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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 161 to 171]
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M. P. from Los Angeles
(6/5/2007)
"Good Organization; Good Music; Fair Course" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Overall a good experience: race was well organized, plenty of water stations, live bands, real cheerleaders, great spectators and nice, overcast weather. Gave out Spenco sandals at the finish, which were wonderful to put on aching feet. Food, water, coffee at the start line. Great bag-drop using UPS trucks. Expo handled crowds well. The negatives were the course itself... which was very "non-scenic" for a beach/coastal city. It was also hard to find "level" ground to run on in much of the race. Odd course uses freeways and ramps much too often. Finish line at Marine depot... large area, very sterile. Although shuttles and trolleys worked well, the start and finish were nowhere near a hotel. Logistics a little challenging. Way too much walking after running 26.2. Wont rush to get back... LA is just as good for Southern Cal if you're a local. | |
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a. y. from granada hills, ca
(6/4/2007)
"Fun race, bad course" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my third marathon, already having run in Los Angeles and Huntington Beach. R'n'R was a fun race, but the course left something to be desired. A good chunk of the race was spent on roads that were uneven, leaving large crowds to fight for sparse, flat ground. Anyone coming into the race with hip, knee, or foot problems probably left hurting. That being said, I actually enjoyed this race and was able to come close to posting a new PR. I would recommend this race to someone looking for an "event" marathon, but from here on out, I might just stick to the smaller, quicker runs. | |
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M. C. from West Sacramento, CA
(6/4/2007)
"Good first marathon" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first full marathon. Prior to running it, I spent a lot of time reading each and every posting here. I went into this race recovering from an injury and I wasn't sure I would even finish. I was terrified of the hills, but found them very manageable. The most miserable part of the course, seems to be what everyone says... the freeway. The slant of the freeway was worse than I was expecting, even keeping off to the side for flatter spots killed my ankles, or, in my case, ankle. Farther down the freeway at a water station, the tarmac had the lines for water drainage, but I found it slick. All in all, this was a fine course. Seemed the farther we were on in miles, the fewer the bands and aid stations; in fact, when I got out to around mile 22, one of the bands was packing up. I was pleasantly surprised with this course and my performance... only I just wish they would get it off the freeway, or at least that terrible off-ramp. Good for a first marathon in my opinion; I have run 7 half-marathons. | |
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D. Z. from San Diego, CA
(6/4/2007)
"Well done big marathon" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I had a great time running the marathon in 2007. The event is well organized from the website, to the expo, to the course. My favorite part was the towels soaked in ice water passed out at the finish, awesome. The only tough part was the crowded finish area. But, it's a huge event so I don't know how to make it less jammed. | |
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B. B. from Long Beach, CA
(6/4/2007)
"Great Organization and Good Course Except..." (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 ...for the tilting pavement. This is my second marathon, and I've completed 8 half marathons. Weather was good, overcast until about 5 hours in, but still cool. ORGANIZATION The organization is very good. Packet pickup was easy and very organized as long as you have printed out your confirmation/release form. (I did so I can't comment on the other way.) Your bib includes two additional perforated pieces (t-shirt pickup and gear drop-off). Your packet includes a heavy duty zip tie so you can use whatever bag you want for your gear - just attach the piece from your bib to the bag and you're all set. Very easy, very clear. No "is that a 9, 6, or a funny European 7?" - no misunderstandings. I hope to see other marathons go to this method, as it really is easier. Big Sur writes it on the goody-bag, but its got to be harder for the volunteers to read that, than a pre-printed and large number. COURSE Overall the course is good. You run through some downtown, some beach, past the Midway aircraft carrier. The finish line weaves around the recruit center and then goes in, you pass through a little tunnel and you're finally at the finish. Thus the finish line is really deceiving and never in sight until the last 150 meters. Once I was in the recruit center I became a little disoriented. The course was well marked but visually it's deceiving because you make a couple turns at the end. POST RACE: Set-up was great: bananas, bars, yogurt, bagels, ice cold water, Accelerade (the course drink I recommend you pass on), and new slippers. The best thing I got was a freezing, ice-cold towel to put on my head and neck. Oh so GOOD! Very organized; unfortunately you can't get back into the race finish area once you leave it, so remember to pick up your bag and as much water as you can carry. This is a large race, with 20,000 or so people. The corral setup was good; you do end up with a lot of people who probably shouldn't be in front of you, but that's normal for most big races I've been to half and full. This is a major Team In Training run, so you get a lot the TNT cheer squads out there and it seems, at least in the slower portion of that pack, that most everyone is purple. Aside from the TNT cheer squads there are a lot of spectators and they're very enthusiastic. A lot of energy for you to pick up from the crowd. There are a lot of bands but they aren't evenly distributed throughout the course. They're great nonetheless and some of the residential portions had people blasting rock music from their houses and cheering you on. Another awesome point was having 10K, half, and 21-mile split times. There were markers for the major 5-kilometer increment points. If you think in metric or break up your running into 10K times, it helps. Looking at my results now, I can see where I did better or worse than before. RECOMMENDATIONS: 1) The tilting pavement for the 3 miles or so you're on the freeway really needs to go; even if I have another hill to run, I'd rather do that than be on a cement freeway at a tilt. 2) Technical t-shirt is needed for this event. I don't know what the LA full is giving out, but most everywhere else is giving out technical t-shirts. It's a great marathon, and the medal is nice and large, so it would be awesome to see a similar quality shirt to go with it. And possibly a better design. 3) Additional signage to the Airpot Authority parking lot. Overall the pre-race experience is awesome. The buses run you to the starting line, but finding the "Airport Authority parking lot" was difficult. Some signage coming off of the main airport exit would have saved me 30 minutes and a lot of stress. At 5:00 a.m., you aren't going to have too many extra people parking there by mistake. Additionally, it would be good to put the address for the lot somewhere on the map, so Google Maps can tell me where it is. Directions are available on the website, but it's buried and they're directions only - no address. All in all, a great race. Yes, "there be hills in that marathon but no mountains." I'll probably run this one again. | |
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L. L. from Orange County, CA
(6/4/2007)
"Poor course, few fans, not spectator-friendly" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The San Diego RNR is my fisrt marathon. I read the reviews on the site and I'll have to admit I thought the comments about the slant in the road were exaggerated. I was wrong. The slant in the road left me with knee and hip pain that I never experienced in my training. Also, the comments regarding the website's poor description of the course were on target. There were definitely more hills than stated. And once you hit mile 14, the spectators dwindled to about nothing. It made the last few miles particularly difficult. My family found the course not to be very spectator friendly. They spoke of trolley horror stories and lots of running to make it to the course. I had planned to run this marathon again next year but unless they change the course I doubt I will. A positive is the great organization of the race; I didn't have to wait too long for the porta-potty, or at the expo. | |
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T. k. from The Great Pacific Northwest
(6/4/2007)
"Rockin' Good Time!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 (I'm sure I'm the first one to use that title... I'm so clever.) Wow, I read down a few comments and immediately thought, "What a bunch of whiners!" People, it is a marathon, not a sightseeing tour. If you want to sightsee, sit on your butt on a trolley with all the other whiners and let the rest of us run the marathon. I ran this yesterday - my first Elite Event, but my 7th marathon. Had a GREAT time! The bands were plentiful and where there wasn't a band, there was a cheer squad. Very few areas were without spectators, music, or cheer squads and in those parts you could EASILY find one or ten other runners to talk to. The course is beautiful in some parts, but I've never run a marathon that has beauty on every mile. It's probably not possible to do that in a city marathon, so quitcherwhining, kids. The freeway wasn't the most scenic spot in the world, and the cantered streets are hard on the joints. But if you're not prepared for some "hard" then you shouldn't be running marathons. The organization was excellent from start to finish. I never once had to wait for water. The corral entries were WELL organized with the Marine Band marching down the street and corrals opening as they passed. The event started right on time with lots and LOTS of hoo-ha, which was fun. The bands were great, and any time we came upon a band on a break they had canned music playing... much appreciated. What I'd like to see a little different: 1. It would be nice to get rid of the cantered streets, but probably not possible. 2. More than one gel station, although I did carry my own. 3. Accelerade is disgusting. PowerAde or Gatorade, please. That's what most people train with. Yes, I know you should know what is being served on the course and train with that, but I train for more than one marathon at a time and go with what's most common. I just brought sports beans and electrolyte caps and skipped the Accelerade. 4. I felt the food at the end could have been more plentiful. The bagels were dry and the 100-calorie packs were nice, but I'm needing more than 100 cals at a time! Not a big deal, though. 5. My parents drove me crazy the entire time. Is there something anyone can do about that? No? Darn. Wow, lots of walking at the end! I know that's beneficial, though, so not a complaint, just an observation. The medal is gorgeous and could serve one well in hand-to-hand combat. Marines were EVERYWHERE! Water stations outdid each other making it fun. Marines on the course were such a touching sight. The concert after was a great touch; wish I could have seen it. Best parts: 1. Elvises 2. One of the best expos I've been to, with great workshops. 3. Plenty of water, which was MUCH needed on a hot day. 4. God bless the mothers of the Boy Scouts of America who handed out homemade cookies! I have never had a better chocolate-chip cookie in my LIFE! 5. High-fiving the little ones... someday those kids we took time to high five on our runs will be out there with us. 6. Wonderful commentary at the end with John Bingham. He makes everyone feel like a winner! Thanks, San Diego! | |
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J. S. from Houston, TX
(6/4/2007)
"Fast course" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I enjoyed my first Rock N Roll Marathon. Yes, there are some banked curves on the freeway section where I chose to run the shoulder. That would be my only complaint but it was only for a few miles and mostly downhill. However, regarding the issue of hills, most of them were run downhill, a few of them fairly steep downhill. The few ascents in the race were not difficult (except for the bridge near Sea World). For those who complain about the mild ascents here, they should try the Country Music Marathon, which has a fair number of ascents, and is more difficult than this one. I've run the one in Nashville the past 2 years, and I just had a new PR here in San Diego. I hope to be back next year. | |
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D. C. from Mountain View, CA
(5/2/2007)
"Great overall experience" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 1st marathon in 9 years, and I really enjoyed it. As with all Elite Racing events, you can expect a well organized race weekend, complete with a great expo. The bands and crowd support are nice, as is the finisher's medal. I agree with several other posters that running on the freeway isn't pleasant. Additionally, there have been complaints about the course being crowded, but I disagree. It shouldn't be an issue if you start out in the appropriate corral (which is based on your predicted finish time). Heat can also be an issue, although we were blessed with ideal running conditions in 2006. Overall it's a great race, although probably not a place to set a PR. | |
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Robert Marino from Riverside, CA
(3/26/2007)
"Rock and Run!" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I think that this race has many more positives than negatives. The course isn't perfect, but if you have run the LA Marathon, you are going to think SD is a dream. The fans are more supportive than at most cities and the finishing medal is the biggest that I've ever been awarded. If you want to run a race with a high number of participants in Southern Califonia, then this is the race for you. By the way, I PR'd at this race! |
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