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May 4, 2024

Palos Verdes Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Palos Verdes Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.4

Organization 4.0

Spectators 2.7

Number of comments: 83 [displaying comments 21 to 31]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 > ]

W. C. from Pasadena, CA (6/12/2008) "Nice Run, But..." (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Palos Verdes Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 It was a nice run, the course was quite beautiful and the hills were manageable. I did not receive my finisher's medal. They RAN OUT! That is amazing to me, when registration is required. I gave my name and bib number to a guy with a list at the end of the run and I haven't heard a thing. Now the email address above doesn't work.
J. W. from California (5/23/2008) "Great run - had fun!" (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Palos Verdes Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I liked this race! It has a nice small-town feel, especially compared to some of those "big box" marathons! Running the road on the cliff above the ocean was very scenic! The course did have its challenging parts. The early start helped a bit with the heat, but one can't plan a picnic and predict the weather. Water/aid stations were fine, given the size of the marathon and level of support the organizers received from volunteers/sponsors. My experiences at running events: I always make sure I have my own supply of water, gels/energy bar... etc., just in case. Vendors at the expo were handing out tons of sport drinks, though. I didn't notice sunblock, but I did enjoy the relief for my sore calves from that muscle spray on mile 8. It had a bit of menthol smell, but nonetheless, refreshing. Mile markers didn't bother me either. I can understand if someone is timing their run or trying to PR. All in all, I was happy and will do this event again! Kudos to all involved!
N. L. from California (5/22/2008) "Great course - not for slow runners" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Palos Verdes Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 Nice race - my sixth and most challenging marathon. (If you're not going up, you're coming down - there's not a level 1/8 mile in the whole course). Overall, good administrators and volunteers I tried to get a t-shirt at the beginning of the race but was told I couldn't. I finished right at six hours and didn't ask about it again, because I felt like I was begging for it. I never understand why they pack these things up right at about 5 hours. There is usually a skeleton crew left, and most remaining officials and volunteers make it very obvious that they would prefer to be somewhere else. Get out your calculators. Something like 25-30% of all runners finish after 5 hours in just about every race. The entry fees from that sample probably constitute the net profit that these events generate (after expenses). Also the future "regulars" start from this pool. Yet every time I've run (with few exceptions like Surfside in Texas) there remains nothing but a few empty tables and sometimes an annoyed chip collector at the end of the race. Certainly no food, but sometimes no water either!!! They do this once a year. Stick it out and commit. We're not all built to run 26 miles in three hours. - Marathon Finisher, Participant #325
J. R. from Los Angeles (5/21/2008) "The Best Marathon In Los Angeles" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Palos Verdes Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I have an emotional tie to this event. The 2008 run was the big 40, and I HAD to do it. I first ran it in 1968 and ran 2008 wearing my 1968 finisher's shirt. This is a local, basic marathon that hasn't changed much over the decades. It's you, the hills, views of the blue Pacific and coastline, plus some helpful volunteers and a few enthusiastic locals. That's it. If you want to be pampered, or be part of a big production, this event is not for you. You can do same-day registration, there is no goody bag, and you get your finisher's shirt and medal when you complete it. No finish, no shirt; it has always been this way. Like with international futbol (soccer) matches, the national anthem is played at the start of the event. Knowing that it would be a hot day, the race directors did an excellent job in that there were aid stations on average every 1.5 miles, if not more frequently. Most had water and Gatorade, and some also had bananas and gels. Temps are usually mild and you are blessed with salt-air cool breezes, but not this time. The main problem this year was that temps got into the upper 80s, or may have hit 90; there was no breeze and it heated up early. You run along a bluff until a steep climb at mile 2. The course out goes into Palos Verdes, trending down except for a noticeable uphill stretch at mile 7, and levels out soon thereafter for a few miles as you pass a small shopping center and head toward Lunada Bay. There, you do a five-mile loop through a residential neighborhood, where there are lots of little ups and downs. Then you head back toward San Pedro, with road trending up, with the toughest part being a slow and steady climb from miles 20 through 23. Mile 24 is the steep downhill you climbed at mile 2, and then you run back on the initial bluff to the finish. I am used to running on the roads, so I thought traffic control was fine. However, as I am a lot slower than I used to be, I noticed less road space coned-off for runners, and less traffic control after I was out for five hours, than earlier (though to be candid, very little traffic control is really needed in the last few miles). At the last three aid stations, I didn't see any people, but there were plenty of cups of water and Gatorade. Also, by the time I finished, the exhibitors had all packed up and gone home. I had a very difficult time because of the heat, and walked more than I would have liked to because of it, but in a marathon, you do what you have to do. The comments mentioned regarding traffic control, and the last few aid stations and exhibitors do not bother me in the slightest; I do PV to run a marathon, period. I think the race directors did a very good job. But if a runner is used to a big production, he/she might think differently about these matters.
R. L. from La Verne, CA (5/20/2008) "Gotta love those hills and SoCal heat." (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Palos Verdes Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 This is the first time I've run Palos Verdes but I was forewarned of the rolling hills - especially mile 2. However, I felt that there were other difficult hills throughout the course. The weather didn't help; it was hot! I appreciate all of the water and fuel drinks - I really needed them to survive the heat. I really enjoyed the beautiful views and also the hills. Call me crazy, but it felt good to have a challenging course like this one. I wish, however, that there were timers at each mile; I had no clue how I was doing until I hit the finish line. Better control of the traffic would be helpful, especially between miles 10 and 15, through the residential area. Vehicles did not want to wait for the runners and I had to dodge them. Plus these little kids on bikes thought it was cute to ride their bikes across the runners' paths. The residents in the area should be more cooperative or the route should be changed to avoid running by their homes. Overall, I loved it and will do it again!
R. H. from Inglewood, California (5/19/2008) "Enjoyable, small half-marathon." (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Palos Verdes Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I ran the half-marathon option and because of the heat, I'm glad I did. The course is scenic with great ocean views. The aid stations weren't very organized and offered only water on a really hot day. There weren't any spectators along the course, only at the finish line. My biggest complaint pertained to the traffic enforecemt. They should have tried to block off the entire street instead of just half the street. It was hard to fully enjoy a race while inhaling exhaust fumes from idle cars and having to look at angry drivers sitting in traffic. All in all, it was an enjoyable, very small half-marathon, although I don't think I'd waste my legs on the full marathon.
G. C. from Harbor City, CA (5/18/2008) "Good job this year, in the heat" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Palos Verdes Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I liked this year's race. I ran the full 26; most people just do the half or the 5K these days. This was my 12th PV over the last 20 years or so. It was pretty hot but there was plenty of water and other refreshments (Gatorade, gel packs, fruit) on the course the entire way. I gave spectators 3 stars because even though there are very few, those that are out serve as a nice pick-me-up... THANKS! The medals are still small but improved from prior years. T-shirt (pick up after finishing only!) is short-sleeve cotton, as usual. The design is OK; I'm wearing it now, but the back sets a new record for number of advertisements! This is my "local" race and I'll be back as long as I'm able.
p. d. from simi valley, ca (5/18/2008) "in one word: perfect" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Palos Verdes Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Somehow difficult, since it is hilly; nothing beats the feeling of this smaller, quiet race without elbowing and toe-stepping.
Joe Reilly from Orange, California (5/17/2008) "Hot and Hilly, but Heavenly" (about: 2008) 50+ previous marathons \| 4-5 Palos Verdes Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Hi Runners, I just got back from Palos Verdes. It was tough-sledding, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I love Palos Verdes (I did the 1979 and 1980 marathons a lifetime ago). So we are talking nostalgia. I did make the switch from the full to the half marathon. Believe me, I was not alone. In fact, the announcer recommended that those who were worried about the heat should switch. I am so glad I dropped down to the half. I had to battle the 3-H Factor (Hills, Heat and a vicious Head-cold) + a neuroma problem. Mile 2 (the infamous killer hill) was as expected. But I forgot how long Mile 9 is (all uphill). Ergo, I had "positive" splits. My second half was 2 minutes slower than my rootin'-tootin' first half. Heck, I'll blame it on the heat and the head-cold. I guess that it could have been hotter, but it was definitely hot enough. I learned my lesson from the La Jolla Half Marathon (major dehydration) and brought 4 water bottles with me. Unfortunately, it appears that I still got dehydrated. I should work on pre-race hydration and better hydration during the race in accordance with the heat. I thought that I drank enough, but obviously, I didn't. Interestingly, they had sun block spray around mile 8, or so. However, let me give you all some advice. When you use sun-block spray, put a bandanna around your mouth and nose. The fumes can really mess up your respiratory system. A problem that I had was that the mile markers are extremely erratic. Occasionally they got one right, but I just had to go on my own gut instincts most of the time. That was the same problem that they had last year. That Killer Mile 2 is a doozy, but it is a lot of fun on the way back. It is kind of nice when your 12th mile is your fastest (love the down hills). The main attraction for me is that P.V. is a small hometown race. Only about 300 marathoners and maybe 1,000 half marathoners. And, NO CHIP. Also, the medal is small, a little more than an inch square (I am not into ostentatious medals such as what Disney gives out). The post-race party was rather typical. However, the slow marathoners will probably miss out because the vendors tend to pack up and leave early. For nostalgia, I wore my 1980 Palos Verdes Marathon finisher tee-shirt. My gawd! That was 28 years ago. Most of this morning's runners probably weren't even born until after that. Some of you might have seen me. Besides my t-shirt, I wear a major adventure hat, and at 6'3" I resemble a lame, awkward giraffe when I run. The race goes from Point Fermi (San Pedro) in a northern direction through Palos Verdes. It is an out-and-back, which is nice. You get to see the speedsters and maybe a Kenyan or two returning while you are still going out. Actually, I don't think there were any Kenyans. How hot was it? Well, it is hard to tell. San Pedro hit a high of 95 today and P.V. hit a high of 82. It felt like the mid to high 80s to me.
D. B. from San Luis Obispo, California (5/13/2008) "Beautiful course, flawed marathon organization" (about: 2007) 50+ previous marathons \| 2 Palos Verdes Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 This is a beautiful course, out and back, along the coastline. The weather and views are hard to beat. Unfortunately, the organizers do not take good care of their marathoners. The parking is horrid, with no guides or "marshals." You are on your own. (Myself & others were forced onto a rocky hillside that a van had just slid down sideways. We had no choice because the other limited parking was gone, and the herd ruled.) I really enjoyed the first 13-15 miles of the course; it's a treat! When coming back, however, it becomes apparent that safety personnel at most intersections are gone, and when you are on the road with speeding vehicles next to you, you are on your own. The spectators, especially at the start/finish and the aid stations are fantastic. Again, the organizers didn't ensure adequate aid station supplies for all runners and some were running-on-empty for returning marathoners. Disappointingly, the food and drinks at the finish were mostly gone for the mid-pack and slower 26.2 milers. You have take care of your marathoners! Good luck to all 2008 participants.

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