Tom Naiman's Staging Area

First time running this race and I did not know what to expect, and I ended up coming away very happy.
I chose to run the 1/2 instead of the full marathon because I have difficulty training for spring races due to work hours in the first few months of the year.
I arrived at the expo/bib pick up and found it very organized and well staffed. The entire weekend I was amazed at the number of volunteers and how helpful and friendly they were. The bib pick up was very smooth and the expo/vendor area was a little smaller than I was expecting, of course I had to peruse the items.
Race Day- The shuttle buses were available and the ride to the start was fairly fast and efficient. Again, the volunteers were awesome, especially those assisting in holding traffic while crossing the streets from parking to the busses. The start was the HS, which was open for use to stay warm in the gym and use the restrooms.
There were several pacing groups to choose from with varying pace time intervals, not just every 15 minutes.
The course was well marked and staffed with volunteers. Along the main/busier roads, the lanes were blocked with a large number of cones to car drivers would not be confused and try to drive in a running lane. The course had several nice tree lined roads through neighborhoods, and the road along the bay offered a beautiful view. The closing mile was a nice straightaway past the shipbuilding docks and building. It was nice to see a large flag in the distance, leading you to the finish.
The finisher medal was a nice size and weight, as well as a very nice design.
The finish area was well staffed with volunteers providing help for hydration and food. Following that, the finisher tent was well staffed and provided plenty of assistance for stretching, massage, pain-gel rubs and some goodies, including a beautiful two-toned pint glass.
The afterparty was fun, with a band playing; and runners were provided with some complimentary beer and food.
I would definitely run this race again, and may even look to run the full marathon if I can work my schedule better.

A nice race and course. The final few miles are a nice run on a shaded , paved trail of Loantaka Park.
I had not run this race in a few years.
The race is well organized, six pacer groups were offered, local police do a great job with traffic on the main roads and the path out of the woods and to the finish was blocked off (which hadn’t been years ago when I last ran it, allowing spectators to stand in the path, blocking your run as they looked for their runners). Glad to see this change had been made.
It was a warm day for the race and it appeared that they were running out of water for the finishers.
The race finishers’ medal is very nice, and large. When picking up the race bid, the ‘technical’ shirt I received was an orange shirt, more of a t-shirt material than a race technical shirt. There were blue and green shirts in boxes also. I did not get a chance to ask, but figured they may have been for the relay race teams. I saw the green and blue shirts being worn by runners of the full marathon, and they were more of a technical/wicking shirt than the orange one that I received. I didn’t register late either.

My race time would have been better had I not had tried running a pace that I knew I had not trained to maintain for the full distance. I need to be more aware of my limitations and race for what I trained to do.

The race director did an incredible job with this small race coming out of COVID restrictions. It was organized and run very well.
The race had some wonderful scenery of the bay and some parkland.

Plenty of aid stations and a nice size finisher’s medal.
The course this year was a double loop. Seeing the several hills for a second time made them a little easier.
The pacing teams were awesome.

This was my second running of the Chicago marathon. Even in the rain at the start, the crowd support along the course was fantastic.
The Expo is huge, as it needs to be for a large race, the Nike march is overpriced.

course was a double loop, fairly tough hill.
Nice donut finisher’s medal.
Large Cupcakes for the finishers was a nice touch.
very cool mugs for age group winners. I am jealous and constantly eyeing up my son’s mug.

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.