The course was flat, the volunteers were amazing, and the scenery was varied and interesting. I would've preferred a shoe chip to an ankle one. I wore mine on my wrist and never got picked up by the mats, but since my goal was simply to finish, I wasn't too concerned with a precise time.

I ran the 1/2 marathon. This was a fun race, but be aware, you're not running in the sunny south. It snowed Saturday, and there was definitely a bite in the wind.

Definitely one of the flattest courses I have run! Course got a little dull through Ft. Story - not many spectators.

I absolutely hate the ankle timing chips - wish they would use the shoe type.

Porta-potty lines were long; I stood in line for 10 minutes. However, plenty of porta-potties at the end of the race, with no one in line - maybe a few of the ones at the end of the course could be put in the middle? Start was pretty disorganized, but all in all, it was a good race worth attending. Great for beginners.

I waited until my shirt arrived to post this and true to organizers' words, it did. Had great fun, despite the wind. Yeah, there weren't a lot of fans, but hey, it's a smaller marathon, and the ones that were there were great. How many of you would stand out there in those conditions cheering on slugs like us? Can't say enough about the volunteers, too. Special thanks to one at the finish who helped me thru my cramping. Lodging tip: Try Barclay Cottage B&B. Never thought staying at a B&B for a race would be convenient, but boy was I wrong. We got a carb breakfast (bagels, bananas, etc.) about 6 a.m., rides to and from the start/finish and had a yummy full breakfast (brunch) after, complete with celebratory mimosas. Co-owner Steve even came out to the course to cheer us on.

I posted awhile ago with the main complaint of running out of shirts. Very pleased to actually get one in the mail. I still stand by my comments that it is inexcusable, but at least they did come through. Thank you!

This is a perfect March race. I only did the half-marathon. Race day this year was about 32 degrees, but it wasn't bad once we got going. There was plenty of water and the course was flat. It was a little thin on spectators and the marathon folks got hit with some brutal winds. Overall, the only change I would look for is clocks at every mile, which might not be feasible with both the half and full marathons going at the same time! I'll be back next year.

I will probably always remember this marathon not just because of my medal and certificate, but because of the scars that I now have on my ankle from the ankle chip band we had to wear. I have never run a race where the chip wasn't on my shoe, and I guess I put the band on too tight (I didn't want it moving around!) and the velcro wound up cutting my leg. I also had a friend who wore her band under pants and the mats didn't pick up the chip at all and she was left out of the results. They should definitely use the shoe chips. They also ran out of marathon shirts before the expo was over (the shirts are very nice though) and you received a hat at the finish, which I thought was nice additional touch. There appeared to be a lot of beer and food at the finish, which I did not have an appetite for. Overall I thought the marathon was an enjoyable experience. I liked the finish along the beach, and the random thoughts posted along that long stretch of the race before Fort Story where there was no one around humored me. I do have to thank the awesome pacers that found me in the last few miles and helped me run under 3:40 when I would have given up otherwise. I had never run with a pace group before and those pacers were outstanding!

I gave a generally positive review for this race a few pages back, but came back again to add this:

I first noted that they ran out of marathon shirts and took names down, hastily, saying that they would mail them to us later.

Guess what? I actually DID get mailed the marathon shirt about 2.5 weeks after the race! It's one thing to mess up the shirts, but I'm very pleased and impressed that they went and fixed it.

Very flat and pretty well-organized course, great medal, good beer and music at the finish. Expo was a bit disorganized, and the water stops were a little confusing, trying to figure out where the Gatorade was going to be (though maybe it was just me getting tired). Also, I didn't like the ankle strap timing chip (chafed and left a very slight bruise), but the problems were minor. Not the most interesting course, and one long stretch in particular was pretty dull and lonely. But I was surprised in general by the crowd support - I'd heard it didn't get many spectators, and I would have thought the cold weather would make things even worse, but the crowds weren't bad. Not huge (and completely missing for that one long stretch because of the course route), but very vocal and in good spirits. It helped that we had names on our bibs - I was surprised how much it helped hearing my name, especially the last stretch along the boardwalk.

The only other downside, as everyone else mentioned, was the weather. It snowed briefly the day before, was in the 30s at the start, and was insanely windy for most of the middle part of the course. But making that turn at mile 20 and feeling the tailwind kick in, all the way to the end... that made up for everything.

Not the most exciting town in the world, or the best food. Bring snacks and entertainment, and plan ahead (make reservations) for your pre-race dinner, as the restaurants filled up quickly.

Probably wouldn't do this race again except for the speed of the course, but overall I thought the organizers did a good job creating a fast, fun race.

I really enjoyed the race !!! My running buddy and I dressed up with crazy outfits, and had planned on taking it somewhat easy, but the energy from the crowed carried us both to PRs.

PROS
-We dressed up as did a lot of others...made the energy real high.
-Medals are great
-Finishers hats were cool
-Beer Tent and Stew were yummy (thanks for the tent)
-Cheaper hotels than R&R Half
-Less crowded than R&R Half
-Course support was great (but, they kept on asking me to vote for their water stop, and I never saw where to do that).


CONS
-Expo, not that bad, but not the best. Need more Shamrock gear.
-I actually saw Marathon leaders having to make their way through the Half Marathon's final finishers on the course. I wouldn't have liked that.
-Wind - but what can you do about that?
-Didn't like the timing chip on the ankle.
-Would have liked a little more music on the course (not live, just speakers)

Overall they did a good job, DESPITE the organizers! Definitely worth coming back to or if you need the state, then this is the one to do.
CONS
1. FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT! I may be overreacting; but when you drive 10+ hours, your first impression when you arrive is important. They had run out of shirts which I cannot understand. Whats the point in pre-registering?
2. The expo was very poor for a race this size.
3. The water stations were very chaotic. Some were definitely overwhelmed and undermanned (though I thank and admire anyone who was out there).
4. Mile markers were off! On a qualifying course it can be a problem.
5. They advertise as having the best swag. Unless they are talking about the beer then they are truly out to lunch! It was as bad as any!

Having said that, I really enjoyed the Shamrock overall:
PROS
1. I was really looking forward to this one as I had heard about the post race party. It did not disappoint!
2. The course was as advertised, flat and fast despite the wind (which you have no control over).
3. Having the 1/2 marathon go earlier and on the second half of the course was a great idea. No problems with the 1/2 marathoners at all. It also helped running the opposite way alongside them.
4. Spectators were great. After reading previous comments I was expecting very few. Boy, was I wrong! Those people complaining should try some of the smaller marathons (Hatfield McCoy comes to mind. When I must have seen maybe 5 the whole course; but it was still a GREAT race!) As mentioned it was cold, yet there were plenty out there. IN ANY MARATHON you are going to get points where there are no spectators. It makes you appreciate them more. THANK YOU TO ALL!
5. Hotels were some of the cheapest I have been to for races!

Overall Great JOB!