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Carlsbad Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Carlsbad Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 3.7
Number of comments: 188 [displaying comments 101 to 111]
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Robert Whitlatch from Los Angeles Ca USA
(1/19/2006)
"Outstanding Course, Well Organized Event" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Carlsbad Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Great course, excellent support and great volunteers make this one not to miss. However stay away from the Holiday Inn Carlsbad By The Sea. This hotel should be renamed "By The Freeway" as the noise is incessant and the sea is nowhere in sight! The exorbitant price of the hotel amounts to highway robbery. It's a shame that this is the first hotel featured on the website! | |
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B. C. from Worcester, MA
(1/19/2006)
"Spell Fun Desitnation Race C-A-R-L-S-B-A-D" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Carlsbad Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I traveled from Boston to make Carlsbad my winter getaway run. After doing over 18 big and small marathons, I found Carlsbad pretty darn near perfect. The starting lines allowed me to line up less than 1 minute to the start line (always a treat from the 15 minutes back on some big races). The porta-potties were lined only 10 deep. The race start of 7:30 AM was runner friendly. The pace groups provided options for race strategies (along with very friendly pace leaders). The family waiting area was located next to the finish line, which was very motivating. The course was hillier than advertised, however. Be prepared for the rolling hills facing southern sun exposure for miles 14-18 and the return rolling hills with a steady headwind from miles 18-22. Eight miles of exposure could sap a first-timer. The ocean view was beautiful. The water stations were everywhere... but I did avoid the Ultima (yuck, the only real knock on the race). Definitely take the kids to the Keebler Kids K in Legoland. Real family fun. My sons were beaming with pride as they wore beautiful finisher's medals. The free ticket to Legoland didn't hurt either. The expo was spartan but it got the job done. I'm not interested in spending $100 when I pick up my number, so the expo did not disappoint. I did find a vendor who could sell me some GU and a pair of Wright Sox. The real fun was the race announcer. Very uplifting. Although I still have nightmares of the opera singer trying to belt out "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins at the start! The early start eliminated lots of clutter from the course in the last 6.2 miles. Great idea. More marathons need to follow this pattern to help manage course resources. Overall, a challenging course, great weather, lots of fit competitors, and a very runner-friendly organization. Fit this into your schedule somehow. | |
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M. B. from La Jolla, CA
(1/18/2006)
"Fantastic first marathon experience" (about: 2006)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. The course was gorgeous, with a great view of the ocean for most of the race. There were water/Ultima/gel pack stations all over. The spectators were amazing the entire race, and were still out in force well after four hours. There were quite a few rollings hills most of the way, plus one big hill between miles 6 and 9, but having trained in a hilly area, they weren't too bad. A great experience overall, and I hope to be back someday. | |
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M. D. from SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA USA
(1/16/2006)
"CARLSBAD CALIFORNIA MARATHON" (about: 2006)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Carlsbad Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I was physically capable, and using my marathon-distance sport psychology, I was able to complete the marathon in under six hours. My stride was slowing nearing the very end of the race; however, I was capable of kicking it in for the last three or four football-field lengths to the finish. I do not have the results, so I am not sure, but I think I ran the first half in approximately two and a half hours. After I finished, I spent quite a long time handing out "marathon finisher's medals" to the finishers! I also helped with the post-race breaking down and cleaning up. I loved it; I even got to lift and carry some heavier items too. Another issue: I think maybe the organizers should consider giving the finishers long-sleeved shirts when they finish (but only after they cross the finish line, after they have really earned it). Also, if it is physically possible, and it's possible to have an extended time period for finishers, and an extended mapped route, and there is access to the permits, then why not have a 50K race and a double-marathon distance in addition to the full and half marathon? | |
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T. L. from Canyon Country, CA
(1/16/2006)
"Scenic and memorable" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Carlsbad Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Carlsbad has a lot going for it. Gorgeous location, high odds of good weather, close to major population centres, and the ability to put on a marathon. I liked the option of an early start, I'm a 5+ hour marathoner and it was nice to be offered the chance to start early rather than worry about not getting to the 15-mile marker and the coastal highway before the 3-hour cutoff. The hill was bad but not awful, except maybe for the one wheelchair competitor who was obviously struggling up that incline. I did not care for the small out-and-back through an industrial centre at Miles 13-15; would have rather gone farther up Palomar Airport Road, and I think I missed the half marathon sign completely. The main complaints: Ultima, which is not my drink of choice (nor is it the choice of many others judging by the comments), the expo which was small and awkward - I presume most of the vendors were at Houston or Phoenix - and what was the worst rendition of the national anthem that I have ever heard in my life. It would be preferable to allow the assembled racers to sing a capella rather than have this person butcher the music. Were the people handing out crosses at mile 8 sanctioned by the race organizers? Proselytising is not something I want to be subjected to when panting up a hill. If I want to hear a runner's prayer I'll ask my pastor, who's also a marathoner; I don't want to be offered a cross in the middle of a race. Running along the Pacific is the best part. The stretch along the surf is beautiful. Pity about the headwind, but that can't be helped. Definitely train on hills. This is not a flat race. Reasonable spectator support. Finish line is nothing spectacular. I would have liked to see foodstuffs out for the runners rather than having it handed out in a bag; I had no idea that it had food until that evening. All in all, a good marathon, and one I may consider running again. | |
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A. W. from Southern California
(1/16/2006)
"A great, smaller marathon" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Carlsbad Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Now known as the Carlsbad Marathon, the race is very well organized and includes some of the best scenery in the San Diego area at the beginning and the last third. In between can be kind of barren on the eyes and ears, but if you adjust your expectations, it's all good. The expo is small but adequate. Loved that a vendors' race T-shirts were discounted to $5 by the end of the race. I loaded up! And watching family members give first-timers their medal was really a sight to behold. Very emotional. Organization is top-notch. Aid stations were plentiful, if featuring foul-tasting lemon-lime Ultima. The organizers tried to help family and friends shuttle to various spots on the course, which could help boost spirits. Honestly, I really like this race. I think, however, it suffers as other smaller marathons do from unrealistic expectations by those runners accustomed to the crowds and course entertainment of much larger marathons. I, for one, am just happy to have a new place to do an extra long run without needing to carry my own aid support. And thank you to the spectators who came to cheer. They may not outrank bigger races in numbers, but they definitely did in spirit. | |
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M. C. from Riverside, CA
(1/15/2006)
"Much improvement!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Carlsbad Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This race is headed in the right direction with improvements. Great volunteers, great bands, easy parking, good police support. The course is pretty but quite hilly. Not a good "first marathon." I went with a friend who was doing just that, and when the traffic was let through, nothing was marked showing the remaining runners where to make the turns. Don't pull the volunteers off the course in the places where it turns! Especially at the end of the race. People didn't know which way to go!!! The expo was only a 3 on a scale of 10. Where were the vendors? Very disappointing. Overall, this race is better than in the past. Lots of positives, including a quality colored long-sleeve t-shirt and a first-class medal. Just please put the expo back in the tent and get the vendors back! And give the poor souls in the back of the pack directions to the finish line! | |
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K. H. from Westland Michigan
(4/20/2005)
"Good Winter Marathon" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 It's hard to complain about running in 60-plus-degree weather in January when you live in Michigan. The course was rather challenging for someone not used to running hills, but I would not keep from running this marathon because of them. I'm not from Kenya. Having started at the 'normal' start time I found myself nearly all alone until I caught up with the even slower runners who started an hour earlier. If you plan on running a 4:45 to 5:00, you might want to consider the early start if you need company while running. Also, the watering hole at 20 was empty when I arrived. Worse, it was at the bottom of one of the so-called 'hills.' Finisher's medal is the second best (Maui) I have seen. The expo was great and the journey to Roadrunner Sports (I'm sure you get their magazines)was nice. Overall an excellent experience and I will gladly return after I complete marathons in 48 other states. | |
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T. C. from Massachusetts
(2/8/2005)
"Pluses and Minuses" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Carlsbad Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Good: 1. The view. 2. The number of water stations. 3. The number of fuel stations. 4. The drum team. 5. Qualifying for Boston. Not good: 1. Finish line - no sports drink, one bottle of water (gone in 5 sec), and less food than a 5k. I got a Power Bar, some cookies, and cheese crackers. Other stuff was for sale. Hmmm?? Like I carry my wallet running. 2. Mile splits were given up to the fourth mile. There were no splits and a bunch of non-working clocks after that. 3. The number of different races converging into the small loop made things confusing. There were more signs about not getting loopy than indicating if you were on the right course. 4. The band around 21-22 miles playing slow music. | |
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L. E. from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada
(2/8/2005)
"Very - Very - Hilly" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Carlsbad Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The weather - the volunteers - the aid stations and the spectators get 5 stars-plus, though whoever wrote that this race is relativly flat has NEVER been to Saskatchewan, Canada. I found this course very hilly and in turn had a really bad long run. I had to walk the last 8 miles. I also felt bad for the elite runners and the runners out there to achieve a personal best as a lot of the walkers/runners just don't seem to think of other runners and get over to the right and to look behind them before they just cut over to the water stations. The race hotel leaves a lot to be desired and I do not recommend staying at that hotel. I would run at this race again but I highly recommend that a person do their hill workouts. |
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