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☰
Georgia Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Georgia Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 3.1 
Spectators 4.0
Number of comments: 459 [displaying comments 251 to 261]
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J. E. from Ellicott City, MD
(4/20/2007)
"Why???" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 It's been weeks since I did this race, and there are too many comments to read. So perhaps my concerns have already been mentioned. OK. Weather cannot be controlled but water can! Major mistake. A couple ladies on the course shared theirs with me. Problems: 1. Start was hard to find and on a narrow street with thousands starting all at same time?? You can do better. 2. This was advertised as a 7-hour-limit race, yet at about 5 or so hours, we were instructed to stay on the sidewalks. There was no way to do anything else. That was not in the least bit fair, or expected. However, the course was open/on streets for the last few miles before the finish. (???) 3. The heat was oppressive and WATER should have been made MORE AVAILABLE. There was a weather forecast! Not blaming, just stating facts. Positives: 1. Crowd support was just amazing. Like the hills, it was relentless! 2. Great variety of entertainment. 3. Though tough, course variety was good. I have no complaints about the bums there, since but for the grace of God, go I (also you). Thanks to us, some people got some healthy food that day. Liked passing by historical areas. Druid Hills was tough, but they kept it very interesting trying to keep your mind off those hills that were doing you in. 4. Atlanta police officers are the healthiest and best-looking in any state I've been in. It's encouraging to see smiling, fit officers who you feel can really help if necessary. Bottom line is, with a name like ING, expectations are high. Comparisons are made. I did NY and figured, though it's the first time, it would be fine. That decision I made because of the name. I was disappointed, but it was an invaluable lesson. I would recommend this to someone who really wanted to do an Atlanta, GA race because I figure most of this will be worked out by next year. No, I don't expect to come back. Told myself that within first 2 miles. Too hot and hilly for me. Thanks. | |
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Bud Drake from Newcastle, Wy
(4/19/2007)
"Outstanding first-time effort" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 What a great run. With a few small adjustments, next year it will be even better. I don't think anyone should complain unless they have volunteered or have been part of putting a marathon on. When you are reading the comments, make sure you notice how many marathons they have run. It does make a difference. Again, Atlanta is a great place to visit and a great place for a marathon. Thanks to the race organization. | |
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M. W. from Washington, D.C.
(4/19/2007)
"Unbelievably Fun" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I was sidelined with an injury this winter and could only manage the 1/2. I was overwhelmed by the spectators along the course (and I am used to running MCM - never a lack of spectators). What a great bunch of people. Beautiful time of year in Atlanta. The whole family enjoyed it. However, stay away from the Ritz Carlton if you are coming from out of town; the service in the restaurant was horrendous. We had to walk out for lack of service - only 2nd time in my life that I've walked out of a restaurant - and never from a 5 star. I'll be back next year. Anyone know how the Four Seasons in Atlanta is? | |
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RUNRMOM from Georgia from Atlanta, GA
(4/18/2007)
"No PowerAde during a Marathon - Ridiculous!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 This was my 11th marathon. Yes, the marathon was hilly - I can get over that. I live in Atlanta, I know it's hilly here. However, the fact that there was NO POWERADE after mile 10 was crazy... especially when I found out afterwards that the half-marathoners had PowerAde. Victoria, did you not talk to Atlanta Track Club prior to organizing this race? If they can organize the Peachtree Road Race every year and handle 55,000 runners... need I say more? Hats off to the supporters - Virgina Highlands gets my "best neighborhood support" award. Improvements that need to be made: 1) POWERADE, POWERADE, POWERADE for marathoners 2) Raise the mile markers.... You can't see them on the ground. 3) Clearly mark the Clif Shot stations. 4) To get more crowd support from the neighborhoods, have a contest where runners vote afterwards for the best neighborhood. (Refer to the Knoxville Marathon.) 5) Keep half-marathoners from eating all the food/drink at the end and SAVE some for the marathoners - please! I think I'll stick to the Alpharetta Marathon for a couple of years and let the ING Georgia work out their problems. What a disappointment. | |
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Jeff Raymond from Atlanta, GA
(4/13/2007)
"Loved The Course" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 The course was FANTASTIC (except for the two-mile Freedom Parkway out-and-back stretch).... Much better than the Thanksgiving Day Atlanta Marathon. I was glad to read the comments Victoria Seahorn, race director, made about the challenges and what will happen in the future. My two suggestions: Regarding bathrooms at the start, instead of a single line one one side of the street, double them up by putting on both sides of the street. Second suggestion is to stagger the starting times by 30 minutes for the marathon and half-marathon. The fans were great and I will definitely run it again. Jeff | |
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James Spearman from Atlanta
(4/13/2007)
"A Very Good Beginning" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I enjoyed this inaugural marathon immensely! Being a native Atlantan, I was extremely proud. The beautiful spring blooms and nice crowd support made it truly an exhilarating experience. What an upgrade over the Thanksgiving Day Atlanta Marathon! Yes the course had hills, but Atlanta is a hilly city! Certainly the expectations were very high given the fact that this was an ING event. Failure at the hydration stations was very surprising. I expected better. However I definitely expect this to be corrected next year, when I'll run it again and accomplish a new PR! | |
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G. M. from Atlanta, Georgia
(4/11/2007)
"Marathons are for Personal Achievement" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 I think that marathons, in general, are for for personal achievement, and for me the time and the chip and all of that means absolutely nothing. I am amazed by everyone who fixates on their time like that is really important. For me it was the overall experience and simply finishing that matters although I think that keeping track of one's time for improvement of a personal best is fine. This marathon was organized well at the onset but completely fell apart as the race played out. I didn't depend on the organizers; I packed my necessary food equipment, which I trained for, and filled my Camelbak with Gatorade. PowerAde should NOT be allowed to sponsor this event in the future no matter how much Coke pays. It wasn't that there was no PowerAde.... It was that they said there would be and people depended on that to be the case. That is what makes people angry. Isn't this the home of Coke?! I have this vision of some warehouse filled with PowerAde and the idiots who were supposed to have picked it up forgot the keys, overslept, etc. VERY irresponsible and frankly VERY dangerous to those running the course with or without the heat. With about 20 porta-potties on the actual course and everyone having to do #2... the lines were ridiculous and there is NO way you could have had a decent chip time if you had to go on the course. It took me two stops and around 40 minutes total to make it through the porta-potty gauntlet. The heat and hills were fine... THIS IS ATLANTA, and neither would have been a problem if you had trained properly. The people along the route were fantastic (very proud of them!) The neighbourhoods were stunning. The police were AWESOME. Hot Cokes (no ice) at the end... STUPID! and did anyone else's GPS read long? Mine said 27.67 (daunting to say the least). The volunteers were wonderful... VOLUNTEERS!! The start/finish venue... everyone from here knew that was a dumb choice. Again, I was prepared, and had a great time on my first marathon. But I didn't depend on the organizers. Having too few toilets ruins your time (that's why they call it HOTLANTA), hills make us stronger, and Coke should be banned as a sponsor. | |
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R. T. from Washington, DC
(4/9/2007)
"A decent race with a catastrophic shortfall" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 There's a reason why babies are born small - because it would be dangerous to the mother if they weren't. That said, there is a reason why marathons are born small - because it is dangerous for the runners if they weren't. All too often in recent years, marathons have been swept up in the chase to be the biggest inaugural and to make a splash on the scene. So while New York began with 123 runners in its inaugural, and the Marine Corps began with 1,175 in its first running, Georgia decided to skip the growing pains and start with 5,000. The Georgia Marathon did have a lot going for it. The course was both beautiful and scenic, a rarity for a city marathon. Yes, it had hills - significant hills - but if you're going in thinking that Atlanta is flat, the problem is in your training, not the course. The downtown start and finish was convenient to every hotel in the region via the use of MARTA. The bag check and restrooms may have been the most organized I have seen. But when you're going to go for the big one, it's not about what went right - it's about what went wrong. With thousands of eyes upon you, trusting your promises, you can't slip - not once, not at all. Georgia slipped. Yes, there were issues with the expo (too many people), the start (too many people, completely disorganized), the post-race food (what post-race food?), and the elevation map on the website (it should not have been crammed into three inches). Those are slight demerits for minor annoyances. Where the Georgia Marathon struck out was with the water stations. Water is not a perk. It is not an optional inclusion into the race. It is an absolute necessity that can never be overlooked, not on a 20-degree day, not on a 40-degree day, and certainly not on an 80-degree day. When you advertise that there are water stations with PowerAde every two miles, they better be there, because we are not paying a $70 entry fee to bring our own. There was a water stop at mile 2 - two small tables for 15,000 runners. There was a water stop just before mile 4 - two small tables for 15,000 runners. The next water stop came at mile 8. The last water stop with PowerAde came at mile 10. And as the temperatures climbed, the Georgia Marathon became Survivor: Georgia. How this got overlooked, I will never know. Probably in the midst of hanging more orange balloons or seeing how many more runners they could cram onto the course, someone simply forgot about properly supplying the water stations. It is kind of the race director to apologize for the mistake afterward, but that does not make the mistake any more acceptable in the first place. As the saying goes, "A doctor can bury his mistakes; an architect can only advise his client to plant vines." I wouldn't bury the Georgia Marathon just yet, but I would suggest waiting to see how the vines are coming in before running this race in the future. | |
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H. W. from Atlanta, Georgis
(4/8/2007)
"Inaugural glitches, or just poor planning?" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 A glitch is an unexpected problem or malfunction. What I saw was the result of poor planning. There were many problems that I could point to, but these have been well documented in other runners' comments. My "favorite" was the one volunteer where the half marathoners split off from the full marathoners, holding a hand-drawn sign showing which way to go. How does something like this happen? Was there anyone involved with the planning who had participated in a large-scale race before? This really makes me appreciate what the Atlanta Track Club does each year with the Peachtree Road Race (55,000 runners). | |
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C. K. from Atlanta, GA
(4/8/2007)
"Next year??" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 I ran the half and found the course to be quite challenging but pretty. Can't predict the weather but I really expected better planning and exectution from the expo to the race from a sponsor like ING. Agree with all the negatives from others, including the lack of water, missing mile markers for the half, WALKERS EVERYWHERE, traffic jams to get to the race, people jams at the start.... I will return in support of my city's run, but they've GOT to improve it. And as for the fans.... COME ON, ATLANTA - support this one like you do the Peachtree!! |
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