Amerihealth NJ April Fools Half Marathon & 8K
Atlantic City, NJ
- Half Marathon, 8K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Fun, Fast, Flat! Experience the invigorating rush of the oceanfront breeze as you conquer New Jersey’s premier half marathon event! Enjoy over 8 breathtaking miles of scenic Boardwalk running. Feel the pulse of the Atlantic Ocean as you dash across a fast, flat course, all leading to an epic finish … MORE
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Good small-town race!
This was a great small town race where you will run on the boardwalk. I thought that it was a bigger race than it was, but it seem like the … MORE
This was a great small town race where you will run on the boardwalk. I thought that it was a bigger race than it was, but it seem like the longest half marathon running on the boardwalk. There was not a lot of the support from the crowd. I believe the RD announced that it was 1,000 runners. Great flat race to PR.
Atlantic City is….interesting?
The race production team did a good job and the course is very well marked with adequate water stations, but running in AC is like stepping back in time and … MORE
The race production team did a good job and the course is very well marked with adequate water stations, but running in AC is like stepping back in time and not in a good way. There was police presence throughout the run and it doesn’t feel unsafe or anything but this city is well beyond its prime, unfortunately.
Easy course, good aid stations.
I had a nose cautery on my nose three days before this race and so I walked it. The course was easy, the scenery along the ocean (for part of … MORE
I had a nose cautery on my nose three days before this race and so I walked it. The course was easy, the scenery along the ocean (for part of the way) was nice, and the post-race food was decent. At this time of the year there weren’t that many people in AC and so it was easy to find affordable accommodation near the start line. I do not appreciate needing to pay extra to pick up the packet on the day of the race, or to arrive a day early to pick up on site. This feels like a money grab to me and I generally don’t register for that type of race.
There were port-a-poddies at most of the aid stations, as I recall. I did not drive so I don’t know about parking. Overall, a decent run. It would be nice if it was in a different city though. AC is not a great place to hang out and wander around in. I was told by multiple people not to wander off of the boardwalk after dark. I didn’t want to anyway due to my nose cautery. I walked the entire race with gauze hanging out of my nose. 🙂
Run on the boardwalk
Race day was cool with a persistent wind. Start time temperature was around 40 with 10 to 15 mph wind. This was a this was an out and back course. … MORE
Race day was cool with a persistent wind. Start time temperature was around 40 with 10 to 15 mph wind.
This was a this was an out and back course. The race started and finished on the Atlantic City boardwalk for 3 1/2 miles. The remainder of the course ran on streets parallel in the ocean. This was an extremely flat course. The only elevation that IThe course started and finished on the Atlantic City boardwalk for 3 1/2 miles. The remainder of the course ran on streets parallel in the ocean. This was a extremely flat course. The only elevation that I can remember, was running on and off of the boardwalk onto the street.
Volunteers were friendly and helpful. They had water Gatorade as well as a few gel packs.
I was not a fan of the official finisher shirt design. However, it was a long sleeve tech shirt. The medal was respectable .
This was a solid, well produced run. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a race in the Atlantic city area.
Really fun to run the boardwalk
This is a really fun run along the boardwalk of Atlantic City. Race starts and finishes near the Resorts Casino and Hard Rock. Flat and a overall fun run. If … MORE
This is a really fun run along the boardwalk of Atlantic City. Race starts and finishes near the Resorts Casino and Hard Rock. Flat and a overall fun run. If you are looking for a run in New Jersey, this one is definitely one to pick.
Nice Flat Race
The course was very flat. Scenery on the boardwalk was nice but then you run on a busy road for half of it. The medal and t-shirt were nice. MORE
The course was very flat. Scenery on the boardwalk was nice but then you run on a busy road for half of it. The medal and t-shirt were nice.
Flat course on the AC Boardwalk!
Really enjoyed this flat and fast course along the Atlantic City boardwalk! Race organizers did a fantastic job. Communication up through race day was great - lots of emails to … MORE
Really enjoyed this flat and fast course along the Atlantic City boardwalk! Race organizers did a fantastic job. Communication up through race day was great – lots of emails to let runners know final details. We stayed at the Showboat hotel which was about 0.3 mile away from packet pick up and the start at the Resorts Casino. Swag included a nice long-sleeve green technical shirt and a great medal with a sparkly jester on it. The start was at 8:00am on Sunday morning on the boardwalk. Since early April in AC is technically their off-season, there wasn’t much going on along the boardwalk, which for a race is actually good! Not many people or spectators, but running on the boardwalk is easier on the knees. After 3 miles on the boardwalk, you dip out onto the streets of AC and then make a turnaround at 6.5 and then just go back the way you came. I never felt crowded, and though it started raining, I didn’t feel like I had to adjust my stride to run on the wet boardwalk. But some people may be hesitant to run on wood when it gets wet, so just be mindful of the terrain. Finish line provisions were good – bottled water, Gatorade, bagels, kettle corn, and bananas, plus a free beer ticket to be redeemed at the Landshark Bar & Grill. A fun race, definitely would recommend.
Flat as a Pancake
I have done a half marathon in NJ already but it was a trail race without a medal so since NJ is a close state I wanted to come back … MORE
I have done a half marathon in NJ already but it was a trail race without a medal so since NJ is a close state I wanted to come back for a medal. I saw this half marathon as an option for NJ and was considering it but wasn’t sure about visiting Atlantic City since I don’t gamble nor really like casinos but when Hot Chocolate Philadelphia announced their race date I checked a map and saw Atlantic City was only an hour away from Philly and thought this would work great as a double and it definitely did. For the weekend I stayed in a hotel by Philadelphia since I went to a Flyers game Saturday evening and woke up early on Sunday to drive an hour to Atlantic City. For the race there is an option of race day packet pick-up but you have to sign up early for this. I didn’t realize this until it was too late as I never saw the email. When I looked through my old emails I realized it was in one with a subject of “It’s Party Time” which I didn’t read closely since it seemed like it was just about the post-race party and I didn’t realize would contain important race information. I was initially freaking out since I didn’t have time to drive back and forth to Atlantic City on Saturday. I did email the race and they did let me sign up for race day packet pick-up even though it was past the deadline which I appreciated. However I wanted to mention this so if you are participating in this race and need to do race day packet pick-up you look out for the sign up and for feedback to the race that if you are going to send an email with important race information to make the subject something like “important packet pick-up info” not “it’s party time.” Anyways it all worked out and I drove to Atlantic City Sunday morning and got my packet at the pick-up as Resorts Casino. Packet included a nice long sleeved green tech shirt and a drawstring bag with coupons along with bib. There is parking there which was $20. There were also deals you could sign up for at the casino for discounts if you want to pay less. If you are staying in Atlantic City it would be very convenient to stay at this casino since packet pick-up is there and the race starts out in front of it. One nice thing about starting at the casino is indoor, very nice bathrooms. One downside is smoky atmosphere of the casino. The race starts outside along the boardwalk in front of the casino. The start had a start corral with pacers. I was hoping to get back to a 2:45 finish time knowing this was a flat course so was happy there was a 2:45 pacer. It was a mass start but the boardwalk is wide and this isn’t a huge race with somewhere between 1000 and 2000 runners so it wasn’t too congested. Weather was drizzly and a bit rainy but luckily it wasn’t windy. From talking to other runners I know some years when it was really windy it made the race harder. It is an out and back. The first 3ish miles are on the boardwalk. This is a cool area to run out with lots to look at. Cheesy tourist attractions on one side and ocean views on the other. You do need to be a little careful on the boardwalk and I did see a runner fall. I actually really liked running on it as it was softer than pavement. After 3 miles you then run about 3 and half miles out and back on a road. It is just coned off and the rest of the road is open but there is very little traffic. There was not much scenery here and it was kind of boring. It is the street adjacent to the ocean so it was the nice houses and business at least and not the seedy part of town. Normally you pass the tourist attraction Lucy the elephant but she was under construction so we didn’t even see that. The turnaround was well marked and it is again 3 and half miles of pavement followed by 3 miles of boardwalk. It was an okay course but got boring after the first 3 miles. It was also the flattest course I have done and great for a PR. There were 4 aid stations which you passed twice so they were 1 to 1.5 miles apart. All had water, electrolyte drink and gels. There was definitely enough aid stations with great volunteers and no need to carry water if you don’t want to. The boardwalk is open but since it was rainy it wasn’t very busy. There were not many spectators. But there were some musicians and DJs for entertainment. I was feeling surprisingly good and managed to stay with the 2:45 pacer until mile 10 when I had to slow down a bit. I have been having trouble with mile 10 since my injury. I was happy I was still able to keep a running pace and was only about 30 seconds slower the last few miles and finished just over 2:45 which I was still very happy with especially since I did a 15K yesterday. Normally that would be an average to slightly below average finishing time for me I was very happy to be back to almost my normal pace and it was over 10 minutes faster than NYC. At the finish line you got your medal. The medal is really nice which is good since I mostly ran this race for the medal. It is jester themed for April Fools and big and sparkly. There was also water, lots of options for recovery drinks, bananas, granola bars, bags of kettle corn made locally and some delicious bagels with either peanut butter or cream cheese. It was a good post race food selection. You could also get a free beer from the bar at the finish line if you’d like. Overall I thought this was a very nice race and it is definitely a high four sneaker race. The scenery particularly the road portion was a little too boring for me to give it a five. This is one I am not sure I would travel all the way to do again but I’m glad I did it to get my NJ medal and I would definitely recommend if you live closer and it is a good choice for 50 staters.
1st race after COVID
This was my first race after COVID. Not many people running, staggered start, rainy, cloudy, misty. Nice medal, decent long sleeve shirt. A couple free beers and some snacks at … MORE
This was my first race after COVID. Not many people running, staggered start, rainy, cloudy, misty. Nice medal, decent long sleeve shirt. A couple free beers and some snacks at the end. The route is flat, a mix of boardwalk and roads. I am sure that running this at any other time would be a much different experience, but a greatly appreciated productions after having no races for a year and a half.
Flat course with ocean breezes
The course is flat (since it’s at sea level you know), however you should be aware that you run about 8 total miles on the boardwalk. The scenery is nice … MORE
The course is flat (since it’s at sea level you know), however you should be aware that you run about 8 total miles on the boardwalk. The scenery is nice and there are generally people along the course (some cheering, some just going about their business). The boardwalk didn’t give me any causes for concern, but know that it can get wet and there could be the occasional loose board. Crowd control is good on the local roads that make up about 5 total miles. The course is out and back, so you’ll see the same surroundings on the return trip. I make a return run to achieve a faster time as proof of time for a future Walt Disney World race.