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Myrtle Beach Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Myrtle Beach Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 3.6
Number of comments: 318 [displaying comments 71 to 81]
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D. E. from Bay Area, California
(2/21/2011)
 "Good organization, but the course is pretty boring" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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. | |
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A. L. from Emerald Isle, NC
(2/21/2011)
 "A decent flat course in a friendly locale" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 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. | |
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B. B. from US
(2/21/2011)
"Small marathon; big-time race" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 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). | |
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J. L. from Columbus, OH
(2/20/2011)
 "Well-run, medium-size race" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 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. | |
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D. H. from Midwest
(2/20/2011)
"Excellent Event" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 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. | |
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S. H. from North Carolina
(2/20/2011)
"Bi-Lo Myrtle Beach Redeems Itself!!!" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Myrtle Beach Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 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! | |
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Chihuahua Thompson from South Carolina
(2/20/2011)
 "Flat Course but Terrible Timing" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 The course is flat and shaded for the first 18 miles, but the unprotected last 8 miles amplified the effects of the sunny 72 degrees. I was very disappointed to check my times after they posted the updated times only to learn the times were more messed up than the original. Medal is OUTSTANDING! | |
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Sid Busch from Charleston SC
(2/20/2011)
 "What a difference a year makes" (about: 2011)
50+ previous marathons
| 4-5 Myrtle Beach Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Last year this event was cancelled due to a freak snow storm, but this year Mother Nature made up for it with great weather. New course is really good; it was nice running through the old Myrtle Beach Air Force base and the impressive memorial. The volunteers, police and EMTs are all first-class; and water stops and food were all over. On the Ocean Blvd. part of the course, a lot of people visiting Myrtle Beach came out to cheer us on. There seems to be a problem with the timing, but I will not blame them for this - stuff happens. For those who stayed away because of last year, you missed a great marathon. | |
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J. O. from Lake Wylie, SC
(2/20/2011)
"Great Race" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my fourth marathon. I thought everything went great - great course (very good for PR), and great weather this year (although a bit warm for my preference with running, with 60s at the start climbing to low 70s, it was great for the beach after)! Very well organized. Great after-race party - no complaints at all. Highly recommended! | |
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D. P. from Brookfield, WI
(2/20/2011)
"Nice, Resort-Town Marathon" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Huge increase in registry over prior years. I had to register at the expo because I missed the online cutoff 10 days before the race. They were at 2,300 Friday morning, but I don't think they hit the 2,750 cutoff. Good, mid-sized expo, and I was happy to get 25% off of my favorite running shoe. I thought it was a bit tacky to charge $3 for parking at the convention center, but there was an open parking area south of the Office Depot across the street that I and others took advantage of. Broadway on the Beach was an excellent place to hang out at after perusing the expo, and finding a hotel to stay at is not a problem in this town. There appeared to be plenty of porta-lets at the race start, and what I really appreciated was smart utilization of the divided highway the course started on: halfers on the south lane and marathoners on the north lane. By the time we merged together on the first left turn into mile 1, there was no congestion. I wish other race directors would get a clue and split off halfers. Though the course was essentially a race oval, there were usually enough interesting things to look at or other runners around to chat with that the time went by quickly. Spectators were enthusiastic and spread around the course. Nice medal and I really liked the design of the tech shirt. The beach blanket they give is really heavy duty. I really liked how the set up the final stretch for the finish. Food was adequate and they appeared to have enough therapists for complementary massages, though I had to hunt a little to find the tent. Parking at the SW corner of Broadway on the Beach was plentiful and convenient. |
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