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Kiawah Island Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Kiawah Island Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 4.4 
Spectators 3.2
Number of comments: 211 [displaying comments 141 to 151]
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Doug Harpel from Arlington, Virginia
(12/14/2005)
 "Marathon in Paradise" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Kiawah Island Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran this 'destination race' for the second year in a row and would do it again. The course is a double-loop through the beautiful, gated, Kiawah Island golf resort. The race started twenty minutes late (due to traffic problems, I understand) and -- like marathons much larger -- was near walking speed from the gate for half a mile for most mid-pack runners. (Most of us blast out too quickly anyway, right?) With 2,300 half-marathoners, this traffic-free course does not truly open up until the second go-around, when 1,200 marathoners remain. It is flat and fast as advertised, although there are some sharp corners and bikepath running. This year's race had perfect weather (38 degrees at the start, 50 at the end) with little or no wind. Volunteers were great, with Gatorade and water, bananas and oranges plentiful. (No gel.) Given the venue, the spectators are few, but spirited. The pasta dinner, t-shirt, and finisher's medals were (again) super. In my view, the race logistics are clearly designed for those staying on Kiawah Island... if you don't plan to do so, find another race. | |
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D. B. from Washington, DC
(12/14/2005)
"Just OK" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Like others, I ran the race based on the earlier rave reviews. Stay on the "island" as it took me an hour to go the last 3 miles to the shuttle & then had to wait for 3 shuttles before getting to the start line 1 minute prior to the start. Made for some hasty decisions. The double loop course with what seemed like a lot of turns and portions run on the bike path didn't bother me too much, nor did the 1/2 marathon starting at the same time leading to the typical bottleneck early on compounded by walkers, & bikers on the course. Sharing the road with the few cars on the island the 2nd half was a bit of a negative. My biggest complaint was that the course was just plain BORING. Foliage surrounded huge house after house, broken only by the frequent construction site or occasional golf course green. There were only a few open sections. Photo of the marathon website is deceptive. Only break was the 3 or so "Alligator" signs. Need more than that to break the monotony. Sparse crowd support. Weather could be iffy, but cooperated upper 30s at start, 50+ by noontime enabling running in shorts. Postives: numerous waterstops with Gatorade Endurance with most featuring orange & banana slices. Plenty of port-a-johns. Course well shaded for most of the course. Good post-race food with beer, although a bit chaotic. NOT on my must-do again list. | |
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D. M. from Tennessee - USA
(12/14/2005)
 "Not the flat PR course it's billed to be" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Stayed on the Island Resort. I highly recommend it. Our villa had a full kitchen. Easy walk to the start line - very good for a non-running spouse. Pasta dinner was good. The couse had 1,200 feet of elevation gain over the 26.2. The streets were beautiful and the weather was beyond great. The volunteers were good. The course lacked the celebration energy and warm regards that many other marathon cities pride themselves on. Take along running a buddy or an MP3 player. The second lap can get lonely. | |
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L. J. from Atlanta, GA
(12/13/2005)
 "Super Race" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 My expectations for the race were very low, I must say. I wasn't actually looking forward to running a double-loop race. The course itself is not that bad and the volunteers were very helpful and enthusiastic. I ran a PR and qualified for Boston. So, I'm pretty happy. There are very few spectators, so, don't expect lots of cheering sections. Not sure what all the fuss is about the logistics. My entire family (parents, brothers, wives & kids) was able to rent two houses at a very attractive rate and it took us less than 10 minutes from our door to race start - definitely stay on the island. I would do it again. | |
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R. B. from Columbia, S.C.
(12/13/2005)
"No problems - I planned ahead" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Left early to drive 30 miles and was the 2nd vehicle there; no traffic. Lined up at the start in the appropriate pace section; no walkers or tree roots in the way. Double-loop was no problem for me, due to landscaping of the course and PR's/Boston were possible due to a lack of wind. Water stops, refreshments, and medical aid along the course were great. As for the volunteers and the spectators - 1st-class. Very energetic and supportive. The food and beer at the finish could not have been any better. I will definitely run this marathon next year. | |
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Bob Ring from Harrisonburg, VA
(12/13/2005)
"A near-perfect day for a fast marathon" (about: 2005)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I just read the comments about this year's race, and it hit me that no matter what a race has, there are some people who simply can't be happy. If you know that you don't like multiple-loop courses, don't run them! This course is on a small resort island; getting there in the morning of the race is going to be tedious. All of this is well-known. The marathon is a race of patience and calm control. If you find yourself getting mad simply because there are a lot of people in front of you, then maybe you should pick another event. This course is beautiful, loops or not. It is flat, fast, and smooth. The aid stations were plentiful, and the post-race food was more than I am used to. Complainers need to run a few bare-bones, no wimps, no whining ultras, which have little or no support, no awards, not even a T-shirt. I recommend this race to anyone who is truly concerned about running a good race. | |
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J. W. from Tennessee
(12/13/2005)
"Well Done!" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The race director and volunteers did an excellent job, and had near perfect weather conditions. The logistics of getting 3000+ people on an island all at once is a difficult task, and I felt they did the best they could. I advise arriving earlier than recommended. My one negative comment is about the lack enforcement of pre-start seeding, which was both dangerous and annoying for the first half mile. | |
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D. B. from Washington, DC
(12/12/2005)
"Just OK" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 If you must run this marathon, stay at the resort. Getting to the shuttle took over one hour to go the last 3.5 miles. Had to wait for three shuttles to get a seat. Course was well supported with plenty of water stops featuring Gatorade Endurance and most had bananas & orange slices. Post-race food was good & plentiful with beer, but the area was a bit chaotic. Not a lot of spectator support. Course was a double loop (personally don't mind it) with some on paved bike path (don't care for, but no biggie). Disliked all the bikes on the course early on & sharing the last half with cars (not many). Biggest complaint: The course was just plain BORING! Can only look at so many lush golf course greens, big homes & those being built. Only break was the occasional - alligator - sign. The good part was that most of the course was shaded. Weather could be tricky. Cool start at sub-40 got upto mid-upper 50s by noon. Able to run in shorts & a tee. Don't think I'd do this again. | |
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J. R. from Greenville SC (Home of the GTC -Spinx RunFest)
(12/12/2005)
"B+ Marathon" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Pluses: Well organized. Plenty of water stops. Cheerful and very helpful volunteers. Overall a good course. Areas for improvement: There was a problem with buses getting to the starting line on time, but part of it was due to the highway backing up. The race was delayed by ~17 minutes, but many runners still had to start up to 20 minutes after that. Fortunately, the race officials insisted that the finish line management company go to chip times this year instead of just start time, which would have been a disaster. Unfortunately, that also meant that runners had to run through a lot of walkers in both the first and second loops. I would also recommend that cyclists not be permitted on the parts of the course that are paved paths and not full roads. Overall, the race was run well, but the late start cost me a minute on my time because of the weaving and I missed Boston by 49 seconds after the 59 extra secs. they allow. Still undecided whether or not a flat course is any better than a moderately hilly one. | |
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J. B. from Florida
(12/12/2005)
"Average marathon" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 After hearing how great the Kiawah Marathon was, maybe I came into it with expectations too high. The traffic getting to the race was horrendous, worse than the Disney Marathon (which says a lot). The course was ok; two loops says enough. The volunteers manning the water stations were great and full of energy and encouragement. |
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