ING Miami Marathon

This was THE BEST half marathon I’ve ever run. Granted, I’ve only run 2 other halfs before this one…
Reasons:
— Early morning race means you get to see the sun rise in front of you!
— You run next to the beach
— You run next to the boats
— You run next to palm trees
— Spinning medal and Romero Britto ribbon! (2015)
— DELICIOUS PINEAPPLES during the race — refreshing after 11 miles and got me through the next 2.
— Enough water stations, gatorade gels, snacks along the route
— Music along the route keeps you going
— SO scenic (did I mention that already?)
— Free rice and beans after the race
— Fruit cups!!! mandarin oranges, peaches, all the dole products!
— Broke my PR :)
The only gripe about it was the wait time in the corrals… waited an hour in 45 degree weather with shorts on (Tips: wear long leggings)!
Other than that, everything was perfect — none of that humidity previous reviews mentioned (must’ve been a good year!)

The Miami Marathon/​Half Marathon is no longer sponsored by ING. It is now known as Lifetime Miami Marathon & Half Marathon. This was my first time running this event and I just ran the half. I’ve ran 5 marathons and over 25 half marathons… this was by far one of the worst races I’ve ran.
I ran this race as a pacer for my cousin who recently had a baby and she lives in Miami. I was expecting humid weather and therefore made sure I was hydrated. But I did not bring a water belt or hydration pack because half marathons usually have enough water/​gatorade stations. That was my first mistake: expecting a large race to provide enough water/​gatorade stations. Silly me.
Here is a list of major areas of opportunities:
1) Corrals: My cousin and I got assigned to different corrals but I was pacing her. I requested to have my corral changed to hers, which was for slower runners, and got refused. Other races are a lot more accommodating. Race morning, the men guarding the race corral entrances were extremely rude to us. Yet they ignored the other runners jumping the guard rails.
2) Water stations: Water should be available on both sides of the street. You had runner’s dashing across the street — including me — trying to get water from two small tables. Really? Race directors should also consider keeping the water bins under a tarp or have ice in it because the water was so hot it was making me feel worse as the race went on. There should also be more trash bins available for runners to try to throw their cups away or volunteers trying to keep the area a little more organized. There was so much trash on the street it was hard running over it.
3) Gatorade: I am from Los Angeles and I am not use to the humid weather. For this reason, I made sure I was well hydrated before the race. But having Gatorade is major when it comes to staying hydrated during a hot race. Race directors knew it was going to be hot and humid. Why not provide more stations with Gatorade? This is why I regretted not carrying my hydration pack with Gatorade in it.
4) Wider streets: I get it, they want the race to be scenic. At some point though they should consider a way to try to have the crowd spread out more. Instead the streets got more narrow and more crowded. I always expect a race to be crowded for the first few miles. It was mile 8 and I was still rubbing elbows with runners. Hot, humid, and crowded is not a good mix.
5) Finishers area: When I thought the race couldn’t get any worse, I finished and walked into the finishers area… Disgusting. Trash bins were completely overflowing and there was food everywhere. More trash bins please! Banana peels, tangerine peels, water bottles, etc. I had to make sure I didn’t slip on anything. To top things off, it was wet and muddy. I had no desire to hang out in the finishers area for pictures or to even enjoy a banana. Another tip, don’t give out tangerines. Sliced oranges is much easier for a runner to eat. After I’ve finished a race and I have nothing to carry food in and no where to sit, I don’t want to stand and peel a tangerine.
I would not recommend running this race. I’ve ran inaugural races that have been better organized than this one.

Just ran the 2014 Miami Half Marathon. Unfortunately for everyone the weather was hot and high humidity.
Organizers have some important opportunities. Provide larger water stations on both sides of road; have cold water and cold energy drinks, this is of essence!; Have cold wet sponges available; choose wider roads; punctual starting time. We were standing over an hour in our corral; cold water at the end of race please.
Large part of the race I was stopping completely to get water or bumping into runners who either walk in large groups, or decide to stop while making a corner turn, or simply because there was no way to go around people because streets were too narrow. On a race you want to keep a steady pace and have a strong finish, and here was very hard given the scarce conditions. Also you do not want to interrupt your hydration. I decided to skip many stations in order to keep pace, until I had to stop to reach a cup of warm water and resume.
On the positive side, race has beautiful scenery, enthusiastic people cheering, plenty of food at the end of the race and you don’t need to park miles away to go home.

Had to update the review for the start of the race this year. It was awful. It’s like this is the first time they’re doing this! This was my 7^th time running and the start was awful the first few years but they really got it together the last 3 or 4. This year was a cluster-​bleep, however. The corrals on the AA arena side were not open at 5:50 so the sidewalks were packed and at a standstill. People who were trying to get to their corrals could not because you couldn’t move. Then when they reopened the corrals, everyone just poured into corral C and they were not even trying to keep people out.
So what’s the big deal?, you may ask. Well here’s the deal. The start is already very narrow and very dark. The conditions are not optimal. So when you have people who are walking or running much slower than the people who are supposed to be in corral C in the way, it causes runners to have to stop suddenly or swerve and it increases risk. I saw people fall, knock into people, etc. They’re lucky nobody got hurt. That would never fly in NYC.
And while we’re at it, can we ban the people who run with the weather balloons strapped to their waist? When there’s a breeze, those big ass balloons are knocking people in the head.
Get it together ING. You run the NYC marathon so you should be ashamed.
The rest of the race was fine (after mile 3), great volunteers, super finish line. But that start. Awful!

The ING is Miami’s première annual Marathon and Half Marathon. It’s been getting bigger and bigger each year.
I think this year they’re expecting upwards of 25,000−30,000 participants. It’s a wonderful course that’s flat mostly and takes you from downtown, and down the Mac Arthur Causeway towards S. Beach.
Those first 3 miles are great in that, you get to run along side the docked cruise ships that are all lit up in the pre dawn sky.
As you proceed to run through S. Beach and back up the Venetian, you are greeted by spectators throughout the entire course. Running through S. Beach is a real treat. You may even come across the occasional partier leaving an all night club/​bar, stumbling home. When you see that, it will feel good to be on this side of the course divider as oppose to the club zombie trying to seek refuge from the onset of daylight.
The race gets better from there. I won’t spoil it for you, but if you haven’t signed up for it, do it at least once.
Look for Early-​Bird opportunities to sign up at a discounted rate. Early bird offers for next year’s event usually start the Monday following the current year’s race. Yes, that far AHEAD !
The weather is usually great for running this time of year (late January), the humidity levels are down, and it makes for a VERY entertaining challenge.

Best course I’ve done out if 6 other courses.
Lots of fun, some bridges but not many, awesome views. Lots of food and water. This years medal was an awesome huge «10» for their 10 year anniversary which was awesome.
Could definitely be a PR course.

We live in one of the most beautiful places in the world to hold a marathon, so I feel lucky that I completed my first ½ marathon here. Truly something you have to experience at least once in your life.
The race route is filled with gorgeous views that keep your mind more on the scenery than the horrifying pain in your legs :) You’ll see all types of runners, and even walkers, on the route. There are lots of beautiful people to keep your mind occupied, as well!
As I’ve only ever ran the ING Miami, I can’t compare it with other marathons, but there were lots of cheer zones and it was such a wonderful experience. The Publix mile (or maybe it was more than a mile?) was fun, too. Lots of people on the sidelines to give a much needed boost.
An amazing experience and highly recommended for any first-​time ½ or full marathoners.

You know, I was very hesitant to sign up for the Miami marathon. Most people would be intimidated by the though of running 13.1 or 26.2 miles. But not me. What I was nervous about was the amount of people registered for the race. Usually running with thousands of people is a recipe for a disaster. I experienced it in a 10K that I ran in New Orleans. But, this was not the case here.
The Miami marathon, though crowded, was a greatly organized event. My girlfriend and I decided to run the half marathon with a group of her college friends. Did I mention that all of us wore batman t-​shirts? No? Well we did.
We all had such a great time at this event. Though the weather is not controlled by the race organizers, we couldn’t have asked for better. All of the post race snack that were supplied were perfect, I really like the chocolate chip cookies.
Can’t wait to run the full marathon one day.

This is their 10^th year and it gets bigger every year but seems they get cheaper every year too. This is my third and though the most beautiful route for a race, as a spectator, not much area to be able to see the finish line. You have to be creative and squeeze into a spot.
A few negatives: This time if you run the half or full you get the same shirts, not fair. There weren’t as many toilets around. And there weren’t as many food options for runners afterward. They ran out of some drinks too.
Could use more garbage cans and/​or recycling containers too. Seemed that was less as well.
Parking is what you expect, impossible. Even if you got a taxi, they can’t get very close. Expect to walk and walk and walk.
Still a fun gathering of supportive family and friends celebrating a good cause. Not bad for handling over 25,000 runners!

Just updating to say that while this race TOTALLY ROCKS the organizers absolutely have to institute a wave start. The streets of Miami and Miami Beach simply cannot handle the volume of runners all at once. I heard so many complaints about how crowded the first half was. They are going to lose participants over the crowding if they don’t do something about it.
Other than that, I could not have been happier with this year’s event. And I loved the water baggies. It made drinking on the run so much easier!

Since this was my first full marathon ever, I can’t compare it to any others. The total experience was very good – the race was extremely well organized, with plentiful aid stations and tons of smiling volunteers who offered help and encouragement the entire 26.2. And the finisher’s medal is pretty slick.
That said, I have two complaints:
1.) They were throwing bags of water at us instead of having us pick them up as we ran by. Not only was this highly annoying, because the bags would explode like water balloons when people inevitably dropped them, but it was dangerous as hell. The empty plastic bags were like cartoon banana peels, all slippery and treacherous, and dodging them was sometimes impossible. Completely insane and it made me dread every single aid station along the course.
2.) It was crowded. I mean really, really crowded. Until the halfers branched off to finish their race, I was running practically elbow-​to-​elbow with thousands of people… and I’m kind of slow, all things considered, so it’s not like this was only happening in the front corrals. As others have suggested, why not start in waves? It’s no fun to feel like you’re being stampeded – or trying not to stampede slower runners – for like 13 miles.
Most of the other runners we encountered were amazing people – here’s a huge shout out to the kindly guy who overheard me complaining about a massive blister and gave me his extra nipple shield, and the super cool lady who appeared out of nowhere to offer me some salt pills because she could see that I was fading. You two are awesome human beings and I hope you both had a great race. Cheers!
I’m super excited to have finished the marathon a few minutes under my goal time, and I’ll never regret the experience. It was cool to run some of my favorite routes (Venetian Causeway, Rickenbacker Causeway, Brickell Avenue) surrounded by a sea of equally crazy masochists like myself. Overall, the energy was very exciting and I had a good time, so all in all I really enjoyed running the ING Miami. Just maybe not enough to risk dodging flying water bags again.

This was my first time running the ING Half Marathon and I am very proud to finally take part in a Miami tradition. The event was well-​run but CROWDED which is part of what makes it fun, the energy gained from running with over 20,000 other people!
The expo was well-​organized and I did not have to wait in line at all for my packet or goodie bag. I loved the gender-​specific t-​shirt! The vendors were decent, though most of them were local running companies so I did not do much shopping. Some girl scouts set up shop outside with their cookies. Smooth move, girl scouts!!!
I think staggering the starts would be a really good idea for this race. I also think something as simple as some flashing signs asking walkers/​slow folks to keep to the right would help. It would have made the first part of the run a little less uncomfortable. I do not like seeing people angry/​frustrating. I find it distressing.
Now excuse me for a moment while I passive-​agressively vent: ATTENTION RUDE LADY WHO WAS RUNNING NEAR ME THE FIRST FOUR MILES — THERE IS NO REASON TO SCREAM AT EVERYONE TO GET OUT OF YOUR WAY AND CUSS IN EXASPERATION WHEN YOU RUN A 12-​MINUTE MILE. YOU HAVE NO HOPE OF QUALIFYING FOR THE BOSTON SO SUCK IT UP AND LEARN TO GO AROUND PEOPLE POLITELY. I HAD TO TAKE A BATHROOM BREAK JUST TO GET AWAY FROM YOUR CRAPPY ATTITUDE. KARMA IS A BITCH AND I HOPE YOU ARE RECOVERING FROM YOUR INEVITABLE SHINSPLINTS. Better now :-)
The aid stations and bathrooms are plentiful on the course which is nice. They were even passing out oranges towards mile 11 which was awesome! Such a treat as the day warmed up. The cheering section as you passed over the Venetian was awesome. I wish more of the race course had fans like that. I agree with some of the other reviewers that better publicity/​public relations are needed. Ocean drive was pretty dull and other than a few early morning walkers there was little support. Two special shoutouts are needed, though. «The Raven» was out there cheering us on and I had fun explaining to some folks from Boston who he was. One family on Prairie Avenue was passing out Jelly Beans. That was really cool. Thank you so much!!!
The other major problem I has was with the Shuttle service to/​from the race. It was a total ripoff. The price of a round-​trip ticket on the shuttle is the same price as a round-​trip cab ride from Miami Beach. And if you take a cab in you can sleep an extra hour and a half! On the shuttle ride home I was directed to the wrong bus and ended up with a group going to a different hotel. Oops! There needed to be a little more clarity on the shuttle situation.
But all in all a good race. That medal was some great bling and I am registering for the full marathon for 2013. The highlight of finishing for me was staying around to watch the children’s’ race. 5,000 kids in orange running down the road was such a great sight. Especially with the elite runners cheering them on! One of the female athletes was handing her roses to girls as they finished. Such a sweet gesture.

This is the Super Bowl of all running races in Florida.
With ING as the prime sponsor it’s a given some serious $$ is pumped into this event and it comes with all the bells and whistles. Well deserving of 5 stars no doubt! It can be super crowded at points in the race since there are over 22,000 participants but for me that just boosts my energy. The course is absolutely beautiful and takes you over the MacArthur and Venetian Causeways. I live on Miami Beach and run these routes often but NEVER get tired of the scenery– beautiful. I recruited a few friends to run it this year and show off my new city! Aid stations are plentiful and a few bands and high school cheer squads are along the course. Def not as much music as other races I’ve done but scenery makes up for it.
The expo held at Miami Beach Convention Center is sponsored by Nissan and Miami Herald. It’s fabulousssssss and huge. Tons of free goodies so be prepared to stay a few hours. This year they have gender specific finisher T-​shirts which is awesome that we women can actually have a flattering shirt. Publix rocks the finish line (as always) with awesome food: bagels, bananas, oranges, wraps, granola bars, and super yummy cookies. TONS of them. Pollo Tropical represents with beans and rice and the beer garden always is hopping with party-​goers. Finisher medals are really unique with a spinning palm tree to make you feel extra special. I LOVE this finish area right on beautiful Biscayne Bay: sunshine, sweaty and tired body, medal around my neck, beer in hand = my happy place!
Kudos to Frankie Ruiz and his team for producing such an extraordinary event!

On your mark… get set… GO!
I must confess this was my first major race, so I might be a bit naïve. However I thought the entire event was incredibly well organized. From the packet pickups beforehand to the frequent water stations throughout the beautiful race route, I found it very well planned. On the day of the actual race you are assigned to a start area based on your expected finishing time. Considering how many people there are I thought this was the best way possible to control such a large crowd and to give the fastest a chance to get out of the way.
The trail you take is beautiful, giving you a great look at the city of Miami. In addition, you have people cheering you along the whole route and there is water and porta-potty’s established so you don’t need lengthy stops to add on to your time. The only negative was that they ran out of tp towards pretty quick (please have the stations keep these stocked). However, I saw people of all ages (including some mother’s with their strollers) giving it a go, and at the end you get your medal and can then grab some refreshments. My friend told me that in all the medals they give out, one has a real diamond (you have to check yourself), which just adds another element of fun to the event. Last year had a variety of sponsors so I received everything from bananas to beer from Shake Shack and then rice from Pollo Tropical.
You can go online later to check your rankings and to see pictures. Lots of fun, I’m looking forward to the next one!

5 Stars… Of course I have to give 5 stars! I finished! Woot Woot!
Not only does crossing the finish line and knowing you just ran for hours on end and burned God knows how many calories make you feel accomplished, how about getting a beautiful big spinning palm tree medal! Hell YEAH!
My favorite parts were running on Ocean Drive and watching the sunrise… It was beautiful. The other place that really gave me a second wind was mile 11… the cheering section was AWESOME! I got goosebumps and suddenly my knees felt as good as my college days… oh the feeling!
I can’t forget the walk to the race– I was passing club 50 at the Viceroy at 5:00AM, ran into some still tipsy clubgoers who were completely confused haha! I thought how ironic that I’m usually right there with them, and today I’m sober as a whistle and you can smell the alcohol emitting from their bodies They were laughing, taking pictures of us, and all I could do was laugh right back and take pictures of them! Memories.
Here’s a word to all you runners using the Port-a-Jons…THERE’S A HOLE! Don’t crap on the toilet and just leave it there!!! If there was anything to seriously disgust me after the race was that people think because they are running a marathon that their manners go out the window. DECENCY PLEEEEASE! it’s called tissue paper. USE IT!
I can’t wait to see the photos on the website… they were all over the place. I just hope they didn’t see me in agony because of my bum knee. I still feel a slight pinch everytime I attempt to put pressure on it (totally sucks). But now it’s on to the next race. I’m glad I did it and accomplished my goal, saw some crazies and had a blast!
Awesome ING Race!

Usually I am a cheerleader/​spectator at no less than 5 races a year. I got fed up wondering «Can I?» and finally taking the plunge.
This Marathon was my first ever. OK so I did the half, I am good with that. Leave the full for the more daring folk. So this is was my inaugural run, and I am hooked.
The race is an amazing race with beautiful views, who knew it was that nice to run up the Causeways and Ocean Drive? There were so many people out enjoying our pain, laughing at what crazies we are for willingly putting ourselves through this apparent torture, it was nothing short of inspirational to see all the people laughing at us. All jesting aside, yes you do encounter a few confused vampiric club kids wondering what is going on with priceless looks of confusion that only fueled my run. That part alone was worth the 13.1 miles.
Luckily there are a few selfless souls (read: kids racking up community service hours and/​or people guilt ed into it by their club or job) handing out water and Gatorade to the runners (AND at the Miami Beach Senior High they had GOO, saaaweeeet!) that without them this type of effort would be impossible. Oh before you start slamming me, yes I do know that there ARE selfless souls who really do volunteer willingly. I have in other races, I speak as a volunteer myself: THANK YOU.
I most definitely agree with Sharie about encouraging walkers to stay towards the right, especially when walking in a line of 3 or 4 — its very difficult to pass as a runner and most of us have a time frame in mind, this will cut into our run as much as ten minutes and/​or cause injury as we try to hop out of the way. (To the lady who was walking in the middle of the road and stopped cold to tie your shoe: REALLY???) It is known as a walker friendly event, but it seems that many walkers may not realize the hazard they may cause.
We do unfortunately have a community in Miami that is not race friendly as with the bigger marathons in Chicago, Boston, New York and San Fran and unlike those cities that have no problem understanding the draw, it seems our population doesn’t get it yet. In the bigger cities you will see citizens offering water from their hoses to hot runners, treats and the much needed smile or «YOU GO GET ‘EM TIGER!» that the runners desperately need as they pass by their house or building.
Chicago has one of the BEST neighborhoods known worldwide for being one of the best to pass through in a race: Boys town. Its a huge party thrown by that community just for the souls running through in pain — its a much needed boost. Miami has a lot to learn, but maybe it could be a case of the race organization changing or increasing marketing? I must send a shout out to that family in Miami Beach with the lawn chairs handing out apple slices! Thank you! YOU DO GET IT!
As for the organization for the race. When the race started it was a small unknown race that drew approximately 5,000 runners. Since then it has grown to 20,000 however the finish area hasn’t seemed to have changed all that much except for the maze they make you walk through after you are done.
Gear check should be INSIDE the finish area where only racers are permitted. Its a ridiculous mass of humanity to try to get through to pick up your gear. Let’s keep that area inside the runners only zone.
No Oranges? Ouch. That was the ONLY thing I had been looking forward to after the run. The bland and plain bagels were too heavy for my stomach and the cookies even more so. Banana? Oh sure, but Oranges would have completely hit the spot.
If you didn’t know where your ‘tent’ is before the race, good luck finding it. The tent areas have no direction so you may end up wandering around for a good while before finding it.
Last, maybe an area with water sprinkler to cool off. Our core temps have risen and although the day was perfect, we do need to bring the temps down a bit.
All in all, great race, great time had by most.

So much fun! The race route is nice & it’s fun to be able to see all the sights I’m normally driving by – or worried some driver will take me out — so I could really enjoy running MIA. It really is quite a site to see over 21,000 all running the same way. I couldn’t help but smile when looking up the slight elevations on the MacArthur and Venetian causeways all you could see were bodies running. It really is a sight to see! Yes, the course was a little crowded, unless you’re an elite runner, this might not be the course to stress about times. Just enjoy the scenery!
I gave it 4 because of the crowding & because at the finish line it was a bit of chaos. We you just finish you were herded into a VERY narrow corral and there was no other way out. Not the greatest for slightly claustrophobic people, and you couldn’t really figure out what was going on (I don’t know if it was the same before because this was my first time running it). It was super nice to get some carbs & drinks right when finishing, but the official photo lines should probably have been marked. I got all the way up to it before realizing I wasn’t in the line that went halfway back to where I came from. And once you got through that madness it was another sardine smash down to try to get out to meet up with people & get to the vendor extravaganza. Maybe a couple guarded exits instead of 1 would be helpful?
I really enjoyed all the tents — the rice & beans, and beer tent were personal favorites! Thanks for the great event overall! If this event continues to grow like it has been, someone will have to figure out the puzzle of the crowding logistic nightmare. Good luck to that person & I’m looking forward to running again next year!
P. S. this gets on the eye candy list because one of my fellow runners said to me «Geeze, they really should make a dating site for runners…» haha, I wonder if they have one?

Sorry to rain on the parade… erm, marathon, but this event lacks serious consideration for the residents of Miami Beach.
I’m glad there are opportunities like this in our fair city and I appreciate the fact that they close off the street so runners can safely participate. For this considerable accomplishment, I award you two stars, ING Marathon.
However, I have a problem with the fact that the majority of South Beach is either locked out or locked in to their homes and businesses for the duration of the event. The organizers should be more respectful of the local community. Several alternative routes could be used that would not require anyone to be trapped in or out of their homes (for example, using West Avenue or going up and down 5^th Street with a linear segment on the sand in between). I hope the City collects a pretty penny for the major inconvenience that its residents experience annually due to the event.
Now, I have to give props to the hard working runners that participate in this event; I have mad respect for you guys!

AMAZING! INCREDIBLE! EXHILARATING! WONDERFUL! FUN! ENERGETIC! and oh sooooo many more adjectives that I can not think of right now but WOW!!! what an event! I wasn’t able to participate this year but I’ll be ready for 2011 (God willing) This event is incredible well planned and organized. You have more that 18,000 people participating and the energy is hard to describe. Even though you have to get up before dawn (up by 4am) it is worth it. I waited at the cheering zone by mile 10.8 along with hundreds of other supporters and, let me tell you, it was an experience. Like I already said but HAVE to say again, the energy is HUGE! they have a huge tent with water and juice, delicious Publix chocolate chip cookies, posters you can use to cheer the runners/​walkers, cow bells, cones, whistles and balloons.
The weather was perfect, it wasn’t too hot but it wasn’t cold either, the sun stayed out of the way for the most part and the rain was very light and only a couple of times. At the finish line, all the participants get a gorgeous medal, they get water, fruits, cookies and their families excitedly waiting for them. The wheelchair participants are AMAZING too, they give you more energy than you already have. Looking forward to a year full mental and physical preparations to participate in the event next year.

This is my first marathon, so I was a chicken and did only half. This thing is just massive! I never saw so many people gathered on Biscayne Blvd before the crack of dawn! Everyone starts in front of the American Airlines Arena and then we move on to beautiful Ocean Drive on Miami Beach, then after mile 9 you run towards the Venetian Causeway, then back towards downtown to the Finish Line! The skies were grey, but the cold wind and light drizzle was just what all the runners needed!
By mile 10 my feet felt like they were walking on hot coals! Besides the smelly BO and the occasional urine smell along Miami Ave, it was awesome! Everyone should try it! If enough Unilocalers gather, you can have your own Unilocal t-​shirt! We run for Unilocal!yay!