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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 51 to 61]
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M. K. from Denver, CO
(6/26/2011)
"Seattle is beautiful. Why not show it off?" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This race has so much potential. Seattle is a beautiful city. The first half was pretty good, which means the half marathon was probably ok. However, the second half of the marathon consisted of three out-and-backs that mostly seemed to highlight Seattle's traffic and tunnels (three of them - all of significant lengths). Good urban marathon courses generally highlight the city's best features. Aside from the stadiums (a loop around either or both field/warning track, like many other races, would have been a huge improvement), this course did not seem to highlight much of anything. The worst part of the race, by far, was the four-mile out-and-back at the end - after passing the finish line. Passing the finish line is bad enough, but that portion of the course was far and away the ugliest part of it. Overall, there were other problems, like outrageous parking fees at the expo, but the course is the first place that organizers need to look for improvements. This race has so much potential, but instead it turned out to be the worst of the 16 marathons I have run. | |
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L. M. from Ohio
(6/26/2011)
"RnR Seattle - a race with a heart" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was looking for a June marathon and decided on Rock 'n' Roll Seattle. It turned out to be a great choice. The 26,000 participants had ideal running weather with perfect start time temperatures in the low-50s. One cool thing about Seattle is that sunrise comes early. It was complete daylight at 5:00 in the morning when I boarded the bus to the start. There was no problem catching an early shuttle to the start, and the start area was one of the better staging areas I've seen. As to be expected from the Competitor Group, race day organization was smooth. Seattle is a beautiful city, and the course was very scenic. Running along the lake was breathtaking. What makes Rock 'n' Roll Seattle special, though, is that it is a race with heart. I was moved to tears by the tribute for our fallen soldiers. I've never seen anything like this. It was the emotional highlight of my race. This race had great atmosphere and excellent runner support. There were plenty of bands and cheer squads. Water stations were well staffed by enthusiastic volunteers. The crowds were the heaviest in the downtown area. After leaving downtown, you are running on a highway with hardly any spectators. There is not much shade on this portion of the course, so I was grateful for the cloudy day. There are three out-and-backs that I remember. I loved the first one on the floating bridge. The second one was Aurora Avenue, which is a long uphill grade. By this time, the concrete roads took its toll on my legs, and I started to cramp. A medical volunteer on a bicycle immediately rode up beside me and offered me a salt pack. The last out and back was demoralizing because it's so close to the end and has a hill. Local runners are saying there will be course changes next year. Hopefully, the modified course won't be as tough. Seattle was a good overall race experience. I would recommend this race. | |
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Mick Whitehead from Normandy Park, WA
(2/5/2011)
"Challenging, Picturesque, Worthwhile" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was the second Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon, and I thought it ran a little smoother than the first year. After the full and half marathoners split, there was no crossing of the two segments again, which made the run less congested. The 2010 weather was more seasonal (lower temperature, more clouds, no view of the Olympic Mountains or Mt. Rainer), but better running conditions than 2009. Still plenty to see and enjoy, and the bands once again were fantastic. Tough pull in the second half, so make sure you do hill training in preparation for the race. One last note: A majority of the second half of the race occurs on the (closed to vehicular traffic) Alaskan Way viaduct, which offers superb views of downtown, Elliott Bay and the ferry/cruise ship terminals, and the Olympics (weather permitting). It's the toughest, but one of the best parts of the course. Plans are in the works, however, to replace the Alaskan Way viaduct with a tunnel, which will result in the demolition of the viaduct. Things in Seattle move slowly, but one should plan on running this marathon within the next few years to take advantage of the unique setting the viaduct offers. | |
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M. K. from Texas
(9/4/2010)
"This race is not for whiners" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 If you're going to run Rock 'n' Roll Seattle, be prepared to run on concrete, run out-and-backs and run in a crowd. Running a marathon was not meant to be easy, but the race organizers did their best to support the marathoners with outstanding course support. The bands and cheer squads did their best to make it fun. | |
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G. R. from Atlanta
(8/20/2010)
"Okay... but mucho to be desired!" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I've run my share of marathons (24 to date), but man, I've never run on as much concrete as I did for this marathon.... It was brutal. I thought the organization was good, but this course needs major improvement. Two-thirds of this marathon is run on highways and overpasses (concrete, mind you). Apart from that, the volunteers were terrific and spectators too. Nice medal and technical tee. I wouldn't recommend it.... | |
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P. P. from Fresno, CA
(7/11/2010)
"I will run again, but changes would be good" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first Rock and Roll Marathon and my 16th overall. The organization was great - including registration, correspondence with people via email before the race, web information, expo, race day events, and post race. I like point-to-point courses and think they handled the transportation well. I caught a bus at 5 and was at the start of the race by 5:30. I appreciated the water, fruit and bagel. Bag-drop was great. They were very clear that the bag-drop vehicles were leaving at 7 and it sounds like some people missed the bag-drop. Lines to the portables were short - less than 10 minutes. I like the starting corrals, but wouldn't if I were in the back part of the race. I wonder if there is a way to have a dual start - two parallel roads that merge after two or three miles, or something that allows the walkers/slower runners to get start sooner. Or different starting spots for marathon/half marathon. I found the bands, fans, and water stations to be great. The out-and-back nature along the viaduct over the Aurora Bridge was a little sparse in fans - and I am not sure it was the most scenic. I, like others, was totally heartbroken when I realized that there was a hill coming at mile 25. I found post-race stuff to be fine - but I am not a high-maintenance person. I met family and then headed back to the hot tub at the hotel. (Met great people from Montana and Bellingham, WA at the hot tub!) I did set a PR on the Seattle course by 6 minutes. I liked meeting Scott Jurek - WOW - at the expo. I plan on returning next year. I don't really like the green race shirt, but I really like the two shirts I bought when I registered - gray technical and black long-sleeve. | |
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D. M. from Oklahoma
(7/5/2010)
"R'n'R Seattle is a fun, summer marathon" (about: 2010)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was able to enter the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle even though it had sold out. Extra spaces were opened to runners of the Country Music Marathon, an earlier race that was cut short by bad weather. I was able to complete my first marathon here at this fabulous race. This race is so well organized that it's hard to believe that it is only two years-old. The race organizers really paid attention to every detail. Needless to say, the weather was much better than Nashville. In fact, it was ideal running weather. A few long and relentless hills make this a tough course, but there are many scenic sections to enjoy. Running along Lake Washington was eye-poppingly beautiful. Seattle in general is so beautifully green. Even though there were 27,000 runners, excellent organization and fantastic volunteer support made for a smooth race day experience. The race started on time, and the wave start worked efficiently. The Start Line Village was spacious and had hundreds of porta-potties. Here's a tip: The porta-potties along Interurban Avenue had very long lines; but if you followed the line of porta-potties to the very last corral (#39), the lines were much shorter. Instead of waiting for a half-hour or more, the line at the last corral was about 10 minutes. The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon is about the bands along the course. There were plenty of bands, and they joined in the fun. A shout-out to the two band members who were singing in the street and gave me a low-five . The numerous cheer squads added to the fun atmosphere. Course support was excellent, and the volunteers were enthusiastic. Spectators along the lake and in downtown were great. The headliner concert was part of the Finish Line Festival at Qwest Field. It was a great way to celebrate and enjoy even more music. This was my first visit to Seattle, and I will definitely be back. | |
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J. M. from Springfield, MO
(7/3/2010)
"Great Race; Needs a Couple Tweaks" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is a fine race with a lot of positives, and room for a couple of improvements. Course: This is neither a positve nor a negative, but I will say that this was among the hilliest of my 16 marathons, with a few long, gradual climbs and a couple of steep declines. That said, Tukwila was a nice place to start, and the run along Lake Washington and over the floating bridge is beautiful. Downtown, the tunnels, the out-and-back to the north, and the viaduct along the water were all nice. But they really need to eliminate the 3 mile out-and-back at the end. Couldn't we go to Mercer Island or through a park to make up the difference? The concrete, which is plentiful, especially toward the end, really gets to you, and the final hill is demoralizing... you head down it at 23 knowing you'll have to come back up at 25. This is, in my opinion, the biggest area for improvement. Organization: This race is extremely well organized. The expo is huge, and filled with great deals. Packet pick-up is a breeze. And we left with so many freebies that I was afraid I'd have to check another bag on our flight home. The shuttle to the start is well orgainized, but get there early. (We arrived at 4 and got on the first bus; would not want to be there at 5:30, though.) The start area is great - tons of bagels, fruit, and Cytomax, which is nice when you arrive at the start 2.5 hours early. The aid stations go on forever and are well stocked. One suggestion: why charge for runner tracking? I have never been to a race that does this. Complementary tracking makes for happier runners and family members. Fans: I will count the volunteers in this category - they are plentiful, enthusiastic, and well prepared. The bands are great, but my wife said they stopped playing by the time the later runners passed through. I felt as though there were lots of fans throughout, except for the viaduct at the end. One other point: while it is great to stay downtown near the finish, there are a lot of good hotels nearer the start that will save you a ton of money. At least one in Tukwila offered a shuttle to the start. We stayed at TownePlace Suites in Renton for about half the price of downtown; it was quiet and they even opened the door to the continental breakfast early on race morning. Seattle is a great destination with lots to do and see. You'll enjoy the experience. | |
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S. K. from Orlando, Florida
(7/2/2010)
"Poor course and scenery for Seattle" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This marathon course, especially being in a scenic city like Seattle, was very poorly planned. It was run mostly on concrete, and with a lot of out-and-back on the same roads and bridges. The runners around me were even commenting on how much better the asphalt felt the few times we were running on it. Seattle is a very scenic city, but the race didn't feature many of the best sites. The finish area was only adequate and organization poor, as few announcements were made and volunteers were not handy for information. | |
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A. R. from USA
(7/2/2010)
"Quality event... just fix the mile markers" (about: 2010)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I'll admit to being a bit surprised at the number of negative comments. Sure, the second half of the course was a bit dull, but I'm sure the organizers were trying to create a moderate course without too many nasty hills. To that end, they succeeded, but at the expense of "scenery." In terms of organization, I found no issues. Expo was large and packet pickup was relatively trouble-free. Shirt was nothing to write home about, but the green will add a touch of color to the running wardrobe. Unlike others, I had no issues with the shuttles. I walked right up, got on the bus and we were off! The first half of the course was quite scenic (and fairly flat), running next to Lake Washington. Crossing the I-90 bridge was a treat, offering great views of Bellevue and points east. Second half comprised a bunch of out-and-backs on WA 99, a state highway where they closed the Alaskan Way Viaduct downtown for us - impressive! Traffic control was top notch. Aid stations were numerous and well stocked. If I had to complain, many of the mile markers were off by a significant degree. Also, the post-race food was somewhat lacking (bananas, some granola bars, that's about it). The medal had a nice Seattle-oriented theme (coffee and mountains). The lack of spectators for an event of this size was a bit surprising. Overall, a quality event that I would recommend to others. A late June marathon is chancy no matter where in the Northern hemisphere it's staged, but the lack of other options at this time of year makes this race an attractive option. |
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