I am so glad I had the opportunity to run this race. It was my 23rd marathon and I consider it to be a 'hidden gem'.. I will be telling my friends about it. I am glad you are continuing despite the devastation from the hurricane... AC is a great and fun city to run !!

I had a wonderful race, time, trip and experience w/ new friends, and athletes. I ran for the first time w/ a pacer, named Jaquae Wilkins. I hope I'm spelling it right. We would probably spell her name Jackie normally. There were about 30 of us that stayed together for the whole race laughing, and we crossed the finish on time as promised. HERE is my complaint, MY CHIP didn't work, so I am not in the books as doing the race. MAD!!!!!!!

This was the second marathon for the weekend, and it met my expectations. I ran the half a few years back and knew what to expect: a well-organized race, plenty of on-course support and a scenic run along the boardwalk beneath the shadows of the casinos contrasted by a visit to the quiet side of the island. The expo was improved (no longer just a few people behind a counter) and was a much quicker visit this time around.

Finishing just under 4:00 there were enough runners on the course over the last few miles that pedestrians were aware of us and for the most part did a decent job of being courteous and giving us room to soldier on to the finish.

Volunteers were as helpful and encouraging as they could be. I couldn't ask for more.

Hotels are plentiful in the start/finish/expo area, as are restaurants and outlet stores. It really is a 'park and forget the car' area with plenty to do within walking distance. I'm sure I'll be back.

One of the flattest courses I have ever run (have done 11 marathons). If I am ever pushing for a BQ again some day, I will do this one again. I am coming off two straight years of injuries (torn achilles at New York marathon...then chronic hamstring problems last year). This year I just trained nice and easy to give my body time to recover and was not expecting to do well.....however the flatness of the course allows a low time to sneak up on you. About half way through the course I realized I could pull off a half-decent time...and did it. Organization of this course is just fine. I agree with other posters that gatorade had big variances of dilution from stop to stop.....this shouldn't bother you too much. This was the first marathon I ran which was also run with a half marathon. It has a huge drop-off in runners after you pass the half marathon turn. This shouldn't be too bad...except then the marathon course goes off the boardwalk for about 10 miles into an area that is really just not that interesting. Once you get back on the boardwalk at mile 23.....the trick is to hold back and not burn out to early. You can see the Bally's Casino (where the finish line is)....but it looks just one mile away when in reality it is over three miles away. It takes everything to keep from going too hard too early. Don't expect a fabulous feast at the finish line....but they have plenty of the usual staples (bread, bananas, oranges, yogurt....I heard there was chowder somewhere but never saw it (wasn't looking too hard cuz I had to leave). All in all... a good race that should be a BQ target for anyone needing one.

This was my New Jersey marathon in my 50-state quest. Overall a decent marathon and I would recommend it for all 50-staters, as I believe this is the best NJ has to offer. The one big disappointment, however, was that there were no post-race massages, which many runners (myself included) rely on.

The course itself was boring, albeit flat, but I think it was the best Atlantic City could do. The boardwalk parts were the best in terms of scenery. There needs to be improvement in marshaling pedestrians on the boardwalk for back-of-pack runners (like myself).

The SWAG was top-shelf, including the goody backpack, shirt and amazing medal with a little working light house. High marks for that.

The race organization was fair with plenty of water stops. The Mile 24 marker was missing, however.

Overall a decent experience and would definitely recommend for anyone needing a New Jersey marathon. Could be great but not quite there yet...

Pretty much everything that is within the organizers' control is done well. My only comment to them is that the water-stop volunteers need better training to a) mix the Gatorade at the right strength so it doesn't vary so much among stops, and b) back up a little so that the runners who aren't taking fluid at that stop can get through without dodging overzealous volunteers, especially in the narrower parts of the boardwalk. (Hint: If someone is carrying a water bottle, he probably doesn't need you to stand in his way with a paper cup.)

Also, there appears to still be some work to do on the timing. My preliminary results were more accurate than my final results (but the final was a little faster, so I'm not complaining).

The long stretch off the boardwalk in the second half is really boring. It's the first race where I was conscious of how bored I was. It just looks like . . . New Jersey. And very little crowd support.

The boardwalk stretch is great if you don't mind dodging pedestrians and bikes and rolling chairs. I was worried that it would be a problem, but it's really no different from going out on a training run.

But if you're experienced enough to handle not enough people off the boardwalk and too many people on the boardwalk, it's a good race.

The medal is awesome. The free pre-race dinner was okay, as were the post-race refreshments.

First, I should note that my time according to the web site was off by about a minute. In fact, there is even a race photo of me crossing the finish in 3:04:06 however they have me just over 3:05. It's slower than I'd like, and not a PR issue, it does disallow me from registering for Boston with the '5 minutes faster' crew.

The gatorade mixing at early aid stations was terrible. Too concentrated. Were they even tasting the product they handed out?

The people involved with the race were great, and I loved AC. Most local folks seemed pretty clueless about the race though, maybe more could be done locally to publicize it.

The flat course was nice, a bit windy and it seemed like the wind was in my face in every direction. Beautiful running along the ocean though.

Fun, flat and scenic. What more do you want? This should not be considered as a major big city marathon. But if you are looking for a good run within the NYC/Philly area this fit the bill. They get the big things right. Lots of fluids and gels along the way. Clocks at most mile markers. Good shirt and a very very unique medel (I won't spoil it for you). A good portion of the run is on the boardwalk which is unique great fun. People stroll, hotels on one side and the ocean on the other. Yes, there are some dull sections through housing developments and highway ramps but the good parts are what you remember.

I am working on the 50 state challenge and AC looked the best to me for my New Jersey race. The expo was small but the race only has 1400 runners. The pasta dinner was good but they had issues keeping the pasta coming fast enough. There was a great selection of other foods so you could always keep your plates full.

The course is very nice with a few inclines to overpasses and a tunnel and you get to spend several miles on the boardwalk and be able to see the casinos and the ocean. The weather was great and there were several pace groups available. Getting to the start and leaving the finish is very easy.

The food at the finish was okay. Oranges, banannas, popcorn, beer, gatorade and water. The medal is awesome and the t-shirt is very nice.

If you need a New Jersey race, I recommend AC.

Just ran today's AC marathon, and can't say enough about how well-organized and nice this event was. If you like a smaller marathon, this is a good one for you.
Nice expo considering the size of the event. Great women's fit shirts - finally a race shirt that actually fits me.
Very supportive volunteers. Not tons of spectators once the 1/2 marathoners are off the course, but the people out there were great, and I never felt like I was alone on the course. There were also always enough other runners around that I always had company.
Great finisher medal, which included a lighthouse that actually has a little light that you can turn on - I wonder how many people didn't even notice this.
All in all, I have only positive things to say about the AC marathon.