I've run Seattle twice (2000 & 2001), and will run it again a third time in 2003. All the previous comments are correct: It's cold, windy, & rainy. Not a hard pouring rain, but a steady gusty sometimes sleety drizzel. The last eight miles or so are just one hill after another.

2000 was my first marathon, and it was horrible. I didn't have the proper clothes, I hadn't trained properly--it was awful. I wished I was any where in the world; just not Seattle. At about mile 23, I talked to a guy who had torn a hamstring. He told me that he only ran one marathon a year: Seattle. I asked him why did he choose Seattle (only with lots of profanity interspirsed). He said 'If you're only going to run one marathon a year, might as well make it a tough one.' I knew then I'd be back next year, and the year after.

Seattle is a fun, beautiful city. Lots to do & see. The run across the floating bridge to Mercer Island is a blast.

They'll never change the date, or the course. It's always going to be wet, cold, miserable, and uphill at the end.

Don't miss this marathon!

Well, first off, don't expect many people along the course during this race. It's almost GUARANTEED TO BE RAINING!!! I think any potential spectators are inside sipping coffee. Be prepared to wake up to a drab dreary day and being at the starting line before daybreak.

The course itself is a gutbuster. They throw in a mammoth size hill at mile 19 to completely demoralize you. TRAIN ON HILLS! It is through some beautiful parks and across the floating bridge and back. That part was nice except for the hypothermia that will inevitably set in by the time you are halfway done. The finish is the cool part when you get to run into a stadium, albeit one that is COMPLETELY EMPTY! Post-race grub is fine.

Kudos: The shirts are great but you could jazz 'em up a little instead of the black and brown I've seen that last two years. Great volunteers that wrapped me in blankets and fed me chicken soup so I could recover from my 92 deg. body temperature. Good race expo.

Gripes: CHANGE THE DATE OF THE RACE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! It is rainy in Nov/Dec in Seattle. It's on a Sunday. The course is killer. Locals don't have a clue that there is a Seattle Marathon. It's cold and rainy. Did I mention that?

It would appear the Marathon is one of Seattles best kept secrets, not even our cab drivers were familiar with it and we took a few. Seattle was beautiful, weather was as usual (I'm told) raining. The run across the floating bridge to Mercer Island was lots of fun, we cheered on all the front runners as they were coming back across the bridge. The spectators were few, the view was incredible. Not my best time for sure - and who put all those blessed hills at the end.

Although I set a PR in this race, I found the last six miles really challenging. My post-race recovery was much longer than any of my previous 7 marathons. Although scenic, this is not the ideal race course for potential Boston qualifiers.

The crowds were enthusiastic for such a cold and rainy day. A few areas for future improvement would be the t-shirts (perhaps a more useful running shirt in a synthetic fabric (PowerDry or CoolMax) and more basic color), the mile markers (or lack thereof) over the last few miles (echoing a previous runner's comment)and the lack of any food or other non-liquid support at the aid stations along the way. With GU as a sponsor, I had hoped for more than the single aid station which provided it.

Overall, however, a very positive experience and a race that I will recommend to others.

The course ain't for wimps. I didn't see all the mile markers. I liked finishing in the stadium, and having a heated area with hot soup.

Mark the course better next time, please.

Cool temperature and rain at the start. I very much enjoyed the marathon and the city of Seattle's beautiful area. Two complaints poor local coverage of the marathon by media and newspaper. Secondly the T-Shirts needs more WOW! color design etc...

Amazing run. It was rainy and cold (got bad around mile 22). My left foot dropped into a pot-hole puddle on mile 16. I should have been looking - but I was wiping the rain from my face at the time. The people I met were great along the way. It seemed like the weather and the conditions of the run brought out the best in the crowd I was running alongside. I will be back; despite it's challenges, the run made me dig deep.

Remember, it's not the weather, the hills, the water stations, the time clocks. It's the 26.2 miles and Seattle has 26.2 beautiful miles. Just bring warm dry clothes for after the race. I ran last year--it was cold, raining, and it was great! If you can run up the hill on Madison you're good, you're real good. Looking for a challenge? Run Seattle. Great place to visit. Lots to do and see. Don't let that earthquake thing scare you; I survived it too.

The course was spectacular. It was a cold rainy day and many thanks to the volunteers who kept me motivated, hydrated, and gued up all the way.
Upon finishing all I wanted was a warm place to rest and something hot to drink. The recovery area was cold and there was nothing hot to drink. It would have been a good idea to put chicken broth or cider in large containers for everyone to enjoy.

I recently ran the beautiful, but relatively tough, Seattle Marathon. The downtown start was nice, and there were gorgeous sections over the floating bridge, along Lake Washington, in Seward Park, and through the Arboretum. Late November weather in the PNW is unpredictable, and this year was no different, with breezy to gusty winds, and a steady drizzle over the last half of the race. For those looking for more optimum conditions, the Seattle race most years would not be accomodating. The course has a long, essentially flat middle section, with early and late hills (both up and steep downs)which make logging a PR unlikely. The large, indoor warm-up and recovery area was nice, and made gear check-in/out quite easy, and the start line was only a short walk away. I had no trouble with the bus service, either to or from the event. Organization on the course was at times weak, with misplaced or absent mileage markers and almost non-existent split times (which I normally don't mind, but my watch cut off at the 15 mile mark during the race). Water stations were about every 2 miles, though generally not located where the event info catalog said they would be. Cleaning up the on course glitches, and putting water stations every mile to add more flexibility to runners hydration needs would help.