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Apr 27, 2024

Charleston Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Charleston Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 2.9

Organization 3.3

Spectators 2.8

Number of comments: 90 [displaying comments 21 to 31]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 > ]

T. C. from Virginia (1/21/2014) "Great city not a great marathon" (about: 2014) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Charleston Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 If you are looking for an excuse to go to Charleston this is a good reason the coarse is flat and even with a head wind for over 16 miles I still PR. But until the city and community embrace this run it will be what it is a not very well organized event with some odd decisions on the coarse ( running on a dock only to turn around on a dime I could see congestion when the mass group go through, having the marathon come back in with the 1/2 at mile 14 results in congestion for the faster runners ,the last 2 miles going through a winding park with areas of sand crushed shell and zig zag turns, and then the under staffed aid stations ) the expo was over congested with little to offer runners and so congested that you could not get in to some vendors . All in all Charleston is a great city and fun to visit but do not have your hopes high in regards to the run the coarse runs through King Street and the rest is through prominently industrial parks
c. w. from pottstown, pa (1/20/2014) "Very nice small city marathon" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Charleston Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Organization: There were regular facebook posts by the organizers. The expo was in a high school but there were no signs inside during you to the gymnasium area. There was a decent number of vendors. Getting to the parking before the race was difficult and all 3 large parking lots should have been opened up for use. Course: The course was pretty much pancake flat except for one bridge crossing. I would have liked to have the course pass thru the Citadel but it would probably have been too difficult to fit in the half-marathon distance with the detour. Post-race: The shrimp and grits were very good. The only beer options were bud light and Michelob ultra. The buses ran regularly. There was also water, soda, muffins and bananas available. Major problem: Reviews for 2013 mentioned the issue with the timing chips falling off. The problem did not go away. A fellow runner told me about my bib barely hanging to my bib and I ended up carrying the bib for 12 miles. The organizers need to fix the problem for 2015.
D. R. from Cincinnati, OH (1/20/2014) "Good marathon for South Carolina." (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Charleston Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Pros: 1) Visiting Charleston as part of a marathon is good. 2) Good, friendly volunteers. 3) Before and after at high school (different high schools) so can wait indoors before and take shower after. 4) Plenty of parking at start. 5) Efficient transportation from finish back to start. 6) Shrimp and grits at the finish...delicious. 7) Easy packet pickup at the race start high school. 8) Course had some very pretty spots. 9) Traffic control and police officers were awesome. Cons: 1) White shirt and medal were not as nice as in previous years. 2) Aid stations for the first 9 miles needed more tables. Volunteers frantically tried filling cups since they only had two tables to work with. 3) Would have liked potato chips and chocolate milk at finish. I recommend the race, particularly if you would like to see Charleston.
R. B. from Pittsburgh, PA (1/20/2014) "Great Marathon" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Charleston Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Parking was free at the start and there were plenty of spaces. The school at the start made for a large indoor waiting area which nice with it being 35 degrees at the start.The course was beautiful for the first 5 miles and then got boring, but it didn't really bother me. No ones fault, but the wind was brutal. Every runner I spoke with on the course and after commented on how tough it was to run through that wind. It added an area of difficulty on an otherwise easy course. Water stations were great though a bit congested. I was only able to find the hammer gels one time due to there being too much going on at the station (they were available at three stations). They had bananas and pretzels at mutiple stops which I really appreciated. The finish was outstanding. The last .4 miles went through a nice little part of town with little shops. Then you made a final turn for a 200 yard finish. Had post race shrimp and grits along with some other snacks. Plenty of food available even around the 4 hour mark. The shuttle was waiting to take us back to our car. And if we had missed that one, another shuttle was waiting behind it. The medal is my new favorite of the 7 I have received. The shirt is a nice long sleeve that I will wear. The bib was very nice. It had my name and where I was from, which was great when fans encouraged me by name. A great way to race South Carolina. I recommend this race.
J. B. from SC (1/19/2014) "Just a few issues" (about: 2014) First Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first full marathon (after 4 halfs). The first 4-5 miles are as beautiful as it gets. There is no better place to run than downtown Charleston. After it moves from downtown to N Chas it's not as pretty but it was not bad. The worst part for me was the run on the boat dock at at the turnaround on Tide Water Rd. I didn't mind at all the run out and back but running on the boat dock was my least favorite part of the run. N Chas is doing a lot to revitalize itself and miles 16-24 were a good look. The run along the Cooper R. in mile 25 was fantastic. I didn't stick around long so I can't speak to the post race festivities, except to say that my daughter and her boyfriend loved the shrimp & grits. Charleston was a great first experience in a full marathon. Didn't care for the shirt design and could've used a few more port-a-potties in the first part of the race when the half and full runners were together. Great job Charleston!
G. P. from New York (3/11/2013) "Small marathon with big potential." (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Charleston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 My take: The fantastic: The finish line was located by North Charleston High School. The lockers and showers were available for the runners. I was damaged finishing the marathon, but after the hot shower I felt almost completely regenerated. The feeling was incredible, it happened to me first time in my 35 years of running. The good: Plenty of parking on the start and finish. Indoor waiting during crispy morning (appreciated by those who run NYCM ;o) This marathon is still not discovered by running community. I dont think it will be for long. Statistically it has a better chance for good weather than the one running a week latter down south. Calendar wise it is good backup marathon in case you pull out of a late fall marathon. It is very flat and perfect for PR or BQ. This year the weather was fantastic. I actually like the course. First few miles were spectacular. Latter the big out and back felt really long but I was lucky to strike a chat with fellow runner. The part in North Charleston was visually pleasing. As a small marathon it did not have as many spectators as the giant ones. At the same time your family can cheer you in several points on the course. The bad: As young marathon it has several small problems. The organizers should not use plastic caps for drinking. Fast runners tend to make sort of funnel from a cup to avoid splashing liquid when drinking. If you try to do that with plastic cup it will brake and the liquid finish outside your body. For future please use paper cups! As long as we are at hydration stations I would like that the great kids helping us have aprons to avoid getting wet. (Sorry guys for the splashing) The shirt looks nicer than on the photo, but I still think simple logo (like palm tree and crescent) would be better choice. Finally we got to the ugly: Timing chips were very flimsy attached to the bib. On Facebook you can read post by a runner who pick up several chips on the course and brought them to the finish line. Could you imagine preparing for marathon for few months and then do not have a proof of finishing because of negligence of timing company? The problems did not finish with chips. If you go to results page you can find that the first place in general classification belongs to the forth guy in the marathon. General classification does not include top finishers, and winners in master and grand master category. Those runners can not be found using website search function. As well it looks like the winners did not cross the finish line. As a side note the result website has some bizarre statistics like average finish time for all three distances together (marathon, half and 5k) (female won with men in this category ;o). They also have All Category where they put runners from all distances in nice time order (5k runners definitely won with the marathoners!). At the same time they were not able to do simple Age Grading. I contacted Mid-Atlantic Timing about those problems but they were completely dismissive. I got really tired of their response and I created marathon result spreadsheet myself. You can download it here: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0By1WFBzjW02XeUxpQ3lvNmx4Q1U/edit?usp=sharing It is difficult to blame marathon organizers for this scandal, their only fault was choosing bad timing company. Being older guy I had opportunity to run lot of races. From top of my head I really like the company servicing Philly marathon. (text messages, personalized bib with your name on it, split times at 5k, 10k, half, 30k). I'm sure runners would pay few extra dollars to be timed in a logical honest way. In conclusion, I think Charleston Marathon has a great potential. They have to address some small imperfections, and definitely get rid of those clowns from Mid-Atlantic Timing.
B. B. from Monroeville, Pa (1/29/2013) "I liked it" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Charleston Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I don't understand why others are complaining. I thought it was a very solid race that was well organized. I like packet pick-up on race morning, which was great for us out of towners. The staging area was indoors, with free and easy parking. The course was great for the first 5 miles and the last two with some OK stretches in between. Even when it wasn't pretty, it was flat and I actually liked the out and backs. Water stations were well run and many had food. The course was well marked and splits were called throughout- very unusual for a smaller run. Nice atmosphere post race and the weather couldn't be better. Great shirt and medal. I have run some bad races, and this was not one. Well done and a great time of year to visit S Carolina.
M. M. from North Carolina (1/28/2013) "Much Improved over Previous Races" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Charleston Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I'll skip addressing many issues already mentioned regarding start, finish, food, porta potties, etc. Bottomline, Charleston is one of the most beautiful cities in America and as long as the route goes through industrial areas, federal law enforcement facilities, etc., the race will never be successful. Though I can imagine downtown businesses in and around King street would not appreciate roads closed for 6 1/2 hours - would restrict customers. Keep working on the other areas and create a beautiful route and it would be a fantastic race! Keep it up Charleston, it always takes time for new races to work out all the kinks. My son and I will be back next year.
M. K. from Wisconsin (1/25/2013) "Overall - well run" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Charleston Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran the half marathon so my comments need to be taken with a grain of salt. The course was adequate, but not great. Given the way Charleston is laid out, not sure how you would have a course that is scenic without running over a bridge (not sure if that is logistically possible). I thought the course was well marked other than in the park. There were a few areas where I had to really focus on where to go. The event was run well. Food after was more than sufficient and shrimp & grits were awesome. My two complaints are 1) I was unsure if there was a bag drop. Website had 'clothing drop' listed so a little unclear. 2) the layout of the aid stations. Would have preferred water first than gatorade - just a personal preference of what I am used too. Overall, a good race that seems to have taken running comments/complaints into account and an event that I can see improving in the future.
John Eng from New York City (1/24/2013) "Great City! Race is Much Improved!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Charleston Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 After reading the 2012 comments, I was a bit apprehensive to sign up for the marathon. A good sign of the quality of the event is that mistakes and feedback from runners are listened to and improvements and fixes are implemented in the future. I am happy to say that the main issues and problems that plagued the race in previous years were greatly improved or fixed. First, and most importantly, the aid/hydration stations were fantastic. I was very worried about this situation as this was the main complaint last year. Never had any issues and never had to wait for hydration. Secondly, the expo was moved indoors to a high school so no worries about dust, cold, etc. Lastly, there was plenty of food and drink at the finish. The Shrimp & Grits were fantastic. Corn dogs, french fries, boiled peanuts, beer, gatorade and water were also available. In my 24 marathons, the post race experience in Charleston SC ranks in the top 5. Very flat course. The first 6 miles is absolutely gorgeous running by the lake and then up beautiful King Street. The rest of the course is much more industrial but that doesn't bother me. As for previous comments about the start/finish or any other parts of the course being in 'bad' or 'dangerous' areas, I submit that those who say that either never traveled very much or live in a bubble. If any of those are 'bad' or 'dangerous' areas, they wouldn't survive in 95% of this country. The 2 things that the race could improve upon is having more course marshals (I took the wrong turn right before Mile 22 and wound up running an additional 2 miles but it was probably my fault as I don't know anyone else that did that) and to have the mile markers more visible. The city of Charleston is a great place to visit and is one of the top 10 Food Cities in the U.S. The locals and volunteers were the epitome of Southern hospitality and I really enjoyed my stay there. If you need music blaring every few yards and demand that thousands of strangers come root you on, then this race might not suit you. If you like to visit a charming city with great food, no hassles and no crowding (less than 900 marathon finishers)and a race that will grow and improve and cares about the runners, then you will love it.

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