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May 3, 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 51 to 61]

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D. C. from South Carolina (12/10/2011) "Pleasant Surprise" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I was very concerned about running this marathon because of the double loop course, but I wanted to run two marathons during the week of my 26th birthday and this one is close to where I live. I didn't mind the double loop at all. It is one of the most beautiful courses I have ever run! The race was very well organized and the volunteers were SPECTACULAR. There was water and gatorade at every stop and bananas or oranges at the majority of them. I stayed at the host hotel and walked 5 minutes to the start/finish. The tech shirt is very well designed this year and the medal is very unique. I can't say it's my favorite medal, but it definitely stands out. If you need a lot of crowd support, this is definitely not the race for you. There were some spectators (and those who were there were very enthusiastic) but it was small groups and only occasionally. Also, when running the full marathon, there will probably be times when you see very few people. There are only about 3000 runners total, and most are in the half, so after the split you may be by yourself. Doesn't bother me but might be an issue for some. The expo is small but if you only need essentials, it's not a problem. Had some nice official merchandise for sale. The weather was perfect this year. Low 40s and overcast! Couldn't ask for better. Overall, a great experience.
G. P. from Michigan (3/17/2011) "A nice, small race" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I agree, this race does not deserve the complaints. The expo was small, but they had some nice things and all the people there were great. It was unfortunate that it rained for most of the marathon, but all the aid stations were fully supported and had plenty of fluids and gels. At the finish, they had a a complete pasta meal along with deserts inside where it was warm and out of the rain. I also loved the "Beware of Alligator" signs as it made this a unique experience. This was my first 2-loop course and I didn't like repeating where I had already gone, but if you don't mind that, and love a flat course, then you should definitely consider this race. At the park area near the resort convention center where the start/finish is, they even have a 3-sided "marker" with the previous years' winners listed.
C. S. from Albuquerque NM (3/4/2011) "Good first marathon" (about: 2010) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 First off, I can't believe the number of people complaining about trivial things. Medals and T-shirts? Holy moly - I can't imagine putting out all that blood, sweat, tears (and being soaked in the rain) only to complain about t-shirts and medals. Once done I was happy as hell to be done and know that I survived the rain, cold, wind, and signs that say, "Beware of Alligators." Now for the race. If you want to run your first marathon, this is a good one. It was flat, fast, with good support and friendly crowds, and with super water stops. You will be hard pressed to find one that is done as well as this one. The expo's were awesome, and I'm sure nobody went without food, water, or post-run items. Sure, the weather was bad, but it made things interesting and worth the effort. If given the opportunity, I would go do this one again, stay on Kiawah Island again, and make sure I recovered at least three days on the island before coming home. My only complaint, and it is not even a big one, is that some walkers were clogging the small paths and you had to dodge them, but they were all courteous considering us cranky marathoners who had to go around them. Again, not a big complaint.
K. J. from Porter Township, MI (1/17/2011) "Great Race, Beautiful area." (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 First off, if you are going to stay on Kiawah, be prepared to shuck out some major money. I opted to stay in the Charleston/North Charleston area and drive the short 20-30 minutes out to Kiawah. Charleston is a great town with lots of things to do/see. On to the race itself: The race is rather low-key with little fanfare; however, the volunteers at the aid stations were some of the best I've ever encountered. Course is very flat and offers some pretty nice views along the way. The double out-and-back allows you to see other runners for nearly the entire route. I personally liked the glass finisher's medal as it is something different from the same ol' stone-skipper medal. The overall and age group awards are great... I love my proud pelican!!! The only area of improvement would be to better police the half-marathon walkers on the bike path; 70% of them stayed to the right, but I had several occasions where people were walking 4- and 5-wide across the path. I realize these participants paid the same entry fee as everyone else, but c'mon, follow the signs and use good race etiquette.
D. T. from Atlanta GA (1/10/2011) "Kiawah" (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran the half marathon and this was about my 30th full or half marathon. We rented a house in Kiawah and it was an easy dropoff for the start and to get to the expo. As mentioned by others, the expo is small, but it's well organized. They had a pre- and post-race dinner, but we skipped them since they were very pricey. The temps were in the 40s and it started raining just before the start (the rain lasted for about 90 minutes). The course is flat, but it gets congested after the turnaround where there are mostly cart paths coming back. The tech short was nice, but the medal is cheap and looks cheap. Kiawah is nice place to visit, and this is a decent race, but it's not in my top 10.
M. B. from Boston (12/15/2010) "Fast course, but..." (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Kiawah Island Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 This is my 3rd Kiawah Marathon (18th marathon overall) and probably my last time here. Finally, they went to a tech shirt (useful to runners relative to the cotton through '09) and got the half-marathon WALKERS to the side of the course. The course has some narrow paved paths, where 3:20 +/- marathoners have to compete with half-marathon walkers still on the course. They did a better job of keeping the walkers to the right this year, but a serious marathon needs to keep these folks OFF of the course completely. By the way, nearby Charleston, SC does make this a GREAT destination race, however.
Jim Stephens from Wake Forest, NC (12/14/2010) "Flat course and well-organized event" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 No expo to speak of - just a venue to pick up D-tag, bib and shirt as well as do a little shopping for last-minute needs. Some of my women friends were bummed that the technical shirt is white. I think for guys the shirt is excellent! If staying off of the island, budget time for the shuttle to the start. Parking and shuttles were very well-organized and went very smoothly. Best part of the pre-race event was being able to be indoors (conference center adjoining the start/finish line). Temperature was excellent, ~42 degrees at the start and I don't think it got above 48. It was drizzling and at times raining during the first hour of the race. Occasional gust of wind (ever notice how it feels like a headwind in both directions?) but nothing more than a little distracting. The ~3000 half and ~1000 full marathoners started together. The course is a 13.1-mile loop on the pancake-flat and winding residential streets and walking trails of Kiawah - very good practice for running tangents. The streets were not closed to Kiawah residents' motor traffic, but that didn't present an issue as the ~7 cars I saw gave way to runners and waited as long as necessary for crowds to pass. Intersections were manned by Kiawah police. Minimal spectators other than the finishing chute, but the volunteers were excellent - enthusiastic, prepared and attentive. The Gatorade was nicely watered down so it was easy to take some in during every stop without having any GI issues. Running on the walking trails late in the race got a little crowded, as half-marathon walkers were still there - and at times walking two-astride. For the record, they were very courteous and made way. The medals are hideous. There was a post-marathon lunch set up in the conference center adjoining the finishing chute (a very comfortable treat to be able to be indoors so quickly after a race!) with pasta, fruit, brownies, smoothies and beer. I'll end my comments with beer....
S. M. from Mt. Pleasant, SC (12/13/2010) "Well run race" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Really enjoyed running this race. It is extremely well organized. Although it's a bit congested on the bike path portion of the race, if you pace yourself evenly you don't really have to worry about it. It definitely opened up a lot after the first half as well. The volunteers were nice and enthusiastic at every water stop despite the rain and cold. And there were even spectators along the way cheering for all of us. The best part was having access to the indoor convention center pre and post race. It was nice waiting in warmth and being able to sit and eat and relax afterward in warmth. I'd definitely recommend this marathon; running two loops of the same course wasn't nearly as bad as I had anticipated! Oh, and the medals look cool, but maybe a bit cheap; HOWEVER, it's nice to have a unique medal. The shirts are nice technical t's.
K. D. from US (9/23/2010) "Won't do it again" (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was my second time running Kiawah. My first half was run here and my first full was here also! The half was great in 2007 but this past year was terrible. With the price you pay to run, you would think the shirt and medals would be great; however, they were terrible! I understand that they are trying to go green but going green doesn't mean they had to go cheap! The post-race food was terrible, and after just a few bites, we all threw the rest away. I brought 5 other people who had never run at Kiawah before and they agreed that they wouldn't come back. I was really disappointed this past year!
K. F. from Atlanta, GA (7/5/2010) "Best post-race party ever!" (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 3 Kiawah Island Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The half marathon has become an annual tradition for my running group and we have a great time every year. We always rent a house on the island and the resorts shuttle service picks us up at our door and drops us at the start. After the race the shuttle returns us to the house. It's probably the most convenient race I have ever run. The course is flat and fast and relatively scenic. The post-race party is the best I have seen at a race. Love their soup, huge chocolate brownies and beer truck. (Yes, they have fruit and pasta for those concerned with healthy food choices.) Weather is always a surprise. I've run one race where the temperatures hit the 80s, but last year it was 50s and rain. I will say that I was disappointed by medal and t-shirt last year. You can't read the text on the medal and, since they are made of glass, they tend to break. I heard plenty of shattering glass after the race. (Maybe they should issue two to every finisher - just in case!) I dont mind a cotton t-shirt, but the 2009 shirt was very thin and it looks cheap. My advice to the Kiawah Marathon Committee: don't skimp on the medal and shirt; find some other way to promote your green agenda. Despite my displeasure with the medal, my friends and I will be back for the 2010 event. It's such a great event that I wouldn't miss it!

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