I ran the half but can't find a web site to blog on, so here I am.

Good: Beautiful course, Loved the Tiffany necklace with fire fighters :), warming blankets and warming tent were great, food and water was plentiful, San Fran was wonderful, will probably do it again but with lower expectations of the race organization

Bad: start (really, really bad), very crowded, needs wave starts, no signs for bag drop off, we were told at the Nike expo we would get a purple long sleeve shirt - wrong info, socks on expo display were not at Nike store as told, nor at Macy's as told, finally found at Lady foot locker, expo was very loud, would rather have my packet sent to me or picked up somewhere else, I don't FB, so no info on race could be found

I ran this marathon, despite the mixed reviews from previous years, solely for the Tiffany necklace. I went in with low expectations and I think that's the way to approach this race. If you're a first time marathoner/half marathoner or just want to run this with a group of friends, you'll think this race is great. More experienced runners will probably want to pass this one over (unless they also just want the Tiffany necklace). The race is just one giant marketing tool for Nike and it's geared towards selling Nike products and increasing Nike's social media presence as much as possible.

The good:
- The necklace. It won't be the cutest piece of jewelry you own, but you earned it and can wear it with pride.
- The course. I actually really enjoyed the course and somehow managed to run both a personal best and Boston qualifying time. If you include hill work in your training, the hills will be a welcome mix for your leg muscles. I did find the couple of miles around Lake Merced (esp the part where we were running next to cars) not very pleasant, and the hill up mile 12 right when you split from the half marathoners is long, lonely, and probably the hardest part of the course.
- the energy on the course. While spectators were pretty sparse after the marathoners split off from the half marathoners, there was some great support along the course, with a gospel choir, cheerleaders, break dancers, and my favorite, the drum band around mile 22 or so.

The bad:
- the expo. Not only was it pretty lame and useless (no energy gels for sale, no cool products to check out, just Nike swag available for purchase and a few free samples of Luna bars), but the line to pick up race packets was wrapped around the block. Nike, either limit the number of people in this race or get a bigger venue for your expo. I've NEVER had to wait so long to pick up my packet.
- rude staff. I went to an info booth at the expo to pick up an extra course map for my husband and the staff member working there refused to let me have a map and snapped at me that there was a map in my race bag. Another staff member at the end of the race was yelling at finishers about the spectator buses. He was rude enough that a number of women were commenting on it as we stood in the extremely long bus line.
- kind of nitpicky, but the water cups on the course had maybe 1-2 sips of water in them. I had to take at least 2 cups at each station to get enough fluid in me, particularly if I was taking a gel then. Just fill up the cups a bit more, please.

The downright ugly:
- the shuttle buses to take participants back to the race course. Nobody was directing people on where to stand in line for the shuttle buses, so it was chaos. It took me an hour and 45 minutes from when I got in line to get back to Union Square.
- the race website. Probably the least informative race website I've ever seen, and I hate that it's a Facebook page. I don't want to have to check your darn Facebook page every day just to make sure I don't miss a post with some information.

This was my second half marathon and it was super fun! I do have a few complaints though. The start NEEDS corrals. There are way too many people at the beginning and it is mass chaos (more so than any other big race I have done). There also needs to be a separate start time for walkers. I was passing walkers for at least 6-7 miles and it made for a jumbled path. The spectators were great though and kept me going! Oh...and train well for those hills, they kill ;)

Course-

Having been to San Francisco many times before, the hills in the Presidio/Richmond/GG Park were not surprising. The second half with the loop around Lake Merced is not fun. But then I doubt the miles in the 20s ever are.

**There is a terrible bottleneck at about mile 5 as everyone goes up a very narrow hill in Ft. Mason. Either get way out front or plan on walking this ~150m hill. Organizers should look at changing the course for the size of the race.

Organization-

If you want to go to a race to buy your Nike gear instead of shopping online or going to Niketown, you're in luck!

Starting area around Union Square is a mess. Bag check and corrals for starting are a real mess. Nike needs to get with it and do this right. It may be hard to close streets around Union Square, but this just needs to get better. Organizers, if you can't get the space to do it right, move the race start!

Race benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (TNT). Though it seemed like they were everywhere, only about 1/5 of the runners were from TNT (5k out of 25k total). I had a TNT coach check on me as I was struggling around Lake Merced though I was not with TNT...really appreciated that!

All sarcasm aside, Nike gets it right with the Tiffany finishers necklace from SF firefighters. It would be nice to see more food/beer for sale at finish since there aren't many great food places in walking distance.

Spectators-

Better than San Francisco Marathon in July which I've also run.

I am a Team In Training Coach and have been to Nike one time. The reason you are passing a lot of walkere is because some of them started a hour earlier. Most coaches told them to watch for the runners and stay to the outside of the road. But we can only tell them that. The TNT Coaches are out there to help there runners or walkers. For many this is there first event but they are well trained unlike other first timers that do not train or hydrate like they should.

First of all, the vistas in this race are beautiful. The expo was somewhat disappointing, no typical expo stuff available(ie gels/spibelts/etc). Only NIKE products. I finished this race at 4:09 and the only thing left at the finish was a bottle of water and a bagel. They were out of everything else. Very frustrating. If you are going to run this become a NIKE plus member and track your training runs. There is an awesome, posh, area at the end with food, cocktails, heaters and posh seating. The one thing I have to say is the energy at this race is amazing...Niketown was like a giant party before the race. One last comment, be prepared for many inexperienced TNT runners/walkers that do not know race etiquette. (ie stopping in the middle of the first mile, walking in the middle of the pack, stopping to take pictures). Am I glad I did it yes...will I run it again. No.

I didn't read the reviews for this race until after I had registered, otherwise I probably would not have signed up. At least I had plenty of time to lower my expectations.

Bad: Poor organization overall from the corrals to the bag check to the finish. I don't know if the corrals were not clear to the majority of the runners but the 9 minute mile corral was mostly walkers?!? I didn't like having to keep up with which bus I left my drop bag on, the changing tent was tiny and a mess, no food or beer at the finish - but they did have a HUGE Nike tent to shop in. Probably 80-85% of the runners in this marathon are first time TNT runners. The TNT coaches were out in the middle of the race course making all of the runners run around them - not really a big deal but not very respectful to the other runners. At least cheer for me if I have to run around you.

Good: The course was beautiful with breathtaking views. The Neutrogena facial station was great, as was the the chocolate milk. Also, I liked being able to walk in the cold ocean to help with swelling/recovery. I was able to follow up the race with a tour of wine country which was a nice treat. As for the necklace, it's eye catching - I get alot of questions about it.

Considering I had to get on a wait list to get into this race, I seriously doubt the organizers are motivated to make any improvements. If you can deal with the lack of organization, do the race. If it's going to ruin your day, try Chicago (a week earlier) or Memphis the same size).

I rarely say that about many races. This was my 57th marathon, and yes, I ran it mainly to get the Tiffany necklace. I entered the lottery as a lark, not really thinking I'd get in, as I had tried two times previously unsuccessfully. Also, this was about 3 weeks after I completed my first half Ironman, so timing-wise, it probably wasn't ideal.

The Expo was really odd. I expected one more to the likes of other large marathon expos I'd attended, but when I gave it some thought, I guess it WAS sponsored by Nike. LOL.

However, I loved the race. The first half of the course was challenging, but gorgeous. The energy was amazing. I loved the drummers, especially and the view of the Golden Gate was spectacular.

It would be nice for it to be a loop instead of a point-to-point course. $20 for a bus ticket back felt a little like extortion, since there were few choices. I did have to move my flight since I realized there was no way I would get back to my hotel in time to make it to the airport.

But, that aside, I loved the experience.

I feel the need to comment because, as many other runners stated, this was one of the most poorly organized races I have ever run. That being said, I ran the race simply for the Tiffany's necklace, after having read all of the negative comments from years past. I could lie and say I hoped Nike would make improvements, but, frankly, I'm not a big supporter of Nike in general and should have stuck to my guns. And, I hate to be the one to say it, but the necklace is not even that great. It is small, boring, lacking in detail and says NWM in giant letters. Sure, lure me to the race for the necklace, put your company's logo all over it, then fail to deliver any quality whatsoever.

The worst of the bad: small, lame expo - no gels, even for purchase??; crowds at the start were downright dangerous - we almost got trampled and had to actually step out of the way to let another runner's family members OUT of the corral area!!!; runner etiquette - Portland is a walker friendly race with a good number of participants and runs very smoothly, educate people!

So as not to appear completely bitter and mean: the parts of the course through Golden Gate Park are gorgeous! The clean-up stations and massages at the finish were great. The single most appreciated and enjoyed feature of the entire experience - the chocolate milk at the finish: Thank You Safeway!

Nice race course. However, the pre & post race needs a lot of improvement for such a seasoned race. Expo is in Union Square which is cool because it's next to Niketown and other great shopping. However, the square is way too small for a race with 22,000+ runners. Expect to wait in line to pick up your race packet, especially if you go late Saturday (line went half way around the block). I waited in a short line on Friday. Expo has some great stuff but space is so limited & very crowded - too difficult to move around. Sampling is fantastic (Meyers, Safeway Smoothies, Gatorade, Ghiradelli, Pom). Race start is equally painful as it also begins in Union Square.

In spite of attempt to layout the pace & bag drop areas, you had to push your way through packed crowds lining up to start based on their pace areas and bathroom lines to get to bag drop off since the other bag drop off was not accepting bags for some reason. Again square is small (plus there was road construction blocking some areas) and when you mix people lining up to start the race, bathroom lines and trying to get to another bag check point due to poor communication, at some point, I wondered if a riot might start with the pushing. It was only by sheer luck, I was able to cut through the Westin from the bag check to get even close to my pace area. Others I know never did and could not get up to pace for several miles. So if you start further back, expect some traffic before you can get up to pace.

Music stations on the course was nice with the power songs. Water & food support on course was good. Sunscreen sprayers was great touch even though it was overcast. Great idea. I finished the marathon in 3:52 and by then, all they had left was bagels and water. No protein drink (saw several volunteers hoarding a few bottles behind the bagel boxes), no more bananas, no more fruit cups. Only water & bagels for sub 4 hour finishers. How can you run out of food that quickly with so many people still running? Buying food from a food truck is not what I want to eat after running 26 miles. Neutrogena clean up area was great.

Would not recommend this race simply because of the pre and post race pains. Medal was nice but it didn't even have the race date on it.