Okay, first of all, about the headwinds everyone is mentioning: yes, there were some winds, but they really were not that bad and very short in duration. And if there is a headwind in one direction, what is there in the other direction? A tailwind! Plus the tailwind was during the finishing miles, so we can't complain about winds.

As far as everything else, the course definitely was flat as can be, the 6:30 start was perfect, and I can't say enough about the volunteers, medical personnel and fans! Course opened up after the half'ers were dropped at 11, which I personally like.

A little sunny after we turned off of Ocean Blvd, but hey, it's SC, so what do you expect? The finishing area was a logistical masterpiece. Most everything was within walking distance, less than 15-20 minutes from the start/finish.

Medal was very cool, and the expo was also a pleasant experience for the size of this race.

Tech shirt was kind of cheesy, in my opinion; the back is covered bya list of 15 sponsors, and I would feel like a walking billboard wearing that. Also, although it is a tech shirt, it's made from one of those cheaper tech materials.

If traveling, I recommend staying at the Sheraton Convention Center: it's the host hotel, the expo is there, and there's no need for a vehicle.

The race was generally well organized and I was able to change from the full to the half at the last minute with no problem. The expo was small but excellent in quality. The services, promotions, coupons and other discounts available to racers were fantastic.

The course was nothing too exciting, running on the boulevard through strip malls until the 10K point, where there were the best spectators. Otherwise we saw a lot of impatient drivers who apparently did not read the notices about traffic closures.

Water stops were fine and well placed, except right at the finish line. Finishers were handed a great medal and poncho, but no water until the food area. There was no line for beer, which made up for it, sort of.

I was NOT impressed with the chip-timing system. Not that I would have gotten one, but awards were based on gun times. Why bother with chip-timing then? It was the next day before we saw our official times, and in our group of 7 runners, several of those were way off, either the overall time, or the pace calculations.

Overall, we had a great trip and a lot of fun, but this is not a race I will run again.

This race was very well organized and lots of fun. The flat course made for a fast run - a great course on which to try for a new PB. Weather was great, and the headwinds I read complaints about in other reviews really weren't that bad. All in all, it was a great day with excellent volunteers and good crowd support. I'd be happy to run it again next year.

Pros:
1) Nice expo
2) Nice medal, T-shirt (bonus beach towel)
3) Volunteers at water stops were abundant and eager to help
4) Start and finish within walking distance of each other
5) Course was almost completely flat
6) Stayed at Country Inn & Suites - they were very flexible about late checkout
7) Traffic control was never a problem

Cons:
1) Ran along the beach but couldn't see it, due to hotels (not the fault of the race staff)
2) Too warm for my liking, with little shade the last 6-8 miles, plus a decent headwind for several miles (weather, not the fault of the race staff)
3) Nobody supervised entry into post race food area, so family members were eating the food (hope they didn't run out)

Overall, I enjoyed the event, from start to finish.

The good:
* Good expo. Quick and efficient packet pickup and a pretty good range of expo companies.
* Very friendly volunteers.
* Good access to water and PowerAde.
* Very nice medal.
* Good food after the race.

Can be improved:
* Although more varied altitude-wise than the previous course, running 9 miles on Ocean Blvd. was pretty boring. One can only take so much of seemingly endless hotels.
* Having the race for such a long stretch along the ocean (but not really seeing the ocean much) meant that runners had to fight the headwinds for a long while. Sure, they didn't know the wind was gonna blow that hard that day, but figuring out in which direction the wind usually blows (NW) isn't that hard.
* Not a lot of shade on the second half of the course, so it got a little warm. Perhaps run the course in reverse direction so that the sun won't be as bad when running in unshaded areas, and give runners both shade and (most likely) a tailwind on Ocean Blvd.
* Earlier today I could see my split times, but now they are no longer available. It looked like some runners were missing a split time, but overall the timing system seemed to have worked pretty well. If they could only publish the split times again, I'd be happy.

Not a bad marathon - it's just not super exciting. A nice, flat course, but you do have a persistent headwind on Ocean Blvd. for about 10 miles.

Water stops need to be longer. If you're running through in a crowd it can be hard to grab a drink. Also, water only every 2 miles? That's small-time.

Bike trail near miles 23-24 are lonely. Literally nobody is out there and the only thing you can hear is the "tick tock" of time passing as you run by the clock they have set up out there.

Pros
-the race was small but the ability to control this was an organization that could handle 4 times as many people.
-the city was very in tune for the runners - plenty of food attractions and post-race food and stuff. They have room for improvement but was just fine.
-flat course with good spectators. The race was kept free and clean and was easy to follow.
-had great water stations and near the end of the marathon the frequency of them grew and was better for us marathoners who needed it more than just every 2 miles.
-fun small expo and great medal!

Cons
-no water right after the race. Trust me - that is what I want right after I run.
-late final times at the post-race event.
-that start was strange, with no corrals, but the size was not too bad, so no real problems (though there might be some later).

I thought the expo was adequate for the size of the race (~5,000 for the full and half).

Last year they apparently had snow but this year the beach towel came in handy for the post-race (it hit 80 later in the day).

The route had two somewhat odd u-turns in it and I heard a couple of people complain that the course measured long, but it was pretty flat and had nine miles of intermittent ocean views along the beachfront boulevard.

My chip time was only one second off of what my watch recorded, so I don't know what the guy from Atlanta is talking about. It was annoying that the geniuses sorted the race results they posted by gun time, not chip time, but this is about as close as I can come to a complaint about the timing or the race.

Post-race: the race finishes into a minor league ball park; the after-race event was huge and managed to be at the same time both family-friendly (numerous kid activities at one end) and also fun for the runners (beer and bands at the other end). Lots of food choices too (okay, I passed on the hot chicken soup).

The after-race party in the evening was the best (of one) I've ever attended. They had decent food/drinks and a live band with a replay of the race on the big screen. I must say, though, that the vibe was very much based around locals, organizers and volunteers - and not so much participants (but I guess most people split town; I usually do).

I'd definitely recommend this one.

If you like a mid-sized race that is well organized, then this is a race for you.

The start line is very well organized, the course is flat, the streets are wide and there is plenty of room, the volunteers are plentiful and very good, the water stations were organized, and the finish line was well done.

The spectators were underwhelming, really only being in one spot on the course (close to a Starbucks - who can blame them!) and at the finish line. I don't really mind few spectators, so not a big deal.

My only minor disappointment was that I was hoping to see more of the ocean while running along Ocean View Blvd. I just made up for it by walking on the beach for several hours!

The Bi-Lo Myrtle Beach Marathon is very well done and I highly recommend it.

You probably think reading the header that I am referring to a great comeback from the cancellation last year. Nope - the event was terrific in its organization this year but there was a problem with new timing system. Final results posted had many in the field with chip and gun times identical. Race organizers redeemed themselves by reposting updated results to get this corrected - kudos for working to ensure results were posted accurately. Additionally, I have to give it to the organizers for both the course change, which minimized congestion early, AND for finally keeping half and full marathoners corralled separately for much of the first mile. This was my 3rd Bi-Lo and it was a huge improvement to the race. Great Job Organizers! I know I'll be back hoping for more of that 60-degree weather at the start!