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Jul 2, 2024

Georgia Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Georgia Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.1

Organization 3.1

Spectators 4.0

Number of comments: 459 [displaying comments 91 to 101]

More Comments: [ < 1 .. 8 9 10 11 12 .. 46 > ]

K. J. from Detroit, MI (4/23/2010) "Hills, lots of hills!" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Coming from the Midwest, I knew I was in for a hilly treat. Though I didn't do as well as I expected, this marathon offered a truly wonderful experience. The expo was absolutely first-class. The starting area was very organized. I was able to claim my bag immediately after finishing due to the well-organized bag-drop area. The residents of Decatur ROCK! You guys are THE BEST spectators around! Yes, the really, really, really obnoxious hills from mile 19 on were rough. But, they were SO ROUGH that I started to giggle the rest of the way. I think my comment to a fellow runner was: "Who designed this course? Satan?" All in all, a fantastic experience. The only gripe I could lodge (other than the sore quads) is about the medal. I had heard in years past that it was pretty impressive. This year, with all that the full marathoners endured, a slightly larger "prize" would have been a nice touch.
j. d. from Hoover, AL (4/13/2010) "Same medal for Full and Half? Give me a break!" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Georgia Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Hard, hilly course but finished strong. Disappointed that they give same shirt as the half marathon and they give the same medal for the full as well as the half. That is ridiculous. That should never happen. Get real!!!!
M. M. from Georgia (4/7/2010) "Awesome experience for my 1st marathon" (about: 2010) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I chose to do the ING Georgia Marathon for my 1st marathon, and I was not at all disappointed in my choice. A lot of folks told me I should have done the Snickers Marathon in Albany as my first because it is very flat, but I thought the hills were a great challenge and also so descriptive of Atlanta. I am a Georgia Girl to the core, and it meant a lot for all of the folks to come out and support us on a rainy day. The City of Decatur was totally awesome, and the route was very scenic - including many of my favorite places. I will run this marathon again and again.
P. W. from Twin Cities, MN (3/30/2010) "Nice race on a tough course!" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The previous year's reviews of ING Georgia Marathon do not lie: lots and lots of hills! This was by far the toughest marathon course I have run. But I expected it, and adjusted my pace accordingly. The race was very well done. Everything was well-organized, and the start/finish in the heart of Atlanta was a great arrangement. My only suggestion: add some additional pace groups. The race offered only 3 (3:40, 4:15, and 5:00), whereas most races have groups at least every 15 minutes. This race, like many marathons these days, has a combined start with the half marathon, which has a much larger number of participants. So be prepared for a somewhat crowded course and the need to maneuver around a few slower runners. The races split at mile 7, after that there is plenty of room. All in all, I enjoyed the race and would do it again.
M. Y. from Holmesville, Ohio (3/29/2010) "Train for hills or else!" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Expo: Easiest time I've ever had to get my packet (no wait at all), and the number of vendors wasn't huge, but I've seen worse. Start: Organization was very good; I had no problem getting to the corral, the wait for porta-potties wasn't bad, and the race started on time. There was no food at start, though. This is my 7th marathon, and the first one without food/drink at the start (unless I just missed it). Race/Course: Having run the Hatfield-McCoy Marathon in WV, I thought the hills wouldn't be that bad. Boy, was I wrong, I'll take that race in WV any day. Finish: I found it a little confusing figuring out where to go right after the finish. I couldn't find the family link-up area. Overall organization has apparently improved greatly over the last several years, judging from some of the past comments.
B. D. from Dunedin FL (3/29/2010) "Hilly!" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 After I read the previous years' reviews, I really expected a disorganized under staffed event. WRONG ON BOTH COUNTS! Packet pick up on Friday afternoon was in-and-out; the starting line area was easy to get to; support on course was great; and the traffic control was fantastic (dealing with pissed off Atlanta drivers must really suck, but the cops were the best). My only gripes are minor: the t-shirt/medal were uninspired, the post-race food was weak, and the biggest problem was the reunite/finish area. I gave up trying to find my family and walked back to the hotel. I have never seen so much fenced off area ever. This course was mighty hilly coming from Florida. The next time I'll have to find some hills to run!
A. L. from Mountain City, Georgia (3/28/2010) "This is one "hillacious" race...!" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The runners' comments from previous years regarding hills on this course are certainly not off the mark. The hills are indeed many, and some are indeed mean. But so what? Who, after all, is looking for an EASY marathon???? I've run races all over the country, and I thought the organizers did a fine job this year. The start went off without a hitch, the water and Gatorade stations were well-manned, and spectators were enthusiastic and supportive. No, ING Georgia is no Boston or New York City fan-wise, but those that turned out exhibited plenty of energy... thanks! Also, kudos go out to course monitors and zone marshals. Police officers and firefighters from Atlanta, DeKalb, Decatur, and the various colleges/universities were pleasant and protective. Good job, people! My only complaint was the 12th Street hill just outside Piedmont Park: volunteers should have been handing out carabiners and climbing rope on that one!! Just kidding, but at mile 23 that big boy hurt, and it slowed me down just a little too much (I missed a BQ by 21 short seconds... ouch!). My thanks to race organizers, volunteers, public safety officials, and fine Atlanta citizens for a very solid effort and a very fine event. Maybe I'll get that BQ NEXT YEAR!
G. T. from Ohio (3/27/2010) "Must Remember to Train for Hills...." (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Last year I wrote this race up big time. They listened well and fixed the problems. Well done! I was way too lazy and didn't run enough in advance. Also, I had a newbie with me. I survived. See ya next year!
T. S. from Superior, WI (3/25/2010) "Hilly course but good race" (about: 2010) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 My main complaint with this race is it's really a half marathon event with a small marathon on the side. That was fine and I realized that when I signed up, but for a middle-of-the-pack marathoner, I felt like the party was definitely over by the time I got to the finish. So I left. Organization was very good, expo was nice, water and food on the course were great; but there weren't that many spectators, especially going through the neighborhoods, there were not enough porta-pots on the course, and the finisher shirt was a plain, old, white t-shirt. I ran this race for my 29th state because it worked for my schedule, but I would definitely consider other Georgia marathons before this one for the 50 Staters.
P. B. from Decatur, GA (3/25/2010) "Great challenging course" (about: 2010) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Georgia Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was a well-organized marathon on a challenging course through some of Atlanta's best neighborhoods. The second half has a few more hills than the first, so don't plan on a negative split. Relatively long uphill climb around mile 10 and rolling hills over miles 16 through 19 were fun, but relatively short one on mile 23 was tough on these old legs. The rain kept some of the spectators at home, but the ones who were out there were very enthusiastic. Absolutely no complaints from me about this race.

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