First of all, let me say that I have run Rock 'n' Rolls before, and this one is pretty much the same as others. I will start off with the good:

THE GOOD:
1) San Antonio is a great town and people are so nice. Loved it, and the hotel and everything else was convenient. Stayed near riverwalk.

2) Expo was pretty good - it had lots of stuff, like other R'n'Rs.

3) The Alamo was cool.

4) Course was cool because we got to see the elites run by.

THE BAD:
1) The shuttles to the start line were a disaster. There were ten buses and three dudes directing traffic. They loaded the buses one bus at a time. I stayed in line for a good 1.5 hours.

2) The course was a bit boring in some places - going through a golf course - and there were some stages where the bands took a break and had their boom box playing Britney Spears!

THE UGLY:
1) The naked guy running the half marathon. Okay, he wasn't naked, but very close.

I have run several Rock 'n' Roll Marathons, and the thing I can never understand is why half the time, when I passed a bandstand, no one was playing. They don't even bother to play CDs when they are taking breaks. We are out there running a marathon and the bands need a break, ha ha! I have heard more bands playing at the Houston and Dallas Marathons. If you like a cattle-drive marathon then RNR is the right choice.

I was leery of returning to run this race again this year due to the transportation disaster of last year. However, since I registered at the expo last year I figured that I should do it. I stayed at a different hotel Holiday Inn but not the one on the River Walk - it's about a mile from the River Walk. I walked from my hotel across the street where two empty buses were waiting and walked right on to a bus without waiting. I highly recommend that hotel, especially if the buses pick up there in 2010.

It was a very, very, very long walk from where the buses dropped us off to the start area.

I ran the half, and the course is not that exciting except when you run past The Alamo. (The crowd there is amazing.) I was ready for the hill at the end and I had that hill for lunch this year.

The heat and humidity got me at mile 10, and the last three miles were torture and killed any chance of a PR. That can't be helped, and I live in a dry climate, which didn't help me either.

I will do this race again but likely not next year just due to travel cost and the fact that I'd like to try one of the newer events that have been added. The people of San Antonio are wonderful. The $10 extortion fee to park at the Alamodome is ridiculous, and the lots surrounding it were high as well. Unfortunately, due to flight delay, I didn't have the luxury of parking off site, as I made it to the expo with about a half-hour to spare. It's too bad the race does not start and finish at the Alamodome point-to-point races are a pain when you have to shuttle 30,000 bodies. The San Jose race start and finish are a few blocks apart, which is very convenient. I wish the other Rock 'n' Roll races did that.

1) The debacle of shuttling people to the starting line was inexcusable. After arriving at the convention center a few minutes after 6:00 a.m. to catch the shuttle to the starting line, we waited over an hour to get on a bus. The line snaked around several city blocks, and I am sure that people who arrived after we did were boarded before us. The shuttle then dropped us off after the 7:30 race had already started about a half-mile from the bag drop. We had to walk past the starting line and past all of the corrals to get to the bag drop, then back through all of the corrals to get to the starting line after dropping off the bags. By the time we got to the starting area there was no longer any toilet paper in the porta-potties, so if one had to go, too bad. (As a general rule, avoid any marathon that shuttles you to the starting line. It makes more sense to have the starting line where the hotels are located and to use shuttles from the finish line, if necessary.)

2) The finish line area was in a huge parking lot outside the Alamodome. There was no shade and no place other than the asphalt for runners to sit down after the race. When my wife went to the finish area and tried to enter, there were too many people entering and leaving so they were not letting any other people in for a half-hour.

3) $113 ($105 entry fee plus Elite's $8 handling fee, which should just be included in the entry fee) is too much to pay, particularly for such a poorly organized race.

4) The course was pretty boring. I remember passing one mission. Most other sites they advertise as being along the course (historic breweries, missions, etc.) are not really visible (e.g., on the other side of the freeway or somewhere off of the race route). Other than the River Walk and the King William District, San Antonio ain't much to look at.

My advice is to avoid this marathon.

I wish they'd start and finish at the Alamodome to avoid the shuttle fiasco. I waited in line for about an hour in a line that snaked an entire city block four times with no drinks or snacks or staff. Then once we were dropped off, there was another lengthy walk to the gear drop. Then I had to find spot in the grass to go to bathroom due to more long lines for the few porta-potties. A good marathon should do everything it can to reduce pre-race stress; this one doesn't.

Course was ok; not many spectators after the half split. Aid stations were good with plenty of fluids. Porta-potties either weren't there or weren't well marked; fortunately I didn't need one. The clear gel on a stick was pretty flavorless - (just joking; it was Vaseline, but it could have easily tricked a dreary runner). Also the merge of half walkers and whole marathon runners towards the end is a recipe for problems.

Difficult walk out of the finish area; it's confusing and funnels you to a couple of staircases. To walk back to downtown, you must walk directly across the ongoing half-marathon course.

Expo was painless, but I resent being forced to go. That's the current trend for big marathons though.

I ran the half this year and last year, and boy was last year a mess! This year was much better, but it also helped that I was prepared for a race this size. Packet pick-up Saturday morning was smooth, with lots of stuff left at the expo, and the new drop-off location at Alamo Stadium was perfect for me. I was dropped off at 6:15 and walked one mile to the start. The finish was much better, too. I didn't feel rushed through and had time to get some food and drink. It helped that they expanded the reunion area. The half marathon course had good crowd support and aid stations. Overall I was glad that they learned from their mistakes from last year.

San Antonio seems like a nice city a fun place to visit. The marathon route didn't showcase the city at all. The back half of the course, parts of which you run twice, are as uninteresting as any of the marathon course I have run. The point-to-point seemed pointless, as I am not sure what the first part of the race ran past that was a must-see in San Antonio that could not have been accomplished by starting at the finish. It could start and finish in the same place and avoid the transportation and time hassles at the start line. Perhaps somewhere in downtown. The parking lot of the Alamodome for the finish... really?

My first R 'n' R Marathon, and I did not get a favorable impression.

Pros:
* Volunteers - there were lots of them and they were very enthusiastic.
* The expo had lots of vendors, although you knew it was time to go because they turned the lights off. Really, did you have to do that?
* Opportunity to visit San Antonio.

Cons:
* Point-to-point course for no apparent reason. NYC and Grandma's feature point-to-point courses, and you know why.
* Overall, a boring course with many turns.
* Portions of the first half of the course are crowded.
* The expo was only open until 5:00 p.m. the day before the race, which does not lend itself to people traveling that day.

It was hot and humid; but there's nothing you can do about the weather. Interesting to note that the Dallas Marathon (250 miles north) is one month later.

The organizers seemed to respond to complaints about last year (shuttles were better and they gave tech shirt instead of cotton). Weather was humid this year, but that is always a risk in San Antonio. After two years, still wondering where the "monster hill" in the last mile is. (Try the Fall Fest in October if you want a hilly course in SA).

Pros:
* Organization and support.
* Festive expo.
* Volunteers at aid stations.

Cons:
* This is a BIG event, so expect crowds.
* If you follow the organizers' advice and take the shuttles and arrive early, you'll be OK. If you want to park at the start/finish, there are some great small marathons out there where you can.

This was my return to the full distance in the United States and I've been sucked into that 50-state thing. Agree with the comments about humidity. The only downside was the long trek back to the Market Street drop off to pick up the Ford Escape rental car. After that, I pretty much had it with San Antonio and headed straight for Houston. But it was worth it looking back this past week. Doing it again this week in Tulsa - that's two marathons in two states in consecutive weeks. Pretty wrecked after this, I am sure. Lucky to be flying a few hours after the finish. Better make sure I make it then!

This race is always great. What else can I say? I beat last year's time by five minutes. Awesome!!!