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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 151 to 161]
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J. R. from Warrington, PA
(3/28/2005)
 "Scenic, Easy, Flat, Well Organized Marathon" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Ocean Drive Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This marathon takes you up the New Jersey Coast from Cape May through Wildwood, Stone Harbor, Avalon and finishes up at Sea Isle City. The course is very scenic and this makes the miles go by quicker. The course was very flat which makes for a good first marathon or the first marathon in 23 years (my case). The course had plenty of water, Gatorade and fruit sufficiently spaced along the way. I was concerned about the headwinds that people had talked about from previous years. There were no headwinds, only a cool breeze once in awhile, which cooled things off. The weather was 42 to 47 (perfect for me). The marathon was small but not small enough that you felt that you were running alone. I definitely prefer the small marathons over the large marathons. I would recommend this marathon to anyone who likes a scenic marathon, who wants an easy flat course, or who enjoys the small town marathons. | |
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Scott Wolf from Delaware, Ohio
(3/27/2005)
"Glad I picked this one!" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I chose this race simply because it was near a town where my in-laws have a house, and the timing was right to use it as a training run for the Flying Pig. The problem is that this was a gorgeous course, great organization, friendly competitors, enthusiastic volunteers, and a ten-minute PR as a result. I'm still running the Pig in 5 weeks, but my attitude towards it sure has changed. I guess it is now a recovery run for the Ocean Drive Marathon! Any negatives? If you need constant crowd support, this isn't the race for you. If you don't need it, it is the perfect race. | |
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A. K. from Atlanta, GA
(3/27/2005)
 "Very scenic." (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Ocean Drive Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my 35th state, my 39th marathon. Several people told me not to do Ocean Drive Marathon due to the winds and cold weather. I'm glad I didn't listen. :) The rain stopped just as the race began. After running Las Vegas in January, the winds were nothing to speak of. The sun even peaked out a few times! Several times I was running right next to the ocean! I stayed at the Days Inn - right across the street from Wildwood Convention Center (expo site). It was in a good location - but they would not give me a late check out. I had to drive from the end of the marathon to the airport (Philadelphia) before changing clothes! | |
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G. C. from Richmond, Virginia
(3/25/2005)
"My favorite marathon!" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Ocean Drive Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This marathon is wonderful. Yes, it is cold. Yes, it is windy. Yes, it sometimes rains. So what? The scenery is beautiful, the volunteers are amazing, the course is well marked, and there were delicious bagels at the finish line. The Congress Hall Hotel in Cape May is amazing and is located right next to the start of the race. I would highly recommend this race to anyone looking for a terrific small marathon. | |
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C. B. from Northern New Jersey
(3/23/2005)
 "I'm SO glad I took a chance on this gem!" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Ocean Drive Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Lots of positives and only one negative. The negative first: the prevailing winds on the shore in March promise some headwinds. We got lucky in 2005: crosswind, a few headwind sections, and a fair amount of tailwind. In the plus column: Perfect temps: mid 40s this year are typical. Flat, fast, scenic course: only a few climbs and descents for the bridges spanning the inlets and up to the boardwalks. Except for the wind, this could be a consistent PR course for many. With the wind this year, it should have been. Nice area: Cape May is a snapshot in time and devoid of summer tourists. Even the boardwalk in Wildwood with its amusement park, arcades, and food stands were clean and fresh in the early spring air. Economical off-season accommodations (the Jersey Shore is DEAD this time of year). And few of the problems with parking and crowds that can afflict bigger races. Great organization: I didn't visit the expo but everything else spoke of a much larger race, from the website to the quick email responses to the starting line to the marshaling to the multiple gel handouts on the course to the wonderful finish area tents with hot soup, bagels, fruit, energy bars, fluids, indoor baggage pickup, massages, etc. I was thoroughly impressed. The medals are first-rate and the T-shirt is well above average. The organizers even had my number waiting for me at the start and my T-shirt at the finish. I took a chance on ODM this year when a couple of other marathons proved logistically impossible for me and I'm SO glad I did. This is my second 'small' marathon (of 21) and if I knew they could all be this good, I might swear off the mass participation events. To be sure, you don't run one of these smaller races if you need massive crowd support (the spectators were enthusiastic but intermittent) or large numbers of runners surrounding you (though I never felt like I was alone on the course). Thanks, Ed, for putting on a great day for the faithful. I hope responses like mine result in the right number of entrants in future years: not too many, but just right! | |
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Rich Bianchi from Leonia, New Jersey
(3/23/2005)
"You get to know other runners at this race" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Ocean Drive Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 The area is scenic and there are plenty of stops for water and sports drinks along the way. The race organizers did a fantastic job of getting runners to the start, giving directions and finally doing a great job with post-race food and beverages. I look forward to next year's run. | |
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K. E. from North Carolina
(3/23/2005)
 "Beautiful course, great organization" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Ocean Drive Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a very beautiful course, a lot of it on bike paths along the boardwalk, and a bit through residential neighborhoods. A few bridges that went over very scenic marsh areas. Not a lot of spectators, but the ones who came out were very enthusiastic in their support. Aid stations were great, and the turns were very well marked, with volunteers at all of them as well. The cops did a great job of keeping the traffic under control. Very nice finisher's medal and t-shirt. We stayed at the Landmark Motel in Wildwood. Very reasonably priced, nice room, and they allowed us late check-out on race day. I highly recommend them. I would definitely do this race again; it is by far the prettiest course I have ever run. | |
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B. T. from Brooklyn, New York
(3/22/2005)
"A beautifully planned and hosted small marathon." (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Ocean Drive Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 My two previous marathons were Madison, WI, and New York City, and this one was my favorite of the three (of course, it didn't hurt that I ran a PR). It's very small--the field was under 300--but I prefer the space to focus in, and I never felt alone out there. Though it's true that there weren't a lot of spectators, that's to be expected of shore towns in the off season, and the volunteers more than made up for that by being so enthusiastic and caring (even the cops at the intersections yelled out support). The course was extremely well laid out and marked, and the aid stations were generous (every 2.5 miles), with tasty orange Gatorade after mile 10 and cut fruit in the later miles, and a warming tent at the finish line with an array of food and beverages. We got lucky with the weather, cool and overcast but the rain held off, and though there were windy stretches, it wasn't pervasive throughout. The course was fun: flat except for the bridges; the Wildwood boardwalk was especially neat; and even the lonelier stretches along the marsh were pretty. The medal and the T-shirt are awesome. I'd definitely run this marathon again. | |
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K. S. from Pittsburgh, PA
(3/22/2005)
"Great small marathon!" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Ocean Drive Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first race since having a baby, and I finished in just under 5 hours. As a runner close to the back of the field, I was SO IMPRESSED by the volunteers and aid stations! In other marathons I have experienced tired, bored volunteers by the end of the race, even when I have run much faster. These people never gave up - if I was the only runner approaching they would all scream and yell and offer me fruit, Gatorade, vaseline, you name it! There weren't many spectators due to the cold weather but the ones that were out there were enthusiastic. Some were driving around in cars on the course cheering for runners. At the finish line someone opened a bottle of water and handed it to me. All of the aid stations were well staffed by great people, and the whole event was well organized. The course is beautiful, I was never bored. The weather was awful, but at least it didn't rain. Regardless, it was a race worth running and I will be back. Also I emailed the director with a question and he got right back to me with a personal response. | |
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S. H. from North Carolina, USA
(3/21/2005)
"If you need NJ race, ok; otherwise stay out NJ" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Ocean Drive Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 New Jersey is the pits. The race was ok - the organization was ok and the course well marked. The wind was bad all day and it was raining at the start. The forecast the night before suggested snow. I guess the organizers put it at this time of year because there is almost nobody around to bother. One family did set up an aid station, however. One or two cars got on to the course and did not care for the runners. For a shore marathon run Memorial Health Tybee Marathon in Tybee Island, GA. |
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