea. With 45F at the start and no hotter than upper 50s at the finish, 20% of the 2008 participants made Boston qualifying times! The course is "flat" - at least compared to anywhere with real hills - and I imagine the elevation change between the highest and lowest points would be very small. After almost 8 miles of flat surfaces between mile 3 and 11, I appreciated the slight roll as one enters the golf-club neighborhood at the north-west corner of the route. I loved the little downhill slope in the final yards of the race, which made for a nice strong finish. They served Gatorade at the water stops (contrary to Cytomax which was listed on the website), and there seemed to be plenty of it. There was food at the finish, which was good, and the restaurant at the Hilton was open all day. There was also a street festival which was a much bigger "after party" than one might expect at a small race like this one. Despite splitting the half and full courses right at the start (great idea!) the faster runners in the marathon caught up with the tail end of the half-marathoners at about mile 4-5 and again after the full course rejoined the half, but there were no problems getting around the slower runners/walkers. The course was very well marked and supported with outstanding volunteers, though I lost a few seconds here and there in one section around mile 22-24 where I couldn't tell where the cones were supposed to direct me and the volunteers were slow in waving direction. Just remember that most marathoners are a bit loopy at that point in the race, so clear arrows at that section would be helpful. When I turned into the street towards the train station (after mile marker 26) it appeared that I was running down a dead-end street and there was no one to direct me but a photographer. I didn't expect to run into the train station. To those who say the course was "long," I found that running good tangents my Garmin was exactly on the distance up through when it lost signal after mile 17. There were certainly runners I saw who were not running the shortest distance through curves, and that can add up, especially in the residential areas where the route curved a lot. The traffic control was excellent - cordoned off from the runners on major roads - and drivers were very respectful in the residential areas. Not many people out watching the race even in the neighborhoods (it was a gray morning), but great support from the volunteers at hydration stops and at the finish. As others have commented: staying at the Hilton Garden Inn is terrific. It was quiet, comfortable, and very close to both the start and finish. Nice people; good, fast course. If I need another qualifying race, I'm sure I'd come back to Albany.
R. T. from Indianapolis, Indiana (3/12/2008) "This is a MUST-DO marathon" (about: 2008) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Mara COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon was a pleasant surprise for me. The only area that could be improved was that the expo was extremely small. But the running event along with all the other activities made it a fantastic weekend for me. There were bathroom stops all along the way. The aid stations were well stocked and managed. Cars were driving by and cheering for the runners. I don't know how this marathon could be improved. Albany: You have every right to be proud of this event and your city!

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