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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 51 to 61]
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s. s. from alabama
(7/15/2005)
"pretty but tough" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 SEAFAIR Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Good job on the race, but they ran short on sports drink around mile 12 so; just water after that. Lots of hills, but I knew that. It is Seattle, so just enjoy the beauty. | |
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D. C. from Chicago, IL
(7/15/2005)
"Nice race, very hilly and well supported" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was a nice race. The course was more hilly than anticipated and advertised (the elevation map really doesn't show the declines) and the declines were long and steep. There were few spectators but those that were there were cheering for all of us. There was plenty of water at the water stops (4-hour time) but I would have liked something sweet like cookies at the end. Support along the way and at the finish was great. There is Mt. Ranier and other scenery arond Seattle, and great fresh fish to eat. I would recommend this race as a good one, but not a PR race because of the hills. | |
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J. N. from Buffalo Grove, Illinois
(7/14/2005)
"QUADS BURN, BUT A GREAT MARATHON DESTINATION" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 SEAFAIR Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Four of us from the Chicago area ran this race, so the race was only part of the attraction of a 4-day race weekend. We love the smaller, picturesque courses where the scenery and the staff leave an indelible positive memory. Mike and his staff were great. Now for the course.... I have run Big Sur and Mount Desert (Maine), so I know hills! This course had fewer uphills that Big Sur. The course had steeper hills than Mount Desert, but not as many. Anyway you slice it, the challenge of the hills plus the challenge of 26.2 miles give one a greater sense of satisfaction than a flat course. If you want flat, fast, and a fun place to visit, do Chicago with 39,999 of your friends. My minor gripes about this event were the sparse crowds and the lack of specifics about the severity of the incline of the hills. I probably would have trained differently. My delight was with a pretty course and great police and volunteer support. The little dislikes you see in other runner's comments will probably be fixed before the next running. What should not be understated is how AWESOME the area arround Bellevue/Seattle is. Mt. Ranier, Bainbridge Island, Pikes Market, and countless other places we did not have time to get to. Definitely a destination for 50-staters or anyone wishing to have the complete marathon-weekend experience. | |
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R. O. from Sierra Madre, CA
(7/13/2005)
"Great course, well organized, fun race." (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 SEAFAIR Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my third marathon after San Diego and Phoenix Rock & Roll and I enjoyed this marathon far more than those much larger races. The course was not a pancake but I didn't feel there was any portion that would totally kill your race. In fact, I PR'd by fifteen minutes. More importantly the route was diverse and scenic - you ran through downtown Bellevue, along a beautiful lake, on a narrow tree-lined pedestrian path and alongside city parks. This was a cozy race but not lonely; I had people to run with the whole way and didn't have to fight my way to the water stations (which were well-placed and numerous). It was also nice to join the half-marathoners and have lots of company late in the race when the going gets tough. The expo and recovery area were great, and it was nice to just walk to the starting line three minutes before the gun went off (unlike Phoenix where we stood on the starting line for 45 minutes). Overall it was well-organized and the course was great, a true runner's race. | |
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C. M. from Minneapolis, MN
(7/12/2005)
"Great - would do it again in a heartbeat" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I had a wonderful time! I enjoyed the challenge of the hills - all of you that can't take it - stick to Grandma's in Duluth, MN. The hills are a welcomed change and provide good testing grounds for your stamina. Well organized for the first time and a double plus that it was not an out-and-back course. Way to mix it up Bellevue - this one separates the pack. | |
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m. m. from Atlanta, GA
(7/12/2005)
"I loved the challenge!" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 SEAFAIR Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Man oh man were those hills tough! But I feel anyone who can complete this has earned major bragging rights. The course was hard, but very beautiful. The spectators were fantastic too. It's a runners race, not all of the hoopla that other races have. | |
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R. F. from Kirkland, WA
(7/12/2005)
"Tough course - well organized 1st-year event" (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 SEAFAIR Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Not a place to go if you want to PR. However, for a first-year event (1st year for the full) it was an extremely well organized race. I thought the hills were a bit tough at times but not until I've read everyone else's comments do I see that I'm not the only one. PROS - Small but good fitness expo - Easy to reach start/finish area - Great weather - Traffic control was excellent - Nice views throughout of city and lake - Plenty of aid stations CONS - Hills were constant, both up and down. There was an incredibly steep decline past mile 7 as well as a large incline on the pedestrian trail just past mile 13 and then around mile 20-21 a ridiculous climb. - Didn't have one of the Clif Bar stations at mile 10 - Only once did they have the overall time listed (at the halfway point) - The stretch to the finish was uphill - More food variety in finish area would have been great Great race organization for a 1st-time event. | |
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T. S. from Mercer Island, WA
(7/11/2005)
"Well executed challenging race" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 SEAFAIR Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Overall, the organization was superb. My only complaints were: 1. The 25-minute lines for the toilets--they need at least twice as many toilets at the start; 2. If they advertise a Cliff-shot stop at 10 miles and don't provide it, a lot of us run low on energy by mile 18; 3. The steep decline after mile 7 is way too steep for a marathon--on a bike, coasting, I hit over 40 mph; and 4. The AminoVital was mixed up at different concentrations along the course--a consistent recipe would be nice. The police and community support were great, and the weather held up well for those of us running it in less than four hours--rain came after that! The wide roads and blocked traffic were terrific along the whole course. | |
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C. H. from Seattle
(7/11/2005)
"Bad Course Info, Okay First Event" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 SEAFAIR Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This was a pretty well organized marathon for a first year, although they've had the 1/2 for two years previously and have had time to work out the kinks. Good course support, plenty of water, but the replenishers left a lot to be desired. Not a fan-friendly event except near the start & finish. Could have done a better job in the recovery area with food, drink, etc. What wasn't good at all was the course. This was one of the hilliest (downs might have been worse than the ups) and most unpleasant courses I've run. If we had had heat like Saturday late morning, a lot of people would have been in trouble. SeaFair kept playing down the toughness of the route, which was misleading in my opinion. Cannot recommend this event. | |
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R. S. from Bellevue, WA
(7/11/2005)
"Obscene Hills" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 SEAFAIR Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 These hills had no business being in a marathon. The incredibly steep and long decline at Mile 8 punishes your quads and you should see the switchback incline at mile 15 - not to mention the huge hill at mile 21 which is nowhere to be seen on the elevation chart. The race director commented in the newspaper before the race that there was 'nothing like Heartbreak Hill'! There will SEVERAL hills way worse than Heartbreak Hill!! More disturbing is that I heard the organizers were given other course options to flatten it out into nearby Redmond or Kirkland. But for some reason they decided they wanted the entire marathon within the city of Bellevue - at the expense of the runners. I will never will run this course again. |
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