OC Marathon - Race Reviews

All other marathons I have ran don't charge for parking, and the traffic is flawless. This one have a $10 fee and getting out took hours. It seems that they don't have any body in charge of traffic, but they sure has teenagers charging. We have to check out of the hotel and are stuck in the parking lot

I really really enjoyed this marathon after the 12.5 mile split and before 6 miles. The half marathon starts 45 minutes after the full, but the full was delayed for about 10 minutes. Therefore, the elite half marathoners caught up to the 5 hour marathoners in the 6th mile and the half marathoners were with us until the 12.5 mile split. At this point, the half marathoners were going at about a 1:50 pace. During this time, at every water station, we had a mix of very fast runners getting their water efficiently, the usual 5 hour runners who stop or slow down at the water stops and the efficient 5 hour runners who were desperately trying to avoid both. I'm sure there were some collisions and scary near misses. I think the half marathoners should be delayed by at least 75 minutes after the actual start time of the marathon.

I ran the half marathon this year, having run it once before in 2009. I thought the race had some organizational issues six years ago, and surprisingly, there still are some. They've been holding this race for 10 years; I would have thought they would have worked the kinks out by now. Those of us who live in SoCal are lucky to have a ton of races to choose from. It surprises me that this race isn't better, given the amount of competition. Pros: - Weather was very nice, overcast, 60s. - The few spectators were great. - Post-race finish refreshments were adequate. - I parked near the start and didn't have a problem finding a spot. But it was rather confusing: there was a sign that said 'event parking' pointing into the lot I parked in, but no race staff collecting $/doling out parking passes, so I was half-afraid my car was going to be towed. (It wasn't) - Nice race t-shirt and LOVED the disposable race jacket given at the end. Will be great to wear to my next race and just throw out at the start Cons: - Expo: not worth the $7 in parking and battle with Friday evening traffic on the 405 freeway. It would have benefited from more signage directing which way to go inside the expo - I had a tough time just figuring out how to leave the building. Next time I'll probably pay to have my bib mailed to me - Water stations: would have benefited from more (I was thirsty by the time I hit the first one) and from better placement. Please put them on both sides of the street to avoid congestion. And please don't put them on corners for runners to try to grab/drink/toss while also turning. And not sure who thought it was a great idea to have a water station at the bottom of the hill around mile 9/10, but putting it there causes you to lose all momentum you have going into the hill. Would be better placed at the top of the hill - The course: not as fast as advertised. There are a lot of 90 degree turns, which I found disruptive. The last 1 mile stretch is really discouraging - a long straight section with a few small (but noticeable) hills and then a not-so-scenic run over the 55 freeway. - Not cool to put a sign 0.2 miles before the finish line saying 'half a mile to go'. The sign was clearly much closer to the finish than half a mile and was VERY discouraging to see - Congestion: I started encountering slower marathoners around mile 5 and then had to spend the rest of the race dodging them. In some parts, the course is so narrow you can only have 2 people abreast, and I witnessed some near-collisions, which should NOT be happening 6 or 7 miles into a race. Either limit the number of entrants to the race, stagger the races even more, or change the course to accommodate more runners. - Pacers: I hate to criticize pacers because I know people are doing this out of the kindness of their hearts (THANK YOU, PACERS!), but the 1:45 pacers ran the first half at a blistering pace, to the point where other runners were confused that maybe they had the wrong pace group (they were running sub 1:40 pace for parts of it). I know they might have been trying to bank some time to account for hills in the second half, but it just ended up burning some folks out. All in all, I found the race just OK. I much prefer Long Beach, Carlsbad, and even Surf City to this one. I might do it again just because I'm a local and do many of my training runs at the Newport Back Bay anyway, but it's not a race I'd rave about.

Something has got to be done to avoid the dangrous course merge with the half marathoners. I understand that their start is later and we only impact eachother for a short time, but a section is VERY narrow and I was witness to and nearly involved in a runner collision under the bridge. The half course should be completly independent. I did not like the 3:50 am shuttle. I ran this event in 2007 and 2008. The course is much more scenic and showcases about 5 cities, and some beautiful stretch along the ocean shore. A very glamorous glitzy medal and a painters jacket, nice shirt. Average post race food, and a very small beer. The fair concassionares have the monopoly on airport priced food and drinks-we were kind of at their mercy with no other options on ground or nearby. Kind of a racket. The finish line volunteers politely waited for the last runner (9 hours) to ensure she was recognized even though the finish line was torn down after the official cut off. $10 parking is a rip-off. I waited so no issues with the traffic getting out. I missed most of the post race concert-guess I needed to run faster for that.

Congratulations to the race organizers for hosting a marathon for 10 years in Orange County. There has been continious improvement over the years including this year for the great finisher metal, good food at the finish and warm jacket at the finish. The finishing stretch in front of the band was a welcome surprise. The course remains the same for the last few years and the spectators are few but the aid stations were plentiful and enthusiastic. With over 10,000 half marathoners, the race logistics become challenging. For the marathoners, the earliest bus shuttles (3:30 am) are the best choice to avoid any delays to the start. I am in the Founder's Lecacy Club so I will be back for the 11th OC Marathon!

I only did the 1/2, but judging by the first 1/2 of the course I can tell you that this is not a fast course at all. There's a steep incline somewhere between 7-8, and again between 9-10. The second mile is a steep downhill, I would call this course a hilly course and you'll need to do hill training. This would explain why only 5% of runners qualified for Boston this year. Volunteers were great. Aid station well manned. I heard about the nightmare of people trying to get out of the parking lot at the finish line in past years (and apparently, it took some people 2 hours this year just to get out of the parking lot), I decided to park at the start, and take the shuttle back from the finish line. It took me less than an hour (from finishing the race) to get back home. If you're looking to BQ, skip this race. If this is a local race for you, and you want to enjoy it then make sure to park at the start to avoid the headache.

This was my first OC Marathon. I'm from Orange County, work in Irvine, do some of my training runs on part of the course, so I was really looking forward to it. The early start time was a drag, especially because shuttle bus times were something like 4:30 am. The scenic first fourth of the marathon was nice, with a lot of downhill until mile 7. At about mile 7 we turned inland, this part of the course was fine. Running through the South Coast Plaza Mall was kind of stimulating, breaking up the monotony a little. Also, I like the riverbed trail towards the end. Not sure why others were against that? Post race was a nightmare. I waited 30 minutes to get my bag of warmup clothes, but gave up and left for my car when I started to get too cold to function. Then it took me an hour plus to exit the fairgrounds. Apparently some genius has the runners coming through where the cars should be exiting. Doesn't seem to hard to avoid this problem, but they've had years to fix it apparently but haven't. I swore at the time that there was no way in hell I'd ever do this run again, but now I'm thinking if I'm less exhausted from the half I might be able to stomach it again. I like that it is a local race, but wish the parking fiasco would be fixed.

The first half is scenic, had great support - yes, it's a bit narrow at some places, but overall, I had a positive experience. However, it was a nightmare after finishing: long lines everywhere, over an hour to get my gear, and 1.5 hours to exit the parking lot. Terrible!! This isn't that big of a race! I wrote a letter to the race director and didn't even get a form letter back. I want to support my local race but unless they figure out some of these basic logistical issues, I'll be training here, but racing other places.

For the amount of money we pay for race fee's the OC Marathon website/Director should offer a free finishers certificate for all runners. It does not cost them anything and people are using their paper in ink to print certificates. HUGE negative on their part. For those who PR'd the course it really stinks. The only option is to 'BUY' a crappy version from Marathonfoto that is not official. Since the cousre was certified as a Boston qualifier the race director should offer this to all participants like all other races. I will not return to this race. Sometimes, its the little things that make a difference.

I ran the 2013 full course. I had an overall positive experience, getting a 6 min PR and hitting a BQ with 25 minutes to spare. So I was pretty happy with my race. However I have a few comments: 1-the course did not feel as easy as the race web page indicates. The first half is rolling, and includes a lot of turns. The hills were not bad, but for me it was difficult to get into a groove until M8-9. There were some sections that were very narrow. At my pace (~6:53 avg) this wasn't a problem, but it certainly was for slower runners, and even worse for fast half-marathoners who had to struggle to pass slow marathoners on this narrow area. 2- A lot of people mention that the first half is scenic but the second part is terrible. I did not find anything particularly exciting about the first half, and I actually enjoyed the second half much more, as it is more flat (except the bridge over the 405), and with less turns. I usually run marathons to get faster, and I have no issues running into deserted residential/business parks areas as long as the course is fast. 3-There were some major issues at the finish. I stayed at the official hotel, right across the start line, which was very convenient for the start. However I had to catch a shuttle bus to get back there once I finished. I waited 50 minutes for the bus, and since they did not provide any space blankets, I became really cold with teeth shattering waiting on the exposed windy area at the OC fairgrounds. Then I boarded the bus, but it took 45 minutes (yes I looked at the time) just to get OUT of the parking lot. Traffic control was terrible. These issues are recurring from year to year and need to be addressed. Once we left, the bus driver dropped us about half a mile away from the hotel - not really what you want after a full marathon and waiting in the cold. 4- the post race food was mediocre - I was handed a plastic bag with water, some atrocious coconut water, and a couple of nutrition bars. So I think this race is a victim of its own success. It would be a nice full marathon, unfortunately it has become difficult for the organizers to manage the race with the large numbers of half marathoners.

I think this race has a ton of potential but needs some help in improving. Not many complaints about course,several areas funnel into narrow places but since I am slower there is not a big crowd around me. Adequate water,restrooms,security,etc. So the course itself is pretty good. All of the 'little' things need worked on. My wife had very hard time going to see me after the start, not much info from people on where to go and since we are out of towners, she ended up just coming to finish. Expo was average, goodie bag was non existent, post race food was not great. I feel bad giving it a bad grade because I enjoyed running it but I rate things on overall experience and I think this can use some work. We had a bus shuttle from hotel but I hear that parking lot was nightmare getting out, some people sitting up to two hours to leave the race. Also heard they ran out of half marathon medals and water and gels in some stations for half.

This is Orange County California. The marathon reflected that in so many ways. Well planned, nice coarse, all in all an enjoyable day and a nice run. Even the weather was perfect for running - temps in low 60s, mostly overcast skies. 'Life is good' vibe! I recommend this one, particualrly if you live in Southern California.

Ran the 1/2. Course was great. At the beginning of the race, it took 20 minute to drop off an equipment bag. At the end of the race, it took an astounding hour and a half to pick up said bag. While I'm wet and sore and the temperature is dropping. Then I get in my car and wait for 1 hour and 33 minutes to get out of the parking lot. Crazy stupid. From finish line to my sister's house 11 minutes away took over four hours.

Really liked the first half of this marathon a lot and then everyone disappeared from the course and the course became a route of concrete and business parks and a desert of a park. Would recommend only doing the half-marathon for this race. It was really nice.

Loved everything, but wish there were still news cameras at 5 hours.

This is the only Marathon event I have ever experienced a delay, a 25 minutes long delay. It is not nice of the organizers to do this to the runners. Imagine that you have yourself warmed up and the delay let you cool down quickly in the morning cold without knowing when the start will actually be. The course is fairly interesting, scenic, and cheerful.

I have now run this marathon every year since it's been in existence and commend the organizers as I think it gets better every year. Although I'm not a fan of point-to-point courses, this one is at least better than most (but it sure seems like a lot of money, time and energy is wasted busing runners from the finish line to the starting line). Unfortunately, like most marathons in Southern California, this is really more of a half marathon (9,000 finishers), with very few of us (2,000) going the full distance. Accordingly, the first half is much better and more scenic than the second half, but I applaud the organizers for eliminating a couple of miles of riverbed running in the second half (we still have to do a couple miles on the riverbed, but it's tolerable). Getting back to the title of my review however, I just can't help but feeling that the residents of Orange County may like the runners coming into their community and spending money, but they really don't like any of the inconvenience that goes with it. I've got a sneaking suspicion that this is the reason that the marathon start time was pushed back to 5:30 in the hopes that they could open the roads sooner. As I live in Riverside County, this meant that I had two choices; either stay in an area hotel Saturday night, or get up at 2:30 am Sunday morning (I chose the latter). Anyway, I just couldn't help but feeling that runners really aren't welcome in the OC and they should have just hung-up a banner at the starting line that said 'Thank You for Running the OC ... Now Hurry-Up & Get Out!'.

Credit goes out to the organizers for trying to the improve this marathon. The early start benefited the marathoners by getting to the parking and buses before the mass of half marathoners. Starting 25 minutes late should be avoided next year. The aid stations were well staffed and enthusiastic. The course uses some narrow bike paths along the way but minimizing the road closures seems to be a priority. This event is not one of the mega-marathons and is great for the half marathoners. As a local runner, the expectations are met.

This course starts at Fashion Island in Newport Beach and ends at the OC Fair and Events Center in Costa Mesa. The first half is hilly, but has enough downhill to make up for the climbs. The second half is extremely flat except for a small climb at mile 14. It is the fastest of the three marathons I have done, and got a PR by 7 minutes. It is a scenic course that goes through the very wealthy areas of Newport Beach. All of miles were marked, and they had plenty of pace groups for those with a specific time goal. If you want to set a new PR and run a scenic marathon, I highly recommend this course.

First half beautiful, second half disaster. Who ever planned this course must not be a runner! Come one now, in the second half we had to circle cones, run through the mall parking lots, a high school campus, so many turns and out and backs. How ridiculous! Hated every step of second half. I am not sure why we couldn't do straight 4 or 5 mile square blocks to avoid these crazy hairpin turns and swirls. My 41st marathon; will not be back!

This is a very well-organized race. From the expo to the start to the finish to the shuttles, everything ran very smoothly. There were over 10,000 finishers including the full, half, and 5k, but the entire event was so well-organized that you didn't notice how big the event really was. The marathon course was very nice for the first half, but the last half was considerably less scenic. This full marathon is really a half with another 13.1 added to the end as an afterthought. I think at some point we were running around a high school parking lot...??? There were very gentle rolling hills throughout the course, but not bad at all, and MUCH flatter than LA. I was able to score a BQ in this race after missing it by five minutes at LA. T-shirts and medals were awesome; I love how they both distinguished between the races. My only really big complaint is the $5 parking for the expo. Really guys...I understand that expo was co-located with the Taste Fest there at the OC Fair, but if I'm only there to pick up my race bib, I shouldn't have to pay $5 to park. Overall great race, though. I would definitely do it again!

This marathon is not that big.. it has a small town atmosphere. The first half is very scenic, the second half gets lonely.. most people run the half. They could use more clock markers, they aren't at every mile so take your watch if you are trying for a PR. The course is not as easy (flat) as most people think or say it is but is not as challenging as LA marathon. The fans are great (where they are) but you go through a period where you feel you are the lone runner... especially around mile 20 or so. I really enjoyed the course though and I think it was awesome to finish at the fairgrounds. It is a nice run and I think it is under-rated, if more people ran it and more spectators showed up it could rival some of the more popular runs. I will run it again and hope it gets bigger so that the organizers have more support for the runners.

Overall it was a good experience. I guess I have nothing else to compare it with though. The first 1/2 was really good. The fans were great. You run some neat parts of town where the residents would sit out front and cheer you on and in some cases offer things such as cliff bars or oranges. The back 1/2 was brutal though. There were stretches where the only people cheering you on were the police blocking traffic. You ran most of the back 1/2 through the business district and along the canal. There were plenty of water stations along the way, but not nearly enough bathrooms. I calculated that I burned 3-4 minutes waiting in line.

OC Marathon people are slowly putting together a nice event. I have run the marathon the past 2 years and this was the best yet. Other than some small problems mileage markers the race has improved. The Back Bay was a nice feature but if we can't run we can't run it. The first half still has some of the best views for a marathon in the city. I still hate the course around mile 20-23 but what are going to do. I would like to see the organizers start the full half an hour before the half. It would be nice to have splits every 5k.For a race that is somewhat new still they do a good job. See you next year!

INTRODUCTION: I am a race-walker with a median marathon completion time of 5:11:53. The OC Marathon was my twentieth 26.2-miler completed. COURSE: The course was not what one would consider pancake flat, but it was not possessive of significant hills, either. True, there were some inclines and declines, most particularly in Newport Beachthe most strenuous incline being, perhaps, the 60 foot ascent over a quarter-miles distance at about mile 7. Technically speaking, it would have been moderately difficult to set a new personal best on this course. The race started just after 6 am on an incline in Newport Center; starting temperature was 54 degrees. The start times for the four corrals, which comprised of both full and half marathoners, were approximately eight minutes apart. Given the three lanes available for use, there was very little congestion at the start. At mile 1, we traveled down a 1-1/2 mile descent on MacArthur Boulevard, where we had our first view of the Pacific Ocean. The rare ability to see both San Clemente and Santa Catalina Islands on this day indicated the presence of Santa Ana winds. About 2-1/2 miles into the course, we turned onto Ocean Boulevard in Corona del Mar, arguably the most picturesque part of the marathon. Here, we were forced to make choices: on our left we could view Big Corona, Newport Harbor, and Balboa. On the right, we could note the architectural styles of the multimillion dollar residences. Or we could keep our eyes on the road in front of us in order to negotiate the shortest course. Just before mile 4, we entered Bayside Drive, where we could see more domiciles, the Coast Guard station (where scenes of the 1970 Disney movie, The Boatniks, were filmed), yacht clubs, and occasionally, Balboa Island. We left Bayside Drive at mile 6, crossed the bridge over Newport Harbor and took the underpass to the north side of Coast Highway. This was our first point of congestion, where the path only could accommodate three runners across. At mile 7, we ascended Dover Drive to Castaways Park. While affording us panoramic views of Newport Bay, the congestion on the bike path forced us slow our pace by about 30 seconds on mile 8, where we entered the Westcliff neighborhood, which lasted about two miles. Some slight inclines and declines here, and we had to navigate the turns in order to find the shortest course. Entering Irvine Avenue at mile 11, we had one notable ascent before having our final glimpse of Upper Newport Bay. Some of us observed the planes flying into John Wayne Airport were coming in from the south, again indicating the presence of Santa Ana winds. At mile 12, the half-marathoners turned left onto Mesa Drive as we continued onto Red Hill Avenue. In May, weather along the Orange Coast is moderate, with temperatures ranging from a low in the fifties to a high in the sixties with cool, coastal breezes coming in from the south and west. On marathon day however, this was reversed by the presence of hot, gusty Santa Ana winds coming from the north and east. We first felt this travelling north on Red Hill Avenue. The winds, combined with scaling the bridge crossing the San Diego Freeway, gave us a challenge as we entered Irvine at mile 14. At mile 15, our predominantly westward route toward the Performing Arts Center and South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa lasted approximately two miles. Anyone who felt like abandoning the race at this point to shop at Nordstrom would have been disappointed to find the store had not opened yet&perhaps after the race. At mile 17, we turned north on Bear Street into Santa Ana and felt the headwinds for one final mile. The wind was finally at our back as we headed west on Segerstrom Drive. At mile 20, we headed south on the Santa Ana River trail toward Costa Mesa. We encountered cyclists weaving in and out of marathon traffic during this time, which was more of an annoyance than a danger. At mile 23, we proceeded eastward on a trail in Fairview Park, and continued onto the finish line at the Fairgrounds. Finish temperature at 11:30 am was 84 degrees. ORGANIZATION: Expo was average for a marathon of this size. A good selection of marathon merchandise was available. The most unusual item was an OC Marathon-logoed cowbell selling for five dollars. Just before I left, I noticed my complementary tech tee was for the half marathon. The apologetic volunteer happily exchanged it. The energy and enthusiasm of the volunteers at the expo and at the race was commendable. Traffic control was excellent. The big negative was the misplacement of the mile markers. For the first time, I was forced to abandon the recording of mile splits on my chronograph. This was no small issue, for it was difficult for me to obtain feedback about whether my pace was too quick or too slow. For future races, I hope the marathon organizers invest in some more visible and sturdy markers that can withstand the winds. FANS: Some of the Newport Beach residents came out of their houses to cheer us on. Cheer squads in place at miles 12 and 14. CONCLUSION: Race director Gary Kutscher had to contend with some difficult issues this year. In March, the Newport Beach City Council directed him not to repeat last years route on the scenic Back Bay Drive unless he could remove the water stops. This would force the runners to be without support for three miles. Given the race day temperature, he made the correct decision to reroute the course. I expect he was under a lot of pressure to pull off these changes in such short time. This was the seventh OC Marathon and the third course used. The excellent views along the route justified participation in this marathon. This marathon showed promise. But the question remained, can OC settle into a great marathon?

Marathon was mostly as expected from reading remarks from 2010. Negative: Expo was nothing huge, but OK. Limited 'goodie bag' as mentioned below for 2010. No wave start Somewhere around mile 17 the mile markers were a mile behind till about mile 21. Then they were back on track. Miles along riverbed were very hot, very limited shade. I realize that's hit or miss depending on weather, it was pretty hot by that point for a 5 hour marathoner. Water stop between miles 3 & 4 (on backside of PCH) was very congested and hard to get to (on the outside right hand corner of a left hand turn), had to dodge people to get to it. Positive: Nice design for medal, always like when medals strap has design/detail put into it, which this one does. Parking for expo was free if you told attendant that you were their for the packet pickup. Parking was fairly easy. All in all it was a decent marathon, the first 10 miles or so were fairly scenic, the rest could have been anywhere, nothing exciting.

1. I recommend staying at the host hotel just feet away from the start. I was getting out of bed while most runners were waiting at the starting line. 2. The comments on this site for previous OC races held pretty true. The first half of the course is awesome, second half not so much. Spectators were sparse but good. The Expo was weak and the finish line spread was really weak...very surprising. 3. Pleased to see Gatorade instead of some knock off drink offered 4. Aid stations were well done 5. Transportation back to the start was great. 6. Lots of walkers in the first few miles despite wave starts. Not a big deal to me but worth pointing out. Overall it was a nice race. I came a long way from Kansas City so can't say I will be back but don't regret it at all. Seems like you could do some basic marketing to get more buy-in from the neighborhoods the race goes through?

This year once again the course was slightly altered from years past. Specifically, the first couple of miles went around Fashion Island (not a big deal to me), and then miles 7 - 12 were not run in the Back Bay (yaa!), but rather on city streets where there were actual people and things to look at! The second half of the marathon course was the same as previous years, which although not ideal, is at least acceptable (I'd still prefer starting & finishing at the same place, but it appears this race is destined to be point-to-point). This race is one of the local ones I run every year along with Long Beach in October and Surf City in February, and I will probably continue to do so as it fits nicely into my schedule. P.S. Thanks for the place on the back of the medal for a place to engrave my finishing time and position (am I the only one who does this?), but I don't really need a place for my name (don't think even I will forgot that!).

Four of us came from Vancouver Canada to run in the sunshine. And we certainly got that: unseasonably hot weather meant 29 degrees Celsius/ 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Kudos to the race organizers for adding extra water stations and having golf carts cruising with water and medical aid along the last several miles. This was my second marathon. Our group consisted of two people running their third marathon, and one seasoned marathoner who was doing his 11th and had Boston under his belt. We would all be in the 'masters' category. The online information for this marathon was excellent but signage for the expo and on race day was non existent. There were several other events happening at the fairgrounds at the time of the expo and it was hit and miss finding the correct event. Race day, there did not seem to be one sign saying 'this way to Marathon' or even 'start here'. The announcements at the beginning of the event could only be heard by the first quarter of the crowd. They need to have speakers going to the back of the corrals. The race started late. The first half of the race was gorgeous. Beautiful neighborhoods and scenery. Our group didn't agree on the second half. The experienced marathoner thought it was nicely varied. I was not impressed with running through a mall parking lot and then along a dry and smelly culvert, foiled by a dirty dusty path. The wind and dust in my eyes at mile 20 was not appreciated. There was negligible entertainment. I didn't expect rock and roll quality but given that this is California, you'd think they could have scared up some amateur bands looking for some free advertising. The biggest band was a bunch of kids! The spectators were friendly and the police were outstanding, cheering us along and offering encouragement. All and all I'd say it was a nice event. We enjoyed the location tremendously and would come back for that alone. I probably would not run this marathon again.

I was disappointed in this race. Overall the course was a tale of two courses. The first half was pretty scenic but they had the half and full marathoners on a very narrow path in the most scenic areas. Couldn't really enjoy the scenery for all the runner traffic. The second half of the course was just flat weird. I don't know which was dumber - running through the mall and on the sidewalks in front of stores in the mall or next to the drainage ditch or the dirt road that was all cut up and provided very unstable footing. That was just stupid. I think the course was the worst I have run of the 10 marathons I have completed. All the rest of the race was just average to below average. There are plenty other better marathons out there.

2011: 1st marathon, 1st formal race. I venture to predict the O.C. is significantly better than average based on the scenic coastal section, excellent people support throughout, respectful fellow runners and local residents, nutritional support with water and gatorade at every mile, energy gels at at least 3 locations, and overall smoothness of experience. Be aware the middle is flat and relatively less run-inspiring, and of the possibility of mid-70s temperature, wind, and strong sunlight. For 2011, one needed to have reached parking pre-5:15am in order to start at the gun. Greatly appreciate the massive effort and forbearance that made it possible!

Pros: - Early start. It still got hot, but you can't do much more than start at 6am and hope for the best, weather-wise. - Goodie bag. Some good samples, a nice t-shirt, decent medal. - Portajons at start line. This was the best job I've ever seen at a race. A half hour before the race and there were no lines more than about 10 people deep. - Post-finish area: Once through the finish, it wasn't crowded and you were able to easily make your way through the festival area, which had lots of food options, waters, beers, etc. - Good job with the water. Frequent stations, all well-stocked, and staffed with supportive volunteers. Cons: - The course, overall. Some scenic spots in the first half along the coast, but issues throughout. In the first half, there were several spots where the course narrowed to only 2 or 3 runners wide, creating bottlenecks. The field never really spread out at all until about 8 miles in. The bigger issue for me was the 2nd half. I understand it can't all be scenic, but there was a lot of uneven pavement and loose dirt/sand, and much of the course was largely inaccessible to the public, which made any sort of crowd support impossible. - Poor wave start management. There were corrals based on expected time, but I was in corral B, with my expected finish time of 4:00, and I had to start weaving through walkers within a half mile. - Limited crowd support. I think this may be a product of the course itself more than anything else. Spectators that were out there were supportive and the volunteers were great, there just weren't a lot of spots that had anyone there to cheer. Overall, this is among my least favorite races, either full or half marathon. I think if you just ran the half here though, it wouldn't be as bad. The first half of the course wasn't terrible, but it went bad quickly after the half and full split. It was well organized, but the course set up and subsequent lack of spectators made for a pretty dull race. I'll pass on this one in the future.

I ran the 2011 Half Marathon. I've run what has been called the OC Half marathon 3 times now, and this was the best of the courses. The only reason I did not give the organization 5 stars was because I spent 2+ hours in the parking lot waiting to leave. Good: Beautiful, interesting course mostly along the water but also through neighborhoods Plenty of water stops and bathrooms Not too many hills Decent support from local residents Beautiful weather. It would have been too hot had the race not started at 6am, but was fine then. Marathoners may have had a rough time of it. Nice medals-previous years people complained about not having a year, which has been fixed. Different medals for 1/2 and full runners. Very nice technical shirt-different for 1/2 and full runners. Bad (not a to complain about): parking lot situation after the race official results did not include a 10k split-only 5k, 10 miles and 11 miles-I don't understand the 11 mile split. I imagine marathoners were frustrated both with the crowds and the people who split off at mile 13, though I did not experience crowding. I will definitely be running this event again in the future and I highly recommend it.

I've run the half for three years now. The full heads into ugly suburbia, so it's not worth the footsteps. This year the route avoided the beautiful Newport Back Bay and spent more time in the residential areas. Probably will skip this next year. (I've got to admit the water and restrooms were better this year, but that can't compensate for the Back Bay.)

A beautiful, slightly hilly course. Good support with water and Gatorade. However, I couldn't believe that GU, nor any other carb, was made available until mile 10! Good thing I was only running the half that day or I would have been hurting for carb reloading. The porta-potty situation was a mess...not enough stalls, not enough t.p. Other than that, it was very enjoyable. Maybe not a P.R. setting course, but great weather and good views.

I had minimal complaints: 1. The porta-potties ON the course were positioned such that the lines would stretch across the road where we were trying to run. 2. The porta-potties at the start were plentiful, but all in one spot, and facing toward each other, so lines ended up being a huge confusing crowd. 3. Having to pay for parking twice was annoying... paying for race day is fine, but requiring us to get our number at the expo, where we ALSO had to pay for parking was a little annoying. Add an option to have our race number mailed to us for an extra $2 or something. Those complaints being stated... they are very minor. I thoroughly enjoyed this half marathon. It was beautiful, and the support/aid on the course was fantastic. Generally flat, and perfect weather. What more could you ask for?

The OC Marathon is a good marathon. With a little bit of help, it can be a great one. The first half next to the coast and through the upper bay is awesome. The weather in early May is very predictable and nice. The OC Marathon has good corporate sponsors and great volunteers. The point-to-point course is not my favorite, but it's workable. The medal was good-looking, but there was no stinking date - are you kidding me? The finish area was better than last year's, and so was the porta-potty at the start. But with the growth of the race, you have to do something with the start. It was a joke! I started with the 4-hour pace group and not even a 1/4-mile into the race we were passing walkers! Please take note of how other marathons are run. The start line is mass confusion. And with the narrow streets and bridge under PCH, something has to be done. You might find yourself having more marathoners when you fix the problem. Also, the course by the concrete wash/bike path was not my favorite, but it's better than an industrial park, I suppose. Anyway, I do enjoy the OC Marathon and I will be back. Please help us with the start! Thanks for kicking back to the running clubs - what a great idea!