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☰
Jacksonville Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Jacksonville Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 3.9 
Spectators 2.7
Number of comments: 166 [displaying comments 141 to 151]
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J. B. from Yulee, FL
(12/19/2004)
 "Great race!" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Jacksonville Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The Jacksonville Bank Marathon is the race to run if you are looking for a well run small marathon on a flat and fast course. I have to hand it to the race director and organizers this year, they did a fantastic job. Good move getting New Balance on board, the technical race shirt is awesome! My wife liked it so much that she had to have one and she doesn't even like to run! The volunteer staff was fantastic at every water stop. It makes a world of difference having well trained and attentive people manning water stations. My only complaint is that traffic control was not as good this year as last year. But I guess you can't stop everyone that is in a mad dash to get to church. Where the JAX police were present they did a fantastic job. The people of the Mandarin area of JAX are fantastic also! | |
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J. W. from Chicago
(10/8/2004)
 "Loved the Race." (about: 2003)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Jacksonville Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Nice flat course. Not many spectators possibly due to the rainy start. Temps were comfortable and water stops abundant. Staff was helpful. My first marathon since 1992. I wanted to avoid the crowds of Chicago and was successful. I liked the finish at the HS football staduim. Yes, I hope to run this one again. Thank you for putting together a great race. Race day brought the capture of Saddam H, this year catch Osama. | |
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T. H. from Suwanee GA
(6/21/2004)
"Very flat and very well run" (about: 2003)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Jacksonville Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 An overall great race, very flat...be careful of the humidity...race was 65-70 degrees and humid for the 2003 race. If you stay at the AmeriSuites near the race course bring your own food, as the hotel had nothing race-morning. | |
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kathy deakin from springfield, Il usa
(12/27/2003)
"I loved this marathon" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran the New York City Marathon just 6 weeks ago before doing this one. I have never run a back-to-back marathon. I loved this course, the weather was great, and I haven't run this well in a race since 1995. I thought it was very well organized and I like being in a race with fewer runners. The course was so beautiful, the houses were grand and hearing the birds was a very sweet sound. I would recommend this race to anybody who wants to spend a beautiful day in Jacksonville, Florida. | |
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R. E. from Wisconsin
(12/20/2003)
 "Not happy with race director" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 I thought the marathon was a great experience. Flat course. I set a PR for myself. The one negative thing I have to say is, the race director wasn't fair. The woman who won the race, had (who I believe is her boyfriend), pace her towards the end of the race. He was not a race participant, did not run the whole race, and is an excellent runner himself, so he was a good pacer. I just don't think that is fair. I was running alone 90% of the race and had to work hard without any help, and I know I could've had a better time if I would've done that. People at the start of the race were told they couldn't aid people with bikes, so how is this any different? Another thing is, she is sponsored by the race director's running store. He defended her when my coach went up to complain about this. Honestly, I don't consider her a 'true winner'. 'No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings'. | |
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D. M. from Pinehurst, North Carolina
(12/19/2003)
 "Fast, flat course - first Boston Qualifier for me!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon is the best kept secret. I loved every aspect of this marathon from the time I landed in Jacksonville until the time I left. I had absolutely no negative experiences to talk about. Packet pickup was a breeze, easy access to carbo-loading dinner, convenient bus ride to starting line, GREAT course - beautiful scenery, and for me just the right amount of spectators (I enjoy being able to hear birds chirping while running). Finish was incredible with the announcement of all names and towns in the stadium, post-race snacks were great and there was easy, prompt transportation back to the hotels. I cannot wait to run this one next year. I just hope that the directors continue to keep the field of registered runners to a minimum. Boston here I come!! | |
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Mark Long from North Carolina
(12/16/2003)
"Great race!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 As a race director of 4 races in NC, I found this marathon to be one of the best conducted races around. The course is fast and a good place to get a PR. I enjoyed the neighborhood roads that had very little traffic. I recommend this race to everyone. | |
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s. r. from the jersey shore
(12/15/2003)
"Qualified for Boston!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race was flat; fast. Easy to get a pace within first mile. Course passes through shaded communities. Run this marathon. | |
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D. D. from Florida
(9/11/2003)
 "All the makings of a PR marathon" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 It's flat, fast, and uncrowded. Put these qualities together, and you have all the makings of a personal record. The split of opinion about this race you may have noticed from other comments on this site really reflects the different marathon experiences some people are hoping for. If you want to run in a big city mega-marathon with lots of doo-dads in your goodie bag, marching bands with flaming baton twirlers at every waterstop, and enough fellow participants around you to make you feel like you're in a cattle drive, sign up for Chicago, NYC, or Disney. BUT if you want to run in a more quiet setting through well-shaded residential streets, run Jax. This marathon is also perfect for anyone looking to really bust a fast time. I ran it in 1998 and 2002 and had significant new PR's both times. The course is as flat as everyone else says. Because it is largely out-and-back, it is very easy to have a sense of how close you are to landmarks. This factor and the well-marked mile splits make it easy to stay focused on your pace. It's also small enough that you don't have to trade elbows with other runners. For instance at the start, I was able to stand on the side of the road within 25 yards of the line, kiss my wife goodbye when the gun went off, and mosey my way to the starting chip time mat all in 40 seconds. I didn't have to do any weaving around other runners after the 1st mile. Bottom line, I qualified for Boston for the 1st time at Jax, so I'm more than a little biased in favor of it. I think there are enough good qualities to overlook some parking and port-a-potty hassles. Run it if you are looking for a quieter marathon experience or really want to run fast. | |
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R. N. from Florida
(1/24/2003)
 "Need to make this course more runner-friendly" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 The course is flat, generally shaded, and principally on asphalt roads, so it is fast, and it is in a beautiful section of town with many nice homes and public parks. The 2002 race took place on a cool, overcast morning in mid-December. It started in the dark, but there was plenty of light 15 minutes later. Overall, it was a very nice route. There were very few porto-lets on this course (none, as I recall, between about mile 6 and the half-marathon finish line, and there were only two there, with correspondingly long lines; ditto for miles 14 to 20, since the course was basically an out-and-back). I ran this race about 6 weeks ago, and, sad to say, my most vivid memory of it is that of guys urinating on trees and women desperately dashing behind buildings. I also remember what seemed to be an incredibly large number of police officers, who were actually a bit irritating as they traversed the roads back and forth along the course. There really seemed to be very little need for such extensive police protection, since most of the race took place in a very quiet residential area, early on a Sunday morning. The only significant group of spectators I noticed was at the end, where there was a large stadium with spectators, good refreshments, etc. An announcer called people's names and hometowns as they crossed the finish line to the cheers of the spectators. Other than that, there were very few spectators along the course - mostly dog-walkers, local homeowners, volunteers manning the water stops, and motorists waiting for a break in the runners. Frankly, many of the volunteers seemed less than enthusiastic. Ditto for some of the homeowners and motorists. With a few more porto-lets (at least one every 2 miles) and some enthusiastic volunteers at the water stops, this could be an excellent marathon. It certainly has a great route. |
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