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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 121 to 131]
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S. L. from Trenton, IL
(3/17/2008)
"My first Shamrock Run" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 All in all this was a good race. The expo was a bit disappointing; I expected it to be bigger. I ran the Dolphin Challenge (8K and 1/2 Marathon). The 8K course was excellent and the fans were awesome. The 1/2 marathon course was a bit boring through the trees and then through Fort Story. There were very few fans to encourage the runners. Although, the trees I'm sure helped break the winds for us. Some of the mile markers were missing and made it difficult for a first-time runner. A suggestion for next year would be to have the 1/2 marathon mile markers one color and the marathon mile markers a different color. When the courses crossed, it got a bit confusing. The fans and volunteers were outstanding! The energy level at the finish was incredible! I will most likely be back at Shamrock next year! | |
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D. M. from Mid West
(3/16/2008)
"Nice event, but rethink the timing system." (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 It is very frustrating to invest your time, money and effort traveling to and running an event and and then not get your time captured. After reading the comments on prior year events on the system used here, I was very careful to place the timing chip as low on my ankle as I could get it, but in the end I did not get a finish time. It would seem from my review of the initial results published that this is far more than an isolated issue. With the systems and technologies available today for timing, I think the organizers need to seriously re-think their timing strategy/supplier for the future. Other than that, this is a very nice event. | |
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Holly Miller from Baltimore, MD
(3/16/2008)
"Pretty decent race; just needs more on course" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I have run my first half marathon and decided the Shamrock would be my first. Here are my comments: Pros: -lots of Shamrock spirit - expo -free goodies! -volunteers and supporters were GREAT! Cons: -course got a little boring through the military base -every mile not marked -entertainment on course was very limited - more music needed All in all, I thought this race was great. I really enjoyed myself. | |
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A. M. from Fayetteville, NC
(6/13/2007)
"A perfect first marathon" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The course was flat, the volunteers were amazing, and the scenery was varied and interesting. I would've preferred a shoe chip to an ankle one. I wore mine on my wrist and never got picked up by the mats, but since my goal was simply to finish, I wasn't too concerned with a precise time. | |
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T. T. from Charlottesville, VA
(6/11/2007)
"Fun race, but a little more organization needed" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I ran the 1/2 marathon. This was a fun race, but be aware, you're not running in the sunny south. It snowed Saturday, and there was definitely a bite in the wind. Definitely one of the flattest courses I have run! Course got a little dull through Ft. Story - not many spectators. I absolutely hate the ankle timing chips - wish they would use the shoe type. Porta-potty lines were long; I stood in line for 10 minutes. However, plenty of porta-potties at the end of the race, with no one in line - maybe a few of the ones at the end of the course could be put in the middle? Start was pretty disorganized, but all in all, it was a good race worth attending. Great for beginners. | |
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T. S. from Indianapolis
(4/24/2007)
"It was a (stiff) breeze" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I waited until my shirt arrived to post this and true to organizers' words, it did. Had great fun, despite the wind. Yeah, there weren't a lot of fans, but hey, it's a smaller marathon, and the ones that were there were great. How many of you would stand out there in those conditions cheering on slugs like us? Can't say enough about the volunteers, too. Special thanks to one at the finish who helped me thru my cramping. Lodging tip: Try Barclay Cottage B&B. Never thought staying at a B&B for a race would be convenient, but boy was I wrong. We got a carb breakfast (bagels, bananas, etc.) about 6 a.m., rides to and from the start/finish and had a yummy full breakfast (brunch) after, complete with celebratory mimosas. Co-owner Steve even came out to the course to cheer us on. | |
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C. L. from Cleveland
(4/22/2007)
"Update" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I posted awhile ago with the main complaint of running out of shirts. Very pleased to actually get one in the mail. I still stand by my comments that it is inexcusable, but at least they did come through. Thank you! | |
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B. F. from Arlington, VA
(4/17/2007)
"Great run that I would gladly do again." (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This is a perfect March race. I only did the half-marathon. Race day this year was about 32 degrees, but it wasn't bad once we got going. There was plenty of water and the course was flat. It was a little thin on spectators and the marathon folks got hit with some brutal winds. Overall, the only change I would look for is clocks at every mile, which might not be feasible with both the half and full marathons going at the same time! I'll be back next year. | |
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l. k. from NJ
(4/16/2007)
"this marathon will leave a mark" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I will probably always remember this marathon not just because of my medal and certificate, but because of the scars that I now have on my ankle from the ankle chip band we had to wear. I have never run a race where the chip wasn't on my shoe, and I guess I put the band on too tight (I didn't want it moving around!) and the velcro wound up cutting my leg. I also had a friend who wore her band under pants and the mats didn't pick up the chip at all and she was left out of the results. They should definitely use the shoe chips. They also ran out of marathon shirts before the expo was over (the shirts are very nice though) and you received a hat at the finish, which I thought was nice additional touch. There appeared to be a lot of beer and food at the finish, which I did not have an appetite for. Overall I thought the marathon was an enjoyable experience. I liked the finish along the beach, and the random thoughts posted along that long stretch of the race before Fort Story where there was no one around humored me. I do have to thank the awesome pacers that found me in the last few miles and helped me run under 3:40 when I would have given up otherwise. I had never run with a pace group before and those pacers were outstanding! | |
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S. S. from Clarksville, MD
(4/15/2007)
"A Positive Update" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I gave a generally positive review for this race a few pages back, but came back again to add this: I first noted that they ran out of marathon shirts and took names down, hastily, saying that they would mail them to us later. Guess what? I actually DID get mailed the marathon shirt about 2.5 weeks after the race! It's one thing to mess up the shirts, but I'm very pleased and impressed that they went and fixed it. |
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