First time running this race and may not be the last! Beautiful course with a majority going out and back close to or along the shore (some painful/weird turns in … MORE
First time running this race and may not be the last! Beautiful course with a majority going out and back close to or along the shore (some painful/weird turns in later miles to watch out for). There was a bit of miscommunication from race volunteers to family that came to spectate me that resulted them not seeing me at certain miles (volunteer gave incorrect advice on marathon course, confusing the half course for the full). Past reviews have rated the expo/swag on the lower scale, but to me it looks like this feedback was taken and the expo/swag was great!
The security at the course is impeccable and communication on everything was great with a very useful athlete guide!
I’d recommend this race to all looking for a fast/flat spring marathon course (2019 weather was PERFECT).
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Fast and flat!
First time running this race and may not be the last! Beautiful course with a majority going out and back close to or along the shore (some painful/weird turns in … MORE
First time running this race and may not be the last! Beautiful course with a majority going out and back close to or along the shore (some painful/weird turns in later miles to watch out for). There was a bit of miscommunication from race volunteers to family that came to spectate me that resulted them not seeing me at certain miles (volunteer gave incorrect advice on marathon course, confusing the half course for the full). Past reviews have rated the expo/swag on the lower scale, but to me it looks like this feedback was taken and the expo/swag was great!
The security at the course is impeccable and communication on everything was great with a very useful athlete guide!
I’d recommend this race to all looking for a fast/flat spring marathon course (2019 weather was PERFECT).
Great course and medal. Logistics iffy.
The course was flat and easy, and we lucked out with perfect weather this year. The sea breeze was nice and refreshing, but not overpowering. Great views along the boardwalk … MORE
The course was flat and easy, and we lucked out with perfect weather this year. The sea breeze was nice and refreshing, but not overpowering. Great views along the boardwalk at the finish as well as in Asbury Park and on the road on the way down. The neighborhoods at the start of the race were also great, with lots of spectators out in front of their houses. The pace teams were amazing, and I LOVED the medal.
The logistics of this race were slightly lacking. I didn’t get a single email or piece of communication about the race leading up to it; I honestly was scared I wasn’t actually registered. Getting to the race start was also extremely stressful. I got dropped off and there was specific dropoff instructions that made it seem like we would be going in a different way than those looking to park. That was not the case at all and we got stuck in the total back up on the highway that everyone else was in. It was a mess.
Some of the later water stops on the course were also lacking. I ran with the 3:25 pacers and we ended up being a big group. It was a struggle getting water at many of the later stops. I missed water at two when I wanted to take it, and at one of stop, on a narrow sidewalk, we came to a complete standstill as we bottlenecked.
Overall, I ran a PR/BQ that I’m really happy with and had a awesome time, but I think the race could be improved with a few logistical fixes.
Almost flat, like a blueberry pancake
Pick-up was super easy, with color coded bibs for which race you are doing. Small expo with a decent amount of swag, plus the ability to customize your participant shirt. … MORE
Pick-up was super easy, with color coded bibs for which race you are doing. Small expo with a decent amount of swag, plus the ability to customize your participant shirt.
Drop off on race morning can be a bit difficult with only one entrance to the start area, so there are a good amount of people either parking there, or drop off, but there aren’t separate lines for it until after you enter the race area. Kind of annoying but not a huge issue.
Race start has you all corralled in by your start wave number and you slowly make your way up. It’s a great way to spread runners out, but maybe put the waves a little closer because the last wave could be waiting quite awhile.
Tons and tons of support out on the course from all the locals! Since you’re running with the half marathon participants, the first half can be a bit crowded before they split off. But after that, you’re coasting and having a great time passing spectators on the boardwalk.
Race medal is super cool and they’re customized to which race you ran.
Recommend this one if you’re trying to check off all 50 or just something down in NJ in April.
Good and Not So Good
The good: I liked the long sleeve, thin shirt. The expo was smaller, but in a really cool building. There were plenty of water stops on the course and I … MORE
The good: I liked the long sleeve, thin shirt. The expo was smaller, but in a really cool building. There were plenty of water stops on the course and I enjoyed running on the boardwalk.
The not so good: Parking was a nightmare. They had all of use enter through one entrance. What GPS said would be an 8 minute drive turned into an hour drive and I had to do some fancy driving to do that. Barely made it to the start because of parking and port a potty stop and then the race started 10-15 minutes late. Nerves were a little on edge at the start.
Overall though I enjoyed the race. I ran my 2nd best time and was able to immerse myself in the surroundings.
Flat course, easy race
The course was incredibly flat and a great race to do if you want to get a nice PB. I unfortunately did not train enough and knew that going in, … MORE
The course was incredibly flat and a great race to do if you want to get a nice PB. I unfortunately did not train enough and knew that going in, so my finish time was actually one of my worst, but that had nothing to do with the course itself. The volunteers were great! Super helpful and friendly, and did a great job working the aid stations. The race shirt was decent, and the beer and the finish festival were great. The expo was so-so and a little unorganized, could have done with some better signage.
Home state race - flat and fast!
Returning to NJ to run in my home state I had lots of expectations that went unfulfilled. Although the course is flat and fast, where I should have easily PR'd, … MORE
Returning to NJ to run in my home state I had lots of expectations that went unfulfilled. Although the course is flat and fast, where I should have easily PR’d, I did not mainly because I chose to take pics along the way and I had a great support team which I took lots of pics with for coming out and cheering me on! That said, you should easily achieve a PR if you don’t stop as often as I did.
Although bib pickup located at Monmouth Horse Track was fast and easy, I was disappointed that there was not a true expo. There were maybe 10 vendors. The expo is part of the experience that I like in getting me ready to race. The views along the course take you from the Horse Track through neighborhoods weaving across the Jersey Shore marsh areas. Plenty of neighbors out cheering racers forward. The best part of the route is when you come to mile 8 where the half splits from the full. The full continues along the beach route 1 block in from the beach, but the neighborhood that it runs through is full of mansions all the way to Asbury Park before turning around and running along the boardwalk!! The half turns to the boardwalk at mile 10 so the last 3.1 miles have you running on the boardwalk. This makes the whole race, at least for me, as it brought back many memories of growing up at the shore. Great support at the end of the race with plenty of food and drink. However, that said I was a little disappointed with the medal even though it encapsulates the great state of New Jersey!! Overall, if you want a race to PR than you should easily be able to get it here. As for the swag, you will need to look elsewhere. Cheers!!
My least favorite marathon
Maybe it was because I didnt have a great race performance but I did not like this course. There were so many turns, especially the first half of the race. … MORE
Maybe it was because I didnt have a great race performance but I did not like this course. There were so many turns, especially the first half of the race. No matter how diligent I was about running the tangents, I still add .2 to my distance. The course is pretty boring with the exception of the small part that runs near and on the boardwalk. There is a long out and back section that just sucks. When I first started running on it I could see the very fast runners already heading towards the finish area while I had many more miles to go, which really did not help me at all mentally. A lot of other runners had the same complaint. This is the only marathon I have run that I would not recommend.
Flat, flat, flat!!
Tightest security I have ever seen at a race. Not as much beach scenery as I thought there would be. Weather conditions can be questionable, anything from heat to cold, … MORE
Tightest security I have ever seen at a race. Not as much beach scenery as I thought there would be. Weather conditions can be questionable, anything from heat to cold, windy rain.
Flat, Flat, Flat
If you're searching for a race to mint a new PR, the New Jersey Marathon should be on your short list. It has next to zero significant elevation change, can … MORE
If you’re searching for a race to mint a new PR, the New Jersey Marathon should be on your short list. It has next to zero significant elevation change, can potentially bring seaside breezes to cool runners down, and is an impeccably run race with friendly volunteers. The course starts off a little on the boring side as it meanders through neighborhoods that could be Anytown, USA, but quickly dials up the charm once the Boardwalks appear. Charming and (eventually) scenic, I would run this race again were I to start another 50-state circuit.
Nice Ocean Front Running in Jersey
I really enjoyed the New Jersey Marathon, I was expecting a good event but had read several negatives in prior reviews so I came into the race a little unsure … MORE
I really enjoyed the New Jersey Marathon, I was expecting a good event but had read several negatives in prior reviews so I came into the race a little unsure of what to expect. The expo was very small, but it was proportionate to the size of the race. I actually really enjoy spending time walking through expos and seeing the different events being promoted and some of the new gear that’s available. So, I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t more going on at this expo, but it was in keeping with the size of the event. This expo did have the unique aspect of being held at the Monmouth Park race track and that made up for the lack of size. I’m not a big horse racing fan, but that track was obviously very old and had a ton of history. I probably spent almost an hour wandering around the grounds with everything being completely wide open. That was a neat experience.
The morning of the race I got up very early so that I could get on the road from my hotel and to the parking area. Almost every prior review I read made comments about how awful the traffic situation was getting to the parking area with several people saying the traffic was so bad they advised leaving with 2 hours to spare. I made it onto the road with a little over an hour and a half before race time and breezed right into a parking spot so whatever issues they have had in the past must have been resolved and I got about 30 minutes of nice quiet time in the car.
The weather on race morning was fantastic, about 58 degrees and mostly overcast. There was a cool front coming in and the temperatures actually fell slightly during the race. There was a decent breeze that was fairly sustained during the race, but it wasn’t terribly bad, I spent the last 7 miles running into it but it was more cold than anything else.
The course was good, I was expecting a huge bottleneck at the beginning that never materialized, I guess we should take all reviews with a grain of salt (this one included). The course started with a little uphill climb that flattened out quickly and represented all of the elevation change on the first half. The first half went through some nice neighborhoods and some urban area, a nice mix of things to see. The half marathoners split off between 11 and 12 and I went from running with a decent group to being by myself, there was a huge difference in half and full runners in this race. Just after the split, the elite runners started to pass me going the other way on the opposite side of the road (yes, I am that slow). This was the first indication of how long the out and back section was going to be. I happened to notice the back of the mile 23 marker while watching the elites and wanting to see the front of that marker was stuck in my head for the next 2 hours. The course made its way down to the boardwalk with some fairly nice downhill stretches which would become uphills into the wind on the way back. The turn around point didn’t come until between miles 18 and 19 and it was a sharp turn which was not terribly welcome. As much as that long of an out and back is hard to deal with mentally, it is a tremendous boost when you finally hit that turnaround and are headed home. After the turnaround the course spends a lot of time on the boardwalk along the ocean which is really nice. It was amusing to see all the tourists who had no idea they had wandered into a marathon while out on the boardwalk. I spent more time along the ocean in this marathon than I did at Rock&Roll San Diego so kudos to New Jersey for all the ocean front running. The finish was well organized with boxed water instead of bottled which I had only seen once before when I ran San Francisco so good to see the east coast being a little proactive environmentally. I finished in 4:48 which is a 10 minute PR for me so this will be a course I remember very fondly.
Now for the massive negative for this event. The race is point to point so you park at the start and there are shuttles to take you back to the start line after you finish. First, there were no signs in the finisher area indicating where the buses were located and it was a bad sign that they weren’t close enough that you could see them. Myself and a couple of other runners got with the local police and they were able to direct us to the shuttle bus area which was at least a 3/4 mile walk from the finisher area. Then the buses themselves didn’t drop the runners off in the runner parking lot, we were dropped off on the other side of the race track and had to walk almost another mile to get to our vehicles. My step counter had me at almost 31 miles for the day by the time I got back to my car. This is a great event that really does a great job for the runners, but with so many people needing the shuttles to get back to their cars it shouldn’t be such an afterthought. That, however, does not come close to dampening my enthusiasm for this event, it was well run and an enjoyable course, well worth the trip to Jersey.
The Jersey Shore
This was my very first marathon. The start was cool as it had us running from the Monmouth Racetrack. The course was primarily flat as it made its way to … MORE
This was my very first marathon.
The start was cool as it had us running from the Monmouth Racetrack. The course was primarily flat as it made its way to the shore and the crowd support was awesome. After the half-marathon runner split off, it felt very lonely, especially running past the mansions of Deal where there was almost nobody out to cheer you on. Hitting Asbury Park and running on the boardwalk was great and the shore breezes were a welcome relief.
The long sleeve race shirt was nice and the race medal was a good size.
Headwinds to the finish
A new personal best! Held a very steady 6:52 pace through 30K. The final 10K was a straight shot back to the finish into a headwind along the boardwalk. I … MORE
A new personal best! Held a very steady 6:52 pace through 30K. The final 10K was a straight shot back to the finish into a headwind along the boardwalk. I was losing time until 5K to go the two 3:05 pacers caught me and I asked them to get me to the finish. They helped me will myself to a PR and another BQ! Nice course, but the wind stole a better time.
Flat and Fast Course
If you're looking for a PR on the East Coast, check this Half Marathon out. It's definitely a flat and fast course. Beware, there's a cold seabreeze at the end … MORE
If you’re looking for a PR on the East Coast, check this Half Marathon out. It’s definitely a flat and fast course. Beware, there’s a cold seabreeze at the end of the race!
Coastal: Flat and Fast
The 2012 NJ Half Marathon was a great experience. Heading through areas of Monmouth County, this is a very flat and fast course. The ending is on the boardwalk and … MORE
The 2012 NJ Half Marathon was a great experience. Heading through areas of Monmouth County, this is a very flat and fast course. The ending is on the boardwalk and features some brisk sea breezes, so be sure to have an after race jacket or blanket ready!