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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 261 to 271]
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K. K. from Chicago
(6/16/2004)
"Running on 163 SUCKS!" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Wow. What a brutal course. Hills I can handle. But running downhill from miles 8-9.5 on a slant on a highway is suicide. At least at Boston the roads are level. On the Cabrillo Freeway, the right side of the road is at least 2.5 - 3 feet higher than the left side of the road. As a result, many runners came out of the first real hill in poor shape for the remaining 16 miles. While the overall organization of this race was excellent (the iced towels at the finish were a nice touch), the poor quality of portions of the course make this a race I will never repeat. It's a good thing Team in Training has such an investment in the success of this race. If the course remains as it is, I would expect in a few years that TNT runners will be the only particpants in this sadistic endeavor! | |
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B. C. from Boston, MA
(6/16/2004)
"Elvis Lives!!!!" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 That's right... I saw him and even took my picture with him at the finish line. This Rock 'N Roll Marathon is about fun in the San Diego sun. Sure it's a tough course with highways and biways...but this is marathoning...not a 10k. Its suppose to be tough. Sure there were tons of first-timers...everyone has to have their first sooner or later. They inspired me for my 13th marathon. This is a cool race. It tricked me into a PR then stole it away in the last 3 miles with the overpasses. Ugh! But no regrets here with my 3:54. I applaud the pace group leaders who brought me 90% of the way. They were good and helpful with technique advice along the way. As for the organization, real cool! The expo was welcoming, the start effecient, the aid stations ok, the volunteers friendly, the cheerleaders were cute. The bands were fun and offered anticipation each mile or so, I thought the Polka Dots at mile 20 were a scream. I'm still laughing about it. This is a destination marathon. I took my son to Legoland after the race and saw dozens of runners in their race t-shirts also. A great race to take the family. Being from Boston, I enjoy ANY REASON to get to San Diego. I have read the critical comments of this race in the past, and yes, it scared me to enter. I don't know what planet these critics are from. You are too spoiled out west. Come try a 22-degree marathon in a rain/blizzard combination in mid-winter on Cape Cod! You have a gem there in San Diego. Enjoy it for what it is...a chance to join 6 racing Elvis runners! Some hints to enjoy the race: 1. Find a local to get you to the start and finish. If you are from out of town, arrange a cabbie the day before. 2. No need to complain about the $95 cost. Add up your hotel/air etc. and its irrelevant. 3. Take a day after the race and enjoy an area attraction. 4. Stay within visual of a pace group leader on the highway portion...it will show you which side of the tilting highway to run on. Caution...it changes from left to right back to left several times. 5. Stay very hydrated the first 13 miles. The sun pops out quickly from the so-called 'June Gloom' clouds. 6. Use the ice tubs at the finish line for feet healing. I can't believe so few runners took advantage of this at the finish line. I have never seen this luxury before. 7. I'm not a TnT runner but give them kudos for their efforts. The purple shirts did inspire me in some way. Think of all the cool people these runners memorialize. Bravo! Hope this helps. It was a blast. I recommend it for first-time runners who can deal with warm weather. | |
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K. M. from SLO, California
(6/14/2004)
"Very organized but needs to change the course" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I loved this marathon so much I am excited to do it again. I ran the LA Marathon twice with the last one being a DNF. After experiencing LA's yucky course I thought SD's was pretty nice. I agree that some of it is not so nice and would love see to them change the freeway part. That alone killed my knees which slowed me down at mile 20 and I hobbled walk/ran the last. I liked the finish on the Marine depot and had no problem receiving my medal and things. And my time was 5:06! This race was very organized with the food upon arrival, the UPS trucks and plenty of potties. The bands were great and I actually thought I would hate it but the music turned out really good. Besides the course being tough on the knees I heard that this was a huge TNT event and read mixed reviews. I was prepared for that but it did get hard when most people cheered only for the TNT's and not everyone else. I would highly recommend bringing your own support group of family/friends as I was alone this time. | |
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Kelly O'Kelly from Carlsbad, Ca. U.S.A.
(6/12/2004)
"Different Finish Line" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I loved the course but thought the finish area was anticlimactic being on base, expecially in a time of war... it's going to have natural limitation. Thanks, Kelly O'Kelly P.S. They didn't give me an operating chip and so my time of 4:52 is not recorded. | |
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K. R. from Arizona
(6/12/2004)
"Great for a 1st, but not to set a PR" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Lots of fun, great music and support. Need more restrooms between mile 2 and 6... just when you need to go. We waited 20 minutes at an auto-lube place (bless you for opening up your restroom, guys!!) to go to the john before getting on the 163. Talked to a few people afterward that did #2 behind bushes along the way... not good... when the body says dump, you need to go!! Crowd support was great, even for non-TNT folks. Bands were always playing and only 1 station ran out of Gatorade. | |
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C. I. from USA
(6/12/2004)
"FIRST-TIME MARATHONER - 8/10 RATING" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon and I was really looking forward to it. It was very well organized, I started in corral 19, and my goal was just to finish. I did that and I was happy. I was very disappointed in the music. There was no way a band at each mile, and also most of the bands were playing their own garbage instead of rock and roll!! The first two Gatorade stops had noooo Gatorade. The race was well organized. | |
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B. H. from New Orleans
(6/11/2004)
"Where were the bands in the 2nd half?" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 For such a scenic city the marathon course was rather dreary. We saw at least 5 people fall. Perhaps it was because of the slope in the road. Lots of bands in the early miles to keep your spirits up, but minimal in the 2nd half. Where did the $95 entry fee go --bobble head doll, t-shirt and medal? The post-race celebration ran out of hot dogs. You had to search out a volunteer to collect your medal -- two people in my group received their medal still wrapped in plastic. What happened to the volunteers putting the medal around your neck? Then you had to go to another area and pick up your Mylar wrap. No one there either -- they were in piles on the ground. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt -- a headquarters hotel. When we asked about a shuttle to the start the front desk clerk told us to get a wristband at the expo. The people at the expo said that was only for Team in Training and to check with the hotel. The concierge told us on Saturday that they would have cabs available and assured us ther would be an adequate #. We went down Sunday morning and were told that there was a shortage of cabs, but that the hotel had arranged shuttles for $5. Evidently quite a few other people like us must have been freaking out on Saturday.I had fun because I was with a group of my friend. If this had been my first marathon or I had gone alone it would have been awful. One of my friends made the comment that if things continued like this, only the elite runners and Team in Training will be doing marathons. I will not run this marathon again and will not recommend it to others. | |
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J. P. from Chico
(6/11/2004)
"Overall a fun experience" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my second marathon and I had put a lot more training into it this time. I was looking for one with a fast course in late May or June, so picked this race for the timing of it as much as anything else. After reading so many of the negative comments from previous years I was very hesitant to sign up for the Rock ?n Roll Marathon. All I can say is that I?m glad I didn?t let the negative people influence me to stay away. I had a great time. Considering they handled 20,000 runners the organization of the event was outstanding. All the volunteers were terrific. There were approximately 20 water stations and almost everyone had long tables lining both sides of the street with probably 12-20 people on each side handing out cups. Even with all the crowds of runners there was NEVER a problem getting easy access to a drink. I could tell most of the cheerleaders where having a good time cheering the runners on. In the past I may not have appreciated them as much, but my daughter is now a high school cheerleader and I could relate to the enthusiasm and effort they were putting forth. With so many runners in town it was fun running into and talking to them the day before, the evening of, and the day after the event. If anything about this run is to be criticized it would be the course and the finish area. The course is average. Not great, but not terrible. And some of the other comments about family members waiting in lines to enter the Marine base are correct. Also mile 9 was mis-marked. At the time I was running splits just over 8 minute pace. When I hit my split at mile 9 it was just over 7 minutes! Then the mile 10 split was just over 9 minutes. The mile 9 marker was obviously placed about a minute too close. I checked with other runners afterward and they agreed that marker was off. Some people talked about the slant in the road on the highway. As some poster in a previous mentioned, if you move toward the shoulder of the road there is less of an angle. I did that and it didn?t present any problem. At one point on the highway it was cool pasting Bill Walton, who was standing there cheering the runners on. Overall, taking everything into consideration, it was a fun weekend and I would consider doing it again. | |
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M. S. from Los Angeles
(6/10/2004)
"Needs A Complete Overhaul" (about: 2004)
50+ previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 The potential for making this one of the finest marathons in 'America's Finest City' exists, but this event doesn't deliver. Runs through uninspirational areas of San Diego, truly a beautiful city, although you would never know from this course. It's a hassle to get yourself to the start via the shuttle arrangement. The finish area is a mess. The talentless Rock 'n Roll bands along the way are more annoying than entertaining. Come on Elite Racing... you gotta do better than this mess. | |
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J. C. from California
(6/9/2004)
"A worthwhile Sunday run" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 8th marathon and it ranks right up there with other mega-races, but those going for a PR should be aware this race attracts a lot of first-timers who either start out slow or start too quickly and implode the last half. That means lots of weaving from start to near finish for midpackers on a mission. PRE-RACE: Great expo. I think they've improved the parking situation, based on my experience. We arrived before 5 a.m. and had no problem parking in the designated lot, shuttling to the start and getting out after the race. I heard from those who arrived later that traffic was tight. Shoot to get there by 5. Besides, there's lots of food, coffee, water and even massage therapists while you wait for the gun to go off at Balboa Park. RACE: For me, the course had just enough hills and flat stretches to keep it interesting. I enjoyed the bands and the cheerleaders, too. There were more spectators than I expected, especially coming off the freeway onto Friars Road and around Sea World and Pacific Beach, but I have to agree with others that the crowds quite often seemed to only root for those in purple shirts. Run in the middle of the road and the slights won't bother you as much. It'll also spare your knees and hips on slanted roads. Ample water and Gatorade and a Power Gel at Mile 17. Spectators offered pretzels, Skittles, etc., which was really nice -- and needed. FINISH: Great crowds. There are grassy knolls to stretch and relax with family just beyond the official greeting area. I'll definitely be back. Start in an early (and realistic) corral, train for warm weather, and you can hit a PR. |
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