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Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.6 
Organization 3.3 
Spectators 3.9
Number of comments: 203 [displaying comments 81 to 91]
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J. J. from San Antonio, TX
(11/17/2009)
"Great race, but too hot in November!" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The course was flat and scenic; the volunteers and spectators were fabulous; and there was lots of water, sports drinks, salt and snacks along the way. I didn't have to wait for shuttle, but did have to walk a long way to the start. It was miserable, though, due to the heat and humidity. I live here, and even though I am kind of used to it, it was a very difficult run due to the weather. Lots of people were cramping up and collapsing around me! The ambulances ran non-stop from mile 18 or so til the end. It freaked me out to see so many people drop - maybe they should consider doing the race here in January or February? Better chance of getting some cool weather - November is just too risky! It was my first full marathon, and I was disappointed with my time, but at least I'm not hurt like a lot of other people. | |
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D. T. from Austin, Texas
(11/17/2009)
"San Antonio should be proud" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The weather was not ideal. The course was great, the crowd support was fantastic, and there was enough med and water support for another 30K runners. I was very impressed with all aspects of the race and organization, Austin race organizers could learn a lot from San Antonio, and so could Austinites. | |
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Will Rommelmann from Houston, TX
(11/17/2009)
"It was ok" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 As many have said before, the course was fairly good, but the last half of the marathon was awful because there was no real way of fans or family to get to the course easily. It would have been awesome if the course would have been backwards because you really need your fans out on the road for the last half - not the first half. I was in the top 2,000 runners, so I didn't think the start was too bad. I also did not take the bus because I had a really bad feeling about how many people might show up for that service. The spectators were awesome where they could actually get to the course, and all of the cheerleaders were absolutely amazing because all of them yelled my name. | |
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Cindy Payton from Louisiana
(11/16/2009)
"Amazing organization!" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my fifth marathon and I was hesitant to sign up for a race with 30,000 participants - especially one involving shuttles to and from the race. Sounded like a logistics nightmare. The organization was amazing, though. Went to the expo on Saturday afternoon, and everything was very easy to find. I was second in line for my packet, third in line for my t-shirt. Although there were thousands of folks at the shuttle site, there were more buses than I could count and we boarded quickly and left quickly. We also were returned quickly back to our car after the race. Another plus was that we always knew where we were supposed to go and where things were located, no frustration. During the run there were banks of porto-lets at the start and finish as well as five or six at every mile with rarely a wait. The water stops were long, well manned and on both sides of the road and included plenty of water, Cytomax, and food items. And because it turned out hot that day, there were cold sponges during the race and cold water soaked towels at the finish. Nothing was overlooked. Spectator support was much better than most races and the bands were good and placed frequently along the course. The tech shirt was nice and the medal was cool. They did an amazing job of handling 30,000 folks so smoothly. Can't say enough good things. | |
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S. J. from Texas
(11/16/2009)
"San Antonio Rocks!" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was really worried having read all the horror stories of the inaugural RNR, but 2009 was flawless for me (except the wicked humidity!). Great shuttling, great crowds, a fair course, and the expo was everything it needed to be. The support crews and volunteers were unbelievable (there must have been 3,500 of them). The course route downtown was cool - there are a few boring/unattractive miles in the last third of the race. When the weather cooperates, this will make for a great day. | |
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D. M. from Virginia, USA
(11/16/2009)
"Took a half marathon to get to the marathon" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 At 5:15, I left hotel for a five-block walk to the shuttle line. Two hours later, I was dropped at the opposite end of the event from the gear drop-off. Then it was a quarter-mile to the corral! Exhausted and hot, I waited to start! It was too crowded for the first 12 miles - tripping over each other, jockeying for running space. My most unpleasant run ever! Cool city, nice people.... | |
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L. L. from Bryan TX
(11/16/2009)
"Horrible organization" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I was hoping that, since this was the second year for the R'n'R SA Marathon that any kinks from the first year would have been worked out. But clearly they have not been. The shuttle from the downtown hotels to the starting line was a mess. I arrived at 5 a.m. and the lines were snaking in front of the convention center. There were at least three different long lines (with no end in sight), and no one could tell me which line to stand in. After standing in line for one hour, I finally got on a bus and was sent to the starting line. There were still a lot of people in line, and it's hard to believe that some of them were able to make it to the starting line in time. When we were dropped off, we had to walk about a mile to get to the starting line itself. The porta-potties were few and far between. Certainly not enough for 30,000 runners. The course was flat with a few hills here and there. Since the temps got up to the high 70s and it was humid, people were dropping like flies. I cramped up at mile 20 and didn't stop until mile 24. By then, my legs were shot. So I slowly plodded my way into the finish line. I was just happy I finished. My worst time and experience ever. The pacers were basically non-existent, and some had succumbed to the heat as well. The volunteers were excellent and there was plenty of Cytomax (I particularly don't like the taste of the stuff) and water. They even started handing out sponges at mile 24 or so. The finish line/family reunion area was chaos. After grabbing some food, I waited under the letter "L" to wait for my family. After standing there for 10 minutes, I realized something was wrong and started finding my way out. Little did I know that there were TWO family reunion areas and my family was waiting at the other one!! From there I had to push my way down the stairs and up another flight of stairs to find my family at the other family reunion area. After running 26.2 miles, the last thing I needed was to have to search for my family, fight the crowds and climb a bunch of stairs. I'm certainly not an elite runner, and I don't ask for much from these races, but this is my seventh marathon, and it's by far the worst organized. Oh, and no finisher's T-shirt either. | |
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j. v. from The great State of Texas
(11/16/2009)
"Classic Rock 'n' Roll race..." (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 3 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Rock and Roll races are all alike: Large events, with all of the traffic that large events cause. The courses and the food were all standard R'n'R fare... and another great medal and even a good shirt. San Antonio, R'n'R or not, is always a tough run. It is warm; it is humid; and the minor rollers just keep getting tougher. But the R'n'R uphill finish is just a whoppin'! When R'n'R took over, their marketing machine brought so many runners that the race had to be moved outdoors, and they had to lose their hot food and finisher's shirt, which forced the climb to the stadium level. Minor problem, unless you are hot and tired and just want to get this over with! The fans were the best that I have seen them; that is nice. The course is still nice, going past the missions and a lot of varied neighborhoods to see the entire city. Typical R'n'R; they do a big race, and if you come early, it's a great race. If you are trying to get there an hour early, you won't! I can't believe that people have not figured out to head to large races early yet - no amount of organization can over come stupidity, ignorance, and, well, ignorance. I mean it is warm, so get there a few hours early when the system is working; don't spend an hour on a freeway imitating a parking lot. This will never be one of my favorite events. I like it less as a Rock 'n' Roll, as you can't just park at your hotel and walk everywhere. San Antonio is a great city. Everything is in walking distance, except for the race now. I'd like to see somebody start a new San Antonio race and start and finish it downtown like the old race... with hot food, a finisher's shirt and ice cream! I want a real Texas marathon, not a marketing machine event. Maybe San Marcos will step up and crate a marathon if San Antonio can't support two races. | |
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B. P. from Dallas
(11/16/2009)
"Almost too big" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 My biggest concern is that the race is almost too big. They did make improvements from last year to the expo and the buses. The course is nice for the first half but the back half around the missions is boring and crowd support is sparse. The weather was horrible yesterday, with temps well into the 70's by the finish for average runners. They did a great job with having water on the course, and I really noticed the medical teams out on the course on alert for those who might need help. If I do it again, I might just go for the half. I am not a fan of point-to-point races and taking shuttles. Thanks so much to all of the volunteers who helped yesterday! | |
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B. B. from Austin, Texas
(11/16/2009)
"Easy Course - Nice and Flat" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Found this to be a really easy course - they do throw in a small hill right at the end, and the time had some guy cooking something right next to the finish line which was making people gag. They state that they have pace setters (never saw them after the corral). Kind of a pain in the ass to work around people, but it was a fun place to run. Would be a great race for a first-timer or a group of people. You can even pick up your number on race day if you register online... though they say you have to come a day early. Also, once the race splits off for the half marathon, the back half for the full is dead for fans. The bands suck; wear your iPod. |
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