This was my first marathon after a lot of half marathons and triathlons. I appreciated the flat course, but it was otherwise boring and in some stretches a little depressing. Plenty of water stops, which was appreciated. The whole "rock 'n' roll" theme is lost on me - it just seems like a bunch of very mediocre garage bands blaring annoying music.

I thought the organization was good, overall. Start went very well. I was only about 3 minutes behind the official clock and I was all the way back in corral #7 (my wife had a less positive experience with the half-marathon due to the large numbers of participants). Finish line was well set up for the most part. Medals were nice. There did seem to be a shortage of bathrooms beyond about 8 or 9 miles.

This is really a good destination race because of what Phoenix/Scottsdale have to offer. Otherwise, I would probably not be excited about running this course.

This is a good, organized marathon if you are looking to qualify for Boston or PR. It's very flat. Not super-interesting vista along the course, but the field is a fairly decent size (5,600 runners) so you never feel alone. Mile markers 4 and 5 seemed to be off. Spectators are sparse, but the organizers ensured lots of organized cheering sections and bands along the way. Water stations were mostly two-sided and spaced about 1.7 miles apart with Cytomax available at every other station. Salt and GU were also handed out at one of the later stations. Temps were awesome: 40s to mid-50s. Expo was great, with lots of random non-running exhibitors and free samples. Race-day logistics were easy. We parked free less than a mile from finish and took a shuttle bus to the start in the morning. Lots of porto-johns, bagels, coffee, and H2O at the start. Start ambiance relaxed. Entered the corral 20 minutes before the start. The finish merges with the half and is very crowded, but who cares? You're finished! Medal was beautiful. Tee, technical. Stayed at cheap Homestead Suites by the airport, less than 3 miles from the finish.

Pros:
Flat course - good Boston Qualifier
Nicely organized expo
Lots of crowd support and themed aid stations
Finish line band and beer - great celebration

Cons:
Nothing to see on the course - BORING!
No GU until Mile 19?? Unacceptable!
Not enough toilets on the course
Bands each mile were lame, and not worth the trouble
Merchandise was not very cute

This was my first time entering a Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, and my first visit to Phoenix. The entire experience was as expected. I'm not a fan of the cheesy ads for the races, but it did rock. No details were less than expected. The city is clean and progressive; the course was flat and wide; the race was well attended; water stops were well stocked and very many volunteers staffed them; bands were good; entertainment along the course was good; and the expo was well done. Overall, it's the complete package!

This was marathon #12 for me. I ran in the inaugural PF Chang's in 2004. There were a few issues that year, mostly involving transportation, lack of coordination with some bands on the course, and areas with no crowd support.

I had not run a marathon in 5 years when I signed up for the 2010 race. Training went OK in the heat of the AZ summer, but juggling 2 toddlers and a full-time job ate into my training time. Came VERY undertrained - I planned on just doing the half until the morning of the race - but had a surprisingly fantastic time. The weather was perfect: in the 50's/60's and overcast. By 6 a.m., I'd arrived at the start from my hotel with no problems. There was little congestion in the corrals (only 6,000 runners did the full and the half was completely separate). Plenty of bands and the course support was wonderful; even in areas where there weren't a lot of volunteers, their support seemed truly heartfelt. Local high school cheer teams really made a showing.

The 1st year miles 22-23 went through Papago Park, which is pretty, but participants complained about hills, so now the last 5 miles finish with a net downhill turn into downtown Tempe. It's not gorgeous but it is fast.

If you're looking to do a first marathon or qualify for Boston, or just hoping to get back into marathons, as I was, I highly recommend this race.

(The only suggestion I have to the organizers, with the price of marathons increasing to $100+, is that they defer race entries to the following year if a runner can't particpate for medical reasons. I was unable to run in the SD R'n'R Marathon in 2006 due to pregnancy/childbirth, and my husband couldn't do the half this year as he broke his foot in an accident. At this rate, we can only afford one major race a year.)

This is my third half marathon, and I was irritated to find that the first two aid stations had no Cytomax left after only the first hour or so. We stood at the start for 45 minutes waiting for our wave to start, so we were far behind the start clock and they had run out by the time we arrived.

Also, the few bands that were there mostly were in between things or talking when we passed. It seemed kind of unorganized and unenthusiastic.

I read another entry above and agree it would be nice to have the route go through a more scenic part of Phoenix. The bridge at Mill is quite nice though!

These are my only complaints though. I loved the weather, the participants are wonderful, and overall the event was fun. Even though the Ctyomax ran out, the volunteers were WONDERFUL!! Thank you. I'll be back to do it again.

After reading many comments about this race, I would add that: This is a race, not a tour of the Valley of the Sun. Do that before or after the race. I have lived here all of my life, and Arizona is the best. The race is great, with the weather, course, and company of those who you are racing with.

The race is well organized and managed. Good aid stations. And Phoenix is a great January destination. The finish line is crazy. Too many people at the end areas (especially the half marathoners who get to the finish all happy - they need a separate full marathon place where the 26.2ers can get some special attention). And the course is pretty nice, but the route from 20-25 is pretty awful. Running through strip mall central with traffic on the other side is not fun when your body is dead. But, overall, a great event with good expo and transportation and aid.

This was a perfect event, in almost every respect, BUT for someone who travels a long distance, struggles in some manner, or is completing their first event, the last thing that they should hear (twice in one weekend) is, "Sorry, but we ran out!" No goody bags at the expo on Saturday after 3 p.m., and no medals for the last 150 or so participants.

I have run 30+ half marathons and I am always encouraging others to come out and participate. If I were successful this time, for this event, there may have been no medals hung on the participant's neck at the finish line to commemorate the successful completion of the race. As stated previously... THIS WAS A PERFECT EVENT, in almost every respects. However, the five teens girls who I saw struggling to cross the finish line because their friend was painfully dragging behind (and threatening to quit) needed to receive their medals at that moment to unify them in victory. Instead... that fifth girl probably incurred the wrath of her friends, and will vow to never participate again.

The "back of the pack" folks are often those who are overweight, injured, elderly, first-timers, or those who lack confidence. The medal is the symbol of completion, and "overcoming obstacles" to completion. Receiving it 2-4 weeks later is a bummer, to say the least.

I understand that some people register late at the expo, and that race organizers can be caught ill-prepared for these late registrants. However, I think that late registrants should have to wait (until 15 minutes after the expo ends to receive goodie bags and tee shirts, and until 15 minutes after the race to receive their medals), since they often throw off the count, and create the shortage of these commodities.

This was their 7th year; this race has hits its stride without any hiccups. Mild temps and thin cloud cover made it even easier. Water stops were well-manned, well-stocked, numerous, and consistent. Volunteers were exceptionally friendly. Mild weather brought out more spectators this year, as well as abundant pre-race coverage. Packet pick-up was a breeze; the expo had loads to chose from; race-day transportation was organized and efficient; the start line had plenty of bagels, coffee, bananas, and porta-johns; there was an easy drop-bag area and monitored corral entry, etc. As always, the race started on time. Bands and cheer squads were located all throughout. Streets are wide and flat, flat, flat. Separate half start and finish did not affect the full. Nice tech shirt for all registrants. Post-race had plenty of goodies, and the medal (very substantial) was cheerfully placed around your neck. For 27,000+ entrants (6,000 in the full, 21,000 in the half), it was handled quite smoothly. A definite winter stop for anyone looking to escape the cold. Great job, R'n'R!