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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 31 to 41]
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P. B. from Lompoc, CA
(8/6/2014)
"In a word...disappointing." (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I had never been to SF before, so I was really excited about running across the Golden Gate bridge. It was disappointing. Only one lane of runners in each direction, with the other lanes open to traffic. Not foggy, but the view was blocked by the large sidewalk, the need to avoid tripping on various road elements, and people taking selfies every 50 yards. I've run several big-city marathons, and I enjoy (and need) the crowd support. There was virtually none, especially in the crucial later miles. Likewise, there was almost no music. Seems the city views this race as an inconvenience. Again, disappointing. The course was quite challenging. This should not be a surprise, even though the official race site tries to soft-pedal it. Very hilly. Tough but fair. They did this weird thing where they periodically re-routed runners around a different corner of a block. This would've made it tough for spectators hoping to view their runners; however, there weren't any. Disappointing. This seems a concession to the city to avoid blocking traffic. More disturbing were reports of runners in the 5 and 6-hour time frame trying to get nourishment and find their way after volunteers & marshals had vacated their stations. I would not recommend this race. Go somewhere you are appreciated instead. | |
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f. k. from New York, NY
(8/4/2014)
"Last SF Marathon for me" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 The San Francisco Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 This is my second time running the SF Marathon and my 19th marathon overall. The course runs through the Embarcadero, Fishermans Wharf, Ft. Mason, the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park and around ATT Park. The Good: Great course and the view as you cross the bridge twice for the out and back segment. Expo was well organized and in a better location than 2012 (there was parking and two free shuttle buses). There was an extra lane buffer separating the runners and oncoming traffic on the bridge. Great volunteers. The Bad: Even after running in 2012 and amping up my training by running more repeats but the tiny incline as you exit the Gold Gate Park was my Waterloo. The incline was barely 20 yards, but the combination of hills and descents along with the sun was the perfect storm. There were limited mile markers along the course. Many were spray painted on the ground, which is basically useless, and I only saw a few mile marker signs along the course. There were no time clocks at any of the placemats or any of the mile marker signs. So bring your GPS watch. Almost no crowd support through most of the race. The Ugly: They served Nuun and ran out by mile 16, forcing me to buy a Gatorade at mile 19. Nuun does not have any carbs which is horrible for marathoners. The cups at the aid stations were the size a dentist office would use; i.e. tiny. I dont really care if there are crowds or mile markers as a sole basis of a marathon, but I will NOT be back until they serve Gatorade or Powerade throughout the race. | |
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R. S. from Paso Robles, California
(8/1/2014)
"Goodbye Nike, Hello San Francisco Marathon!" (about: 2014)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I decided to sign up for the San Francisco Marathon after following several runners with 2013 TSFM shirts at CIM last year...it was the golden gate bridge logo that sucked me in! ;) I've run the Nike marathon/half marathons in the past so I was expecting something similar...cool weather, a chaotic start line, and a crowded course and aid stations. What a pleasant surprise....The San Francisco marathon was incredibly organized and despite being a little crowded getting to the start...the waves were well spaced and allowed for plenty of room to run without having to continuously dodge other runners. The loop course is phenomenal...the golden gate bridge being a highlight as it takes you through this beautiful city. Golden gate park seemed like it would never end but once it did, and dropped back down into the city, the change in scenery helped the miles fly by...ok maybe not fly, but mile 20 wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Race directors alternated streets to allow for better traffic flow (so that got a little old towards the end) but in a city that large, I still felt privileged to be participating in an event that was so well thought out. The spectators were a little lacking, but I run a lot of little races, so that wasn't a big deal. It was warm that day and the aid stations were having a hard time keeping up...I wore a fuel belt so I didn't have any trouble, but my husband ran the second half and said he had to wait a while. I do wish they would have offered a little more water at the finish line. My one carton wasn't nearly enough and I'm not a big fan of coconut water. We were looking forward to the free beer at the finish line, but the lines were so long, we just walked down the street and bought one instead! The medals are gorgeous and the shirt fit perfectly...(I plan on wearing mine to CIM!) As far as marathons go, I can't think of a better place to go run 26.2 miles. No I wasn't that speedy (finished in 4:18), I didn't get a PR or qualify for Boston...but I enjoyed every minute (save a few at mile 24 ;)) of this very enjoyable course. | |
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M. R. from South Carolina
(7/31/2014)
"Great course; please address aid station 'desert'" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 The San Francisco Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Overall, it was a great experience running the SF Marathon for the 3rd time. This is the marathon to run if the following factors are important to you: 1) a beautiful course in a world class city that provides you with unique, varied scenery throughout the race; 2) a challenging, hilly course that requires smart training and race day strategy to avoid a late-stage meltdown (still didn't quite nail it in my 3rd attempt, but getting closer); 3) a summer marathon where you can count on mild weather conditions. Do NOT run this marathon if the following are important to you: 1) attaining a PR or BQ; 2) large, cheering crowds; 3) extensive course support. I was surprised at the sparse/uneven spacing of the fluid stations along the course. I get that it's a logistical challenge in the early miles with the Golden Gate Bridge making it impossible to space the stations evenly, but it was incomprehensible why there couldn't have been more support in the mid/late miles. In particular, there was a fluid 'desert' with only one station between miles 16-21, and that station had water only; no sports drink. By the time I got to the station at mile 21, I was downing sports drink like a camel - been a long time since I've been that thirsty on a run. Really, a stupid 'unforced error' in an otherwise well-organized race. I must admit I didn't notice this problem in earlier years, but it might be because this year was warm/humid (for San Francisco) and I was pushing harder than in years past. If you are a heavy sweater, my advice would be to run this race with a fuel belt until race organizers address this problem. One significant improvement since the last time I ran this race was the relocation of the expo to Fort Mason - much, much better than the old, overcrowded space where they used to have it. Also, they seem to have gotten the starting waves down to a science - less weaving between differently paced runners in the early miles than most races of this size. | |
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D. B. from Houston, TX
(7/30/2014)
"Great course, but very quiet for a big city race" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Let's start with the good...this race has a pretty spectacular course. There are few major cities in the country that can offer better scenery and views. Running across the Golden Gate is wonderful, and you get some great views. The course is fairly challenging with a number of climbs in the first half. It rolls a bit more in the second half, but does have one quad busting downhill section in the 19-20 mile area. The course is a nice break from the pancake flat fare you get in some other cities, but is not the most friendly if you want a PR. The race is pretty well organized. I had no wait to pick up my race packet at the expo. The expo is OK, not bad but not great. Where this race disappoints is in the total lack of support or enthusiasm from the city. In most major cities you know when the marathon is going on. Not so in San Fran. There are no banners or signs. Spectators are non-existent, likely due to the 5:30 AM start, but also probably due to the city not really being interested in this race. If you like running for large crowds and cheers you will feel alone on this course. The race organizers really need to try and drum up some support from the locals, otherwise this race can never compete with other big city races. | |
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J. M. from Houston, Texas
(7/29/2014)
"Scenic, but tough on the quads!" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Make no mistake, this is not an easy course. I suppose everyone knows that, but do yourself a favor and take the hills seriously. The first 19 or so miles is pretty scenic and interesting. I wish more people would have come out to cheer; kudos to those that did. Boo to those that honked or yelled for 'closing our streets' - whatev. My only real complaint is the lack of electrolytes after mile 17 or so - it was only water. At one point, even the water didn't go well as they ran out of cups. Oh well. Hazards of marathon running, I guess. If you want to run a super challenging marathon with great scenic beauty in an amazing city, I say go for it. | |
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N. M. from United States
(7/29/2014)
"Slower runners treated like dirt" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Difficult course ran out of GU and electrolytes on a very hot day. Expensive for no nourishment on the course. Slow runners, suffering from lack of nourishment do not get to cross the 'official' finish line. Will not run there again! | |
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James Joyce from NJ
(7/29/2014)
"Great course but lacked support" (about: 2014)
1 previous marathon
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was my first marathon so everything was a new experience. Some of the positives: The course gives you a great tour of San Francisco. You get to run down the embarcadero, over the GG bridge, and by ATT park. Also, the volunteers were very helpful. Negativess: The app didn't work very well and made it hard for people to track you. Also, probably due to the 5:30am start time the fan support was less then I expected. (that being said everyone who was out there cheering us on Thank you!). I will be back to do this marathon again though. Running over the golden gate bridge was amazing. | |
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S. H. from Atascadero CA
(7/28/2014)
"Unfair Outdated Rules" (about: 2014)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 While the course itself was beautiful, challenging and fun I am extremely disappointed with the outdated rules of this race. It is unfair to hold the top 3 runners of the overall race to a different standard than the other thousands of participants. I think it's time to re-think the rule of counting gun time ONLY to determine the top 3 male and female finishers and then determine the placement of the entire rest of the race placement on chip time. Why should the top 3 be held to the standard of a foot race when the Corals/Waves are so huge? And if this is the case, participants who have an estimated top time should be required to be in the Elite wave or very front of their Wave. It is very disappointing when we all train so hard for a race and not to get the recognition we deserve (not to mention pay so much to run a half marathon). The fastest runner of the race should get recognized as the top finisher. Period. Recognizing the person who crosses the finish line first defeats the entire purpose of a chip timer. I understand where this rule came from, I've researched it, but come on SF Marathon I think it's time to reconsider this. My review is based on this unfair, outdated standard alone. My only other complaint was perhaps the First Marathon starting at the exact same time as the Marathon. This made for a very crowded beginning and extremely full Waves (yet another reason why basing awards on Gun Time is not realistic). It was very difficult in the first 3 miles to get around all the marathon pace groups. You can bet I won't be paying $120 to run a race again where I don't get recognized for running it the fastest. There are plenty of other half marathons out there who will actually give participants the recognition they deserve for all the hard training that was put in. | |
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G. S. from California
(7/28/2014)
"Blah? Fine, but wouldn't do it again." (about: 2014)
2 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Not as pretty as you might think. Mixed organization: they pulled off a big race in a big city, but portta-potties, flexibility of organizers, nutrition (promised one kind of nutrition at aid stations, but actually provided another), mile markers - all kind of disappointing. But maybe my expectations were high. Sparse / sparing crowd support. |
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