RunningAHEAD - Topic: Need advise of which marathon to choose....

mb1973

posted: 3/24/2008 at 2:57 PM

Giving myself a year to build a base back up and train smart before attempting my next marathon. I have Myrtle Beach in February and Shamrock in Virginia Beach in March as my final two contenders. Which should I choose?

DrewEOB

Lazy idiot

posted: 3/24/2008 at 3:01 PM

What are you looking for in a marathon? I don't know anything about either of these races, but that would be a place to start. Is one closer to you? Does that matter? Would other running friends be running one or the other? Does that matter? Lots of questions. But I think the first one is most important, at least to me. And for my first marathon, I've decided to look for pain. Check Big grin

Tick tock

mb1973

posted: 3/24/2008 at 3:10 PM

I do have family in VA Beach...I would be able to stay for free at either marathon...I ran Charlotte last December for my first marathon and think I wanna go more flat for my second...I had some ITB issues after Charlotte...VA Beach is 4.5 hours away and Myrtle is about 6 hours...I know VA BEach can be quite windy that time of year and Myrtle has a 6:30 a.m. start...I am not really picky but thought maybe I could get some advice from folks who have done either or both...thanks...

DrewEOB

Lazy idiot

posted: 3/24/2008 at 3:59 PM

Quote from mb1973 on 3/24/2008 at 3:10 PM:

I do have family in VA Beach...I would be able to stay for free at either marathon...I ran Charlotte last December for my first marathon and think I wanna go more flat for my second...I had some ITB issues after Charlotte...VA Beach is 4.5 hours away and Myrtle is about 6 hours...I know VA BEach can be quite windy that time of year and Myrtle has a 6:30 a.m. start...I am not really picky but thought maybe I could get some advice from folks who have done either or both...thanks...

Gotcha! Either way you go, best of luck!

Tick tock

Wings

posted: 3/24/2008 at 4:37 PM

I posted this on your thread in the other forum....I will repost here as it fits better in this forum: I've run both. They both have their good and bad points but the races are very similar. Shamrock: Good shirt, good medal, lot's free beer at the finish, ok crowd support, 1/2 marathoners start early and go the opposite way - no traffic issues. The biggest negative to me, in comparison to Myrtle, was the expensive lodging. There are also not too many restaurants close by, that I knew of anyway. The course is very flat but kind of mundane for long stretches along Pacific/Atlantic Ave. The stretch through Fort Story, although devoid of crowd support, was my favorite part. Finishing on the boardwalk by the statue of Poseidon or Neptune or whoever that big dude is was pretty cool. Myrtle: Terrible shirt, not so good medal, lot's of free beer at the finish, ok crowd support, great parking close to finish/start, excellent volunteers at fluid stations, very cheap good lodging, lot's of restaurants to choose from. The course is very flat and not real interesting for the most part - I hated miles 21-25 or so along Kings Highway. I got sick of running by discount beach junk stores. The 1/2 marathoners start with the marathoners and it is quite crowded for the first 2 miles or so. The weather should be similar for the two races, however it was freezing and very windy when I ran Shamrock in 2007. The 2008 Myrtle Marathon had perfect weather - cool with little wind. I guess if I had to choose one to do again it would be Shamrock, for whatever it is worth. If you have any other questions, just post 'em and I will try my best to answer them.

Docster

posted: 4/3/2008 at 5:50 PM

Quote from Wings on 3/24/2008 at 4:37 PM:

I posted this on your thread in the other forum....I will repost here as it fits better in this forum: I've run both. They both have their good and bad points but the races are very similar. Shamrock: Good shirt, good medal, lot's free beer at the finish, ok crowd support, 1/2 marathoners start early and go the opposite way - no traffic issues. The biggest negative to me, in comparison to Myrtle, was the expensive lodging. There are also not too many restaurants close by, that I knew of anyway. The course is very flat but kind of mundane for long stretches along Pacific/Atlantic Ave. The stretch through Fort Story, although devoid of crowd support, was my favorite part. Finishing on the boardwalk by the statue of Poseidon or Neptune or whoever that big dude is was pretty cool. Myrtle: Terrible shirt, not so good medal, lot's of free beer at the finish, ok crowd support, great parking close to finish/start, excellent volunteers at fluid stations, very cheap good lodging, lot's of restaurants to choose from. The course is very flat and not real interesting for the most part - I hated miles 21-25 or so along Kings Highway. I got sick of running by discount beach junk stores. The 1/2 marathoners start with the marathoners and it is quite crowded for the first 2 miles or so. The weather should be similar for the two races, however it was freezing and very windy when I ran Shamrock in 2007. The 2008 Myrtle Marathon had perfect weather - cool with little wind. I guess if I had to choose one to do again it would be Shamrock, for whatever it is worth. If you have any other questions, just post 'em and I will try my best to answer them.

I have run Myrtle the past 2 years. Terrible shirt? It's a tech shirt. It's not fancy, but it beats cotton which many races give you. Medal...hrm..it's ok. It's a medal. Smile

I'll second the volunteers...they do a great job. Miles 21 through 25 are boring. That generally doesn't bother me, though. I'm fairly self competitive. Tongue

Lots of cheap/resonable lodging...lots of good restaurants. Lots of free beer after the race, and a fair bit of munchies too! While there isn't a huge amount of crowd support, especially in the 2nd half, I really enjoy the race, and I really like the timing. Oh, the 6:30 a.m. start is...well early. But it's kind of cool to race with the sun coming up, and having thousands of runners doing the same. There is also (as stated) a lot of parking at the Boardwalk. I haven't run the Shamrock full, but I have done the Virginia Beach Rock and Roll HM, and much of the course route is similar for half of it I think. It's a *really* flat, fast course. Wind can be a problem I imagine. The past two years at Myrtle the wind was minimal. Anyway...that may or may not help. Either should work out pretty well I would think. Smile

Need advise of which marathon to choose.... (Read 573 times)