I came all the way from snow-entrenched Minnesota to run this marathon, and the City of Myrtle Beach pulled the plug the night before because of a few little snow flakes. Embarrassing. The race organizers still did their best to make it a good event, and it looks like most runners still ran the course anyway. I did. Medals were still given out, but I feel bad for anyone who wanted an official time for Boston. After this, I don't think I'll be back. There are enough other marathons where the host city is more level-headed.

This a great, fun, mid-sized marathon. The course is flat and fast. I set my PR here and I wasn't even trying. Like others have said, if you want to qualify for Boston, this is the race to do it.

They had a enough aid stations and they served oranges and bananas at a few, which is helpful. Also, there are not a lot of spectators, but more than I've seen on other marathons. They actually have race volunteers on the course, where other marathons just use their volunteers at the expo.

Getting the shirt with the towel and bag was a great surprise and GREAT SWAG. This year's expo was spread out and easy to navigate, but in the past it has been in hotel lobbies as opposed to the convention center.

The weather is cold, much colder than most people expect. If you think MB is warm year round, think again. February can be in the low 20s at start with chance of rain or flurries, so dress in layers. It will warm up.

I've run in other major cities and I believe that the MB Marathon can compete. The organizers are friendly and helpful, and it's a fun race. It's worth running more than once.

Also, the heart-shaped medals were awesome!! Different from other medals, so they are memorable, like the race. It truly shows that Southern hospitality.

A+ marathon. My favorite of 9 marathons. I was not in tip top shape so I ran this one more as a training run but could have definitely PR'd on this extremely flat course with a nice, low number of runners. Fabulous course, very well organized (plenty of parking, no traffic jams, etc.), and it was not too crowded to run your speed. I LOVED this race.

Nice, medium-sized marathon.

Pros:
1. The course is FLAT. This can also be a problem if you need a few hills to work other leg muscles.
2. The HEART-SHAPED medal for Valentine's Day was neat - I like the different look. It's very creative, as against the round or square medal.
3. Speaking of Valentine's Day, I saw two marriage proposals on the course.
4. SWAG - good tech shirt, big read towel, and ditty bag.
5. Expo was small but easy to navigate.
6. Plenty of parking right near the start/finish line.
7. The band at the start line from a nearby university keep the energy moving.
8. The split start with the half-marathon on the left and the full on the right for the first mile-plus was wonderful, as it allowed you to get into a pace before the merge.


Cons:
1. The crowd was thin, but the rain was the problem.

If you are looking for a flat course, Myrtle Beach is your race. You could press your dress shirt on the course - it is that flat.

A very well done marathon! It was my second time here and I had a blast even though I didn't make my goal time. The start and finish for both half and full are all within walking distance, with lots of free parking! I would love to come back and plan a family vacation for several days in town. Oh, the race organizers listen to us; there were complaints last year about the shirts and medals, and boy did they kick those up several notches for this year! Good job!

Firstly, though I've run lots 5K and 10K races, this was my first marathon. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience. Efficiently run (no long waits), great volunteers, well stocked and frequent aid stations, flat course, enthusiastic (if a bit sparse) supporters. My only two complaints: 1) My GPS, like others, registered a long 26.43 miles. 2) Most the course was down the right side of the road, which is the opposite side from which most of us train.

This was #6 for me and I was very pleased with this race. This is a great marathon that was not too big and not too small, but just right. I qualified for Boston for the first time, and the lack of 25,000 runners helped tremendously. Not knowing that Boston had already filled for 2009 was probably a good thing for me! This is of course a very fast and flat course, and the weather was fantastic... for me! GPS runners all complained that the course did not seem to agree with Garmin, but overall I was about .25 miles over. I did not make it to the expo and had someone pick up my packet, so I can't comment on the expo, but I heard it was decent. There were plenty of fluid stations, and porta potties were about every two miles, which helped tremendously for me. I'm not a big race shirt guy, but this one was one of the nicer I've seen. The medal on the other hand... a heart? I got it - 14th of February - but a heart... really? In the end, I would easily recommend this race to anyone wanting a small to medium race, or looking for a PR or Boston qualifying time.

My only other half marathon was the 2008 Rock-n-Roll Half in Virginia Beach, VA and I compare the MB Marathon to that one (although it had 1/5th the crowd). Organization was good and everyone had smiles on their faces. Course was flat and fast and since the temps were in the 50s at the start, I set my PR. R-N-R VBeach was hot - 80 degrees and 90% humidity. Even the elites complained of the heat. This is why I wanted to try one where the weather would not be so much of a factor. The start in MB was a little crowded but did not hinder my pace... slow. Walkers needed to be told to stay to the right. My pace girl was awesome. 5:00 hour marathon. (Told you I was slow.) But because of her I did not go out too fast and I finished in my goal time of "2:30." Now I have to work on beating that.

The expos was nice; although it was a little small and crowded, there was no flow through it to ensure you saw everything. I had to go back a second time to sign up with a pace group (although not required) as I did not see them my first time through.

The microbrew at the end was awesome.
Only complaint: need a family meeting area at the finish to make it easier to locate friends and family.

I stayed at the host hotel (Sheraton) and you couldn't ask for a better place. It was six-tenths of a mile from the start/finish, they had a whirlpool at the end, and they had all of the food and drink you needed without having to leave home if you were up for it. Staff was friendly, even though the hotel was full.

I had an extremely good time and will be back next year.

The course is as flat as could be - you are at the coast!!! The fluid stations were plentiful and there were tons of great volunteers on the course. The medal, towel, and t-shirt were all nice. If you want to run fast or BQ, this is the place for you!!!

The only negatives that I could think of were the 3:10 pacer, who, I think after the second mile, started getting slower and slower... so I am glad I left the group (not sure where they finished, but I didn't see anyone after mile 4). The wind could be a problem (for future runs), but it wasn't too bad this year.

If you need tons of spectators, maybe this is not the race for you. But the ones around were great (some had their own mini water stations).

Boston, here I come!!!

I found the Myrtle Beach Marathon to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Here are a few comments on each category:

Course: It's just about as flat a course as you could find, with almost no real hills... just a few inclines. I found the course to be an interesting mix of high-rise hotels, ocean views, and neighborhoods. Yes, there are less exciting areas, but that's true in most marathons.

Organization: Well organized from the expo to the finish. Just a couple minor points: I could find no water at the start other than bottled water for sale, and it would have been nice to have a warm place to go at the finish. I was one of those who finished in the rain. On the plus side, I loved the medal, the quality shirt, and the beach towel made for a great surprise extra. One other suggestion might be one more aid station in the last six miles or so.

Spectators: I felt there was great crowd support. Thanks to the band at the start. There wasn't much music during the race (none that I can remember) but lots of people out to cheer us on. On a side note, the Myrtle Beach Police Department were some of the friendliest I have found in my ten marathons and countless shorter races.

Great job, Myrtle Beach. Your race is well worth the trip!