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☰
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 61 to 71]
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R. M. from Riverside, CA
(5/15/2004)
 "Great marathon" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Palos Verdes Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 It's a hilly and very scenic run. This was only my second marathon and a much better race by a long shot. My last marathon was LA in March and there were 25K runners. This race had probably 3 or 4 hundred runners. Very much like a small town race. The sun was out early which is kind of unusual for PV and the temp in the mid 70's. The only thing I would have liked better would have been cooler temps and a little of the normal overcast. | |
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T. R. from Southern Cal
(3/16/2004)
 "Scenic and Fun 1/2 Marathon" (about: 2003)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I have run the 1/2 marathon two years in a row. You cannot beat the scenery and the race is really well organized. There are lots of well-manned water, Gatorade and GU stations. There is very little crowd support so you have to rely on the fantastic views to get you by. The post-race party with live music is also a lot of fun. Given the hills it is a little on the difficult side and would probably make for an extremely challenging (but rewarding) marathon. Overall, my experience is that this 1/2 marathon is hard to beat. | |
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A. A. from Brea, CA
(9/5/2003)
"Organization is great, and the views are even bett" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was my 4th marathon within 6 months, and it wasmost enjoyable. Do this one to remember why you started running in the first place. You won't find big cheering sections along the way. You need to reach deep down inside to gut this one out. The rewards are plentiful. | |
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J. R. from Los Angeles, CA.
(6/4/2003)
 "Not much has changed over the years" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I first ran Palos Verdes 35 years ago and it retains its small town aura. This is the 6th time I've run P.V. Most runners are locals who know about the course, want to run a marathon, and don't have their hearts set on a PR. The rugged coastline scenery, the lovely neighborhoods and the hills -- you're climbing or descending most of the time -- define the course. I think it is southern California's response to Big Sur. A friend crewed for me: waved a sign, played music, & took some photos. They moved the date ahead three weeks, which resulted in nearly ideal weather (high 50's and overcast about half of my time out). I treated the event as a long run where I was wearing a race number. The Palos Verdes trademark is that you must finish before you get your shirt. They also have been giving out finisher's medals for at least the last five years. Plenty of enthusiastic volunteers & aid stations, but they could use more porta-potties. It would have been better if the construction was finished around miles 20 & 21 prior to the date the marathon was run, so there would have been more space between the runners & motorists. I sincerely hope I can remain healthy enough to run this again sometime in the future. It is very tough, but you get out of it what you put into it. | |
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R. C. from Westchester (Los Angeles)
(5/25/2003)
"Location, Location, Location" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The course is as beautiful and as hilly as everyone says. Overall, the event is about one-third the size of Long Beach or Pacific Shorline and the matathon is an even smaller proportion. I arrived early and got parking accross the street from registration. It looks like later arrival may be more of a hassle. Race day number pick-up went fast. Expo is more like a big 10K expo, but still nice and friendly. Start opens up very quickly so you can set your own pace quickly. Other than water stations and traffic control, there is no (fan) support on the course. That goes with the size and location of the event. Besides, the view is what captures your attention. If you have not run the course before and live in the area you should consider driving it. I did and was much happier with my race plan than I would have been otherwise. Mile 2 falls in the middle of the bigest hill. You should see it before you run it. I was prepared going up but was suprised at the difficulty I had coming down. Plenty of water and real Gatorade. A very enjoyable event. Don't expect a big-city marathon or a PR. Go for the view and a good run at a friendly community event. | |
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Ralph Firehouse Grill Marathon Racing from Whittier, CA
(5/22/2003)
"visit www.whosnyc.com!!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I did the half marathon and hilly just doesn't quite describe this one! This is a nice well run event for the Los Angeles area and I had a great time. Beautiful starting area by the lighthouse, nice quick registration and a fairly quick thining of the herd at the start to let you get on your pace easily. The not so great are the lack of porta potties on the route, no real goodie bag, and yes a white T shirt..! Other than that, just a nice small town marathon and half marathon! | |
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Ralph Firehouse grill marathon racing from Whittier, CA
(5/19/2003)
"Visit www.whosnyc.com!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I did the 1/2 marathon as a training run and I was really pleasantly surprised. Very nice small-town feel for the start (not too crowded at all). But, get ready for some serious hill work! The weather was great for running, but this is a quad-killer. Nice small-town feel afterwards, but don't expect a lot and after all, you're not really paying a lot. Overall, a fun day! | |
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S. V. from Pasadena, Ca
(5/19/2003)
"A beautiful, worthwhile, first-marathon challenge!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my very first marathon and it was a blast! I had been warned about the hills and definitely felt challenged, but the beautiful scenery, ideal weather, and encouraging co-runners, far outweighed any moments of discomfort...a truly amazing experience! | |
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r. p. from OC
(5/18/2003)
"First-timer had a blast" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was the first marathon I've ever run (actually, the first sanctioned event I've ever run) and I loved it. I did not train whatsoever and my body is paying for it today. But the course was great, the few people there were enthusiastic, and organization seemed good. The course was really not that hilly - just right. Thanks to the guy who gave me his knee brace when I broke down at mile 16. He inspired me to finish (5:19). | |
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Warren Jacob from Los Angeles
(5/17/2003)
 "This is one hilly course!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This was my first half marathon race. I knew that there was a hill at mile 1 but I didn't appreciate how steep and long it was until I got to the top. It curves around so you can't see it all from the bottom and it seems to get steeper as you go up. The rest of the course is also mostly up and down grades so this was a challenging course for me. I only saw a handful of spectators. Organization seemed ok but of course there are never enough potapotties. I got there early, before 6 to get a parking spot across the street from the start. It was easy to get to and get out of. Thanks to all the volunteers that helped make this race possible. |
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