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Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.8 
Organization 4.0 
Spectators 3.9
Number of comments: 401 [displaying comments 111 to 121]
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N. B. from Stillwater, MN
(2/3/2009)
"Flat and Fast, but Boring!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 If you are looking for a flat and fast marathon with decent organization and don't care about fan support, then this is the race for you. However, a few caveats. First, I found the fan support to be woeful. Other races of similar size that I have run had many, many more fans out on the course. Even tiny Fargo, ND has similar fan support compared to this race. Second, don't count on the bands and cheerleaders to fill in for the fans. Certainly, the 1% of the course that they cover is less desolate because of them, but it's not enough. The start line is well designed, but very spread out. I loved the corral system! It keeps everyone honest with where they should start. The finish was a mess with all the half marathoners mixing with the marathoners. The UPS trucks were too far from the finish line, and there didn't seem to be any organization outside of the secured areas. The best tip I can give for those of you coming from out of town is to stay at a hotel that offers a shuttle to the start and one back from the finish. It was so nice to not have to take the marathon-provided shuttle service. | |
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P. A. from Wisconsin
(1/27/2009)
"Flat, fast and warm" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The course is truly flat and fast. Two of my four best times were run on this course. However, it is a visually boring course that is helped only a bit by the music and crowds. The expo is very nice, registration was easy (with no lines), and the pre-race setting did not feel overcrowded. Corrals worked well. Very nice medal. T-shirt should be a technical fabric instead of cotton. My biggest complaint is the energy drink. Very few people have access to or train with Cytomax. If you want universal appeal in an energy drink, serve Gatorade. Everyone drinks it and all of the truly great marathons (Boston and NY) use it. | |
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S. W. from Gilbert, AZ
(1/26/2009)
"Lots of Gravy" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I can tell from reading a lot of the comments there is some blending of reactions to the half course and the full marathon course. To the unaware, these are two separate, non-overlapping courses. While I live in the Phoenix area, this race conflicts with another race that I also enjoy. This year, however, I elected to stay home and see how things have changed since the first R'n'R AZ. I can tell you that the expo was first-rate, and the race-day transportation was excellent. I elected to do the full, and yes, it's a nice, flat run. Maybe I'm being a homer, but I didn't find it boring, as some have stated in the past. The views of Camelback Mountain never bore me. If you went thirsty in this event, it was your fault, as I honestly don't know how you could have more adequate water stations. For me to speak to the bands would not be fair, as I'm one of those who really zone out. They were there and playing along with a lot of cheer groups. On behalf of us "zone outs," thank you to the bands and cheer groups, and thanks to the hundreds of volunteers who make this happen for us runners. Very nice finisher's medal, but like others have stated, it's time to lose the cotton t-shirt and provide a tech shirt. My final thought is about this race and most of the larger events in general available to us as runners to participate in. It seems to this desert boy that we expect the clouds to part, the sun to shine, the temperature to be just perfect, no lines at porta-pots, a full buffet at the finish, and, of course, somebody to always hold our hand and point us in the right direction. What I'm trying to say is I would love to have a pretty brunette pull me on skates for 26.2 miles while George Straight and/or Bon Jovi follow right behind playing all my favorites. Some of us need to suck it up and see the marathon for what it really is instead of what we want it to be. It's you and me against 26.2 miles, however they come. I agree we pay good money to attend and therefore we have the right to complain. A lot of us - myself included - are spoiled by what is out there these days. A lot of these races are truly awesome events, but I think we are rapidly missing the big picture. To me, it's the marathon first, and the rest is gravy and Bio-Freeze. And like many of you, I too love the gravy and Bio-Freeze. Remember, unlike Pheidippides, most of us happily sign up to do these events and live to do more than one. What's wrong with us??? | |
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B. M. from Nor Cal
(1/25/2009)
"Good Race; Great Weather" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 My 3rd Rock 'N' Roll Event. They're always really well organized. The course is rather boring, and leaving the ASU grounds was impossible with all of the road closures. The bands seemed a little sparse, and some were taking breaks when I ran by. The Country Music and San Jose events I thought were better. Still, Elite Racing has organizing these events down to a science, and I plan to do more of theirs, such as Seattle in June. | |
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J. V. from nEW YORK
(1/25/2009)
"Great Winter Destination Marathon" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 MY 33RD marathon... but first full Rock n' Roll. Pluses: Terrific organization from start to finish. Great idea to have the 1/2 on a different course, and a different finish. Spirited, fun expo, with lots of giveaways. Terrific medal. Lots of water and Cytomax on the course, and wonderful volunteers. Spirited cheerleaders and great music. Fantastic race merchandise, even though it was pricey. The people in Arizona are so friendly (must be the good karma from the sun), and of course, everyone was upbeat about The Cardinals. Suggestions: Flat but boring course with a lot of highway running past nothing very interesting. If you drive to the finish and take the bus to the start (which you should - it is very efficient), bring a pen to write down landmarks. There are no markers at ASU stadium. You park in the dark and will not find your car. The T-shirt graphic was nice, but for the money, please give us a technical shirt. More porta-potties at the start. | |
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V. J. from N.Lawrence,OH,USA
(1/24/2009)
"loved it!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first R&R Marathon. I thought it was great! Beautiful course, perfect weather - a great break from cold and snow and a relief just to get to run wearing shorts! My only negative comments: The water stops were hard to get through. I have run a lot of races where they were staggered on the right and left sides of the road. This way, if the runner is not getting a drink, he or she can run to the side, away from the fluid station. It was crazy and kind of dangerous through the water stops. You had no choice but to try and make your way up the middle of a lot of people. Many were stopping to walk and drink. The t-shirt was nice, but a tech shirt is better than cotton. Also, I think the number of 1/2 marathoners needs to be capped - too many! Overall, I think this is a great race! The volunteers were all top-notch, and spectators were many in number and enthusiastic. The expo was a lot of fun, too. Nice medal - I love the saguaro! I hope to get to run this one again someday! | |
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L. F. from Northern California
(1/23/2009)
"Very Well Run" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have run many large marathons - NY, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco - and I think this marathon was among the most well run. There were plenty of buses to take runners from the finish line to the start. There was a lot of food and drink around the start line. I found the miles to be accurately measured, per my Garmin. The course is flat and fast and the streets wide and uncrowded, which is not the case at any of the other large marathons I have run. I PR'd and would recommend the marathon to anyone! | |
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K. P. from Tucson
(1/22/2009)
"Expo/Clinic/Spectators, Great! Race itself, ok." (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I ran the 1/2 marathon and found the spectators plentiful and enthusiastic. The bands and cheerleaders are a nice touch. The expo - and especially the clinic - is fantastic! Hearing stories and tips from Shorter, Scott, Bingham, Yasso, Loken, and Dr. Lewis Maharam is a real treat. The course itself is a boring route. There is logically a wave start, given the need to accommodate 30,000 runners; however, my major complaint is the number of walkers who didn't start at the back where they belonged. It made for a dangerous first few miles with them walking 2 or 3 abreast in the middle of a very crowded course. The course is very flat until the 10 mile-mark where there are some hills. Plentiful aid stations. The finish should be altered. You feel like your coming in the back door even though cheering fans line the course 2-3 deep. A finish running down Mill Avenue, turning onto University Avenue would be ideal. The finish area was very crowded, with runners mixing with spectators, and I just wanted to grab some refreshments and walk off my aches. Overall, ok, but I will seek out other races. | |
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M. W. from Boston, MA
(1/22/2009)
"Well Organized Fun Run - Even a PR!" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 My first Rock 'n' Roll run, and what a blast. Phoenix is an awesome city - with the country's best weather in the month of January! So well organized - great expo, easy gear drop at UPS trucks, clearly marked corrals, pace groups, tons of porta-potties and even an on-time start with no silly speeches. Bands and cheerleaders along the way made it interesting - though they got a bit sparse it seemed after Mile 22. The course starts out nice and flat, through Phoenix and up to Scottsdale, but then it gets a bit boring and even plain ugly (and shade-less) in the second half. It's a dry heat, but there's plenty of Cytomax and water stops, but there seemed to be a few missing in the last 6 miles. Medal is awesome and the after-run food is great - including the best Popsicle I think I've ever had. My only, only complaint was the shirt - it really should be a technical shirt for a marathon that costs this much. Otherwise, I highly recommend this run! | |
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D. J. from Texas
(1/21/2009)
"One of my favorites" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Highly recommended. Definitely a PR course (I did: 3:13). Flat (as a pancake) and all well paved. Good pace teams. Good corral starts. The website posted "average start temperature of 40 degrees." It was about 50 when we started. But it is true; the dry heat (low humidity) makes a big difference. The sun intensity can get you though. All the water stations were well stocked. I wouldn't hesitate to go back. |
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