Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

May 10, 2024

Palm Beaches Marathon Festival Runner Comments

Back to Palm Beaches Marathon Festival Information & Reviews

Course 3.7

Organization 3.6

Spectators 3.1

Number of comments: 106 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 11 > ]

R. H. from Midwest, USA (1/26/2014) "Unforgivable to start 20 minutes late!" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Palm Beaches Marathon Festival COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 It was 78 degrees at the start and they started the race 20 minutes late, which meant we had to run 20 extra minutes in the hot sun. Unforgivable!! I would not run this race ever again. This is not a scenic race but it could be if they would choose a different route. The water stops were well placed and staffed by friendly volunteers.
L. B. from USA (1/1/2014) "LKB from Illinois" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Palm Beaches Marathon Festival COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 The expo was lackluster and the packet pick up was fine, however a severe lack of information in the packet. I had to ask several people about a map and where the start/finish was located. The race starting twenty minutes late is not a good thing. I enjoyed the race the course was flat and the people friendly. The heat and sunshine/humidity affected my performance, after training in twenty degree in Illinois.
H. C. from Richmond, VA (12/13/2013) "10 years old...really??" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Palm Beaches Marathon Festival COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 WOW. I had read previous comments but saw that there had been some improvements and this was the 10th year so it had to be better, right? I will start by saying that the volunteers were fantastic - thank you, thank you! The police along the course were friendly and did a great job holding traffic for us. The course was flat but the scenery dropped off after mile 15. Volunteers, again, fantastic. Now, the expo was not an expo - there were maybe a dozen vendors. Someone outside was handing out flyers announcing that the local running store would open early the next morning to cater to runners needing GU. YIKES! My packet contained 4 safety pins, my bib and my tech shirt. The bag was too small to hold a pair of shoes so using it for bag check was impossible. There were no flyers for other races and there was no flyer for THIS race - no map, instructions, nothing. Port-a-johns - I would recommend having more of those at the start. I located 2 places with port-a-johns but the number was limited and the lines were long. LONG. I knew in advance that the weekend would be hot and there is NOTHING you can do about the weather so the 630a start made me feel a little better....until the 20-minute delay. It was 80 degrees and that extra time in the early morning would have helped a little. I've never seen such a delay, but heard they had the same thing for the 5/10k 2 days prior. Announcements at both events blamed it on the police verifying the course. Really?? 10 years later? And I should mention that the full course changed mid-race. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RACE. My Garmin registered almost 27 miles at the finish... National Anthem. I heard them announce that it was coming but I never heard it. If I can hear your announcements you should probably make sure I can hear my National Anthem - that's one of my favorite pre-race things. I've done hot runs before and I know that a runner must adjust his/her expectations. I also know that nutrition and hydration are important and on really hot days salt is a must. I brought some...thank goodness. I shared some with other runners but the surprising fact is that I HAD to - none of the medical tents had salt. You can buy that in bulk so maybe consider throwing 4 or 5 packets into the race pack next year. The location is fantastic, the host hotels were accommodating, the park at the start/finish is a wonderful venue. Unfortunately, this event felt to me as if there was very little interest in it's success. The opportunity is there but I've seen inaugural races with better organization and zest. And your first priority should be runner safety. If that means a 630a start time, then please honor that. If it's historically hot on race day, offer salt and some sort of sports drink at the finish. Pull it together, Palm Beaches. I would hesitate to recommend this race as-is but fix a few things and you'll have a great event!
J. W. from Florida (12/11/2013) "I did not enjoy this full marathon." (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Palm Beaches Marathon Festivals COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I did the full marathon. There is VERY little music on the course. One of the race officials told me it is because the community doesn't want the loud music. Why not have cheerleaders or don't have the full marathon or half marathon at all. If the community doesn't participate it is boring. Lots of dead areas on the course. I thought the turnaraound would never come. I am a walker and finished in 6:03. I am always in the back of the pack and miss all the excitement. It is hard to keep up beat with no spectators or music. The people at the water stations were GREAT. There was plenty of ice, water and gatorade to the end. It was brutally hot. There were no bananas or cold sponges. I would say not very well planned. Also, I have noticed at several races when other participants finish and they are leaving the area, they don't even cheer on the people who are still participating. Did you forget how people cheering helped you?
C. H. from Toronto, Canada (12/11/2013) "Beautiful city - disappointing race!" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Palm Beaches Marathon Festival COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 The whole idea of a race is timing - how can a race start 20 minutes late?? In the Florida sunshine 20minutes is a big deal! The medal - so disappointing - after running 26.2 miles - I want the medal to say that not 'annual' If I were to design the course take me over the bridge and see Palm Beach and then loop back on the main side or how about running through City Place. More of a half marathon race than a full.
C. P. from CT (12/10/2013) "Questionable Organization" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This is my 7th time running the event, 6 previous 1/2 marathons, and the Friday night 10k this year. I go to Florida this week every year, and am very loyal to the event (despite it's shortcomings). I've run 13 marathons, and 10 different marathons. Weather wise, you can expect anything this time of the year. Frankly, this year it was too hot - with temps in the low 80's on marathon Sunday. You can usually expect better, I ran the 10k on Friday night. It almost started in the wrong direction. No mile markers except for Mile 1. They gave me a Medium T-Shirt when I had requested an XL. They advertised a free beer at World of Beer (right by the finish), but WOB said they would only honor it on Sunday - despite the coupon being on my bib. I had several, so it wasn't that big a deal but weird since it was advertised. Took forever for them to announce age group winners - longer than winners would have stuck around on a Friday night.
R. M. from Florida (12/9/2013) "Do not run this race" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Palm Beaches Marathon Festivals COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 What a disappointment. So poorly organized. The race started about 20 minutes late, which was extremely frustrating and added 20 extra minutes to the heat at the end of the race. Just seemed like a 'money-grab' race, not about the sport of running or marathoning. The water stops featured warm water and warm gatorade - YUCK! Even at the finish they handed me a warm bottle of water. Is it too much to have ice at the finish? I will never come back to this race. Worst overall marathon I have encountered in many years.
J. O. from Florida (12/9/2013) "Who starts a marathon 20 MINUTES LATE?" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Palm Beaches Marathon Festival COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 So we ALL know the weather is going to be hot and sunny on a course with zero shade. Who starts a race like that 20 MINUTES LATE?? Actually, some consideration should have been given to starting it earlier e.g. RNR Chicago HM 2012. It may not seem like much; however, that was 2-3 miles for a lot of marathoners that they had to run in 'dangerous' conditions per the flag system used at mile markers. No doubt we can't control the weather but you can prepare much better than this. The 10K/5K start was also late. Disappointing. Clearly, the RD did NOT learn from previous comments re: water stops. They need to be EVERY MILE especially mile 20-finish. Even more so with the heat this year. Failed on gels as well. NONE for HM and a pitiful effort for marathoners. Blink and you missed the one guy out there kind of holding them for you to grab. Maybe next year they can let registrants know shirts are gender specific since there IS a difference - my co-runners (that I registered) could not exchange them at the Expo and had no chance after the race. The course was pretty nice - out and back, flat. Volunteers and spectators very pleasant! Nice venue with City Place and waterfront park - neat farmers market on Saturday. No problem finding a restaurant for a large group Sat night.
C. F. from Fort Lauderdale, FL (12/9/2013) "Not worth it" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Palm Beaches Marathon Festival COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Being a South Florida resident I decided to run this marathon so I could stay close to home instead of traveling like I usually do. I've read lots of negative comments regarding this race but I figured that after 10 years of working on the issuers and a reputable race company (USRS) at the helm, this race would be great. Not so. Expo- the expo was incredibly difficult to get to stuck in the middle of Cityplace during holiday shopping season made traffic and parking a beast. Once actually in the 'expo' I was expecting more than maybe 10 venders. It is more of a packet pick-up than an expo. Shirts- too small for women and they don't offer an opportunity to exchange shirts except on race morning. Come on, you really think I'm going to be concerned about a shirt 30 minutes before I run a race?! Ridiculous. The pre-race- it is my saving grace that I stopped at a gas station before I got to the start line because the porta potty lines were around the block for the few they had. And since there was No pre-race map of the area provided I had no idea that there were a handful more near the actual start line. Race- just as we were supposed to start the race announcer tells the crowd of eager runners ready to go (on an 80 degree morning in the last few minutes of darkness before the sun came up) that the start was delayed...no indication of how long we'd wait....15 minutes later we finally started. There is absolutely no excuse for this. None. And I love how the race announcer made some blanket statement about 'safety' being the reason. They should have had every safety issue resolved days and weeks ago! We all got up early and got to the starting line on time, it's their job to start the race on time. In 14 marathons I have never seen this before. Course- the course itself was scenic and I really have no complaints. If it weren't so hot, it would have been perfect. The water stops were somewhat under-manned but the volunteers tried their best to get every runner a drink. You can never blame volunteers. Finish line- after you've just spent hours on the course in 80 degrees the last thing you want to have to do is peel an orange. Another lack of detail were the boxes of uncut oranges. There were bananas, fruit cups, cookies, pretzels...the typical things you see. The only beverage provided was water. On a day like yesterday when people are extremely dehydrated, you need some sort of electrolyte replacement at the finish line. Overall, I'm thankful I only spent $60 on this marathon... It wasn't worth much more. It has potential but after 10 years how many chances can you get??
F. W. from Florida, USA (12/4/2013) "THEY HAD NO MEDALS" (about: 2011) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Palm Beaches Marathon Festival COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 I ran this marathon in 2011 and even though I came in well under the 6 hour cut off AND I had pre-registered, they had run out of medals. I understand this can happen sometimes so I didn't make a fuss when they promised to mail it to me. I had paid full price for this race and run 26.2 miles in hot/humid conditions in under 6 hours SO not only had I paid for that medal, I had earned it too! I was promised it would be mailed. For several months I kept emailing and asking for my medal and was given the runaround and false promises every time. I write this 2 years later and still I do not have the medal.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 11 > ]

Quick Links

Marathon Search
Upcoming US Marathons
Upcoming International Marathons
Search Marathon Results
Latest Running News
Recent Newsletters
Race Director Tools

Become an Advertiser

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Become an Advertiser

© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC

Privacy Policy Refund Policy Terms of Use