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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 381 to 391]
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M. M. from Atlanta, Georgia
(3/26/2007)
"Decatur Again Rules! But come on, Coke!!!" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The course is very challenging. Once you enter Druid Hills and work your way back downtown it seems to be a long uphill climb. The neighborhoods were great, and of course Decatur had the best spectators. But come on; it is the home of Coke, and the PowerAde was totally missing. But overall it was a lot of fun.... I will do it again. | |
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C. V. from Chicago, IL
(3/26/2007)
"Disaster" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 Like the previous, commenters I found the lack of promised PowerAde and inadequate water stops critically dangerous. That far overshadowed any good points. Pretty shirts and fancy medals are far secondary to hydration and heat stress issues. | |
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M. K. from Atlanta, GA
(3/26/2007)
"I expected better from ING!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 As a local, I knew the course was tough, but it was a beautiful tour of our city and I loved that. Organization however was abominable! Even if it was 30F, you still need plenty of water and POWERADE or Gatorade on a half marathon/marathon course. What were you thinking? I mean ING sponsors/run many races across the WORLD, not just in the USA. Thanks to all the spectators who lined the streets with water and fruit and Gatorade - you are awesome Atlantans and made me proud to call Atlanta home. | |
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G. M. from Stockbridge, Georgia
(3/26/2007)
"Beautiful Course, Hot Temps... Not Enough Water" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 You always expect some problems with first-time marathons. This race was no exception. It was a little difficult to find the start. I was not familiar with this area of Atlanta and the start line was several blocks from where I parked. With no race officials directing you to the start I had to ask fellow runners if they knew where the start line was. Quite a few did not. Fortunately I found someone who did. First the Negatives: Race temperatures were 66 degrees at the start and a record 87 degrees by the end of the race. Naturally fluids would be vital this day. This proved to be a big problem as the day went along. At many marathons water is available to runners at the start as well as out on the course. None at the start, and several missing water stops on the course as well. I'm a back-of-the-packer. So by the time my group came through some water stops had run out of cups and we were handed a jug. We saw signs for two water stops that did not exist. No PowerAde at any of the water stops for us. Thankfully many residents along the course provided us with water and ice. The finish line area was chaotic. By the time I arrived almost all of the post-race food was gone. I got a bag of pretzels, a bagel, and a small bottle of water. All of the fruit was gone. No post-race activities to speak of. Now the Positives: The expo was well run. Plenty of vendors. It was a good experience. The marathon course was excellent. The hills were a challenge but the course truly highlighted all that Atlanta has to offer. Well done! Nice medal and shirt. This marathon has some room to improve. However, in time I believe this race will be a must-do on the spring marathon calendar and it will overshadow its big brother the Atlanta Marathon. | |
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S. N. from Hudson, FL
(3/26/2007)
"Wow! LOTS of room for improvement!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 Beautiful course. Awesome spectators. Pitiful organization. NO PowerAde on the course AT ALL?? And no water between 3.5 and 8 miles? On a day with record heat? Are you KIDDING me?? Nope, that was the way of it. There are some HUGE kinks the organizational team needs to work on before 2008. Good luck, because near the back of the pack (where I was), I saw some REALLY unhappy runners. If it weren't for the fantastic citizens of the Decatur and Atlanta neighborhoods we ran through, there might have been more sick and dehydrated people than there were. These folks need to take some lessons from the people who organize Mercedes, which I ran last month. Now THERE'S a well-organized event. Eventually, I'm sure they will get it right. Especially after the barrage of e-mail the RD is sure to be getting. | |
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A. D. from Florida
(3/26/2007)
"Challenging/scenic; organization needs improvement" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 What can I say that hasn't already been said? The course was lovely and scenic. The hills were continuous and challenging. The fans were extremely enthusiastic and supportive. I had high expectations for an event sponsored by ING, so I was let down by the organization. The following areas will need improvement if the event is to continue successfully: 1. Give runners electrolyte replacement as advertised before and DURING the race. Seeing the signs saying that PowerAde was just ahead, and then finding out that it was not, was very discouraging. I was relying on it for my fuel and electrolyte replacement. If I had not worn a fuel belt, I would have been in big trouble. 2. The starting line was a mess. Corrals may be needed in the future to provide ample space for each pace group. 3. The start itself was confusing. I crossed two starting mats. Which one activated my chip? Also, the announcer who began the race simply stated, "On your marks, GO!" There was no bullhorn! If I was a front-runner, I would have been confused. 4. The aid stations should have been placed apart from the mile markers. I missed two mile markers along the way, presumably somewhere close to the aid stations. 5. The break-off point of the half marathon was poorly marked. I saw ONE volunteer with a hand-written sign indicating which direction the halfers and full marathoners were to go. He could have used some help. There also should have been a more prominent and visible sign. 6. The finish line was also confusing. I got my picture taken before I came upon the chip removal station! The volunteer would not help me untie my laces to get the chip out through the extra loop. I have never had anyone NOT help me with that before. 7. Without PowerAde along the course, there should have been more electrolyte replacement choices for post-race food. There were only pretzels and bananas. In the future, I would recommend offering Gatorade/PowerAde, energy bars, orange slices, fruit juice, and potato chips. Other foods that could have been offered: cookies, Fig Newtons, peanut butter, muffins. 8. There were no size small technical shirts left at the expo. This is typical of most races I run. I simply do not understand why smalls run out, especially when people pre-register. I have high hopes that the organizers will rise to the occasion and improve this race. It has a lot of potential! | |
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R. M. from Atlanta
(3/26/2007)
"abuse of runners" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 According to the AJC, the race director "Didn't foresee the extremely warm weather." She must have been the only person involved in the race who was unaware of the weather prediction for record-breaking heat. It is difficult to understand how, as a marathon runner herself and an Atlanta resident, she wasn't able to adequately plan for sufficient hydration for the runners. The value of this run is questionable. We paid $65-$70 for a shirt???? The legacy of 400 people going to the medical tents, 10 to the hospital, is not something ING should be proud of. With ING's marathon experience, this should have run more smoothly. Perhaps ING should have consulted with the Atlanta Track Club because they run huge events smoothly. Race director should resign! | |
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Annette Lewis from Malta, NY
(3/26/2007)
"Way more spectators than anticipated!" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 What a nice surprise that there were so many people out to cheer us. Going over the map on Saturday, I thought we would run a long way with no cheering. The expo was first rate. The downside of the whole day was the lack of PowerAde and the disorganized water stops. Many times I saw runners pouring their own water. Both sides of the road would have helped a lot with the congestion. In the heat, I was desperate for something other than water and did not find any until Mile 16. This was not a day to fail at water stops. I had plenty of water handed to me at the finish along with Diet Coke, and was directed to the chip takeoff area clearly. Overall, I really liked the marathon; it was the first time I challenged myself with hills. And challenging it was!! | |
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M. M. from NE
(3/26/2007)
"Great course; incompetent organization" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 I agree, this was the worst organized marathon ever. At the expo: overcrowded, lacked race bags despite knowing how many people would appear at the sold out event, and had unknowledgeable information volunteers. A complete fiasco. At the race: no one knew where the start was, there was no PowerAde except for at the mile 16 water station, and there was no water station AT ALL at mile 6. BOPers were dropping like flies; one person cut himself pretty badly and had to run 10 miles bleeding due to the lack of med tent services. I had to steal PowerAde at the med tent at the finish, since there was none available at the finish line (and really, warm Coke products when it was NINETY DEGREES by noon were unwelcome). Inexcusable for a race with such ample funding (from both huge sponsors and the high entry fees). A beautiful course - super hilly which I loved. The spectators, when they were there, were STELLAR, especially in Decatur; they provided more on course aid than the freakin' race did (thank you, bless you spectators, for all the ice you gave us during the final 10K). But due to the complete chaos and lack of organization, the RD should be fired. Despite this being an inaugural event, too many things went wrong to excuse this mess. | |
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J. F. from Atlanta
(3/26/2007)
"Good Views; Bad Organization" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Georgia Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 The views, spectators, and fellow runners were wonderful, but the organization was terrible. I expected a lot from an ING Georgia Marathon, but apparently they're not the same people who conduct the ING NY Marathon; if so, it would have been a lot better. In fact, I just ran my first marathon in November, which was small, but holistically it put this one to shame. Anyhow, onto my complaints: Not enough bathrooms; not enough water stations in the beginning of the run; no cups at some of the water stations; no sports drinks during the race or even at the end of the race, despite the fact that PowerAde was the sponsor and they advertised it along the way; no food throughout the race, except at the end (even then it was completely inadequate); and last, on two occasions I was forced to wait for traffic. All in all, ING Georgia Marathon needs to get their act together. I wouldn't recommend this marathon to anyone. |
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