This was my first marathon. The course was perfect. It was very flat except for a few slight hills that were just enough to give your muscles a change that actually felt good. It was very well organized and ran smoothly. The Aid stations were really awesome. The volunteers were enthusiastic and did a great job with the fluid and food provided. There were plenty of places to take bathroom breaks as well. The spectators on Ocean Blvd were great and the bands along the course made it fun. I will definitely be back for this race!!

This is a fine marathon overall, and, weather permitting, ideal for a pr. Mostly flat, with some mild undulations (up and down 5 to 12 feet), and cool with an early 6:30 start. It is popular enough to have 'big marathon' amenities but small enough to be relatively hassle free, with a congestion free start & early miles, and minimal lines for portas & shuttles. People were good about seeding themselves accurately, and there were several pace groups to run with. Other pluses: car/exhaust-free course for the first 19 miles (and most of the last 7), great aid stations & expo, shuttle buses to the start, and lots of shade for the first 15 miles (those buildings that block the ocean view keep the 9 mi stretch up Ocean Dr mostly cool & shady). I don't need much spectator support, but there was plenty after mile 5.

A few CAUTIONS: the Ocean Dr stretch has a medium to steep camber, so best to attempt to run in the middle of the road; &, HEAT: 2012 was apparently typical for race conditions, and by the mile 15, it started to feel warm. By mile 23, the heat was be a big issue for me - it was 64F & bright sun, but it felt much hotter. Hope for a day that is below 60F & cloudy for optimal speed. Overall, this race is to be recommended. Congrats to the race director/committee & the hundreds of aid stn. volunteers for a great job.

Pros:
Thousands of cheap oceanfront rooms located 5 min drive from start/finish/expo.

Perfect weather for distance running. Temps were in the 40s and 50s.

Excellent food at finish. Usually halfers clean out all of the post-race food, but NOT the case here! Krispy Kreme and chicken soup.

Great medal in the shape of flip flops.

Cons:
Marathon shirt was horrific. Purple w/ white sleeves. No self-respecting man would ever wear it. They said I could exchange it for past yrs shirt if I pay them $3. Why would I pay them $3 b/c they produced a hideous shirt.

STAY AWAY from Broadway area friday night! The 5k runs around Broadway at Beach and basically traps all cars inside the loop for hours.

Fantastic weather, 40s at start with barely any breeze. Warmed up to 60s at end but not really an issue with shade areas last 4 miles. Really nice course along ocean and in neighborhoods. Great traffic control. Support was pretty good at last 10 k of course. Pretty good expos. Good winter marathon and BQ race. Only con, shuttle buses from hotel routes did not run frequently and had to ditch that transport and drive personal car to race, getting to start 10 mins before start. If you run this race have someone drive you or behind the convention center.

Nice flat course suitable for a PR or BQ try. Not the most interesting, and beach views are rarer than one would expect due to the many hi-rise condos and hotels on Ocean Boulevard. I personally posted my worst time yet, due to fighting the effects of a nasty cold, but I'd consider coming back to try to run a better time. Spectators and volunteers were very friendly (having runner names on the bibs helped, as I was cheered by name many times).

Organization was pretty good overall, though we had to go one table to pick up our bibs and another, across the room, to get a shirt. Shirts were very nice, though! Bibs had timing chips built in so that saved having to pick up and return one more thing. Chip timing was very important since there were so many runners that it took several minutes for everyone to cross the start line. The organizers ran out of tickets for the after-party at the House of Blues and didn't get the word out to everybody to bring their bib instead (the web site said bibs would not be accepted for entry). Fortunately I wore my race shirt to the after party and they let me in! Band, food, and beer at HOB were good. (They also had beer in the race finish area ... kudos for that!) Medals were very nice. Nice swag bag too (arm warmers and a towel).

If I had just been able to shake that pesky cold (not their fault I was sick :) it would have been a great experience!

First the positives: (1) Certainly a PR course that is mostly flat. There are some mild rollers and some potential wind between miles 10-17 as you head north. (2) Packet pick-up was a breeze - I arrived late (see below) but located conveniently at Sheraton Hotel where I also stayed. (3) Post race food was very good and lines short (4) Overall organizers did a good job - but they have had 14 years to figure this out.

The negatives: (1) Do the organizers really need to make an extra $1.99 for a mobile app to track racers? There is a free version but it did not provide final race time or even notify when the participant had finished. I think our entrance fee should cover this amenity and we should not have to wait until 2 days later to see final times on website (2) Time system used in 2012 may have been new. Did not offer split times - why? (3) Traffic getting into Myrtle Beach on Friday evening was horrendous. After driving 875 miles from St. Louis, MO I was reduced to crawling along through a series of traffic light intersections then had traffic diversion due to 5K event in progress as I approached hotel/convention center for packet pick-up (4) Sheraton was conveniently located but service there was sub par. Room was not vacuumed and toilet was dirty (5) Shuttle bus pre race - waited for 10 minutes then decided to walk to start. Maybe others had a better experience (6) Tech shirt was white with purplish pink sleaves for everyone!

Enough said - not bad for 50 staters and another reason to head to the beach.

This was only my second marathon. There is always something you can complain about, but they are just to small to even mention. The course was good, the organization was great, the medal was very nice and the people were great!!!! Add a great location and this is a marathon that I will run again. Plus, they listen to the runners; adding chocolate milk this year which was great!! Thanks for a great marathon!!!

All was good except no water at the finish line. That freaked me out since I was already dehydrated.I had to hike out of the fenced in area considerable distance to find water. Many thanks to medical crew for helping me out after finish.

Ran Bi-Lo for the first time in 2012. PR and BQ. Course is very flat and extremely fast, provided there is limited wind. 10 miles along Ocean Blvd are pleasant with sporadic ocean views. Locals do a nice job of supporting the race/runners. 2200+/- marathoners. Half-marathon is run concurrently. This is not a mega-marathon; manage your expectations about crowd and amenities. Has the flavor of a well-run, small-town marathon.

Overall I love this run (2nd year in a row) and overall the event is well done, people are great, good expo. However I had 2 issues with this years event. Once again for the 2nd straight year the shirts ran a size smaller. I even checked ahead this time and I was told for sure that wouldn't happen this year. The 2nd item was no food on the course. I wasn't looking for a lot but there should have been something, gel pack something? Ton's of food at the finish so maybe run a box of it out to the course. I do love this race but these itmes bothered me so I thought I should bring it up.