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☰
Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon) Runner Comments
Back to Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon) Information & Reviews
Course 3.9 
Organization 3.5 
Spectators 3.4
Number of comments: 286 [displaying comments 31 to 41]
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M. L. from Indiana
(3/19/2013)
"Not enough race personnel and volunteers" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 PROS: Parts of the course were very scenic, running down Constitution ave. past the Washington monument and the Ellipse, the bridge to Arlington with the national cemetery in the distance, going by the Supreme court and Capitol building. Past mile 13 the course was virtually deserted and eerily quiet, you would think that no one in the city knew there was a marathon going on, just a few startled tourists saying 'let's go runners' on the mall. For runners who like lots of crowd support this would be a con, but I found the Potomac and Anacostia river path sections pleasantly peaceful, with no car traffic around. The band playing 'Eye of the Tiger' at mile 9 was awesome. I swear the band at mile 20 was singing a song with lyrics about dying, but then again I could have been imagining it... Amazingly the finish line area still had lots of food and supplies when I finished the full marathon at 11:15 am, despite the 25,000 1/2 marathon finishers who got there before me. The split full/half chute at the finish definitely helped. CONS: There was an unusual amount of waiting in lines associated with this race. Long lines for security check and packet pickup at expo, gear check, metro, etc. Hard to decide what was worse - miles 23-25 of the marathon, or the standing for nearly an hour in the gear check line and at the metro entrance after finishing. I'm just glad it wasn't raining... Not enough volunteers & race personnel (probably not surprising - I find the idea of having volunteers working at a for-profit race unsettling). The aid stations were seriously understaffed for a race of this size. They changed the layout of the finish area from the map in the race packet, and there were virtually no race personnel around to give directions. My family got lost and took forever to find me. Inconvenient expo and finish line location (DC Armory). Although right next to a metro stop, it was very far from downtown and not in a safe area of D.C. Huge crowds at the start, I missed my corral wave start while waiting in the gear check line, as did several thousand other runners. It took me until mile 7 to actually start running my target pace, after trying to make way through elbow-to-elbow 1/2 marathoners. The elevation chart didn't prepare me at all for the rolling hills from miles 23-25 or the steep gradient at mile 6. An expanded vertical axis and a color coded gradient chart would have been helpful. The numerous tunnels did a number on my GPS watch distance readings. Better to invest in a foot pod sensor if you want to run this race using GPS pacing. I don't quite understand why they didn't have gatorade at every aid station, were they trying to save money? Fortunately I was using a gels+water strategy and it wasn't a hot day. | |
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J. H. from Bethesda, MD
(3/18/2013)
"Pathetic" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 The Expo closed at 7:00 on both Thursday and Friday leaving most locals to scramble to get to the armory in time, after work. I waited in line at bag check for about 20 to 30 minutes in the cold after the race. The water stops and crowd support were TERRIBLE! There were about 5 to 10 workers at each water stop as thousands of runners easily overwhelmed them. The post-race layout was poorly configured. The reunion area was directly across from a large music stage causing cell phone conversation in the reunion area to be extremely difficult. I live in DC and I will not waste my money on this race in the future. | |
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J. M. from Washington, DC
(3/18/2013)
"Deceptive and Disappointing. Pure money-grab." (about: 2013)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 Being a marathoner, a big fan of live music, and a DC native, I was elated to learn that RNR had taken over the National Marathon and would be bringing their unique approach to a race just miles from my front door. I'd heard mixed reviews about how RNR events tend to cater to the 'casual crowd,' but I'm not an elite runner, so I figured this would make for a fun event nonetheless. Regrettably, that's where the enthusiasm for this race ended. PROS: Great expo. Tons of vendors (because vendors = $$$) 'Rock' music (promised) at key spots along the course. Iconic scenery (from a distance, at least) CONS: - A point-to-point race meant no parking at the finish line unless you were willing to register in advance for the extremely limited VIP parking ($20). And even then, you still had to catch Metro to the starting line. The other option was (paid) parking at the start, and catching a Metro back from the finish line after the race. With 30,000 runners this is a major concern. - EXTREMELY limited parking, due to the race being scheduled for the same weekend as DC's annual ShamrockFest (with the Marathon finish located in the exact same parking lot as the drunken carnival). - Inadequate number of restrooms before the race. I arrived early (5:45 for a 7:30 start) and hopped in line for port-a-john row at 6:30. FORTY SIX MINUTES later (7:16) and I reached the front of the line.* (full disclosure: I'm a guy, and only had to pee. But the race is in the heart of DC, so sneaking behind a bush isn't exactly the classiest - or most legal - of moves). *Here's another slick upcharge: race organizers set up a series of 'VIP' port-a-potties before the start of the race complete with A/C and running water for runners who wanted to 'potty like a rock star' (their words, not mine) - provided you'd spent $100 or more at the Expo the day prior. A hundred bucks to pee? No thanks. - Due to the point-to-point nature of the race, baggage check meant loading gear into school busses. Busses were parked in one long row, so lines were VERY long, to the point where several thousand runners were still checking bags and sprinting for the starting line 20 minutes AFTER the first corrals had begun the race. - Water stations were infrequent: roughly one every 2 to 2.5 miles. Gatorade was even less frequent - offered only at every other station (approx. every 4 miles). - Water stations were a disaster. At some stations, runners were actually grabbing our own empty cups from plastic sleeves (!!!) and lining up while volunteers filled drinks to the top. At other stations, volunteers were scooping water out of oversized jugs and filling the cups WITH THEIR BARE HANDS. While I appreciate the volunteers' efforts, gulping down hydration that tastes like watered-down cigarette smoke is just disgusting. - The course features lots of dogleg loops with no timing pads at the far end of each circle. As the race wore on, course organizers actually closed off portions of these loops and directed runners along the shortened course instead. I'm a solid middle-of-the-pack runner and managed to complete the full 26.2, but a number of runners behind me were not afforded the same opportunity. I can only speak for myself, but if I paid for a full marathon race and I was on pace to complete a full marathon in the required time, it's got to feel incredibly demoralizing to be redirected onto a modified course that is not even a full 26.2. - Bands along the course were obviously booked on a 'first come, first served' basis with no real thought given to genre or talent. High schoolers with a keyboard? A Capella choirs? A woodwind ensemble playing the Canadian National Anthem? Look - I'm not expecting Van Halen. But I was promised 'Rock and Roll' - so a smattering of good old fashioned bar bands don't seem like too much to ask. BOTTOM LINE: This is not a 'runner's race' for people interested in casual marathoning or general fitness. It's a 'corporate race' commandeered by a national promotion that is solely interested in maximizing profit. What a shame, because I absolutely wanted to love this event. Unfortunately, all I got was a poorly organized money-grab and a study in wasted potential. This will be my last 'Rock n' Roll' event. | |
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M. W. from NoVa
(3/18/2013)
"Fundamentally flawed race" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 This race is run by a for-profit company, so they're not really motivated by service, just maximizing profit. Examples: -Charging for runner tracking (WTF?) -Huge parking fees -The worst would be not disclosing actual cutoff times. They diverted runners around the mile 22 marker onto the mile 23 mark. So many racers who were on-pace to hit the overall cutoff time (5:30) were not aware there was a cutoff at that mile marker. DISCLOSE ALL CUTOFF POINTS. This is crazy. | |
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C. C. from Brooklyn
(3/17/2013)
"Rock 'n' Roll? More like Lullaby Marathon" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 30,000 runners this year... 26,500 of which were half marathoners and everything about this race seemed geared to that distance. The 1st half of the course is scenic and high energy. Great bands, nice surroundings, energetic crowd but after the half marathons split off to finish the marathoners are left in desolation. The course leads to neighborhoods and areas that are impossible for spectators to get to. The water stations become under staffed and the bands seemed like they were in a practice studio rather than a outdoor performance. Not to mention that there were two barely audible acapella groups. If I were rating the half marathon it would have been much higher. Unfortunately, the race became very unorganized after it was over. Many people, myself included, had to wait in lines for over an hour in gear pick-up. The race has potential but needs to make some major improvements, I can't say i recommend it. | |
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A. D. from Pound Ridge, NY
(3/17/2013)
"Super Early Spring Race" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I really enjoyed this race. It is a very well run event, (almost) comparable to some of the better know big-city races. The course is very good, as runners pass by most of the DC landmarks (although there are stretches in the second half of the course that are in largely industrial zones, and a little spartan). Overall, I would highly recommend this race. The course is forgiving, the organization is very good, and what's not to like about spending a weekend in DC? | |
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Disapointed Runner from Washington, DC
(3/17/2013)
"Poorly Organized Event" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)s
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 Pros: -fan support was decent -nice tour of DC -medal was nice/shirt was niche Con: -Course had a totally unneccessary hill at mile 6. -getting my bag took over an hour and a half at the finish -too many people at the post race party (couldn't move or get the one beer they promised) | |
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S. C. from New York
(3/17/2013)
"Quite Disappointed" (about: 2013)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 This was my 5th marathon. Running Buffalo, Santa Barbara, Pittsburgh, and Miami I've experienced various terrains and climates. The R N R DC Marathon was by far the least pleasurable. The Pros: A beautiful starting point and seeing the White House and Monuments as the sun begins to rise. CONS: Too crowded, sparse crowd support sfter the half split, far too few volunteers, chaos at water stations and a pretty ugly course in what is a beautiful city. Biggest complaint: Hundreds did NOT run full marathon but think they did. At mile 21.5, a portion of course was closed off way too early to 'speed things up'. I am about a 4:45 guy and while I made the cut off, I saw folks jump right to mile 23 from 21.5. Inexcusable! So, my time for 26.2 is compared with others than only ran 24.7 This is a diservice to all. Also, for a R N R Marathon, one would think there would be actual MUSIC at various points. Most stands were empty or bad karaoke at best. Way too expensive and an ugly course. And while I did not use the bag check I heard from everyone that it was a complete cluster... I will not be back. | |
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B. H. from Maryland
(3/17/2013)
"potential for great race : poor organization" (about: 2013)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 This race was fabulous but mired by not enough race staff / volunteers. - water stops were DIY (pour your own water from a faucet) - we more time spent in bag check lines than running on the course. - three clocks were not functioning on the course - I counted seven bands on the half marathon course If I had brought my own water and *not* checked a bag, it might have been a favorite race for the great scenery and spirit of a large race. However, I'd expect conveniences to be a cinch for such a large company. I'm also irked by the small needless fees: if someone else picks up your packet, for example. We took the 'corral' system seriously, but found that few in our corral did. The corrals were more determined by when people got out of the potty lines rather than paces. | |
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D. L. from Washington, DC
(3/17/2013)
"Terribly organized race" (about: 2013)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)s
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I ran the National Marathon its last year, missed the RnR last year but ran the half this year, in part to compare it to the old race. This was my first and I can say last Rock N Roll event. It was absolutely the worst organized race in which I've participated. There were too few volunteers and seemingly no professionals working it. There were NO signs for the aid stations, no warning signs so I could time my GU, and no signs at the stations themselves, suddenly you were just running by them. Half of the aid stations were out of water and some had no volunteers so we had to pour our own. Then there was the bag check. I waited 40 minutes to get my bag and I was lucky. Some people waited 1.5 hours. If it had been raining and cold as predicted we would have seen lots of hypothermia, its a safety issue at that point. Finally, there was no one directing people out of the gathering area so it was very difficult to find a way back to the parking lot. I hated this race. |
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