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New Jersey Marathon Runner Comments

Back to New Jersey Marathon Information & Reviews

Course Rating Course 4.3 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 4.5 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 3.9 
 
 
Number of comments: 464 [displaying comments 361 to 371]
More Comments: [ < 1 .. 35 36 37 38 39 .. 47 > ]

 

M. P. from Brooklyn, NY (5/14/2004)
"Great first marathon. Not too crowded." (about: 2004)

First Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 5


This was my first marathon and it was a great experience. No pressure, no crowds and family and friends could interact along the course. Very nice scenery.

 

sutah robins from jersey shore (5/13/2004)
"Awesome! Home sweet home" (about: 2004)

11-50 previous marathons | 4-5 New Jersey Marathons
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


This is my regular running route, so I especially enjoyed running it with support. Loved the buffet table with gummy bears, M&M's, pretzels, etc. my running club president brought out the Bloody Mary's and all in all I loved every step. I will run this every year.

Thanks Art! Massage at the end. Rooney's Ocean Crab House at the finish line.

 

A. D. from New York, NY (5/7/2004)
"Good Course For Beginners" (about: 2004)

3 previous marathons | 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 4


I'm surprised at how positive the reviews are below. This was a good race, but it deserves some fair criticism (to make it better next year, of course). I thought this was a super, flat, fast course. It was nice to be running along the water for most of the race. I PR'd by 4 minutes so from that standpoint it was great. Also, the race supports some wonderful charities and it deserves an extra star for that alone!

Things that were not optimal about the race: The website was confusing, dated and lacked clear and concise information. It was hard for me (coming from NYC) to figure out where exactly to go the morning of the race. To be fair, Art, the Race Director did respond immediately with precise and detailed information to a voicemail I left the NJRRC. Also, the race starts at a different location than where the bib pickup is, so it was necessary to get there well ahead of time - read: if you are coming from out of town, you better leave at about 4AM! Finally, the buses that took us to the start did so way too early. We could have waited at the hotel (in the warmth). Basically the marathoners had to wait for about 1 1/2 hours in the cold before the start.

 

S. S. from NJ (5/5/2004)
"The Best Tees, Too!" (about: 2004)

2 previous marathons | 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


Thank you for a wonderful race experience. This was my second marathon experience. My first one was NY. In many ways, I enjoyed the NJM more. The volunteers were wonderful. The organization was great and I want to thank you for it. I LOVED the cool shirts! Muuuuch better than the ones at NYC. Thank you.

 

Lisa Lysenko from New Jersey (5/4/2004)
"FANTASTIC AND VERY ORGANIZED" (about: 2004)

1 previous marathon | 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


I loved it - everyone was courteous, helpful, very pleasant and outgoing. A first-rate event with first-rate people/volunteers. Would recommend anyone to do it and as an added plus, the scenery is beautiful and rewarding.

 

G. R. from New Jersey (5/4/2004)
"Great experience from A to Z" (about: 2004)

1 previous marathon | 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


Would just like to thank the organizers for your contributions in making my first marathon such a wonderful experience. From A to Z it was very well organized and very runner friendly. I ran with a pacing leader (4:45:00 pace), and he was very motivational and definitely entertaining.

 

D. n. from Sparta, NJ (5/2/2004)
"Great Initiation" (about: 2004)

1 previous marathon | 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 3


This was my 1st marathon, and I must say, I was impressed by the event. Water and food stations were plentiful, and the staff was great. Thank you for making my first 26.2 memorable.

 

K. W. from Pennsylvania (4/30/2004)
"Great race, well organized, nice flat course" (about: 2004)

1 previous marathon | 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 1


I've been running for many years and finally decided on a marathon. This was a great first marathon course. The course is flat and loops back across itself a few times. This made it easy for my wife and daughter to see me several times and encourage me on.

If your spectators drive you to the start they can see you start then again at mile 8. Then they can drive to President's Park, pass you and honk as they go by, and if they park at President's Park (plenty of parking) they can see you again at mile 13, then walk to the finish about .5 miles away.

The spectators were great, there were plenty of water, Gatorade and gel stops. Don't wait for the porta-potties at the start, use the bathrooms at parking area D, 1/4 mile south of the start (no lines).

Some have commented on a bad neighborhood that a mile or so of the race went through. It looked a little depressed, but the people there were sitting on their porches and looking out windows cheering and encouraging the runners when I went through.

This was a well organized race with friendly volunteers and spectators. I plan to run it again.

 

R. C. from Oradell, NJ (4/30/2004)
"First-Rate Small Marathon" (about: 2004)

6-10 previous marathons | 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 4


This being my 8th marathon and first in a few years due to injuries, I was impressed with the entire package. The course was nice and flat and although it was along the shore, there was relatively no wind (due to a seawall). Less than a perfect score on the course due to the short run through a road repaving section.

The organization was good as well. I've run large marathons (Boston/NYC) as well as a few other small marathons and the organization I experience is on par with any I've run. Plenty of water stations with Gatorade/water several stations that had orange slices/bananas/gels. Well marked course and plenty of support staff. Improvements might include a larger area for the expo as well as a few signs directing runners to the packet pick-up area. If there were any up I didn't see them, nor did the people that asked me where to pick up their numbers after seeing I had picked up mine. Also maybe a formal awards ceremony to provide a little recognition to the award winners might be a nice touch.

Regarding the spectators, it's a small marathon so you shouldn't expect a NYC sized crowd. There were spectators spread out along the course who were genuinely enthusiastic. Overall a well run event and I'd recommend this to anyone wanting to run a marathon, either as a first-timer or an addict.

 

A. B. from California (4/28/2004)
"Overall great race experience" (about: 2004)

3 previous marathons | 1 New Jersey Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 5


First I want to say that my complaints are constructive, because I really did enjoy this race and I think that if you're going to do a marathon then you better toughen up!!

I personally enjoyed most of the course, but I couldn't figure out why the shuttle buses had to get us to the starting line 2 hours before the start time. There must be a way around this. In bad weather it could be really miserable. A really nice bus driver let me wait on his bus, which was great.

I think the race organizers did a good job of showing a really nice part of NJ, which only locals would really know about. Gateway Rec. Area is really pretty, running right next to the lighthouse was neat. I do hope that in the future, the area around Broadway is gentrified a bit... the last couple of miles were through a crummy neighborhood (I looked off to my right for the ocean views instead, but it was difficult to do when running on broken streets). Anyway, I know that sounds snobby but I was surprised at the state of the neighborhood at the finish line in contrast to Deal and the areas in the first 10 miles, which were very pretty. My family members had to park in a pretty rotten neighborhood... maybe the finish could be at 7 President's Park instead?

I was really glad that the expo was open late, since I couldn't get there any earlier than Sat. night and I desperately needed some Gu (or so I thought - there was plenty of it to find during the race).

The finish area could be a bit more organized for the safety of runners. Runners should have priority for food and water. Although, picking up my finisher's bag with my sweats in it was quite easy and fast. Thank goodness!

The volunteers and spectators were awesome. I really think they all did a great job. The course itself was very organized. It was well marked, with plenty of helpful people, lots of Gu, food at crucial times, Gatorade and water. The walk to where I parked was difficult after the race, but if you read the information on the website carefully, you could at least expect it.

I would definitely recommend this race, I enjoyed my experience, and it would also be great for a PR.

 

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