I ran this marathon in 2011 with my husband. He's fast, I'm not. He ran 3:05, I ran 4.48. I have never 'reviewed' a marathon before, as he is much more experienced and usually adds his review. He added a review (initials PW) and was somewhat critical of a few issues. He was then barraged with emails from the race director, and generally called a liar and a trouble maker. So, here is my review: 1) The expo was horrible. We were there with our kids and it took TWO HOURS to get in, get our race numbers, and get out. Awful. 2)

The half started first (??) and the full was delayed for 30-40 minutes because of 'construction' and we were forced to stand around in the freezing cold and the 20mph winds. It was a miserable way to start a race. 3)When I finished the marathon, there was NO FOOD AND NO DRINKS! unless you count tap water in paper cups. All the 'stew' they advertise was long gone, as well as sandwiches, Gatorade,etc. The race is geared towards the half, and for some unknown reason, they start the half first. There was a ton of walkers who walked the half, and then ate like they were at a free buffet. Seriously, NO FOOD OR DRINKS AT ALL when I finished! My husband finished in 3:05, and they had already run out of food, so you can't blame it all on my slow time.

Overall, nice beautiful course, friendly people, but poor management decisions force me to agree, THUMBS DOWN!

Great Marathon, I have run it twice. I rated the course a 4 because it can be windy depending on the weather. It is a fast course if there is no wind. I rated the spectators a 4 because there are two portions of the course where it gets a little isolated, although the spectators that they do have are great. Awesome beer tent at the finish with live music. It is very congested getting in and out of Va. Beach on the way in and way out.

This was marathon #21 for me and my 3rd Shamrock Marathon. I added the 8K this year the day before and had a great time doing the "Whale" Challenge.

Pros:
-Quite a few hotels available on the boardwalk. If you just want a clean place, you can stay for a very reasonable amount.
-The race organization of all the events is great. It's easy to navigate around.
-The course is the 2nd flattest I've run (Berlin being the flattest). The only hill is a bridge you run over twice. There are some other elevation changes but none are really significant (and I hate hills!!).
-The start of the marathon is for the marathoners only. This makes it very easy to get into your rhythm early. I don't remember having any issues with the crowds at any aid station either.
-Yuengling and Irish stew at the finish. Still my favorite finisher's area of all the races I've done. The live band was good, too!

Cons:
-The wind is a little unpredictable. This year was a headwind for about 12 miles in a row. I'm a larger runner and it really bothered me. I ran my 2nd fastest marathon in 2009 here and it wasn't an issue. Certainly not the organizer's fault for weather, but beware.
-I hope the delay in 2011 was a one-time thing but it was pretty disappointing not to know about it prior to race morning. I would have walked to the start 15 minutes later had we been told at the expo or had they sent an email blast. Because they didn't inform anyone until that morning, we were all left out in the cold and wind for additional time. It definitely wasn't fun.
-From around 16-23 it was pretty lonely out there. The Burma-Shave type signs are funny but if there is a way to get some crowd support out there, it would be a really nice bonus!

All in all, on the right weather day, this is a PR-type course. Run big!!

Overall, this was a very well organized race. The stretch from 10.5 to 19.5 is a very long, gradual hill, which seems to go forever. Lots of good things make it worthwhile.

However, I have two gripes:
1. The organizers blew it by not announcing the delay in the start until race morning. The area under construction that caused the delay was torn up on Friday when I drove the course. Organizers should have made the announcement to delay the start during the expo so marathoners would not have had to stand out in wind/cold longer than necessary.
2. The Cavalier Hotel decided to charge me for a whole extra day since I could not make the 2:00 p.m. checkout. They did this despite saying that they wouldn't the night before. With the 15-minute delay, I was a whole 45 minutes late. Runners beware!

I really thought the expo was well organized. However, for a race this size and with this level of organization and planning I expected more vendors and a few speakers.

I stayed at the Westin for only $115 each night, which was a nice discount for the runners. I also really enjoyed parking at the finish and only walking a block to my rental car. This was an easy race to run as the organization of the race directors made sure the only thing you had to do was focus on racing and not logistics.

Now, onto the course. The marathon and half marathon have seperate starts which I loved. The course is flat and scenic and had visable clocks and mile markers. I loved running through the navy base and hearing all of those loud cheers around mile 8. You will be on the boardwalk for a mile or so around mile 11-12; prepare for wind. The second half is scenic yet more isolated and sheltered from the wind. The last couple of miles have you headed back to the start and the crowds start to pick up and you have the grand finale on the boardwalk lined with spectators. I Boston Qualified by 90 seconds along with a group of women my same age and the crowd was going crazy to cheer us into a BQ time. The finish area is a great place to party, relax or recover depending on your state of mind and body post run. It is the beach, enough said. I have completed over 23 marathons and this is one of my favorites. Besides, who can't use a little luck of the Irish for a 26.2 mile race?

This is my seventh marathon in six states and thus far this has been the best one I have run. Very easy and flat course. It was a little cold and windy at first; however, the spectators were great and water stations were plentiful. The pre-race activities are great for the kids and a good time party afterward. My only suggestions is to have oranges or bananas on the course and make it a Saturday race so runners can enjoy the beer more so and not have to work the following day. Overall, great race!!!!

A well run marathon. Organization was top-notch. A shirt before the run and a shirt and hat after the run. Two shirts - never seen that before. The course was well marked with spectators in most areas except the far corners.

The 15-minute delay at the start was required to keep us away from the halfers but the wind and the cold made the wait unbearable.

Only bad thing is that I hate long, straight runs, and some of the course had straightaways that seemed to go on forever.

This was my 5th marathon, and first in Virginia Beach. The marathon was very well organized and very well orchestrated. The marathon starts in downtown Virginia Beach and heads south. Love running through the base with the soldiers giving us a high-five. We then came back to town, ran up the boardwalk, and then went North on Atlantic before going through a park on the north side and through another base. We finished by going back into town to end on the boardwalk. This was an awesome race. I ran a personal best here. Will definitely come back to run this again. Virginia Beach is a very friendly area. We had a lot of fun spending time in this area.

I loved this race. The most impressive thing about this race was how well it was organized and how engaged both the volunteers and the spectators were. The Shamrock folks have decades of experience "running" this event, and it showed! Kudos to the marathon organizers. I am one of the people who got hosed by the Myrtle Beach cancellation last year, and I'm so happy to have found this race as my spring marathon this year. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an early/spring race in the mid-Atlantic.

Other noteworthy things to mention: It was inexpensive to fly down from NY, and the lodging was reasonable. Make your reservations early for dinner the night before (not that many sit-down pasta/Italian joints). Course not as easy as advertised-challenging, long stretches of modest inclines, and a lot of headwinds (on the day I ran).

Overall, I loved this race. I would highly recommend it, and I'm very grateful to the organizers for pulling off a super race!

- AD

This was my first marathon, but based on my previous racing experience, this is the best run race I've ever been a part of. It was also the best value. With some races beginning to force you to pay for your own medal, Shamrock gives you the medal, two long-sleeve shirts and a special finishing surprise.

The course was really as flat as everyone says, and it was a very first-timer friendly route. There were long stretches that were at least partially shaded. There was awesome volunteer support with water every mile past the halfway point.

There really isn't that much spectator support at all. Other than the last .2 miles, there might have been 150 spectators on the rest of the course.