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May 18, 2024

Atlantic City Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Atlantic City Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 3.5

Organization 3.4

Spectators 2.6

Number of comments: 126 [displaying comments 91 to 101]

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c. j. from Florida (10/16/2007) "Nice and unique venue, but poorly managed" (about: 2007) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Atlantic City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 Having read the other 2007 comments, I would agree with most opinions that are posted. I try to be very understanding of how difficult it is to successfully orchestrate all aspects of an event, and therefore refuse to be too "nit-picky," but this one has problems. The AC Marathon touts its long heritage and will celebrate its 50th year in 2008. One would assume that all the kinks would have been worked out by now, but sadly they have not. 1. This event attracts mostly local runners and I think I know why. All area motels, hotels, and casinos that have rooms for $50 to $90 during the week, TRIPLE that rate for Saturday night; unless the directors can get some of them to allow runners to pay weekday rates as a special "marathon rate," I suspect many would-be entrants coming in from out of state see those rates and decide it's just too expensive. Most of the runners from outside NJ that I spoke with (including two from Canada) were here because they were running doubles, having either run the Baltimore or Hartford Marathons on Saturday. 2. Starting at 8:30 is absolutely an hour to an hour and half too late. Why? Because by noon the boardwalk is full of people wandering around who are totally oblivious to the runners weaving and bobbing around and through them. We are a nuisance to them, not people they want to cheer on. 3. The post-race food consisted of bottled water and a clear baggy containing a plain bagel and banana. Boy, is that lame and to me it speaks volumes about the lack of support given this event by the massive casinos that line the boardwalk. 4. According to one local runner, the course changes from year to year. Why? I thought it was unusual, but not that bad. Contrary to that one runner's comments, the miles were spray-painted on the boards and posted with signs. Plus, according to my GPS, the markers were pretty accurately placed to boot. 5. If you are going to call it the Atlantic City Marathon, then do your best to promote, support, and cater to the marathoners and don't pretend that you aren't relying on the 5K, 10K, and half-marathoners to pad your numbers and sustain your event. Here is what I thought was amazing. Runners received a coupon with their packet to eat in the Showcase Casino's buffet restaurant. That is a $30 value and what a feast! What other marathon gives you a free pre-race dinner. Not even the Las Vegas Marathon offered that to runners. Secondly, running on a wood deck IS unique and easy on the feet, especially with the ocean views. Let me do it early enough in the morning so that only friends and family are there to cheer me on and I would LOVE it. OR, cordon off a lane and reserve it just for runners (monitored by volunteers and or police) and maybe the strollers would actually stop to watch us fools run past.
P. W. from PA/NJ (10/16/2007) "Beautiful Course; Underrated Marathon" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Atlantic City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was a great race. I really do not understand some of the comments below. Most of the course was on the boardwalk, along the beach on a perfect cool, clear day, with a few miles along the million-dollar beach block homes in Margate and Ventnor. There even was a school of porpoises swimming in the vicinity of the Longport Pier. Frequent water and Gatorade stops with PowerBars at many, and friendly volunteers at all (OK, one was unmanned) of them. To boot, the pre-race pasta dinner turned out to be a free buffet at the House of Blues. My 15th marathon, and I had never had all-you-can-eat Alaskan King Crab legs at the pre-race meal. A PR day for me, a friendly and free kids race, and the race management could not have been nicer. This race was a last-minute add-on, as I had Chicago-like heat and water problems in a local distance run the previous week, that I had intended to use a training run for the Marine Corps Marathon. It turned out to be one of my favorites, competing with Shamrock Sportsfest for the top spot so far. The Boardwalk was clear at the humane starting time of 8:30 - it was a little congested at the end, but I never lost a step (a couple "passing on your right, sirs" kept me on my admittedly slow pace). 5* course, 5* organization. By my own introverted standards, I would make it a 5* fan support, too - a few people along the way stated words of encouragement, and I felt free to run my own race. A great family weekend, with the boardwalk, the beach, the pier shops and a great marathon.
J. S. from US (10/16/2007) "Beautiful course with a disorganized finish" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Atlantic City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Although I have run in other races, this was my first marathon experience. The weather was perfect and the course was beautiful - right on the water. I thought the course was easy - very flat - and there were plenty of water/Gatorade stations. The volunteers and staff were very friendly and helpful. I was disappointed in the number of spectators/supporters and it was apparent not many people on the boardwalk were aware there was a race taking place. I was very disappointed with the final few miles of the course. There was not a clear path marked for the runners and we were forced to run around casual boardwalk strollers. There was such an abundance of police on motorcycles and bikes at the beginning of the race and this force could have been a great help at the end of the race when runners were forced to dodge casual boardwalk strollers and kids on bikes (to my knowledge bikes are not permitted on the boardwalk after 10 a.m. and this rule was not being enforced). This made it a difficult ending.
I. L. from Northern New Jersey (10/15/2007) "Beautiful course; could use better organization" (about: 2007) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Atlantic City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This was my tenth marathon, but first in Atlantic City. First of all, the weather conditions were perfect. Fifties for the start, sixties for the end, not a cloud in the sky. The course was beautiful and I actually liked the switchback loops. There was plenty of water and PowerBars available. The problem was with the lack of organization. First of all, none of the volunteers seemed to know where the baggage check was. When we finally located it, there was one person trying to check everyone's stuff. There did not appear to be enough people to register all the participants causing a 15-minute delay in the start of the marathon. The biggest problem, though, was that none of the boardwalk was blocked off for the finish causing runners to have to dodge the casual strollers who were unaware of a race going on. You could not see the finish line until you were a few yards away making your whole finish anticlimactic. Overall, I enjoyed my experience but would consider coming back if I knew the conditions for the last few miles were much improved.
J. R. from Western New York (10/15/2007) "Looks good on paper, but horrible in execution!" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Atlantic City Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I have run 5 different marathons. I rate this the worst-run race yet, and would never recommend it to another runner, especially a first-timer. The course route was confusing. There were very few true spectators or supporters on the route. I had constantly to dodge tourists for the last 3 miles of the course as these people had no idea who I was or what I was doing! On paper, this looks like it could be a great race venue. But the organizers blew it!
J. P. from PA (10/15/2007) "AWFUL" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Atlantic City Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I will never in my life run this race again or recommend it to anyone. At the end of the race, you had to run through boardwalk crowds and yell, "Move." Throughout the course, spectators looked at you but didn't encourage you. Spectators looked at you like they didn't even know what was going on. Second of all, there was no sugar or food before the race for the runners or on the course for refreshment and a burst of sugar. When you did get to a water station, sometimes you had to pick up your own water. Third, no mile markers at all. I didn't even know what pace I was running at the beginning, which is crucial to us marathoners. Fourth, the lady handing out medals at the end wasn't even doing her job. There was no one to take the chips off your shoes, and you had to flag the lady down to ask for your medal. Anyway, a lot of improvement needs to be made before this becomes a recognized marathon.
Ron Buckbee from Mays Landing, NJ (9/8/2007) "The worst marathon I have ever run!" (about: 2006) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Atlantic City Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 First of all, the website describes a trade show. There isn't one. Nothing. Nada. Race support???? Virtually none. Spectators? Fuggedaboutit. Listen, I'm a local. I live in Mays Landing, NJ and teach right here in Atlantic City. This event should be MUCH MORE than it is. This is a great location for a race. It's in A.C. ON THE OCEAN, for God's sake!!! There are plenty of people who have lived here for ages that don't even know there is a marathon in A.C. If the race organizers don't care to get the word out to the locals, why should anyone else care? By the way, I ran the 1/2 as a training run for Philadelphia. Thank God I didn't have to run another 13.1 miles. I was bored out of my mind from the 1/2!
B. S. from New Jersey (2/21/2007) "AC not bad, but needs improvement" (about: 2005) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Atlantic City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I ran the half and had a great race. The weather was great and the off-shore breeze was refreshing on the way back around the loop. The course is very flat, so it's pretty fast. My biggest complaint was that the water stations were unsure of the mileage. In fact, the whole race was not well marked. Other than that, it's a pretty small race.
b. t. from Galveston, TX (2/8/2007) "Beautiful course; where is everybody?" (about: 2006) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Atlantic City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 It was a blast to visit Atlantic City and run along the streets from the Monopoly game! The best part was running the miles along the boardwalk, with the glittering ocean just yards away. The course is a little too convoluted, with switchbacks and extra loops. It would be a big improvement to extend the course at one end or the other to avoid the confusion. There was adequate support on the course, though one water station early on was unmanned. Almost no spectators were out, though it was a gorgeous fall day. Pretty much a no-frills race, but an organized, safe one that I'd recommend.
D. R. from Williamstown, NJ (10/16/2006) "Nice Shore Run" (about: 2006) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Atlantic City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I had a wonderful time at the AC Marathon. The setting was really nice, the weather was beautiful, and I really liked running on the boardwalk. I wish the miles were marked a little better, especially the last few. There is little crowd support, but the racers were all really friendly and very supportive. We cheered each other on at every turnaround. I would definitely do this marathon again.

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