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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 181 to 191]
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R. H. from Dayton, Ohio
(7/17/2006)
"Highly recommended!" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Elite Racing knows how to put on a marathon, and others could learn a lot from them! Their San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon was great, just like their Phoenix counterpart which I ran five months earlier. In both cases, efficient organization and crowd control made parking and transportation to the start line much less of a hassle than it is at many large marathons. The run itself was greatly enhanced with lots of live music, enthusiastic spectators and loads of helpful volunteers Most important, this is a flat, fast course with plenty of width all along the way to accommodate the crush of thousands of runners. The excellent course and near-ideal weather conditions allowed me to run a personal best. Those complaining about "hills" and "slanted" roads should take up cycling. The expo was huge with just about every type of vendor that a marathoner could hope to find. Final note: Nobody puts out better finishers medals or shirts and accessories to commemorate your accomplishment. | |
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M. R. from Philadelphia, PA
(7/14/2006)
"More hills than I was expecting, GREAT crowds" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race was a great experience. The crowds and support were worth the trip. The expo was the best I've been to and got me excited for the race. The course was not what I was expecting. The first leg (downtown) was beautiful and the marine layer made the perfect running weather. I prepared for the big climbs and felt good on the big hills, but the slow, steady hills got me in the end! The second half was full of freeway ramps and long mild climbs. I felt like the entire second half was uphill! The middle of the course was boring but the crowds never let up. The weather got hot and sunny as the marine layer burned off, but the crowds carried me to the finish. The finish line was well-organized and well-stocked. Got plenty of food and drinks. The best part... we were handed a towel soaked in ice water as we crossed the finish line. It felt SO GOOD to wipe the salt and gel off before I could get a shower at the hotel. Overall a well-organized race with great support, but be prepared (mentally and physically) for the monotony of the freeway and ramps in middle of the course. | |
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C. W. from Boston, MA
(7/12/2006)
"A great first marathon experience" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and I had a wonderful experience! I had run previous halfs, 10 milers and shorter races - and this was the best organized and also biggest race I'd ever been a part of. As with the other posters, the part of the race on the highway is hard. However, I didn't find the slant of the highway to be difficult (I ran on the shoulder); it was the lack of fan support out there that was hard. I had a real tough time between miles 22 and 23 - the out-and-back portion of the race. By then I was pretty tired and on the distance out I kept thinking, "I can't believe I have to go all the way back!" I hope this portion of the course will be changed for the future. My husband and I drove in (Southbound on I-5) in the morning as well. Fortunately, we couldn't follow the directions and "missed" the long, long line of traffic at the exit. We got off at the next exit and were in the parking lot within 5 minutes. A lucky break on our part!! I headed off to the start line and my husband took the trolley into town. A major downside was the trolley actually. My husband reported that they were VERY crowded, didn't run frequently at all and the transit staff was overwhelmed and both unfriendly and unhelpful. He was told the trollies were running on a Sunday schedule, which apparently means 1 train every 20-30 minutes. You'd think the city of San Diego would have recognized what a big event this was and run the trains more frequently. Fortunately, my husband was still able to catch me at mile 7, mile 13 and at the finish despite the transportation difficulties. Overall, I had a great time and loved seeing San Diego. I have other marathons I want to run, but would definitely return to run RNR San Diego again! | |
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K. S. from Chicago, IL
(6/29/2006)
"Fun Marathon, but on Interstate with Hills" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The city of San Diego is beautiful, so I would think that they could put less of the course on the interstate. The hills were also a bit more than expected. That said, it was a great marathon, very well organized except for transportation from the finish to the city. | |
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A. C. from Rancho Palos Verdes, California
(6/28/2006)
"Great for First-Timers" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and I only started running in Jan '06. As I started increasing my long runs over the spring, I decided to give the 26.2 a try. I wanted a course with lots of support and well organized. I wanted a flat course with temperate weather. And I wanted a fun race. The RnR Marathon San Diego accomplished most of that. I appreciated the spectators, the Team in Training coaches yelling out support, the volunteers at the water stations/medical tent, the bands, the cheerleaders, and all the runners. A few negatives: getting to the airport parking off the congested freeway offramp, running up an incline with a severe camber on the freeway, and a relative lack of support/spectators the last third of the race. But the pluses outweigh the minuses. The expo was great. I was impressed with all the exhibits. Bay to Breakers (SF 12K) is probably the most fun race I have run, but RnR San Diego is a close 2nd. | |
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Cris Snooks from Overland Park, KS
(6/27/2006)
"Good destination race" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was the second time I had run this race and I took off 13 minutes from my 2004 time and hit an overall PR by over 7 minutes. The weather this year was a big help; lower 60's and foggy to overcast for 90% of the race. More crowds and less music please. Don't get me wrong, most of the time the music was ok, but nothing energizes me more than an 'atta boy' from the crowd. Besides, having to run close to a huge speaker stack playing at full volume at mile 23 is not nice-I now know why they hand out the Tylenol 8 hour. The start of the race was ideal. The corrals worked well and we were up to race pace within a half a mile and did not have to dodge the throngs of walkers that you would expect to be present. Nice goodies at the finish (the sandals were great), but a long trek to the runner reunion area. I would definitely recommend this race, and would run it again. Hints and Helps: 1)SD downtown chamber of commerce please don't get mad. As an out-of-towner I was looking for a better alternative to a hotel downtown and boy did I find it. I rented (online) a 3 bedroom 2 bath house in Pacific Beach that was less than a half block away from a main beach entrance. We fell asleep to the sounds of the waves, not car horns and traffic. For two people, the cost was equivalent to a medium to high end hotel stay (including the cost of the rental car). If you had 4-6 people staying in it, the cost savings would be considerable. We were 10 minutes from La Jolla, and 15 minutes from downtown. 2)On race morning, if you are going to drive southbound on I-5, DO NOT take the first exit to park. The backup was close to a mile long. Bypass ALL the traffic and take the next exit (Kettner). We were able to get right in and park-no line. 3)Learn from the posts here regarding the stretch of the course on H163. Yes it is uphill, yes it is on a highway, and yes the road is cambered (slanted). Knowing this in advance of race day you can/should: a. Get in some hill training b. Don't get cocky and speed up during the nice downhill miles 2-4.5 because miles 7.5 - 10 are ALL uphill. Keep your pace steady until you get past mile 11.5. c. To negate the problems with running on the slant, stay to the outside of the highway and run on the shoulder. If you happen to be in site of a pace runner, keep and eye on where they are running. They will find the flat portions for you before you get there. 4)Once you hit the mile 25 mark, do not listen to anyone telling you the finish is 'right around the corner'-they lie. Once you turn into the Marine Corp depot, you make several turns and you get your hopes up on several occasions. Only when you pass under the arch into the parade grounds are you 'almost there'. | |
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L. M. from Colorado
(6/26/2006)
"Disappointed" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Around mile 8 I was wishing I had brought my iPod - thin crowds of fans, boring scenery, and too much highway with embanked roads, plus an out-and-back that some of us find discouraging. Also what's with having the Mylar blankets 500 feet away from the finish line? I did fine time-wise (about 10 minutes slower than I had hoped, probably due to warm temps) but for a marathon of this size, I was very disappointed. A lot of hype - I would not recommend this race. | |
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Bobby Bobby from SoCal
(6/25/2006)
"San Diego Rocks - The Music Doesn't :o(" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The organization for this marathon is great, with shuttles taking you to and from the parking lots. The City of San Diego and its spectators are encouraging. The medal is awesome. But two things really sucked: running up the Cabrillo freeway, and crappy bands. I think I was most disappointed in the lame cover bands, which were so bad they made me run faster getting away from the stages. | |
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T. G. from Portland, Oregon
(6/23/2006)
"A lot of hills" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my 29th marathon and my first for San Diego. The weather was great but the humidity got to me for the first half of the race. I'm from Portland, Oregon and we do not have that kind of humidity ever! Very hilly. They kept saying how flat this course was. The freeway was hot and too slanted. Very hard to run like that. It made my legs very tired and for the first time I developed blisters on my feet. Overall, a great place to vacation. The people were wonderful. I will do it again but I will be better prepared for the heat and the hills. | |
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D. C. from Carrollton, TX
(6/23/2006)
"First Marathon, Last San Diego" (about: 2006)
First Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and I really had a great time! I trained alone for 6 months with just my MP3 player, so the live bands were awesome! I loved the weather: cloudy and 65 degrees. It was a welcome change from Dallas! The scenery was great and the volunteers were very encouraging! My major complaint is the same as many others - the slanted roads were terrible! I was ready for hills but not the miles of running on an embankment! My right leg was not happy either! The traffic was terrible. My husband and daughter waited to see me at Mile 18, which was great, but they missed me at the finish and were an hour behind me due to the traffic, the trolleys, and the security. By the time we made it out of San Diego to our hotel, we were too exhausted to return for the concert (which I understand was GREAT!!). I'm glad I had the chance to run this race, but I won't run it again due to the crowds and slanted route. |
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