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OC Marathon Runner Comments
Back to OC Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.5 
Organization 3.4 
Spectators 2.8
Number of comments: 181 [displaying comments 91 to 101]
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A. R. from Mexico
(1/7/2008)
 "great event." (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 OC Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Generally speaking, the marathon was very well organized, I would only include corrals next year to provide a smooth start, with everybody running at similar paces. This year there were a significant number of kids from LA, running another race within the marathon. They were crossing paths with no manners at all. in addition, there were some people in the front line who started the marathon walking. If they want to do so, they should go to the back of the pack. I found the route fairly good and the volunteers did an excellent job throughout the race. | |
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a. y. from Los Angeles, CA
(1/7/2008)
"Post-Race Improvements.." (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 OC Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 My first OC Marathon. It was ok.. I'm not sure if the course was representative of what OC is all about, though. Saw a lot of new condo and apt complexes and the freeway run was kind of cool, but a promise of a little more variety for next year's run would make me sign up for it again. Nice long-sleeve shirt and medal. Weather was cool and rainy towards the end with a short adamant burst of hail. Not too bad, actually kind of fun knowing others were as exhilaratingly miserable as you were. :) The course was a little monotonous but I guess that's Irvine. To the organizers, everything was great (Whole Foods, thanks for the shampoo samples! And I've never seen so many ClifShot stations....) but PLEASE improve the drop-off situation for the post-race. To include myself, LOTS of folks were very lost when dropped off by the Bus Man. It was almost like we were left to ourselves in the middle of some business complexes - if we weren't so cold, tired, and wet, I wouldn't have felt half as abandoned.... Sorry, but we were all lost. It was very dark when we parked our cars in the designated areas in the a.m., and given that Fashion Island and its adjacent lots cover a lot of land, it was very difficult for an out-of-towner like myself to quickly find my car spot. I walked around for 30 minutes. Felt kinda stupid but too cold to ditch my space blanket as I walked through the entire mall area trying to find the start spot.... Why did the organizers choose to select a drop-off point that was different from the start area?? I think this is the biggest improvement that can be made for next year. We were all looking for Edwards Cinema, just so we could back-track our ways back to our respective cars. Maybe there could be buses that go back to specific lots the next time (parking area A, B, etc.). Overall, the marathon was good, the organization of the course was great, but the logistical minutiae could improve some. Thanks! | |
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P. P. from Fresno, CO
(1/7/2008)
 "More uphill running than expected, but a fine run" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 OC Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The organization was great - from registration, to expo, to bib pick up. This was the first time I stayed at the race hotel - and the shuttle and access were good. The course was more uphill than the elevation chart led me to believe. But once you get past mile 22 and make the right hand turn on Alton (?), it is downhill for the last four miles. I liked the mix of road, highway, bike path, and back to road. The Clif pacer was great - though he dropped me at mile 22 and I finished 2 minutes behind my goal time. The water stations and the volunteers were great. Lots of water, sports drink, and gel along the course. Two issues: the start should have corrals. The instructions state it is voluntary. The first three miles involved a lot of weaving between runners who should have started farther back. And second, there was a lot of congestion because half marathoners run with the marathoners until mile 8.5 when they split off from the marathon course. I enjoyed the people I met and ran with. | |
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B. L. from Central, CA
(1/6/2008)
 "Decent, but NO sports drinks until mile 11" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 OC Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 The good: Overall this wasn't too bad. The first several miles are on well-groomed streets, then onto neighborhoods, and then on a bike trail next to a wash-out. It was very quiet. I saw like 3 groups of people cheering. If you need spectators cheering you on, then you should find another race. If you like a quiet, solitary course, then this may be for you. The post-race food was standard in an (overall) declining industry where the bottom line seems to trump the integrity of the event. THE BAD: First off, I respect all of the volunteers getting up way to early to give up a Sunday. My only comment (and I hope the director(s) take this seriously: Do not send 'tweens to direct parking. These young teenage girls/kids had NO clue on what to do. They were in the dark street on a curve making timid gestures that looked like they were dancing to an Avril song as opposed to directing traffic. As a result I witnessed 2 near collisions and one near miss on the 'tween girl. This is dangerous! PLEASE select proper volunteers and "train" them on what to do. Don't throw kids an orange vest and assume all will be fine. THE UGLY: There was NO sports drinks until around mile 11. This is unacceptable! The info said there would be (sports drink) stations sooner. Just to make sure, I asked several others and they confirmed this. If the powers that be are not going to serve sports drinks until mile 11, then at least have the decency to post conspicuous signs at the expo stating this so participants who paid close to a hundred bucks know what they are up against and can carry their own fluids. I'd rather be told upfront that replenishment fluids are too much to ask for in a modern urban marathon so I can bring my own. I bonked hard! To add salt to the wound, the organizers and mayor bragged about how much planning went into this. If not for this fatal and inexcusable flaw, the race wouldn't have been half bad. I won't do this again but I wouldn't discourage others - IF the directors can pull it together. | |
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sue michaelson from Newport Beach, CA
(1/6/2008)
 "Race results for my age and time are wrong" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 OC Marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 Course was very boring, for the full marathon. There was no water available at the end. The volunteers and water stations were excellent. | |
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N. G. from Long Beach,CA
(1/6/2008)
 "I made the best out of the great day" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 OC Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Yes, it was quiet, with not a whole lot of cheering (maybe next year go to a local high school and do some arm twisting). I was hoping to accomplish my previous time, but that did not happen. All I can say is: Thank you for all those people who make it possible for us - from volunteers to the director of operations. It was a lot of thing to consider for next time. I have met a lot of angels; and I made the best out of my day. Without you guys, there will not be any marathon; let us learn from our mistake and to make it better for next year. LORD willing, I see you next year. I also want to thank parents and instructors for encouraging those kids to participate, even one of the previous comments was complaining about them. Hi bud - if they gave up on you, you would not have been with us today. I'd rather see them doing the right thing. | |
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B. W. from St. Louis MO
(5/5/2007)
"22 miles uphill and very quiet - very little music" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 OC Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 It was the quietest marathon I've ever run. I'm running my 46th in 2 weeks. The 22 miles of incline were harder than most marathons. The weather was great. | |
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D. B. from Newport Beach, CA
(2/26/2007)
"Peaceful Course" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 OC Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was my first marathon and I was actually quite pleased with the course. I'm surprised to read other comments about the lack of support and the "boring" course. Maybe I'm just used to the act of running being a peaceful, solitary, outdoor event, but that is what made this course quite enjoyable for me. I finished in about 3:30, so maybe the crowd was a bit more thinned out, but for many stretches it was just me, the road and the nice weather. Can't complain and I'll be back next year. | |
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C. L. from Los Angeles, California
(2/4/2007)
"Course in Inland Irvine" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 OC Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Even though the starting point was by Fashion Island in Newport Beach, the course was mainly in inland Irvine. It was hot and dusty with no view of the ocean. 2nd half of the marathon course was mainly on a freeway and on streets with dirt and irrigations on both sides. There were not a lot of spectators cheering, especially on the freeway. However, as a walker instead of a runner, I do appreciate those who provided water and electrolytes all the way to the end. I also was impressed with the organization. There were many bikers riding their bikes back and forth during the last few miles to encourage people to keep going. I don't plan to go back to this marathon though. There was nothing much to see on this course, and inland Irvine was pretty hot and dusty. | |
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L. L. from Los Angeles, CA
(1/28/2007)
"Too crowded" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 OC Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 This race gets increasingly crowded. You'd think that after 3 years, they'd come up with corrals or wave starts. Nope. All the half and all the full marathoners begin at once and down the narrow paths they go. It never really thinned out after the split for the full and the half. There were too many kids all over the course with no race manners. And why do this point-to-point? Very annoying. Around mile 9-10 they ran out of sport drink. I would never do this one again. |
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