The course is flat and fast (flast). I agree it was a very windy final 10K in 2004, but there is nothing you can do about that. And the course is near the ocean in the spring, so wind is not uncommon. And, yes, the course was not scenic in lots of places, but there were still streches along or near the ocean.

There were not many spectators, but those thate were there were great.

The organization was fairly solid.

Here is my big suggestion about doing this marathon. Stay at the Radisson. It is a great hotel and about 1/2 mile from the start/finish at the baseball field. It is nearly a perfect distance to walk/jog to warm up before the start and to cool down after.

Also, lots of massage tables at the finish. This was a big plus. There were so many empty tables, I got two extra long massages.

Overall, this is a good race.

Great marathon. The spectators were fantastic. I was amazed at the amount of people that came out to cheer EVERYONE on. All along the course were friendly cheers. I've read in other posts how the course was not scenic and full of pancake houses and cheap hotels for scenery. Well welcome to Myrtle Beach, other than the ocean, which a good 10 miles or so was right next to you, there's not much else to see. This was my first marathon and the achievement of completing it overrode any negative comments I could possibly come up with.

Organizers were friendly, shuttle buses were prompt and drivers courteous, host hotel was nicely set up for runners (alright, I found the host hotel a bit pricy compared to every other hotel, plus I could hear everything in the next room including their alarm waking me up 2 minutes before mine went off). But I'm already training hard with next year in mind and in all fairness to Holiday Inn, I'll probably stay there again next year if they host. I wasn't quite in marathon shape and finished in 5 hrs+ but still had plenty of support all the way through. Next year I'm breaking into the 3 hr+ territory.

We had a cold winter up north so South Carolina, the beach, the sun seemed inviting. Holiday Inn host hotel was overpriced... could have stayed at a 'thousand' beachfront hotels for half price. Host hotel needs updating and nowhere near start finish at race. HINT: Stay at hotel up by 'Broadway at Beach' Shopping complex. Pasta Party at host hotel well worth the money; plenty of food and delicious. HINT: If you are going to do the 10K race the night before, sign up online... at the expo 10K sign up is expensive. HINT: Ripley's Aquarium 5K run is for school children. Not really a race and only 50 students/adults are allowed to run through the Aquarium in groups. Pay the money and visit shark tanks and enjoy the experience. Organization for this 5K 'Fun' run was poor and children are allowed to run off by themselves for 3 miles.

Marathon is done on long flat windy highways... nowhere near beach view. T-shirt stores and pancake restaurants are all you will see. HINT: House of Blues post party great. Jumbo screen with day of marathon is shown. Great Fun. Goodie bags and people very friendly. Red Powerade given at race stained clothing and was very strong mixture. Too commerical for my taste but I have added South Carolina to my 50statesmarathon.club list.

This was the second time I ran this marathon and have qualified for Boston both times. This was a lot harder then in 2002 and I ran about 5 minutes slower. The wind was incredible. The last 10K of the race was TOUGH!!!

I think the organization for this race was good. I would recommend making the host hotel be the Courtyard Marriott right next to the start/finish. I think it would be easier to get in/out for picking up stuff and it is a nicer hotel.

Kudos on another job well done and helping me steer to Boston in 2005.

P.S. Next year tell the wind to stay in bed until after lunch.

I came from Utah where the winter was very snowy and cold this year. We were blessed with a gorgeous day except for a strong headwind for the last 6 miles. The volunteers were great! We had so much fun on our journey. Things were very well run and we didn't have any complaints. We did rent a car and did not have to be at the mercy of shuttles. The water stops were adequate, but the food at the end was just ok. I enjoyed the after race party and hope to be in better condition next winter.

I'm from up North and this was my second marathon. The first one I completed was Niagara, and was it ever wet. This one was dry as a bone, but windy. I'm sure I'll get lucky with the weather one day.

A suggestion for future races is to clarify information on the website. Since I did both the 5k and the marathon, it appeared that there was a pasta dinner for both. Fortunately a quick email to the event organizer cleared up the confusion. Second issue is that there were no zip ties for race chips on the Thursday. Race pick-up kit needed more goodies (ie: mints, pasta) and less coupons. There was no water available at the start of the race, but luckily I found a water fountain in the stadium.

Positives for the event are that results were available almost immediately after the race, and there was lots of food/beer after the race and at the post-race party.

Running through the aquarium for the kids must have been great. Maybe the 5k will go there next year ;-).

Starting location had TONS of parking and police helped people get from the stadium to the parking lots.

Will I be back next year? Maybe... but I'll be flying down instead of driving. 16 hours in a car a day after running a marathon isn't a good idea.

This was a great race to do! The expo and pasta dinner were great! The medal was excellent! Best of all the start, course, finish, and marathon were well thought out and executed. Parking at the start was plentiful and across the street. This is one I would definitely do again. Thanks again to the great Southern hospitality from everyone involved in the race, especially the sponsoring brewery that gave out free beer and the massage therapists who gave awesome massages! I had a great time!

So Myrtle Beach is a little bit shabby & common, but I love it. This was my third marathon & slowest yet (can't blame the organizers for the wind though, you'll have to have a word with God if you didn't like it). The organization was excellent (I didn't mind different spots for the packet pick-up, chip, party ticket & T-shirt, it was just a matter of getting oriented).

Nice warm weather, easy access to the start/finish area, friendly spectators, helpful water stop volunteers & I particularly liked the cop who was cheering us on as he directed traffic. I hope to be back next year with less wind (please, God) & a better time.

Fortunately, because of pre-race recognizance and last year's commentary, I selected a hotel right near the start, at broadway on the beach, and didn't have to deal with any buses. It's not a race for which I'd want to incur any major travel expenses in that the scenery is sooo boring. No vistas of the ocean, road and busy highway routes, and a schmaltzy city of one junky hotel after another. But! For an entertaining good time, if within easy driving distance, it's well worth it with a pancake flat course, great people at the aid stations, and a fine finisher's medal.

I really enjoyed this course. There are two separate 13 mile loops you run doing the full but that is much better than running a double loop course. IMHO this course is flat. The few inclines are negligible compared to Atlanta. The only other course I have run that was flatter was Niagara Falls in 2001, when they forced us to run the race entirely in Canada due to the 9/11 events.

Packet pickup was fine, although I think they could have streamlined things by having the packet, t-shirt and chip picked up at one station. But not a major issue.

The volunteers were great at the water stops and at traffic control points along with the local police. I saw clocks at most mile markers. There was water and Powerade consistently every two miles. The food and Carbooms offered at miles 18 and 22 were invaluable. Great touch.

The two poor ladies trying to set up the water stop at mile 14 got slammed because runners thought they were the 4 mile water station (which was a 1/4 mile further up) and didn't realize they were setting up for the marathon runners instead.

This is a very nice race. The RD and organizers probably have the best course available to them considering the layout of Myrtle Beach. The weather was outstanding. I was aware of the winds and they slowed me down a little, but overall they didn't give me as much of a problem as they apparently did for some others.

I highly recommend this race, especially if you are very close to your BQ time.