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May 6, 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 31 to 41]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 13 > ]

S. S. from Washington, D.C. (10/25/2012) "better for experienced racers" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Atlantic City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 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.
E. B. from Portsmouth, NH (10/23/2012) "Wrong time" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Atlantic City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 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.
W. G. from Fairfield, CT (10/22/2012) "This is a hidden gem of the fall season" (about: 2012) 50+ previous marathons \| 3 Atlantic City Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 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.
Charles West from Pottstown, PA (10/22/2012) "Great run around AC and along the boardwalk" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Atlantic City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 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.
S. B. from New Jersey (10/22/2012) "Great small marathon" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Atlantic City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 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.
R. J. from Arlington, VA (10/31/2011) "Some nice perks, and a few downfalls" (about: 2011) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Atlantic City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon, but not my first long distance race so I have some idea of what to expect as a back of the pack runner. So the pluses - Nice free buffet Great medal Nice volunteers Some good freebies in your race packet including a nice free tech shirt. Actual cheerleaders on the course (which is nice because there aren't too many spectators) Water stations never ran out of water (which has happened to me before) Negatives- They can't close down the boardwalk, so if you're running slow you get to run through a lot of random tourists gawking at you (or ignoring you). I didn't see Gatorade until around mile 13, or at least wasn't offered any. By then I'd lost a lot of salt...note to self, carry own electrolytes next time. Running with the half marathoners is a little disheartening...especially when they turn around to run back to the finish you've just passed. THe course is a little boring outside of the boardwalk, and the out and backs make it feel like it's going on forever. Just lots of neighborhoods, particularly one with a lot of what appears to be empty vacation homes. Some mishaps in timing and pictures mean I didn't get an official finish time and my pictures got swapped with some guy (so now I can't find them). A little disappointing for a first marathon to not get either of those. Definitely wasn't because I had the timer chip on wrong...double checked that :) All in all, a lot of people told me this was a bad course for a first timer. THis is probably a nice race for people who know what they're doing and can finish up quickly to avoid some of the issues I encountered.
Rick Dorsey from Springfield, Va. (10/23/2011) "Better than expected with room for improvement" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Atlantic City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Based on comments from previous years, I entered the 2011 race with moderately low expectations. Staging a marathon anywhere is not an easy feat, and I commend the organizing committee for creating a race that exceeded my expectations. Good job by all, though there are some tweaks that could make this a truly outstanding race. This is an extremely flat marathon run along the shore with enough diversions to keep the runner interested. Two hills, both overpasses, are all the incline you'll get. Enough GU is handed out, lots of water stations with plastic cups (boo!), and the traffic control from the AC, Ventor and Margate police were all outstanding. Also, shout out to the cheerleaders at the start, finish and mile 18/20.5, and the small bands rocking out throughout the course. Pretty sporty headwind while running south (miles 8-16, and 19-20), but that's not on the organizers. Sure, the last four Boardwalk miles were 'shared' with the morning tourists and locals, but their curiosity in the festivities adds to the charm. Here's where I think the race can get better: - As mentioned, need to get Gatorade or some form of electrolytes distributed before mile 12 and at the finish line. And please get rid of the plastic cups. They create a slipping hazard after they get crunched up. - Felt the pre-race morning activities were slightly disorganized. Never heard a starting gun, or horn, or whistle, just saw the herd start moving at 8:05. Then everyone shoehorned themselves through the start/finish line to get chips activated. - Just me, but I wasn't wild about the race shirt. Looked like an old USFL Boston Breakers wave with a gaudy lighthouse on the back. The medal, on the other hand, rocked! - The pre-race expo could use an info table to answer questions. The expo could use some merchandise for sale. And the pre-race program could use some more pertinent q-and-a info, as it was nothing more than an advertisement for Atlantic City casinos. - If I could tweak the course to break up the 8-mile south monotony, I would somehow turn into the Margate stretch after mile 13 instead mile 17. Don't get me wrong, this is a nice race with just the right amount of runners. Any more and you could have some logistical issues, especially on the very tight first turn off the Boardwalk. I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in West Egg Harbor, 10 minutes away, and that staff couldn't have been nicer and more accommodating. Highly recommended for those running next year. Having scratched off New Jersey on my 50-state quest, I'm not sure if I'll ever be back.
S. G. from South Jersey (10/20/2011) "It was awesome!" (about: 2011) 2 previous marathons \| 2 Atlantic City Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran last year 2010 and what a difference! Love the course,it was not boring and just running on the boards to longport, you couldnt ask for a better day! There were plenty of water stations. yes we could have used more energy drinks. maybe some oranges would be nice. my time was also lower then what was posted. The only neg was when I finished there were no one giving out water,, we could have used some cold water. love the area after the race with all the vendors. Thanks to Barry and his committee for doing a wonderful job!
David Lee from New York (10/20/2011) "Could be better" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Atlantic City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 This was not a bad race. Course was ok and you got to see some of Atlantic City you would not normally see. The first 7 miles of the course had a few hills but gets super flat after that. Here are my Cons No gatorade until mile 12 so half marathoners only had water No Gatorade for the last 4 miles which can be dangerous since it was a bit warm and most runners need electrolytes at that point of a marathon Water and Gatorade served in plastic cups until around mile 14-15 which was then some paper cups. Plastic cups you can't squeeze and drink since it will crack but most importantly its not very green and bad for the environment No PA system or announcements of instruction at the start of the race nor was there a Nat'l Anthem. At 8:05 the race just started Timing inaccurate. My net time was a minute faster then what I had on my watch Marathon Website stated Expo on 6th flr. Ballroom which was actually on 2nd flr. Rude volunteers at the expo. One lady snatched saftey pins out of my hand after I picked them up off the table No signage to direct you where to go for number pickup nor a define spot for Marathon, half marathon and so forth. The set up at the table was confusing since you approached at the corner of a 'L' set up so people were inadvertently cutting others Chip check table was in the middle of the room away from the pick up tables which should have been the last table after number and goody bag Volunteers giving out wrong info No Gatorade in the finish area which again runners need electrolyte replenishment not beer No porto potties in the finish area...at least I didn't see them Marathon Website stated late checkout on Sun at all participating hotels. When I arrived at the Tropicana the front desk staff was not pleasant and when late checkout was requested they had no idea what I was talking about. The late checkout was not honored. I called reservations and they also had no idea what I was talking about This is a coastal race so I would imagine there will always be a headwind I did enjoy myself but probably won't run this race again. There are better destination marathons to run during the fall/October time of year
Rich Handzo from New Jersey (10/19/2011) "Timing was not accurate!" (about: 2011) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Atlantic City Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have run this marathon many times, and this is my 64th and my son's first. The race is very well organized, fantastic people running the program, course is great except for the run back and forth through Margate! However, this being my son's first race, I purposely ran at his side offering all kinds of encouragement, and wisdom, to do all I could to help him finish. To that end, he never left my side, and in fact, we crossed the finish line holding our hands raised in celebration of his accomplishment.... but to our surprise, the new timing system showed that we had finished 14 seconds apart. Now 14 seconds to either of us is meaningless..... but it begs the question.... how accurate were the time!!!! Keep up the great work, the race has come a very long way, but I'd check the time keeper out before using again.

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