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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 61 to 71]
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Chris Russell from Massachusetts
(11/25/2009)
 "Nice, flat course with no frills and no crowd." (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Atlantic City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I like a no-frills race. If you're old school, this one is for you. Flat as a pancake. Multiple out-and-backs. Running on the boardwalk. If you're expecting Boston, NYC or Disney amenities, stay away. If you're looking for a nice, little, no-hassle, flat marathon, come on down. | |
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B. S. from Franklin, TN
(11/20/2009)
 "Not bad and will only get better" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Atlantic City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Considering that this race changed management and dates at the last minute, it is not a bad event at all; and given the short time frame the new race director was given, it ended up being a really well executed event. All four races (marathon, half, 10K and 5K) were well marked and the majority of the races were along the famous boardwalk of Atlantic City, which made for easy access to the start/finish from any casino hotel along the strip. The post-run food was better than races three times the size of this one and the volunteers were extremely friendly and helpful. The awards ceremony was very nice and the prizes were among the nicest I've seen. The only real negative was that the packet pick-up was the morning of the race. It would have been nice to have that the day before just to avoid the anxiety that morning; however, the volunteers were quite proficient in getting people their packets quickly. Now that the new race director has this one under their belt, this event will only get better and better. Given the fact that it is held in mid-November, the weather might be an issue but this year, it couldn't have been better with temperatures getting into the mid-60's by noon. If you need a New Jersey race, I highly endorse this one. | |
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D. D. from Northern NJ
(11/17/2009)
 "Great potential, but much still to improve." (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Atlantic City Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I hadn't ever run this race, but I'm from New Jersey, so I figured I would give it a shot. The good things about this race: 1. It's easy to sign up in the NY area AFTER the major marathons. If you ran NYC or Marine Corp and didn't do so well, then here is a race to try and still get a good Boston time. Philly used to be that way, but now they are closed out early. Changing the date to mid-November was a good thing, and for their sake I hope they keep it that way. 2. GREAT pre-race meal. The highlight of this event was the pre-race dinner. Good band, GREAT food, $5 DONATION! One of the best meals I have had before a marathon. 3. Simple and flat course; if you get good weather (like we had this year), you could really do well here. 4. Crowd support. Light but enthusiastic. 5. Spectator-friendly course. Your significant other (or other friends and relatives) can run in a shorter race with you (and turn off at their turnaround). Or you can recruit your family and friends to spread out on the course and be there at sections with aid. If they stay at the start to see you off, then go to mile 9 where the marathon turns unto Atlantic Ave.; they can watch you pass five times (start, mile 9, 15, 19 23), but then they need to scoot to the finish! A bicycle is great for this! The bad things about this race: 1. Long stretches between water stops. Don't depend on getting water in the first seven miles. I was shocked to run past the start/finish at mile 6 and NOT be given water! Expect to have to run stretches of five or six miles before getting water. It appears a couple of the water stops never materialized. 2. Mile markers: They were small, orange, cryptic numbers on the street. To run this race with accurate splits, you need a Garmin. 3. Directional signs. Few and far between. And the ones they had were small. At turn #1 there was no sign and just a person to tell you to turn around. However, she forgot to tell me until I was 10 yards past her and THEN she shouted to me to come back! That blew a few seconds. 4. They should have had signs to tell runners to stay on the right. I almost hit at least a few runners coming in the opposite direction. Remember, you are going up and down the same streets four TIMES! You have no idea who is on what lap after a while. I was stopped by a fellow runner at one point because she was confused what loop she was on. UGLY: 1. Medal: The medal is what makes some difficult marathons worth it. This medal was a default, store-bought, running-shoe medal with " Atlantic City Marathon" engraved on the back. No date. I can honestly say that this is the worst marathon medal I have ever received of the 35 marathons I have personally done. 2. Crowd control: As I neared the finish, I had to weave through the boardwalk crowds walking three or four abreast. There were no cones; it was a mess. I ran into a cyclist at one point. This is a serious injury waiting to happen. I can live with the bad points I referenced. But the UGLY points will cause me to stay away. I hope they address those areas. | |
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Rich Handzo from Toms River, NJ, USA
(11/16/2009)
 "Outstanding reorganization!" (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Atlantic City Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have run this race about 10 times and had run another marathon a month ago when the original race was canceled. As a last-minute decision, I signed up for the race when the new organizers announced the rescheduled date. The course was the same, but the overall organization was much improved. It was a snap picking up the number, the gift package was the best ever, and the race went off without a hitch. The after-race refreshments were the best I've ever seen (I have run 59 marathons, including 10 Bostons and 14 NYC). Parking was easy and close by, and awards were given out immediately after the race - no long wait. I highly recommend the race. A couple of improvements for the future would be to add water in the first five miles, and awards at least three deep in age group categories. But overall ,a great experience! Thanks, JCC and Tropicana, for continuing the race! | |
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M. R. from New Jersey
(9/4/2009)
"Restroom facilities" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Atlantic City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The race is very beautiful; however, there were not enough restroom facilities along the course. | |
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S. B. from New York
(11/3/2008)
"Not bad for a first-timer" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Atlantic City Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This was my first full marathon and not a bad choice due to the flat course and small size. Running on the seafront and seeing the ocean views was great, but the stiff breeze was a challenge at times. My major complaint was the repetition of the course - parts of it you run multiple times, which gets a tad dull. Positives include very helpful and friendly volunteers, and encouraging fellow runners. Overall, I'm glad I ran AC, but I'm probably not going to rush back to do it again, partly due to the course and partly the high cost of staying overnight. | |
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R. K. from Finger Lakes Region of central New York
(10/31/2008)
"Disappointed and Misled" (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
| 3 Atlantic City Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 This was the 50th running of the AC Marathon, and by now you would think that the race organization would have everything down pat. I was disheartened by their misleading advertising for the event. Several things they promised never came about. They said that Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter would be there, but they weren't; they stated that there would be 50's-style band's at all of the water stops, but there wasn't a single one to be found (however, they did have 50's recorded music playing at the start/finish); they promised a FREE pasta dinner on Saturday, but not only wasn't it free, but there wasn't even a dinner to be had. They said the race would start promptly at 8:30 a.m., but we didn't get off till closer to 9:00. They had so many people making speeches that it was pathetic. The runners were getting a wee bit upset with it all. It was a wonder they didn't ask all the passers-by to add their two cents. It was not exactly a warm day to be waiting around for that long. After sending in the application way ahead of time, you would have thought that you had a good chance of getting the proper size shirt at check-in; but that was not to be, and the staff couldn't have cared less. All of the above could have been avoided if the organizers would have been more straightforward with applicants and checked on their resources before making such statements. This does not bode well for the race and its director. One item of note that they couldn't have foreseen was the major foul-up with the timing and results posting at the finish line. They couldn't give results or awards for the 5K, 10K, or 1/2, and it took hours to get results/awards for the marathon. Most everyone left. On the brighter side: the water stop personnel and the course marshals did a fantastic job and were very helpful and cheery. And the course was FLAT. Suggestions: Keep the 5-year age brackets. Instead of PowerBar chunks at the water stops (difficult to eat while running), try having something more liquid, i.e. power gels or GU. Also, change the course so that there aren't so many loops within loops. Maybe send it over to the boardwalk in Ocean City, and then turn around? | |
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J. Y. from New Jersey
(10/27/2008)
"Enjoyable race" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Atlantic City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Nice event. Will certainly do this race again. The boardwalk makes for an interesting time, looking at the ocean, the buildings and the strollers. Of course it's windy; you're at the seashore. Plenty of water stations, mile markers and clocks. Friendly, helpful volunteers, and decent race organization. | |
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R. O. from Baltimore, MD
(10/23/2008)
"One Day Wasted" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Atlantic City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I wasted a trip to Atlantic City on Saturday to pick up my race packet only to have to return Sunday morning early enough to pick up the chip. It is a three-hour drive from Baltimore. I guess I should have read the fine print. Once I started running, all of the negatives went away. When are the half marathon official times to be posted on the website? If not, why not? | |
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L. H. from Atlanta, GA
(10/22/2008)
 "I'd come back...." (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Atlantic City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I like the format used by one last year, so I'll go with it: + scenery - weather conditions - emails sent months prior to coordinators went unanswered + friendly volunteers - would like to see more than water/power drink along the half + flat course, but you have to watch the boards - organizers really need to get more computer savvy; the photographer wasn't provided emails to send race pics, and the website was real out of date and not kept current - race bag needs some work; we look forward to the giveaways from the locals Overall, a good experience; however, I give them an NI (needs improvement). In comparison to other marathons I've run, this one can easily improve with a handful of changes. Hope they do it! |
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