Marathon Details - Callaway Gardens Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > GA > Pine Mountain > Callaway Gardens Marathon

Callaway Gardens Marathon & Half Marathon, 5K

Pine Mountain, GA USA

March 2, 2024

http://www.callawaygardens.com/the-gardens/events/race-fitness-series

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Address:	Callaway Gardens 17800 US Hwy 27 Pine Mountain, GA 31822 800.852.3810
Phone Number:	1.808.478.7576
Email:	Email the organizers



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Reviews

Course 4.2

Organization 3.7

Spectators 2.3

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Number of comments: 76 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 > ]

B. B. from Opelika, AL (1/30/2017) "Beautiful Low Key Race" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Callaway Gardens Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Refreshing to find this race still around. I last ran it in 1979 and except for the route change that added a really nice hill the feel is still the same. Aid stations well staffed and equipped. Friendly volunteers. Low entry fee!
R. R. from Houston, Texas (1/29/2017) "Beautiful course, just a bit lonely" (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Callaway Gardens Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Really nice venue for a marathon. Beautiful wooded course, perfectly maintained asphalt road, no traffic. You can park steps from the start/finish so you can keep warm til the start and no bag check needed. You can also keep warm at the indoor pavilion at the start also. Great food at the end (pizza, muffins etc.) I liked the 8 am start time. Plenty of places to stay overnight within minutes of the race. Plenty of well stocked aid stations. I would call the course definitely hilly but not abusive at all and it afforded some of the views you had. Course had a lot of twists and turns that kept your interest but exceptionally well marked, maybe the best I have seen. It would have been nice if the race was at a time of year when things were in bloom as I am sure it is lovely. The only thing lacking was spectators which I can understand being it is off season for the area and located inside a park, but it did get a little lonely for the marathoners. Plenty of nice restaurants in the nearby town. I would do this one again.
p. j. from MN (1/28/2017) "Gorgeous, well-organized" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I provided fan support for my wife, who ran this race in 2017. One of the most beautiful courses we've seen: entirely through forests by small lakes. Double-loop. Well-organized, beautiful finisher's medals, but almost no fan support. (I saw 4 fans on the course.) Excellent food at the finishhot pizza, muffins, fruit, granola bars, cookies, etc. Sufficient aid stations on course. Friendly and helpful volunteers. No expo, no post-race festivities. Not a big deal for us.
w. m. from Atlanta, GA (3/1/2016) "Tough, but beautiful course" (about: 2016) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Callaway Gardens Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Callaway Gardens is a beautiful venue for a marathon. Too bad it cant be in the spring when everything is in bloom, but then it would probably be too hot! For the most part this is a well organized race. The course is very well marked, there were plenty of aid stations with cold water (important for an unusually warm morning for late January) and some of them also had real food available (pretzels, chips, cookies). The volunteers were great & very supportive. There was also plenty of food & drink at the finish (hot pizza!). The course itself was TOUGH! I did the half marathon here several years ago & I forgot just how hilly Callaway is. The major CON I can say about this race is the lack of organization at the finish with the results & awards. They had several men listed as female finishers, women as male finishers. Being a small race I hung around to hear the age group awards to see if I did place in my AG. I only recall hearing 2 names called for my age group & I was too tired to question anyone about it at the time. After I got home I checked the results & saw that someone named James was listed as a female finisher & he was 3rd in my age group. I emailed the race director about this, asking if James was indeed a woman or if that was a typo. She emailed back & said it was a typo & they would fix it in the listing. That made me happy because with James being properly listed as a male finisher that made me the 3rd place finisher in my age group. I emailed the race director again about this & she said I was absolutely correct & she would mail my award to me. She even asked me for the best address to send it. Well, that was over a month ago & I still do not have my award. After several emails (at least 3) to the race director inquiring about this I have received NO replies from her. She is totally ignoring me. At this point I dont even care about the award, I just want to know why she changed her mind. Sorry if this seems petty, but I dont normally place in my age group in a marathon, so this AG win was exciting for me. I noticed the awards at the finish & they are really nice & I thought how great would it be to have one of those? Well, I do have one of them somewhere but I cant get it because the awards presentation at the finish was screwed up & the race director does not want to honor her word to mail it to me. All that said, I will not do this race again.
L. S. from Atlanta GA (1/30/2016) "This race has improved dramatically" (about: 2016) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Callaway Gardens Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 The organizers of this race clearly heard the feedback and have addressed the issues. The aid stations were all manned and had real food and gels. The finisher medal is now a really unique and beautiful thing that you would be proud to display. The shirt they give you is excellent quality (tech fabric) with reflective elements so it would be good at night. The food at the end of the race was better than most other races - pizza, muffins, fruit, coke, water, etc. And the true selling point of this race is the course itself. It is breathtakingly beautiful. Maybe the nicest course I've ever run (and I have run 85+ marathons). It is hilly but I would say it is rolling and there is only one really big one.
J. D. from York, Pennsylvania (1/26/2015) "A beautiful course with missed opportunities" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Callaway Gardens Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 This race was my Georgia marathon in my 50 state quest. The course is gorgeous! A real gem. It's a bit hilly but has spectacular views. That said, there were a lot of missed opportunities here. From the lack of race food, no expo but a packet pick up with two tables of running stuff, and a cheap Chinese medal with a sticker on it the organizers blew a lot of opportunities to impress. This race could easily be 1000 runners or more if the organizer would pay a bit more attention to the medal, the expo and the course and post race food. Pros: Beautiful course with gorgeous views. Although the fans were very minimal, they were all friendly and welcoming. Cons: Cheap Chinese medal with a sticker on it, no on course food, half the volunteers evaporated after the half marathoners finished, no post race fluid in bottles just jugs of Gatorade or water with paper cups, website offered long sleeved shirts to all finishers but no shirt at the finish line. (a short sleeved shirt was included at the packet pick up.)
S. K. from Rancho Palos Verdes, CA (1/27/2014) "One of the prettiest courses, even for winter time" (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Callaway Gardens Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This review is for the 2014 Half Marathon at Callaway. Overall, I really enjoyed this small, low key race. The course was so pretty, even in winter. I could only imagine how beautiful it would be in the summer. Pros: Easy, low key race. From hotel to parking lot/starting line, 6 minutes. Large, heated and enclosed pavillion for runners to hang out before and after the race. Beautiful course. And if you are doing the full, you could easily have family meet you along the course, or rent a bike and tag along. Cons: Website is very limited on information. Medal is definitely nothing to brag about. If you need rock bands, lots of spectators cheering you on, big heavy bling, this is not the race for you. Overall, it was a very nice, low key, no frills race. And the beauty of the course made up for the lack of spectators. Would I do it again, definitely.
D. S. from Michigan (2/3/2013) "Fair event. Lacks passion." (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Callaway Gardens Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I enjoyed the comraderie of a fine gathering of Marathon Maniacs and 50 Staters and I think this is definitely a race to run with a friend or a group. Organization and the race itself is not much beyond just being bare-bones efficient. It just seems like it doesn't seek to improve itself much or even generate any 'buzz' from year to year; old reuseable ankle bracelet timing chips, basic water stops, basic frills, even the websight doesn't apply much informative effort. Parking is generous and close to the start/ finish. Course is a moderately rolling double loop around lakes and through pine woods. How would I make the race better? Make it an evening run and turn on all the Callaway Garden illuminations that line much of the course.
T. P. from Athens, Georgia (1/28/2013) "Low budget marathon." (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Callaway Gardens Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 Nice location but poor value for the $60 entry fee for the half marathon or $65 for the marathon. Shirt and finishing medal were extremely poor quality. No gels on the race course just water/energy drink. They don't encourage repeat runners at their event with the high entry fee for the product delivered. Too many better races available to run this one again.
M. H. from New York, NY (1/28/2013) "Fun, Friendly Race!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Callaway Gardens Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Beautiful race. A bit hillier than expected - particularly the middle miles of each loop. First loop is easy to go out a bit too fast - the field is filled with half marathoners! Second time around can get a bit lonely, but the sparse spectators are very excited to see you, as are the kind volunteers at the water stations. We rolled up at 7:25 (packet pickup on race ay closes at 7:30) and had no problem quickly getting our goody bags, bibs and timing chips. race did give out tech tees, not the cotton mentioned below. Medals are simple but nice, customized for the year and in full color. light snacks after the race are plentiful, even for the not fastest ever marathoner after a huge field for the half. One big con for me was the very unevenly spaced water stations.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 > ]

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B. B. from Opelika, AL (1/30/2017) "Beautiful Low Key Race" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Callaway Gardens Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Refreshing to find this race still around. I last ran it in 1979 and except for the route change that added a really nice hill the feel is still the same. Aid stations well staffed and equipped. Friendly volunteers. Low entry fee!
R. R. from Houston, Texas (1/29/2017) "Beautiful course, just a bit lonely" (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Callaway Gardens Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Really nice venue for a marathon. Beautiful wooded course, perfectly maintained asphalt road, no traffic. You can park steps from the start/finish so you can keep warm til the start and no bag check needed. You can also keep warm at the indoor pavilion at the start also. Great food at the end (pizza, muffins etc.) I liked the 8 am start time. Plenty of places to stay overnight within minutes of the race. Plenty of well stocked aid stations. I would call the course definitely hilly but not abusive at all and it afforded some of the views you had. Course had a lot of twists and turns that kept your interest but exceptionally well marked, maybe the best I have seen. It would have been nice if the race was at a time of year when things were in bloom as I am sure it is lovely. The only thing lacking was spectators which I can understand being it is off season for the area and located inside a park, but it did get a little lonely for the marathoners. Plenty of nice restaurants in the nearby town. I would do this one again.
p. j. from MN (1/28/2017) "Gorgeous, well-organized" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I provided fan support for my wife, who ran this race in 2017. One of the most beautiful courses we've seen: entirely through forests by small lakes. Double-loop. Well-organized, beautiful finisher's medals, but almost no fan support. (I saw 4 fans on the course.) Excellent food at the finishhot pizza, muffins, fruit, granola bars, cookies, etc. Sufficient aid stations on course. Friendly and helpful volunteers. No expo, no post-race festivities. Not a big deal for us.
w. m. from Atlanta, GA (3/1/2016) "Tough, but beautiful course" (about: 2016) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Callaway Gardens Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Callaway Gardens is a beautiful venue for a marathon. Too bad it cant be in the spring when everything is in bloom, but then it would probably be too hot! For the most part this is a well organized race. The course is very well marked, there were plenty of aid stations with cold water (important for an unusually warm morning for late January) and some of them also had real food available (pretzels, chips, cookies). The volunteers were great & very supportive. There was also plenty of food & drink at the finish (hot pizza!). The course itself was TOUGH! I did the half marathon here several years ago & I forgot just how hilly Callaway is. The major CON I can say about this race is the lack of organization at the finish with the results & awards. They had several men listed as female finishers, women as male finishers. Being a small race I hung around to hear the age group awards to see if I did place in my AG. I only recall hearing 2 names called for my age group & I was too tired to question anyone about it at the time. After I got home I checked the results & saw that someone named James was listed as a female finisher & he was 3rd in my age group. I emailed the race director about this, asking if James was indeed a woman or if that was a typo. She emailed back & said it was a typo & they would fix it in the listing. That made me happy because with James being properly listed as a male finisher that made me the 3rd place finisher in my age group. I emailed the race director again about this & she said I was absolutely correct & she would mail my award to me. She even asked me for the best address to send it. Well, that was over a month ago & I still do not have my award. After several emails (at least 3) to the race director inquiring about this I have received NO replies from her. She is totally ignoring me. At this point I dont even care about the award, I just want to know why she changed her mind. Sorry if this seems petty, but I dont normally place in my age group in a marathon, so this AG win was exciting for me. I noticed the awards at the finish & they are really nice & I thought how great would it be to have one of those? Well, I do have one of them somewhere but I cant get it because the awards presentation at the finish was screwed up & the race director does not want to honor her word to mail it to me. All that said, I will not do this race again.
L. S. from Atlanta GA (1/30/2016) "This race has improved dramatically" (about: 2016) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Callaway Gardens Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 The organizers of this race clearly heard the feedback and have addressed the issues. The aid stations were all manned and had real food and gels. The finisher medal is now a really unique and beautiful thing that you would be proud to display. The shirt they give you is excellent quality (tech fabric) with reflective elements so it would be good at night. The food at the end of the race was better than most other races - pizza, muffins, fruit, coke, water, etc. And the true selling point of this race is the course itself. It is breathtakingly beautiful. Maybe the nicest course I've ever run (and I have run 85+ marathons). It is hilly but I would say it is rolling and there is only one really big one.
J. D. from York, Pennsylvania (1/26/2015) "A beautiful course with missed opportunities" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Callaway Gardens Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 This race was my Georgia marathon in my 50 state quest. The course is gorgeous! A real gem. It's a bit hilly but has spectacular views. That said, there were a lot of missed opportunities here. From the lack of race food, no expo but a packet pick up with two tables of running stuff, and a cheap Chinese medal with a sticker on it the organizers blew a lot of opportunities to impress. This race could easily be 1000 runners or more if the organizer would pay a bit more attention to the medal, the expo and the course and post race food. Pros: Beautiful course with gorgeous views. Although the fans were very minimal, they were all friendly and welcoming. Cons: Cheap Chinese medal with a sticker on it, no on course food, half the volunteers evaporated after the half marathoners finished, no post race fluid in bottles just jugs of Gatorade or water with paper cups, website offered long sleeved shirts to all finishers but no shirt at the finish line. (a short sleeved shirt was included at the packet pick up.)
S. K. from Rancho Palos Verdes, CA (1/27/2014) "One of the prettiest courses, even for winter time" (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Callaway Gardens Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This review is for the 2014 Half Marathon at Callaway. Overall, I really enjoyed this small, low key race. The course was so pretty, even in winter. I could only imagine how beautiful it would be in the summer. Pros: Easy, low key race. From hotel to parking lot/starting line, 6 minutes. Large, heated and enclosed pavillion for runners to hang out before and after the race. Beautiful course. And if you are doing the full, you could easily have family meet you along the course, or rent a bike and tag along. Cons: Website is very limited on information. Medal is definitely nothing to brag about. If you need rock bands, lots of spectators cheering you on, big heavy bling, this is not the race for you. Overall, it was a very nice, low key, no frills race. And the beauty of the course made up for the lack of spectators. Would I do it again, definitely.
D. S. from Michigan (2/3/2013) "Fair event. Lacks passion." (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Callaway Gardens Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I enjoyed the comraderie of a fine gathering of Marathon Maniacs and 50 Staters and I think this is definitely a race to run with a friend or a group. Organization and the race itself is not much beyond just being bare-bones efficient. It just seems like it doesn't seek to improve itself much or even generate any 'buzz' from year to year; old reuseable ankle bracelet timing chips, basic water stops, basic frills, even the websight doesn't apply much informative effort. Parking is generous and close to the start/ finish. Course is a moderately rolling double loop around lakes and through pine woods. How would I make the race better? Make it an evening run and turn on all the Callaway Garden illuminations that line much of the course.
T. P. from Athens, Georgia (1/28/2013) "Low budget marathon." (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Callaway Gardens Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 Nice location but poor value for the $60 entry fee for the half marathon or $65 for the marathon. Shirt and finishing medal were extremely poor quality. No gels on the race course just water/energy drink. They don't encourage repeat runners at their event with the high entry fee for the product delivered. Too many better races available to run this one again.
M. H. from New York, NY (1/28/2013) "Fun, Friendly Race!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Callaway Gardens Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Beautiful race. A bit hillier than expected - particularly the middle miles of each loop. First loop is easy to go out a bit too fast - the field is filled with half marathoners! Second time around can get a bit lonely, but the sparse spectators are very excited to see you, as are the kind volunteers at the water stations. We rolled up at 7:25 (packet pickup on race ay closes at 7:30) and had no problem quickly getting our goody bags, bibs and timing chips. race did give out tech tees, not the cotton mentioned below. Medals are simple but nice, customized for the year and in full color. light snacks after the race are plentiful, even for the not fastest ever marathoner after a huge field for the half. One big con for me was the very unevenly spaced water stations.

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Marathon Details - Callaway Gardens Marathon