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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 361 to 371]
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D. S. from Seattle WA
(8/1/2005)
"New course bites" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 The San Francisco Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I have run this one 3 years in a row and loved the course in 2003 and 2004, but the start time of 5:20 AM is not worth running in a fog-covered bridge with no view whatsoever. The out-and-back along the coast from previous years was much nicer and makes the course less hilly. | |
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H. M. from New Jersey
(8/1/2005)
"The Worst Marathon I've Run" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 I'll be brief. This was my 13th and easily my least favorite marathon. Organization was abysmal. Water stops were understaffed. The bridge, though exciting in theory, ended nine miles of not being able to run your pace (because runners started wherever they chose). Food was hard to get post-race. The finisher's medal was over-hyped. And sadly, this is the first race I've run where I did not enjoy my fellow runners. They were totally unsupportive. Perhaps it's because they had the same experience I did. If this were my first marathon, I don't know that I'd run another. Please, do yourselves a favor. Avoid this race. Runner's World should be ashamed of themselves. (Oh, in case you think this may be bitterness because of a poor finish, I did beat my goal time by almost five minutes). | |
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E. S. from Phoenix Arizona
(8/1/2005)
"Over-hyped - So Sad for Such a Great Running City" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 Where do I begin...? Running up a narrow, crowded footpath from Fisherman's Wharf to the Marina District in the dark? Water stops only every 2 - 2.5 miles? Runners having to stop and wait for folks to pour Cytomax at a single table? Starting at 5:20AM guaranteeing a sleeping city? These marathon sponsors need to look how pros run a marathon, like the 'Rock and Roll' series of races. | |
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G. M. from Chicago
(8/1/2005)
"I enjoyed it, but..." (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This was my first SF Marathon. It was a good experience. The expo, packet pick-up, gear check, etc... was all well organized. Great volunteers all over the place, before, during and after the course. It's too bad that GG bridge was during the fog. They should have known better. It was quite a disappointment, and a real pain to run in such a tight corral. The hills were nasty, but what were people expecting? Come on -- it's San Francisco! I don't know what people on this board are talking about w/r to the water & Cytomax stops. They were all over the place, and were well stocked with refreshment and volunteers. I hated the no-man's-land part of the race towards the end. Why were we running around warehouses, and places where there was no crowd support at all? That is stupid. The early start time is no problem. We're runners. Get over it. Scharfenberger chocolate -- YUMMY! Crowd support -- pathetic. The people who showed up were great, but there were only 20 of them. No one in SF seemed to know that there was a marathon going on. Someone needs to do more local PR to get out the people. I liked seeing SF, running through the park, etc... It was an enjoyable experience. Thanks! | |
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j. j. from San Francisco
(8/1/2005)
"not runner-friendly " (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 A few things make this marathon less than desirable, despite the draw of the Golden Gate Bridge: 1. The beginning of the run is extremely crammed. The bridge comes very early in the race, before the field thins out. As a result, the bridge part of the run was hazardous. Only one lane for each direction, which meant thousands of people elbowing and trying not to get swallowed for the full length of the bridge, up and back, which is about 5 miles. Very hard to hold to your own pace in this race until mile 10. 2. At the water stations in the first half of the marathon, volunteers were filling up water cups but not physically handing them out. This meant big jams at the water table; you had to try to reach through the empty spaces between runners to grab a cup off the table. 3. By far the biggest disappointment with this course was all of the diversionary loops and right turns we made just to gain some additional mileage. I'm suprised that Runner's World is the sponsor of this race; I would have bet big money that the course was designed by non-runners. At mile 20, you know the finish line is east, but they keep sending you south, right turn after right turn, up hills, through the warehouse district of town, which is surprisingly hilly, completely devoid of people, and without a doubt the least attractive part of a city that is otherwise beautiful! It made the 'unwelcomed intruders' vibe all the stronger, that we weren't allowed to run on big, lovely streets, lest we disturb the natives. If they'd only sent us on big straight lines instead of snaking up through the city, trying to build up incremental mileage, this marathon would have been ten times better. 4. This I've never experienced before and never want to experience again: the post-race food booths were a half-mile from the finish, and they checked off on your race bib what food you took, so that you wouldn't try to take more. This meant I could only grab one banana, one Coke Zero (aspartame instead of sugar??), one... well, there wasn't much available beyond that. I live in this city and love to run its streets, but must say I'll never run this particular race again. It is no showcase for a city that is an absolute dream for runners who like hills. Try Big Sur -- it's so much more spectacular on every level. | |
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C. M. from Rochester, NY
(8/1/2005)
"I loved the bridge!" (about: 2005)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I ran the '1st' half marathon, started at 5 a.m., and this was my first trip to SF and I loved it! It's SF - I expected fog, mist and hills - that's why I came. The organization was excellent - from packet pick up to shuttle buses back. I only gave one star for spectators because there wasn't anyone out at 5 a.m., but that doesn't bother me at all. I can't wait for next year - nice job RW! | |
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I. M. from Los Angeles, CA
(8/1/2005)
"Amazing experience" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I honestly don't understand the comments of the folks below. The Golden Gate Bridge is a FANTASTIC addition to this course. It was amazing to see the red arches in the fog and very mysterious as they seem to come out of nowhere. The cool weather is the reason we come here to run in the summer. The folks in SF are so lucky to have the weather they have and it was perfect for running a marathon. The spectators were great, the course was by far the best I have seen. Great experience and fantastic time! | |
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J. T. from San Francisco, CA
(8/1/2005)
"Clueless organizers?!" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 This is San Francisco, one of the world's most beautiful cities and most popular tourist destinations. On top of that it's a very health- and fitness-minded population, and a climate which is ideal for running year round. You'd think we'd have one of the world's best marathons, right? Wrong. OK, you're never gonna be able to string together 26.2 perfectly flat, fast miles here, but that's not really that important. People flock to run Boston and NYC which are difficult courses, so they could flock to SF as well. In fact, I'm sure the topography is a big draw, as there are bragging rights associated with running these streets. Having not run my hometown marathon before, I decided to run this year's event which was said to have improved from having a new title sponsor. And granted, there were several changes from previous years and a huge jump in participation. Yet, the organizers continue to make baffling, unforgivable mistakes, and with enough of those you can easily ruin the event. The 20-min head start for walkers stands out as a complete disaster. What exactly is the point of making sure that when runners get to the first aid station it's enveloped by bulky, slow-moving bodies? Coupled with the inevitable congestion at Ft Mason when the course narrows to a bike path, and you've got the first taste of this runner-unfriendly event. The start time of 5:20am is another thing that makes you wonder what kind of amateurs are running this show. I understand that traffic closure permits aren't cheap or easy to get, but if it's a choice between running the GG Bridge at 6am and not running it at all, they made the wrong choice. No views, a treacherous slippery surface and a complete lack of crowd control. Another F grade for course planning. Spectators? I'm actually amazed that I probably saw 100 of them. Who gets up that early to watch a marathon with no elite runners? If you're not gonna engage the local population anyway, then why not move the marathon to a deserted location where you don't have to worry about street closures? Do some promotion! Half a million people come out to watch the SF Cycling Grand Prix every year, surely you can muster 10% of that for a marathon... if you try. As a participant, this event was a disappointment. As an SF resident, it was an embarrassment. I might be back when they've got new people in charge. | |
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S. k. from San Francisco
(8/1/2005)
"Where was the music and water?" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 My first 1/2 marathon in San Francisco (2nd half). I can't believe the lack of music along the course.... DJ's only (where were the bands?) only every 2 miles or so. And at more than one water stop, there was no water at all ready to go... had to wait for people to pour. | |
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C. K. from San Francisco, CA
(8/1/2005)
"Not as bad as everyone says" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 This marathon, in my opinion, was not as bad as everyone on this message board has said it was. Well, I guess that depends on what you are running a marathon for. If you were running for the enjoyment of a beautiful city then this marathon is not for you - the fog obstructs your view. If you are running for a cool t-shirt and good food then this marathon is not for you - although I didn't think this shirt was that bad. If you were running to drink water and sports drink at every mile then this marathon is not for you - and you should probably carry a water bottle. If you were running to see fans at every mile then this marathon definitely is not for you--there are not many fans at all. However, if you were or plan on running this marathon in the future as a personal challenge out of pure enjoyment of the run itself, running a tough course as a competitor, running for your personal benefit because you are internally motivated and love to run, then this course is for you. The course is difficult, the fog is thick, but the weather was nice and cool. If you want to enjoy the San Francisco scenery then take a trolley tour after the marathon. If you want a later start time, then be prepared to be practically blown backwards through the Marina Green and then off the Golden Gate Bridge by the morning/afternoon winds. Run this marathon because you want to run, not because you want to sightsee, take photos of the bride, get a cool t-shirt, or have a five-star buffet at the end of the run. And if anyone is wondering what all their money went towards - try finding out how much it costs to close down a bunch of streets in one of the most frequented cities in the world on a Sunday, to staff that whole process (non-volunteer city workers, etc), provide non-volunteer security (cops), and then see what's left over for t-shirts, medals, food, and all the insignificant aspects of the race, in my opinion. Personally, I didn't think this was the best course to run a great time in a marathon, but it was a challenge, it was fun, and I definitely enjoyed the run. |
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