This was a hot day, unfortunately. Start temp was 65F, 59F Dewpoint (very humid), full sun. It rose to mid/high 70s by the end of the race. Maryland weather this time of year is a flip of the coin, and unfortunately, we did not get the call this year. Basically the worst conditions for me to run a marathon. The weather certainly cannot be controlled by race organizers.

Race Organization: The full started earlier than the half, and in a different place. The race organizers do this in some of their other races (Baltimore marathon, for example). I believe they do this because it allows all runners to finish in a big pack together. In other races, this works well but it was TERRIBLE for the full marathoners in this one. The half marathon runners were bussed to a different start line, where they took off about 1h 45m after the start of the marathon. This created a situation where faster paced marathoners had to weave through hundreds of slower runners around mile 16. It was packed - shoulder to shoulder passing for about five miles. It felt like the beginning of a race where you started too far back in the chute. The main problem was that this part of the course (miles 16ish-22ish) was on a road almost completely open to car traffic. The runners were supposed to stay on a very narrow shoulder of less than 10 feet during this time. Sub 8:00 pace marathoners were hitting the pack where 9:30-10 half runners were, and trying to get by them in a very small space without veering into a road filled with angry drivers. This was very dangerous and terrible, terrible planning on the part of the organizers.

Aid stations: These were an issue for full marathoners due to the crowds. Several aid stations had 2 or 3 people manning them. I hit a water stop early in the race that was manned by just two boy scouts who clearly had no idea what they were supposed to do. They simply had a few cups on the table while they say on the ground off to the side of the race. Race organizers need to do a better job of training people on what they are supposed to do. Also - maybe have an adult at every station? I arrived at 3 water stops where no water was readily available. I had to wait around for volunteers to open up packages of cups to pour water into them.

Course: This is an extremely flat course that is basically out and back from the OC boardwalk to Assateague Island. You will hit two hills in the form of running over a bridge 2x. You don't really get to see the ocean (except for about 3/4 mile at the very end) despite this being in Ocean City, MD. Most of it is run inland. I did see the Assateague ponies, which was nice. There was some shade at the beginning of the race from miles 3-8 because of the position of the sun behind the trees. However, on a sunny day, there isn't much protection. 95 percent of the course is run on asphalt, so add 10 degrees to the ambient temperature on a sunny day.

Swag: off-brand quarter zip with embroidered race logo. Of course, if you want a nice shirt, you could buy a much nicer Under Armor shirt at the expo. The medal was nice. it looks like an oyster shell and slides open to reveal a beach scene.

Expo: Pretty minimal but that was expected for a first time race that is relatively small. Check in was easy.

Overall: I won't do this again unless they fix the course so that it's wide enough for easy passing for full marathoners. The race organizers, who run multiple races in Maryland, should have their water/aid stations completely worked out for hot races. And they need flex plans (more aid stations, cooling areas, etc) for hot days like this.

I get that race organizers make most of their $ off entries for the half in these "running festivals". But the full marathon in this one felt more like an afterthought than they do at many other races. That was very clear when I hit the merge point.