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Kiawah Island Marathon Reviews
Kiawah Island Marathon
3.7 Stars from
7 Runners
The worst! Not recommending this marathon at all!
By MN about 2023
Review
Absolutely the worst!!!
They ran out of finisher medals!
They gave the same finisher medals to the half-marathoners and marathoners.
13.1 miles vs 26.2 miles - NOT THE SAME!
They did not secure the marathon course - they allowed non-participants and cyclists on the course! Very dangerous to the runners!
Do not run this marathon! Not recommending this race!
When you run a marathon, no matter how "slow" you ran it, YOU SHOULD BE GETTING A FINISHER MEDAL AT THE END! PERIOD.
Race Tips
Learn good pacing strategies. Conserve energy in the first 10-miles. The marathon race doesn't really start until the 18th mile.
Arrive early. Always do your pre-run workout/warm up.
1 /
5 Stars
Lack of port a potties and perfect course for PR
By km about 2021
Review
Everything about this marathon was great from the communication to the course being well marked to aid stations every 2 miles. the downside was the insanly small amount of port a potties at the start. for a race this huge to have like 20 of them was crazy. we arrived very early to the site did a 1 mile warm up then stayed in line 1 hour to use the restroom!
Race Tips
if you can afford to stay on the island it makes race day so easy. shuttle access was simple check in and out was easy.. book early!
4 /
5 Stars
By Jms about 2017
5 /
5 Stars
By Cindy about 2016
Review
Course was flat, sea level and in 2016 the temperature was perfect.
We stayed on the island, which was nice. If you don't, you can't access the course until race day because permits are required.
5 /
5 Stars
By CMF about 2016
Review
The pluses...lots of communication leading up to the event, and about as flat of a course as you can get. That being said, I found the course itself (which was changed in 2016) to be miserable. It was largely on golf cart paths with uneven surface and endless "snaking" without any notable views. They claim to have chip timing, but did not. I noticed that the runners at the front of the pack had "net times." Those of us further back did not. The RD was very unaccommodating on this point. There's no excuse for that. So if you are looking to PR or are a few minutes away from BQ, I'd suggest looking for a different race.
Race Tips
Try to run on the street instead of the actual course. Note that your GPS will be off from the first few miles because of the satellites are.
Charleston is a reasonable driving distance if you do not have the small fortune required to stay on site.
2 /
5 Stars
By AW about 2015
Review
Loved everything about this race BUT the weather! Definitely not anyone's fault, but planning for a marathon in December even in the south can prove to be tough due to humidity and heat!
4 /
5 Stars
By WH about 2014
Review
This is a great-flat island marathon. The weather is usually perfect...and it was this year as well (Dec 2014). The expo is really small, but the pre-race meal was great. Southern food! Real Mac N Cheese!!
Race Tips
It is pretty easy to keep a solid pace. I was able to stay between 8:10-8:30 the entire run. The only con of the course is that there are many out and backs... so there are many turn arounds.
The course looks like a hand....with a lot of fingers!
But overall, after about 10 marathons, this is a favorite.
Stay on the island! During this time of year, the condos are reasonable. The Sanctury (the hotel) is always expensive. But the condos are spacious and worth the money. Also, the Start is an easy walk if you ask during booking of your condo.
