I ran this marathon Dec 2004 and it was the worst marathon I've run. I've run about 8 marathons. The course was pretty good although there were barely any spectators supporting. No city participation whatsover. You had to meet up in some school gym prior to the race and throw your belongings in a pickup truck. At the end of the race your belongings were scattered on the grass. There was no expo. You picked up your packet at little sports stores spread out around the city. Their expo consisted of some racks of clothes put outside the store. Poorly organized. The course was neat but after the half-marathon ended, the marathon's had to run with and against traffic. There were no roads blocked off... almost as if we didn't matter since the half-marathoners were complete. I wouldn't run it again.

I was really looking forward to running this marathon with all the rave reviews that I saw posted here on this website. As for a well-organized high quality small marathon, there was much left to be desired. I agree with the one reviewer who mentioned that this race is not supported very much by the city of Jacksonville. It was frustrating attempting to run a marathon while trying to avoid aggressive drivers honking there horns to basically get you off the road! At one point, the police officers failed to control the traffic flow at all. I collided with some half marathoners who were headed in the opposite direction while also trying to avoid vehicles which the police officers kindly directed onto the course with the runners. One runner shouted at the officers asking them why the officers were there at all. Believe it or not, I found it best to run right up the median of the road. This allowed the frustrated drivers on both sides of the road to pass me without any problems. I wasn't really thrilled with the course either. If you are looking for a fast PR course with crowd support, I'm certain that you would do better to look elsewhere. I could continue on here with several other observations but I will spare you the details.

Good and bad: cheerful volunteers at the fluid stations, and usually plenty of them. Nice shirts. Nice varietal goody bag. The course was flat as advertised, but unfortunate weather made the finish difficult, at best. Jaunting across a muddy, grassy soccer field into a root-studded dirt path was less than ideal for a fatigued runner. I was concerned for my safety - and walked a lot of it, hurting my final time and initiative. Not enough port-a-lets and poor traffic control in some of the neighborhoods and on the last stretch coming in. Packet pick-up/expo was disappointing - poorly organized and no expo, just a running store trying to make a buck. Signage to get there was horrible. Parking also poorly marked. Lots of fluids, but not the Gu as advertised. Not enough timing clocks for the last 1/2 of the marathon.

This was my first marathon so I cannot make comparisons to others. I can say that the course was great except for that last bit leading to the track. The weather was crappy for spectators so I was happy that anybody was out cheering. The finish line food and drink was good. I was too beat to care if things weren't perfect.

So this is my second Jacksonville Marathon and I have to say that the weather (chilly and rainy) somewhat put a damper on the experience but it's still a great course. The only complaint is the same complaint I had last year: The sodas in the little kid wading pools. Squatting down after running 26.2 miles to get a much needed Coke is not exactly the greatest feeling!

If you are looking for a first-rate marathon experience, AVOID THIS EVENT. This is a third-rate event, poorly organized, and lacking any amenities offered in most races. The first and last 2.5 miles of the course are on a four-lane highway with poor traffic control. Toward the end of the race, the runners are confined to the shoulder of the road running against traffic that occupies all lanes of the road. The runners must cross intersections with traffic lights which cause runners to stop for traffic. Pre-race, no beverages or food are served. The runners meet in a 1950's-era high school basketball arena with minimal bathroom facilities, which made for long lines. The course is flat and somewhat scenic, but there is no crowd support, and signage to distinguish the ½ vs. the full marathon course and mile markers are minimal. There are no chip mats on the course to measure split times. Runners share the roads with cars driven by residents who live near the course along with motorcyclists marathon volunteers who ride the course with the runners.

If you are a first-time marathoner, this event is not for you. If you are an experienced marathoner with no expectations other than to try for a good finish time without any support from the race organization, consider it.

No race expo - just a running store for packet pickup and a few random discounted items. Early morning, organized, large area for start; absolutely terribly designed course finish (last few miles on very busy 4-lane road, then final ½-mile on rough, muddy, twisted off-road route to final 800 meters on track.) Very poor traffic control on most of the course. Great volunteers at fluid stations, but only offered energy gel once instead of advertised multiple times. Very little crowd support the entire course. Very little food or drink at finish line for slower paced runners. Host hotel didn't honor pre-arranged late checkout, also race brochure advertised host hotel as having made-to-order breakfast when in fact nothing was available early enough to get to race start in time. Very nice simple design poly-tech, long-sleeve T-shirt and nice medal for finishers. Overall, disappointing experience relative to race brochure/website.

I agree with the other comments about a flat course conducive to a PR. However, this is a marathon the city of Jacksonville does not support. Running primarily on a busy state road then through wooded sub-divisions does not produce many memorable moments. As for crowd support, a few hundred spectators at best. Actually more cars honking for us to get out of the way of the Sunday morning church-goers. As for organization, the race organizers need to make sure that the first water/Gatorade stop does not run out! Even us 4-hour marathoners need something to drink. Many of the Gatorade stops along the way had watered-down Gatorade which doesn't help effectively with electrolyte replacement. Similar problem with promised GU later in the race running out. Ran out. So sorry. As for race expo, there isn't one. Pick your stuff up at one of three running stores - easy in and out, but not much chance to meet other out-of-state runners prior to the race. Same comments as others about the last 0.5 miles/finish, however the race organizers have heard these comments for years and don't change.

I noticed only two problems. The mile markers (or clocks) were not at every mile, they were every two to three miles. There were not enough toilets either. I think there were six of them and the lines were fifteen to twenty minutes long. There were also some very positive aspects about the race.

This course was flat and the weather was perfect. The streets were off-limits to traffic and there were plenty of police to help ensure our safety. There were enough water stations, however, the people handing out the water were not prepared at one station and I had to stop and wait a few seconds for my cup. Overall, this was a good race and I will run it again.

This is a great course for a PR, unfortunately the weather wasn't very good. I can't blame Jacksonville for that, but I did think this was a very disorganized race. The shuttle bus was 1/2 hour late, nothing was marked in the gym very well for packet pick-up, the marathon lost my chip and no one wanted to help, there were no space blankets at the end when I finished (around 4:15). The run at the end through the wet field didn't help either. The shirts and medal were nice, but I've been to many other races of the same size that were much better organized. It is a flat, fast course, but the markings made it a little hard to see where you are going next. I don't want to seem like a whiner, but I do think with a few improvements on the markings and pre-race organization this could be a race I'd want to return to.