I ran R'n'R San Diego 2010. It was fun and on a well supported course.

After I finished the run, I had to spend over two hours to get to my car. I believe thousands of others experienced the same. There was an unexpected mile-long waiting line for the shuttle simply to get out of the finish lot; then, there was another long wait to get on the train. I saw someone faint - not because of the run, but because of the wait in the shuttle line. The finish area of this event was badly organized.

I ran this in 2010, as my 23rd marathon. The course has a lot of concrete and some of it is super elevated. This is tough on the joints. The finish area at Sea World was horrible - no cars were allowed, so everyone (runners and spectators) had to use the shuttles. I waited an hour in the hot sun on asphalt to get on a shuttle. Then I had to wait an additional 30 minutes to get on a trolley. I will not do this race again until they make some changes.

I ran this marathon in 2006, and liked it then but didn't like the long, boring loop around Mission Bay. That loop is now gone, having been replaced with a loop around Fiesta Island. Overall, the change is for the better. In summary:

PROS:
1) Beautiful course - really showcases the city well from Balboa Park to downtown to the beaches. Hills were minor and not at all a factor as long as you have done a few hills in training.
2) Expo was fabulous - free samples galore (which have been absent from several recent expos) and easy to access by public transit or walking from downtown hotels.
3) Start and finish lines were very well-organized.
4) Aid stations also very well-organized - never had to guess which was water and which was Cytomax.
5) Bands were great, of course, as were the cheerleading squads and especially the drummers on the 163.
6) Weather: lots of sun, but temps were totally bearable with the sea breeze keeping it cool.
7) Shirt: one of my favorites ever.
8) Ice sponges handed out at 3 different stations on Fiesta Island. GENIUS idea. Those were so welcome in the full sun!

CONS:
1) Merging slower half-marathoners with faster marathoners on the 163. This was annoying because if you were a faster marathoner you had to maneuver through clusters of much slower half-marathoners. However, this is probably done for logistical reasons and is not really a major complaint - just an annoyance.
2) Finish line transportation: there is no, repeat, NO parking at the finish. Everyone has a choice of either parking at Qualcomm and catching a shuttle to the start, or walking from the downtown hotels to the start. Either way, you have to rely on shuttles to the trolley station after the marathon. The wait for the shuttles was appallingly bad - well over an hour just to get on the shuttle, then more wait time at the trolley station. It took me 2+ hours to get back to my downtown hotel, and over 1 hour of that was spent standing in direct sun in the Sea World parking lot. Anyone suffering from the race will be suffering a lot more by the time they finally get to the shuttle. I have done almost all of the big urban marathons in the U.S. and never experienced anything like this. I think there needs to be parking at the finish or at least somewhere near the finish. I honestly could have walked downtown and been back to my hotel sooner. That is my one and only major complaint.

Even with that, this is still an awesome event and for sure one of my favorite marathons in the country. I PR'ed and BQ'ed this time, so I was even happier.

San Diego is great and beautiful, but you'd never suspect it if you just ran this race. The freeway section is terrible. The road camber on the freeway is dangerous for runners. The mostly low-rent neighborhoods we went through were not very interesting. The course needs more ocean!

This was my fourth San Diego R'n'R. I am fortunate enough to live close to the starting line, so I did not need to use the shuttles from Qualcomm. What I liked better about the new course: The detour into Balboa Park. What I liked less about the new course: 1) The merge on Highway 163 with the full runners and the half runners. Can someone please get this right and keep them separated? If you are going to walk the half, please don't do it four-abreast and block the marathon runners. 2) Using the path along Mission Bay - good idea, but the path did not seem wide enough. 3) The finish line area - ugh, I am not a fan of recovering while sitting around an asphalt parking lot (even last year's Seattle Marathon had some grassy areas near Qwest Field). I could not get out of there fast enough.

With the beauty (and hills) of the area I expected a majestic course. Instead, it was freeways and rather dull side streets. The organization was great, and the fan support was very good, but I wouldn't run this again.

Having lived in SD, this course was lame - especially the finish! The course needs to highlight the beach and harbor. Also, finish at Embarcadaro Park or Mission Bay or at the beach - not the marine depot. I will not run this race again until they change the course.

If you have ever run a Rock 'n' Roll event, you know that it has great entertainment and aid stations. This one did not disappoint. Having said that, let me tell you what can be improved.

1. The shuttle busses to the start line were somewhat of a mess. People were left starting the race an hour late. A real problem.

2. The course was a disappointment - very uneventful. They failed to showcase the beauty of the city.

3. The freeway section of the race was a 3-mile stretch that was on a slant. My knees were hurtin'... not good at all.

4. The finish line was at the Marine Corp, and they made my friends go through searches, which was a little bit of a hassle.

I would stil recommend this marathon, as I had an overall great experience.

As usual for an R 'n' R event: well organized and great crowd support. Plenty of refreshments, GU, etc. The expo is well done with great runner clinics; did you hear the doctor say to drink when thirsty only, and take a little salt along the way? As for comments about the 163 Highway part: you can avoid injury by staying on the edge of either side of the road. Do not run on the very slanted middle of the road. The course does go past Mission Bay and near the ocean. The ending is probably the weakest link, as you are left a distance from the exit area with overcrowded buses, so many of us walked (or should I say, "limped") to the trolley/parking lots? I have run this one every year for about 9 years and do recommend it. There is a downtown hostel available with public transportation. Weather is usually cool and cloudy at the start, but can warm up in the second half of the race if the sun breaks through. Give it a try!

I will always smile when I think of the San Diego Marathon, as I ran it with my daughter for her first marathon. Still, I was expecting more from this marathon.

Pros
1. The volunteers are GREAT - plenty of water stops with FRIENDLY, SMILING volunteers.
2. The medal represents San Diego well.
3. The young men and women serving our country that manned the finish line area at the Marine Corp Recruiting Depot make you know that the USA is in great hands - SO POLITE AND SO CARING.
4. Plenty of medical tents - we had to use them twice.
5. The start area had plenty of FOOD, and seeing the Marine Corp band was inspiring.
6. My flight was delayed in LA (a whole story in and of itself), so my daughter had to pick up my bib. Thank you to the staff who understood the situation and gave my daughter my bib number.
6. I now have a whole new respect for the Team in Training runners - they have raised over $60,000,000 at the San Diego marathon alone. I guess I will have to learn to love the cheer "Go Team" and the color purple.
7. The first 8 miles are great - Balboa Park, Sea Port Village, the Port, Petco Ball Field.

Cons
1. The course - I lived in San Diego for 14 years, and was disappointed in the last 10-12 miles. There are some beautiful coastal areas, but the marathon did not get near the water. New course layout should improve this.
2. You had a LONG walk at the finish - only one way out of the MCRD.
3. I always loved driving Highway 163 - not running it. But you could run on the inside to minimize the banking.

Overall, I recommend San Diego. It is a very good marathon, it does great things for charity, and it's a very good marathon for first-timers.