Of course, the weather cannot be controlled at a race, but the wind really had a major effect on this race for me! The course goes through an industrial-type area for the first eight miles, which includes a tunnel, some ramps and a couple off-boardwalk casinos. The hills of the ramps in the beginning were a bit of a surprise to me, but after that, the course was very flat (and I'm from a flat area). Around the Mile 8 marker, runners got onto the Boardwalk and continued for about five miles until it ended. We then went onto Atlantic Avenue and kept running the same direction, turning around near Mile 16. There was a strong headwind after that, with only a slight reprieve during an out-and-back section with a rectangle loop in Margate City. I enjoyed the Boardwalk miles and being able to see the ocean for so much of the race.
I liked the swag, which included a quarter-zip, a nice medal and free race photos.
There were a ton of aid stations. At least one or two of them were just grab a cup and go (most, but not all of them had people handing out the cups), but the volunteers were helpful. I'd heard at the expo there was Vaseline, and I had to ask a volunteer for that, but she was able to get it for me.
I thought the race was well-run. However, I was one of the slower marathoners, and by the time I finished, the post-race beer was gone (there was still Truly, which I had) and the heat sheets were also gone. I also got a banana and water but don't remember seeing other food.
My friends and I walked from our Airbnb, so I'm not sure how parking was. The expo was small and had some fun photo-ops.
Read more on my blog at She Runs by the Seashore dot com.

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