Tropical Storm Ophelia was an uninvited guest, windy and rainy before the race. But the weather got better during the race and managed to see a few peaks of sunlight … MORE
Tropical Storm Ophelia was an uninvited guest, windy and rainy before the race. But the weather got better during the race and managed to see a few peaks of sunlight during the race which was awesome. So a little about Ocean City, NJ. It is a dry city so no alcohol at all in the city, this naturally weed out the rowdy people, etc so it’s a much more friendly vibe beach town as compared to other beaches on eastern shore. We stayed at a cheap hotel 1 block from the start, they allowed us to check out late so that we could take shower and freshen up after race. Packet pickup was simple, no line what so ever. I never really been a runner that judges a race by swag, but the swag was just a basic long sleeve shirt and standard medal. Again, not that important to me. The course was very pretty, only elevation is on a bridge, running on the boardwalk with some spectators cheering is awesome. I would recommend this race to everyone!
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Very scenic course, ocean breeze!
Tropical Storm Ophelia was an uninvited guest, windy and rainy before the race. But the weather got better during the race and managed to see a few peaks of sunlight … MORE
Tropical Storm Ophelia was an uninvited guest, windy and rainy before the race. But the weather got better during the race and managed to see a few peaks of sunlight during the race which was awesome. So a little about Ocean City, NJ. It is a dry city so no alcohol at all in the city, this naturally weed out the rowdy people, etc so it’s a much more friendly vibe beach town as compared to other beaches on eastern shore. We stayed at a cheap hotel 1 block from the start, they allowed us to check out late so that we could take shower and freshen up after race. Packet pickup was simple, no line what so ever. I never really been a runner that judges a race by swag, but the swag was just a basic long sleeve shirt and standard medal. Again, not that important to me. The course was very pretty, only elevation is on a bridge, running on the boardwalk with some spectators cheering is awesome. I would recommend this race to everyone!
Great race and perfect for families
This race course is very flat except for a small out and back incline over a bridge. As usual there was some wind along the way and it never seemed … MORE
This race course is very flat except for a small out and back incline over a bridge. As usual there was some wind along the way and it never seemed to be a tailwind no matter which direction I was going.
Pros:
– flat, fast course – good opportunity for a PR if the weather is good
– great crowd support
– one of the best after race spreads, many of the boardwalk food places donate samples (not healthy but yummy)
– nice shirt and medal
– well organized, family friendly event
Cons:
– a number of the miles weave through the neighborhoods so not very scenic
– running on the boardwalk which is not closed is a little dicey at times
Overall great race. Great place to take the family with lots of activities for the non-runner. I would go again.
Beautiful course
The view on the course is beautiful. The course is decently organized, and many aid stations. The only thing confusing was the starting line, since it's not same as the … MORE
The view on the course is beautiful. The course is decently organized, and many aid stations. The only thing confusing was the starting line, since it’s not same as the finish line.
My second time doing 5K event. Fun event
Wonderful location, 5K is run on boardwalk, ocean views are fabulous. Great local support with high school volunteers cheering you on with signs and manning the water stations. The OC … MORE
Wonderful location, 5K is run on boardwalk, ocean views are fabulous. Great local support with high school volunteers cheering you on with signs and manning the water stations. The OC mascot, a mollusk, gives high fives over the finish line. The medals are all finishers and snacks are local, soft pretzels, carmel corn, salt water taffy and water ice. Plenty of water. Overall vibe is fun and family oriented.
well managed race with an ocean view
Very well managed, lots of water stops, nicest cops, many hotels you can walk to the start from , or free parking at the start. Many people came out of … MORE
Very well managed, lots of water stops, nicest cops, many hotels you can walk to the start from , or free parking at the start. Many people came out of their houses to cheer everyone along the course. No shade on the course, and a light ocean breeze occasionally
What a well put together race!
Swag great. Volunteers great. Course great. This race is all you could want in a perfect one. Plenty of water, Gatorade, energy gels and cool towels. Perfect. MORE
Swag great. Volunteers great. Course great. This race is all you could want in a perfect one. Plenty of water, Gatorade, energy gels and cool towels. Perfect.
Probably the most waterstops ever
This race takes place in the ocean side town of Ocean City, NJ. I stayed in a motel (HarrisHouse) that was on 12th and the race started at 9th, so … MORE
This race takes place in the ocean side town of Ocean City, NJ. I stayed in a motel (HarrisHouse) that was on 12th and the race started at 9th, so that worked out well and they allowed me to stay parked until I finished the race. Packet pickup was easy, nothing major, but I was ok with that. The race started at 8:30 for the half and 10 miler, they had a 5k that started about 20 minutes later. The route was nice with an over and back bridge crossing that was pretty. The only 2 real hills in the course involved the bridge. The rest of the course was through neighborhoods, beautiful beach houses with equally beautiful yards. Then we ran down the boardwalk. It was roped off to try to keep pedestrians out, so that really helped. As the title of this review says, water stops were a plenty!!! Only one ended up running out, but they had Gatorade, which I don’t care for, but it was ok. They had a contest running for the best waterstop. One, I think #4, had a lady dressed as a squirrel, yes, in the heat, with signs saying they are nuts. They had gels as well. The volunteers were very friendly and motivating, especially the children. One young boy must have been around 5 or so and he was so excited to be handing cups of water, another around 7, was encouraging us to stay hydrated and enjoy the run. It was awesome! After running the boardwalk, you turn back onto the street and go out and back, then finish the last 2 miles or so back on the boardwalk. Some of the course had no spectators, but most had at least a few people out in their yard or on their balcony yelling encouragement or clapping, thanking us for running. There were a couple stops with wet, cold washcloths. One lady brought water out from her house. Everyone was very nice and the police officers along the route were just as kind, very encouraging and friendly. At the finish, medal, orange slice, which I needed more of, water and they gave out socks with “run OCNJ” on them. I failed to mention the zipper jacket that they gave at packet pickup for the 10 year anniversary. Then you head to the music pier for pizza, awards ceremony, a bag with popcorn and a soft pretzel, bananas, bagels, and what looked like fritters. I was in desperate need of more orange slices, but there were none to be found, as I had been told, so I went back out and found a medical person who was carrying cups with orange slices. They also had PT’s doing massage/stretching. I stayed to cheer the final few people in and quite a few of the earlier finishers came back and ran them in…which I thought was awesome. One family came to support a lady who appeared to be struggling, they were filming, and her young son just kept saying he loved her. It was awesome. All in all, this was a nice race, I enjoyed it. I thought I was going to finish sooner than I did, but the last half did not go as planned. Nothing to do with the race, just my mind of its own left leg. I would recommend this race.
my overall race expeirence
super cool medal, even though it was extremely hot, i felt like i did well. getting to race walk on the boardwalk was super amazing, and even got to finish … MORE
super cool medal, even though it was extremely hot, i felt like i did well. getting to race walk on the boardwalk was super amazing, and even got to finish on the boardwalk. The scenary after the boardwalk was so beautiful
Run over the Longport Bridge!
Running over the Longport Bridge was the main highlight of the OCNJ half! This is a beautiful run through Ocean city with spectacular views of the ocean, boardwalk and through … MORE
Running over the Longport Bridge was the main highlight of the OCNJ half! This is a beautiful run through Ocean city with spectacular views of the ocean, boardwalk and through the town. It was very organized and high energy provided by the local high school! Also loved the long sleeve dry fit shirt
Great race, on New Jersy Shore
Enjoyed the course for the most part, at mile 2ish you will run across Longport bridge and then you will go out a bit, turn around and do it again … MORE
Enjoyed the course for the most part, at mile 2ish you will run across Longport bridge and then you will go out a bit, turn around and do it again at mile 4ish. Otherwise, the course is flat and a good stretch is on the ocean city boardwalk which is neat. You come off the boardwalk at about mile 9 and go into a residential street, turn around and 10 miles and head back to the boardwalk. This stretch for myself didn’t seem like it was ever gonna end.
They had plenty of water stops and cold/clean washcloths in 2 locations (a little piece of heaven)
Great long sleeve shirt, great medal, great food after finish.
Hot and Sweaty but PR's
Even though I was able to set a PR I did not reach the goal I had set out for, I had a late race miss step that tweeked my … MORE
Even though I was able to set a PR I did not reach the goal I had set out for, I had a late race miss step that tweeked my calf and began to cause bad pulling in calves. But nonetheless I was able to set a PR and finish with a friend. Excellent Experience I will be back.
First-Time
This was my first ever Half Marathon attempt and I throughly enjoyed it. I traveled 4 and half hours from Central Pa to Make my first attempt at 13.1. The … MORE
This was my first ever Half Marathon attempt and I throughly enjoyed it. I traveled 4 and half hours from Central Pa to Make my first attempt at 13.1. The Friendly Nature of the town and Registration Crew makes me want to run it again. And I will be running it again and bringing a friend in 2017
Great scenic race!
Well organized, great setting & scenic course. Running on the boards on the boardwalk was a little tricky but once you got the hang of it there was no problem. … MORE
Well organized, great setting & scenic course. Running on the boards on the boardwalk was a little tricky but once you got the hang of it there was no problem. Post race food was great. Free parking down at the boardwalk was a definite positive!