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@thegerm
Union City, NJ Raving since 2023 Active 4 months, 3 weeks agoAbout Me
My Races
Organize, track & review your races and personal bests here.
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(Marathon or Ultra) + Half
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Future Races
Personal Bests (1)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jersey City Marathon & Half | Marathon | Jersey City, NJ | Apr 23, 2023 | 3:47:00 |
Future Races (0)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Paid |
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Past Races (3)
| Race | Distance | Location | Date | Result | My Raves | My Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rehoboth Beach Seashore Marathon | Marathon | Rehoboth Beach, DE | Dec 2, 2023 | 4:00:22 |
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| New York City Marathon | Marathon | Staten Island, NY | Nov 5, 2023 | 4:22:00 |
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| Jersey City Marathon & Half | Marathon | Jersey City, NJ | Apr 23, 2023 | 3:47:00 |
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Rehoboth Beach Seashore Marathon
I want to come back!
Rehoboth Beach Seashore Marathon
To illustrate how much I loved this race, I was planning on this being a one time event but instead I will most likely return. Also I have done marathons … MORE
To illustrate how much I loved this race, I was planning on this being a one time event but instead I will most likely return. Also I have done marathons in Jersey, Philly and the NYC marathon and this was my favorite…here is why…
I know NYC is a huge production and there is hype and prestige behind it. But for me I enjoyed the relaxed small town vibe. The race started at 7. I walked out of the Coast hotel at 6:40 and walked over to the start. That’s the kind of travel logistics I like!
The course takes you over a mix of pavement, boardwalk, trails and little walkways through a state park. I enjoyed the variety of terrain. You also get beach views, the views afforded by the state park and I truly enjoyed the flag and sign displays around mile 23 (I think it was around there). It was a nice boost when energy levels are low. The paths were pretty clean. It rained the day before so there were some muddy spots but nothing that would hinder your running. As you may know, the course is very flat and pretty fast. I did not PR but that’s because I did NYC a month ago and I signed up for this 10 days prior with no goal, except to enjoy it and finish it.
Back to the beginning…we booked a room at the Coast hotel right on Rehoboth. It’s about two blocks from the start and several blocks from the end of the race. I picked up my bib the night before. Pickup up was quick and easy. I didn’t stick around long as I arrived shortly before they were closing up. The shirt was a long sleeve yellow Brooks shirt. Plain but nice. The medal is very nice.
As for crowd support, you can’t compare it to one of the big races. Obviously those get huge support. But I thoroughly enjoyed and was fine with the support from this town. Volunteers were great. There were some quiet spots here and there but you do get nice support for large portions of the race. I got a cozy vibe from the people. I got the impression that this town loves their marathon. So while the crowds are thin and not boisterous…I felt the love and support. Post race, we got our medal and one of those foil covers to warm up. We quickly got on line for some food. The selection was ok. It was all under a small tent. The lines were a bit long but it moved fast. I didn’t go to the after party because I was with my little ones so we just got our food and went back to the hotel. But all in all…wow. I loved the race. I loved the vibe and I do plan on returning. Maybe not next year but soon enough. Thank you to all of Rehoboth for a wonderful event.
New York City Marathon
Mixed Bag...Hear Me Out!
New York City Marathon
I admit this may be an unpopular point of view but hear me out. Before I get to the "but" I am a New Yorker through and through. Born and … MORE
I admit this may be an unpopular point of view but hear me out.
Before I get to the “but” I am a New Yorker through and through. Born and raised and still work in the city. I love NYC. As for the race, we know it is one of the IT races in the world. It will be hard to find a race with this much noise and crowd support and music along the route. The expo is enormous, the medal is awesome, you get a quality post race poncho and bag of goodies. You get to run the 5 boroughs and traverse some bridges. All these things are 100% true (and here it is) BUT there are certain things you should know about if you’ve never done this race. First, do yourself the favor and run this race at least once. I’m not trying to discourage anyone from doing it.
I’ve done this race 5 times. My biggest peeve is getting to the race start. Unless you live in Staten Island or get dropped off there by someone. It’s a pain in the neck and time consuming to get to the race start. Your options are the midtown bus or the ferry. Either way there are lots of lines and crowds and waiting. I live in Jersey now. My wave started at 9:10 and I had to wake up at 4:15 to get to my midtown bus. That’s 5 hours of waiting and commuting before the race begins. It’s a long haul and at least for me I felt tired even before the race began. I understand there are 50k people running and it makes for tough logistics. But it’s a pain. Another one of my peeves is how loud it is. Don’t get me wrong, I love crowd support. You see some great signs and support. But between the crowds and bands playing along the route, my head felt oversaturated with the stimulus of sound. I’ve heard others say the same, so it’s not just me. If noise bothers you, playing music in your earphones may help drown out the noise. But conversely, others live for it. I respect that. The other issue I have is that it is a slow crawl to get out of the park once you are done. You have to walk a lot and it takes time to get out. It sucks when you are cold and tired and just want to leave.
Aside from my peeves, I do need to shout out the amazing volunteers. There are tons of water/ Gatorade stations. They give gels and even Vaseline, bananas and oranges. You also see a lot of medical and other race volunteers after the race attending to people and asking if anyone needs help. They truly take care of the runners and their well being. Lastly, I’ll comment on the race course. I don’t think it is too hilly. The worst is the bridges. The Queensborough bridge seems to be the toughest hill and it is very quiet there. You mostly hear breathing and the pitter patter of steps. It’s not an easy course but not difficult either. I’ve run NYC 5x, Philly, Jersey City and Delaware. All are special but NYC is not my favorite. But it could be yours.
Jersey City Marathon & Half
Room to Grow
Jersey City Marathon & Half
The inaugural Jersey City marathon was an enjoyable race and course. I do hope this becomes an annual race but also that it grows into a better event. I'll break … MORE
The inaugural Jersey City marathon was an enjoyable race and course. I do hope this becomes an annual race but also that it grows into a better event. I’ll break down different aspects of the race and how it was organized.
The Expo – the expo was in a beautiful location near the waterfront. But the expo was teeny tiny. There were hardly any vendors there and little if any swag for sale. I did appreciate how quickly I was able to go in/out. The area has little street parking so you may have to park in a garage.
Race Start/Course – It was exciting. Plenty of people and we were given a proper sendoff by race officials and Jersey City mayor. It was raining a lot and it remained that way for most of the run. It was a bit packed at first, like most races, but I feel it thinned out after a mile. The course was in/around downtown Jersey City and you also go through Liberty State park and you see Statue of Liberty. There indeed were a few potholes but nothing dangerous. Also there were tons of puddles but obviously that was mother nature’s fault. The miles were properly marked. I did not see 2 or 3 of them. I don’t know if they were missing or I just missed them. Also the mile markers were a bit on the small side but nothing that bothered me. Just an FYI.
Crowd Support – It was a mix of crowd support. Certain areas you had great support and other times it was non-existent. I am sure the rain had something to do with that.
Stations – water/electrolyte stations were properly manned with wonderful volunteers and I never felt there were too few stations. It was perfect. I didn’t like that they used Powerbar electrolytes. It’s not something I wanted to try for the first time during a marathon. Because of that, I stuck to water. I just didn’t want to take a chance that it might mess up my stomach. So, stick to water or bring your own electrolytes. I believe they also had a gel station but since I brought my own, I don’t remember how many gel stations there were.
End of the Race: The end of the race was exciting and awesome. Again, great support and solid volunteer work. My BIG issue with this race was the lack of post-race goodies. There was water and…well…that was really it. I mean, really? No bagels? No pretzels? No fruit? Anything? That was disappointing. You run 26.2 miles and you expect some sort of nourishment afterwards. I believe there was post-race entertainment but I did not go so I can’t comment on that.
Conclusion- nice fast, flat course, great volunteers, decent crowd support, nice medal, Expo can be improved and post-race snacks need a mega upgrade