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SEAFAIR Marathon Runner Comments
Back to SEAFAIR Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.2 
Organization 3.4 
Spectators 3.0
Number of comments: 65 [displaying comments 41 to 51]
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d. s. from FL
(7/17/2006)
"79TH MARATHON ON 7/9/06" (about: 2006)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 SEAFAIR Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I put this race on my marathon schedule in the spring because it fell on my birthday. I had scheduled this race to be my 80th marathon on my birthday, but due to a mishap at another marathon, this was my 79th marathon and it fell on 7/9, which was a strange coincidence. This was my 12th worst marathon time. What this race had in common with other races where I've done worse is a hilly course and warm conditions. This is a rolling course and the weather was warmer than normal for the Seattle area. If you have any energy left after battling the hills, miles 20-25 tend to be downhill. I will not repeat a lot of what was said earlier but I want to comment on the fluid situation. I did not consider myself one of the faster runners at this race. I ran a 4:12 and found myself getting dehydrated and running out of energy once I hit the above-mentioned downhill section. There were plenty of cups at all of the aid stations I passed, and yes I was one of the runners taking 3-4 cups at each station. The cups were very small, so that's why some of us were taking 3-4. Even after taking 3-4 cups at each station, it was still hard to stay hydrated because these cups were so small and it was a warm day. The replacement drink was called "Gluco," something which I used for the first time the night before the race (there was a sample in each race packet). I tried the sample and I was thinking this stuff isn't so bad after all. The sports drink on the course may have been a lttie diluted, but I'm not sure because I don't have a lot of experience using that drink. My only negative thing I have to say about this event is the small cups and the choice of sports replacement drink. I wish race directors would stick with what most runners are used to such as PowerAde and Gatorade. These specialty brands aren't used by most runners and are cost-prohibitive for the average runner (Ultima, Excelerade, and Gu are a few others that fall into this category) I know the Gluco drink was a sponsor and the race director got the stuff free, but most runners don't drink that stuff and most of us aren't going to buy and start using that stuff. A lot of these races cost up to $100 to enter and I'd like to see race directors use replacement fluids that most runners use. Some of these exotic drinks are geared toward the elite athlete. Except for the fluid replacement situation, this is a decent event. Good organization, good course markings, nice shirt, ice cream at the finish, nice view of the Olympic Mountains on one of those hills. Even though I did not run my best at this race, I would do it again because it falls near my birthday. I hope next time the weather will be a little cooler. | |
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S. J. from Dallas, TX
(7/15/2006)
"Challenging Course - Beautiful City" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 SEAFAIR Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Course - Coming from the flat-lands, this was my first hilly marathon. The Flying Pig has some hills, but not like this. The first five miles are uphill and the quick descent through mile 8 or so really put a strain on the legs. However, it's the most scenic part of the course, so keep it slow and enjoy it. You'll need the extra energy later. The next few miles weren't as challenging, but having to dodge the half-marathon walkers was a pain. While my aching flat-land legs made the hill at 13 difficult, the real challenges are the hills at 16 and 20. The worst part of the whole course, though, was the last 1.5 miles. You're running with the north-bound backed-up traffic sucking down carbon monoxide. My suggestions 1) Leave in the hills - they're a good challenge for us flat-landers in July! 2) Re-route the half-walkers on a parallel street 3) Re-route the traffic off Bellevue Way. Organization - Picked up my packet early Friday to beat the Saturday rush. Glad I did. I had to go from one room at one end of the expo to sign in and to another room at the other end to get my goodie bag. Was glad to see lots of volunteers on the course at interchanges. We'd all be roadkill if it weren't for them. Compared to the course maps it seems some of the H20 stops were misplaced. I don't know how many people are used to Gluekos but it tasted like Alka-Seltzer. Finish line goodies were ok; could have used some more bagels though. My Suggestions - 1) Put both the bib pickup and goodie bag pick up in the same room so it's not so difficult. 2) Make sure the water stops on the course coincide with the maps; it's essential to planning a course strategy. 3) While Gleukos might be great for rehydration, go with what people are familiar with - Gatorade or PowerAde. 4) Have some more bagels at the finish. Spectators - Not many. This isn't a big marathon and I didn't expect to see big crowds. There was however one enthusiatic dude I saw at least 5 times on the course cheering everyone on! Thanks guy! The only disappointment was the finish line. Almost no reaction from the spectators as the finishers came in. Maybe some prodding from the PA announcer might help. Overall - There are not many marathons in July and this is a georgeous part of the country this time of year. If you like a challenge and don't mind the small crowds (I actually prefer them), you'll enjoy this run. I did and I'd run it again. | |
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D. M. from Fort Collins, CO
(7/11/2006)
"Highs and Lows" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 SEAFAIR Marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Highs: + Strong, friendly support, including many friendly professional ski patrollers. + Quality Adidas technical shirt. + Good quality/interesting medal. + The tops of the seemingly continuous rolling hills. Lows: - The bottoms of the seemingly continuous rolling hills (was there a single flat spot on the course?). - Nothing to drink at two consecutive aid stations (perhaps the faster runners used 3-4 cups each?) unless you were willing to fish a used cup out of the trash can or have them pour some directly in your mouth from a 2.5-gallon container. - Only one Gu shot early in the race... missed later as promised. - Strange course.... I think they were running us around in circles trying to disorient us.... Just endless neighborhoods without lake scenery. - Minimal/low fan support. | |
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S. R. from Mercer Island, WA
(7/10/2006)
"Better Than the Seattle Marathon" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 SEAFAIR Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran the [Bellevue] Virginia Mason marathon each of the last two years. I found the 2006 course less difficult and somewhat less scenic. Overall the coordination and race support were outstanding! This is very good early summer marathon! | |
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S. B. from Redmond, WA
(7/10/2006)
"An exercise in masochism" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 SEAFAIR Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 Pros: - Great organization: packet pick-up, expo, race day. - Very friendly and nice volunteers. - Awesome finisher T-shirt (finally a race shirt that you can wear). - Neat medal. - A July marathon (the weather this year was inhospitable - 66-70+ (F) at finish, and sunny - but that was warmer than normal. It's one of the few places in the US that you'll actually be able to run a summer marathon in decent conditions, so it fills a much-needed void. - Decent post-race refreshments. I have seen much worse. - A mens-only standing porta-potties at the start. No lines there. Cons: My comparison is based on the six marathons (MCM, Philadelphia, Boston, VCM, Steamtown, Richmond) and one 60K (Knickerbocker) that I have run. - Course: Brutal. Easily the most difficult I have ever run (including the Boston Marathon hills or Knickerbocker - Central Park hills). Analyzing the elevation data I picked up during the run explains why. There is a total ascent of 1900-odd feet, and descent of 2000-odd feet. The Boston Marathon has a total climb of 900-odd feet and a descent of 1400 feet. The Boston and Central Park hills are relatively more comfortable to deal with. Some highlights here: You start off with a 500-odd feet of ascent over the first 5 miles. In mile 7 you see a steep descent of 233 feet, 100 feet of ascent in mile 9, a 150-foot ascent in mile 13, a 126-foot decline from mile 14.5-15, a 112-foot incline from mile 16.5-16.8, a 100-foot incline in mile 19, a 155-foot decline in mile 21, a 156-foot incline from mile 21-21.4, and a 225-foot decline from mile 21.4-22. Then there are small climbs all the way through to the end where even a bump has an impact, especially considering the earlier course topography. If you run this you definitely need to do significant hill work else you will be exposed. - Course Scenery: Eastern Washington is a very beautiful part of the country. Unfortunately, this course shows off none off it. The closest you come to seeing something scenic is on the Bridle Trails. Apart from that you're passing by stores, highways and other uninspiring stuff. - Crowd support: Non-existant. You're on your own if you are looking for support from the locals. You have to go to towns like Scranton, PA or Burlington, VT to see the kind of support the runners get there. There the locals seem to come alive for their race on marathon day. - You have to pay for the post race massage. - Water stops: Didn't appear to be evenly distributed. They seemed to be more concentrated in the sections where the half marathoners share the course with the runners. On a day like today there were parts where I pined for fluids. I wasn't too thrilled with the Gleukos sports drink either but that might have been psychological. | |
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L. M. from Sammamish, WA
(7/10/2006)
"Great race - well worth the effort" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 SEAFAIR Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Bad news: Relatively hilly route. Good news: The "bigger" hills were fairly well spaced. - Porta-potties were sufficient. - Aid stations seemed appropriately spaced apart; however a couple of them had run out of cups and were giving runners water via their hands. Didn't find any oranges at any of them which was a bummer. - Course attendants were for the most part not enthusiastic at all. Most barely said a word as we trudged on by - Finish line food was ok. Popsicles were a HUGE hit as well as the fresh watermelon and Jamba Juice smoothies. This was my 2nd marathon and I broke my PR by approximately 12 minutes. Since I live in the area I'll most likely be running this one again next year. | |
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A. H. from Woodinville, WA
(11/29/2005)
"New course for 2006" (General Comments)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 SEAFAIR Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 For those of you considering this race for 2006, they have changed the course. The steep decline at mile 7.5, the run along the lake and the mile climb out of the lake at mile 14.5 have been removed. Instead there is a less steep climb starting just before mile 3 that lasted for about 1.5 miles. Personally I wish they would have left the course alone as I wanted to give it another shot. But this new course should still be a challenging course; it has still got its share of ups and downs. | |
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c. h. from Portland, OR
(8/29/2005)
"Loved the hills, but what about ICE CREAM!" (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 SEAFAIR Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my third marathon and I thought it was extremely well organized. I ran Tucson last year and thought it was really lousy -- organization and course. I would not, however, recommend eating at PF Chang's the night before. I puked my entire carbo load due to food poisoning. Ick! The Red Bull stop saved my life!! I'm always disappointed when there isn't any ice cream at the end. Contrary to most runners commenting on this marathon, I liked the hills. A consistent course (up, down, or flat) wears out your muscles faster than a course with hills. Yes, there were 2-3 significant climbs, but they were short. | |
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K. C. from USA
(7/20/2005)
"Not a flat and fast course as advertised" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Great organization!! Great support from everyone. They thought about every little details, especially for a first marathon. Easy access to the starting line from the host or downtown hotels. Nice post-race party. This is not as flat as they advertised. The elevation chart does not give you any idea how rolling this course is. This was a difficult course for me. Hard to get into a groove since you are constantly going up or down. One very steep downhill at 8.5 miles. Too steep to run down!! Course is picturesque in some areas. Not great, but better than most. Finally, it is for a good cause: Lung cancer research. Run this one if you are not looking for a fast time. | |
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C. H. from Eastern Washington
(7/16/2005)
"pleasant, although not perfect, first marathon" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 SEAFAIR Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 After reading everyone's comments - I have to add my 2 cents. I thought it was a great marathon. It was my first marathon, so I don't have a lot to compare it to. There were a lot more hills than the elevation chart or online pictures indicated. I grew up in Florida (very flat) and train in Eastern Washington (mostly flat); even so, I didn't think the hills were overbearing. I would like to see the uphill finish altered, but the course itself wouldn't scare me away from running the marathon again. And although I couldn't set a PR because this was my first marathon, I still finished 15 minutes faster than my goal. I thought race itself was great. A good number of runners, but the wide roads throughout didn't make the race feel congested past mile 1. All the volunteer staff was very friendly and the somewhat sparse spectators (probably because it was impossible to drive anywhere near the race) were rooting for everyone. Great race atmosphere and perfect weather. Hats off to the police, they did an excellent job of controlling the traffic. The only two complaints I have with the race were the absence of the gels (as advertised) at mile 10, and the fact that they messed up the results. I completed the marathon, returned their timing chip, have the finisher's medal, and enough video footage to bore my own mother and yet I am listed as incomplete in the results. Very disappointing, especially for a first-timer. I thought the race organization was great, except for this one point I am hoping will be resolved. |
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