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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 71 to 81]
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B. L. from Seattle, WA
(6/27/2010)
"Disappointing Course with Several Out-and-Backs" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Being from Seattle, I knew there were going to be hills, which there were, but they weren't as bad as they could have been. The 3 locations where you go out a few miles and then turn around at a point were really annoying. The last 4 miles of the marathon were the worst; you passed the finish line and had to run out to a point and go up a hill at mile 24 through 25 - in an industrial area, with little to look at. Very little crowd support for the marathon. The bands were average, but were more for the half marathon anyway. The full got mostly high school cheerleaders from mile 15 on. Disappointing race. | |
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k. h. from Boulder, Colorado
(6/26/2010)
"Ugliest shirts and long lines for the porta-potty!" (about: 2010)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 These were the ugliest t-shirts I've seen, plus they were all men's shirts. Had I known, I would have ordered an extra-small. But even then, I'm not sure if I would have worn them. I usually love my race shirts and look forward to collecting them. What a letdown. And then those porta-potties - I waited for almost an hour in line and almost missed my starting line. The course was nice and the weather was great. The bands and the cheerleaders were great. | |
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J. S. from US
(6/17/2010)
"Pretty city; unattractive course" (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 With all of the scenic routes they could incorporate, they missed the boat. Only redeeming part was along Lake Washington Boulevard and I-90. The start was not accessible at all. We carpooled, but traffic wouldn't allow us to make it to the start, so we had to run from the freeway to the start. A new start location would be helpful, and tweaking of the course - especially the out-and-back at the end - because it was very unattractive. | |
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D. M. from St. Paul, MN
(6/13/2010)
"A top-flight marathon" (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The 2009 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon was one of the best marathons I've run. It ranks right up there with Boston, NYC and Twin Cities. Excellent organization for an inaugural event. Great start line and finish area. The expo was the typical R 'n' R expo, but next time I would go there by bus or taxi. It was too difficult to drive and park at the expo hall. I would have like to have gone to the post-race concert, but the venue was located far away. The weather was spectacular, and the point-to-point course was scenic. Somehow I missed seeing the Space Needle during the run, although other runners told me we ran by it twice going up and down Aurora Avenue. The last out-and-back was mentally tough. It required running past the exit ramp to the finish line. Overall, a great race experience. Definitely recommended. | |
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Mick Whitehead from Normandy Park, WA
(1/11/2010)
"Challenging, Scenic, Well-Run Race" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The inaugural Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon was the well-run event one would expect from the company that puts these races on nationally. Many cheerful volunteers at check-in and along the course, a good number of toilets at the start, lots of water/Gatorade locations and plenty of entertainment on the entire course. The Seattle setting did not disappoint, with the beautiful views of Mt. Rainer, Lake Washington, the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound, the downtown area, and the many enthusiastic spectators throughout the course. The route itself is a good, safe one (few major street crossings) through a big city, with the many scenic highlights already mentioned. It's a tough pull the last third of the course, but it makes it that much sweeter to finish. I don't normally run races in the summer, or repeat them, but since it is a "local" race for me, the temps are generally moderate (on race day it was slightly warmer than usual so hydration was important) and I really did like the challenging course, I'd run it again. | |
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r. g. from Oregon
(12/7/2009)
"Very Efficient Aid Stations" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is a fun summertime destination marathon if you want somewhere to go. The course was nice, except for those last few miles where you run past the Qwest stadium (finish) and see everyone else heading in as you run away from it. I was impressed with the efficient organization of the aid stations. The gels were provided a few hundred meters before the water stations, so you had your hands free to suck gel, then got liquid to wash it down with. Why can't other marathons do that? Also, the volunteers had rakes to get the smashed cups out of the way of the runners. The aid stations were on both sides of the course and stretched forever; after I figured this out, I knew I didn't have to rush to the sides to get a drink, and the flow of the race was barely interrupted. In a big race, that's saying something! | |
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J. O. from San Leandro, CA
(8/9/2009)
"fun inaugural run" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 + Weather was great. + It was clear enough that you could see Mt. Rainer! It was beautiful while we were running down the highway/bridge thing toward Bellevue. + Rock 'n' roll! I enjoyed listening to the music, especially the cute kid who set up his own little amp outside his parents' house and was rockin' out. + Good water/hydration stops. + Awesome t-shirt/expo, with all kinds of free stuff (who doesn't like free stuff?). - Lots of out-and-back running, where you see everyone on the highway. I prefer loop courses because I like to feel like I'm going somewhere new instead of seeing the same thing. - Not too many people cheering you on, especially on the highway sections, which there are a lot of (perhaps more people will be out to cheer on runners in future years since this was the inaugural race?). - No music during much of the first 10 miles, because it's through a residential area. - It was hard to coordinate where to get picked up at the end, and there was lots of traffic (I had a wedding I needed to get to at 1 p.m. after the marathon). Overall, it was quite enjoyable. I love running and talking with fellow runners, but I love running in general. I made it to the wedding on time (I got ready with 5-minute shower, a quick change, and a jump back into the car). I'd recommend it. | |
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K. L. from Covington, KY
(8/1/2009)
"The Best Summertime Marathon Around!" (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Summertime marathons are hard to find, but Rock 'n' Roll Seattle is a great one. I think it was the anticipation of a new marathon, the natural beauty of Seattle, and the flawless organization that combined to produce one of the best running experiences I've ever had. This race left me with such a genuinely good feeling that I can't wait to come back. As other reviews have noted, the race isn't perfect. The last 10 miles of the marathon essentially constitute a giant out-and-back on a highway. The concrete road surface will leave your feet very sore. The number of bands and cheerleaders were sparse after you left downtown. However, I am tired of complaints from people who enter a big race and expect small-race conveniences. For example, anytime there is a shuttle to the start in a mega-marathon, don't wait until the last hour to board or else you will get stuck in a long line or a traffic jam. This point was repeatedly emphasized in the pre-race instructions and newsletters. We arrived early enough (4:45 a.m.), rode right to the start, found a comfortable place to sit, used the porta-potties and waited for the race to begin. Less than an hour later, a huge traffic jam developed, created by all of the cars dropping people off. Also, when you arrive at the start, do not go to the first porta-potties you see. There will be huge lines. If people walked around to the corrals, they would have seen a couple of hundred porta-potties with much shorter lines. | |
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C. K. from Arizona
(7/16/2009)
"Good for inaugural event - but needs improvement" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The expo and race were fairly well organized for an inaugural event. Two areas for improvement: !. Running the half and full together made the course very crowded, despite the wave start. As a "full" runner, I was dodging around the "half" runners, who were rather large and tended to run together in a line across the width of the street. The other area for improvement was the proportion of the course on the freeway. And please, please, change the last 1-2 miles so that runners don't have to face the psychological factor of running past the freeway exit to the finish area and having to run an extra mile before actually being able to exit to the finish, and running mile 25 uphill. On the positive side, Seattle is a beautiful city. | |
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N. S. from Ann Arbor, MI
(7/13/2009)
"My favorite Rock 'n Roll" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Every once in awhile, a race comes together so perfectly that you feel luck to have been there. Rock 'n Roll Seattle had one of those days. There was so much energy on race-day. The bands were great. The cheerleaders were especially enthusiastic. The fans in downtown were raucous. The weather was perfect, and the course was beautiful. I would have been perfectly satisfied with the gorgeous view of Mt. Rainier and Lake Washington, but to see a bald eagle on the course was over the top. This event was very well organized. Course support was outstanding; thank you, volunteers! I've been running the Rock 'n Roll races for nearly 10 years, and Seattle ranks as the best. |
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