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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 51 to 61]
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J. O. from San Diego
(8/13/2010)
"Poor Planning" (about: 2010)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 This was my second and last Rock and Roll Marathon in San Diego. I hate to echo others comments but hopefully RnR race directors pay attention. 1. Do a better job separating the marathoners from the half marathoners. 2. Do not have the toughest part of the marathon (the end) be were the least support is. 3. Do not end the race in a beat-up asphalt parking lot. 4. Figure out a better way to get 30K people, most who have spent the last four hours running, back to their cars in under 2 hours. 5. $130.00, seriously? I must say there were good parts also. Like the starting organization, the first 3/4 of the course were nice, and the expo was well put together. | |
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J. L. from Greenwood, SC
(6/24/2010)
"Great First-Marathon Experience" (about: 2010)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I flew across the country to run this marathon. Since it was my first one, I wanted it to be a vacation as well. Positives: Plenty of water and Cytomax Scenic course through Balboa (I wish the course were reversed because most of the scenic stuff was at the beginning race) The spectators were awesome Very flat course Expo was amazing - I had never seen some much running stuff Bands Really nice medal Negatives: Was really sunny and windy near the end of race on Fiesta Island, and there was not much race support They need female t-shirts - my "small" was way too big A lot of walkers I didn't like meeting up with the half marathoners when I was on mile 15 and they were on mile 6 The lines to get on the buses were horrible (we just walked the mile to the trolley stop and were back to our hotel in 20 minutes) I would recommend this to first-time marathoners because you were never alone on the course. | |
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K. H. from El Paso, TX
(6/20/2010)
"Big Disappointment" (about: 2010)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was my second half-marathon and I was really looking forward to my first Rock 'n' Roll event. Boy, was I disappointed. Good: 1. Expo. My daughter loved all the games and fun stuff at the Brooks Area, but walking the aisles was crazy and we left early because it got too crowded. 2. Ice towels at the finish were a blessing on a humid and sunny day. 3. Tech shirt and medal were nice. Bad: 1. Course. Very few spectators. Running on the freeway was boring and hot. Finish line area was in the Sea World parking lot with hot asphalt and no shade or seating. 2. Transportation. The line for the shuttle buses at the finish line was absolutely horrendous!!! Waited in line for over an hour in the hot sun, only to have to get off and wait in another line for the trolley. It took me almost 2 hours to get back to the hotel. 3. Too many walkers or people who run/walk and stop right in front of you. I actually passed a few ladies walking and chatting on their cell phones. Do your Sunday walk at the mall and not in a race. OVERALL: No more Rock 'n' Roll races for me. They are overpriced and overcrowded. I enjoyed the Carlsbad Half Marathon much better than this one! | |
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S. P. from Colorado Springs, CO
(6/18/2010)
"What a waste" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I had been planning on this race for a while (I think over a year). I saw the advertisements and the race looked like it would be awesome! One would think a race in San Diego would be fun! Sadly, it was an extreme letdown. Yes, the expo was well done, and in a nice, spacious area. The starting line was laid out well (could have used more porta-potties, but then again, what race couldn't?). The race started off well but sadly that did not last long. The support along the course was great. The course itself? I am not sure what it has been in the past, but if I flew to San Diego JUST for this race I would have been furious. A mall is one of the highlights? If we were in DC, I could understand that; but we are not talking about THE Mall, we are talking about A mall. Yes, seeing the Midway was cool, and Balboa Park was a great way to start the race... but that is all I can come up with. The last 5 miles on Fiesta Island? Really? You couldn't come up with a better location? I understand the need for taking part of the course onto a highway (I have done the Goofy Challenge in Disney World; the course needed to hit the highway a few times, and they did a great job), but this race had way too many miles of blah. Again, the race volunteers were good! Some of the spectators were fabulous. The expo was well done. But I will NOT be doing this race again and I really hope other R'n'R marathons are not like this. | |
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M. M. from SAN DIEGO, CA
(6/16/2010)
"Poor Mix of Runners. Jammed!" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 I have run this race since 2001. I can see that the number of full marathon runners has been decreasing from about 16,000 to 10,500 this year. So they added the half marathon, which created a logistical nightmare at start and finish. 1. Big sign at start: bananas, water, bagels... empty, nothing there! 2. Jammed start due to half marathon inclusion 3. Great crowd support! Great cheer teams! 4. Ice towels were fantastic! 5. Poor expo; why was the Rock Doc pushed out of the usual seminar for runners??? 6. Poor ending surface, and no place to hang out after the race 7. A total transportation nightmare to get out of there; a very, very long waits for buses and trains 8. Too early of a start time (due to starting delay) 9. The changes to the course resulted in us running four miles on Fiesta Island (with almost no crowd support) very, very late in the race. Not a good place for an isolated run and not a good place to run on concrete either. 10. Overall, poor planning, and obviously the race's need for more money resulted in them adding half marathoners. 11. San Diego is my home town, so I would probably run it again, but the fees have to be reasonable - not $130. | |
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A. L. from Dallas, TX
(6/14/2010)
"Rock 'n' Roll: WHO organized this?!" (about: 2010)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 A major issue that I haven't seen mentioned was the size of the sidewalks at the end. Around mile 17 we ran on 5 foot-wide sidewalks, which were WAY too small for 40,000 people! We were dodging people right and left. Times would have been much faster if we could have gotten around people. Had the marathon finish line after party not have gone so badly, the marathon could have been a lot more fun. We ended in a parking lot that was covered in oil spills. We run 26.2 miles and can't sit down!? The race advertised free beer by MGD 64, and after the race, we were denied beer because we didn't have ID on us. WHERE do you want me to carry an ID?! The beer was for the spectators, NOT for the runners. Since no one could sit, or even enjoy a beer, everyone wanted to leave the after party as soon as they got there so everyone had to stand in an hour-long line to get to the buses. We took the bus to get to the trolley (another line that took an hour), and then got into our cars to get back to the hotel. So we ran 26.2 miles, and couldn't sit for 2.5 hours after. Ridiculous. I will say that they had tons of water stations, and the volunteers at the water stations were very friendly. There was crowd support when possible, but so much of the race took place where it was impossible for spectators to be (i.e., highway, island, etc... read all of the other posts). The Mardi Gras Rock 'n' Roll Marathon was organized MUCH better than this one. Won't run San Diego again. | |
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j. j. from nyc
(6/13/2010)
"Egregious course planning" (about: 2010)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 The "re-merge" of half-marathoners with the full marathon runners at mile 9 created a "second start" scenario. Atrocious course planning. | |
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G. N. from Phoenix, AZ
(6/12/2010)
"Disappointing for a R 'n' R event" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I've run 7 or 8 R 'n' R events, and this was the most disappointing. I won't repeat the many comments regarding the course, the merging of the full and half, and the chaos at the start and finish. I had hoped for a better organized event. That said, the volunteer were spectacular. Their enthusiasm and dedication - especially late in the race as the sun emerged - was most appreciated. | |
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K. M. from Phoenix, AZ
(6/11/2010)
"Liked the first part of the course" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 My first time at this race, but I have run 14 previous marathons. Unfortunately, I took a wrong turn and finished on the half course, running about 17 miles total. I liked the start area and the bathroom lines were typical for large races. I took the hotel shuttle and had no problem getting to the start in time. The course was interesting, and support was good; however, I did not see the part on Fiesta Island. They could use better signage at points where the half/full courses merge or split. Other races have used highway signs to help alert runners. Crowd support and aid stations were excellent. Finish area could use better signage and a more streamlined process to return to your car/hotel. No race is perfect. San Diego is a great city and this race is worth repeating. | |
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P. M. from San Diego, CA
(6/11/2010)
"Full and Half Marathoners Don't Mix" (about: 2010)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I hate to repeat the same complaint that many have already pointed out, but as a 3:30 marathoner, it's really tough to share the road with 2:30 half marathoners - especially when its from mile 9-11 (for marathoners), on the toughest hill on the run. The finish was also horrible: We spent the last four miles almost alone with no spectators and minimal support to end in a broken asphalt parking lot (Sea World?). I also then had to wait over two hours with my wife and two-year-old to get onto a bus and then a train to finally get to my car. San Diego: Get rid of the half and find a better place to end. MCRD was great! |
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