I recommend this race for a spring marathon on the East Coast. Virginia Beach would serve as a nice destination race.
Positives:
- Flat course
- Fair weather
- Drink stations
- Family friendly
- Finish on boardwalk
- Finish festival inside tent on beach
- Overall value (long sleeve athletic shirt, running hat, finishing medal and finishing hooded sweatshirt)

Negatives:
- Carb boom energy gel (terrible flavors and taste)
- Road conditions (numerous spots where roads are in less than desirable conditions: potholes, patches, construction)
- Little to no fanfare from 16 - 22 miles
- Need more food than Irish Stew at the finish festival tent (does not sit too well in stomach after running 3 hours)
- Expo lacked the feel of a top notch event (seemed a little small and did not have a bunch of vendors or other race booths)

I had alot of concerns approaching this event based upon previous reviews. For example others have previously described taking up to 2 hours for package pickup. The biggest issue was probably getting in and out of the parking lot but overall not a horrible experience. I drove 14 hours to get to Va Beach so I did not want to spend much time browsing but there appeared to be many vendors (the usual suspects). I would have stuck around if there were a guest speaker or two. With an event of this proportion perhaps it is time.

Cost of marathon $$$ certainly on the high side but you get alot of swag including long sleeve dry fit shirt, finisher's cap, hooded sweat shirt (same for full and half marathoners), and a draw string bag. Yes and also the medal. Post race food - a bit dismal (green bananas, water, gatorade, cereal bar, sugar cookie, and a bowl of Irish stew).

Race course was fairly flat in the first half (only hills were out and back across a bridge) but in second half along the boardwalk wind was stiff at times. There are more gradual rollers in second half.

Timing: The half marathon starts an hour and half earlier that the full marathon (8:30 am). This leads to potentially warmer temperatures even for 3:30 finishers.

Parking - if you are not from around Virginia Beach finding a parking spot might be a challenge on race morning. I stayed at the Hampton Inn (Norfolk) and there was a complimentaty shuttle to and from the race. This actually was the best part of the entire race experience. Whosoever was responsible for this kudos to them (I suspect it was the Hampton Inn/Holiday Inn folks).

The best part of the weekend though was just getting out to the beach. If you are trying to complete 50 states or just looking for a destination marathon this one is worth doing.

I did the half-marathon last year and loved the experience so much I decided to do the full. Lots of reasons why I loved this marathon:
1. Flat and fast marathon. I shaved off my time by 15 minutes and PRed! Course wasn't that scenic, but was a good course nonetheless.
2. The swag bag: you get a long sleeved tech-tee; hat; drawstring bag; medal and sweat shirt (the these are given after you finish). Bang for your buck!
3. Spectators were good for the most part. Some parts were sparse (like Fort Story and Shore Drive), but I can understand that it might be tough to get there.
4. Water stations were good and plentiful!
5. Finishing by the beach and seeing King Neptune: awesome!

The only downside was the start time: 8:30pm for the marathoners (half went an hour before) and how hot it was towards the end (this isn't something anyone can control). I wasn't prepared for the heat in March.

Would completely do this race again!

This year's Shamrock was fantastic! This was my 9th marathon and second Shamrock. The expo had a lot of vendors and it was super easy to pick up my number and shirt, no waiting at all. There was a very long line to buy extra Shamrock gear.. The race started exactly on time. There was good support with Gatorade, water and gels out on the course. I enjoyed running a relatively smaller marathon since my last two were LA and Boston.

There were enough fans to encourage the runners and the support on the military bases was great. The weather was perfect with the only negative was a bit of a head wind during the boardwalk section. The wind was at our backs during the last 5 miles so I am not complaining. Last, the swag was incredible. They gave a long sleeve technical shirt, a bag, hooded sweatshirt and a hat!

1st Shamrock marathon but one I will run again. Course is flat and fast (I ran a PR). Organization is top notch. Post race party fantastic (plenty of free beer!). Where did all the free stuff come from? You get more gear than any race I have run. 1) Long sleeve technical shirt 2) Finisher's hat 3) Finisher's sweatshirt 4) great medal. Fun party after the race. Check out Murphy's Irish Pub as well...great times.

This was my first marathon and it was a great experience. The weather was great with just a little wind which is not bad for this area. i have run races here for 5 years and this one had the least wind. the expo was great especially if you knew what your bib number was. they didn't open till 1pm on friday and i got there at 12:30 and waited in line. only took 20 minutes to get my number and look over the entire expo. course was generally flat with the exception of the bridge at 1 1/2 mile area and the incline going from mile 15-18 on shore drive to the Fort Story gate. crowds were thin on this section of the course and it did get a little warm while running on Fort Story where there is a lack of trees. once i got back down to mile 23 to mile 25 was great while the last mile was just crazy with the fan support. i couldn't have asked for a better experience for my first marathon. i ran in 3:53 and lost 47 lbs since august to get to this point. i would strongly recommend this race.

This was my fifth marathon overall and my first Shamrock. I signed up because the registration fee was so low (and I had a promo code), and I had heard wonderful things about the race. Overall, I had a really great experience and would absolutely recommend Shamrock to others.

A couple of nitpicky bits of constructive criticism/notes:
-Add more port-o-potties to the start. It seemed like there were only a handful of port-o-potties in the start area (unless I completely missed others). I know a lot of the hotels seem to turn a blind eye to runners coming in to use the bathroom, but more port-o-potties would avoid some of the longer lines at the hotels.
-The last 6-7 miles of the course are completely without shade, and at least this past year (2012), that was when the sun was absolutely overhead and blazing.
-It seemed like the water stops were rather spaced out for the final miles of a marathon. Maybe consider adding another water stop or two from miles 19-26.2.
-While nothing like the deathmarch to baggage at NYC, it did seem like the bag check trucks were a bit far from the finish (or at least it felt far at that point).
-The Hilton charged $50 for a late check out, which felt a bit like extortion.
-WEAR SUNSCREEN

Pros:
-This race is tremendously well-organized.
-I stayed on the boardwalk and other than the late check out fee noted above, it was so easy to come and go to the start and finish. I would highly recommend paying the extra amount to stay on the boardwalk.
-A hooded sweatshirt and running hat were given to all half and full finishers. I've never seen a race do that - wow! So all in all, you came away with a long sleeve tech shirt, a cinch sack, a hoodie and a running hat. Really impressive.
-The medal is quite nice.
-I made a mistake while registering (I entered something wrong in my address) and got a personal response within minutes from someone on the J&A staff that it was fixed.
-The 4:30 pacers were great (George and Joe). They were consistent, encouraging and lovely to chat with. After having had some lousy pace group experiences, it was really nice to feel completely comfortable in their hands through mile 19 (I sped up a bit afterward).
-This seemed to me to be the perfect happy medium between your mega-marathon (i.e., NYC, Chicago, etc.) and your teeny tiny event.
-The half started 1.5 hours before the full. While I didn't love running with the sun overhead, I appreciated not having to dodge half runners at any point on the course or experiencing congestion in the first few miles before splitting off.

I really enjoyed myself at Shamrock, and I'm thrilled with my shiny new PR. I would definitely do this race again if it were to fit into my calendar.

Ran the 2012 race. Course is very flat besides 2 bridge crossings that are really nothing. Start out a block from boardwalk and go south through a military complex. Awesome support at mile 8...high fiving troops, lots of energy and gave me goosebumps. Went through a Boy Scouts troops aid station that was cool. Came around and ran the boardwalk for a couple miles before heading back to where we started for the midway point. Great opportunity for family to take pics. Headed north around a wooded area...got kind of lonely between 17-21 miles. They had these cool signs with jokes on them that helped pass time. Some DJ's playing tunes along course. Came back around 22 mile mark and finished on the boardwalk by King Neptune statue. All aid stations were well staffed. Some parts of the course were tight, but they were few. Lots of crowd support around beach area.
Pro's- Views of ocean, troops giving support, aid stations, crowd support
Con's- tight in some areas, take your bib with you to get free beer (I didn't), had to walk for a while after finish to get hat, shirt, food and no chairs, need chairs at post-race concert.
Great race and would highly recommend.

This was my 2nd marathon (1st was 6 years ago) and I really liked this race. It was a nice flat course, the only downside being some beat up roads and dealing with some cones. Plenty of water stations, and two gel stations. I really liked the finishing area and the after party (although I also ran the 8k the day before and there was no visible effort to keep people moving, and I almost crashed) Great food and free beer! The expo was fairly small, but the deals offered were pretty nice. All the spectators were great (albeit a bit sparse towards the end).

Good flat, first marathon with a seven hour limit. Only one 'hill' (a bridge that you travel over twice.) The boardwalk can be windy and it was a sunny and somewhat humid day.

Enthusiastic crowds for most of the course except for a six mile part in a wooded area. Great fun to go through Camp Pendleton to be greeted and cheered on the by cadets. Plenty of water stops and porta potties.

Four Yeungling beers at the finish plus a cookie, water, gatorade, pretzels, and Irish stew. Marathoners get a long sleeved technical shirt before the race and a nice hat and sweatshirt at the finish.

The finish is on the beach where you can relax and enjoy the beer and music.

Number packet pick-up was easy but the lines were really, really long if you wanted to purchase any Shamrock merc.

It was nice touch to have my name on my bib and people cheering me on. I didn't mind that there were not mobs of people on the course. The spectators were very supportive even for us slow runners. It is an interesting course and do you see a bit of everything.