Seaside Half Marathon Community

Racer's Comments

2008 COMMENTS Seaside was my first 5K run and I have to tell you, I had the best time! It was an incredible experience and I look forward to next year! The Race was awesome, not to mention how beautiful the town is! My husband and I have decided to make the Seaside Race an annual trip! Thank you all for hosting such an awesome event! Thanks for putting on such a great race. We had a crew of about 30 (including a few non-runners) that came from our running club in the Jackson MS area and we definitely plan to be back. Thanks for all the hard work you guys put in to pull off a great race event. We will see you next year. I love your race! My second running of the half marathon. I brought all my children for the 5K this year. Great organization. Love the Vera Bradley bags. A million thanks! Thank you for another great race! I run the half with my running group, and this was our 3rd year. It just keeps getting more fun and festive. Thanks and see you next year!	I have to say, I had a wonderful time at the seaside half marathon! I just moved to Florida in July, and I decided I wanted to run a half marathon! I’d never done one before, and I just happened to pick the one in Seaside. Boy was I lucky to chose you! I had a fabulous time! The people along the race were motivational, the town is so quaint and welcoming, and the weather - wow. I had a wonderful time and I cannot wait to run it next year! Thank you again for a great time in your little town! We stayed in Seaside Saturday night at one of the cottage rentals and have already made plans to stay Saturday and Sunday next year. Thanks for putting on a fantastic event!!!! First off let me thank Seaside for a great race. The community support for the event was outstanding. It is obvious that the entire community is involved and supports the runs. Seaside is beautiful place and we have plans to return next year for the race and to visit Seaside at other times.

2006 COMMENTS My wife and I ran the 5K on Sunday. This was our first (ever) run and it was great. Every aspect of the experience was terrific and we have marked the date for next year on our calendars. We wanted to thank you, the committee, the community, and the sponsors for planning and executing such a fine event. Be sure to order the same weather next year! See you then. Terrific race, terrific place, terrific people, terrific post-race stuff, terrific weather, terrific model for other races all over the country...just a terrific event in all ways. Avid runners, cyclists, marathoners and tri(du)athletes. Natives of Minneapolis now happily living in Florida. Wish there were more races like Seaside in the area..... This was my second consecutive year and this was even better than last year. I use your race as a final tune up for Boston and I always enjoy the Seaside race more. I had my wife's sister and husband fly in from Indianapolis and they have already put it on their calendar for next year. Again, great job by the whole community! Once again the race was great! I don't know how everyone manages, but it is always a great day. We have run a lot smaller races that are not as organized as this one. We know you all put in a lot of work and it shows. … We will be back next year and hopefully will bring more people. Thanks to everyone for their time and effort. Your hard work shows. I had a fantastic time and so did my parents (who came down from Indiana to cheer me on). Thank you for all your hard work and for all the other volunteers - water, bands, music from the cars, periodic encouragement, etc. PLEASE let them know just how much all of that meant to us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you!! See ya next year!!! I just wanted to let you know that I had a wonderful time this weekend at the race. It was well organized, absolutely BEAUTIFUL, and the food was amazing! I've already got my calendar marked for next year! Thank you for making my first half marathon such a great experience! Six months ago, my oldest daughter surprised me with a birthday present. She gave me a card and in it was information printed out on the computer about your half marathon in Seaside. Well, I absolutely love the town of Seaside and the surrounding communities. We have been fortunate to visit there several times over the years. ( I guess you could say it is our choice destination when we go on a vacation.) She informed me that she was sending in the money for the registration fees and that it would be a perfect opportunity to spend some quality time together and do something "fun". That is when I started getting nervous. How in the world would I be able to run 13.1 miles when I had never ran more than one or two miles continuously, a few times in my life? I had no doubt that she could do it. She has done some shorter runs before. She's in great shape and half my age. No problem. (for her) The last few months I have trained in a way that I never knew I was capable of. I have come to appreciate and really enjoy running. On my off day, I even miss it. Your half marathon has opened a whole new world for me. I didn't finish in the top or even middle of the results but I did finish!!!!! Crossing that finish line was one of the most awesome experiences I have ever had. I have to tell you how much it meant to have your volunteers cheering me on . Hearing the volunteers, music and reading the signs along the way, kept my feet moving. There were many times I wanted to stop and walk, but there would be that person up the road just waiting for me to pass by so they could encourage me to keep going. Make sure that you let everyone know that it was very much appreciated! It was a gorgeous day and everything about how the race was done, was just perfect. Thank you for all your hard work. I hope that we can do it again. Right now though, my legs need a rest! We have marked our calendars and will be back. This has been our favorite race. The people, the support, and the organization make this a come-back-to event. (The perfect weather helped too). We leave Seaside with not only weaker knees and sunburns but with a huge smile on our faces from a fantastic weekend. Thank you for your hard work and all the efforts that went in to the race. We loved every minute of it! We are telling everyone (we will have to register even earlier!!) LOVED IT. One of the best ever in my 28 years of this 'stuff'. Will be back next year and hope to bring more participants from Dothan. Food was great. Thanks for a great weekend at a beautiful place. Just wanted to say thanks for putting on such a fun race. This was our first half-marathon and we had a wonderful time. At the finish, we were already talking about coming back next year. All your volunteers did such an awesome job. Everyone we encountered, from the smiles and words of encouragement (and great music) along the course to the hardworking volunteers at packet pickup and those serving food/beer following the race couldn't have done a better job. The emails prior to the race were a nice touch too. You definitely have a great group of people working to put on a super event. Looking forward to seeing you all next year! This is the 1st year I have participated in this race. It was one of the best organized and totally delightful races I have done. I can't wait to sign up again next year. I have been running for 26 years and I truly enjoyed this event. I also am a school teacher in Marietta, Ga and I always want to support the schools. You guys did it again and pulled off the best running race anywhere. Thanks! Thank you for a great race experience. My wife and I truly enjoyed the half marathon. As "locals" (Navarre) I can tell you that it was the best run race we have experienced from Pensacola to Jacksonville. The supporting staff of volunteers did a wonderful job of supporting the runners. The post race was wonderful and the food was some of the best I have had in 20 years of running. The "assembly line" of workers are to be commended for a job well done. Thanks again for a great race in your beautiful beach-side community. See you next year. THANK YOU and your friends for organizing the race. It was my first race, and I cannot say enough good things about it. Well run, lots of positive people around, the food afterward. I am certain my daughter and I will be back next year. Again, a job well done. We had a great time! This was our second year of entering the Seaside 5K Run and we would like to express our appreciation to all the volunteers and sponsors who made it possible. In particular, as retired teachers, we were very impressed with the students who volunteered and participated in the race. The Seaside race has become a highlight of our winter vacation in your beautiful area. We hope we can continue to enter in the years to come! Thanks again for making us feel so welcome! I enjoyed the race very much! Most of all I enjoyed the volunteers along the route who came out and played music and cheered us on. They provided a much needed boost and every single one of them had a smile on their face and something positive to say. I will definitely be back next year :) Thanks for the hard work that you all put in to make it such a fun run! It was a great race and well organized. The "cheerleaders" you have along the way are much appreciated--don't underestimate their value! Again, a great event--well done and kudos to all of you!!! See you next year. My husband and I just got home from another wonderful race weekend with you all. Your race went off like a dream. If there were any glitches- no one knew it. The packet pick up, the pasta dinner, the course, the volunteers, the precious kids all along the way, the food after the race, the massage after the race, and the awards' ceremony were all first class. Everyone we talked to loved the race. We stayed at Seagrove Villas and almost everyone there had run in the race. All of them plan to return next year, as do we. As soon as you set the date, we are in. We look forward to coming back to paradise. My friend and I came down to run the half marathon. We are from Marietta, Georgia. We had a great time and can’t wait until next year to do it all over again. You all did a great job planning and organizing. We are both PE teachers and loved the signs along the way that the children did. Great job!!!! And thank you. I just wanted to compliment you and your staff on a well-planned event. I have only run a few halfs, but this was by far the most organized one. The miles were clearly marked, the times were called out, there were plenty of water stations, and beer at the finish. I have told my friends about it and many plan on making the trip next year. We will see you again on March 4th. Super job with EVERY detail leading up to, including, and after the race. It was quite the enjoyable event. We opted for the pasta dinner on Sat night. It was awesome! And the post-race food was every bit as good. The course was well marked and a sufficient number of volunteers were at every water stop... I'm glad I ran your race. I wish I ran faster, but I had a great time none-the-less. I'll be back next year. Thank you for your efforts. As any avid runner knows, it is the volunteers and race planners that make it happen! Your hard work makes it so worth while from the runners perspective. This is my second year attending this race. It is absolutely fabulous. We loved it. You guys do a great job. We will be back. Thank you so much for hosting a wonderful race!! You and all of the volunteers worked so hard to pull off such a great event. I really appreciate all the hard work that everyone put in it. Everyone was very friendly and hospitable. I ran the race the first year you had it and it was good to come back and run it again. I could tell that everyone has worked hard to make it an outstanding race. There was nine of us that came down and ran. We had such a great time! I am already marking it on my calendar for next year! THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE!!!!! Thanks for all the hard work. It was our third year to attend and participate and it was better than ever! We will be back next year again and be bringing more friends this time too. Loved all the additional music and water stops! I just want to say THANK YOU ! It was a great event, and I really enjoyed it. I am a German helicopter pilot and I was here at Ft. Rucker, AL for the examiner course, which was also a challenge for me. But I made my checkride at Friday the 3rd. You see, I passed the finish line two times. And I´m very proud of that. I´ll fly back to Germany next Saturday. Probably it was my first and last half marathon in the USA. Let´s see. Wish you all the best for the next races! Thank you again. Congratulations on the event yesterday, my wife and I had a great time! The whole thing was just wonderful - we didn't want to go home. (4.5 hours in a car after running 13 miles wasn't the best plan anyway - next year we will stay till Monday!) Needless to say, we will be back - can you make sure the weather is just as beautiful? I assume everyone is in agreement that is was a success, I talked to a lot of folks after the run and it was smiles all around. Congrats!	2005 COMMENTS My husband and I have traveled to many races in different parts of the United States in order to get in a 'run' and see other places, but you guys are the best. The race was wonderfully organized, the volunteers were absolutely the best, there were enough facilities and water along the route (most important), the food and refreshment for the runners afterward absolutely the best we have found anywhere. There is always a 'festive' atmosphere at the end of one of these - but you guys put on one of the best runs and events we have ever attended anywhere. Be sure to let us know when it comes up next year - we had to leave almost immediately after the race and were disappointed our schedule was so tight! We plan to come back and do it again and take a couple extra days to stay around and enjoy the entertainment and festivities! Don't be surprised if we bring more runners with us next year!! The following is a letter from a runner to Runner’s World Magazine: Subject: Seaside Half Marathon Dear Runner's World, We just finished the 3rd annual Seaside Half Marathon in Florida on Sunday March 6, 2005. I have to say this is one of the absolutely best half marathons we have run. The Emerald Coast of Florida is beautiful. The race is held in Jeff Galloway’s backyard and this race is one that he has been involved with from the start. I have been running now for about 5 years and have been doing races with a group of friends. We usually travel regionally to run races, coming from Pittsburgh that means other parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Maryland. In this case we ventured a little further. The Seaside Half is a great little hometown race supporting the local school. The weather was perfect during this flat and fast out and back course along the coast. The volunteers and support staff provided everything we needed, and to top it off the post-race party rivals any. After receiving your medal, a complete meal with barbecue chicken, red beans and rice, pasta and even free beer was included. A band played while the silent auction completed and the trophies were dispersed. Team Quattro will certainly put this on the schedule in the future. Thank you for a wonderful time in Seaside for the half marathon 2005. The race was fabulous and the people were amazing! We ran your race in 2003, and this year also. Well, look for us in 2006- we have already made lodging reservations (at a 10% discount, thanks to you all at the race headquarters!) What an exciting tradition we are creating in your town. Hey guys, Just wanted to congratulate you all on a wonderful day at the races. The weather was almost perfect but nothing compared to how well you organized and ran it. Thanks so much for a wonderful time and I'm already planning to train better next year. Thanks again. I want to thank you very much for putting on an incredibly nice, fun and very organized race!! My son and I were very impressed with everything: the elegant pasta and delicious dinner, the silent auction (what a great idea!) and the post-race fun, meal and activities. From past experiences, the usual post-race activities are so "delayed" that most runners loose interest and go home. Not this one! And the free beer was a bonus and also very quick to provide and organized. Thank you!! I will pass this on to my friends at half2run.com,a web club that has you run a 1/2 marathon in 1/2 of the US states! Florida was state # 4 for me! Thanks again! You and your crew put on a tremendous event. The organization was top notch. I'm glad you raised so much money. The food, entertainment, and overall experience were just great. My friends and I stayed a long time after the race because we were having so much fun. Please keep doing this event. We'll be back. Thanks a bunch! I had an awesome experience and plan to book a place to stay there next year. I love Seaside and the event was awesome. Thanks to all your WONDERFUL volunteers. I'm the guy that competed in the 1/2 marathon today and used the hand crank wheelchair. I wanted to thank you guys for allowing me to compete in today's race. It was a great day for a race and as always the HWY 30A course and town of Seaside is such a beautiful place to be. In all the races that I've competed in over the years I've never expected any kind of award because the divisions for those with disabilities is usually very small. However it was very kind of you guys to recognize both a hand crank wheelchair and push rim wheelchair division. I look forward to next year's race. Boy, it's going to be difficult to improve on the 2005 edition of the Seaside Half Marathon. There are 752 participants who could emphatically underscore that statement. You guys did it again. The registration process was painless and smooth. The pre-race communication kept us abreast of what was happening and what to expect-no surprises. Race day was perfect from the electrifying start to the jubilant finish. The crowd support was uplifting. The volunteers were awesome. The post-race amenities were the best...the food, the band, the awards ceremony, the silent auction, and of course, the wonderful runners with their families and friends. Many thanks to a well-oiled race committee machine. It will be a task, but next year will be even better. It's very satisfying to know we are supporting such a worthy cause. You guys did great!! It was a fun and well organized race. There were plenty of much appreciated water stations along the course. This is especially important for those of us that take a little longer to finish. The Gate2Gate race directors could learn something from you guys. Also, thanks for the great food after the race!! It really made it the post-race party much more fun and relaxing than those events that only supply beer and a few cut-up bagels. I could name a handful of events in the area that do this. Since there was no need to rush away in search of hot food, my friends and I were able to hang out and enjoy the area and festivities for a few hours after the race. Much appreciation for a race well done! :) We loved the event! Thank you sooo very much for the best 1/2 marathon I’ve ever run... the surrounding activities, the beautiful scenery and weather, no hills, the smooth functionality….just great. We'll be there next year. Thank you for the great weather and the fine organization of this year's race. We don't have too many opportunities here in northern Minnesota to participate in a road race this time of the year, although there is the Freeze Your Gizzard Blizzard Run in International Falls, MN in January. My annual trip to Florida gives me a chance to train in more pleasant weather and the Seaside Run is a nice challenge to work into my training. Keep up the good work! Thank you for putting on such a great race. My husband, son and I competed in the 5k. We had a wonderful time, the event was very well organized. Thanks for the email updates and notices about parking. The emails were a nice touch and I am sure they helped alleviate a parking dilemma. We have competed in numerous running races, triathlons, bike races, you name it. I would rank yours up there with the best of them. This was my first year running your race and a big thank you to you and all the volunteers. lt was a fabulous day! Also, your e-mails before the race and this one are terrific. The race became more personal for us all because of your communication. Thanks again and we'll be back next year. Great race!!! The food was great - thanks for ensuring runners got the food first - your team did an excellent job - the volunteers were all so friendly!! Thanks again. Thank you for your part in making this a great race weekend for me and my loved ones. My daughter and grandson came over from Daphne for my birthday. It was the first competition for both of them and my first in 18 years. The weather, food, music and everything was wonderful. We started coming to Seagrove almost 40 years ago so it was especially nice to be back. I ran the 5k this past weekend in Seaside. I have to say it was a great event, put on very well. I don't know how you guys can provide all of the extras (i.e. food, drinks, beer, prizes, t-shirts, etc.) with race entries and sponsors alone. It is truly amazing! GOOD ON YOU! Our family would like to thank you for another GREAT event this year. Fine work by all who worked tireless hours to pull off this event. See ya next year. Thanks for a wonderful experience. All of you volunteers made it the best Half Marathon ever (last year was the second best I've ever attended!). I'll be back. Thanks so much for a terrific run - what a beautiful place to have it. I was so impressed with the organization and thought that went into it - Had a great time and already planning next year!! Please email me the dates of next year's run [March 5, 2006] ... want to make sure I get it on the calendar early! Thanks for a great race. You did a wonderful job. . . . Aid station helpers were very enthusiastic and supportive! Can't wait until next year. Thank you for a great race! It is the best one I have been to all year. Everything was just perfect from package pickup, having enough restrooms, great food and plenty of beer. Can't wait for next year. Thanks for all of your hard work.