This was my first 1/2 marathon and I had such a great time! The bands and cheerleaders were great, the water stations were faithful, and Phoenix did a great job with publicity leading up to the event!

There were only a few negatives. The drop off for the runners was a mess causing a delay in the start. More directions into downtown Phoenix need to be supplied. The other negative was that the corrals were too small. I was with a group of about 50 people that had to wait outside our corral until we started moving (which was not bad after all - everyone was squished in the corral). The 1/2 course was changed at the last minute which led us through the 'rough' neighborhood, but allowed for viewing interesting landmarks. I think these are minor things that I know will get worked out over years to come.

The spectators at the end really pumped me up and the volunteers did a GREAT job being so helpful! I am ready to sign up for next year's race!!!!

I had planned to run the full, but got sick and couldn't, so I did the half! I love running the full marathon, but running the half-marathon was awesome. The course was great and the weather was perfect!!!Those that are crying about the heat, try running in the teens or lower! Also at four thousand feet it is even colder when you are running!!! Arizona is for heat, so if you don't like it, go some place else!!!All the groups cheering were great - thanks for being there. :-)

I ran the marathon. Got to the start area about 6am, took off running at about 8:15am, and enjoyed every minute of the race. The course itself was great - an impressive tour of the Valley - the VOLUNTEERS were AWESOME, every single one of them (if you're reading this, thank you!) - and the fans came out in droves for the marathon and were enthusiastic and supportive whether they knew you or not.

Organization loses a star for 1) the delay at the start, which I barely cared about, and 2) Desert Mountain not winning the cheerleading championship - they should demand a recount... overall a great job by Elite Racing. This was my first Elite race and I look forward to participating in more of their events.

Can't wait for next year! Highly recommended.

Overall, the RNR marathon turned out to be the fun, relaxing, and enjoyable weekend I was looking for. The bands were great, the cheerleaders were adorable and energizing, the bag drop was easy (thanks UPS), the starting corrals were well marked and well monitored, the course was beautiful (in most parts), the on-course support was fabulous - good water/Gatorade stops, great volunteers, easy to find medical tents, and plenty of port-o-pots (I stopped 4 times and didn?t have a problem finding one), the finish line was pretty well organized (but a little crowded), the Popsicles at the finish line were much appreciated, the medals were really cool (both half and full marathon), and runners are simply the best people in the world.

As many have mentioned, the major snafu was transportation and a 30-minute delayed start (which was the result of poor transportation). First of all, the Biltmore Hotel (a supposedly ?official? hotel for the marathon) was charging guest $20 per person each way for a shuttle to/from the start/finish (there wasn?t an ?official race shuttle? from the Biltmore). This seemed outrageous considering the taxi cost $20 for up to 4 people! The Biltmore is nowhere near the start, finish, or expo so you have to cab it (or rent a car) to get to all the events. Maybe we should have realized this, but when the website says ?shuttles will be provided to the start & finish? we believed they would be included in our room fees. Anyway, we chose to cab it and so did many others - luckily for us, we made it to the start by 7:00.

As we anxiously waited in a port-a-pot line, the announcer indicated there had been a problem with the official race shuttle buses and that many runners were still en route, therefore there would be a 15-minute delay in the start. OK - more time to get through the potty line. We then got into our corral a few minutes before the start and just as we were locked into place we heard the announcer say that there would be another 15-minute delay because they were still waiting on the buses! OK, now we?re talking an 8:15am start on a day that is expected to reach 78. Not good!

After the race we walked a few blocks outside the race area to call the hotel?s cab company only to find out that they had been prohibited from picking anyone up near the race site unless it was at the ?designated? location (several blocks away). We opted to try calling another cab company (who we had seen pick up a few other runners). After about 30 minutes of waiting (and complaining) another female runner approached us and offered us a ride back to our hotel. She and her husband were from Chicago, had run the race (a PR that qualified her for Boston), and had a rental car. They said they had been in similar situations at other races themselves in the past where other runners had helped them out, they simply wanted to repay those people by helping us. Runners are the nicest people.

After an iced cold dip in the soaking tub, a few runs on the water slide, several minutes in the hot tub, and a few laps in the pool, we all showered up and headed out to dinner. Our intention was to eat, drink, and hit the concert. But we were a little tired and not ready to fight the cab situation again in order to get back to the university, so we skipped the concert. All in all we had a fabulous time and I?m glad I went. I?d definitely recommend the Arizona R&R Marathon but would advise you to stay near the finish (unless the Biltmore gets their act together on transportation, ?cause the pool & spa were fabulous).

Not perfect, but OK for a first-time race. I'm from the Northwest Valley, so I left my house at 5:20 to get to the race by 6:00. No parking problems then. The late start was problem, at least with temps the way they were (several degrees above the usual high this time of year). The headwinds were not pleasant, but you've never run in headwinds unless you ran last year's Vegas 'Thon! Course support was more than sufficient for me, and the post-race food was plentiful. Not a bad race, and it'll probably result in better times next year if the weather's better. I've done San Diego R and R the last 2 years, and the VA Beach Half twice, and I can only say that more big events DEFINITELY need to start using the corral system.

Yes, there was a lack of aid stations. The organizers have to adjust for dry desert running, which even on a cooler day takes much more water than you would think. But I didn't mind. As a Tucson resident, it was comfortable.

The bands were great, still the best idea in marathons in a long time.

The organization was stellar, except for the end. I didn't even mind the late start. However, drop bag pickup could not have been done worse. There were 20 or so UPS brown vans in a narrow lot, with 1000+ bags in each. The vans were sorted by last name, which didn't correlate with bag number, making pre-sorting next to impossible. The end result was reminiscent of Saigon at the fall of Vietnam. Each van was surrounded by a mob of a hundred or so pleading runners, each holding up their bibs to catch the eyes of the UPS workers. Occasionally, a bag would come sailing out the back of the vans to upthrust hands in the mob. The workers themselves looked a little frightened, as if we would bum-rush them and take our bags. Seriously, it was a third-world scenario.

But, other than my one hour in the packet pickup mob, my friends and I had a fantastic time. I will gladly enter next year's race. It's close to home, and all my runner friends from Tucson get together and hang out in Phoenix (aka LA minus ocean).

I had a really great time for my first marathon. I thought the course was really flat and nice. I didn't mind the late start too much. I am sure they will get that resolved in the next one. Otherwise it was very well organized. My chief complaint is with the Phoenix-area water they had at the water stops. It was awful.

From the moment we arrived on Friday we knew we were in for an amazing event. Even with the crowds at the expo, the late start and the hot weather (we had been training in 20-30 degree temps) the race was well put together. Yes, the delayed start was painful, but once the gun went off, it was great to have a pack that doesn't thin out in the first 2 miles and leave us middle-of-the-pack runners all alone for the next 24 miles. The spectators were all over the place with encouraging words and some pretty hilarious placards. The bands were great, the police were great and the medical personnel on the course as well as post-race were awesome. Great job Elite Racing, fix what needs to be fixed and we'll see you next year. And thank you Arizona, you've got a winner there.

Overall, I commend Elite Racing for their organization of a great race. The few minor glitches that everyone is talking about were definitely overshadowed by the great volunteer support, great scenery, and awesome turnout! Also, awesome job done by all bands on the course... YOU ROCK! The only thing I question is the grade of the course. They said it was flat and fast... mostly correct... but the steep incline at mile 19 was brutal. I can say that I will be back next year and for years to come!

Rodney Dangerfield gets more respect than half marathoners did at this event.

They promised a flat course, which it was, but they could have mentioned that the 1/2 marathon was 9 miles of industrial district... oh, the scenery.

After having done the inaugural Rock and Roll Marathon in San Diego, we expected the late start, but not what we found (or didn't find) on the race course. There were very few bands & even fewer water stations!

At one point where the marathon & half marathon were heading down the same street, (approx. mile 7) they had Gatorade on the north side of the street for the marathoners and waved the half marathoners off, telling us we had water 'down by the band', a half mile down the road.

Why not have a Gatorade/water station down the middle of the street for everyone?

As far as spectators go, the cheerleaders were all there was for support on this course until the last mile or so. There was one local group who blasted music out of their window for us on mile 11, which was a fun boost.

We had much better spectator experiences in San Diego where the locals lined the streets, sprayed you with water, blasted radios & even handed out cups of cold beer.

Maybe we would have had a better experience if we had done the full marathon.

San Diego was much better the second year, so hopefully Rock and Roll AZ will get it right in its second year as well.