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☰
OBX Marathon Runner Comments
Back to OBX Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 4.5 
Spectators 4.3
Number of comments: 183 [displaying comments 101 to 111]
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F. L. from Littleton, NC
(11/16/2008)
 "Really Nice!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Overall, this was a really fun marathon. The course for the first 13-14 miles was super! Flat, winding through neat neighborhoods with TONS of supportive fans... everyone in the Outer Banks must have turned out! I loved the shirt... in my mind, a marathon shirt must be a long-sleeved, cotton shirt. I can by a tech shirt if I need one. My only complaint was that they promised gels, but by the time I got there, they were totally out AT EVERY AID STATION. Guess I should have carried my own! In spite of that problem, I'll return. The Outer Banks is a great spot to visit and the marathon was very enjoyable. | |
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R. G. from Raleigh, NC
(11/16/2008)
 "Beautiful... flat... and great after party!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon definitely ranks near the top of my list! The weather was perfect, the scenery was amazing, and the course was perfect to set a PR. Plus local organizations were at every corner cheering and the after party was a blast. Great band, and there were plenty of docks to hang out on and have a drink. Plus, I loved the pirate theme! | |
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Scott Pugliese from Brooklyn, New York
(11/15/2008)
"Great job in every way!!!" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I came down from Brooklyn, New York to run OBX, and it was worth the trip! The course was awesome: mostly flat, really scenic and full of local supporters who really defined the race. The people in the this town totally ruled!! I just can't say enough about the first-class nature of this race. I came down trying to qualify for Boston - missed by 5 minutes - yet value my trip to this marathon to the max. I will be recommending this race to everyone in the NYC metro area. I will absolutely be back in '09.... Thanks to everyone there. | |
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M. D. from Eatonton, GA USA
(11/14/2008)
"One of the best of my 17 marathons" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The course was very beautiful for the first 13 miles. The bridge, at mile 21, was a major challenge, but the view from the top was wonderful. It was great to look back many miles and see where you had been. The crowd support was great. Overall it was an excellent experience. OBX is a well organized and well run event. The weather on November 9, 2008 was heavenly. | |
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m. m. from Washington NC
(11/13/2008)
"The OBX Marathon was incredible..." (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first half marathon and I had an incredible time!! What a beautiful place to run. The weather was perfect. There was plenty of water/Gatorade/gels available. Some music here and there that kept the excitement up at the beginning. Locals were EXTREMELY supportive!! I could not have dreamed of a better place to be last weekend! Will definitely do more half's and I'm already planning to be at the 2009 OBX!! | |
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Alan Remele from Yucaipa, Ca.
(11/12/2008)
 "I can't go 5 stars, but close." (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 What a great part of the state and country to visit, and why not run a marathon there while you're at it? The marathon's route lets you see a good portion of what the Outer Banks is all about: The Wright Brother's Memorial, the biggest sand dune on the east coast (which you don't have to run on, thank you very much), the beautiful summer homes and rentals in the area, and the historical part at the end of the race. Some points that I thought could have been thought through a little more were: The number of runners registered did not match the number of post-race goodies. 1. The damp towels available to the runners as they crossed the finish line was a nice touch, but they ran out just as I came across the finish. (My time was 4:23.) 2. The beer at the finish is always a nice treat, but is 4 beers per person really necessary? My wife who came in at 5:45 did not get any, and many others before her. 3. The peanut butter sandwiches were all ready made and cut into nice quarter sections, but there were no napkins or tongs or other sanitary method of picking up any of the items (also apple slices, and bananas) from the box. This race had a good course, great support with shuttles everywhere, and good weather. And you could soak your legs in the water at the end. Now, they just need to work on the post-race party. This was my 42 state marathon. | |
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B. B. from Atlanta, GA
(11/11/2008)
 "Great first 13 miles; second 13 still need work" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Upsides: - Small race size made access to race start and packet pick-up easy and hassle-free - no waiting in long lines or standing around for an hour or more waiting for the race to start. In fact, I showed up only 2-3 minutes before the race and had no problem getting out and going at the appointed start time. - The first half is great - with pretty and varied scenery, friendly residents cheering you on and several sponsors along the way with music and extra cheers. - Weather was excellent. - Volunteers friendly. - Water and bathrooms were sufficient. Downsides: - All but four miles or so of the second half are on an open four-lane highway with a fair amount of traffic, including the concrete bridge, where traffic noise is amplified. - The half-marathon started at the same time as the marathon at mile 13 of the marathon course - thus, the fan support was limited during the last half. I can't say I blame them; who would want to stand in their yards for three to four hours waiting for those last 200-300 runners?! - Cotton T-shirts - 'nuf said! This was my first marathon, so I can't say how it compares to other courses. The local group was enthusiastic, and I appreciate the work they did to make this a fun and worthwhile experience. | |
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B. S. from Charlotte
(11/11/2008)
"Marathon Feedback" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first OBX Marathon, and I believe it is well worth the trip. Everything was well organized and there were plenty of porta-potties at the start. They even had food and water before the race. Out on the course, everyone one was dressed in the pirate theme. I found this to be the most interesting, as I ran from one community to the next. To the course...: There were a couple of neighborhoods where the road is split by a huge median in the center. It was hard to tell on which side of the median to run. Maybe next year, they could add a few arrows on the road. The trail section wasn't that bad. The dirt road section was well compacted and the little rolling hills actually felt good to my legs. The true trail section (wood chip section) was okay. When you first turn on the chip part there is a nice little hill. Once past it, the rest was not that bad. You should just expect to lose some time here. As for the bridge, well what I can I say? I cracked here. The bridge may only be 35' tall, but at 23 miles, it felt like Everest. :) But once over it, the run into Manteo was flat and great. I hope to have this race on my schedule for next year. | |
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K. S. from Charlottesville, VA
(11/11/2008)
"First half, awesome; second half, awful" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 OBX Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The organization of the OBX Marathon was exceptional. It must be a nightmare to create a point-to-point marathon (and half), with shuttling, parking, and spectator issues. But everything ran beautifully. And the OBX was so incredibly welcoming to runners. It was really funny to see the whole OBX taken over by runners for the weekend. (And it was REALLY funny to see the whole town hobbling around the day after the marathon.) As for the race itself, it was really more like 2 distinct half marathons. The first half was incredible. We started in a wooded neighborhood, then hit some bike trails along the sound, then by the Wright Brothers Memorial, then onto the dirt road. The dirt road was my favorite part of the entire race. Every time I got a little bored, we'd hit some other cool feature. It was very fun. Unfortunately, the second half was really bad. The course pretty much follows the main route through the OBX, with one lane closed off to traffic. It was brutally hot, with zero shade and not much fan support, and I was sucking down exhaust fumes the whole way. I saw so many people cramping up. If you look at the results, almost everyone's split time for the last 10K was about 1/3 slower than the rest of their pace. They were pretty miserable running conditions. (I felt especially bad for the half-marathoners, as this was all they got.) Overall, I enjoyed the OBX Marathon, but was disappointed by the second half of the course. Yes, it is flat, but this course is NOT as easy as you would think. And I heard that from many runners. But hey, at least I got to hang out on the OBX for a few days. | |
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J. R. from Columbia, SC, USA
(11/11/2008)
"good and improving marathon" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 2 OBX Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Two years ago I ran the inaugural OBX Marathon and had a great experience. This year was better than the first. The course changed slightly, but is still a really good course - especially the first half. The mile markers were easier to see and made keeping my mile splits easy. Crowd support was super. Water/Gatorade/gel stations were well placed and I had no problems getting what I needed. The parking situation and the shuttle buses are vastly improved from the first. The medal is my favorite ever. My two cons: race shirt was not a tech shirt like I expected; and more port-a-potties needed at the start. Overall, a super experience. |
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