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☰
"Running for the bay!" Marathon Runner Comments
Back to "Running for the bay!" Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.3 
Organization 2.3 
Spectators 1.9
Number of comments: 27 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
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M. H. from Orlando FL
(10/27/2012)
"Poorly organized race-runner safety MAJOR concern" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I have run 40 plus marathons all sizes,all over the country.I love supporting the local smaller races and visiting the host communities. In my 20 years of running, I have never been involved in a race that was so poorly organized and where runner safety is a concern. It started at the expo,where the volunteers knew little about the race course and basic details. I was given the wrong shirt(cotton for half marathoners),there were no race course maps,or gels/gu available for purchase. Goody bag comprised of my race number and a very plain ugly shirt. Would have loved last years shirt,which was a tech shirt with a gorgeous design-but those were being sold for $20! Drove the course,which is mainly comprised of 2 very long bridges. The out and back on the bridges clocked in at over 15 miles. It certainly was very scenic being around the water. No volunteer stations or bathrooms on the bridges. There were plenty of fluids, as cases of gatorade and water were dropped on the emergency lane for the runners to help themselves to. The course had 8-10 mile markers for the first half,no mile markers after reaching the half way point. The only timing clock was at mile 13.1. The few volunteers on the course had no idea what mile they were stationed at. No gels or gu, very few spectators. We ran thru beautiful St George Island-where were the locals supporting the athletes??? Running in the 'wide' emergency lanes on the bridges was VERY scary. Cars flying by dangerously close to runners. How about putting some emergency cones up! Post race food consisted of granola bars, bananas, oranges. No medical tent. I needed some Advil. Found some in a bag on the table,with a sign saying 'not free-25cents'! Positive comment- spinner medal is absolutely gorgeous!!! Bottom line-avoid this race until the organizers address the serious issue of runner safety and improve race organization. | |
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S. N. from Central Florida
(10/23/2012)
"Be prepared to self-serve" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 "Running for the bay!" Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 While it was nice to see the sun rise over the bay, the course is essentially two long bridges...twice, which are not 'flat and fast', especially with major headwinds. Don't plan on a PR and be prepared to serve yourself at the water stops. Virtually no spectators and the finish line 'party' was limited to granola bars and banana slices. Needs work. | |
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M. C. from Tampa, FL
(10/21/2012)
"Beautiful course!" (about: 2012)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 The course is beautiful and it sounds like there has been a lot of improvements made since the first year. Medal was beautiful, tech shirt was ok, and people were very nice and welcoming. Not many spectators, but that's ok for me. The course is great, especially crossing the bridge at sunrise. There was plenty of water and it was nice to have a selection of energy bars at mile 6 (I ran the half). I loved that my name was announced at the finish. Having said that, here are the suggestions I would make. Police presence helped a lot, but it would be nice to increase it a little more to slow the traffic on the bridge as some cars flew by. Also, please work on offering better food at the finish line. Maybe some pancakes or bagels, juice and coffee would be great. Finally, instead of bottles of water on the course, pour the water in small cups to reduce the waste. However, the main issue for me was the food at the finish line... I'd definitely run this again for better food to look forward to! | |
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Diane Ved from NY
(11/14/2011)
"Great course. Great people" (about: 2010)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 "Running for the bay!" Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I did this in 2010 and thorougly enjoyed it. I don't care how many spectators there are and I am not fast. Everyone was so friendly. This year 2011 I did NYC and did not really enjoy it as much. The crowd at the start was not covivial, but extremely large. It was mobbed, exciting going over the Verazanno bridge and lots of crowds. However, it was not a great race if you were slower as there was not any support at the end. And it costs almost $200 whether you are slow or fast. | |
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K. C. from Central Florida
(11/2/2011)
"Challenging, but beautiful, not for PRs" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 "Running for the bay!" Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 With a small town atmosphere, you can't expect too many spectators, but those that were outside of their homes were very friendly and encouraging. The views were stunning, but the bridges were so tough; 2 long bridges twice each killed the quads, but I'm a flatlander. They did NOT give awards beyond 1st each age group, as stated in the 'improvements' section, but they did provide plenty of water/gatorade and food along the course. The medal was awesome, but the shirt was cotton, unless you want to pay for a tech shirt.... | |
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D. R. from Florida
(10/27/2011)
"Wonderful Smalltown Marathon" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 "Running for the bay!" Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 If you're looking for all the bells and whistles of a Big City marathon, try New York. If you prefer a beautiful scenic community marathon with dedicated people putting on an excellent event with limited resources, then this is the race for you. You can feel welcome, park very close to the starting line, and enjoy a sense of camaraderie that simply doesn't exist in the huge, impersonal mega-races. Weighing all the pros and cons, I'd definitely run it again!!! And wow! What a great finisher's medal. | |
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Jim Wright from Tallahassee, FL
(10/24/2011)
"Great first marathon experience!" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 "Running for the bay!" Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 My first marathon so I'm far from an authority but our whole family thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Race coincided with a jazz festival on Saturday which was an unexpected treat. I liked the whole course. Well marked, plenty of police, and courteous motorists. As safe as close proximity to vehicles can be. I carried my fluids but there seemed to be enough drink stations. Intervals between stations had many unattended boxes of water. There were several first aid stations and I thought the portolets were adequate and well spaced....I can't remember any on the bridges but there may have been some. Shoulders were wide in all but a few spots but may not have been room for portolets on bridge shoulders. I appreciated the one at the halfway point! Few spectators but they were enthusiastic. Motorists honked and waved and shouted encouragement. Race staff were knowledgeable and very friendly. Registration was well organized. Nice start/finish area. Could've used about twice as many portolets there as they were busy just before the start. Beautiful medals. Nicer than Tampa Bay Run's. Plenty of refreshments at end of race Overall, I'd say that there was a marked improvement over last year per the many negative comments about it. We intend to do it again next year. My compliments to all the race organizers, registration staff, police and medical folks, Jazz Festival organizers, vendors, and entertainers, River Inn folks (the restaurant is excellent), and all the shops and residents of the wonderful little burg of Apalachicola. We'll be back often. Thank you. Jim Wright and family, Tallahassee and Pensacola. | |
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jeff beasley from dothan, have house on st. george island
(11/16/2010)
"nice views; needs help" (about: 2010)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 Very nice views of the bay. I know it is impossible to block traffic, especially over a bridge, but some traffic cones would have been nice. They need more water and Gatorade. The registration fee is also a little too high. Next year have the 5/10K course stay in town and run by the river/bay maybe. You could find some local volunteer group (animal shelter, Boy Scouts, high school club) and pay them, say, $300 to man aid stations at the beginning of the course. | |
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L. N. from Tampa, FL
(10/27/2010)
"Good first-year try" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 My comments are for the 2010 half marathon. I thought the town and the people were very welcoming, and parking and packet pickup were very accessible. It was a very laid back environment. The course was beautiful, thanks to the good weather we had. I had carried my own water bottle with me, thank God, because I was shocked to come off of the first bridge and find out they were out of water already. I knew at that point that the ones to follow would be as well. It was difficult running next to cars, and inhaling all of the exhaust. I've never had to do that before and have run several races. Also, because it was an out-and-back, with the bridges in between, it really did not allow for spectators. We had about 5 total. They also need more restrooms throughout, and police along the way would have been nice. With the lack of all that, I'm not really sure what our high race registration fee went to. I've paid less and gotten a lot more. I hope it went to a good cause. I think there will be a lot to learn from the first run, but I definitely plan to do it again. I'm willing to see what they improve on each year. The view of the race was worth it, though, and it outweighed any of the issues I may have had along the way. Good try, and keep it up. | |
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T. D. from Georgia
(10/26/2010)
"Race needs major improvements before next year" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Race was poorly coordinated. They had run out of water by mile #4, and while they finally had it at the half turning point, the next 2 stops were out. Only had one gatorade stop for the half (2 for the full). Most miles were not marked. No spectators along course. The course was open to traffic - motorists seemed inconvenienced by runners and the fumes from cars were terrible. After the finish I was given a broken medal. I was told that I could take it and get it fixed myself, or I could be put on a list to get a new one, but they would not guarantee that the replacement would be sent. Pretty disheartening to FINISH a race and not be able to wear medal! Rooms were expensive, and not runner-friendly - I had to listen to karaoke on loudspeaker until 1:00 a.m. the night before the race. Not good sleeping conditions. D-chip timer got me worried when person was manually punching in bib numbers at the halfway point - what happened when lots came through at one time? :( |
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