Can someone that ran the 2011 San Diego Rock and Roll marathon with a Garmin please post what they recorded for the distance of miles 6 to 7 to 8 to 9 to 10? My splits seemed really strange through these markers, even when taking into account the elevation changes. Just curious.

As for the race, there was a lot to love. The expo was fun, nice t-shirt, nice medal, some really nice moments on the course (Balboa park was awesome), nice starting area... I didn't care for the Fiesta Island bit, nor did I enjoy ending my day in a disgusting parking lot.

Overall, though, for the number of runners, I thought they did a great job.

I read the comments before my registration to the marathon and I thought it was going to be a bad experience. But now after that Ive got my PR in this great course. The organization was pretty good. I did not like the medal, and there were no spectators on the course. But Ill be there next year.

I did the full marathon as part of Team in Training, and we flew in from South Carolina. I did not have any of the logistical issues other runners faced because everything we did was organized by TNT, who did an amazing job!

Good:
1. The expo was huge, and they had beer for $1. Can't beat it. I went on Friday and had no issues with crowding.
2. The medal and shirt are great.
3. Most of the course is very pretty.
4. Spectators are great and very enthusiastic
5. You're never alone on the course

Bad
1. Running on concrete. I'm sorry, but it's absolutely insane to put the last 5-6 miles of a race on concrete. Any runner knows how much harder it is impact-wise on your joints, and I was in so much pain I had to pull off onto the grass repeatedly.
2.The loops - everyone complains about them, and they really are demoralizing, especially when you're running uphill for what seems like forever and you're watching everyone else run downhill.
3. The finish is in a parking lot. I don't normally care where the finish is because I'm so relieved to be done, but there was nowhere to sit, no shade, etc.
4. The areas where the full and half marathoners split were very confusing. There was no signage and if you didn't happen to hear a volunteer say 'half left, full right,' you could easily end up on the wrong course.

I didn't mind the highway miles, at least they came early in the race and it's a pretty highway. My biggest problem is the concrete and the last 3 miles of the race run on 'Fiesta Island.' It is not a fiesta. It is a boiling hot sand dune of pain. I had a great experience overall, but there's got to be better races than this for the money.

Just ran S.D. and for a city as beautiful as San Diego is, the course didn't capture it. There is a LOOOONNNGGG stretch of the course that runs on the interstate - baking in the sun, with no spectators, and no support. I ran past the only band on the highway, and they played their last song as I passed - I finished in the top 1,000 runners - feel really sorry for the other 39,000 people behind me. I might have let all of this slide if I actually knew my time! the chip didn't catch the start time - no idea why, and Competitor hasn't fixed it yet. What do you get for $80 bucks?!

Perhaps considering previous comments here when planning my weekend, I enjoyed this race very much. I was in and out of the number pickup in 20 minutes first thing Saturday morning, to avoid the race morning traffic I took a cab to the start (at 4am, so sat around for awhile but it was no big deal) and stayed at the Mission Bay Hilton so just had a 1.5 mile walk back to the hotel to avoid post-race traffic. Full and half marathoners were separated by cones or median at all times they shared a road so no actual 're-merging'. So yes, a bit more planning is required than at most other marathons but your experience can still be enjoyable. I agree with a previous poster that folks are being a bit hard on this race, though given the high entry cost it is reasonable to have high expectations.

I am surprised by all of the negative comments posted about this marathon. The only thing I agree with are the loops- seeing how far you have to go with all the faster people running back at you is kind of a bummer. But I found the course otherwise to be very nice, the spectators and volunteers wonderful, and had no problem with organization. I did the race through Team in Training and they provided shuttles that got us to the start and back to our hotels with no problem. Yes there was a decent amount of traffic but with that many people, I don't think they could have done it any better. People are being way too hard on this race. With the amount of people San Diego accommodated for this race, they did a great job and I had a wonderful experience! I was worried the crowd support would drop off after the half marathon because that is what people said about previous years, but I felt supported and cheered on from start to finish. Other than the sunburn I got, GREAT RACE!

Course - Little to no shade the last 6 miles. Miles 20 to about 23 were on a bicycle/walking path that was tight, and since it was concrete, you had to watch out for the expansion joints between the concrete sections. And that island from 23-25 was brutal - felt I was running on the surface of the sun.
Organization - RNR is a pretty well oiled machine in terms of start line, expo, water stations, mileage markers, course markings, etc. I don't like the options for getting back to the car or hotel from the finish though. In my case, it took at least an hour transit time and that is not ideal. Finish line food and drinks were unexceptional. The Finisher's medal is good.
Spectators - The spectator numbers are pretty much the norm for a non-major marathon.

I agree with all of the comments so far (re-merging of full and halfers, the toughest part at the end, and the great spectators (hey, SD is a great town), but I'm surprised no one has mentioned the insane traffic that occurred on the 5 South. I must have waited in traffic for about 40 minutes, and was lucky to get to the start point when my corral 16 was just getting ready to leave. No time for stretching, no time to get the jitters out. I can only imagine how the awful traffic screwed up other racers' days, as well. And the price. Since when are marathoners generally rich?

After 14 years in San Diego and countless new ones, RnR is a money machine that minimally takes care of its runners. Pre- and post-race transportation/shuttles remains a nightmare. Staging a half and a full doesn't work well here - the course is poorly marked. Volunteers are friendly but organization is embarrassingly weak. Post-race area is on unshaded black-top; really? Expo was crowded and had a vendor selling wood flooring - what does that have to do with running? Medal and shirt were high quality. The rest is an over-sized marketing machine with little regard for race-day logistics or runner experience. It's no wonder they're receiving such poor ratings.

Does anyone at Competitor read these comments? Anyone?

I know runners read these comments to get an idea about the course. So quickly, the course goes up and down for the first 20 miles and then flattens out to the finish. Too many out and back, seeing runners run by you who are 3 miles ahead gets old. Loop around Ellis Island the final 4 miles is a bummer because you see the finish line for a long time. What really irks me is the uptight organization. I tried to pick up my wife's bib at the Expo on Saturday. I had her drivers license (not a copy) and a signed letter from her, and they would not give me her race packet. Said only she could pick it up and if she wanted, could get it on race morning. That's just plain stupid in my book. Wife wasn't happy about those logistics either. In the starting corals, they didn't drop the rope separators when the race started, so we had to duck under many ropes to reach the start line (stupid). The finish area was under-staffed, drinks were warm, fruit cups were warm (no spoons) and the shuttle area was a good 0.75 miles from the exit of the finishing area. Hey race management, focus more on the runner as a human being, than a money generating commodity!!!