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Long Island Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Long Island Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.0 
Organization 3.5 
Spectators 2.6
Number of comments: 145 [displaying comments 41 to 51]
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K. T. from NYC
(5/13/2008)
"Boring Course: Bring Music" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Long Island Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Although the course was boring, I really didn't mind it. I brought music with me and finally qualified for Boston on my 5th try. Long Island is a good race for the half marathon and 10K. For the full marathon, expect sparse crowds from miles 12-22. If anyone is looking for a scenic marathon, I would choose Charlottesville - quite possibly the most beautiful course I've run on the East Coast. | |
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S. D. from New York City, USA
(5/7/2008)
"Polar Opposites - Best and Worst in One Race" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Long Island Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 This race is a bit of a mystery. It's both incredibly well run, and horribly run at the same time. I'll start with the good stuff: There was water, Gatorade and gels available every mile from about mile 4 onwards. There were restrooms located approximately every 3 miles. The aid stop volunteers were some of the most excited and cheerful volunteers I've ever met on a race. Absolutely the best care given to runners I've ever experienced. The Bad: Was there no orientation beforehand? No one knew anything. Ask a volunteer where the race start is, and you get a blank stare. Where the bathrooms are located? Nothing.... Please orient the volunteers before the race! There were not enough restrooms at the race start. The lines were 15+-minutes long. There was even a line to pee in the bushes. Ridiculous. Secondly, I know it's long island, but the race course was boooooring. Miles 10-22 are just on open road, there and back. No spectators. No bands. Just open road with those amazing aid stations. Not exactly a race you do for the gorgeous scenery. | |
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S. S. from North Brookfield, MA
(5/5/2008)
"Nice event, bad course" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 2nd marathon. I picked it because it's a short distance from school and I couldn't travel too far during finals week. The atmosphere was great. There were a lot of racers (almost all of them half-marathoners though). Even though there weren't throngs of spectators, they were very enthusiastic, so I didn't mind the low numbers. The kids at the water stations were great too. There were plenty of fluids/gels to go around. There were lots of auxiliary police around to keep the course safe too. What was not great, however, was the course. I heard it was going to be boring before I started, but I had no idea it was going to be the most boring run of my life. I imagine the half marathon would have been nice, as the first 10 miles went through some decent suburban areas that were interesting to watch. However after the half marathon split off, the full marathoners got stuck on the Wantaugh Parkway for the next 12 miles or so. That's all it was: a highway with trees, and nothing else. It would have been bad enough to run that as a training run, but to run that as the most critical part of the marathon was a bad idea. There are plenty of nicer places in Long Island instead of the Wantaugh Parkway. The course was mostly flat, but I think I would have preferred some interesting turns and hills, instead of a flat highway. I went out too fast and missed my goal by a long shot, but that flat highway was probably the last place I wanted to be when I realized my pace was slipping way below target. The last two miles were nice though, as they ended through a nice green spot in Eisenhower Park. Names got announced at the finish line, which was nice. Lots of food at the finish line. The parking situation was problematic as well. My mom dropped me off at the starting line luckily, but the reserved parking spots were nearly a mile away, so plan ahead. I don't see why they couldn't park in the Nassau Coliseum parking lot. Considering the registration fee, I was quite pleased with everything I got. There must have been a lot of corporate sponsorship, because I definitely got my money's worth: technical shirt, running hat, towel, bag, jacket, key chain, medal, and plenty of food. I probably won't do this race again because the course was so bad, but aside from that, the race was well-organized and good fun. I didn't run the half, but I bet if I did I would have liked it a lot more than the full. | |
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P. K. from New York
(5/4/2008)
"Top class smaller marathon" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Long Island Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is an excellent marathon. The organization is second to none. Expo staff was friendly and knowledgeable. Great tech shirts and cap. The start was very well organized, we were directed to our parking area without any fuss. Toilet facilities were readily available. Race started at the designated time and the volunteers and spectators throughout were very friendly and enthusiastic. Running on the Wantagh was quiet and peaceful, all one could hear was the sounds of birds singing, like a run in the park. Race directors in San Diego and Philadephia should come to Long Island to see how it is done. At the race end, finishers received a very smart windbreaker in addition to their medal. Volunteers in the medical tent were amazing. I cannot speak highly enough of this marathon, I will definitely be back. Great job. I have to mention the finish line announcer who mingled with the runners at the expo to get little bits of personal information to share with the crowd at the finish line. Just great. BTW I say this even though I ran my worst time in a while. | |
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A. G. from New York, NY
(11/9/2007)
"Mostly Highs and A Few Lows" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 6+ Long Island Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The NYC Marathon is the greatest race if you need a boost of your ego. Fans are great. City is great. And not an easy course, so that's great too. But the finish line baggage check was horrendous. | |
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P. M. from Long Island, NY
(11/2/2007)
"OK 1/2 marathon; awful full marathon" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Long Island Marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I've run the 1/2 marathon and the full marathon. The full was very, very, very boring. I think there were two port-a-johns from mile 12-24!! Not a problem for us guys, but the women were lined up. The volunteers were great, and very enthusiastic. But the course is terrible. Long Island is a beautiful place; there has to be a better place to run this marathon. | |
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M. O. from Long Island/Nassau County
(10/24/2007)
"I like the courseand the race" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Long Island Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 It is a local Marathon. Very convenient and enjoyable to run for local club runners...I use to always do the 1/2 and started doing the full due to the people I run with...you get to run and see a lot of people you know and compete with in many races...and you get a lot of stories from the race to keep you going until the next race. | |
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H. K. from Massapequa Park, NY
(5/18/2007)
"Much-Improved Hometown Marathon!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Long Island Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This is a much better marathon than it was some years ago. The first half is now run through a varied and interesting mix of towns and roads in parts of Nassau county. The last half on the highway is a bit lonely, but the few spectators, and especially the water stop people, were enthusiastic and much appreciated. I do run within myself for this section, as I am slow and essentially alone for the last 15 miles. I don't mind that, and for this race, at 75, I was the oldest full marathoner, and the only one in my age group. At the finish, when I didn't look so good, the volunteers insisted on driving me the few feet to the medical tent, where several minutes of rest revived me enough to get my nice hooded sweatshirt and something to eat. There was plenty of food remaining, and I was probably 8th or 9th from last. The only problems were no spoons left to eat the puddings and those terrible non-bagel bagels, but there was fruit, crackers and plenty of water. I don't know who the guy who complained about the expo talked to, but all the volunteers (and I was there providing bibs and chips both days) were runners, mostly from the local runnning clubs. An unanticipated rush of last-day registrants, to the tune of 1,400 or so runners, decimated all the goodies, including nearly all the shirts and even the chips, necessitating an emergency fly-in overnight of more to outfit the newly-registered runners with chips. I also advised lots of people on where to park, to get there early, and how to get the start line. Knowledgeable runners get to marathon expos early, to be sure to get their choice of shirt sizes and other give-aways, as they often do run out in latter periods. I have run the half-marathon for at least 10 years and now have run the full three or four times. This was the best so far, and I expect it will continue to improve! | |
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doug quiery from long island
(5/9/2007)
"First Time - Will not do again" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Long Island Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 This was my first marathon. I did the full 26.2 miles and my comments are as follows: {ick up the day before was o.k. I got there 1 hour before and parked with ease. Start and baggage check were very good. First 12 miles were good, although there was very little fan support. The Wantagh Parkway for the full marathoners was grueling with absolutely no fans. I don't need a lot of fan support; but when I say nobody is out there - I mean nobody. I read all the poor blogs from previous races, so I did not expect much anyway. The volunteers were unbelievable - these kids must have been teenagers and I could not believe the support. They had so much energy, I thank them all. I just could not believe that I just ran 26.2 miles and there was about 50 people at the finish line. Thanks for my wife and daughter waiting for me, as I had the chills. Great medal, great sweatshirt, nice massage. I will never forget this race because it was my first marathon; but will not do it again. I train way too hard to be pushed off on the Wantagh Parkway when all the weekend warriors get all the limelight...Thanks for the memories. DOUG MANORVILLE, NY p.s my wife told me nassau's finest had no clue | |
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Richard Brodsky from Long Island
(5/8/2007)
"Thrilled to be running on a scenic parkway" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Long Island Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 As an HIV-positive, brain cancer survivor, I was impressed by some of the details: Nice sweatshirt, very supportive volunteers and I liked how they call your name out at the finish. I also found it very refreshing to run on an open parkway and sometimes the solitude in the latter part of the race gave me a chance to reflect how fortunate I am to be alive and to also experience the thrill of marathon running. A+++ for the volunteers who were so eager and enthusiastic to provide water, Gatorade and words of encouragement |
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