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May 2, 2024

Kiawah Island Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Kiawah Island Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.1

Organization 4.4

Spectators 3.2

Number of comments: 211 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

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J. H. from Canada (1/7/2016) "Great race on beautiful island" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first trip to South Carolina and I loved it. We stayed on the island at the resort. Though pricey, we were able to walk 400 yds to the start line in the morning only 20 minutes before the start. Race day was a little warm but the course has lots of shade. The course is absolutely board flat. As a result, I had my best time in a number of years and only slightly off my pr set 7 years ago... Highly recommend this race.
T. K. from Cincinnati, OH (12/28/2015) "Beautiful destination marathon" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Top 10 Reasons to Run Kiawah 10) Runners aren't usually an extravagant bunch but if you are willing to splurge, The Sanctuary is an ideal spot to stay - yards from the expo, finish and start lines. 9) Again, if you are willing to splurge and a golfer, a bucket list experience is playing the Ocean Course - I had it to myself on the morning before the marathon! 8) Brilliant sunrises. 7) Brilliant sunsets. 6) A family experience all around but made especially so by the organizers (e.g. the Friday evening Glow Run on the beach). 5) Christmas decorations at The Sanctuary. 4) Plenty of restaurant options on-island. 3) This was my 50th marathon and probably the flattest - this makes up (in part) for those terrible out and backs. 2) Beautiful course 1) Makes a wonderful weekend getaway!!
A. C. from North Carolina (12/18/2015) "Wonderful SC Marathon Weekend" (about: 2015) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 It was unseasonably hot but the 2015 Kiawah Marathon proved to be a PR effort for me. I've done the half marathon here before but this was my first Kiawah full. If you run, book on-island accommodations - I recommend VRBO or airbnb. Wife & I + a couple friends split a 2BR condo that was steps to beach and start/finish for half the price of off-island hotel. Although I did hear good things about the Andell Inn and FreshFields Village was charming. Anyway, the race itself... PROS: -Well organized on race day & at expo (smaller expo but it's got what you need) -Plenty of porta jons -BEAUTIFUL course... a few long out & backs but between the marshes, ponds, and fabulous architecture there is plenty of scenery -Lots of shade (valuable with temps in the high 70s this year) -Well maintained & flat roads CONS: -Not many spectators, but those that are out are enthusiastic and supportive -The last 4-5 miles are quiet and monotonous, making for a difficult push to the finish -This is not necessarily part of Kiawah, but my pacer (3:45) went out waaaay too fast. Ended up overtaking him mile 18 as he had hit a wall. Glad I stopped trying to keep up around mile 6. If anything, the pacer should go out easy and ramp up, but again this isn't really a beef with the Kiawah organizers. Overall this is a great option for 50 states, a beautiful destination race, or a PR (or all 3) - take a couple extra days to enjoy the low country.
T. D. from Atlanta, Georgia (12/14/2015) "Great time for my first half-marathon!" (about: 2015) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first half-marathon and didn't really know what to expect going into it. We got to Kiawah the night before, and woke up early to get our race packet. Everything was extremely organized and we did not have to wait for anything. The race itself was a lot of fun. The scenery was amazing and the spectators were great. Every time I would feel like slowing down there would be a spectator cheering me on that helped a ton! Post race party was great as well, and the food was delicious (especially the soup)! Overall, I couldn't have been more pleased with my first race and would recommend this race to anyone!
A. D. from Wilmington, NC (12/13/2015) "Repetitive course makes for a long race ...." (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my 7th marathon and I had a pretty rough race. The weather ended up being so warm (of course you all can't control that) so it was a difficult race for me. Yes, the course was scenic but seeing billion dollar houses and the same trees and marshes over and over again became very boring. The five or six turn arounds were brutal... Down and back multiple times became something I absolutely dreaded... So hard to see people flying by you so many times lol. The last mile on the trail was the best part of the race- a shaded trail and you could hear the music and crowds through the woods- that helped me motivate my butt to the finish line! Loved the free beer at the end but the food was less than desirable - not sure about other runners but I crave something less than healthy at the end of 26.2 miles! The shirts ran super, super small and I'm normally a medium, but I have requested to be sent an x- large via mail so keep that in mind. If spectators/ families don't have bikes then they can't get to you at multiple points so that was disappointing ;( to only see my family at beginning and end. Overall the worst time I have posted in a marathon but I also had some feet problems leading up to the race - so between that, the heat, and the repetitive nature of the course, it was a difficult race for me and won't do again.
P. T. from Greensboro, NC (12/17/2014) "Great race again!" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Kiawah Island Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Everything about this race is excellent, from the early registration fee ($55), convention center open to wait for start when cold weather, medals, shirt, post race food and beer, transportation to start of race, fun great course, etc. I will be back again next year for my 4th Kiawah Marathon
Emily Goodman from Louisville, Kentucky (12/14/2014) "Gorgeous race, awesome option for a getaway" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and I thought it was an overall amazing race! The island is absolutely beautiful. We stayed on the resort (which I would highly recommend) and found a villa that slept 6 adults for $110/night within a 10 minute walk to the start line. The course was GORGEOUS - tons of marsh views and beatiful wooded areas, which was a nice change of pace from the typical city race. The resort provided shuttles for spectators, allowing my husband to see me at mile 10, 12, 16, 20, and get back to the finish in time. The race swag was also top notch - gender specific long sleeved tech shirts, nice medal, and awesome post-race buffet for runners, which included two pasta salads, tabouleh, bean soup, cornbread, brownies, and free beer! Plus there's tons to do and see on the island.
W. P. from NC (9/24/2014) "Coming Back to Kiawah 26.2 - NEW HOTEL" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I am coming back to run this run for a 2nd time and just learned about a new HOTEL located a few minutes from the race start that I wanted to share with all runners - since I remember the long line of cars coming down from Charleston last year, this place will save me some time. I have reserved a room at the ANDELL INN Marriott - www.andellinn.com - hope to see you all at the start on time this year.
A. B. from Boston area, MA (1/2/2014) "Definitely recommend" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I am pursuing the 50 states and chose this race for my SC marathon. I was a little apprehensive based on past reviews, but I was very pleased with the marathon experience overall. I highly recommend staying on the island. A lot of people have mentioned it's expensive to stay on the island; however, if you rent a villa and split it with several people it's incredibly affordable and probably cheaper than a hotel that is far away. The villa we stayed in was incredibly nice and had all of the amenities we needed and more. And I booked early enough to get one that was walking distance to the start/finish. We stayed for 3 nights and toured Charleston most of the days. Pros: -supportive of slower participants with a 7 hour time limit -nice tech shirt and medal -beautiful scenery -roped off finish area -great communication before the race -nice finish area with food tent and music -enjoyed running on the bike path towards the end -mile markers every mile and plenty of clocks on the course -lots of out and back sections where you could see other runners and cheer them on -really cool race statistics were sent to you in an email (i.e. how many people you passed in the last 10k) -plenty of porta-potties -resort very nice and we enjoyed the nature center Cons: -some water stations were self-serve for slower participants -very crowded until mile 11-ish when half marathoners broke off -traffic was very congested near registration the day before the race. Resort needs to communicate with police to allow villa guests to get to their unit. They had blocked off the road which leads to registration (which also lead to our villa). This also happened on race day. -not much of an expo if you need that sort of thing, but it didn't bother me and there was enough there if you forgot something Overall this was a great marathon that I turned into a small vacation with my parents. It was probably the flattest marathon I've ever run (out of 29 run). The weather can vary a lot in December in SC so be prepared. We had weather in the 60s with high humidity. We got a pizza from the Market the night before the race because the dinner they were offering was expensive and didn't seem to have enough carb options. Your dining options on the island are very limited. I recommend this race and suggest you make it into a long weekend if you can.
s. k. from columbus, ohio (12/29/2013) "Good course with nice medal and great golf" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 1)They changed the medal this year and it looks great!! 2) Eventhough we are on an island, there is no way to get close to the ocean. That is more the way the island is set up than a fault of the course. 3) I enjoyed changing from asphault roads, to bike paths, to wooden bridges. 4) I stayed off the island. The closest hotel is 45 minutes away. The shutles from a central parking lot worked well. I had plenty of time to use the porta potties without waiting in line. It was easy to catch the shuttle back to my car after the finish. 5) I enjoyed the post-race food. The bean soup, pasta salads, quinoa salad, and brownies were a nice change from bagels and potato chips. 6) The race course is along neighborhoods. You see mostly houses and people don't watch from their lawns and cheer. You do get to see part of the ocean course golf course which is nice. 7) There was plenty of water/gatoraide stations. 8) If you stay off the island, there is no way to get back to the hotel for a late check-out with the shuttles and the drive back unless you are a super fast runner. I new that prior, and the informative people at the expo told me I could shower at one of the golf course locker rooms. The only negative, is it is almost a mile walk from the finish line and the path to get there can be confusing. The plus is that the shower was nice with luxery soap and shampoos. But then you have to walk back a mile to the finish line again. I would stay on the island if I did this race again. 9) If you are a golfer, the $125 special at the Kiawah Ocean course (the #4 ranked public course in the US and site of the 2012 PGA Championship) is a fantastic deal. I golfed on Thursday to get a 24 hour rest day before the marathon and had a fantastic time!!!

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