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Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.4 
Organization 4.2 
Spectators 3.5
Number of comments: 104 [displaying comments 91 to 101]
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Stephen Yutzy from University Heights, OH
(7/2/2009)
"Very well run race" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second marathon, and first RNR race. For a first-year race, I thought they did a fantastic job of organizing a race with so many people. The course was absolutely beautiful and quite challenging, and the on-course bands were good. There were lots of people out on the course (especially the first half). My only real complaint is that the full and half start together, then the full splits off for a few miles before rejoining the half runners. The effect is that full runners go from running with half runners at their own speed, to running with half runners much slower, which turns the race into a giant game of dodging slower runners. Not pleasant. | |
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G. O. from Washington state
(7/2/2009)
"a great half" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was the first for Seattle - a great race, with great scenery and very good organization. The marathon was well set-up, but the real band focus and spectator energy were definitely for the half-marathon. That being said, marathoners are there to run, and it is a great race for a good pace and a lot of support on the course. Well done; see you next year. | |
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D. M. from Fort Collins, CO
(7/1/2009)
"THE STARS LINED UP!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The perfect weather and an excellent course made for a tremendous inaugural Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon. I think this one is #48 for me... and, I'd have to say it is my favorite to date. Here's a perspective on downsides/upsides: Downsides (note that these are quite minor in the overall scope, but I think worth mentioning as feedback for organizers): * Packet pickup and finish location are quite a long walk from hotels. If it had been (more normal) rainy weather, it would have been a nightmare to get there. * Despite getting to the bus stop a few minutes after 5:00, we waited 45 minutes for the bus to the start. (The waits for the bus ride were so long that she had to beg our bus driver to stop on the off-ramp. Traffic backed up, so she could answer nature's call in the bushes. Having over an hour of waiting/riding in the morning, with no chance for anyone to hit a bathroom probably isn't sustainable. * The wave start meant that you might wait 30-45 minutes after the start gun. (On the plus side of this, if everyone had started at the same moment, it would have made for a giant traffic jam.) * About 2/3 of the way through the marathon, we merged with the half-marathon "walkers" - groups of walkers walking/talking side-by-side, blocking the road. It was a hassle to have to run around them, and slow down until you could squeeze around them. Upsides: * While organizers can't take credit for great weather, it was a real treat. - Excellent course - possibly the best overall way to see Seattle. Nice run along Lake Washington and over/back on the floating bridge. But, the real treat was running on the Alaska Way Viaduct (imagine a road elevated about 100-200' above street level). This viaduct bisects the downtown skyline and the Puget Sound, so you either had to look across at the gorgeous city skyline or over at the harbor, islands, ships, snow-capped Olympic mountains, and blue water. Fortunately, this piece was an out-and-back, which gave you lots of time to soak up all of the views. - Music was fun. - Interesting, high-quality finishing medal, and a high-quality tech t-shirt. - Well-stocked, well-run aid stations. | |
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R. G. from Arizona, USA
(6/30/2009)
"save your legs - run somewhere else" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The course was very scenic. The spectators and atmosphere were great. The race organization was fine (except for two different volunteers who yanked water cups away from me at the last second and thought it was funny). The hills were tough, but certainly manageable. My only significant complaint is that most of the course (particularly after mile 9) was on concrete, not asphalt. There's a big difference between the two surfaces. Concrete is 10 times harder than asphalt and destroys your legs. I've been running five and a half years, completed roughly twenty races of half-marathon length or longer, and never missed any time with injuries. (And I'm no string bean, either. I weigh in at around 180.) I think the single biggest factor in my staying healthy has been my refusal to train or race on sidewalks or concrete streets. I don't know Seattle very well, so I have no idea whether there are any other realistic options. But it would be nice if Elite would consider routing more of the course onto asphalt streets. | |
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M. C. from West Sacramento, CA
(6/30/2009)
"Flawless debut" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was registered for the full but had to run the half. I have lost track of the number of Elite events I have run, but I believe that for Seattle, they learned from the disaster that was San Antonio. The event was flawless. I tell people who have never run an Elite event that they do everything for you but run the race. I loved the course and running through the tunnel, and the park by the lake. Seeing the eagle was breathtaking. I do hope that the lady carrying her purse learned that she can trust the UPS bag check. I check an item every time that cannot be replaced. They haven't lost it yet. Thanks, UPS. Thanks, Elite, for yet another perfect event. I am registered for and will be ready for the full next year. I can't wait to run across that floating bridge. | |
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J. R. from Eugene, OR
(6/30/2009)
"It was too crowded for the first 14 miles!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The race was well-organized, but I got really tired of all of the out-and-backs. Even though the race began in waves (corrals) of estimated pace groups, it was way too crowded! It was like the first 100 yards of any 5K, except it lasted for most of the first 14 miles. At mile 9 or so, the marathoners split off and did a two-mile out-and-back on I-90 and then joined back up with the half-marathoners. Unfortunately this meant that the marathoners ended up running/tripping over the slower half-marathoners that had caught up to the faster marathoners during the marathon's out-and-back. So the marathoners spent miles 11 through 14, slowing scooting around walkers and much slower runners on a road that was only about 10 feet wide. It was very annoying but once the half-marathoners finished the rest of the course was wide open. The start needed some help. Traffic backed up for miles on I-5 until the exit and then a 35-minute wait for the toilets. There were tons of water stops, although the Cytomax was way too strong for the first 5 stops. The course wasn't too hilly, but it was hard to appreciate any of the music since you passed by it so quickly! A couple of course changes to remedy the over-crowding would make this course a 5-star race. | |
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K. L. from Washington
(6/29/2009)
"Fun and organized. Getting there harder than race." (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I signed up because it was my birthday. What a perfect way to celebrate! Also, this was the first big-city race I've seen in the Northwest actually on a Saturday. I don't run Sundays, so I was thrilled. I enjoyed this race immensely, once I got there. Good positive vibes. The race lived up to its name. The headliner concert was a great way to end the day. Of course, the weather really made it special. The volunteer support was second to none. Even the neighbors in the Seward Park neighborhood were super friendly. I really enjoyed the variety on the course. Not too many freeways come out of a tunnel with such stunning views. The lake was beautiful, and the finish area was organized very, very well. Now for the complaints, keeping in mind that it was the first year. Parking costs and getting to the start line caused a lot of stress and made me late, even though I thought I allowed myself plenty of extra time. My children drove 14 hours to see me finish. They had such troubles getting downtown that they made it to the finish area only 2 minutes before I finished. Good thing I wasn't faster. I was supposed to be in the 7th start group. I ended up in the 27th because of traffic delays. My husband wanted to drop me off from south of the start line (away from the city). It took one and a half hours to drive about five miles to get to the start line. The access was extremely bottle-necked. I was tempted to jog it. I saw other runners leaving their cars on the freeway and jogging to the race. Sorry, but 5 miles is a bit too long of a warm up for me. Here would be my suggestion for next year. Have the people in the south end of Seattle be dropped off at the mall close to the start line. Shuttles should run from the mall parking lot to the start line. There is a lot more freeway and back road access to the mall, with several entrances. Then there were the parking costs. We paid $10 for parking to pick up the packet, and we barely made it in time before the expo closed. They should have held packet pick up until 8:30 or 9 to allow local people to get off from work, and to avoid the rush hour traffic. Race day, parking was $20 for spectators, and anywhere we ate in town, we paid for more parking (if we could find it). Then we paid $5 for parking at the concert, which was another hour drive away (with traffic) So maybe this is just the price I pay for doing a city marathon? I would pay it again, however, because I really enjoyed it, in spite of the stress. But if I ever get fast enough to really be competitive, I will definitely get to everything three hours early. | |
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Marina White from Irvine, CA
(6/29/2009)
"So-so race overall" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The course was not as exciting as I had anticipated. It seems like there are a lot of neat places to see in Seattle, and we did not see those! And it was also a bit hilly (plus hot this day!). But the few waterfront sections were great to be near. Also, I enjoyed passing by runners on the other side of the road a few times. It's nice to see pals and say hi to those who were way ahead of me and way behind me, so I thought that was a good way to set it up. I would probably give it a 3.5 out of 5 overall for the course. Organization was not the best. Packet pick-up was a costly hassle, and race-morning parking could have been another costly hassle (all of the lots were like $20 and/or far away). More shuttle options and better parking availability is in order. Pre-race morning was pretty good, with plenty of fluid and fuel. The course organization was also ok, though a few stations had watery-tasting Cytomax, and there was really no solid food along the course (like fruit or pretzels), even though there usually is. The post-race area was also ok, with fruit, drinks, and snacks. BUT we were NOT able to get our FREE BEER, since many of us did not have ID, and they would not let us use our shoe tags for age, as previous races have!!! Bummer in the summer!!! Spectators were pretty great as always, although music was not the best. For a first-time big event, it went over well, and I'm sure will be bigger and better next year! | |
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Mrs. Belsky from San Diego, CA
(6/29/2009)
"Great organization" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I loved the first half; it was scenic, along the water, with beautiful views. We even saw a Bald Eagle sitting atop one of the pine trees on the water. What a treat! I did not particularly care for the second half as much. There was too much concrete (poison for legs), it was not very pretty, and it was not shaded. The last two complaints are minor, but the first one is a biggie. I do not believe a marathon should be run mostly on concrete (the freeways). If they could re-route the second half (maybe around Lake Washington some more?), I would give the course a higher score. EXCELLENT volunteer support! PLENTY of port-a-potties, water stations, and aid stations. It was high energy, and I loved the bands. If I do this one again, I will stick with the half. | |
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Al Navidi from Rockville, MD USA
(6/29/2009)
"My comments about the R&R Seattle Marathon" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 The course was scenic, but definitely one of the hilliest and most difficult courses I have done, after 39 marathons in 21 states!! The spectators were also few and far in between, since the majority of the course was either outside Seattle or on bridges or inside tunnels!! |
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