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Myrtle Beach Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Myrtle Beach Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 3.6
Number of comments: 318 [displaying comments 211 to 221]
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D. M. from Columbia, SC
(2/20/2006)
"Marathon better than expected." (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my fourth marathon. Here is a quick review of the day: The weather was fantastic. The forecast called for rain all morning, but the sun broke through most of the morning. The temperature was very cool, not too cold, but I wore windbreaker pants and a long-sleeve shirt over my usual marathon running attire. I also wore a ski cap. The hotel I stayed at - Sea Mist - was fewer than ten minutes from the start. I would have found a different hotel because if it wasn't for the noise from the air conditioner, then I would have been listening to the cars drive by all night on Ocean Boulevard. The start line included all runners from all races, including the marathon relay and the half. So the pace at the beginning was faster than normal and I think I tried to stay with runners from the different races. There was a gas station near the start, but it was packed full, so I recommend about twenty latrines near the start so people can relieve themselves just prior. I was only a minute off my half-marathon pace, but by the time I hit mile 20, my feet were in bad condition due to the constant pavement pounding. There are a few places where you can run on grass. I eventually caught up with the 3:50 pacer and he was perfectly on pace by the finish line. If you want to pace, I would use the guys that wear the t-shirt. They are usually reliable. The water stops were plentiful. I saw two latrines at every water stop. By the halfway mark, I tore off my outer layer of clothing. They had food stations at miles 16 and 22, but I would recommend carrying two power gels with you during the first half marathon. Your body needs the energy very early. The finish line was superb, as you run around the final corner, you see the time from the distance. Volunteers help you at the end to remove the chip, and it's buffet time at the food tables. The last three marathons I've run, they give you something to wrap your body to warm up. But they didn't have it here so I was shivering all the way until I made it back to my car. Overall, I would definitely run in this race again. It's a perfectly flat course to gain a personal best. If you don't mind running next to cars and seeing every store you can imagine, then this a race for you. | |
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A. S. from Chicago, IL
(2/19/2006)
"Only if you need this state for the 50/50 club" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I have recently gotten into marathoning but I have gotten a good taste of what is done well and what is not. The good things: small number of people running the full. The volunteers were great!!! Things that can be improved: the course is horribly boring and running on main roads almost the entire race is no fun; nothing to see. Before the race started no one knew where to go for bag check and the starting line was not clearly marked until 30 minutes before the race. Overall - not a fun race or run but if you need SC for your club, it is passible and the town is a fun time. Good luck to all those who run it. | |
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Chuck King from Charleston, SC
(2/19/2006)
"Good run" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 It was my first marathon, but it went well. I think the volunteers were excellent. Every street corner there was a volunteer, and spectators were few in some areas, but you did not go more than a block without seeing someone. A few complaints, however: Most of the aid stations did not have lemon lime Gatorade, and it is hard to stomache red Gatorade. Also, I did not like the having to go to three different places at the expo to get my number, chip, and shirt. In the finish, I think they should have given the medal first and then had the area to take your chip off. They did have people to untie your chip, which was good. They did not have solar blankets for the finishers, which I thought was odd and disappointing, since it was kind of chilly. I liked their route, though, love the volunteers, and loved how the last .2 was straight into the finish. It was a good first marathon | |
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S. M. from Lexington, Kentucky
(2/19/2006)
"Myrtle Beach is an okay marathon" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my second marathon. The expo was okay... I got there late Friday afternoon and most of the marathon merchandise was already picked over. The pasta dinner was better than most. The race-date weather ended up being great for running. There was a 70% chance of rain with the high temp forecasted to be 48. The temp ended up in the low 50's and no rain. Overall, the course is okay - a lot of the time we were running on four-lane roads. During the last half of the course there were several miles of an uphill incline but overall the course was flat. My biggeset complaint was how bunched up the runners were for the first several miles (with full and half runners). Also, there was a pretty good slant to the roads. We only had one lane of a road most of the time with car traffic in the other lane. Also, the website said there would be lemon-lime PowerAde on the course. All rest stops except maybe the last one or two had punch flavor. I'd like to see the website give more information to the runners. I had to email the race directors for a registation form and to find out if there would be pace groups. My other marathon was Shamrock (Virginia Beach). Their website included a forum for runners. This was a great way to get fired up about the race and to get additional information. Myrtle Beach did not give the runners Mylar blankets at the end of the run.... We cooled off quickly after the race. Seems like that would be a standard item at the end of a marathon run in Febuary. Overall, I liked Myrtle Beach, but I probably won't run it again. | |
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M. M. from Rock Hill, SC
(2/19/2006)
"Disappointed" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Just finished the half (2/18/06). Live in SC and love Myrtle Beach. Packet pick-up & expo experience: There seemed to be a lack of parking and very cramped quarters all around. Going from spot to spot to get all your stuff was chaotic. Expo was okay; just cramped. Course: Nice and flat as promised; got to see my family several times. Start is completely disorganized. No attempt to seed people by goal pace and NARROW! Had to do lots of off-roading just to crawl over walkers and slower folks. The porta-potty lines were out of control. Did not like running so close to traffic on King's Highway or Ocean Blvd. Didn't feel safe with frustrated drivers taking chances. Support on the course was OUTSTANDING. I have not encountered a finer or more cheery army of volunteers. Minor complaint: Can we get the mile markers and time clocks up higher than the average person's height? I missed most of my splits. Also water stations were too close to mile-markers if you're trying to record splits and hydrate at the same time. What bothers me is that several of the same complaints I am registering have been mentioned in the 2004 and 2005 comments. Is anyone listening? Has the potential to be a GREAT race. Go to an Elite Racing event (the musical marathon people) to see how a fantastic race is put together. The extra money is worth it. I did make my goal pace and am very happy about that. | |
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Sam Carmichael from Virginia
(2/19/2006)
"Fun run! Nicely organized! (Beware of traffic.)" (about: 2006)
First Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Overall the run was great! Mostly flat, the starting 5 miles were crowded and the last 4 miles of incline may throw off your pace. I was the only one juggling and running, I think (dropped 'em every mile or two but did it for 95% of the whole thing), and mostly got encouragement, which was great (almost all the spectators cheered for me! :) I've never had this much attention in my life!). We got a medal, shirt, lots of water, and PowerAde (and some Gu) was handed out every two miles which was also good! But the traffic was terrible. It was a distraction, and very dangerous; my friend saw someone who got hit and had to be carried away in an ambulance. Next year, I hope the city could stop driving those roads for those days (since it IS in the country that pollutes more than any other in the world). I would recommend this to those who have run the distance before and are not just trying to do it all without training. My advice: Run for fun - winning is not the most important thing in the universe, status is not more important than your health, and most importantly, be safe! | |
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M. H. from NC
(2/19/2006)
"Well organized marathon & FAST" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Well organized. Course is boring at times and repetitive... but hey, this is Myrtle Beach, if you don't run on the beach at dawn, there isn't a lot of natural beauty! I consider MB almost as a second home, so the course was fine with me. Good race support, lots of water and gel. Kudos to all the friendly volunteers (boy there were a lot of them!). Good traffic control; drivers are a little impatient. Overall a fun race, and a good place to hang out for a few days. | |
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P. H. from Mebane, NC USA
(2/19/2006)
"Large improvement from last year" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Myrtle Beach Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I ran MBM last year, and it was okay. This year MBM had significantly improved from last year. The starting line was moved to Grissom, which is nicer than before. The finish chute was also improved and more "professional" than last year as well. This is a small/medium-size marathon, so the half and full starting at the same time does not bother me personally. Kudos for the MBM are: 1. The organization is much improved. 2. After-race food was in abundance this year - tons of bagels, muffins, chips, pretzels, bananas, oranges and plenty of drinks including beers. 3. Spectators are light but very enthusiastic. High-maintenance runners should go to NY/Chicago for larger crowd. 4. I like this year's medal. It's nice and almost as big as the Chicago one. ;) 5. The volunteers, police, and shuttle bus drivers are great. Thanks folks. Here are a few things that may have room for improvement: - Water stations at each mile after the 20th mile mark. It gets harder and warmer after 20 miles (the wall....). - Carbo-load dinner is kind of pricey ($15) for two kinds of pastas, lettuce, cookies and drinks. - Porta-johns need to be closer to the starting line. Runners overload the Mobile gas station bathroom. Overall, MBM was very good this year. Keep it up. Thanks Myrtle Beach. | |
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Brad Thern from Appleton, WI
(2/14/2006)
"Marathon #9 was a good time." (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 After reading some previous comments, I'm glad we're all allowed our personal expectations. First, the course is very flat and can be fast. As for the scenery, I myself liked the variety. True, there weren't any vast ocean vistas, but, if you were to run 26.2 miles along a beach, half your view would never change. What would the complainers have to say then? The course support was more than adequate, which also goes for the crowds. I don't train with crowds, so I consider even a few people a good crowd. The people that were there gave me a lot of support. Overall I had a good time in the Myrtle Beach area, enjoyed the marathon, met some great people, and would recommend this marathon to anyone. | |
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J. F. from Columbia, SC
(1/26/2006)
"BAD marathon" (General Comments)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Myrtle Beach Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 This was a horribly boring and poorly laid out marathon. There are horrible stretches of boring landscapes. The last 4 miles are on a slight incline and are right next to traffic on 17. The half starts at the same time. The whole goes nearly to the end where the half runners split off and you can hear people at the finish line cheering them on while people running the full must go out and run another loop.... A mental hurdle. I would NOT recommend this as a first-time marathon. POOR crowd support also. |
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