The 2011 Long Branch Half Marathon was phenomenal.  A flat and fast course that started and finished on the scenic beaches of NJ.  I loved it and eagerly signed up for the 2012 race.

However, the 2012 Long Branch Half Marathon was a train-wreck of logistics.  For some reason, the organizers changed a race that was not broken and made it a point to point race.  We started at Monmouth Park and finished on the ocean front, and then had to wait far too long for an arduous and uncomfortable bus ride back to our cars at the start. 

My rule of thumb is that if I run the race in 90 minutes and then spend 120 minutes on shuttle buses and shuttle bus lines, then I'll advise everyone to stay far far away from this race in the future.

i have run for several years and  it had been  a great event but wrote to the organizers after the 2012  1/2 marathon that without changes they will lose participants. With the new 2012 format the buses back to monmouth to pick up your car were  detoured and it took an hour (it's only 10 minutes away). This was because the local streets were blocked due the marathon. The gear pic-up was also disorganized and affected by the scheduling of the marathon after the 1/2 marathon. This took over 30 minutes. I'll only do it gain if they announce logistical improvements.

Having run the New Jersey marathon 5 times so far, I have to say this is my favorite marathon to run in. They have all the logistics down to a science, with the plenty of water stops along the way. They even set of a special train to get runners to the start. I look forward to this race every year.