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May 20, 2024

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 151 to 161]

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R. A. from Raleigh, NC (12/12/2005) "Happily surprised by great organization" (about: 2005) 1 previous marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 2nd marathon, so I only have the Cherry Point Marine Corp to go by. I was happily shocked by the total number of water/Gatorade/bananas/oranges stations. The course is completely flat, and wasn't windy at all on 12-10-05. Almost perfect weather. I actually liked the loop, and most of the spectators stayed around after the 1/2 marathon to support the rest of us. Since I don't have much experience with large races, I dont know if it's normal to run the 1/2 and full together, but there was a point about 3/4 mile in that bottlenecked everyone. After that it cleared out.
Jim Goodrum from Asheville North Carolina (12/12/2005) "memorable" (about: 2005) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 After reading previous comments, my main concern was the wind. Race day was cool and almost calm. As the day progressed the wind picked up a little on the out-and-back section but it wasn't bad. Two dinky 'hills' and the rest was PR flat. Spectators were sparse but most don't run this race for the spectators; they run it because it's flat. Organization was top-notch and the only glitches were a late start (15 minutes) due to traffic I'm told (try to stay on the island if possible), and the start is constricted with two hard right turns that come very quickly. There were pace signs, but people (like at most races) ignored them and there were walkers up in the front who made getting to your pace a somewhat frustrating experience. The food, medals, shirts and awards were above average. The beach was nice and most of the people were friendly. I guess if you were to use a one word description, it would be "classy."
T. Y. from Augusta, GA (12/11/2005) "Nice race--not so nice course" (about: 2005) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 My wife and I ran the 2005 Kiawah Marathon. Overall, the experience was positive. However, the biggest complaint we have is the course. First, a double loop for the marathon is beyond annoying, it is downright sadistic. Second, there were too many right-angled turns. Third, running miles on narrow bike paths around walkers, while attempting to dodge tree roots, tends to put excessive strain on the legs. Last, given the fact that Kiawah is coastal, PRs are possible only if the winds are not up. There are easier courses for PRs & to qualify for Boston.
R. S. from North Carolina (12/10/2005) "Get there EARLY!" (about: 2005) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Kiawah Island Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 Ran this race a few years ago & don't recall this problem, but today was full of problems! It took me 2:05 to drive 22 miles from my hotel to the island. Needless to say, almost all of that was the last 3 miles. Thousands of runners not paying EXTREMELY high rates to stay on Kiawah had to funnel into 1 lane of traffic at a circle to get onto the island (no one directing traffic, of course). They delayed the race 10 minutes, but I got there after the race had already started. I would've been there at 6:45 (PLENTY early - 8AM start time), like the race info said, had I not been stopped. I went to the bathroom & stretched a little & started 10 minutes after almost everyone else. There were still others that started after me. A 1/2 mile into the race, I met the walkers. I weaved through them & the slower runners. I was aiming for a 7:20 pace, but ended up running 6:50 for the first mile - despite the walkers - because I was so mad about the congestion. I ran in the grass & must've jumped the curb 75 times to pass people in the first few miles. I think must've passed about 1,500 in the first 3-4 miles & around 3,000 by halfway. BUT, I tripped hopping the curb in the 2nd mile & twisted my ankle. It hurt pretty bad, so I altered my stride (pronating excessively), which of course caused other problems. By mile 14, my foot was bleeding through my shoe because of the altered stride (blisters). I stopped at 14 & called it a day. I ran the first 1/2 pretty well & it was a great day (40, warming to about 50) with little breeze. I've run about 20 marathons & a few Ironman races. I don't feel too bad about the DNF, because I don't feel like it was my fault. Better race logistics would have meant a better race for me. I don't like 2-loop courses w/ 1/2 marathoners, but the course was nice (saw a bald eagle in its nest!) & crowd was what you'd expect: Not spectacular, but people throughout on bikes & in front of $2M homes.
C. S. from North Carolina (7/4/2005) "Flat & windy" (about: 2002) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Very windy & cold the year I did it (2002), but I'll be back this year. If you want to run this race, register as soon as it opens. I got locked out the last 2 years. Run with 1/2 marathoners the first 1/2, which I never like. Overall, a good race.
H. F. from Boston, MA (1/19/2005) "Good overall race for a PR" (about: 2004) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my 4th marathon & a PR for me. It is definitely a smaller race and during the 2nd loop there aren't a lot of other racers/spectators around you. The course itself is a little boring. The first time around I liked looking at the gorgeous homes, but not as enjoyable the 2nd time around. With the private community, it is really hard for any spectators to be anywhere but the beginning, middle and end miles. I found the people handing out water extremely cheerful & supportive throughout the whole race. I stayed in Charleston and found it was easy to get to the race. We left at 5:45am for the 8am start and had plenty of time to park and take a bus to the start line. Weather was good (40-50's) and it was windy as others have commented. Overall a well organized race.
R. T. from Marietta, Ga (12/21/2004) "A good one." (about: 2004) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Kiawah Island Marathons COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 This was my second year running this race. I enjoyed both experiences. In all of my running, I have never experienced a finish line like the one at Kiawah. It is a very spectator friendly experience. Once I ran my race, I was able to watch my friends finish theirs, up close and personal. I ran the half marathon. The course is ok, nothing much to speak of really. Spectators are essentially non-existent but the organization is excellent. It's obvious that this is where most attention is given, and rightly so. Very well done. My one negative from this race is the timing. The chip for a large number of runners failed to register at the starting line. This affected the true running time for myself and a number of other runners, some of which were PR's. I wrote the company chosen to do the timing for this event, RMS Sports, and they were not responsive at all. It's a disappointment for sure. The fact that this was not even acknowledged was disappointing as well. I hope the race director solves the timing issues from this race and applies that going forward. Most runners take their times pretty seriously. Overall, a good run with one disappointment.
Doug Harpel from Arlington, Virginia (12/19/2004) "Great Course" (about: 2004) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The 2004 Kiawah Marathon lived up to billing. The course is flat, fast, beautiful.... and windy. As is chronicled below, the double-looped race is not much for fan support, but is well organized and traffic on this gated resort island is no concern whatsoever. A bit of confusion for some runners appeared to be caused at the 'fork' for half- and full marathon runners. While miles are marked, there are few race clocks. Plenty of water and Gatorade stops, but bring your own food/gel. The pasta dinner and post-run food was good and the face features a great T-shirt (no ads) and medal. I will be back again!
P. S. from Annapolis, MD (12/17/2004) "Scenic course and great organization" (about: 2004) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The course on Kiawah Island was flat and fast. The scenery was great, especially the golf courses -- at times I wished I was golfing instead. I parked off the island, but the shuttle buses were hassle-free. Packet pick-up was painless and the start went off flawlessly. They really know how to organize a race! The free post-race massage and buffet were excellent as well. The bean soup and pasta salads were nice high carb alternatives to the traditional bagel. Even the race T-shirt looks classy. The volunteers were exceptionally friendly, so this was a great race all-around!
N. M. from Chapel Hill, NC (12/15/2004) "Flat, fast, and fun" (about: 2004) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Kiawah Island Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Course is flat and flat-out fast. Definitely a PR course, even if the weather isn't perfect (brisk headwind from miles 6-9 and 19-22 in 2004). My favorite feature of this race is that my wife was able to rent a bicycle and bike along aside me from miles 8 to 24. It was wonderful to have a support team beside me, especially when things got spread out after the half marathoners turned off at 13. We rented a villa 400m from the start/finish, and if you're going to Kiawah, you should try to do the same. A single two-lane road gets you onto the Island, and my understanding is that it gets backed up in a major way on race morning. Additionally, by staying in a villa, you'll be close to all the festivities and to the beautiful beach on this barrier island. Definitely make a weekend of it, as Kiawah and nearby Charleston, SC are wonderful places to visit. I didn't attend the pasta bash, so I can't speak to it. The expo was predictably small, and I didn't spend much time there. The shirts and medallions are nice but not extravagantly so. Overall awards were very cool pelican statues, and age-group awards were decent wooden plaques. The field isn't all that fast for this race, and the age-group awards go 5 deep in most categories. Point being, it's definitely a race where some of us who aren't used to bringing home hardware are able to do so. Now for the bad news. Although the course is on an island, don't expect to see the ocean. Instead, expect to see beautiful neighborhoods and a few glimpses of a golf course. The good news is that those beautiful homes and the beautiful mossy trees in their yards will protect you somewhat from the winds that could be coming off the Atlantic (although you are exposed for a few miles near the half-marathon turn around). Additionally, realize that you'll be running the half marathon course twice and that the half course has an out-and-back section (which you'll essentially be doing four times). Personally, I don't mind such arrangements, but some are morally opposed to running the same section of pavement more than once in a race. My biggest complaint is that miles 6-8, 11-13, 19-21, and 24-26 are on bike paths. That won't be a problem unless you are lapping walkers from the half marathon. The path is only wide enough for perhaps three participants across, meaning that it can be difficult to get around groups of walkers, especially at the water stops. Given the nature of the island, there isn't an easy solution to this problem, but it is a problem nevertheless. All in all, I think it's a good event worth doing.

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