I learned about this race at the Atlantic City Half marathon Expo and decided on a whim to sign up. Their finisher shirts, medals, awesome course through PA & NJ, and a finish line in Trenton Thunder stadium were all too cool to pass up!
The sign up experience was an easy online form, and thankfully while I wasn't able to attend the Expo, my cousin did and easily picked up my bib and goodies for me using a copy of my license, no hassles or anything. The race officials were easily reachable too - they responded quickly to any questions I had both via their FB page and Twitter accounts. Kudos to them for being up on social media!!
The only downside to this race was the parking/getting to the start situation. Trenton isn't the easiest city to navigate, especially if you're not familiar with the area. And while the participant guide did everything it could to identify parking lots and help with information regarding shuttles, the actual situation was 100% confusing. There's no exact address given for the 2 free parking lots, but the shuttle leaves from the Wyndham, which is *near* the lots. There are also a handful of other smaller parking lots that all looked the same at 6:15AM when no one else was around, so we ended up parking in the wrong lot. A few strategically placed volunteers or even "This is the Lot" signs would have gone a LONG way, so hopefully they get the message and next year it's a different story. Thankfully we stayed in the car for a good 20 minutes waiting to see if any other runners would arrive, and when we spotted someone in the lot across the street, we moved to that lot no problem.
The other issue involved the shuttles: the participant guide indicated two spots to pick up the shuttle, but no one seemed to know where that second spot was, and so we all ended up walking the mile and change through quiet neighborhoods to the start line. Not the worst way to warm up, but still.
Once we got to the start area, everything was perfect: the port-a-potties were plentiful and clean, the crowds were electric, there was no confusion, and we started a little bit late but overall not a big deal.
The course itself was unbelievable: as soon as you cross the starting line, you run directly onto a closed-down major highway and through a tunnel, up past the Delaware River, turn back into the tunnel in the other direction, and take off down the highway once more. I've only ever felt energy in a race like that in some of the larger NYRR races I've done - and this was just under 4,000 runners!
I give the race directors major kudos for how well signed and organized the actual race is. Even though there were many people running three distances at relatively the same time - 5K, 10K, and Half with three different courses, no less! - I never once felt confused or crowded.
And the support on the sidelines was unbelievable! I truly felt like I was in a parade, even at the back of the pack. Folks lined the streets in NJ and PA - one guy even had a cooler and was handing out bottled water to us! - and I was so energized by giving high fives to the folks who had brought their dogs and kids and whole families out to cheer us on from their folding chairs. Truly top notch!
The other great part about this race is the scenery. Running over two different bridges over 6 miles was a welcome change from the usual roads or boring boardwalks and sand dunes I usually see on my runs, even though the grating on the bridge that we ran over felt SUPER weird on my feet! I'd heard it from others before but didn't know what to expect - it really is noticeable, but not in a bad way. Just weird. Also: BE CAREFUL if you take pictures on that bridge, because the grates looked just wide enough for an iPhone to slip out of a sweaty runner's hands and fall to its doom in the Delaware. Thank goodness it didn't happen to me, but I can only imagine the horror!
The final stretch of the race was the best part: you run single file through a short tunnel surrounded by cheering folks into the Trenton Thunder stadium, around the outfield, and through the cute to finish at home plate. The feeling is really indescribable. I had chills and had to keep from tearing up the whole time - you get your moment in the spotlight and then get your medal and climb up into the stands for a Finisher's Festival that was not so much a "festival" as it was free Philly soft pretzels and lots of other snacks, which I'll take in a heartbeat!
The only other downside was getting back to the car and leaving. We had to ask around to 3 or 4 race officials to learn that the shuttles back to the parking lots weren't coming for another 90 minutes, so we had to walk back to the lots. But there weren't any folks along the walking route (except for one police officer, thank goodness), so we just had to hope that the folks ahead of us were walking in the right direction. Thankfully they were.
The last issue we ran into was getting OUT of the parking lot and back home - since all the roads were closed in random places (and the parking lot had been blocked off on one end so we thought we were stuck for a few minutes!), we had to wait for someone else to leave and followed them out of the lot, down a few streets that turned out to be blocked so we all had to turn around, and finally out to the highway.
All in all, the lack of signage/volunteers isn't a deal breaker. Even if it's the same situation next year, I know now what to expect and will DEFINITELY be running this race again next year!

While I'd definitely recommend this race to anyone looking for a fast, flat half marathon by the ocean, I'm not sure I'll be running it again next year. I've done this race three times now and each time I feel like the experience grows less and less *exciting*, unfortunately!
In the past, the crowd support and aid stations were on point - tons of people cheering, big groups of students hanging out and doing their thing - this year, there was only one station like that, and it was shocking to see how few spectators there were compared to last year. Seriously, I got more applause and encouragement from the cops that had stopped traffic than anyone on the side of the course cheering us on. The colder weather and wind might have had something to do with that (and yes, I'm a SOLID back of the pack-er, so perhaps they all disappeared by the time I came around?) but there it is.
In everything else however, this race is top-quality: sign-ups are super easy, pre-race communication is clear and abundant, and the fact that the start, finish, AND expo are all in/around the same hotel is a huge plus. I was also lucky enough to get a hotel room in the same place so my experience was super smooth - I'm not sure about those folks who stay elsewhere or show up that morning.
The expo is also a good size - for a race of about 2,000 runners (in both the full and half marathon) it wasn't too crowded or anything, and offered everything you'd expect at a marathon expo and more.
The course is great - while it's technically "flat", there are a few slight hills in the first 5 miles or so, but nothing crazy. It's very cool to run through the tunnel out to the marina, and you might even spot a celeb (Jeff Galloway paced me for almost 3 miles and I didn't even know it was him until afterwards!!), and running on the boardwalk is a mixed blessing: if you're in the thick of it with hundreds of other speedsters and middle-of-the-pack runners, you're probably having the time of your life surrounded by other runners and feeding off their energy. But at the back of the pack where I'm at, you're going to spend pretty much the entire time on the boardwalk either dodging folks who aren't aware there's a race going on, or you're going to be *alone* like I was for most of miles 9-13.1 this year.
One nice thing I will say that I love each year: seeing the finish line for most of that final mile is very motivational and makes the finish pretty awesome. And the fact that there's a full marathon going on is great - there will still be people around at the finish, the aid stations will still be stocked, and the finisher's festival will still be rocking when you get there.
All in all if you're on the fence about this one and run anything faster than a 12:00 mile (or if you don't mind the solitude!), I'd totally recommend this race!

I've done this race for two years now, and it's definitely on my list every year going forward. This 5K/1 Mile Fun Run benefits the MARSOC Foundation (Marine Corps support) and it's packed with tons of patriotic, inspiring people of all ages and abilities. Plus, it's directly next to and ON the boardwalk the entire time, which makes it a super easy, fast, flat race that I look forward to trying to PR at every year.
The sign up is super easy (all online) and they offer day-of packet pickup which is always a plus. I've seen that done horribly bad in other races, with long lines and disorganized chaos on the morning of a race, but these folks are pros.
One downside is the parking situation - as the race takes place at the tail end of beach season at the Jersey shore, depending on the weather you may run into issues finding parking. So far we haven't experienced anything; there's plenty of paid parking available since I'm paranoid and always arrive super early to every race, but even paying $8+ to park for a 2 hour race/event isn't the most enticing thing. I overheard some runners talking about using the race guide as a free parking pass, but there's nothing about that in the pre-race literature or on their site or sign-up page, so I'm not sure how true it is.
Once I got my bib there was the usual national anthem, a one-mile fun run, and shortly after that we all were ushered to the street for the start. It's a relatively small race, but gaining in popularity - another downside is the fact that no one really knows what's going on or where, as there's no bullhorn loud enough for organizers to reach the whole crowd.
But just like it always does, things worked out and the gun sounded and we were off, a little after the scheduled start time of 9:30AM. The first 1.5 miles of the course are on the road, and the crowd is nice and spread out. Because there are so many people of different ages and abilities, my usual spot at the middle/back of the pack wasn't as lonely as it can be in other races - in fact, I was able to pass quite a few folks, which is a great ego boost!
It was foggy at the beginning of the race, and the humidity started to weigh pretty heavily on me as well - that's what you get running a race in September in NJ, it's always dicey weather-wise! But thankfully the aid table at mile 1.5 right before the turn back onto the boardwalk was staffed with smart kids: instead of using the bottles of water they had been provided with to fill little cups, they simply handed the whole bottles out! I'm sure they were told to use the cups because one or two people were trying desperately to open bottles, pour, and hand them out quick enough, but with a quickly growing crowd of hot, flustered runners gunning for PR's waiting for water, they made the right decision and just handed out bottles, no questions asked.
I gratefully took my bottle and headed back onto the boardwalk for the second half of the race. This is where it's all worth it: you spend a mile and a half on the boardwalk, the roaring ocean on your right and the rest of the runners and Marine Corps groups marching at the end of the race, chanting and moving in unison. It gives me chills every time I see it, and I always make sure to run without headphones for the second half to get the full effect.
I finished this time around with a much better time than last year, although my watch time was way off from the clock time. The finish area was kind of hectic, as lots of people had parked in the lot where the staging area technically was. This was especially bad as I needed to sit down immediately after I finished due to my final push effort and the heat being pretty overwhelming, but because there were cars everywhere (some were even driving through the crowd of finishers!), I couldn't.
While the race experience itself is really great, the one disappointing thing I've seen two years in a row now is the lack of the "awesome finishers party and free brunch" they claim to have after the race.
After sitting in the restaurant on the boardwalk that served as race headquarters for close to a half hour after I finished, my stomach started growling, and there was no sight of food at all.
We walked around the restaurant to make sure we didn't miss anything, but everyone else seemed to be doing the same thing - some folks were even ordering from the menu and just buying full meals. I can understand if that's what was meant by "brunch" in the pre-race materials, but again, this wasn't explicitly stated, and instead of hanging around even longer, we decided to walk down the boardwalk and get some good old Jersey shore pizza instead.
Overall I wouldn't let the parking and post-race lack of *anything* stop me from running this race again next year - while it'd be nice to have a party like they claim, it's kind of become tradition to cool down with a nice long walk on the boardwalk after we finish and celebrate with some seaside deliciousness.
This is a great race with beautiful views for an awesome cause that I'd definitely recommend to others!

Like all NYRR races, this one is another excellently organized, well-staffed race. Getting to run down an empty Fifth Avenue for your fastest mile time is a real thrill, and if you ever have the opportunity to run it, it's a can't miss event! Full disclosure: NYRR offered me a free entry to this race, but I would have definitely done it even if I had to pay!
Because of finish line logistics, runners are split up into male and female Age Group Waves that take off about 15-20 minutes apart. There are also some fun group waves like the one I was in: The Media Mile. This consisted of social media and other local media folks like journalists, producers, and on-air talent. Other waves include FDNY/NYPD, youth, pro, and elite.
The starting line is like a well-oiled machine: groups of runners are corralled in when it's their time to start and take off at the sound of the gun. Because my wave was much smaller than others (a little more than 50 of us), I can't speak to the conditions in the gigantic age group waves that I saw go off earlier, but it all looked very well organized.
Because it's only a mile there are no aid stations, but just like other NYRR events, there are perfectly placed volunteers cheering you on along. The giant signs at the side of the road clearly noted the distance at the quarter, half, and 3/4 mile marks.
The course is nice and relatively flat - there's a slight incline at about the halfway point, but that makes for an even faster finish thanks to the downhill afterwards :)
I've never run a one mile race before, so I didn't know what to expect other than that I'm on the slower end of the spectrum. My mile time is around 10:30 on an extremely good day, but most of the time I average in the 11's or 12's (even 13's at longer distances). But because of the energy on the course, excitement of running in NYC, and excellent elevation, I managed to finish the mile in an unbelievable 8:51!
The finish was also well-organized, packed with people cheering on every single runner, and easy to find your way out of too. And because there are so many elite athletes around and it's a shorter race, you're likely to run into or at least watch them, which is awesome! I was extremely lucky and crossed the finish line at just the right time, and bumped into Meb (yes, THAT Meb!) who was gracious enough to chat for a moment and take a photo with me!
Overall I give this race a big A+ and can't wait to run it again. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

This hidden gem is a great race that I just discovered this year, but I guarantee you it'll be making an appearance in my schedule every summer!
Held on the boardwalk in Belmar, NJ, it's the perfect fast, flat 5K with beautiful scenery and a fun atmosphere. Plus: you get a medal at the end! How many other 5K's give you a medal? Not many!
Everything about this race is great: sign ups are easy, the swag is awesome, parking is relatively easy (because it's the Jersey Shore in August, you're going to run into traffic and/or parking, so get there EARLY), etc - the only downside is the summer heat, which we all know we can't control ;)
The course starts on the road right next to the beach and winds you into and around the little quiet streets of Belmar for a mile or so, before spitting you back onto the road next to the boardwalk for a mile or so to finish. You're never on the boardwalk, and when you're out on the main road the sun is GLARING, but it's a very fast race so it's no big deal. I was able to finish in a surprisingly good time (for me) and will definitely keep an eye out for next year's sign ups. Overall: highly recommended!