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Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.5 
Organization 4.1 
Spectators 4.1
Number of comments: 417 [displaying comments 141 to 151]
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Demetrio Bolanos from Mexico
(7/4/2007)
"This is a must" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 With this marathon I completed my 21st marathon (this was my first Rock & Roll). I've run Chicago, Boston, Twin Cities, Marines Corps, Austin and so on. This was fun, well organized, beautiful couse, with a nice medal; no complaints execept for the t-shirt - next time give a Dri-Fit. | |
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A. B. from San Diego, CA
(6/25/2007)
"Incorrect finish medal anyone?" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I'll get straight to the point here. I didn't even notice that my marathon medal said '1/2 Marathon' on it until 2 weeks after! I called and they are sending me another one. Still, how ridiculous is that? There is not even a half marathon option. Looks like one of the coordinators working for Elite made a HUGE mistake with the vendor who prints the medals. I wonder how many other people got the wrong medal. I was finished in under 3 hours and received this medal so I am guessing it wasn't due to them "running out of regular medals." | |
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j. l. from san diego, ca
(6/17/2007)
"A treat for this San Diego native and 1st-timer" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The first 21 miles of the course are really beautiful. I didn't really care for the bike path from about miles 21-23... having to crank out the last few miles at that desolate stretch makes it tougher mentally. Despite being very unpopular with a lot of the reviewers on this site, running the 163 (the cambered highway) was my favorite part of the run. Granted it was tough on the joints; I was able to overlook that because it's not very often I get the opporunity to run on the freeway that I drive on everyday to get to work (in the wrong direction even!) Bands were a tad sparse but were great nevertheless. My co-worker and I used the song "Takin' Care of Business" to motivate us to drag ourselves out of the office for our daily run in preparation for this race. It was a nice touch that the band on mile 16 was playing that song ("10 miles to go! Rock n roll show! 10 miles to go! Rock n roll show! Takin care of business..."). Crowd support was great! Neighborhood kids were passing out fruits and cookies at the residential stretch of the course at around mile 15. One complaint - to this day, everytime I see someone wearing a purple t-shirt, I cringe expecting to hear someone yell, "GO TEAM!" Just a minor drawback to a very pleasant experience. | |
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R. S. from Phoenix, Arizona
(6/16/2007)
"Beautiful, Fun Marathon!" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my third marathon; previously I have done Grandma's and Las Vegas this past December. Compared to Vegas, this marathon is heaven! Great organization, I like the corral system, and the spectator support could not be better! All along the way, people kept telling me that I looked great, and this really helped. My twin sister was able to use the trolley system to cheer me on and give me my extra Accelerade gel packs, which was great. I have been training with all Accelerade products for awhile now and love them! The best part of this race is that I took 15 minutes off my Vegas time, for a PR of 3:25. I live in Phoenix and train on completely flat canal trails, I rarely do any hill work. I had read comments from last year about hills, but come on! There were none that I remember. Also, as far as the slanted highway goes, I didn't see that as a problem at all, and I would say that is my favorite part of the race. I would definitely recommend this marathon; you can pretty much guarantee the weather in San Diego in June will be in the 60's and cloudy. | |
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Dave Kiley from San Diego
(6/12/2007)
"What Hills?" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 That gradual climb from mile 7 to 10 is so slight that I don't think it counts as a hill. The Ingraham Bridge at mile 20 got my attention, but it was over before it started... (maybe 300 feet long at most) and to be honest, even running a flat stretch after 20 miles is not fun. The only real canted section (mile 8 to 10) can be avoided by running on either shoulder. All in all, a fun run, with excellent crowd and volunteer support.... I only wish I could stop and enjoy the bands more! | |
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K. H. from Vista, CA
(6/12/2007)
"Still a Great Race, Despite 163 & Accelerade" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 4th marathon in a year, and it is by far the best one I've done. The music is awesome, the spectators are great, they had a great medal, and I didn't think the hills were very bad at all. I do agree that the course would be better without the 163 trek - so many people get injured there because of the slant!! And I agree that Accelerade sucks. However, if you are running a marathon you should know to bring your own drink that is the same as you trained with anyway. Same with gels - YES, you need more than 1 along the course, but everyone uses something different so you should really bring your own. I think having the gel station late in the course is great for people who have run out of their own stuff. And yes, for the money we spend, we should get a technical shirt, not a cotton T. But despite these criticisms, this is still a great race and I'd recommend it to others! | |
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J. L. from San Diego, CA
(6/11/2007)
"Proud to Call SD Home!" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 OK kids... no more whining about cambered freeways or marginal race-course scenery. If you want to run a great big race in a great big city, please be our guest! The specatators will be cheering you on for all 26 miles, and as far as scenery goes, have you ever seen more beautiful athletes than runnners? Hey, the bands are terrific and the organization is exceptional from start to finish. I found the course to be challenging but fair... and if you've done your homework, a PB is in your future. For those of you who attended this year's post-race concert (Seal)... does it get better than that? Be sure to spend a day or two on either side of the event to enjoy everything that you won't see on race day! Catch a Padres game, visit the Wild Animal Park or hit the beachy North County scene. You might take up beach volleyball next! I had a blast! | |
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S. J. from Denver, Colorado
(6/10/2007)
"Entertaining and painful marathon" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have run 4 marathons in various cities, about 10 half-marathons and perhaps 80 other races, so I feel I have a pretty good idea about how to successfully execute a race, even a big one like this. No parking at the start AND no parking at the finish! What incredibly weird and inconvenient logistics for the racers and spectators! How did this idea ever get approved? The extremely steep declines at miles 11 and 17 were quite painful for me and contributed to a thigh injury - I have never had a thigh injury in my life and I am in top physical condition. The heavily cambered (slanted) roads (Highway 163 and Friars Road) were quite painful to run on. There has to be a better way. It is not the uphill and downhill running that kill the runners; it is the steep declines and the slanted roads. A hilly race like the Bolder Boulder can still be quite enjoyable - take that as the ultimate example of excellent planning and logistics and a beautiful course (there are over 40,000 runners in that one). The bands were enjoyable and the water stops were the best I've ever seen. The last 3 miles into the marine base were nice and flat, as were the first several miles. Those were the best parts of the course. It was a little strange to run a marathon in San Diego and never see a beach. I think this course really needs to be re-designed. I won't be running it again. | |
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R. L. from Los Angeles
(6/9/2007)
"I had the time of my life!" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon; wow, I had such a joy-filled day! I'm a power walker... but I read all about marathon etiquette in advance - stayed in my corral, stayed to the right once I was among runners - so I'm fairly sure that I didn't get in the way of any traditional marathoners. MarathonGuide.com - thank you! I had read reviews of this marathon at this site prior to the event, so I had been forewarned about the slants on the freeway, the "hills" and the misleading encouragement of the finish line being "right around the corner." Perhaps because I'd been expecting these things, once I got there, my reaction was, "OH, this is all?" The hills were barely perceptible. The slant was perceptible, but I was lucky enough to be back with the last corral folks and there was room on the shoulder for all of us. A+ on the organization. It was easy to figure out all the bib/chip/bag drop details. They even provided safety pins! A+ on entertainment. I loved the bands - they really made for a fun course. Elite has set up this course so that if you don't make it to mile 13.4 by a certain time, you are rerouted via short-cut over to mile 22 and you finish from there. It ends up being an 18-mile course. This was my path. The 18-mile participants get to cross the same finish line and also receive a medal. I wish that 18-milers, like myself, could have received a different color medal - because I felt a little as if I was misrepresenting myself with the same medal everyone else had. Also, my chip time isn't qualified anywhere as being of the shorter course. If you look me up, it appears as if I ran the whole thing, which is a travesty of somewhat humorous proportions. (I didn't mean to cheat!) I don't expect that Elite would ever set out to fix these issues since walkers are (and should remain - in my opinion) the minority. Mostly, I'm grateful they had the 18-mile reroute for walkers like me who wanted a first marathon experience and needed more than a half. And I'm happy the event is so walker-friendly. Spectators and volunteers were tirelessly cheerful and supportive. Bottom line - I'm utterly thrilled with my first marathon experience. Before I did it, I had no idea what a fun, fulfilling and life-altering event it would be. I'm hooked! I'll be going 26.2 in Portland this fall! My chip time will go from 4:46:16 (last weekend) to 6:35:12 - but it's going to be a PR nonetheless. Yea! And I also hope to do this marathon again, as well. If you're reading this while you're in training for your first marathon - or if you're considering beginning to train - DO IT! No one is too old, and no one is too out of shape to start. Do your web research, and follow the instructions of those who have gone before us. All the pain and tedium of training is worth the joy (BIGGER THAN USUAL JOY) you will feel on race day. I can't wait for the next one! | |
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P. M. from St. Petersburg, FL
(6/8/2007)
"Good race; need a few tweaks" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 First off, I felt like I saw nowhere near as many bands as they advertised. I expected bands about every mile. In 2 places they were on break and that is fine, but many places I thought I would see one there were none. I felt the same about Nashville Country Music Marathon too. The bands that I did hear playing were great. I don't know if a bunch sign up and don't show, or what happens. Bands were obvious in the first 5 miles then seemed to really drop off after that. The course is good - fast for those who are fast, and easy on those that are first-timers or not fast. If you are expecting a pretty run by the beach, you will be disappointed. There are some steady upward climbs, but no really drastic ascents or descents. At the start it is mostly downhill, which is nice. I didn't feel crowded or bumped much at the start probably because of this. But the course is like any other big-city marathon. There are cool parts, and then areas that are pretty boring, running through residential areas, or along industrial parts. I will hand it to the citizens of San Diego - they seem to deal with the road closures the best of any city I have ever seen. Drivers also honked their horns and wave at you as they drive past - that is cool! HWY 163 is weird to run on. Don't know how else to say it. Maybe beacuse you are heading down it in the wrong direction. Can't really get in a groove there because the ground is always changing angles under your feet. I wish we got techincal shirts. Medals are nice. Race organization is outstanding. For as many people as were there, things ran like a well oiled machine. They gave a ton of info before the race. Great maps, info, etc. A ton of porta-potties at the start, and the shuttles that run you to the start line and back to parking area worked great. I am happy I ran this marathon. I would do it again. |
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