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☰
New Jersey Marathon Runner Comments
Back to New Jersey Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 4.5 
Spectators 3.9
Number of comments: 464 [displaying comments 171 to 181]
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h. t. from tenants harbor, me
(5/6/2008)
"Well organized, great volunteers" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I would like to thank the many, many policemen who directed traffic! I have never seen such support from local police in a marathon, and it definitely made the run less stressful. The marathon was super-organized, with lots of volunteers. The course was great, but there could have been more music at water stops. Great value,highly recommended. | |
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N. C. from US
(5/6/2008)
"Very runner- friendly marathon" (about: 2008)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The weeather started off cool and foggy and ended up sunny - perfect for me. The course was very flat. My only complaint would be that it got a little boring at times, especially since it was a double loop and there were a lot more half marathoners and spectators the first time around. There were plenty of liquids and snacks/GU. I wish I didn't have to waste time standing in line for the portajohn at around mile 8. There was a nice view running along the ocean nearing mile 13 and the finish. The Finish line clock wasn't working when I crossed the Finish, so I'm glad I had my GPS. There were lots of friendly, supportive volunteers all along the way, and there was great veggie soup for finishers (which made me especially happy since I'm a vegetarian), and a welcome massage. The long-sleeved technical teal green shirt was great, as was lightweight hat and medal. Overall, it was a fulfilling first marathon experience. | |
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p. m. from central new jersey
(5/6/2008)
"Great first-marathon experience!" (about: 2008)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and I honestly had a blast! I ran the first 18 miles with the 4:15 pace crew, who were outstanding. The pace was absolutely on-target, and the jokes/banter made the miles go by fast. After mile 18, I felt okay, so I sped up on my own. The overcast (but not rainy!) weather was good for running. The two-loop course made it easy for me to see my husband 4 times during the race. There were enough runners to make it feel like an "event," but it was not too crowded to move. I liked that I could sign up a bit late (after I survived my 16-mile training run!) without being closed out. | |
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J. F. from Carney, Maryland
(5/6/2008)
"Great course! Nice, pleasant, supportive folks!" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Even though I was sick and having a bad day(upper respiratory virus), I must say that the course was fast, flat and pleasant! I knew from the gun that I was not going to hit a personal record, but I really enjoyed this race and felt that it was one of the most efficiently run races I have run yet. I was able to finish thanks to God and plenty of fluids, potties and great fans. The mile markers were perfect, and there were no hidden hills to take you by surprise. The police and traffic control were good, the people of NJ were awesome, and there were some of the most beautiful, cool-looking homes I have ever seen. Very nicely done, Mr. Director! Thanks! Oh, and the Lighthouse dude cracked me up! :o) | |
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Annette Lewis from Malta, NY
(5/6/2008)
"Incredible organization and experience" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I started with the 20-mile training run on April 13th that I was lucky enough to join. I thank you for the wonderful experience that day, getting to know the course and seeing how organized your group is. It gave me a lot of confidence to run this marathon, for which I was so poorly trained! Running this winter in upstate NY was tough. The expo was well laid-out and easy to get through, despite the bad weather and cramped tent. It was good advice to get to the starting area early, since it took some pressure off. The volunteers and spectators really made the day! My special thanks to Monique from PEI and Meryl from LI for helping me through the tough miles towards the end. | |
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E. F. from New York, NY
(5/6/2008)
"Flat and fast" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 The race was well-organized this year. There were plenty of fluid and aid stations along the way. I really appreciated the bananas, oranges and Gu. The 2- loop course was great for seeing your support crew multiple times (at the start, 5M, 13M, 18M, finish). The weather-while humid-was overcast and cool throughout the race. The conditions were almost perfect for racing. The only thing I really didn't care for were the relay runners. At miles 18-26, I usually like to try and pass people nicely and gradually, but the relay runners who clearly had just started running and weren't even sweating yet were flying past. It annoyed me to be working so hard and see someone running 6.55M whizz past. Relay races should be restricted to kids' events or made more challenging. One way to make it more challenging is to make the relays longer. For example, the course is open for 7 hours so there is enough time for teams to be required to complete 2 marathons. It's not a marathon relay when each person of the relay team isn't running a marathon. If they have the relay again next year, they should call it a 6.55M relay. | |
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J. C. from New Jersey
(5/6/2008)
"Great community marathon" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 New Jersey Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Pros: - Really can't get a faster/flatter race than this. - Perfect race to PR/Boston qualify. - Good crowd support for a community race. - Nice finishers' medal and hat! - Personalized bib numbers - great touch! - Plenty of fluid and fuel stations. There were, however, a few times that I had to bend down to pick up my cup off the ground. Cons: - All the other marathons are moving to dri-fit shirts; I think Jersey should do the same. - I'm not a fan of the current route - I understand there are definite benefits to the double loop, but I remember previous races having much prettier scenery. - What happened to the lighthouse portion of the race? I overheard someone say, "What's the point of Larry the Lighthouse running if we don't even run past a lighthouse?" - This only applies to the slower finishers, but (1) taking down the mile markers well before the race was officially over and (2) having absolutely nothing in terms of food or drink was poor. I think my walking partner and I were sort of ready to kill the organizers by mile 22 for not knowing where the heck we were in the race. And although I expected the massage people to be gone by the time I got there (actually, in '04- the last time I finished this slow- they were still there by that point) but how could you have absolutely *nothing* for the later finishers? | |
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G. K. from New York
(5/6/2008)
"Fun times On the Jersey Shore" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 The 2008 NJ Marathon consisted of two 13.1-mile loops around the lazy NJ Shore town of Long Branch. The mostly flat course briefly ran alongside the NJ Shore. The bulk of the race winded around various residential neighborhoods, the main commercial district (dotted with small mom and pop stores) as well as a few very large estates. While navigating through the course, I found that the crowd support was sporadic and lacked the enthusiasm that one normally experiences when running marathons in other cities. The weather this year was fantastic, as it was cool and misty at the start and only got sunny very late into the race. I also enjoyed the cool sea breeze that helped keep the temperature under control. Race organizers did an awesome job organizing this race. There were port-o-johns every few miles, plenty of food/water stations as well as enough volunteers/police to re-direct traffic and help, should any emergencies arise. The race also had at least a dozen pace groups (for those of us who enjoy company while running long distance) and although there were roughly 8,500 runners, I never found the course to be too congested. My one and only complaint with the race organizers is that this event was held on the same weekend as the LI marathon, the 5 borough bike tour as well as the Brooklyn half (I was really bummed that I couldn't participate in all of these events). In addition to the marathon, race organizers held a marathon relay race and a half marathon race. Transportation: I trained it to the NJ Marathon, which meant that I boarded a special free train from Penn Station at 4am to get to the race. I truly believe that this was one of the best ways to make it to the race, as there was virtually no traffic. I was at the sponsor hotel early enough to do any last minute preparations, pick up my race packet (there was an extra $25 advance fee for Race day pick up) and carbo-load. I found that the facilities were not overly crowded and that race participants were overall very friendly. One last note: there was a very special rendition of the star spangled banner at the start of the race. It helped lighten the mood and kick off a great race. | |
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mike burke from Torrance, CA
(5/5/2008)
"Double-loop is OK; course is great!" (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my 53rd marathon and 27th state. I loved every second of it. Zero traffic problems. Plenty of fluids and food on course. Plenty of volunteers. Awesome finish line-plenty of room to spread out! Only weakness was that the mile markers were not clearly marked. They did have clocks up at various points, but mile markers were unclear. How hard is it to duct tape a piece of cardboard with a number on it to a stick and put it in the ground? Finally, I would strongly suggest staying at the host hotel; very convenient for start and finish, and it allows you to enjoy more of the quaint, little, east coast, beach town. | |
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Slow Runner from New York
(5/5/2008)
"Friendly marathon" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 After having run NY, I was unprepared for the hands-on approach of this marathon. I called to ask a question one day and ended up having a long conversation with someone who eventually revealed himself as the race director! I can't imagine that ever happening with the bigger ones. Everyone was very friendly, and there was great food along the way. My only suggestion is that if pacers decide to break away from their assigned groups, they should take off their pacer labels. I started out too fast and then was passed by three different people, about half an hour apart, wearing the 5-hour pace team bib. |
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