Darlington Marathon
Darlington, SC
- Marathon, Wheelchair Marathon, Marathon Relay, Half Marathon, 5K, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Local Historical Weather (Apr 02):
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Run AWAY
I ran this race in its inaugural year. It was my first and so far only marathon, and it was such a terrible experience that I have had no desire … MORE
I ran this race in its inaugural year. It was my first and so far only marathon, and it was such a terrible experience that I have had no desire to run a marathon since. The race was held in late September that year, which is a poor time for a marathon anyway. It turned out to be a very warm day, so I got sunburnt on the course and ended up walking much of the last 6 miles.
Course support was very poor. Many of the volunteers left the course, and no one in the area knew a marathon was occurring. The organizers put up a few encouraging signs, but they were all at the beginning of the race, not in the end where we really needed them. The roads were open to traffic, including some very busy roads with 18-wheeler trucks speeding by. The aid stations that had volunteers, however, had encouraging volunteers and were well stocked with Gu and water.
The finish line was the worst part of this race. I finished in just over 4 hours, which is a mid-pack time with plenty of runners still on the course. When I finished, the race had no food left. The half marathoners, 10Kers, and 5Kers ate everything and they did not replenish. I also found out that the food offered was Chicken Noodle Soup. The organizers got this idea from the Myrtle Beach Marathon, which is held in February. I don’t eat meat, so if food was available, I could not have eaten Chicken Noodle Soup- nor was it appropriate for a race in September.
I would not recommend this race at all. Several other NASCAR-themed races such as Thunder Road in NC are more successful and much better directed. This race could have good potential for NASCAR fans but no one seems to care much about making it a good race for runners.