I live in Jersey. This race is convenient & it provides nice views of the JC waterfront to see the NYC skyline & Status of Liberty. I drove in the morning of with 'arrive by 5am' requested. Pre-paid $28.49 for 3am-3pm parking at the Newport West Garage. The bathrooms were LOCKED in the mall until 8:30am. No facilities in the parking garage for runners eating/drinking. The closest bathrooms were at the start line, 3/4 mile away. Might not seem like a big deal until it's just not #1 you are talking about. There was no survey after the race for improvements in their 2nd year. There was NO WAY to contact anyone at the race afterwards. All requests went unanswered. I booked an appointment thru calendarly and they never showed. An overcharge had to be handled thru my credit card company because their website is only designed to make money, not provide any customer service. I will never run this race again.

Happy to have completed New Jersey. The course worked, but not very scenic. The first loop was very congested with half-marathoners. The second loop was pretty empty and much more enjoyable.

Poorly organized. It was an awful expo in a crowded part of town with tough parking. Awful shirt and course design. Bad signs, not enough marshalls... Nothing left at finish line. Said had 6.5 hour cut yet us slower runners ignored. When had to run by start at halfway point where all the half marathoners were, no one was there to guide us and had to yell excuse me all the way through, then again when went back through there. Aid stations seemed unprepared near end with some out of Gatorade. At end, nothing was there at all. Almost left before luckily spotting someone to give me a medal. My friend had to go pull water crate off a truck since they were closing it down at 6 hours even though plenty still on course.

Nice medal, well organized, VERY ENTHUSIASTIC crowds along the course. Even though the full marathon was listed as a double-loop, the second half was different enough to not be boring. Great view across a cemetery to the Hudson River and the Statue of Liberty. There was enough variety in elevation to use different leg muscles, but no "killer" hills and it was pleasant every mile. A bit surprised at the small expo ... with the size of the race I expected more companies to participate. 50-staters, a good race to get New Jersey checked off!

The course is a double loop that is relatively flat. You start in downtown Jersey City then go out further into industrial/residential areas. You will see the New York skyline and the Statue of Liberty (if you look between the trees). They do have water stations around every 2 miles or so.

Pros: Flat fast course that was a double loop so you knew what to expect. The spectators were spread out on the majority of the course and they were very encouraging.
Cons: It was a little crowded at the start with the half and full runners all together. The course should have went through the park so you could see the Statue of Liberty better. The road in the industrial area was a little rough. Lastly, the light train was not running that morning so you had to find your own way to the starting line.

Overall not a bad event and it was a good one to mark New Jersey off the list.

I live in Jersey. This race is convenient & it provides nice views of the JC waterfront to see the NYC skyline & Status of Liberty. I drove in the morning of with 'arrive by 5am' requested. Pre-paid $28.49 for 3am-3pm parking at the Newport West Garage. The bathrooms were LOCKED in the mall until 8:30am. No facilities in the parking garage for runners eating/drinking. The closest bathrooms were at the start line, 3/4 mile away. There was no survey after the race for improvements in their 2nd year. There was NO WAY to contact anyone at the race afterwards. All requests went unanswered. An overcharge had to be handled thru my credit card company because their website is only designed to make money, not provide any customer service. I will never run this race again.