The New Jersey Marathon

The New Jersey marathon, Long Branch half marathon, and Gold's Gym relay were held on April 29 in the town of Long Branch, NJ.

The festivities began on Saturday with a race expo featuring running supplies, such as shoes, shorts, nutrition, and event memorabilia, as well as a presentation from Katherine Switzer. Katherine Switzer is the first woman to have run the Boston marathon. She ran it 40 years ago in 1967 and spoke of her experiences regarding training for the marathon, and how one of the course officials tried to physically push her off the course. This motivational speaker was a wonderful addition to the New Jersey marathon, and when I ran the race the next day, I thought of her speech about women's capabilities for endurance.

The morning of the race, runners were offered bagels and water before they lined up at the starting point. Half marathon runners wore green numbers, and full marathon runners wore blue numbers. Those running the relay wore yellow numbers. The course is a two-loop course throughout the city of Long Branch and neighboring Monmouth beach. Half marathoners run the loop one time, and full marathoners run it twice. The course is flat, which typically results in faster finish times (as opposed to a hilly course). Scenery-wise, the course is run primarily through neighborhoods, and the last mile or so is actually run on the boardwalk, right along the beach. At mile 9 and 21, there was a "high-energy" aid station, serving pretzels, M&Ms, oranges, and other snacks for runners.

This year, the weather was in the low to mid 50's and cloudy. This weather is considered ideal for racing, because it's warm enough to wear shorts and a tank, but cool enough for runners not to get overheated.

I thoroughly enjoyed this race. It was small in comparison to big city marathons that I have run, such as the Marine Corps Marathon and the Miami Marathon, but there was still a tremendous amount of crowd support. Runners had their first names printed on their bibs so that the crowd could cheer their names.

1,612 runners completed the marathon, and 2,754 runners completed the half marathon. 40-year old Anthony J. Cioce was the winner of the marathon with a time of 2:32:26 and 26-year-old Molly C. Mahany was the first female finisher with a time of 3:10:03.

After the marathon, runners enjoyed post-race refreshments including chili, cornbread, trail mix, and fruit. I personally was not a fan of these refreshments, but a good effort was made.

Overall, this event was well-organized and enjoyable. It's a must-do for runners on the east coast who want a flat marathon along the coast.