I had heard mixed comments about this race, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Amazingly, the weather was perfect for running - I think that happens about once every ten years for this race. I thought the course was quite boring. Running through the tunnel was pretty cool though. The hills for the last 6 miles killed me - I wasn't expecting them to be so tough. The volunteers were great. Very enthusiastic and I like how they called out your time at every mile.

The one really negative part of the race for me was how the cop car was right behind the last runner in the race with sirens flashing. There are two out-and-backs on this course, so this poor woman had to see everyone else running and she looked really embarrassed - they were making it so obvious that she was the last runner in the race. The car was literally 1 foot behind her! I thought it was terribly insensitive. Is this how they always do it in races? I've never run a course with out-and-backs like this before, so I have never noticed.

The organization of this run is still great, except that the first starters (marathon walkers) were delayed by 10 minutes. Grrr. The weather was Seattle sublime: foggy, chilly. The course is gorgeous except that in '05 we ran east and west on the top of the floating bridge; this time the east segment was inside the tunnel. Yuck. And with the change of sponsor those distinctive Harris-Asic logo'd shirts, with great colors each year, were replaced with a thoroughly uninspiring white tech shirt with the opportunity to pay for a finisher's shirt. I spend enough on insurance premiums; I'm not going to buy an extra shirt from these sponsors. Bring back Harris!

Having read numerous critical comments about Seattle, I was wary about it. However, I have nothing but praise for the marathon.

THE COURSE
The course was good and wasn't that hilly. Yes, there were hills, but if you completed your hill training, you wouldn't find it to be that tiresome. I was expecting mountains based on previous comments, and found the hills to be nothing major (and I'm from Ontario, where it's flat). Having the hills at miles +21 was challenging, but again, with proper strategy it's more than manageable. The walkers and half marathoners were barely noticed, except for the last mile. Otherwise, they kept to the side or weren't even on the course because of how the course divided and separated the different groups.

FOOD
Water and Gatorade were available every 2 miles, which didn't seem to be often enough. Post-race food was okay. Chocolate milk was perfect, and they had some bananas and fruit cups. Nothing special but who really eats a lot immediately?

EXPO
Expo was ok but seemed to focus on selling merchandise. Couldn't find a pace band anywhere, but brought a back up. Free t-shirt was ok. Sizes were unisex and the shirt isn't that special.

MISCELLANEOUS
Medal is simple but nice. They had paperweights for the top 10 finishers in each division, which was a nice bonus for me! AND the weather was AMAZING! Couldn't have asked for better running weather. It was cool and dry, with a slight fog. Absolutely perfect! Overall this marathon was GREAT!

HOTEL
Comfort Suites hotel wasn't the host hotel but they allowed me to check out one hour later (while the Westin, the host hotel, was charging for a late checkout past 12 p.m.), had a great carb breakfast, and was a 5-minute walk from the starting and finishing line. They also had super comfy beds and followed my request for 2 double beds and didn't charge extra for the third person. I highly recommend staying here for future Seattle Marathons.

When the weather is nice, the Seattle Marathon is a very enjoyable race. This year it was misty, gray, and calm. For a November day in Seattle, this is pretty good running weather. Start time temperatures were comfortable enough that I ran the race in shorts and a t-shirt.

The size of the marathon field is just right (a few thousand) - not too large, and not too small. The enthusiastic atmosphere at the start line made for an energetic run through downtown. The course is not fast. There is a bottleneck going up the freeway ramp early in the race, and the hills come late in the run. Still, this course has much to offer. Running through downtown is visually interesting. Low clouds obscured much of the scenery along Lake Washington, but going through the arboretum is beautiful.

Good race-day organization. The water stations were plentiful and well staffed. Although not many spectators along the course, there was a good crowd at the finish. The finisher's medal is nice. The recovery area is indoors - nice, but it's hard to find a place to sit.

The Seattle Marathon has a good expo. They give you a nice goody bag, but this year's race shirt looked very plain (plain white).

I registered for Seattle after the Twin Cities Marathon turned out to be a fiasco because of the heat. Weather-wise, I hit the jackpot - great running weather in 2007. My thoughts:

THE GOOD

Expo was good and well organized, plenty of drink stations that were well staffed, two Gu stations. Overall, the volunteers were great. There aren't huge crowds along the way, but the people that were out were cheering every single runner on. Liked the start and finish area, though they should not have walkers start so close to marathoners, or they should make clear to them not to walk four abreast.

THE NOT SO GOOD

The course was ok. Felt like it could have been so much better. I think the stretch on the highway is a horrible idea. The concrete is about the worst surface to run on, and on that bridge runners are totally exposed to the elements. After about 8 miles of this nonsense there are another 9 miles during which you run back and forth along a lake. It was nice, but a bit boring after awhile; I like to see neighborhoods and variety when I run a city marathon. The last 7-8 miles are really nice, but quite hilly. I had not trained on hills at all, but got over them alright. I think the organizers should redo the course, have it go through different neighborhoods, get the community involved, and avoid those long lonely stretches.

THE UGLY

Not nearly enough potties along the course. Just a couple here and there, all occupied at the beginning. I had to wait until mile eight to finally pee. After mile one there should be about twenty porta-potties. Also, the finishing area is a joke.

I had a great race and I love Seattle, but I wished the organizers would change some things. It really made me realize what a great marathon the Twin Cities Marathon is.

This was my first race and now I have run many. I always like this course and want to run it each year. It is a truly beautiful course running next to Lake Washington and running through a mile-long tunnel. Running through the arboretum and through downtown Seattle was great too. But the best was the finish in Memorial Stadium. This is my favorite race that I have run yet.

The marathon turned out to be great way to cap off a wonderful Thanksgiving trip to Seattle. (A 12-minute PR was also nice.)

The host hotel was very nice, except no post-race party - only free hot chocolate. Yippee. The expo was very well organized. Only one turn for food at the buffet Pasta dinner. They need to change that. Dick Beardsley was a great speaker.

The weather turned out to be nearly perfect. The course is routed pretty nice. It is a very scenic course. As hilly as Seattle is, overall the course could be a lot worse. The hills come towards the end so that makes things interesting. I tried to "bank" some time before the hills and that might have cost me a few minutes.

The stadium finish is really neat and there is not much to speak of as far as post-race food. The food situation is not a big deal for me but I could have certainly used a beer or two. No beer at the finish that I could see.

With a few minor tweaks this could be an excellent marathon.

This was my first Seattle Marathon. I registered for the race after my attempt at the disastrous Chicago Marathon. After training for months for Chicago, I was hugely disappointed when I dropped out at mile 11 because of the heat.

My Chicago goal was 3:55 and I was able to do just that in Seattle! I loved the course and I thought the hills were brutal. I actually enjoyed the 2 out-and-back sections along I90 and to Seward Park - it was fun to see all the really fast people heading back in the other direction!

The stadium finish was awesome!

There are only a few things that bugged me. What is up with having to buy the finishers t-shirt at the expo before the race??

There was hardly any food left for the marathon runners. You would think the full marathoners would need it the most??

The fans were ok. I understand it's late November, so it was nice to see people cheering along the way.

Great race - would definitely do it again!

I ran the half again this year. The weather was spectacular. I love this race. The course is hilly. This flatlander is not used to hills but I can live with it because it is so pretty.

What bothered me was when I was approaching the finish area, a few blocks from the stadium, I kept to the right because I knew the marathoners were coming in. I don't like being yelled at to move; many other half-marathoners and I were treated quite rudely by the course monitors. I even said to one of the monitors, "They are so rude to us."

When I was entering the tunnel I crashed into a spectator who walked in front of me - not good, not good at all.

I love finishing on the field, which is one of the reasons I run this race. I really wish there were volunteers to retrieve our gear bags. I am an amputee runner. It is very difficult to climb very steep stairs in my running leg. I was literally begging a lady to help me, she kept telling me there was no one and I would have to go get it myself. Defeated, on the verge of tears, I turned and walked away. The lady came back to me after seeing my running leg, and she then offered to go get my bag herself, which she did. I am eternally grateful for that.

Once again, no food in the finish area; it was likely eaten by friends and family. There was less food than last year and no Ivars, which I was looking forward to. The hot, salty broth hit the spot and was just what I needed at the moment. They really need to restrict friends and family from the recovery area. At least have a "no race bib, no food" rule. It's ridiculous.

This is one of the best organized events around. I hope to run the full someday.

I ran the half marathon this year. It was a perfect day for a run, and was a great way to finish off the racing season. The course was fun and the support and spectators were decent.

But the organization will prevent me from running this again. First, as others have mentioned, having to go into Seattle for packet pick up was an additional expense on top of the steep entry fee. Second, the start was very poorly done. The marathon walkers started just 15 minutes before the half runners, which meant we ran smack into them after the first couple miles. The start was just a mad dash to cross the starting line. All the pacers were standing too far in the front of the pack and it was just a mass of people being swept along for the first several miles, with people running on the sidewalks, dodging parked cars, spectators, columns, etc. And third, the recovery area was terrible. If there was any food, I never saw it. The area was packed with people and there was no area marked "food." I did see some hot drinks, and I managed to snag a Gatorade, but not a bite of solid food anywhere. This is not something I would expect at a race this size. Seattle could definitely learn something from Portland's finishing area.