I ran the half marathon this year. Overall, I think this marathon has a lot of potential, considering its popularity and high entry fee; however, it's full of problems.

Firstly, the race falls on an absolutely terrible day. The weather in Seattle at the end of November is downright ugly. This year it wasn't raining or snowing, at least, but it was about 35 degrees at the start, which kinda sucks. Consequently, there are few spectators, because they have more sense than to go outside.

Secondly, they really skimp on the food at this race. I know GU was supposed to be out on the course, but I didn't see it. Also, in the recovery area the traditional runner foods (like bananas) were scarce to begin with and gone by the time most marathoners finished, although there were plenty of calorie-free items like Talking Rain flavored water and tea and stuff. I like these items and I'm glad the companies sponsor the race, but it would be nice to mix in some bagels or oranges or ANYTHING with calories. People just burned a few thousand of them, after all. One major exception to my complaint: there was some beef company handing out free samples of steak and it was quite possibly the most delicious thing I have eaten... ever. Kudos to them for existing.

Most importantly, I think that the half marathon (the larger of the two races) could have used some sort of seeding or wave start. I'm a front-of-the-pack runner, but it was impossible to actually get to the front before the start. Because of the crowdedness, it took about 3 miles to get up to my running speed. Seattle can do much better than this.

On the other hand, the course is scenic.

Finally, if you're interested in running for a good cause, this is not the race for you. Right after the race an article was published revealing that exactly zero dollars from the giant race fee go to charity, even though runners were led to believe they were supporting one. Actually, the charity lost about $100,000 on the event. The deception by the race organizers is a real bummer.

I thought that the race was very well organized, from the packet pickup to the finish line. The volunteers and road marshals were amazing. My only negative comments:

* There were a lot of sections of concrete (hard to plan around, I know).

* The food at the finish was very disappointing, and the walkers need to learn a little etiquette as they were taking up all of the road for my last couple of kilometers.

That being said, overall I think that the race is quite well done!

This was my first Seattle Marathon, and because of reviews on the bad weather some of the Seattle Marathons have had in the past, I was praying for fair weather! God must have wanted me to enjoy the Seattle Marathon, because I got one of the best weather days in all my years of running! From start to finish, I loved the whole race; sure, there were not many spectators, and there was not a lot going on during the race, but this is Seattle, and the views of the city, water, and forest were my spectators that kept me going! After the race, I sat in the shadow of the Space Needle, watching others finish the marathon. If you do this marathon, stay downtown to enjoy very good dinning, and ultimate shopping.

Seattle Marathon 2007
The good: wonderful city, cool but dry weather, amazing on course volunteers handing out water, Gatorade, GU and good wishes. Spectators can be sparse in a lot of areas but the ones who do turn out are great (especially those handing out sliced oranges, bananas and gummy bears in the last 6 miles).
The bad: if you are having a bad race (as I did this year) the lack of variety in the course is physically draining as well as mind numbing. After an eventful beginning running through the downtown core and onto the interstate (including the floating bridge) there is an endless flat stretch that if your muscles are aching, makes them ache even more. Then there are a series of hills that continue to climb with sparse downward sections that also offer little relief. On top of that if you finished about 4:10 or more there was little or no food left and only sports drinks with artificial sweetener in them. And instead of having a band play to pump up runners at the beginning of the race, there was a band playing at the end of the race, in the small recovery area, deafening everyone from the runners in the medical area to people waiting in the lost children and parents area. Most importantly, one runner collapsed with only meters to go in the race and officials were very slow to react. When someone finally did call 9-1-1, no one thought to redirect runners. Instead finishers had to run around the two ambulances that arrived through the same tunnel as the runners. Then officials failed to redirect finishers as paramedics performed compressions on the man.
Overall - I had heard Seattle is a tough course - and if I had been as strong as I have been in other marathons likely I wouldn't have noticed as much. But I just feel like organizers have not utilized Seattle's geography by providing greater variety (and less highway) throughout the course. Plus there is no excuse for running out of food - I thought San Francisco was cheap for checking off what food you received on your bib - but at least - as I have been told -they still had food for late finishers. Also, a lack of an emergency plan in the arena (for any kind of emergency) is really bad. Plus - what's with handing out finisher shirts before the marathon even starts?
Just my two cents,
JS

This was my second marathon. My first being the crazy hot weather in Chicago. It was a perfect day to run a marathon with lots of sun, no wind, no rain. The organization was top notch, volunteers excellent, and fans were very fun. I really liked running into the stadium for the finish line. I beat my Chicago PR by and hour and twenty minutes. The medal was nicely done. The number of marathons was pretty small compared to the half-marathoners which made it very easy to go at your own pace and not have to race around a whole bunch of people. They gave the walkers their own lane out of Seattle which was nice not having to run through the walkers like in Chicago. All the run was scenic, but it got a bit boring through the wooded section near mile 23-24 (few spectators there).

On the flip side: They could have put the bag check on the stadium grounds so that you don't have to climb to the upper deck of the stadium after you just completed the marathon. The recovery food was minimal and not very useful as far as carbs and protein. The shirts were nice but a bit boxy and didn't fit very well.

Overall: I would definitely recommend this challenging yet very fun marathon. Keep up the great work Seattle!

This was my first Seattle Marathon (2nd total), but I have ran several Seattle Half Marathon's. Unbelievable weather this year. That was just the icing on the cake. Expect the worse and hope for the best in terms of weather. If you can't expect that, then go run where the sun shines all year around. Got some bananas and oranges from people watching the race after the Madison hill. Much needed potassium after that. Hills not all that bad as advertised. St. Johns in Portland is just as bad in my opinion. I will be back to break my time from this year for sure. It's an annual tradition for me. Sure it's November, but how fun is it to go to Downtown Seattle and pick up your packet when all the Holiday events are happening and it is decorated. Macy's parade in the morning and tree lighting in the evening (Friday).

The 2006 Seattle Marathon was mediocre, and not just because of the weather. This time, they made progress on a few of the issues but still need a lot of improvement to compete with other NW races.

Good points - parts of the course are nice. Great pre-race expo. Aid stations are plentiful and well-run. Volunteers do a nice job.

Bad points - all the hills are still at the end, making for a very challenging race. Poor technology compared to other marathons. There is no way to track runner progress throughout the race. Extremely poor finishers' area yet again (bring your own food). Inexplicably, there are donuts available at mile 22 but none at the end. Just like last year, the half-marathon folks and lots of non-runners depleted the limited supplies, so there wasn't much left for marathon runners (and I had a 3:32 time).

The day after the race this year, the Seattle Times ran an article showing how only 1% of the proceeds go to the charity that the marathon actively promotes, and in fact none of the $85+ registration fee goes to charity at all, something most runners are not aware of. Go to seattletimes.com and search for the story to read the details.

In short, I am glad I ran the race and have good personal memories, but I am disappointed that my hometown can't do a better job. More and more runners go to Portland and Vancouver every year after getting frustrated with Seattle, and I suspect I'll do the same.

The Seattle Marathon was beautiful. This was my second half marathon. I was amazed at all the continued support the entire way to the finish line. It was a bit more challenging than my first one but well worth it.

Organization for this event was absolutely first-rate and I'm glad I chose to come. The weather this year was perfect. Cold and fresh (around 36 degrees) - blue sky and sunshine, which is unusual for November in Seattle. I thought a PR was on the cards until mile 19 when the cruel hills started to appear. I'd say the climb from the Arboretum to the I-5 cost me 15 minutes. The course is very scenic and the city is friendly. Great medal and stylish t-shirts, not gaudy like other events. Overall, the event had class. The only negative I would have would be those miles 19-23. They just killed me. 3hr49 finish. PR is 3hr36.

Well, we moved up from Tucson in February of 2007, so it was necessary that we partake in the local marathons, including my favorite, Seafair in Bellevue. As this marathon approached, I was apprehensive about the fabled November weather, but the morning was a crisp, but dry, 31°. Excellent running weather!

The course was varied and full of drama, very enjoyable. Crossing Lake Washington on the I-90 floating bridge and back was a nice touch.

At about mile 19 or 20 started the vaunted hills which were admittedly a bit of a struggle. But after that it was straight downhill to the stadium.

Not crazy about the 'visitor recover area', as it seemed to be more an opportunity for family members to get some freebie, but it was indoors, so that was a plus.

Oh, and lest I forget, nice expo!

All in all, a good introduction to my local marathon! Will do again next year, and I hope the weather stays as nice as today.