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Jun 30, 2024

Atlanta Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.0

Organization 4.1

Spectators 3.2

Number of comments: 130 [displaying comments 91 to 101]

More Comments: [ < 1 .. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 > ]

B. M. from USA (12/19/2004) "A very scenic pleasant first marathon." (about: 2004) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Atlanta Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I expected the course to be more challenging than it was. The hills were not too terrible as long as you train on hills. I didn't feel like I needed crowd support until the end but it still was fine. I enjoyed seeing the city while running which made up for the lack of spectators. One comment I received from a volunteer was, 'You only have nine more miles!' NO! Please don't say that! Of course he did not know that a comment like that can mess with your head. Thanks!
M. B. from Atlanta, GA (12/15/2004) "Did the half, it is a tough one" (about: 2004) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Atlanta Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Having just completed the full Dublin Marathon and living in Atlanta, I decided to do the half for the first time this year. No jokes, this is a really tough course. Yeah, the hills are pretty brutal. It encompasses the typical hills from the P'tree RR, but I never realized how hilly downtown was! Also, the wind was really stiff. Overall, though, I would say that the half is a really fun experience, as the course takes you through Buckhead and through downtown. Running under the Olympic rings is a nice novelty (if you are in a good enough mood to take it in). I agree with earlier posts that the Powerade is way too diluted. Fortunately the last cup I got was pretty thick for that last boost of energy. I was pleasantly surprised by the # of spectators, as I did not expect any. I highly recommend leaving some warm clothes in a bag to have transported to the finish, as I was freezing my arse off during the walk to the Marta station in the cold. I agree that more food and maybe ample bottles of water would be nice at the end. All in all, it's a good half, but make sure you line up in the front if you want your published time to be even remotely accurate (although they use chips for the race, they only record your 'gun' time).
kahvigirl runner from Marietta, GA (12/11/2004) "more food, please" (General Comments) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Atlanta Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I've run the full marathon three times and the half more Thanksgivings than I can count. I'd like clear up a couple of things stated by earlier posters: There are different T-shirts for the half and full marathon finishers. There is a chip mat at the start of the full marathon, but not at the start of the half. The full marathon is a tough course with a six-hour time limit. I'd not recommend it as a first marathon nor to anyone looking for a 'rock and roll' experience. The half marathon is one of the largest in the country and has more of a party atmosphere. There are plenty of volunteers and portos on the course but no food on the course and very little at the end. This year (I ran the half) they even omitted the dried fruit; all I got was a candy bar, a package of crackers and some nuts. There was plenty of Powerade and water, as well as Coca-Cola products at the finish. Although most of us are going to eat a big meal later Thanksgiving Day, they need to give more food (maybe fruit) for the long ride home.
N. d. from Atlanta (12/10/2004) "I froze for 4 hours" (about: 2004) First Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 We were lucky: there was no rain!!! Ok, it was a little bit cold, and windy, but we could have rain too. I really want to thank every person (organizers, volunteers and spectators) who agreed to freeze with us that morning. Indeed we froze for the time needed for the turkey to be cooked. So mine was well cooked, because I ran slow the second half. This is my first marathon. I started running three months ago, and I had only one goal: run and finish a marathon. I did it but, men, the second half was difficult, and the last quarter a nightmare. Each step was like a sword in my legs. But each step was a new performance for me, because I only ran a maximum of 14 miles before). Maybe the most painful experience of my life, but as I am crazy, I would like to run another marathon in 2005!!
K. H. from Tifton, GA. (12/1/2004) "First marathon experience" (about: 2004) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Atlanta Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Having trained really hard for this marathon during the summer only to have it ruined by the cold temps and strong winds that accompanied it, I have no choice but to write it off as a training run that taxed my system beyond what I anticipated. The hills in this course was absolutely amazing with the last six miles being the most grueling experience I have ever encountered. The first 20 miles I had under control, but everything after that was a complete nightmare, and as I said before the conditions were not perfect. Overall it was tough to finish, and the most insane thing about all of this is that I am looking forward to running it again next year.
L. N. from Georgia (11/30/2004) "fun half-marathon" (about: 2004) 1 previous marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I ran the half-marathon with a friend just for fun. We parked at Turner Field and took a packed MARTA to the start, where there were ample porta-potties. The course was a little hilly, but not overly challenging. There were plenty of well-staffed water/sport drink stops (only the last stop had undiluted sport drink). Decent amount of spectators and lots of course monitors. My one complaint (and the reason I gave organization 2 stars) was package pick-up. It's really only set up for people who live in Atlanta or are actually staying there for the holiday. I live out of town and had to brave rush hour/holiday traffic. I almost didn't make it in time. This really discourages participation from runners in other parts of the state. I wish there were an option to pick up your packet on the weekend before the race.
Mike Roberts from Hammond, LA. (11/29/2004) "My whole family had a fantastic experience!" (about: 2004) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Atlanta Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My whole family participated in this run in Atlanta on Thanksgiving Day. It was a fantastic experience. My wife & daughter ran the half marathon while my son & I ran the full marathon. Both races were well organized with plenty of volunteers and plenty of water stations. It was a hilly course but not as bad as I had expected. Hats off to those who organized and worked this race!!!
V. S. from Atlanta, GA (11/28/2004) "Challenging course, little things missing" (about: 2004) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Atlanta Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 The course is challenging, but the information makes that very clear in advance. I was pleased with the fluids available at the aid stations and the volunteers. They were very helpful and encouraging. I trained more effectively for this race and beat my previous marathon time by 25 minutes. There were few fans and no bands, music or entertainment on the course. Suggestions for improvement: 1. FOOD, such as bananas, for the marathoners on the course. I recommend that these be available at the aid station at mile 7.5 (just before the intersection of Piedmont and Peachtree), near the halfway point and again at about mile 17. Since there are so many half-marathoners at this event, bring out the food at mile 17 after the half-marathoners pass by. 2. Advertise more to increase the number of participants. One way to do this is to have a separate shirt for the marathon and half-marathoners. 3. Have pictures of the participants quickly available as a link on the ATC website. People who see themselves while the event is still fresh will promote the race via word of mouth. vsimmons
Dave La Vack from Lewisville, NC, USA (11/28/2004) "most miserable run of my life" (about: 2004) First Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I picked this marathon for my first after reading many of the reviews from MarathonGuide.com, so I was prepared for a tough race with no frills. I wasn't prepared for the wind, though... or the hills. The sustained elevation at the end is hard to prepare for - I really thought I had done a good job of training with hills. I was wrong. Even though it was miserable and cold, I'd do it again. What a sense of accomplishment!
o. r. from Houston, Texas (11/27/2004) "ouch - what was I thinking?" (about: 2004) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Atlanta Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 It?s run like a neighborhood 5k - everyone smiles at you, but no real 'big city' support like you might assume with Atlanta. This year was cold, windy and the hills seemed to keep coming. Don?t go out of your way to run this one. The winner of the women?s marathon was quoted in the paper the next day. She said, ?It was horrible? - mostly referring to the weather... I think.

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