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☰
Ocean Drive Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Ocean Drive Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 4.2 
Spectators 2.8
Number of comments: 199 [displaying comments 141 to 151]
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Mike Leith from Harleysville, Pa
(4/3/2006)
 "The Best" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Ocean Drive Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 5th marathon and although not my best time it was certainly the best course I ever ran. Thoroughly enjoyed the course because it took me to every point of my life in regards to my South Jersey Shore vacations. A virtual trip down memory lane. Cape May, Diamond Beach and Wildwood Crest (vacation there now with MY family). Wildwood (teenager years). Stone Harbor and Avalon (grade school years with my parents). Sea Isle (college years). Just found myself reminiscing the whole time. Just a great run especially if you spent any time of your life down the Jersey Shore. Was sad when I ran in North Wildwood to find that Moore's Inlet wasn't there - anybody from the Kensington area would get sad! I wish I would have trained for this run because it's perfect for a serious PR. For me, I bottomed out big-time at mile 22. Can't wait until next year though, when I take it a little more seriously. The crowd support was good but I'm usually oblivious to that because I'm the type with his head down staring at the road, lol. I do remember the crew from Baltimore and they were really having fun. The aid stations by far were the best of ANY race I have ever done, be it 5K, 10K, half marathon or full. Plenty of water, Gatorade and fruit. The orange slices were great. Excellent organization all around. Will be back next year, count on it. | |
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Mike Kosec from Hillsborough, NJ
(4/2/2006)
 "Amazing Spring Marathon" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Ocean Drive Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 If you can train through the winter and are looking to run for yourself, not for a crowd, you will enjoy ODM as much as I did. This a well-organized, small-town marathon for great charities that features a fine course with some cool ocean views. Comments posted in previous years noted a notorious headwind problem, but this was not an issue. The few hills leading to drawbridges were a bit taxing, but rewarded runners with great views. Definitely bring your own Gatorade, etc. for the first 11 miles - you will need it. I saw runners generously sharing Advil and energy gels and encouraging each other along the way. Ed DePalma, Race Director, and his outstanding team of volunteers also went above and beyond the call of duty to assist when my wife was very late to arrive at our post-race meeting point. Everything worked out, but this kind of personal concern and attention to each runner as an individual exemplifies the spirit of the ODM running community. Thanks to this great organization, I hope to return next year. | |
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D. W. from Connecticut
(3/30/2006)
 "Boring" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Ocean Drive Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 I thought the marathon would be run alongside the ocean, but apart from running through a boardwalk early on, it was mostly run in deserted neighborhoods that prevented any ocean views. These neighborhoods looked like a movie set, except in movies the houses are cute - these had no charm whatsoever - and the whole area was devoid of any personality. Of course, due to deserted houses, there were not too many people around. I would have been happier with paid actors on a movie set, actually. I was happy when we got through with the neighborhoods, but the residential areas were the largest part of the race. The bridges were fine and added a little variety to the run. The organization seemed good, but I just thought most of the marathon was pretty darn dull. | |
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B. W. from Warrington, PA
(3/28/2006)
 "Ocean Drive is a Personal Favorite" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Ocean Drive Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my 26th marathon and my 3rd OD. I plan to be back for more - especially when Boston falls on Easter Monday, as it does this year. My family was waiting for me about 20 yards from the finish and we were back in our car within 30 minutes of me finishing - I love the simplicity of it all. The fellow runners and volunteers were great - being at the beach in the off season is liberating and makes for a great environment. No hassle and simple logistics. Keep up the good work. Recommendations for improvement include: music on the course (anything helps), a person welcoming you to each island, and chips to time our splits with. This is not meant to be nasty - just helpful. | |
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T. L. from Dallas, Tx
(3/28/2006)
"Truly Unique Marathon" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Ocean Drive Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Positives: Stayed in Cape May at the Congress Hall Hotel, which allowed for a late check-out of 4:00 p.m. We visited two wineyards and had nice meals at the Black Duck and Mangia Mangia. The town was just waking up from their winter, so things were a little slow - some shops still not yet open, but overall it was a great destination choice. The marathon course is unlike any other I have run so far. The Victorian buildings, marsh lands, old-timey boardwalk, and the ocean views were really unique and interesting. Flat as flat can be except for the bridge crossings, and the wind was not that bad. The course has lots of turns so you never get pelted for too long. The weather was good to us, though. After leaving the 10-milers it wasn't as lonely as I expected, but it looks like they jumped in size from 300 to 450 marathoners this year. Everyone chatted along the way - very friendly atmosphere on the course. The last mile is the best. You get up on the bike trail, parallel to the ocean and see the finish in the distance. People line the trail and cheer you in. At the finish they served chicken broth, which was surprisingly delicious stuff. Buses took us back to Cape May promptly. The negatives: They need to have more aid stations on the course, particularly on the last half. If they ever get a freaky warm day, they will be in trouble. I tend to drink a lot even on cold days, so I had some cramping issues, especially since Gatorade didn't show up until mile 10, I think. Also, they need to get the word out in Cape May about the upcoming marathon. The restaurants had no idea and were bamboozled Saturday night. Had they known they could have easily accommodated us better by bringing in more help ahead of time. Certainly one of my favorite experiences thus far and would highly recommend this one. | |
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E. D. from Baltimore, MD
(3/27/2006)
 "Great first marathon!!!" (about: 2006)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 We picked this marathon because we wanted a spring marathon not too far from home, and I read all the reviews saying it was a great race. The reviews were right on - great first-time marathon. Nice, flat course, and great support volunteers. We had some friends surprise us by coming up to cheer us on, and it was a great race to follow your runner. We had our family and friends show up at all the perfect times for support, and they cheered on other runners too. The volunteers were enthusiastic and encouraging. I had read a review mentioning an early start, and there is an early start for those of us who plan to run around 5 hours - that was perfect. The extra 45 minutes meant we didn't have to panic about finishing before the race closed. Luckily, the rain and snow (yep, snow) stopped during the night, so we had an overcast day with only occasional winds. It was really a perfect race (even though it was one of the hardest things I've ever done). | |
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Richard Brodsky from Atlantic Beach, New York
(3/27/2006)
"An all around excellent marathon" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Ocean Drive Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Race Director Ed DePalma answered my E-mails promptly when I had a question and I've been told by others that my situation was not unique. Everything seemed right the day of the marathon, including a near PR for me. The course is relatively flat and extremely scenic. There were a few bridges. Even the restaurant that Ed selected for the pasta dinner was very accommodating. I would highly recommend this marathon to anyone who enjoys running a small marathon where every detail seemed to be paid attention to. Congratulations Ed, see you in '07. | |
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S. B. from Delanson, New York
(3/27/2006)
"a pleasant experience" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Ocean Drive Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This course is flat except for 4 bridges. It takes you on boardwalks and bike paths along the beach, through some marsh areas, and through residential areas. Scenery is pleasant but not spectacular. This event has a very informal feel to it, but organization is good. They did run out of gels early on (thus 4 stars instead of 5), but otherwise the aid stations were well stocked with Gatorade, water, and later on oranges and bananas. Volunteers were very friendly. There was minimal spectator support outside the start and finish, but the folks who were there were great. As others have said, this is a race where you'll never feel crowded but where you also won't feel all alone. This was my first marathon, and I am glad I chose Ocean Drive. | |
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Jocelyn Fillian from New England
(9/7/2005)
"quiet, sometimes lonely, but overall nice." (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Ocean Drive Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This race runs up the coast of NJ- at times you can see the next mile marker from the previous, which was encouraging! There were few fans, but the people at the refueling stations were vivacious and inspiring. Beautiful ocean views almost the entire way, which makes for challenging wind gusts. Flat course, though (except for the bridges which were tough), which helped me knock 30 min off my previous time. Energy gel was not present at aid stations as promised by the time I got to them. After-race festivities were nice. Chicken broth was welcome on a chilly day. We stayed at the Starlux which is a great, retro, Jetsons-style hotel down toward the start. Not much traffic in March, either, which allows your own personal cheering section to drive from point to point to catch you as you go by! This race gives you a lot of time by yourself to think, but I do recommend it. | |
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C. S. from Alexandria, VA
(3/31/2005)
"Great, small town marathon with friendly people." (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Ocean Drive Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was a great marathon! We stayed in Wildwood at the Surfsong. They were great about late checkout. We got back to the hotel around 2:20 PM and they didn't complain or try to charge us for an extra day. We took the bus to the start and from the finish. Buses were always on time and not too crowded. We were about an hour early for the race and there was an early start we didn't know about around 0815. It was perfect! We finished earlier than we thought we would and thus made it to the Cape May ferry on time. The course was well marked and there was plenty of support. The course was fantastic, especially the Wildwood boardwalk section. We're going to come back in the summertime because of this race. The finish line was well stocked and there was a warm tent with plenty of chairs, good music, and friendly volunteers. We couldn't ask for more. I highly recommend this race if you like small town races. |
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