Marathon Details - Alpharetta Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > GA > Alpharetta > Alpharetta Marathon

Alpharetta Marathon & Half Marathon, 10K

Alpharetta, GA USA

~~March 1, 2009~~ - CANCELLED

http://www.alpharettamarathon.com

More Info:	News
Results:	2008 \| 2007 Top 3 Finishers by Year
Course Maps:	View Course Map/Elevation Chart

Contact

Name:	Carol MacDonald
Address:	3060 Royal Boulevard South Suite 145 Alpharetta,Georgia 30022
Phone Number:	678-297-2811
Fax Number:	678-297-9197
Email:	Email the organizers



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Reviews

Course 2.6

Organization 3.4

Spectators 2.1

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Number of comments: 43 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

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

J. F. from Atlanta, Georgia (12/29/2008) "I like this race" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Alpharetta Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Looking for a tune up to ING Georgia, Nashville, or the Flying Pig, or just looking for a great race without all of the fanfare? Alpharetta offers you an opportunity to do it on a cool spring North Georgia morning. The half is fast. The full has an attitude that says, "Pay me back for all of those long, easy runs early on." Public Safety is A+. Even the big cities don't have as many orange cones as you will see in Alpharetta. And no negatives on the small number of spectators. You're running alongside prissy office parks and retail stores on a Sunday morning. The aid stations are ready and waiting for you. What I love best about this marathon is that after you pass the big Carl Black GMC Dealership in Roswell, the rest of the way is essentially downhill to the finish line. Oh, and thanks again to that big baptist church that opens its doors to us before the race....
J. A. from Kennesaw, GA (11/24/2008) "This is a hilly course!" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Alpharetta Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon (3:28:33), and it was the inaugural marathon (2007). I wanted to run a local marathon that would not be overcrowded, and this was perfect. They also chipped all of the runners, so you got your half-marathon time as well. I was lucky to have trained so well on hills, because this course was tough. There were certain spots where I was surprised to think that a car could climb the hill I was running. The course was well organized, but there were not many people in the full marathon (I think fewer than 300). Very happy with the race; great organization and awesome medals!
Ryan Smith from Knoxville, TN (7/2/2008) "Decent Race Overall" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Alpharetta Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Pros - $40 entry fee (half-marathon) Easy travel (very close to Atlanta) Rolling Hills (I'm from Knoxville, so I'm used to them) Small race atmosphere Cons - 7 a.m. race start (32 degrees) Few spectators (but the ones there were great) A big change I noticed this year was the big decrease in "fast" half runners (1:10 - 1:15ish). I'm pretty sure it's because there was no money prize in it, which I think is pretty sad (not that there was no money, but rather that people will only run for the money). Still, it was ok for me. (I actually ended up winning the race.) Overall, the race had the feel of a low-key, normal weekend race to me. Nice people, good volunteers, and good organization for the 2nd year of existence. I'd recommend it.
C. C. from Alpharetta, GA (4/7/2008) "Huge hills last 7 miles; was almost run over" (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Alpharetta Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The sequence of the course could be changed so as not to put the biggest hills at the end. Maybe run east of 400 around the mall at the end? Some @$%# almost ran me over at mile 22 (decided to ignore the cones).
John Tackett from Atlanta, GA (3/31/2008) "What Race Expo?" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Alpharetta Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I did the half this year. Last year I qualified for Boston at this event. This is the 2nd year I have run this event and the race expo is a joke. If you are looking for vendors for supplies and race gear, this is not the place to find it. Why is the expo so poorly attended by vendors? Yet 30 days later the ING expo had vendors galore (could that be the reason?). I want to support local events, but this is hard to do. Here is a quote from their website for the race expo: "Come check out some of the top running and fitness manufacturers and retailers from across the country at the 2008 Health & Fitness Expo. This year's expo... will be the center of attention as the all important race weekend draws near." Whoops, I guess someone forgot to invite the "top fitness manufacturers and retailers." There was good support from the volunteers along the course, but the spectators were sparse, except at the start and finish. But then again, Disney is the same except when you are in the parks. I will run it again next year in the hopes that it gets better, and I love running hills. But please get more retailers and exhibitors at the expo; otherwise, just mail my bib and save me the gas. (Chip pickup is the morning of the race.)
M. E. from Minnesota (3/10/2008) "Except for the host hotel, everything was great" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I loved the course! If you weren't busting a lung climbing up a hill, you were trashing your quads going down a hill. Yeah, it was tough. But it was a great course! The awards were fantastic! Hopefully, the cash awards will entice more runners for the future. The volunteers and the few spectators were fantastic. That group around the 19 or 20 mile-mark really got me pumped up again. Thanks to them. Okay, now my complaint. If a hotel is going to claim to be the "host hotel," then they should be ready to be a good host. No spaghetti was on their menu. I would have been fine with that - I could have gone someplace else for some spaghetti (and it wouldn't have cost me $22, either)- but I kept getting told that they were going to put a pasta dinner together for me. When I finally got something, it was filled with a bunch of other stuff that I had to pick out - sorry, I'm kind of picky the night before a marathon. And then, after shuttling us down to the start, they didn't have anybody to take us back to the hotel from the finish. If it weren't for a volunteer going out of here way and the kindness of some strangers that drove me back, I might have had to walk back to the hotel. Okay, that's enough complaining. Overall, I'd rank this marathon very high on my list and would recommend it to any other 50 Stater looking for a Georgia marathon. But come prepared for the hills!
L. A. from Canton GA (3/8/2008) "Woowee, that was not easy for a 1st marathon" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Alpharetta Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I knew that this marathon was going to be hard. But I had no idea it was going to be that hard. The first half was hilly but pretty fun; after mile marker 18 it was an uphill battle. Even going into the finish line was uphill. I don't think I will do this marathon again but I am planning my second in Nashville to see if I can get my 4-hour goal time there. I got 4.5 on this course. Thank you to the great group of spectators at mile marker 19; they helped more than they will ever know!
g. w. from alpharetta, ga (3/7/2008) "Good local race" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Alpharetta Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 My only point of comparison is the Marine Corps Marathon, but I really enjoyed this race. Given the small size of the field I was impressed with the amount of traffic control, water stations and porta-potties. The crowd was thin, but what should we expect with just over 100 runners? Those that were out there were great and much appreciated! I don't know what people expected, but again, I thought it was a great race. No complaints here, and I expect to run it again next year.
M. W. from Alpharetta, GA (3/4/2008) "Small, Great Support, Hills" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Alpharetta Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Ran the half last year and decided to do the full. Yes, it is hilly, but there is not a lot of flat ground in the Atlanta area. ING is not flat either. The on-course support was awesome. I was worried with only 107 marathoners that the second half would not have adequate support, but that was not a problem. Crowds were sparse but very enthusiastic (particularly at the Cooler). But, this race will need to do a better pre-race (expo) and post-race (half may have been ok) to become any more than a novelty. If not, the full will probably be swallowed up by the ING in 4 weeks and this will just become a half, which might not be a bad idea as a tune up for ING.
B. M. from Dacula, Georgia (3/3/2008) "More local marathoners need to run this great race" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 After reading the comments from last year, I was fairly nervous about the second half of the race. Almost all comments referred to the extremely difficult course, especially the second half of the marathon. Thanks to having some knowledge ahead of time, I was able to plan accordingly by starting this marathon at a slower than usual pace for me. Because of this, I was able to run an even split race, which made my experience very enjoyable with a decent marathon time. All in all, I thought that the entire marathon was excellent in every way. This is a smaller marathon and as long as you know this going into it, you should have a good experience. The volunteers, bands, spectators (not a lot of them), and cheerleaders really helped keep me going just when I needed it. When I crossed the finish line, the directors of the race handed me a 2-liter bottle of very cold water. I truly hope that more people register for this marathon next year because it was definitely a good one. By the way, this year they had lots of GU for those of you who like the GU passed out (apparently, last year they didn't have any).

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

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J. F. from Atlanta, Georgia (12/29/2008) "I like this race" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Alpharetta Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Looking for a tune up to ING Georgia, Nashville, or the Flying Pig, or just looking for a great race without all of the fanfare? Alpharetta offers you an opportunity to do it on a cool spring North Georgia morning. The half is fast. The full has an attitude that says, "Pay me back for all of those long, easy runs early on." Public Safety is A+. Even the big cities don't have as many orange cones as you will see in Alpharetta. And no negatives on the small number of spectators. You're running alongside prissy office parks and retail stores on a Sunday morning. The aid stations are ready and waiting for you. What I love best about this marathon is that after you pass the big Carl Black GMC Dealership in Roswell, the rest of the way is essentially downhill to the finish line. Oh, and thanks again to that big baptist church that opens its doors to us before the race....
J. A. from Kennesaw, GA (11/24/2008) "This is a hilly course!" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Alpharetta Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon (3:28:33), and it was the inaugural marathon (2007). I wanted to run a local marathon that would not be overcrowded, and this was perfect. They also chipped all of the runners, so you got your half-marathon time as well. I was lucky to have trained so well on hills, because this course was tough. There were certain spots where I was surprised to think that a car could climb the hill I was running. The course was well organized, but there were not many people in the full marathon (I think fewer than 300). Very happy with the race; great organization and awesome medals!
Ryan Smith from Knoxville, TN (7/2/2008) "Decent Race Overall" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Alpharetta Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Pros - $40 entry fee (half-marathon) Easy travel (very close to Atlanta) Rolling Hills (I'm from Knoxville, so I'm used to them) Small race atmosphere Cons - 7 a.m. race start (32 degrees) Few spectators (but the ones there were great) A big change I noticed this year was the big decrease in "fast" half runners (1:10 - 1:15ish). I'm pretty sure it's because there was no money prize in it, which I think is pretty sad (not that there was no money, but rather that people will only run for the money). Still, it was ok for me. (I actually ended up winning the race.) Overall, the race had the feel of a low-key, normal weekend race to me. Nice people, good volunteers, and good organization for the 2nd year of existence. I'd recommend it.
C. C. from Alpharetta, GA (4/7/2008) "Huge hills last 7 miles; was almost run over" (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Alpharetta Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The sequence of the course could be changed so as not to put the biggest hills at the end. Maybe run east of 400 around the mall at the end? Some @$%# almost ran me over at mile 22 (decided to ignore the cones).
John Tackett from Atlanta, GA (3/31/2008) "What Race Expo?" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Alpharetta Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I did the half this year. Last year I qualified for Boston at this event. This is the 2nd year I have run this event and the race expo is a joke. If you are looking for vendors for supplies and race gear, this is not the place to find it. Why is the expo so poorly attended by vendors? Yet 30 days later the ING expo had vendors galore (could that be the reason?). I want to support local events, but this is hard to do. Here is a quote from their website for the race expo: "Come check out some of the top running and fitness manufacturers and retailers from across the country at the 2008 Health & Fitness Expo. This year's expo... will be the center of attention as the all important race weekend draws near." Whoops, I guess someone forgot to invite the "top fitness manufacturers and retailers." There was good support from the volunteers along the course, but the spectators were sparse, except at the start and finish. But then again, Disney is the same except when you are in the parks. I will run it again next year in the hopes that it gets better, and I love running hills. But please get more retailers and exhibitors at the expo; otherwise, just mail my bib and save me the gas. (Chip pickup is the morning of the race.)
M. E. from Minnesota (3/10/2008) "Except for the host hotel, everything was great" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I loved the course! If you weren't busting a lung climbing up a hill, you were trashing your quads going down a hill. Yeah, it was tough. But it was a great course! The awards were fantastic! Hopefully, the cash awards will entice more runners for the future. The volunteers and the few spectators were fantastic. That group around the 19 or 20 mile-mark really got me pumped up again. Thanks to them. Okay, now my complaint. If a hotel is going to claim to be the "host hotel," then they should be ready to be a good host. No spaghetti was on their menu. I would have been fine with that - I could have gone someplace else for some spaghetti (and it wouldn't have cost me $22, either)- but I kept getting told that they were going to put a pasta dinner together for me. When I finally got something, it was filled with a bunch of other stuff that I had to pick out - sorry, I'm kind of picky the night before a marathon. And then, after shuttling us down to the start, they didn't have anybody to take us back to the hotel from the finish. If it weren't for a volunteer going out of here way and the kindness of some strangers that drove me back, I might have had to walk back to the hotel. Okay, that's enough complaining. Overall, I'd rank this marathon very high on my list and would recommend it to any other 50 Stater looking for a Georgia marathon. But come prepared for the hills!
L. A. from Canton GA (3/8/2008) "Woowee, that was not easy for a 1st marathon" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Alpharetta Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I knew that this marathon was going to be hard. But I had no idea it was going to be that hard. The first half was hilly but pretty fun; after mile marker 18 it was an uphill battle. Even going into the finish line was uphill. I don't think I will do this marathon again but I am planning my second in Nashville to see if I can get my 4-hour goal time there. I got 4.5 on this course. Thank you to the great group of spectators at mile marker 19; they helped more than they will ever know!
g. w. from alpharetta, ga (3/7/2008) "Good local race" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Alpharetta Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 My only point of comparison is the Marine Corps Marathon, but I really enjoyed this race. Given the small size of the field I was impressed with the amount of traffic control, water stations and porta-potties. The crowd was thin, but what should we expect with just over 100 runners? Those that were out there were great and much appreciated! I don't know what people expected, but again, I thought it was a great race. No complaints here, and I expect to run it again next year.
M. W. from Alpharetta, GA (3/4/2008) "Small, Great Support, Hills" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Alpharetta Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Ran the half last year and decided to do the full. Yes, it is hilly, but there is not a lot of flat ground in the Atlanta area. ING is not flat either. The on-course support was awesome. I was worried with only 107 marathoners that the second half would not have adequate support, but that was not a problem. Crowds were sparse but very enthusiastic (particularly at the Cooler). But, this race will need to do a better pre-race (expo) and post-race (half may have been ok) to become any more than a novelty. If not, the full will probably be swallowed up by the ING in 4 weeks and this will just become a half, which might not be a bad idea as a tune up for ING.
B. M. from Dacula, Georgia (3/3/2008) "More local marathoners need to run this great race" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 After reading the comments from last year, I was fairly nervous about the second half of the race. Almost all comments referred to the extremely difficult course, especially the second half of the marathon. Thanks to having some knowledge ahead of time, I was able to plan accordingly by starting this marathon at a slower than usual pace for me. Because of this, I was able to run an even split race, which made my experience very enjoyable with a decent marathon time. All in all, I thought that the entire marathon was excellent in every way. This is a smaller marathon and as long as you know this going into it, you should have a good experience. The volunteers, bands, spectators (not a lot of them), and cheerleaders really helped keep me going just when I needed it. When I crossed the finish line, the directors of the race handed me a 2-liter bottle of very cold water. I truly hope that more people register for this marathon next year because it was definitely a good one. By the way, this year they had lots of GU for those of you who like the GU passed out (apparently, last year they didn't have any).

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Marathon Details - Alpharetta Marathon