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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 211 to 221]
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William Tichenor from Dallas, TX
(6/5/2006)
"Too big, Bad transportation and few good bands" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 I was discouraged after the hype this event has received. I found it disorganized, my family attempted to take a trolley around to find me, to no avail. It was quite oversized, and lacking in it's claim to fame; The Rock n Roll! Primarily only a handfull of bad garage high school bands, and you're better off with an I-pod. | |
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J. K. from Philadelphia, PA
(6/4/2006)
"Warning to those used to cool, flat courses" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my 3rd marathon (1st RnR). Overall I thought that race was fairly well organized. It would have been nice to have a few more Porta-Johns considering the size of the field. I can't really comment on transportation to the start since I walked a mile from my hotel. Course support was good with ample, long fluid stops. Here's a warning for those marathoners who are used to running fall season races on relatively flat courses (ie Chicago, Philly, NYC, etc.): this race is significantly more challenging and you may want to strongly consider revising your goal finish time based on the weather conditions and the hills on the course. Todays race seemed to be in the mid 60's w/ humidity in the 70%'s. If you usually run the Northeast fall races, you're probably used to temps in the 40's-50's w/ much less humidity. Although I ended up w/ a new PR by 5 minutes, I ended up 8 minutes slower than the pace that I trained for. It seemed like I wasn't alone as it looked like the sizes of the different 'fast' pace groups shrunk siginificantly as the race went on. The hills were a little tougher than I thought. There's a long gradual hill leading up to Mile 10 up the freeway. After that there's a long, fast downhill. There were a few smaller hills in the second half of the course that don't really get the justice they deserve on the elevation grid. They were just big enough to remind my quads of the beating they took on the large hill/downhill at Mile 10-11. I thought the course was pretty scenic offering a nice tour of San Diego. There were maybe a few too many small turns and a few patches of less than smooth road that remind you of any blisters you have on your feet. I would recommend running the highway portions of the course on the margins of the road where the surfaces won't be as brutal on your joints. The bands and spectators were great and there were very few (if any) 'dead spots' on the course. Despite the large number of runners, the course didn't feel very crowded at all for faster runners (ie sub 3:30) after the first 8 miles or so. Overall, I thought that this was a very fun race in a fun city. However, if you are looking for a Boston qualifier or a PR in a spring race, this might not be the race for you (especially if you are used to flat, cool-weather courses). If you are seeking a PR, focus on hill training for this more than you might think. | |
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A. G. from Guttenberg, NJ
(3/27/2006)
"Fun, exciting! Worth the trip! :)" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Fun marathon!! Not my fastest race... but a memorable one!! The bands on the course were awesome! Always something exciting to look at. Running on the freeway was different. Fun!! Cheap cotton short-sleeve t-shirt. Would love to see them upgrade to a tech tee. Great race overall. Would highly recommend!! :) | |
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A. C. from New York, NY
(1/22/2006)
"Elvis has left the starting corral" (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second time doing RnR (also ran it in 2003) and I imagine I'll be back again. San Diego is an ideal city to run in - perfect weather (although this year was uncharacteristically humid and HOT!) and beautiful, varied scenery. I also have to give kudos to the Rock n' Roll spectators, who are plentiful and enthusiastic. The race organizers changed the course this year, and I have to say that I liked the old course better (despite shaving an hour and a half off my previous time). The uneven pavement and awful sloping highway ramps were torture on our joints. Both times I've run this marathon as a Team in Training participant. If you're considering TNT (and you should, it's an amazing experience) this is the event to do. There are over 3,000 runners in the Purple Army, and the pre-race party is overwhelmingly emotional. One more thing: RnR has a kick-ass expo. One of the best I've ever seen. My hometown NYC marathon probably edges Rock n' Roll out as my favorite, but I still heartily recommend this one. | |
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A. B. from Tigard, OR
(1/13/2006)
"My favorite" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run five marathons. Of those, I have done this RNR twice. It is by far my favorite. Great course, great city, great fun. What marathons am I comparing it to, you might ask? The others I have run are: Portland Marathon, AZ RNR and the Foot Traffic Flat Marathon (Sauvie Island, OR). I can't wait to run this one again! Great crowds, bands and finishing area. | |
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S. B. from USA--New Jersey
(12/20/2005)
"Great First Marathon" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I went out with my running coach. I'm from Jersey but love San Diego. I was attracted to the marathon's promise of being fast and flat. If you are counting on flat, count again. There were more than a few hills (those bridges killed me) and a few miles of the race were actually on an incline (but the view was fantastic). There could have been more porta-potties along the race course. My brother was able to meet me at different points during the course (dressed like a head banger, giant spiked wig and Slayer shirt). That was a good motivator. There was more food than I could shake a stick at. Towards mile 24 there is a desolate stretch, no bands, no fans, nothing.... A lot of people gave up here. If you prepare yourself you'll be fine because the moment that stretch ends you are getting ready to turn into the Marine Corps base and there're about a million spectators and the bands are back! Oh, one more thing: Don't start full out sprinting when you turn into the base (like I did) - you still have about a half mile!!! Worth doing. I'll be back. | |
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Cari Lambrecht from McAllen, Texas
(12/10/2005)
"Great First-Timer " (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I barely found this site, so I'm entering comments based on my experience in June 2004. This was my first ever race. I loved it! The course was great. I loved the running Elvises, too. The bands were motivating, actually so motivating I ran a little too fast. San Diego is a fantastic city to visit. It was beautiful, clean and hospitable. I will be back. There was plenty of food at the end of the marathon. I ate two sandwhiches, a banana, Cheetos, etc. And my mom, sister and husband were able to get around to different spots to see me along the course. Team In Training people are the greatest! Yay purple people. Their support the entire way helped A LOT! My only negative for the course is that I had to stand in line for 10 minutes at the half to go to the bathroom. I could have had a faster time if not for that. Get more port-a-potties. But great experiecne. Thanks, San Diego | |
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N. G. from San Jose, CA
(12/1/2005)
"Great run if the weather is good." (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran this in 2005; it was a fabulous run! Everything was great from the spectators to the music. We lucked out with cool weather; I've heard in the past it could get really hot. If you are looking for a flat race with a lot of spectators, this is one to do. I would highly recommend it. The only negative aspect about this race was the uneven surface while running on the freeway. | |
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k. c. from texas
(10/27/2005)
"beautiful city, perfect weather, challenging cours" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon. Loved the amazing start. The UPS trucks were great for keeping our belongings. My only complaint is the terrible uphill slanted freeway part of the race. That was extremely hard on my knees and toes. Please reconsider that part of the race. Many great supporters and the finish line was great. | |
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A. A. from San Diego
(7/27/2005)
"Disappointed as a local" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 This was my first RnR Marathon and 5th marathon overall. Since I had just moved to San Diego from Los Angeles two months prior to the race, I was excited about this race. However, I had to walk 1 hour to the trolley and then another mile to the start line! I was very disappointed to see that the race is catered for runners to stay at a hotel in downtown San Diego. Seems the sponsors are more concerned about the bucks than the runners. Since I was on my own without a car, taxi, or anyone to drive me, I could say I ran about 30 miles that day(counting from the step I took out of my apartment to the step I took back into my apartment). I loved the idea about UPS having my stuff at the end of the line, but the idea of starting the race really early is a bad idea. Considering those of us who do not have anyone to drive them there, I had to get up at 3am and walk for more than an hour before the start. The buses in San Diego do not run that early, so it's a no-win situation. Next year I plan on running it again, since this is now my hometown. However, I probably will rent a car. Another thing they need to change is having the finish line away from the start line. Seems the RnR Marathon is one of the few, where their finish line is more than 2 miles away from the start line. Overall, I loved the course support, the free sandals at the end of the finish line, all the fruit they give you, and the cool t-shirt and medal. |
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