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Jul 2, 2024

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 101 to 111]

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D. S. from Rancho Cucamonga, CA (1/27/2007) "Half is better than full" (about: 2007) 3 previous marathons \| 2 OC Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I've run the half twice now, and from what I hear (from my other friends in my running club who have run the marathon) the half is probably better. I do have some comments on it. If a marathon is to dig deep in your soul and accomplish, then this is the race for you. If you absolutely need people to feed off for energy then stick to the mega marathons in big cities.
P. Y. from Los Angeles (1/26/2007) "Great Family Event" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 OC Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 The OC Marathon was a great event for my entire family. I ran the half marathon this year, my wife ran in the 5K and I finished in time to watch my daughter and son participate in the Kids' 1.2K run. And afterwards, we walked across the street to the Irvine Spectrum and had a great lunch! The half marathon course was really nice with changing scenery through residential areas, a community park, bike trails and business parks. The course has some gradual inclines, which made it somewhat challenging but not leg-busting. I learned from previous comments that this course is nowhere close to the beach, but I did check it out on Google Earth and it gave me a good idea of what to expect. This is a great tool if you're interested in checking out other courses. The event was well organized from the expo to the finish line activities. At the end of the race, there was plenty of food and water available, at least when I finished. Volunteers were great. There was plenty of parking at the finish area - my wife dropped me off earlier at the starting line, which was very convenient. My only disappointment was the lack of spectators along the course. But, for a medium-sized event, I will definitely keep this on the calendar for next year.
Eddie Hahn from Rancho Cucamonga, CA (1/21/2007) ""Tonson" Saves the Day" (about: 2007) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 OC Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I want to give a special thanks to "Tonson," the 3:40 group leader. Out of the 76 marathons I have done, I am hard pressed to remember a more energetic, friendly, well-informed runner with more comedic ancedotes than this official pacer. Accordingly, viewing results, I noted he ran right at his goal pace time. I hope some other runners were able to meet their goals by running with him. (Unfortunatly I dropped off when the moderate hill grades took a toll, and the temperature increased about 10 degrees during the last hour and a half of my run). At the start it was 50 degrees, when I finished (4 hours later it was 70). I took note of a runner getting CPR at the finish. Concerning other aspects of the race; I offer a few observations. The expo was a nice, large affair with plenty of selection, variety, and free samples. (The unoffical vendors outside the expo were looking for a quick buck vending all kinds of over-priced refreshments). I really like the nice OC Marathon black pull-over, lightweight, nylon jacket that was given to the first 1,000 marathon enterants, and for wearing a pair of red New Balance shoe laces (during the marathon) (mailed the week before) the New Balance team gave a nice little red nylon velcro accessory bag at the finish.) The t-shirt is white, cotton, and long-sleeve, with the race logo. The medal, suspended by a white ribbon, displays: "OC Marathon" and their logo. Post-race goodies were awesomely refreshing after that debacle in Las Vegas last month. They had a lot of stuff and plenty of it - I felt I got my money's worth. The course is surprisingly rural, as described by others. I found it to be a unique mix of undeveloped farm land - a rarity in southern California - with a mix of freeways and bike paths. It isn't particularly scenic and I wouldn't recommend it to first-timers who aren't familiar with the area, because it's such a "self motivator" in terms of lack of crowd support.
T. L. from dallas,tx. (1/18/2007) "Please change the course" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I ran the half in this event and, for the most part, it was fairly pleasant. It was, however, not as the website claimed. The start was at a very nice spot close to the coast, but the route quickly moved inland. for the first 6 miles there were some spectators, but afterwards they were pretty sparse. The course was slightly downhill in the first half but ended with a long incline (didn't think I'd get up that hill). Didn't see any water (unless you count the riverbeds) as you would expect to see in Southern CA. I know there must be logistical problems with trying to change this, but it would add imeasurably to the event. Didn't mind the point-to-point course, but out-and-back might be better. Volunteers were all great, as usual, and should be commended for donating their time. Didn't see a lot of entertainment on the course, which would have helped some runners. Good finish amenities, and food and drinks were plentiful. As this was only the third year for this event, I wasn't terribly disappointed, but a change in the course would be a step or two in the right direction.
J. M. from Modesto, CA (1/17/2007) "First Half - Not Bad" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 OC Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first half marathon. I would have to say that next time I will better research the course. The only time the course was completely flat was the last 3 miles. Otherwise, it's a gradual incline or quick declines throughout. There wasn't any music along the course, but it was nice to have the aid stations every 1.5 miles. The race was extremely well organized and the weather was picture-perfect.
Ruth Morrow from Wichita Falls, TX (1/13/2007) "Beauty in the coastal foothills" (about: 2007) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 OC Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 After a mass start with the half-marathon, the first part is mostly flat to downhill on streets (loooong street down miles 2-4). Starting at miles 8.5 for a mile (and then later in the course as well), the course ran on paved bike paths. The only true asphalt moment was the fairly lengthy stretch on the tollway around miles 12-14 (no, we didn't have to pay). The course is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS for an urban run - hilly, and ALL streets (including the tollway) were closed to traffic (there were some bicyclists and walkers on the bike paths). Well organized run with a 7-hour limit and a good mid-sized expo. This marathon is a definite keeper!
G. W. from Hacienda Heights, CA (1/11/2007) "A one-time marathon" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 OC Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 I usually overlook little quirks in marathons, mainly because the positives usually outweigh the negatives. Not OC. This course has a lot of long, boring stretches, especially after mile 8 when the half and full marathoners branch off into different directions. A lot of inclines with headwinds that never seem to stop. Never-ending exposure to the sun. Mile markers that are way off. Very few spectators, and the ones that did show up didn't seem to know how to cheer on the participants. Very little entertainment - maybe 3 bands total. The most scenic part of the course involved fields of crops. Again, I usually am not one to complain, but every quirk is magnified when they ALL appear in the same race. I don't know who this race is for. I wouldn't recommend it to first-timers because this race doesn't represent what a marathon is all about very well, and they wouldn't want to run another one. It also isn't for anyone looking for a PR. The brightest selling point for this race is the time of year it takes place, because there isn't a whole lot going on otherwise. On the positive side, the organization and volunteers were good. Still, this is a one-time marathon for me.
V. H. from Las Vegas Nevada (1/10/2007) "This Race was BAD" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 OC Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 I thought that after two years of mistakes they could have figured out how to run a marathon. Well, I was wrong. The race director, Bill Sumner, should stick to coaching high school running. This marathon should be the Irvine Marathon - no beach running and a few fans along the course. DO ANOTHER MARATHON. PASS ON THIS EVENT.
C. L. from Central Coast, California (1/9/2007) "Horrible Course, Few Spectators" (about: 2007) First Marathon COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Granted, this was my first marathon. Maybe I was expecting too much. But after long hearing about the camaraderie and the excitement of the marathon, I was disappointed that this lacked all of that. Spectator viewing areas were limited to 4 on the website, and the directions to each had some errors, which made it hard for my family to get to each spot. This was a great disappointment, especially as I realized while running that there were several better options that we hadn't been aware of prior. The course itself was brutal and boring. The first 10 miles were packed with people, the way I had expected, but once the half split from the full, the course emptied out, and while I could see other runners ahead of me, I was often running alone. This has nothing to do with the marathon planning, but it wouldn't have been so bad if the route had been better. Instead, we were running on freeways and up and down on-ramps. At one point we were even running on a paved trail next to a ditch under the overpass. The website shows the bay and "stunning architecture," which I saw none of. Maybe people who are from the area could look at the map and know where it was, but being from out of town I was depending on the information on the the site, which was misleading. The race was held in Orange County, but considering the course, this race could've been held in practically any big city in the country. None of Orange County's attractiveness was taken advantage of. Next is the incline. While there were few big hills, miles 12-21 were at an almost constant incline. It was wearing and tiring, and by mile 20 I just needed it to be over (and I am well trained and in good shape). To add insult to injury, there were 2 hills AFTER mile 23 that made me want to throw something at the race director. All of that would have been easier if there had been more spectators, and I truly believe that there would have been more if the race was held on a more accessible route. The groups that WERE there cheering us on were so appreciated, and it would have been nice to have had that energy throughout. The volunteers and the aid stations were great. I finished in under 4 hours, and nothing was ever out and they were always efficient. The start and finish lines were well run and easy to manuever. The only other thing that really bothered me was the attitude of the race organizers at the end. I went back to the finish to see my results around 6 and a half hours after the race began, and the booth was gone, along with much of the rest of the finish line festivities. People were now handing out medals rather than placing them over the heads of people, and there was much less support. I couldn't believe that they were packing up and leaving while there were still people out there running. I realize that they had been out there for nearly 7 hours, but there were still people coming in who had been RUNNING for 7 hours straight. The least they could have done was stick around to make them feel like the champions they are. Running a marathon is an enormous accomplishment no matter how long it takes you, and I was deeply bothered that those at the end (who probably needed it the most) received the least attention. The food served at the end was good, with oranges, bananas, and a few other sponsered products. The only thing I didn't see was water, which was what I really wanted. They were handing out GookinAid, but that doesn't cut it when all you want it some cold water. Overall, I am glad that I raced and am pleased with my time, but I would never do the OC Marathon again unless and until they change the course.
K. L. from Santa Monica, CA (1/9/2007) "A well organized and pleasant marathon" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 OC Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I have participated in the last two marathons here. The race is very well organized from expo to finish, and I was very grateful to the volunteers who operated each water/aid site. Lots of nice folks who were quick to call out the water and other drinks, and hand out gel packs when required. That makes up for a slightly boring course through Irvine and Tustin. This year resulted in a course improvement with the elimination of a run around the abandoned El Toro Marine base and the substitution of some nice bike paths. Just don't expect any ocean or harbor views. Runners are led right out of Newport Beach before they can become the slightest nuisance to those residents. There is also a significant stretch along a cordoned-off freeway, which is dreary, but when you run the marathon I guess you cannot expect an aesthetic experience the whole way.

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