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Clearwater Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Clearwater Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 3.8 
Spectators 3.1
Number of comments: 170 [displaying comments 111 to 121]
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T. O. from Denver, CO
(2/23/2003)
 "great course, great spectators, NEED MORE Bathroom" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Hey: Great Course!!!!!, The Best Support ever at all aid stations and the finish!!!!! Okay my only negative comment, NEED more Restrooms through out---Way more at the start and more through out the course!--that should be an easy one to fix ---I would do this run again. | |
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J. G. from Minnesota
(2/23/2003)
 "Satisfactory, but could be better" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 This was my 9th marathon and my 7th marathon in the last 12 months. The course was nice at the beginning, but not very scenic along the Pinellas trail (about 7 miles near the end). I would run this one again if I happened to be in the area, but would not travel for it. Overall, this marathon suffers from lack of volunteers. With more volunteer hours, many aspects could be improved. Perhaps it will get better with age. | |
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Taressa Snelling from Vero Beach, Florida
(2/23/2003)
 "Top-notch motivation and organization" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Thank you so much for all the effort you put into this marathon. I particularly appreciated the constant e-mails to motivate us and the 'get psyched' pages. The quotes along the way were very motavational. As a new marathoner, they were a great preparation for the run. All of the people who gave out water and gatorade were wonderful. They even opened my energy gel for me!! Thanks agin for all your hard work!! | |
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S. L. from Hopkinton, NH
(2/22/2003)
"A great course with superb volunteers and fan supp" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The weather was unusually hot and humid. Which was certainly a fluke. There seemed to be a headwind most of the race and I am sure no one had a PR. Despite this for a marathon of its mid size and young age it was a fantastic experience. I have run other marathons with better sponsorship and more experience but give this one higher marks. The course was varied and beatiful. While the scenery was only occasionally breathtaking,(sorry),it was never boring or blighted. The spectators were worth more than a tailwind and the police deserve particular applause. The volunteers at the water stations treated every runner with individual attention. The finishers medals were quite artistically done. With improved sponsorship and a few more portapotties this has the makings of a perranial favorite. The course was not perfectly flat but even with the weather hardship I would only describe it as appropriately challenging. I definately hope to be running it again next year. | |
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C. R. from Gainesville, FL
(2/22/2003)
"GREAT first marathon" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and I thought it was very well organized (aside from too few bathrooms at the beinning). I ran it with a good friend who had recommended it for the flat course and good weather. The weather was definitely more humid and hotter than in past years but I thought it was nice since the sun was not beating down on us and that would have been much worse. The volunteers were very attentive and encouraging along the way. The water/gatorade stops were also very plentiful throughout - much more than I ever imagined. It would have been nice to have more spectators but with the weather being iffy and the access to the pinellas trail being limited, I thought it was pretty good. To be honest, I was so tired and inwardly focused by the end, I probably wouldn't have noticed (or didn't notice) any spectators. All in all I thought it was a well organized and very fun race. Thanks to all the volunteers and organizers for a job well done! | |
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L. G. from USA
(2/22/2003)
 "We;;-organized, friendly atmosphere, fast course" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 As a big participator in marathons...I have run over 70, I found the Gulf Beaches Marathon and Half Marathon relay to be tremendously well-organized and great for those marathoners who want a fast, efficent course. Now, I noted also that the water stops were manned by friendly and eager helpers plus were adequate in number along the way. Water stops are so critical in long distance events, especially in Florida, and the fact that there was gatoraide and oranges at most of them, made them quite effective. Amenities such as massages, water, food, etc. were all fully provided. The finish line was great...the famous downhill, and the warm greetings we got at the end made for a nice touch. Thanks you so much for all your hard work. | |
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A. C. from Michigan
(2/22/2003)
"Challenging, Fun Day -- I'd Do it Again!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my second marathon. I ran a little faster than my first (Detroit). The weather, windy and warm, made for a tougher race. I thought the race organization was very solid. No problems signing up, plenty of pre-race information. My wife and I stayed at one of the race hotels (Adams Mark) and it was very enjoyable. The expo was nothing special, but I didn't have any issues with the packet pick-up. The race started on time, maybe a couple minutes late. Some mile markers were off a bit, that seems to be a common problem in road races I've run. The volunteers were excellent, plenty of them -- very friendly, and understanding. Lots of water, gatorade, fruit, gel, etc. out on the course. And the traffic control was outstanding. There seemed to be polic everywhere. The fans were not numerous, but they were vocal. I enjoyed the retirees sitting out watching the race go by. My only complaint was an insufficient number of porta-johns at the start (and they ran out of paper). I would like to run this marathon again someday, and have no problem recommending it. | |
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Bob Lehew from Tulsa, Oklahoma
(2/20/2003)
"Clearwater - Great place to visit and race!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Clear and sunny skies greeted those that arrived the day before the race this year. Beautiful day to pick up your packet and spend time on the beach. Thankfully, we were blessed with overcast skies the next day, and a slight breeze out of the south. After the singing of the National Anthem, we were off to a scenic crossing of a bridge to beautiful Clearwater Beach. Timing was via a chip, so the start was on time, easy and fair to even the back of the pack runners and walkers. Several changes in direction on this basic rectangular course provided enough changes to allow me to mentally break the course in sections and stay focused. The occasional slight climb over a bridge or overpass were welcome changes to an overwise very flat and fast course. Crowd support along the course was very good for this size race, and the protection by the traffic contol police was a supurb. Aid Stations were plentiful and the Gatoraide was mixed properly and very tasty. Gel and wonderful Florida oranges were available in the final miles. The finish was a slight downhill and I could hear the music from a 1/2 mile out. Finisher's medals are very unique and very Florida - a great momento and rememberence of my time this winter in Florida. Thanks to all of the Race Officials and Volunteers for a great day. Marathon number 130 Bob Lehew-Oklahoma Marathon RD Pres - 50 States Marathon Club | |
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Kay Fox from Columbus, Ohio
(2/20/2003)
 "First Time Marathon Walker " (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 The Florida Gulf Beaches Marathon on 2/16/03 was my first full marathon. I have been walking for about 1.5 years and began training to walk a marathon since October 2002. I have 4 months of distance training prior to the marathon having trained up to 24 miles in central Ohio for the duration, through snow and 20 degree weather, so I thought the weather was fantastic. The marathon was very well organized, with plenty of water stops, and plenty of police support. The course was very well marked and, in most spots, very evident on where to turn. I appreciated all of the volunteers that came out to support the marathon. Unfortunately, the number of spectators was negligible, which can be attributed to the small size of the marathon and the route which involved lots of hotels. By the time I was at the 10 mile, the volunteers had stopped cheering and stopped encouraging the participants, and simply just handed out the water. Some stops simply were abandoned, but the tables had the cups and there were jugs of water you could use to fill up. I guess I am spoiled by the Columbus Marathon where there were people at every mile marker and crowds lining the streets. It was pretty disappointing to come to the 24 mile mark, and me saying a pretty cheerful 'Hi, thanks for volunteering' to the people at that mile marker. The response was 'Is there anyone behind you?' - 'Yes there are probably 15 people behind me' and a very insensitive, exasparated 'Really?' response. If I can be cheerful after 24 miles, darn it, I think the volunteers could be a little more supportive. I have done volunteer work before that involved being on my feet for 12 hours at a time, it goes a lot faster if you try to have some fun! Special thanks to the volunteer group near the 23 mile mark. They were great! They walked with us and encouraged us from the second we came into their sight until we were out of hearing range. That is the kind of attitude to have. I bet they had a blast working that stop! The people working at the 12 mile mark were fun too! Someone came out to walk with us for a minute and talk to us, ask how things were going. The halfway point group were supportive too, encouraging us and cheering us on. I was fortunate to finish my first marathon within my goal of finishing under 7 hours. Since I did finish under the 7 hour time, and the marathon advertised that the finish line would be open based on a 7 hour pace, I was hoping to get a picture of the finish line with the timer showing my time, but the workers had already taken down the 'Finish' banner, and the clock was inside of the truck. I literally had to step over the scaffolding that had previously held the 'Finish' banner to go across the timing mats. That was very disappointing, especially since I had researched to do a marathon based on this time limit. That was my last impression of the actual marathon, NO FINISH LINE. Now I am back home in Ohio and am looking for my results. I can't find them on the website. I am not listed as finishing the marathon, even though there are several people listed at times over 7 hours. Hopefully this can be straightened out. It would be nice to be able to email my friends and family the official results. Perhaps the metal scaffolding on the mats messed up the timing.... It is my nature to be helpful and positive, so I will offer some suggestions. 1. Start the walkers 1 or 1.5 hours ahead of the runners. The walkers would be spread out by the time the runners went by and could offer additional support for the runners, plus give a little bit of trial run on the volunteer stations. For Columbus marathon, the walkers started 1 hour before the runners, but we walked on the sidewalks for the first hour and then could move to the road when the marathon started. I saw that there was bicycle support, so the walkers could be given a warning as the top runners passed. 2. Encourage the volunteers to be supportive. Even I had a lot more fun cheering on the other walkers as we/they passed. Again, it's still a marathon and everyone can use the encouragement. I was really surprised that none of the groups had music to listen to while they were working. | |
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N. K. from Florida
(2/20/2003)
 "Small race needs help" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 This was the smallest race I have done. I was very disappointed in the ads that said 'FAST AND FLAT'. This course is anything but flat. Look at all the bridges and inclines there are!! They cannot turn the course around because of the drawbridge at the start. Also, look at the winning times, not really fast times! The expo was the saddest thing I ever did see. It was outside, thank goodness it was not raining as predicted. There were only bananas and oranges when we got there. Imagine the crowd uproar if there were the 2000 runners they had in the past. There were under 800 marathoners. You gotta have a sponsor or someone to better gauge how to feed the masses. The medal was excellent and the color differential was good for the relay and whole marathon but other than that I am glad I can cross this one off my list of runs to do. CONCERNS: Need more porta-potties; Need clocks on course, not giving us the time of day, we want race time; Expo is in need; I believe they advertised a long sleeve shirt and we got a short sleeve shirt; Food on course and at end - need more; Advertise the truth, hilly course; Changes were made in relay numbering but not printed in race info (R2 numbers on back, different color bib); we need some entertainment on course. POSITIVES: Cool running starfish medal; course security by local police; bagpiper at mile 4 (only entertainment and I am sure not part of the race); Water stations were well staffed; Florida race. Good luck in the future. |
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