Atlantic City Marathon Race Series

I ran the April Fools 7k and it was awesome! From check in to finish it was easy going. The only down side is that the finish line is packed. It’s understandable but, they might do a better job moving people a little further down the boardwalk to get them out of the way. It wasn’t a huge deal but, something to consider. Great race!

The AC Marathon Race Series is great! I wanted to run my first Half Marathon at a venue that was pretty straightforward and flat but also well designed and executed. This was the perfect event. My parents live down the shore, so I was able to stay with them, pick up my bib and packet the day before, and then drive back down the following morning to participate. I ran the Fall Half, which takes place in October.
The route takes you on the road as well as the boardwalk. I liked that there was some variety in the beginning. While it’s nice that it’s flat, the boardwalk can get a little repetitive. For the ½ you’re not on the boardwalk for too long, but the Marathon continues down the boardwalk for quite awhile.
The actual event was run really well. There were music stations, water/​gatorade/​gel stations, and people cheering you on throughout the course. While there were people spread out throughout the course, it was easy to spot my parents as I was rounding Mile 8, and they were able to get some great action shots. It was more crowded at the finish line (as to be expected), but nothing crazy like the NYC or Boston marathons. When I finished the race, it was the most exciting feeling ever. I even made some friends while running. I’m a competitor, but I’m also friendly and had some great laughs and smiles while running my butt off.
The earlier you sign up, the cheaper the race. If you wait until last minute, it can get pretty pricey.
I will be running the October Half again next year, and I can’t wait!

Just finished the 2013 Atlantic City Marathon on Sunday, 10/​13/​2013. This was particularly meaningful for me, since I was on a quest to run a marathon in each of the 50 States and picking up New Jersey here in Atlantic City was amazing. Completing Atlantic City Marathon was lifetime #62 and state #40. Doing it all from Hawaii has its sacrifices, but here I am trying to go for that title. It’s super amazing to be breaking into the 40’s with 10 left to go and I am ecstatic to get here. New Jersey has a handful of marathons and ultra-​distance races to choose from, but I couldn’t pass up a chance to be in Atlantic City for a race and to pick up a new state in my quest for 50 States from Hawaii. I paired this race with the New Hampshire and Maine Marathons, trying to knock off 3 states in 1 epic trip and I have succeeded. It’s crazy how our goals are, but where there is a will, there is a way! The finish line was bittersweet, like it is always, but I could not pass up this opportunity to run in New Jersey and see /​run on the world famous AC Boardwalk.
Most people would fly into Philadelphia, Baltimore, or Washington DC — Dulles and take the scenic route to Atlantic City. Even Atlantic City has its own «international» airport too, so that’s an option to those who want to fly there directly into Atlantic City. If driving, there are tolls heading in and out of Atlantic City, so be aware. I paid about $ 4 each way in and out, so that was a small bummer to say the least. The Atlantic City Marathon expo was held at Caesar’s Palace this year in one of their in-​house ballrooms. It was pretty cool to be in Caesar’s Palace, even if it’s on the east coast, rather than in Las Vegas. The expo itself was pretty small, but they try their best to be one of the larger marathons in New Jersey. There was a handful of vendors and races there promoting themselves, so that was pretty cool. The expo was a 2 day affair, although the 1^st day was from 3pm — 8pm on the Friday before and 11am — 6pm on Saturday. I would say that the expo was pretty good, although we were in and out in less than 45 minutes after looking around. The Trenton Half marathon booth caught my eye with their finisher bling, but I probably would not travel just for their half.
The race started and finished in front of Caesar’s Palace. With Bally’s right next door, the AC marathon was offering $ 5 vouchers for parking in either Caesar’s or Bally’s, which was amazing! For a moment, I thought I would have to pay $ 20 per entry (expo and race day), but I’m glad the toll was just $ 10 versus $ 40. With that said, the race was capped out at 2,000 for the full, and 3,000 for the half. The course itself was a real treat for me, since ¹⁄₃ of the course ran along the Boardwalk. It was pretty cool getting to see some of the sights along the Boardwalk. The course weaved along parts of the interstate /​highways in the beginning miles, then along the boardwalk starting in mile 9. Then the out and back sections along residential Atlantic City from miles 12 – 22. It was cool to see how the other half of Atlantic City lived. The course itself weaved back into the Boardwalk, where it finished in front of Caesars.
The finisher medal was pretty cool this year, which featured a lighthouse and a blinking light! The course was well marked, with yellow arrows on the road to make sure you know where you are going. The volunteers were good, enthusiastic, and the aid stations were adequately stocked. It was always awesome to see friends along the course and of course to meet new friends along the way too. The weather that day was very much windy and cold. Temperatures that morning were about in the mid 50’s I would say. Although the wind kicked up, gusting to 20 mph, it was one of the more scenic marathons out there in New Jersey, I have heard. The race shirts were cool and long sleeve. I wore it on the flight home and it was snug and comfortable. Atlantic City Marathon is one of the perfect races to do, if you are on the east coast. Atlantic City Marathon is on the same day as the 2013 Chicago Marathon and Steamtown marathon in Pennsylvania this year.
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B+

After seeing Michelle C. review a couple of local races, I decided I would do so myself. As an avid runner who competes in many road races every year, it is topic I feel I could review well.
My first experience with the AC Marathon Series was somewhat unplanned. Last summer I was in the early stages of training for the Philadelphia Marathon, when I learned of a Schwaggle deal (
— it’s like Groupon for
) to run the AC Marathon or Half in October for only $ 40. $ 40 is an incredible price for a Half Marathon, let alone a full. I opted to do the Half, which took place on October 16, 2011. They also offered a 5zk and 10K race that same day.
For that race, my hubby and I went down the day before to the expo to pick up my race packet. The expo was pretty lame, by «big city race» standards, and since this is somewhat small race, I decided the next time I’d do packet pickup the morning of the race, since they do offer that option.
The race itself was great. Very well run, only a couple thousand runners, if that. It started on or close to on time, and the finishers area was spectacular. TONS of great food, the best of which were Philly soft pretzels and Rita’s water ice. I can’t remember what all other food was there in October. Got a cool finishers medal and a great long sleeved tech shirt.
There were 2 main complaints I had, and I noticed other people complained about these things on Facebook as well: Parking and the lack of Gatorade on the racecourse. Parking cost $ 10 per day, unless you were a Bally’s member. Race directors noted the complaints on Facebook and said they would be remedied next time.
Fast forward to January, when the AC Marathon Series offered another Schwaggle deal for the inaugural April Fool’s Half Marathon, at a discounted rate of $ 35 or $ 32 or something close to that. I again took advantage of the deal, and ran the race on April 1, 2012. For this race they also offered a 7K and 11. This time, did my packet pickup that morning. I checked my bag and got ready to run. The course was different from October, which was nice, running along the Boardwalk and Atlantic Avenue, past Lucy, and back. Through the finish line with an awesome P.R., and handed my medal, which this time was actually one of the cooler medals I’ve gotten (it spins!). Into the finishers area, and totally overwhelmed with food! Bottles of water, Rita’s water ice, soft pretzels, caramel popcorn, soup, candy, bananas, oranges, and probably other stuff that I just didn’t notice.
On a HUGE note is the fact that for this race, the RDs did exactly what they said they would do, and took care of previous complaints. There were Gatorade on the race course (though, given the beautiful day, I actually only took water, and only at every OTHER water stop), as well as various energy gels (I also didn’t take them, I supply my own, always, but it is certainly a good feature to have them on the course) and also gave each runner a parking voucher for only $ 5. I also didn’t even need to use the parking voucher, because by the time I left the parking garage, they were just letting us out without paying.
AC offers a really great alternative to the big city marathons and other races. They only have a couple thousand runners, which makes it much more manageable, and they have one of the best Finishers areas I have ever seen. The 2 race shirts I have from these races also may be my favorite race shirts. Also, the April race is my FIRST RACE EVER where I was given a WOMEN’S CUT SHIRT! IT ACTUALLY FITS PROPERLY AND LOOKS GOOD ON! I will definitely do races in this series in the future and encourage others to do so as well.