Big time Rock n Roll Marathon. Organization was good and support excellent. Bands good.

Course was poor. I think they did the best they could given the limitations. I mean no one would have wanted to run in-town with the hills. So we were running along the edge of town with out and backs and concrete. The hills around 17-19 were not good.In addition, there were a few mile markers which were miss marked. Ordinarily not a big problem, unless you are using them to track your pace especially toward the end.

Loved the city.

Organization was great. Can't imagine why ever marathon does not do a wave start. Pick up was easy, expo large. Water and cytomax stations well manned. Plenty of porta potties on course.

Bands were okay, loved the cheerleaders along the course.

A little too much concrete surface. And miles 23.5 to 23.5 go past the finish area on and out and back. Hate that design.

This is an overall fun race and is an ideal setting for a first-time marathoner due to the hype and excitement surrounding it. The course is a diverse set of urban surroundings, and it didn't seem like there was dull moment at any point in the race, as I enjoyed taking in all the scenery.

Race is somewhat organized but has much room for improvement. Busing started at 4 a.m. to Tukwila and was supposed to run until 6 a.m. to get everyone there for a 7 a.m. start. However the pick-up location was small and a lot of people were over-spilled into the streets and impeding traffic as a result. When buses did arrive, there were mad rushes to them by everyone in an attempt to obtain a seat, and I'm sure there were very few who showed up in the first hour versus the last hour to board. This needs to be re-evaluated for the next time around.
Due to the high number of runners, you are corralled and will have a stagnated start. I was in the 22nd, and it took 34 minutes from the gun before I began.

For the volume of runners, however, the aid stations and water stops are well-equipped, and volunteer and police presence is outstanding throughout. Bands are also numerous, which is fitting and enjoyable, and plenty of good eats and drinks are available at the end. A fun race to run but still in need of a few small improvements.

This was my 6th marathon. The organization was incredible. The buses downtown to quest field were on time and plenty of them. At the start of the race the corals were well organized and ran smoothly, Before the race there was food for runners. The course was amazing, well stocked with water, cytomax and gels. My two favorite spots were running along lake Washington and running thought downtown Seattle. The race ended at quest field.
Awesome marathon the organization was amazing.

Liked:
-Shuttle system to start line (thankfully shuttles ran past 6 AM due to traffic delays)
-1st half course and scenery
-Energy while running through tunnels
-Medal was nice

Didn't like:
-If you took the freeway exit by the parking garage, you were in traffic for 45 minutes, and people were pissed!
-Support on course left me wanting, only noticed two of the GU gel packs. Asked the medical tent for a snack, but their gigantic tray of muffins/veggies/pretzels were for volunteers only. Never offered a sponge (to wipe drying sweat)like was in the other RnR I ran
-Bands were often not playing,
-Second half of course had relentless down and back turns, one of which seemed to be uphill both ways ;)

Unlike others, I really liked the three out and backs on this course as it helped me to break this run into manageable segments. There was a lot of concrete so those with knee issues, beware. I loved the hills which were fair-even the hill at Mile 25. My favorite section was along Lake Washington. The tribute to fallen servicemen and women was amazingly moving. This course was designed to limit the impact on the non-running public while still providing a scenic and challenging run. Public support was luke warm, except for the neighborhood around Lake Washington, but the aid stations were very well run. Perfect weather. Nice short sleeve shirt and medal. If I lived closer, I would definitely run this again.

This was my 13th marathon and my first in Seattle. I was so impressed by the course (there was so much variety in the scenery). The spectators were awesome, the aid stations were well placed, and the tribute to the fallen soldiers was moving. My only small complaint was that the line to get on the shuttles to the start line was crazy long. I arrived as suggested at 5 am and made it to coral 5 about 10 minutes before the race started and the line behind me to board the shuttle was several city blocks long!

As with every Rock-n-Roll event I have run, the organization of this event was very good. We did not have any trouble getting a shuttle to the start and once we got to the start, there were plenty of food, water and restroom facilities. Support on the course was also very good. The only down side to support on the course was that the bands started packing it in early. My wife and I were running close to a 4:30 pace for 2/3s of the race, and while that is not fast, it is about the average time for a recreational marathoner. The bands should not have been packing up so early in the race. Those bands that we did hear were great.

Let me talk about the course for a minute. I have run 8 marathons and this was by far the worst course I have come across. The last half of the marathon consisted of miles and miles of mind numbing, soul sucking, out-and-backs with little to no crowd supports. (Hard to get crowd support when running on controlled access highways instead of neighborhood streets.) This is definitely a one-and-done event for me.

Overall, I enjoyed the marathon, but I would not recommend the full. I should've known when there were only 3500 marathoners compared to over 17000 half marathoners... The first half of the marathon was very scenic and beautiful, but the steep uphills, followed by killer downhills on the quads were very difficult to manage. In the end, there are several out and backs, which can be discouraging as you see the finish line, but realize that you still have another 5 miles to go. Also, the gradual hill after mile 24 is a little disheartening. Be prepared for some tough hills. The organization was okay and the bands were pretty okay, my garmin showed that I had run 26.54 miles, so I'm not sure if that was just a malfunction or not. Also, this is a VERY difficult spectator race, spectators can't access several of the spots. Overall, much to be desired.

This was my first marathon and the Seattle RnR did not impress me enough to come back next year.

Pros:
-First half of the course
-Plenty of hydration stations
-The medal is pretty cool :)

Cons:
-Second half: 3 out-and-backs
-Limited crowd support in 2nd half
-90% of the course is on concrete
-Post-race area was not very impressive

Overall, I would recommend doing the half but not the full.