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Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.8 
Organization 4.2 
Spectators 4.4
Number of comments: 481 [displaying comments 361 to 371]
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A. R. from Atlanta, GA
(5/7/2004)
"Lots of hills, lack of organization..." (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 As I raced up from work in Atlanta on Friday evening to get my race number I get to the event and find a line that was out the door. This was the first marathon I have ever run on a Saturday and if you are going to run it then, at least keep the expo open on Friday night past 6:00 pm... The course had a few more hills than expected, but overall it wasn't bad. The cheerleaders and fans gave some great support, but overall I wasn't that thrilled with the expo and the post-race goodies. If you are in the area it's not a bad race to run, but I wouldn't highly recommend it... | |
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K. M. from durham, NC
(5/6/2004)
"Pretty okay I guess... expensive" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 So I didn't actually run the WHOLE marathon, instead jumping in to run the last 16 miles with a friend, but having run two smaller marathons and being involved in putting on a third, here are my comments: There is really no excuse for the morning shuttle problems. If there's a problem with too many people/not enough buses at the end of the shuttle window, do what they do at Big Sur and assign people shuttle times/tickets. The cheerleaders were great and the bands that did show up were pretty heroic given the early morning weather. The aid stations were well-distributed and seemed reasonably well-stocked and well-staffed. The fertilizer plant at mile 20 was a horrible course decision. People who have gotten to that point in a marathon do not need to deal with nauseating odors! The loop around the lake at Shelby park was also disheartening, especially after essentially running past the stadium twice in the last 7 miles of the race! On the other hand, I did like being able to see people on the out-and-back sections and the part by the lake was very pretty. Terrain-wise, it was a fairly decent course with enough contour to make it interesting, but not so much as to make it overly difficult. Overall, though, I feel that for the price and the hype (lame t-shirt, sad goodie bag, fairly weak post-race feed), the race fell pretty short, but if you're in the area and have the money, it isn't a horrible way to spend a morning. | |
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J. S. from Washington, D.C.
(5/4/2004)
"Leaders Of The Back May Have Tough Race" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The start was disorienting, with no signs posted as to where things were located. Biggest challenge was retrieving numbers. Unless you arrive by Friday before 6:00, you can't get your number. This creates a nearly chaotic scene at 5:00 am. Despite ad campaign to the contrary, we found this race very challenging. The course itself is difficult given the inclines. The absence of staggered starts led to severe traffic jams for the first ten miles -- expend tremendous energy trying to get around people. Certain supplies dwindled and some of the music faded at the five-hour pace. Good news: fans seems sparse, but they're extremely supportive. Med teams are good. Post-race expo was fantastic. | |
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C. S. from Seattle
(5/1/2004)
"Good, room for improvement" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Number One - Vast improvement of course over previous years, but still not generally PR material (and probably will never be, given middle Tennessee geography and time of year). Number Two - This marathon is suffering from half-marathon syndrome. I like half marathons, but the halfers have now taken over the first 10 miles of the course, with the common start. Spectators reflect this. Number Three - Cool medal, lame t-shirt, okay expo, okay post-race food. I was fortunate/lucky enough to show up on the expo on Thursday. Number Four - Rain was a bummer (2002 was a more fun start) but people kept their spirits up. The humidity is what gets me. Maybe move this race to March or October? | |
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j. m. from bowling green, ky
(4/30/2004)
"Weather AND organizational problems." (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I was signed on for the marathon, but settled for a half marathon training run. It was a terrible day weather-wise, and no one can do anything about that. Organization seemed to fall apart in the rain, however, and that has to be attributed to the management. I am a long-time runner and marathoner, so I would not complain if this was run by the local running club. With a professional group and a pricey entry, I expect more than this sorry show. Problems existed with the expo, parking access, busses, the start, the crowded course, and Gatorade on the course. I have done Nashville thrice because it is handy to home, but nevermore! Huntsville, for example, that I have also run thrice is twice the fun for half the price. | |
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A. B. from Franklin, TN
(4/30/2004)
"First Marathon" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I was at the expo Thursday afternoon to pick up bib/shirt/goodie bag and had no trouble getting around. I thought the t-shirt was rather nondescript. Shuttle was good from the Titans stadium but I was there at 5am so there was no line. Enjoyed the choice of food/drink before the race. Storm hit around 6am and sent everyone for trees as cover, although when lighting moved into the area we were moved to the parking garage. Met A. Miller who posted comments earlier (Andy, shoot me an email). Then we had a mad rush for the porta-potties before getting to the proper corral. I had to wait outside the corral until the race had started and then squeeze into the mix. No big deal as we walked until right up to the start line anyway. Took over 8 minutes from coral 10... (my chip would not register on start). With all runners going up West End it was crowded but not too bad; however, after the first mile and turning onto 17th and Belmont, it stayed very congested until mile 7 or so. I didn't mind because it forced me to start slow and I was enjoying the atmosphere. I had no real time goal so I guess that helped. I did have to dodge a large amount of walkers and others that were making mad dashes off the course to available porta-potties. I am glad I took care of that right before take off. It would be nice if the walkers would start in corrals towards the back, but part of the problem could be full and half-marathoners running together for 10 miles. The bands were good for the most part, the Belmont Church praise team was the best. I wish they had been in Shelby park at mile 24. Cheerleaders are a nice touch and the crowds were great during the first 9 miles or so, then again around 18 to 19... and of course at the end. There was a paved path along the river for a couple miles leaving at mile 15. The vertical drop at 15 to leave this path was a little rough on the knees. There was a mulch facility of some type around mile 20 that put out a strong odor. This was also about when the sun started to come out and make things sauna like. There are some hills to be sure, but I trained on them so they really didn?t seem too bad. The water stops worked well once I realized to skip the first table. The med tents were great and seemed to be working well in the later stages of the race. After the finish I had a bottle of water handed to me, went to the water spray and then took my medal and Mylar blanket. Food afterwards was o.k... orange slices/apples/bagels... muffins. My wife did complain of the lofty prices for food around the concessions. But I was enjoying my free 8oz beer, and basking in the glow of my first marathon. I did not go to the free concert but heard it was good. I live near Nashville so I was familiar with the area, the weather and had support from family along the way. This may skew my rating higher, but I sincerely enjoyed the event and look forward to next year. I do not have another marathon to compare. | |
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C. P. from Wyandotte, Michigan
(4/30/2004)
"I am a first-time 1/2 marathon walker" (about: 2004)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I trained with TNT since Nov. 2003. Am glad that I did best preparation I had. I plan to walk the 1/2 in September with better time. One note: should have informed us that there was a delay in start time due to rain. We all were waiting in line for the bus in the rain unprotected from the elements of the storm. Nonetheless, I wouldn't have missed it for the world! See you in September! | |
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J. K. from a sofa in my living room
(4/29/2004)
"Great Spectator Support, Great Fun! " (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The 2004 CMM was a lot of fun! Sure we got rained on, we fought through walkers for the first few miles, then it thinned out and we ran and I enjoyed the Nashville neighborhoods, river and park. The volunteers cheerfully helped out. Anytime you see two nuns in a golf cart and a little later a guy smoking a cigar in his bathrobe while you are running a marathon - you know it's going to be a good day. The hills? No big deal. The expo? No problem. I was there Thursday and it was empty. The bands? Lori Leigh and the Live Bait Band were jammin' when I ran by and they were set up on a truck in the mud. To ELITE RACING & Nashville: thanks for the enjoyable event! | |
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M. A. from Chicago, IL
(4/29/2004)
"Good race, reasonable organization" (about: 2004)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Overall, I was pleased with the CMM in Nashville. Reasonably well-organized. Pretty good water/Gatorade stops. Reasonable post-race area. Now for some specifics. The expo was definitely tight, and I was there at the opening on Friday, so I can imagine it was REALLY bad later in the day. On race day, the race start was delayed for about 30 minutes due to severe thunderstorms. I was pleasantly surprised that they wanted to protect us from lightning. Once the race began, it was tight, but obviously, the people who criticized the number of runners have not run HUGE races like Chicago! It never got so packed that I had to come to a walk, but the turn just past one mile was a little too tight... The water and Gatorade stops were reasonable, maybe light on the Gatorade side. The course was resonably tough, especially for someone coming from flat Chicago, but that's why I drove it myself the day before to check it out. I would have hated to run it if it was hillier (previous years). I am not a fan of up-and-back courses but it gave me an opportunity to check out the REALLY fast runners and cheer for them. The finish stretch was boisterous and fun... helpers were there to prevent me from falling down (thanks). The shower was a nice touch, though more Gatorade should be present. And my biggest complaint: NO POST RACE MASSAGE AREA! I asked for one, and was told that there was a place that I could go to get an upper body massage... PLEASE! I don't run on my hands... Crowd support was weak or non-existent for most parts (metrocenter), but I expected it to be like that in a smaller race. The high school cheerleaders were great. You show a little acknowledgement and they go nuts for you... thanks, girls! The bands were slow to come out from the soggy weather, but how many musicians want to get their stuff wet? Overall, I had a very good time, and I got a PR on a tougher than average course (for me). So not too many complaints! | |
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A. F. from nashville, tn
(4/28/2004)
"Not prepared for all the people!" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I think the course was great - challenging but not impossible, and the fans were fantastic! There were so many people and they cheered for everyone. My only problem is that the lines were long for EVERYTHING. It took forever to pick up my number, and the day of the race, we waited for over 30 minutes in the rain to catch a bus to the start. They should have known to use more buses. Overall, I really enjoyed the CMM. |
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