Well done, ER/CG! Well done, San Antonio! I'll be back.

The first half of the race is through parts of downtown San Antonio, passing The Alamo at mile two. It has lots of curves and turns, and a few small hills, but nothing to get worked up over. It started warm but cloudy with a little breeze. We hit our predetermined 10K and half marathon time marks and were feeling pretty good about our progress. The second half of the race then leaves downtown and follows Mission Road, where many of the old Spanish missions are located. The roads turn bad - dirty, dusty and pretty much uninteresting. About 11:00 the clouds broke, the breeze stopped, the sun came on strong and the temps went up, fast. We ran forever through some park-like area but there was nothing but scrub brush and dirt. I thought I was running through the desert - not the Sahara, but maybe with Clint Eastwood in the high plains. The sun started beating down on us and there was zero shade. Then we went around some local airport, past a bunch of warehouses and finally north back to town. Around this point in time, with the sun baking me, I stopped at an aid station, got a bag of ice, put it on my head and started walking. Miles 21 through 26 were pretty rugged but I clocked on through them at about a 15-minute-per-mile pace, which obviously did away with our first half results. I later learned the temp hit 80 degrees for the official high, and two people collapsed during the race. Thank God both are
reported to be in stable condition.

We were warned about the bus shuttle problems from last year. Didn't expect the same this year. It was a disaster, and it's absolutely mind-boggling how they can't figure out how the best way to load runners. After waiting in line for 45 minutes after arriving at 6 a.m. and seeing the writing on the wall, we ran and jogged the two to three miles to the starting line. For future runners, just make your way to the starting line on foot, really a nice jog/walk warm-up.

As far as everything else, it was perfect. Enjoyed the city, the spectators, all the volunteer help along the course, and the sponsors at the finish line. The only other problem I had was getting out; it was really congested.

After running in numerous boutique marathons, I wanted to see what all the hype was about by running in a mega marathon. It's very motivating having such large crowds cheering on the participants. The large number of runners ensures that you always have people to run alongside, or pass, or be passed by. This can also be very motivating!

The music along the course meant that I never once missed my MP3 player!

Given the large number of participants, I was extremely pleased with the attentive, well-stocked drink stations, energy gel being passed out, and having a race clock at every mile. Having pace-teams was also very cool. I found that this race was very good at gearing runners towards their personal goals. The medal was probably my favorite of all I've received. It was quite eye-catching, and nice to have the date of the event engraved on it.

The two things about marathons people always complain about are shuttles and restrooms - so much so that I usually go out of my way to avoid commenting on these things because I figure these are the typical complications that go along with many running events, particularly the larger ones. However, I feel the need to comment about both the shuttles and the start-line restrooms with this run! I felt that the shuttle line was a bit too long, and it lacked sufficient volunteers explaining how the line worked. I observed a lot of people scratching their heads as to where to go. I know the excuse will be that it takes time to load up thousands of runners on buses, which is understandable and true; but, it seemed like a whole lot of waiting to only be transported a mere 2.5 miles.

Why couldn't the start line be the same place as the more-conveniently-placed finish line? That would curtail much of the problem. There probably wouldn't need to be any shuttles at all if that were the case. All of this mumbo jumbo about going green only to make hundreds of gas-guzzling trips back and forth for 2.5 miles seems contradictory to the event's conservation-minded efforts. If it's impossible to coordinate a unified start and finish line, then, I would recommend simply providing more volunteers at the shuttle line. They could explain the system and pass out water and condiments and such. For as well-stocked and volunteered the stations along the course were, surely there could be a mobile station of sorts at the bus line providing goodies.

I found that the line-up for the portable restrooms was not well-planned. With 10,000 runners, I'd surmise that there should easily be 300-400 portable restrooms provided, as well as some volunteers directing the restroom line. The setup looked like there were only 30-40 portable restrooms, and no one coordinating anything. Let's just say that a lot of grass got killed that morning by rebellious racers!

An additional problem I had at the start-line was that there was no water (or condiments) in sight. I suppose I would have stumbled upon them had I not taken a short-cut to my corral, but with 10,000 runners and scores of corrals, it would make more sense to have multiple stations, set up alongside every four or so corrals. (The same could be considered for the portable restrooms - staggering them instead of having one central pee plaza.)

The third problem I had was with the last three miles or so of the course. All of a sudden, the half marathoners unexpectedly met back up with the marathoners. For as well coordinated as the rest of course was, I suddenly began second-guessing myself nearing the end as to if I was at the right place. Marathoners were trying to get their fleeting sprints in, and then suddenly we were meshed up with hundreds of three-hour-plus half marathoners. This could be a bit frustrating for both groups.

The last and paramount problem I had was the finish-area. I literally felt like I ran into a jail cell. Spectators not allowed to mesh with the racers. There was only one ill-defined exit out of the finish-area. People kept thinking that the exit was actually the beer line (because of the big balloon beer arch where people were supposed to magically know was the exit). Volunteers shouting to move one direction, then another. It was all very chaotic. And I recognize that it's going to be chaotic, given that there are thousands of runners and tens of thousands of spectators converging into one place; but things should have been set up in rows/chutes more than it was, with multiple entry and exit points to make a quick, non-claustrophobia-inducing escape. It's honestly easier getting through TSA at an airport than joining up with my friends afterward. I don't get the security side of it. It really killed the marathon high. Why not evenly direct race finishers into one of six chutes at the finish line - with each chute leading directly to medals and refreshments and photos for that specific chute only? Upon the end of all the fanfare, each chute could trickle back down to three chutes: exit right to the family waiting area, exit left to the exit - period, and exit forward to the vendor/massage area. Furthermore, bags should have been handed out at the end. It was hard to carry fruit, bagels, water bottles, vendor freebies, etc. without a bag to put it all in! You could probably get people to move along faster, too, if that was the case.

In summary, I would definitely recommend the run. San Antonio is a very enjoyable and hospitable vacation destination; and this run had its perks. However, I can't say that bigger was necessarily better.

I was so impressed by how well this race was organized. I was really surprised by how many products were given to us throughout the race - endless packets of energy GU, an endless supply of salt packets, Cytomax, and the two sponge stations were absolutely incredible. If that wasn't enough, we were given an entire bag of bagels, organic chips, pretzels, fruit roll-ups, and chewy bars at the finish line. I am just so amazed at how San Antonio was able to accommodate that many runners. I would definitely do this run again.

This year the weather stank. Weather will always be a wild card with this race - know that at the outset.

The rest of it? Pretty good. Big starting area, clearly marked and the staggered start prevents excessive crowding on the course. Good support on the course, especially on this awful hot day.

I think this is a better half than whole, too. The second part is much less scenic, and has some little hills.

Didn't stick around the finish, but what I saw I enjoyed. Lots of food and drink, music, and a place to call for a ride.

I am a local, so I avoided the shuttles and the official drop off. Hope they worked better this year.

This was my fourth half-marathon (two of which have been part of the Rock 'n' Roll series). The volunteers were great and the spectators were cheerful. The course was fine, and I had no issues with the expo, but the overall organization of the race lacked the crispness of other races. Hard to believe this was an R'n'R event.

Pros:
* At 5:10 a.m., the buses were plentiful and arrived quickly to the drop off point.
* Porta-potties were abundant at the staging area. Seriously, I've never seen so many. Water and fruit were plentiful.
* Each band I heard (even band members have to take breaks) rocked and provided a good (albit brief) musical escape as we ran on by.
* No, it's not just about the medal or the t-shirt, but it's those little things that help us brag about our accomplishments and speak well about the race. Kudos to both aspects. The tech t-shirt was nice, and the finisher's medal... well, it rocked!

Cons:
* The morning shuttle drop-off point was about a mile from the staging area. Once there, it was a two-hour wait for the start time. Then it was another 45 minutes for Corral #25 to get to the start line.
* The start line is in a place that's not conducive to having support/spectators? Are you kidding me?
* Wave start took way too long. Next time I'll just park my butt at the front and wait for my corral number to reach me. Make the race smaller (20,000 runners) or start the marathon and half-marathon courses from different streets.
* Who was the genius who put a water station at the top of a hill? Water + a couple of slick downhill blocks + runners = a recipe for disaster. Just ask my bruised hip from the fall.
* Point-to-point races can only work if you provide free shuttles on the front AND back end of the race. Offering return rides for $15 is insane, and having to walk another mile to get back to civilization is just as bad. Make it a circuitous course next time.
* The only way to leave the Alamodome on foot was to cross directly in the path of runners still on course. I personally witnessed two runner/pedestrian collisions. The last thing a runner wants to do with a half-mile to go is expend energy dodging people crossing the street in front of them.
* Finish line was chaotic and disorganized.

The course was flat and scenic; the volunteers and spectators were fabulous; and there was lots of water, sports drinks, salt and snacks along the way. I didn't have to wait for shuttle, but did have to walk a long way to the start. It was miserable, though, due to the heat and humidity. I live here, and even though I am kind of used to it, it was a very difficult run due to the weather. Lots of people were cramping up and collapsing around me! The ambulances ran non-stop from mile 18 or so til the end. It freaked me out to see so many people drop - maybe they should consider doing the race here in January or February? Better chance of getting some cool weather - November is just too risky! It was my first full marathon, and I was disappointed with my time, but at least I'm not hurt like a lot of other people.

The weather was not ideal. The course was great, the crowd support was fantastic, and there was enough med and water support for another 30K runners. I was very impressed with all aspects of the race and organization, Austin race organizers could learn a lot from San Antonio, and so could Austinites.

As many have said before, the course was fairly good, but the last half of the marathon was awful because there was no real way of fans or family to get to the course easily. It would have been awesome if the course would have been backwards because you really need your fans out on the road for the last half - not the first half. I was in the top 2,000 runners, so I didn't think the start was too bad. I also did not take the bus because I had a really bad feeling about how many people might show up for that service. The spectators were awesome where they could actually get to the course, and all of the cheerleaders were absolutely amazing because all of them yelled my name.