I think Elite did a good job organizing the event considering it was a first-time marathon. I enjoyed the flat course and the wide streets. This was the perfect time of year to be in AZ. I had a great time and even visited the Grand Canyon before heading back to PA. I only have a couple of complaints: 1. At a marathon site like AZ there should be water stations every mile from miles 15-26. 2. The delay of the start time was frustrating. 3. The area hotels were terrible about organizing transportation to the race. If it wasn't for the RnR, no one would have been in Phoenix that weekend. You figured the hotels would have been more helpful.

Although there were the above snags, there were plenty of good things. The finish area was well stocked, I loved the medal (best one I ever got) and plenty of fans. This was my second RnR and although the 'corporate' feel of the race (I feel like Elite is trying to suck every penny out of me) bothers me a bit, I would consider running another RnR.

Forget the few issues of transportation and port-a-potties. This was a fun event. Suggestions include more water during the latter parts of the marathon, and some shade at the finish. The course was not as flat as advertised, but who cares. It wasn't devastating. I thought the crowd support was great. The way the course was structured allowed for many good viewing spots--and I enjoyed comments from drivers going the opposite way. I'm planning to come back, and I'm bring a few friends.

For a first-time race, this was great. The expo was crowded yet fun. The two biggest problems were trying to get to the start line and the late start, but other than that, I enjoyed this race. The bands and the cheer squads were excellent and gave me inspiration when I needed it the most.

The medal was the best that I have seen. I am looking forward to a bigger and better race next year.

The race was scenic and quite spectacular, and my only disappointment was the medal. As I was running I saw people wearing cactus medals, so I thought how cool the medal was, only to learn that the cactus was for the 1/2 marathon and the full-coursers got a disappointing state medal. I loved the cactus medal and hope next time they give those to the marathoners as well.

I decided to do the 1/2 instead of the full, partly because the traffic was so bad that I didn't even get there until the start time, so I didn't have a chance to ready myself physically or mentally for a full. (Of course, had I known it would be delayed 30 min. I might have reconsidered.)

First, I agree with all the comments that it was a great effort for an inaugural event; however, certain problems cannot be attributed to that. Specifically, the fact that there was NO WATER until well past the mile 3 marker! This was a major problem for me, as I tend to limit my fluid intake at the beginning, so I don't find myself standing in the corral having to pee, then I load up on water at the first stop. Well, by the time I passed mile 3, what with the dry desert air, I was croaking 'water, water!' like a person crawling lost through the Sahara. So that pretty much blew my whole race, and I ran my slowest 1/2 ever.

Some things you can scrimp on, but you just can't mess with water stations! That, to me, was inexcusable. I will be questioning the exact location and spacing of water stops before I consider running this race again next year.

As for the rest, naturally there weren't enough porta-potties, but this is more or less to be expected at the Rock 'n' Roll series (I actually missed the gun at Rock 'n' Roll San Diego in June, after standing for over an hour in line for the potty -- which is one of the reasons why I limit my fluids at the beginning).

Lots has been written about the traffic, and I have to echo my concerns -- you would think this would be the first thing they would think about and plan for. It didn't help that the directions downloaded from their website told you to turn on certain streets that, it turned out, were closed off!

And the organization of bag pick-up at the finish was abysmal -- I ended up standing in line for almost an hour to get my bag. It was NOT like this in San Diego, where I had my bag in seconds, so they need to take a look at what went wrong.

On the plus side, the Arizona spectators were phenomenal! Thanks to all of the crowds who came out and cheered us on. And I gotta say the bands, at least on the 1/2 course, were a whole lot better than the ones in San Diego. Some of the bands in SD were so bad, and the speakers were so loud, that it hurt my teeth running by them. Here, they were actually fun to listen to.

The Goo Goo Dolls concert was fantastic! I must say, the Elite organizers do manage to get great acts for the headliners.

I do hope they pay attention to the concerns brought up by the participants, and fix some of these problems for next year. I enjoy the Rock 'n' Roll series, and would like to incorporate this one into my annual race schedule.

-- LeeAnne from Thousand Oaks, CA

The good:
This was my 2nd 'Rock and Roll' Marathon - did San Diego in 2003. They have a great format with the bands and cheerleaders lining the course. They also have their act together with the starting area, waterstations and finish area. But you would think that they knew how to deal with the pre-race transportation as well (see 'the ugly').
The specators were great, basically lining most of the course, as long as you would run in residential areas.

The bad:
The last 5 miles of the course were so booooooring! I would seriously consider turning this course around, starting in Tempe and finishing in downtown Phoenix, so you have some interesting surroundings when you most need them.
Also: raceday was too warm, but you can't really blame the organizers for that :-)

The ugly:
Transportation in the morning and parking at the finish area was a hell. Everyone got stuck in traffic, including the busses that were supposed to pick up runners.
When we finaly got to the bus, the line was so long that we knew we would never make it to the start. We finally went and stood in another line (but why did they have 2 lines so close to each other????) and got to the start just in time (start was delayed for about 30 mins).
When we were in the big line, volunteers promised that they had postponed the start and that everyone would make it. But I know for a fact that there were hundreds of runners that never made it on time!
They really should work out a better transportation plan for next year, because this year was pure chaos!

This was my 3rd marathon &/or 1/2 marathon since 9/2003 and I was impressed w/ Elite Racing's organization and crisis management. Regarding the parking/start -- no amount of urban planning or computer models could really predict the traffic flow getting to the finish line parking areas -- it was the FIRST race, they compensated for their error and did not start the race until all the shuttle busses had got to the start line. I ran the 1/2 M and disagree with those who complained about being treated like 2nd-class citizens -- I felt like having our own medals and finish area helped to distinguish the accomplishment of the half marathoners & not just get lumped in w/ the marathoners. (Ok, so I DID covet their popsicles... but we had jamba juice!)

Yes, the course was not that scenic, but so what --there's dead industrial stretches on the notoriously scenic Chicago Marathon course (so get over it!) I did feel that there should have been more water stations and 'real' water stations -- bottled water -- not water from a hose like at some of the stations. (however, on a hot day, the hose water tasted bad, but still worked!) Finally, as a slower runner, I was very appreciative of the fact there was actually food/drinks/treats after I crossed the finish line. I am sure this was also due in part of the finish line being split for the two races. I was aware of hell breaking out at one of the gear check trucks -- due in part to the volunteers staffing it not taking the time to organize the bags between the race start & the first of the finishers. Next year -- by race #, not last names, folks.

All in all, I had a great weekend away from the Chicago cold, a great race, and a fun time at the concert. I will be back in '05.

Good job. Just needs an early start and about 5 more water stops. But you did a good job. Thanks to the Goo Goo Dolls.

Hey great job to all involved, especially the volunteers. Who is not going to have some logistical problems with so many people coming together? Be thankful you have the opportunity to make it to the starting line. The delay at the start? Oh well, just got to talk to a few more people. But I am all for an ealier start. As a Florida runner the heat was ok, but earlier start would remedy that. The dry climate took a toll on me, so a few more watering holes towards the last 8 miles would help.

What energy and smiles the cheerleaders had.

I'm sure all the loose ends will come together for next year.

I thought that for a first-time event, this was very well done. I stayed in Tempe and got to the shuttle bus early, so I didn't have any of the headaches in getting to the race as is mentioned in many of the other posts. Granted, the 30-minute delay at the starting line was a pain, especially since you just knew it was going to heat up fast.

Fortunately, the sun stayed behind a few clouds for the early part of the race. When it peaked out, it certainly was warm.

I thought the course was good. The highlight was around mile 17-19 through the beautiful desert scenery (and up a mild but long - or so it seemed - incline).

The crowd support was superb. I think the cities of Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe really got behind this race. Lots of support and high fives. Enjoyed the music, too.

I was worried about the post-race recovery area at first. Seeing that there were so many people (at both the full and half), I thought it would be a madhouse at the end. The organizers did a great job at making sure the recovery area was well stocked and comfortable. However, once you left the secured recovery area, it was a madhouse. But, what do you expect with all those thousands of people.

I will do this one again without any question -- hopefully it will be 10-20 degrees cooler.