Race Day:3/25/2007
Weather:
With a high of 85 degrees, the heat was literally record breaking in Atlanta on race day. However, the race directors were smart in starting the race at 7a.m. and kept us out of the sun for a reasonable amount of time. With luck, future race days will have the advantage of cooler temperatures.
Also, look out if you have allergies. The pollen count was about 2300. Every car on the road was covered in a thick layer of yellow dust. Take your claritin!
Course:
This was without a doubt the most difficult course I've attempted. A loop course with many rolling hills made this race quite a challenge. While the suburbs of Atlanta are naturally hilly, the directors have to put some serious thought into remapping the course.
Beyond the actual mapping of the course, I'd say there are three things that you have to look at when evaluating a race: Start, Finish, and Aid Stations. Atlanta started on time and early enough to beat the heat. The finish line was not congested and i was actually very impressed with the efficiency of moving runneres through the gauntlet of chip collection, medal, and carbs. The race directors did an excellent job. However, the aid stations are where they lost me.
Problem #1 - The aid stations were far too small, particularly in the areas of the course where the marathoners and half marathoners ran togethor. They need larger tables and more volunteers. Having to come to a dead stop to get a mouth full of water is completely unacceptable.
Problem #2 - How do you run out of poweraide at everystation?? I ended up getting one cup of very dilluted poweraide around mile 13. Other than that, it was nonexistant on the course. Not having a sports drink on the course is a good way to send a lot of your participants to the ER. Next year they better stock up!
Experience:
There's nothing like staying with family when traveling for a marathon. Beyond the free room and board ... there is just something more relaxing about not having to deal with a hotel. While the course did not lend itself to setting a PR, I was happy to show Atlanta how DC does the marathon.
Conclusion:
All in all, this was a good marathon. I was impressed with how they did considering it was the first year. While there are a lot of bugs to work out, I can see this being a very successful and popular marathon in the coming years. Atlanta is a running town and its about time they got into the marathon business. If you're itching to go to Atlanta or are a local and can do it on the cheap ... go for it! Otherwise, maybe give them a couple of years to work out the bugs.
Final Grade: C+
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