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Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon) Runner Comments
Back to Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon) Information & Reviews
Course 4.4 
Organization 4.7 
Spectators 3.7
Number of comments: 153 [displaying comments 121 to 131]
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Keith Barrett from Hattiesburg MS
(7/25/2005)
 "Love the challenge" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have ran this marathon twice and it ranks close to the best. I love the challenge from 11 miles to 18 miles. It certainly gives you a good workout. | |
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C. M. from Pensacola, Florida
(2/15/2005)
 "Just do it!" (about: 2005)
50+ previous marathons
| 3 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)s
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a wonderful small marathon put on by a city that welcomes runners. Just do it is all I can say. I will be back every year until they have to carry me up that one, long steep hill by the fire/rescure station! | |
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A. F. from Madisonville, LA
(1/26/2005)
"A Great Way to Start the New Year" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Though this is small marathon, it had the feel of a big-time race. I thought it was realy a neat touch how the City of Mobile erected permanent street signs to mark each turn and at each mile. The was varied and interesting. Until I ran this race I never knew Mobile was such an intresting and scenic town. The price, especially for those who registered early, was wonderful. I have paid $40 more to enter some marathons and have not received so much back as I got at this race. This definitely is a marathon worth running. | |
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joseph harris from livingston, montana
(1/13/2005)
"Good course, hot! Great fans!" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is my 6th marathon and the first I have run in my hometown. It is also the smallest marathon I have run. It was almost incredible. The only bad thing is about 3 miles (20-23) that are in the less-than-fabulous part of town. This keeps the fans away and there is little to recommend this part of the race. Other than that, great water stops and fans and very well organized. Although, I would highly recommend the half other than the whole. It was 75 degrees in Mobile that day and -5 where I live in Montana. Stifling but great for January... | |
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C. B. from Etobicoke Ontario Canada
(1/4/2005)
"Hat's off to a great marathon" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I don't think a marathon could be any better organized than Mobile's. For a small marathon there were so many folks helping out. I found all aspects of the marathon running smoothly, from the packet pick-up to the post-race meal. What attracted me was the value. For $35, we got a pre- and post-race meal and concert, a great long-sleeve shirt and medal. I don't know how they pulled it off and managed to give some money to charity! There were so many folks on the course ensuring the roads were traffic free and ensuring the runners made all the right turns. Everyone was very helpful and friendly. Traffic was not an issue and there was no chance of making a wrong turn on the course. Pre- and post-race meals were excellent and both provided a live band. For a small town marathon, crowd support was minimal, but that is to be expected. Overall, I would recommend this race to everyone. | |
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M. G. from Huntsville, Alabama
(6/27/2004)
 "Tough course but nice meals." (about: 2003)
50+ previous marathons
| 3 Mobile Marathon (prev. First Light Marathon)s
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The course gets hilly about mile 11 with a real tough one at 18. From 20 to finish, it's flat, but boring with few spectators. Biggest complaint: No split times. Free pre-race and post-race meals are good, but music is so loud it is hard to talk. Start is close to hotel, and finish is just a few blocks away. There was no expo in 2003. No state records from the race have been posted to the State Record Site six months after the 2003 race. | |
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C. M. from Pensacola, FL
(2/13/2004)
"Good way to top off the year" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run the Mobile Marathon since its beginning three years ago. A perfect way to end the year. First Light was #18 for the year. Yes, I am addicted... love the challange of 26.2 miles, the scenery and the people who come from all over the US and the world. This year didn't seem to have as many spectators, but volunteers were always cheerful. A nice course with a few hills and one BIG one. The guys at the fire station at the top of the hill always make me smile. If you happen to find yourself 'down South' during the holidays, make sure you run this one! | |
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Don Williams from Pensacola, FL
(2/6/2004)
"Homecoming treat" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 While born, raised and a resident of Mobile for 40 years, I have been gone from there for 17 years. It was a real treat to come home to such a wonderful event on a route that brought back so many memories. My third marathon was the inaugural First Light in 2001 and it turned out to be a PR that will likely always stand. I could not believe that a first time event could have been so well organized. Surely there were glitches behind the scenes; but they were invisible to me. A lack of staffing at the first water station was the only noticable shortcoming. An injury kept me from running in 2002, so this year I was anxious to see if complacency had set in with the staff and volunteers after the initial blush of enthusiasm. I was pleasantly surprised to see that everyone was as helpful and encouraging as ever. Twice after the race I was approached by staffers who asked, 'Do you have any suggestions for how we can improve the race?' I could not offer any suggestions but I appreciated their asking for my comments. The course has beautiful scenery starting with the antebellum homes with their huge live oaks past the lovely homes and golf course at the country club to the rolling hills of the Univ. of South Alabama (my alma mater), through the municipal park with its lakes, to the beautiful campus of Spring Hill College. There are just enough hills on the course to give one's legs a break. The only hill worth mention is at 18 where both times I planned ahead of time to walk, have a gel and water and recharge. That worked very well. My only recommendation to the organization committee is to look into whether it might be logistically feasible to re-route the last few miles back onto Dauphin or Government rather than boring Spring Hill Avenue. | |
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b. s. from oak ridge, tn
(1/3/2004)
"A great race for beginners" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was my first marathon, the course was great and it will challenge you between miles 12-20. Fan support was low; however the race workers were incredibly supportive. However, I think the aid stations could be placed in more predictable locations, e.g. every two miles. Overall this was a great confidence booster for me! | |
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R. T. from Kokomo, Indiana
(1/1/2004)
"Wonderful experience in Mobile" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 My family came down to run this marathon knowing it was a smaller marathon. The bathroom stops, the water stations, the Mobile Police Department and motorcycle club who helped monitor traffic were all fantastic. The course is set over the historic district, USA campus, and a park for 21 miles. I thought it was a busy course. Lots to see, great way to see Mobile. The last 5 miles were a letdown as far as scenery, but the course is well laid out. The hills were not as bad as I was told they would be. My only suggestion would be to add more vendors to the packet pickup and convention. We went with money in our hands looking to buy, but there weren't any clothes to purchase. The bands at the end were good, but they kept encouraging us to dance?!?! Obviously they hadn't run the marathon. This is a marathon everyone should run and support. Thanks for the unique weekend. |
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