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Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.5 
Organization 4.1 
Spectators 4.1
Number of comments: 417 [displaying comments 71 to 81]
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R. R. from Orange County, CA
(6/8/2010)
 "8th consecutive S.D. Marathon & the WORST!!" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 1. The S.D. Marathon got VERY GREEDY. This used to be a race for the glory of the marathon. This year they had a 10K, 13K, half, and full. we merged twice with them. I was running a 7:15 pace only to meet the 9:15 pace halfers. That was another nightmare. 2. The logistics of the finish line pick-up were HORRENDOUS. I ended up paying $30 for a taxi ride out. Waiting over one hour to get out was a nightmare. I will not do this race again until they change it. 3. Family pick-up at Qualcomm? What the heck is that about? That's where they wanted us to be picked up. 4. Expo was good. Lots of goodies. I did meet Ryan Hall. That was cool. 5. The last 4 miles around "Fiesta" Island? Sorry, but it felt like a deserted island with few to NO spectators. 6. I was disappointed overall with the fact that they had to change the finish line to accommodate the size of the race. They changed the route with A LOT of quick short turns. Seems like they did whatever they could just to cover 26 miles. 7. I don't have knee problems, but my knees were hurting after this race due to the horrible slants in the road that ran for about 3, maybe more, miles. I know more people felt like this. I love SD. That's why i've done it 8 times. But I had to vent and say that this was the worst one. | |
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w. w. from Los Angeles
(6/8/2010)
 "Good Efforts, but Awfully Organized Event" (about: 2010)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 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. | |
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P. J. from US
(6/7/2010)
"To many turns and too much concrete" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 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. | |
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C. B. from Tucson, AZ
(6/7/2010)
 "New Course Better Than Old One" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 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. | |
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A. G. from SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA
(6/7/2010)
 "SAN DIEGO COULD DO MUCH BETTER!" (about: 2010)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 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! | |
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S. S. from San Diego, CA
(6/7/2010)
 "Good crowd support; disappointing finish festival" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 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. | |
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L. H. from Knoxville, TN
(4/30/2010)
"Surprisingly bad course for San Diego" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 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. | |
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b. w. from here
(2/10/2010)
"Need a much better second half of the course" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 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. | |
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B. L. from Bakersfield, California
(1/27/2010)
"San Diego race is nice but needs improvement" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 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. | |
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Michael McAndrew from San Diego, CA
(1/24/2010)
"San Diego Rocks!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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! |
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