I ran this marathon last year, in its first year, and had a good time with it.

Now, I could have done without the hill at the last a quarter-mile or so at 26.1 mile. Wow, I didn't see that coming. Lol. But hey, it's a marathon.

By the way, stay away from the Day's Inn that's located right by the expo. They bait-and-switched me with the rates.

As a first time Rock & Roller, and local resident, I really wanted the inaugural race to succeed. It's tough to read the harsh reviews, but there is no denying the fact this race disappointed a lot of people. The organizers clearly couldn't handle 30,000 runners. No one knew the crowded expo was a harbinger of things to come. They won't have that problem again since I doubt this race will ever get that many entries.

I've run mega-marathons before, so I knew to get to the shuttles early. I was in line and on a bus right after shuttle service started. Too many runners showed up in the last hour to board, and they encountered all of the cars that were giving rides to the start line. What a traffic jam! I really don't know how the organization broke down at the finish line, but it was a mess.

The race itself is fine. The course is good (considering it has to accommodate 30,000 runners), and it's well supported. There weren't many spectators at the far end of the course.

I have mixed impressions of the Rock & Roll Marathon experience. The whole event had a staged feeling. Amid all of the problems, the atmosphere felt contrived - artificial hype rather than genuine excitement. Yet the potential for this to be a fun race is there. I am confident 2009 will be an improvement.

Getting to the start, you have to walk at least 1 mile, and it was very cold! So be prepared. The beginning was well organized in blocks, so you can run from the beginning! I loved the first half, but the second was difficult, with lots of little hills and extremely hot temps! There was no cheering crowd at all until the last part. Excellent organization, but a lousy t-shirt and goody bag. I bought the Dri-Fit online, and lady's sizes do not exist - they are too large!! Well organized.

This was my first marathon, and the first Rock and Roll for San Antonio. There were a few snags; however, that is to be expected for the first anything. The course was good, the organization (transportation) needs much improvement, and the spectators were GREAT. The Alamo crowd was the best. We could have used more cheering along the 14-22 mile stretch; that is where we runners need it most and that was the most taxing part of the course. I am coming back in '09 and I know that it will be very good again.

Looking at the big picture, San Antonio/Elite Racing, you all - excuse me, "y'all" - did a great job. For being a first race, I thought the course was well planned, the people of San Antonio were cheerful, and everything that was needed for a successful race was there. OK, the buses were a bit of a problem, but don't let that discourage you. And to complain about a t-shirt, seriously, is that what running a marathon is all about? Having been a resident of Texas for 5 years, I know that they will work out the kinks, and the people of San Antonio will make this another reason to throw a party at their homes, even at 8 a.m. Another runner mentioned that finishing in a parking lot was too bad; I agree with them on that. It would be nice to have some mariachi at the finish, too. I will be back in 2009!

The CITY: San Antonio is very cool... at least the Riverwalk and the Alamo. I did feel that everything above ground (that is above the Riverwalk) was dead and desolate. If you've ever been to San Antonio, you know what I'm talking about. Life is underground there. It's unique. You definitely don't feel like you're in Texas, and mostly because the weather felt like San Diego in the spring. Perfect running weather.

The COURSE: Flat and fast. Despite what others have said, I found parts of the course very beautiful, but you have to understand Texas terrain. I lived in Texas for many years and San Antonio is beautiful compared to other cities in west Texas. The course is great if you're trying to PR or qualify for Boston.

SHUTTLE TO THE START: My friend and I got a ride close to the start. Actually, we were dropped off on the freeway about a half a mile from the start because streets were poorly marked. We literally had to jump out of the car on the side of the freeway, run down an embankment, pass a cop, just to get down to the street where the start line was. Crazy! When we got to the start it was somewhat sparse because we learned that the bus situation was CHAOS! Five minutes before the race we were told that about 20,000 runners were still trying to get to the start because there weren't enough buses. We found out later that many people were dropped off 20-30 minutes after the race had started. It was a nightmare! Hopefully Elite Racing gets it right next year.

EXPO: The expo is the same as every RNR expo. Same vendors, same lay-out and same CHEAP COTTON T-SHIRT. That really bugs me about Elite Racing! They over-book the race by 5,000 people, charge $100 entry fee, make a ton of money (you know they do) and they still give out cheap, cotton t-shirts. "Elite" Racing is not so "elite" with the cheap, $2 shirts they give out.

OVERALL: San Antonio is a great city with lots to do and see. Course was fast and fun. Support on the course was great too. Good ol' Texas southern hospitality. Love the people. Elite Racing needs to get their "you-know-what" together next year with the bus situation, for goodness sakes!!! Get with the program and give out technical T's!!!

This was the largest race I have ever run. The running portion was good, but the overall organization was very poor.

1. Packet Pickup: I went to the packet pickup on Saturday afternoon, and parked about a mile away. Once in the Alamodome, I had to wait in line just to get in a line for my packet. By this time the vendors had pretty much run out of all the good stuff and good sizes.

2. Shuttles at SBC Center: Getting to the the SBC Center was very hectic. It took about 30 minutes to drive about 5 miles. Lines for the shuttles were unorganized - people were cutting and others were getting angry... it was very stressful. It took about 1 hour from the time I got in line for the shuttle before I reached the start line.

3. Race time: Even though I started 30 minutes after the gun and was in a later corral, I thought the race was pretty good. Adequate water stops; great crowd support. Overall, I was satisfied with the race, except for running uphill at the very end.

4. Post-race: CHAOTIC! It took 45 minutes from the time I crossed the finish line (for the half marathon) until I had my race bag in hand. This is how long it took just for the crowds of runners to get threw. I got my checked bag from the UPS trucks pretty quickly, but I know other people had to wait much longer. The trucks were not organized at all, hence the reason volunteers had to pick up every single bag until they found your number.

I'm going to give them another chance to improve their organization, so I've already registered for 2009. But if they don't work out the kinks this year, I won't run it again.

Have to stand in mile-long line for a shuttle for about two hours put me at the starting line 30 minutes after the gun, with many more behind me. Then thee was an hour-long wait to get on a shuttle at the finish in order to return to the parking area - HORRIBLE. Skip this one until/unless they work out the major kinks.

They used shuttle buses to take you from the parking lot to the start, then from the finish (which was different from the start) back to the parking lot. That meant that I was waiting in line for a shuttle bus for an hour each time. I was still on a bus when the race started, and there were several thousand people still in line waiting to get on buses behind me. There was no toilet paper in the portable toilets at the start or the finish (I finally found some in a toilet with a broken lock). You also had to leave the concession area at the finish in order to use the toilets at all, and you weren't allowed back into the concession area after you left. Also, they stick you with a $10 parking charge when you go to pick up your number. I know there were a lot of people, but that was the worst organization for a race I've ever seen by a wide margin. On the other hand, once the race started, the weather was lovely and the crowd was fantastic.

I had a lot of fun in SA. We stayed on the Riverwalk and really enjoyed it. This was my 5th Elite race, so I expected issues with the buses. I liked the course and the fan support was great.

The one huge negative was the finish line area. There were way too many people in the food area, and it took over an hour to get my bag from the UPS truck because that area was so jammed. I should know better to check a bag (which I will never do again), but I wanted my phone after the race.

I would do it again, but will not check a bag and will get a room closer to the finish line. The mile-long walk back after the race to my room was no fun.