ING Georgia Marathon and Half 3/30/08 (Read 1661 times)

. There is a user group for folks running the race: http://www.runningahead.com/groups/AtlIng/ Last year, from what I can tell, was a mess. Not enough water and poor organization. I'm hoping that the growing pains aren't as bad this year and that it gets some better remarks.

The race wasn't quite as bad as some on Marathon Guide would lead you to believe. The RD and staff did not beat around the bush that some things could have been done much better and there have been steps taken to improve them. Temps were 15 degrees higher than normal on race day and there was a big time mess up on water and power drinks being delivered on the course. To this day I still hear difference scenarios as to what happened. However, there were no medical emergencies created as a result of the problem. The course was also a little tight at the beginning. To alleviate that it will start near Olympic Park this year. The course itself for both the half and the marathon is great. You go through the MLK Historic District as well as Decatur and several Atlanta neighborhoods. The neighborhoods are quite spirited and have contests with each other as to who has the best supporters. No doubt a lot of local runners, including myself will be watching this year's event specifically for organizational problems. We expect a much more efficient event from the RD this year and she is well aware of that. I'll be working the packet pickup/registration area as a volunteer and probably running the half although I have not completely made up my mind between the half and full yet. Y'all come!