Jacksonville Marathon - Race Reviews

Great marathon! 50 state marathoner here, the weather was perfect and the course was flat and wound through lovely suburban neighborhoods with gorgeous homes on shady tree lined streets. Website and online info was practically non-existent, you had to just wing it and hope for the best. No course map online, no directions to the starting line or advice for parking. Boo!

If you want a flat race, this one is for you! Packet pick-up was easy, and the gym was a nice, dry place to wait. I appreciated that the gun went off right on time. The first 5K is an out and back on a main road, followed by a course that's completely on roads through the suburbs. The tree-lined roads are nice, and some of the homes are beautiful, but I was hoping for at least a glimpse of the city and the water. Neither are part of this race. I stayed at the host hotel and used the bus transportion, which was nice. Overall, if you want flat, fast, and low-key, this is a great race. If you want a city race with spectators, this one is not for you.

First timer, so take this with a grain of salt or salt tablet. Whatever you prefer.. :) The start was simultaneous with 5K, half and full runners. I got to run a mile or so with my wife, so that was nice. The course was very flat. Almost to the point I wanted some challenging hills. You got to run through some neighborhoods and see some nice houses. The aid stations were awesome! They had people cheering you on and giving out water, gatorade and at the later aid stations Gu's. One of the aid stations had some folks singing. I mean how can you not smile when folks are cheering you on and singing. One note. Get there early! Parking is a mad house. We ended up getting there fairly early and got a decent parking spot. Traffic is pretty bad, so a word to the wise, get there early. Overall a good race. I'd do it again. Just wish they had beer at the finish line. I improvised and brought a small cooler.

Flat, fast course through nice, quiet residential areas. It was pouring rain for the first half of the race so spectators were few and far between. But those who braved the cold rain with us were great! The gym at the school was open before the start and the bathrooms at the track were also, so staying out of the wind and rain was easy. I don't think everyone knew there were more bathrooms besides the portas as I see complaints about long porta lines. I was able to go 2 times before the race with minimal wait time. I thought having all three races start at the same time on the same route would be a problem but it wasn't at all. I started in the appropriate place and others around me seemed to do so also. The course was not completely closed so there were a few times I was running next to cars (in neighborhoods) but they were respectful and kept a safe distance. There were plenty of water stops along the way and plenty of snacks at the finish. The finish was on the track which was different and fun. This my my 17th marathon and a 7+ min PR. BOSTON '17!!

Signed up three weeks prior to the race and the price was still very good. Stayed at the host hotel, Embassy Suites. Very nice hotel, they also had a pre-race dinner and shuttle service to the race. Definitely would stay there again. Packet pickup was great! You had at least six different locations to choose from and also the option to grab it on race day. I used the buses from the hotel and my family used the church parking lot for $20 and got a great spot. The buses were perfect! No lines and it was a quick 10 minute ride or so to the start. Once we were dropped off at the Bolles School they had the auditorium open to keep out of the weather and stay warm until it was time to race! There were plenty of bathrooms at the school plus the porta johns. No problems there. I was able to drive the course the day before and it was pretty easy to follow. Race day was perfect in my opinion: raining and about 50F throughout! It was awesome to watch the elite runners trying to qualify in the half marathon for the Olympic Trials! I would definitely recommend this race to others and it is flat. There were more spectators on the course than I thought would be due to the rain! The volunteers were all awesome! Plenty of aid stations along the course and the amount of time clocks on the course were great!! Best of all, my first BQ and my family was there to watch me finish inside the Bolles Stadium which was a plus! Train hard and run fast!

I should start by saying that I'm a 50-stater who travels around the country running marathons and this was my Florida race. The airport is far from the start so a car is needed. The pick-up was at a nice running store or one could opt for race morning pick-up. We drove to the start and were charged $20 by a church to park on the grass across the street from the church. But, we were not allowed to use the bathrooms at the church! Got to the start area and everything was within 50 yards of each other... bib pick-up, baggage check, start line and potties (which were extremely scarce with looong lines). I was in the potty when the race started and got out 4 minutes later to find that start clock being removed and the start mat turned off. APPALLING! I was allowed to start but worried for 26.2 miles that my race would not count. Would I need to do FL again?? I wondered the whole way. It was miserable. My chip did not beep at any of the mats along the course and when I crossed the finish, the announcer stated that I should have my chip checked because it did not register. I went to the time-keepers and told them that my chip did not work so they asked for my finish time. Thank God for the Garmin on my wrist as that was evidence of the distance that I covered and of my finish time. They added my time to the results, for which I'm grateful, but talk about a stressful run!!! Starting mats should never be removed less than 5 minutes after the race start (especially when porta potties are limited!!)

Read all comments about 2016 with caution. The weather sucked, so that might have an impact on how people respond. Overall, a great race. Very flat. Seemed scenic, but the rain was so bad we couldn't tell. The last few miles on the busy 4-lane road stink. Through neighborhoods was good. Good support with water and Gatorade. No crowd support (but remember it poured). Nice medal with separate for marathon. Should do the same for the shirt, which has half and 5k on it and seems lame to not have one for full marathon. Race here with confidence. People know how to do it.

First Place Sports does it again! This race keeps on getting better and better. I did a 10 minute PR in the full and will be back when I want my next huge PR...this is the place to do it.

I am glad I picked this as my Florida race! Flat and fast, well organized, nice medal and nice shirt. Plenty of food at the finish and area to hang out afterwards if you have time. It did get warm, especially at the end, but hey it is Florida! I would do this one again.

This is my second time doing the full,first time back in 2011. Everything was great, easy packet pickup on saturday at the Baymeadows store, in and out in 5 minutes. The course is flat and fast, running in the shade a lot which is awesome. Great course looking for a PR, digital clocks at most mile markers a definite plus. A week or two before Christmas would have been ideal for easier travel. Overall a great experience.

I've run 43 marathons and 7 Ironman races. Sizes from less than 100 runners to the New York city marathon. The Jacksonville Marathon is now one of my favorites. Excellent organization, friendly/helpful staff and an outstanding course. Not heavy on the spectator front but personally I get a little tired of continuous screaming. As advertised the course is fast. Although I didn't have a very good race I was still able to qualify for my 16th consecutive Boston. The only constructive criticisim I have is the organizers should use their influence to make the host hotel provide for late checkout. I would have enjoyed hanging around after the race but was forced to leave in order to shower before getting on a plane later that evening. Definitely a 'do again' race if scheduling permits.

I've run 4 Jax Bank full marathons. 1st Place Sports does an excellent job putting on this race. 2013's weather was unfortunate, but normally it has been a clear, cool, fast course. Not a ton of crowd support.

Not my day. Hot humid heavy rain, but this is not an issue with the race directors. Flat course where you can hit your PR if you like a flat course (I like a few hills). Upgraded medal from prior years. Parking is very tight as the race has gotten popular, plan accordingly. Good food at the end - including hot soup.

This marathon is a definite PR course if the weather is kind. We had morning temperatures of 72 degrees at the start with high humidity. The forecast was for heavy rain and thunderstorms for the race and it started raining about one hour into the race but really picked up around the 3 hour mark with heavy flooding rains with the occasional clap of thunder. The course was flooded with ankle deep water for about 5 miles. The course itself was pretty nice going through several neighborhoods and was pancake flat. I would love to do this course again with cooler weather and dry skies. The post- race was good with soup, bananas, cinnamon buns, etc. I didnt see any chocolate milk which is what I want after the race but there were several stores close to the finish which I was able to get my fix. The race shirt was a short sleeve Tech shirt which was nice. Medal was decent with the skyline of Jacksonville with runners below and had the word finisher at the bottom. Nice size. The volunteers were awesome at all the aid stations and there were plenty on the course. The packet pickup was at one of the several running stores in Jacksonville and was quick and painless. I was able to get a new water bottle while there. Some suggestions for runners of future Soldiers marathons: Hotels are plentiful within a 5 mile radius of the start. I would recommend staying in the Baymeadows area. In summary, as I am near the beginning of the 50 State project, I am glad I ran this one for the Florida Marathon. The course is a good and flat and is a PR course if all the factors are right.

I must disagree with an earlier comment. I completed the race at 5:13 and there was plenty of food at the finish. Fan support was limited, but it was pouring ran much of morning. It is a flat and fast out and back course. Organization is good and volunteers are great. Plenty of port-o-johns and fluids along the course. I have no issues with the race. The course is OK, but not memorable.

This is a very small race with limited spectators. It was a fun race other than the torrential downpours. I PRd by quite a bit even with the rain, so I can imagine it is quite fast when the weather is better!

I can't recommend this marathon for someone looking to run a fast time. The course is flat but not all that shaded as billed. Thankfully we didn't need it as it poured the entire second half. It was also 70F. Not exactly conditions for a fast race. The organization was pretty good but there was hardly anything to eat at the finish. And the results page kept giving errors. Overall it's a nice small race but if you live up north just know you are taking a big gamble with the weather unless you like it warm.

This was my second marathon. Without proper training, I was on pace for a BQ (15 minutes faster than my previous marathon) and I nearly collapsed at the 24th mile. A local half marathoner caught me, and together with a cop, walked me to the finish line. The generosity of these Jacksonville people made a tremendous impression on me. This is a super flat, fast course, but as I learned, be prepared for the last couple miles in the hot FL sun.

This is a great winter marathon. I stayed at the host hotel and there was a bus shuttle right to the start line. The host hotel had bananas, coffee, and bagels out by 5:30AM. Also plenty of grocery stores and drug stores near the hotel for last minute items. The Bolles school is a great place to start - if you walked back to the track area you were treated to plenty of indoor, flushing toilets! The course is flat, fast and most of it is shaded. Water/Gatorade every couple of miles and I think they also had pacing clocks at each mile. I like finishing on a track too so I considered that a plus. I marked it low on spectators because there just weren't many of them. I'd call the course 'pleasant but not scenic'. I recommend this for anyone looking for a well-organized marathon in the winter. I also think this is great if you're a serious marathoner looking to PR without having to deal with big city hassles and a lot of crowds. It got a little warm near the end, but the start is 7AM and I think this was a warmer year than usual - and even so the 7AM start time helped prevent heat from being a big problem. There was a decent pack of 5-10 in the 3 to 3:05 pace range - thanks for pulling me to a 3:04 PR!!!!

Great mid-size marathon. Super flat course, very few turns, mostly shaded, plentiful aide stations, very well organized. The only negative is that it is a Florida marathon so weather is always a factor; a little warm and humid this year but I still managed a 5 minute PR.

My first marathon and I have nothing negative to say. Great organization, a nice and comfortable course, beautiful weather, water/Gatorade every 2 miles, awesome pace group, decent(but not obnoxious) crowd support. I had a wonderful time.

Awesome experience for my first full marathon. The course was shaded and the weather was awesome. Water stations were convenient. Very well organized. Good pace groups.

This was my first running race. It was a fabulous course like running through the park, or to the park, most of the way. Everything was very well coordinated. It got a little lonely out there and an older gentleman came out of his driveway to run with me for a half a mile which was nice. The volunteers were excellent with water and sports drinks. I was amongst some local traffic a little, but they got it, and it was more than fine. I had the run of my life and will never forget it. Thanks to all of the volunteers and race coordinators for such a well run race. 3:00:43

Jacksonville Bank Marathon 2011 was my first race in the city, which is a good venue for such late time of year (December). There aren't many choices for outdoor marathons just prior to Christmas break. On this particular day it became plenty warm after the first few minutes of starting the event. The course, organization and spectators were okay, and same for the shirt and medalokay. The post race food on offer was better than average, I remember. For me the Jacksonville Bank Marathon was well-timed because it allowed me to continue long-distance running events Stateside into the winter months.

The Jacksonville Marathon is fast becoming one of my absolute favourites! This is my second time running it since it was my first marathon in 2007. I have run 15 marathons all over the USA, Germany and Bahamas and this one ranks way up there with the big boys in terms of organization. Keep up the good work First Place Sports! I will definitely be back again. If you are looking for a PR then this is a must do.

This is only my second marathon, though I run 30+ road races yearly. This is a nice small race - pretty well organized with hydration (water and gatorade) every 2 miles and digital splits for every mile. Course is about as flat you can imagine - total pancake. Not much scenery but mostly well shaded residential areas. Spectators are very limited. There is some light traffic on the course. They had recorded splits for 5k, 10 mile 13.1 and 20 mile, which is nice to be able to go back and analyze your performance. Medal,shirt and post race food were all decent, though these are not things I really care about. Basically a great course to try a PR or BQ.

After 6 half marathons I figured it was time to go all in. Overall a good experience. The course was well marked with digital splits at every mile and water every 2. There were times we had to run in traffic on secondary roads. I was disappointed by the finish though. The track was being resurfaced so looked a mess. They hand you a bagged medal that I fumbled trying open because I was exhausted. The race was raising funds for Bolles, one of the most exclusive/expensive private schools in the area. As such, is it too much to have someone of note(president or dean of students)be there to thank the runners and hand them their medals by the ribbon if they are not going to hang it around their neck. After party was so so with soup, bagels, bananas, but no beer.

I have been running marathons for 20 years. I have always felt that people who cheated in a race were only cheating themselves. With a BQ being harder to obtain and witnessing cheating first hand I no longer feel that way. In the Jax race I was ahead of the person by 44 minutes at the half. By 20 miles he was ahead of me by 9 minutes without passing me on the course. I never passed him or he me in the race until about one third of a mile from the finish he went by me like he was running a 5K. He went on to win the age group. None of his splits make any sense after 10 miles. The man who finished 4th came from MA. He should have went home with an award. I know all splits can't be reviewed, but I believe the first 3 places in each group should.

First time running this course, but it was referred to me by a couple people in my running group. Loved and very excited that this was my 10th marathon and my fastest ... finally breaking 3:20:00. The weather was perfect ...43 degrees at the start and guessing abouth 55 when I came in. The course was very flat and well marked. Traffic was not an issue and I thought for a small marathon ... very well organized and pretty good fan support. Everything was perfect for what I wanted to do ... EXCEPT .... I found/ believe the course was long. My GPS, which I used for Boston, read 26.28 miles and for NYC 26.26 and Zurich 26.29 .. well, here it read 26.42. It seemed to be good the first half ... 13.12 at the half .. then all of a sudden it seemed the mile markers were further apart. I talked to a couple other people and they also felt it was a little long. I only say this as I felt I was in good shape until about mile 23 and I started to worry and actually ran mile 26 at a 7:18/ pace and the last .42 of a mile was at 7:05 and just made my time .. 3:19:37 Chip. Other then the scare at the end ... I would highly recommend this marathon if someone wants a well organized, small marathon and especially if they are seeking a PB.

Good midsize race. Well organized with convenient packet pick-up at a local running store, although no expo to speak of. Hal Higdon was in the store signing books, though, which was cool! Runners were able to stay in the gym to warm up before the race, which was nice. The weather was perfect- starting temps in the mid 40s and warmed up to mid 60s. The course truly is about 85% in the shade, so no worries about getting hot even though the sun was shining brightly with no clouds. The course was ok - basically an out and back through nice residential neighborhoods. No real scenery to speak of, but well shaded with pretty trees and nice houses. It was cool to see the fastest runners coming back along one section of the course. Almost completely flat (two TINY inclines) and very few turns. The volunteers and pace groups were great. I PR'ed by 8 minutes! Everyone was very friendly. No food on the course and no entertainment. Water/Gatorade was about every 2 miles and there were two GU stops. The finish into the school stadium was cool. I liked hearing my name called as I ran around the track! There was plenty of space for runners to sit and relax after the race, and it looked like there was some great post race food (soup!), although I never eat right after a marathon. The medal is good quality with a decent design and the shirt is a high quality short sleeved tech tee. For the relatively cheap entry fee, this was a great race. I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't need a lot of crowd support and is looking for a fast course at a good price.

I ran the 2010 race and finished with my second fastest time ever, fastest since tearing my Achilles in 1994. It's flat, fast and well organized. As others have commented, there was not a huge amount of fan support, but I generally do not hear or see a whole lot when I race. Temperatures were cool, in the low 40's, and there was a misting rain on and off throughout the race. The last seven miles turned into the wind, and it got pretty chilly. I had run in a singlet and gloves and was wishing I had a long sleeve technical shirt in that stretch. Otherwise, packet pick-up and shuttles from the hotel made things pretty easy on race day. There was a gym with flush toilets before the race and another set of flush toilets after the race in addition to the port-o-lets. Overall, a good event if you are looking for a fast course.

I ran the 1/2 in 2010 and have run the whole five times. This is a great race if you don't need cheering. Excellent support, lovely course, and ending in the stadium is great.

This was my 15th marathon. The course was nothing special. The event organizers were super nice, but overall, I was not that impressed with the race. The roads were not closed off at times so we had to deal with cars. Later, as I left the event, I saw cars driving right next to the people still on the course. It felt fast though. Also, I could have been imagining this, but it seemed to me that there was a distinct sulfur or trash smell during much of the run. The pacing team was great. Finish is in a stadium, which was nice, but no post-race massage and no vegetarian food.

This is the second time I have run this race. The weather was incredible for a marathon. The parking on race day is horrible. Adding the pace teams was nice. This is a great end-of-year marathon to travel to because flight, hotel, and rental cars are quite cheap this time of year for Florida. Also, it has a flat course, so you will PR if you train well.

This was my 17th maraton. I've run small club/store marathons (100-200 people) and large sponsored races (NYC, Boston, Chicago). This was the best of both worlds. Easy packet pick-up at good running store. Great shirt; OK finish medal. Good transportation system. Start had indoor waiting area. Flat course with turns. Miles marked. Lots of traffic control, volunteers, and water stops. Chip timing was perfect. Always people to run with (3:40 pace). Finish was in the start area. Everything was organized and executed well. Weather was near perfect for racing. If I could, I would return every year.

Great course, good organization, low stress for runners, and terrific soup after the race. The weather couldn't have been better for running.

This cours is FLAT!!!!! It is set for for PR's and Boston qualifying times. If you need some hills to work other muscles, then avoid this course, as you could iron your dress shirts on this this course - it is that flat. Pros 1. Easy sign-up and packet pick-up the day of the race. 2. I parked my car 150 feet from the gym for pick-up - allowed me to go to my car for a change of clothes less than 10 minutes from the start of the race. 3. Gym allows you to stay warm, stretch and socialize with fellow runners. 4. Great volunteers on the course on a cold day. 5. Hot soup at the finish line - made me feel much better within 15 minutes of the finish. 6. Real restrooms at the start. Cons 1. Need a few more port-a-lets on the course. 2. Medal was a little plain - especially the ribbon. 3. Very few people on the course cheering - if you need fans, the small marathons are not your cup of tea. I love the excitement of the fans on the road but I do not expect fans at smaller marathons.