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Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 4.6 
Spectators 3.7
Number of comments: 240 [displaying comments 91 to 101]
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T. W. from Toms River, New Jersey
(3/23/2009)
"Good marathon" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Virginia Beach is a great place to run. The course initially takes you through the beachfront area for a very short time, but then takes you along a couple of shore roads and through two military bases. One of the bases contains historic Cape Henry Lighthouse. I will admit that some of the best cheering of fans came from some soldiers at one of the bases. The running lanes seemed a bit narrow at times for the number of people running. Many times I had to get out of the way for wheelchair athletes who took up a large portion of the lane. Even though it is against the rules, it seemed that a ton of people were wearing headphones. I almost wish I had worn my iPod, as well (now that I know there isn't any enforcement of that rule). The ending was fantastic. There were hot food and refreshments waiting at the end. There was a beach party in a large tent and the sun was bright and warm. Overall, a worthwhile marathon. | |
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Bailey Hooten from winston salem, nc
(3/23/2009)
"The perfect first-timer marathon!" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Shamrock Sportsfest Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Shamrock Marathon is absolutely the best! The course is gentle enough for a first-timer, and fast enough for the best of the best and a Boston Qualifier to boot! The course is scenic, shady, sunny, and filled with water, Gatorade, energy packs stops and bathroom stops, and encouraging volunteers. Plus, music at the perfect mile markers to keep you "O.P." - on pace. Did I mention that there are also designated pacers for different finish times? My pacers were Marie Bartoletti and Mark. We were the 4:30 group. At every mile marker, Marie would sing ' "Do you see what I see?? It's mile marker 15! One, two, three...." and then we would all shout, "4:30 ROCKS!" AND WE DID ALL 26.2 MILES TO KING NEPTUNE, where we were handed a medal, bottled water, a banana, goody bag, and warm silver wrap! Then it was off to a huge tent with beer, hot, hearty soup, and music! What an amazing race! Can you tell that I had fun? | |
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michael gargiulo from Brooklyn, New York
(3/23/2009)
"Flattest, Fastest Course I Have Ever Run" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I chose Virginia Beach as my potential BQ race because I had heard that it was fast and flat. Well, fast and flat is actually an UNDERSTATEMENT. Aside from two ridiculously trivial, minor inclines at miles 3 and 10 totaling 40 feet each, the entire course is, no exaggeration, flat as a pancake. The weather was perfect this year, with sunshine, starting temps in the 40's, and almost no wind at all. Even though I failed to qualify for Boston (I developed nausea at mile 21 and walked/ran to the finish), I still PRed by over 2 minutes, and will definitely be back next year. If you are looking to PR, this is your course. Great post-race party too! Four free beers, and great swag. | |
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A. L. from North Carolina
(3/23/2009)
"Parking!!!!" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The parking situation is very difficult. I am aware of arriving early and I did (very early). I had to go in circles for 20 minutes and couldn't find anywhere to park!!! Could a shuttle service be available?? I will run this race again - it's very nice - but I will bring someone along because of parking issues!! I would have loved to stay in a hotel but just couldn't afford it. | |
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L. S. from Washington DC
(3/23/2009)
"Excellent Race" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Very well run marathon and half. Good organization, manageable field size, fast course, plenty of water tables, and pretty good crowd support. Plenty of hotels, so it was easy to stay within a few blocks of the start and finish. Wind wasn't an issue in 2009, and the temperature was cool and near perfect. This is very much a PR course if the weather is cool and if the wind is mild, which was the case in 2009. | |
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T. L. from Dallas, Tx
(3/23/2009)
"A great marathon choice" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 24th different marathon. My pros far outweigh my cons. I really enjoyed this marathon, and would highly recommend it. Pros: 1. The race director and crew have it together. Organizationally, top-notch. All of the aid stations were fully manned. All the mile markers were accurate and visible. The start and finish were organized - no chaos or confusion. The course was well laid out. The finish area, in a fully enclosed tent on the beach, was great. 2. Finishing on the boardwalk near the Neptune statue was awesome. 3. Beautiful medals. 4. Long-sleeved tech top and nice finisher's hat (although the top (XS) was still too big for a small female). 5. There was a strong community presence on the course - the city is really involved with this event all week-end. The 8K on Saturday was HUGE. 6. It was nice to see the recycling bins at the finish line. 7. Flat course with PR potential. 8. Logistics: staying at a hotel within walking distance to start and finish was great! Cons (these are minor things and only mentioned as things to consider or be prepared for): 1. The Fort Story stretch of the course was difficult for me in that it wasn't scenic and very quiet. I felt like this area needed something to help us along. 2. The 7:00 a.m. half start and 8:00 a.m. full start seemed backwards, but logistically, it wouldn't work the other way without a course change. | |
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A. L. from Great Barrington, MA
(3/23/2009)
"flat and fast" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 For 2009 it was a perfect day to run and it gave me a PR, which was unexpected. The course is as flat as I have seen them. Good water stops and fan support most of the way. I liked having my name printed on my bib. The pace groups all seemed to work well. I can imagine that it could be a windy course, but it was not so in 2009. | |
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B. J. from NC
(3/22/2009)
"Great course, weather, and run" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a great course with almost no wind, perfect temperature, and it made for a great race. Everything that was given out was also awesome. Highly recommended. | |
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A. H. from Alexandria, VA
(3/22/2009)
"Disappointed" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 At 5 p.m. on Saturday, the expo was out of goody bags! That is part of the reason I run, for the free goodies!! The food was limited after the race. If you didn't want stew, about the only option you didn't have to pay for was a banana! The finisher hats were a nice touch though! Parking was a nightmare. I was blocked in and couldn't leave for an hour and a half after I completed my race. | |
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D. N. from Eastern Iowa
(3/22/2009)
"Awesome race!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I wanted to be the first to post about 2009. Since I got my BQ after 36 tries, I have nothing but praise for the course. It turned out to be a perfect day, which certainly helped too. Great job, from expo to finish. I would definitely recommend to all! |
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