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☰
Atlanta Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Atlanta Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.0 
Organization 4.1 
Spectators 3.2
Number of comments: 130 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
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Jonathan Jones from Jackson, MS
(10/30/2012)
 "Well organized, Right size" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Overall pretty good race, but not necessarily worth seeking out. Good: -Start/finish location was great - Atlantic Station, very easy to get to, minimal traffic, ample parking (not free though), shops, and restaurants, really just a perfect place for this race to start and end -Size - About 1000 marathoners and many more relay participants. There is no half. I think the size was perfect. I hate those 20k races. Getting there, using the restrooms, bag-check, all the pre-race stuff that can add to stress was very easy and near perfect -Volunteers - All very nice and helpful, there were plenty of volunteers around -Aid stations - plenty available, only 2 gel stations, but plenty of water/power-aid -Medal - simple, but classy Average: -Course - A little hilly (fine with me), and not the most scenic, but certainly a fine course, safe, well-marked -Spectators - A great idea to have an adopt-a-mile program where different organizations signed up to cheer each mile, they were enthusiastic (I especially liked the Great Pyrenees Rescue foundation with all their dogs), but more people overall would have been better Bad: -Post race food - Of my 6 marathons and several other halves and races, this had by far the worst post-race food. Absolutely no warm food at all. Also, nothing was salty, it was all sweet (cookies, sugary popcorn, chocolate granola bars). It really was awful. Luckily there was a California Pizza Kitchen near the finish, but this race seriously needs to reconsider their post-race food offerings. Will I run it again: I would if I lived in or around Atlanta. I live about 6 hours away, so I don't plan to return just given distance. Without having done any other Georgia Marathons, I do think this could be a good one to do if you are working on the states. | |
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L. B. from Waukee, Iowa
(10/29/2012)
 "Hilly is an understatement" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I read comments from previous years and was expecting hills. I wasn't expecting nearly non-stop tear-inducing heartbreaking calf-wrenching quad-busting hills. My boyfriend and I did a back-to-back weekend with the Spinx Marathon in Greenville and did not expect to feel good. But we felt far worse than we imagined. My apologies to the volunteer who offered me a bag of popcorn at the finish line and made me cry. I was hungry. Sorry I wasn't more appreciative. The police support was great. They all seemed happy to be helping - or maybe they were just laughing at me. Loved the Great Pyrenees rescue club! Those puppies are beautiful! I didn't receive a tech shirt, but the one I received was just fine. Thanks for the nice glass. | |
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M. S. from Portland, Oregon
(10/29/2012)
 "Fantastic race, tough hills, amazing fans" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Atlanta Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Like everyone else, I found this course challenging because of the hills. The weather (cloudy, spitting rain, breezy and cool) was great. I really liked the course that went through or past many interesting places and pretty parks. Water every 1.5 miles or so was very nice. Biggest asset for the race was the incredible fan support. People cheering and yelling the whole way. Best fan support I have seen in quite a while at races. I travelled from Oregon for this race and really enjoyed the southern hospitality and warmth of the people. It was one of my favorite marathons this year. | |
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L. H. from Alabama
(10/28/2012)
 "Great Race!" (about: 2012)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Atlanta Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Great Race! Thank You Atlanta Track Club! The volunteers were great! Very well organized. | |
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J. L. from Chicago, IL
(12/3/2011)
 "Great race lots of hills" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Atlanta Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a great course and very challenging. The course is very hilly and offers a great challenge for anyone looking for a hilly marathon. The organization was great. The expo wasn't anything big so maybe they can grow on that in the future. Best part was receiving a pint glass at the finish line. Great job Atlanta Track Club! | |
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B. K. from Ontario, Canada
(11/27/2011)
"Great run full od hills" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Atlanta Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Just after the start in the darkness we faced hills, followd by more hills. The sunrise revealed more hills until we reached the half-way mark with more hills ahead. There were hills and hills until the final nice surprise: fast run downhill towards the finish line. I expected a much bigger event for the Olympic City. Expo was rather modest and the welcome back-pack was almost empty. The volunteers and supporters, especially school kids were fantastic, supportive, noisy and surprisingly innovative. Overall I highly recommend this race to all who are not afraid od hills. | |
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K. K. from Atlanta, GA
(11/18/2011)
"Very hilly but wonderful marathon" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Atlanta Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Even knowing that the Atlanta Track Club has a penchant for hilly courses in most of their races, I was surprised by how hilly this course was. The second half was brutal. Despite this and how it affected my time, it was a nice experience. The spectators and volunteers were awesome. I especially liked the kids at Inman Park and the wonderful fluffy dogs after Piedmont Park. If you're looking for a marathon with glamour or a ton of people, this isn't it, nor will you see all of Atlanta, but this is a great race. | |
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J. M. from Marietta, GA
(11/9/2011)
"Many pros, some cons" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Atlanta Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The Atlanta Marathon is a worthwhile, well-run race but it's not a once-in-a-lifetime experience like some other big city races. The good: Hassle-free: no traffic getting there, parking just footsteps away. Favorable weather: October in ATL is almost always great for running. Efficiently run: well-managed staging area. Water stops evenly spaced with well trained volunteers. Pretty residential neighborhoods: mainly in the second half of the race. But there are a few negatives: Dead spots: It's the nature of Atlanta: to get from point A to point B you often have to go through boring if not desolate areas. Finish line: It's between a parking garage and an empty field. Why not end it at a more interesting public location such as the Atlantic Station arch (just two blocks away)? Misplaced clocks: A few of them seemed out of place, esp. the 6 mile clock. It may have been at the 10K point. As everyone else notes, it's a very hilly course but that's not necessarily a con, some marathoners actually like a little adversity. | |
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P. C. from Atlanta, GA
(11/8/2011)
"Tough Course, Good Support" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Atlanta Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Lots of hills!! I ran the Publix Georgia Marathon in March, and expected the Atlanta Marathon course to be similar. It was not. The Georgia Marathon course goes through many small neighborhoods and has many rolling up hills and downhills. The Atlanta Marathon goes on the main roads and it felt like there were no downhills to recover from the uphills. The uphill at mile 25 is brutal!! With all that said, the ATC did a good job putting on a low-key marathon. Plenty of water, port-o-potties and volunteers. The cheering sections were nice. The prize money for this race was an easy grab for anyone who can clock a decent marathon time. I would run it again. | |
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D. B. from Atlanta, GA, USA
(11/4/2011)
"Great Run Around Atlanta" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Atlanta Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Being local to Atlanta, this was my first marathon. It's a challenging course, but I'm not in it for easy. ATC did a great job organizing. Spectators, though sometimes sparse, were enthusiastic, many in costume. Cool weather that warmed up nicely towards the end. Liked the downhill finish. Good way to see much of the different locals of Atlanta. |
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