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Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.4 
Organization 4.2 
Spectators 3.5
Number of comments: 104 [displaying comments 81 to 91]
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S. J. from Seattle, WA
(7/13/2009)
 "Decent for an inaugural race, but not impressed" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I have not run a Rock N' Roll marathon before and thought I would give it a try since it was in my home town. Getting to the race was a nightmare. We were stuck in traffic and you could hear the start of race while we were still on the bus. As soon as we stepped off the bus, a volunteer told me I had to check my bag because it was closing in 3 minutes. Seeing as there were thousands of people behind us still trapped in buses, I did not need to check my bag immediately. The course was pretty in the first several miles, but after that it became forgettable. Running on the floating bridge was nice, but merging with the half marathoners was terrible. No matter what your speed, you are merging with someone 3 miles slower than your pace. The road at the end of the 1/2 marathon has some wicked camber making running uncomfortable. The course goes up Aurora Avenue with a lot of gradual uphill running. During these miles, the hills were a little challenging (but manageable). It's a nice area for families to see their runners since it is an out-and-back. I was disappointed the bands were not really playing at this point. I don't know if this is common, but it the bands aren't playing, then why run a Rock N' Roll? I'm a 4:15 marathoner, which I consider solidly in the middle of the pack, so was surprised that the bands stopped early or took long breaks. The band that did play was awesome and rejuvenated my spirits. Thanks, guys! There was plenty of water available on the course and a couple of gel stops with options of flavors available. The post-race spread was good, with chips, bananas, bagels, granola bars and other things I'm sure I've forgotten. The technical T-shirts are nice as well as the medals. I love that the shirts and medals are different depending on if you ran the full or the half. The fans are not great. They mostly stand there, doing little to no cheering. For an active city with lots of runners and outdoor enthusiasts I thought they would be more supportive. For an inaugural race, I thought it was pretty good. For my first Rock n' Roll, I was not swayed to run another one. | |
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J. L. from Roseville, CA
(7/13/2009)
 "Good Inauguaral Race!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 As with most of the Rock 'n' Roll events, you sort of know what to expect. Seattle was no different. The bands were great. The first half was way more awesome and scenic than the second half. I think this event catered to the half and not the full. I just think they should make the full as interesting and desirable of a course as the half. The organization of this event was phenomenal, especially considering the number of people involved. Everything was well marked with signage, corrals, start, miles, etc. Aid stations were plentiful even as I passed, and I am a slower runner. The expo was well organized as well. Transportation to the start of the marathon, although organized, ran longer then expected. The race had already started by the time our bus got there, which was after 7 a.m. They were on corral number 8 or 9, but I was in corral 15, so it was perfect for me! It was nice that they started the race on time. There were even more buses after mine. My only issue with the race was having to pass by the finish not once but twice. We passed close enough by the first time when the halfers were finishing. Couldn't see the finish but could hear it. The second time we passed the finish was about mile 22, which was really psychologically difficult. Also, and this has nothing to do with the race itself: Never, NEVER, NEVER stay at Hotel Seattle. It was the most filthy, old and disgusting place I have ever stayed in. It was scary. AND I forgot my Tiffany necklace, from Nike Marathon in the room, and of course, NO ONE found it. This race definitely lived up to Rock 'n' Roll expectations. Well done, SEATTLE. | |
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M. C. from Illinois
(7/9/2009)
 "Beautiful Weather" (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Only suggestion that I would make is to do something different with the start. Change traffic patterns so that cars/buses can get in and out faster. I saw many people run an extra mile just to beat the stop-and-go traffic getting to the start. Other than that, it was a really good time. | |
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J. F. from Anamosa, IA
(7/9/2009)
 "Amazing Marathon!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've done 16 previous marathons and I would have to say that this was by far the best. The scenery was beautiful, the crowd support was amazing, and the finish line festivities were very entertaining. There were a few hills, but they couldn't take away from how incredible this event was. I heard several people on the course say that they were signing up for next year's race as soon as they got home. I will definitely be back again! | |
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Allen Griffiths from Southern Ohio
(7/9/2009)
"Second worst course I've ever seen." (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I've run 58 marathons, and with all of the beautiful neighborhoods available in Seattle, we had to run on freeways, surrounded by concrete walls. We could see nothing of the wonderful landscape. Others have better bands. Be sure to take a picture ID if you want beer at the finish. | |
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J. E. from Munich, Germany
(7/6/2009)
"Great event - my favorite marathon!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 24th marathon and it was my best running experience ever. Even though the hilly course is a little tough and not suitable for a personal best, it is just beautiful. The crowds and bands were very motivating. The expo and race organization were superb. | |
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E. B. from Chicago, IL
(7/5/2009)
"Well Organized Race though Impersonal Course" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Here is my summary of the event: Pros: 1. Perfect weather! 2. Well organized start and finish 3. Beautiful run along Lake Washington (this is the best part) 4. Plenty of volunteers (the Cytomax was pretty good too) 5. Enough port-a-johns 6. Great medals 7. Well marked mile markers 8. Plenty of cool apparel to purchase Cons: 1. The expo was a zoo and I didn't like it that I could not exchange the shirt for a smaller size (they run VERY large) until the finish (where there were none in my size left). 2. Merging with the slow half-marathoners after the marathon out and back on the floating bridge from 9-12 was horrible - that tunnel was HOT, runners were slow, and it was very tight. That was the worst part of the course. 3. Running on highway surfaces with no shade worked out OK this year - but that could be a future disaster. Part of the road had a slanted camber and of course don't expect spectators on the highway. Running through the downtown would be more interesting. 3. Can they eliminate that hill at mile 25? Overall, this is a hilly course so be prepared! I really did not notice the bands - although there were a lot noted, you run past them so fast that it fails to register. This is a good race if you are staying in town - it's the perfect time of year to visit Seattle! | |
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R. C. from Mandeville, LA
(7/4/2009)
"Very Few Complaints - Wonderful Experience" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second marathon. My first was Mardis Gras 2009. We stayed at the the Homewood Suites in Tukwila, which was awesome. They have free beer and wine from 5-7 each night except Sunday. They also have a very nice running trail next door in case you have that last 2 or 3 miles to train. We could actually just step outside our door and be 10 feet from the trail. The course was pretty good to a flat-land person. I had no hill training - and I mean NO hill training - but I did OK, and so did my wife. The 25th-mile hill did disappoint many people, though. The weather was great and you couldn't ask for better spectators. Here is one of my only gripes. There was ice in the drink cups! I almost choked twice! Otherwise, the aid stations were great and cheered along with the spectators. My other, biggest gripe was the billing for the final concert. Keb Mo? Who is that? Yes, he's won Grammys, but who cares? This is a rock and roll marathon, not a blues guitar marathon. With all that said, I would recommend this race to anyone and everyone. If it weren't so far from New Orleans, I would do it every year. | |
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Spencer Albin from Bellingham, Washington
(7/3/2009)
"Excellent Event" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I was very impressed with organization and the course. The bands and fans were great. The only problem was that my timing tag didn't work and I have no official time. Oh well. My Timex time was 4:57 and I got the medal. | |
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M. C. from Seattle
(7/2/2009)
 "great inaugural" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I ran the full marathon and thought this was a very impressive debut. The weather was perfect and the course highlighted a lot of what is great about living and running in Seattle. I would definitely run the full or the half again. A couple observations, neither good nor bad, but hopefully helpful to you out-of-towners. Again, I really liked this marathon and would do it again. (1) The last 20 miles of the full marathon will be run on highways, so there is a lot of concrete pavement. Hills are gradual, but they can be very long as on a highway, so just be prepared for the half-mile to mile of continuous hill you will face, especially from miles 17-19 and after the turnaround on the Aurora Bridge. But the downhill back to the Seattle Center was great. (2) I was worried about the Cytomax, since I couldn't find it anywhere where I live and couldn't train with it. I actually liked it; it tasted like Diet Gatorade to me. But that's just me. (3) There were a lot of people but I don't necessarily consider it good crowd support. They would politely stand and stare at you while you were huffing by. Let's hear some noise, Seattle! (4) The traffic to the start was very bad. The start location is not a very populated area, so there are not a huge amount of side roads or other ways to get to the start. Even some of the buses were just pulling up at start time. Just be warned that 25K people fill a lot of cars, and you will want to build extra time for traffic. |
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