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The San Francisco Marathon Runner Comments
Back to The San Francisco Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 3.6 
Spectators 2.6
Number of comments: 503 [displaying comments 291 to 301]
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g. l. from oklahoma
(11/13/2005)
"lack of water at water stops and poor crowd first " (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 There was not any water at the beginning because there were not enough people to hand it out. Surprised by the lack of turnout and lack of corporate support. | |
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T. K. from San Francisco
(10/30/2005)
"Huge Improvement Over Previous SF Marathons" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 As a San Francsico resident and avid marathoner, I promised myself I would only run this race once they put the Golden Gate Bridge back in the course - which they did in 2005. I've had friends race and watched it several times in the past, and have been disappointed that a city as great as SF could have such a poor marathon. The 2005 race was a HUGE improvement - the course, the organization, the attendance. Much of this is because of the affilation with Runner's World. The negatives: - Not enough porta-potties, especially on the course. - Not enough water, sports drink and post-race refreshments. Mixed blessings: - The 5AM start is tough, but necessary if the race is going to cross the bridge. It limits spectators and running in the dark isn't as fun, but it keeps the temperature perfect and crossing the bridge is awesome. - The combined marathon and 1/2 marathon start made things a bit crowded, but also meant that we had good pacers and company - at least in my section of the race. - The combined finish with the 5K meant that post-race area was crowded and there were lines for many items. On the other hand, there were more people cheering the finish and passing the slower 5K runners was an emotional lift. Now the positives: - The course layout was about as perfect as you can get for SF: the hills were minimized and in the first 1/2 of the course; it utilized the bridge; and starting/finishing on the Embarcadero is excellent. It is a lot faster course than in the past and than the Nike SF marathon. - A lot more participants than in past years (yes, it was crowded, but it was fun having company). - The pace groups were excellent - our's kept us on a 3:10 pace within a few seconds at each mile. Great job, SFRRC pacers! - The tie in with Runner's World helped promote the race within and outside SF. - Great swag: the tech shirts and hats are by far the best stuff given at a race: higher quality and better designs. Trust me, I've got tons of worthless t-shirts... - The weather was perfect. A few other reviewers complained about the fog - my question to them is: "Where else can you race a marathon in mid-summer that is not 80F and humid?" Besides, I thought the fog on the bridge was kind of cool.... If the improvements continue, this will quickly evolve into a world-class amateur race (it will never draw the top pros because of the hills and lack of prize money - which is fine with me). I definitely plan to run it again. | |
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D. L. from San Diego
(9/13/2005)
"not as good as last year" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 The San Francisco Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 This was my third sf marathon and I was really looking forward to the course changes. The problem was the organization was not up to the growth. The early water stations weren't ready, the early start, half and full all starting within 20 minutes was a bad idea. The bridge was too crowded to be enjoyable. The bands were gone. And the post race refreshment was pretty minimal. Bright spots - the pre-race course talk was great. | |
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Ray Tetrault from Kokomo, Indiana
(9/7/2005)
"There is room for improvement" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 I was looking forward to this marathon for months. There were some positives to the race, it was run in San Francisco, the views while running the course, the few spectators there really knew how to motivate runners. I was mostly disappointed with the bathroom facilities. It would have been nice to not take almost 15 minutes because of the lines. There were so few places to stop and go. The water stations were miserably manned. I stood and waited for a volunteer to open a water bottle and pour water into a cup?!? Yikes. I finally resorted to taking an entire bottle rather than stopping and waiting. The second half of the marathon seemed better, which is probably the result of the runners being more spaced out. The end of the race I walked around for 25 minutes trying to find something to drink and eat, but couldn't find anything at all. This was the most expensive marathon I have ever run in my life and was the poorest in terms of organization. After 25 minutes I walked to my car and drove to a restaurant. INEXCUSABLE! I would recommend roping a longer finish area and hand finish bags to every finisher. My shirt is not able to be worn as my XL shirt is more like a smaller large. It isn't close to an XL. So all I got for driving across the country was a medal, no shirt and no post race support. $96 poorly spent. | |
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R. K. from Aurora, Colorado
(9/3/2005)
"Fun race, needs better organization. " (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This was my first SF marathon and #10 marathon overall. I would come back and run this again. The start was not very well organized and the early water stops were very poor. No Cytomax and you had to wait for the water to be poured. The out-and-back over the bridge was a little disappointing as it was quite congested and was steeped in fog. It was kind of eerie to hear the foghorn blowing. The parts of the course in Golden Gate Park were quite nice and the hills while steep were not overly hard. The chocolate-covered raisins at mile 19 were a plus. Spectator support was a little sparse. I thought it was cool to run next to McCovey Cove and imagine all the boats waiting for a Barry Bonds splash homerun. The finish area was very crowded and I didn't even bother with the lines. Being able to have your picture taken at the finish line with a cable car as backdrop was a nice tought. The SF fire department put on a great show spraying their hoses in the harbor. San Francisco is a great city. Hopefully this event will continue to improve and become a world-class destination marathon. | |
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S. L. from San Jose, CA
(8/30/2005)
"Excellent Race" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and I had no expectations except to finish in a decent shape/time, which I did! :) I enjoyed the race, even the last few miles (cramping slightly from dehydration, a rookie mistake - I should have drank more). I underestimated the hills too. The race volunteers were mostly there at the right spots, though some water stations were crowded and disorganized at the early stops. If I can plan this race, I would probably close more lanes of the GG Bridge (kinda crowded on it) and pushed back the start time to 6am or later for better visibility - better photo opportunities for everyone ! :) And since this is the SF Bay area, I'm not surprised by the high fee and scarce finish-line foods & drinks. I liked this race overall and would run it again. | |
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J. R. from Atlanta
(8/29/2005)
"Would not recommend at all..." (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 This was my 8th marathon, and by far the most poorly planned. In addition to the confusing start (no corrals, or direction at all), there were NO port-o-potties along the course. I take that back. I saw a few and stopped at each, only to find out they were either pad-locked or had tie locks on them you'd have to cut. Having the marathoners finish with the 5K folks was a BAD decision... especially for the way the 'post-race runners' goodies' were set up. This was the most upsetting of all. After running 26.2 miles, the last thing a runner wants to do is to STAND in line (not just a line--a long, single-file line that wrapped around the street) for a sport drink, banana, Coke, etc. And oh, my! You'd get yelled at if you didn't let them check off on your bib that you received your one banana. Give me a break! All I want is to put something back in my system. You should have put one of each in the bag (yes, you had to wait for your empty bag as well) and checked off that the runners received what they should, if you didn't want anyone taking more than one. This is not one I recommend... definitely in need of a new race director! | |
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Aaron Gannon from San Francisco
(8/21/2005)
"Good Race, Bad Organization" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 The San Francisco Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I'm an SF resident and this was my 27th marathon, 4th SF Marathon. To date, this has been most poorly organized. I like to run the race with as few hassles as possible. A nice course is good and spectators aren't essential, but please don't make me suffer a poorly organized race. Especially one that costs $90. Here are some thoughts: - The early start was hard to get to. Why 5:30AM? If it's because of the GG Bridge, leave it out. Muni service doesn't start until 6:00AM, which is far too late to make the start. Many took cabs or walked (not an option from my neighborhood). - The start itself was a mess. Many were confused. Few organizers were on hand to direct. - The aid stations at the start were small and overrun and lacked sports drink. Also, in big races like this one, set-up should be consistent (water in front, sports drink toward the end). Someone should also be calling this out as runners approach. And if you hand out gel, make sure to do so before the water and tell runners to consume it with water. - The section through SOMA/Protero Hill is a tough way to end the race. I understand that it's better for traffic but couldn't it follow Geary back to Embarcadero? And the dog-leg around the park is really a hassle if not a bit dangerous for tired, crowded runners. - A little race promotion wouldn't hurt. I did an informal survey of peers, co-workers, and friends in the city and none knew it was going on. It should be a city-wide event like New York or Chicago. I've seen more spectator and civic support in small-town Scranton (great town!) than I do in SF and it's only because there's no promotion. If you were paying attention, I saw the same spectators over and over - meaning that they were family following the course. Very nice but we could do better. | |
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A. S. from Florida, USA
(8/19/2005)
"Not a disappointment." (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I was one of the early starters in the first half and was delighted to see the leaders whiz by me. All of us slower walkers/runners moved to the right. I saw none of the marathoners having problems passing. We cheered them on. The only surprise was the number and steepness of the hills - but then I'm from Florida. I loved the cool, the fog and the foghorn. It was a fun race. I was at the sidelines cheering the marathon finishers and thought the crowd could have been more enthusiastic. I sure was. | |
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Peter Seliga from San Francisco
(8/17/2005)
"Very well done marathon" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I thought this marathon was extremely well done overall. The layout of this course across SF was extremely well done, encompassing wonderful scenery, adequately challenging hills, and of course, the bridge. Staggered start went smoothly. It would have been nice to have maybe 1 more lane on the bridge, as it got a little crowded, but it was not impassable. Weather throughout the course could not have been better for a San Francisco day: cool but not too cold and no wind on the bridge. First two water stops didn't have electrolytes, but it seemed that they were a little short-handed, and it wasn't super necessary for me at that point in the race. The other water stops were very well organized. Expo and packet pick-up was very well done. Had no problems or confusion getting things together. I was surprised to see as many fans out as there were. The start line was packed with fans, which was surprising considering the 5:30 start time. There seemed to be more fans further along the course, which is understandable, also due to the early start time. Overall, I had a very positive experience at this marathon. Can't wait to do it next year. |
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