Comments are for the half marathon:

Mother Nature took its toll on me this year. I've done the half marathon 4 or 5 times now. Each year I hope for a non-freezing or non-raining race. Unfortunately this year it was 38 degrees and raining the entire race (it may have stopped for 5 mintues). It was actually snowing when I left the house. So an hour and forty minutes later, I was totally beat up. At 40+ years maybe I'm just getting to old for the weather factor. Can we have this darn this at the end of September? Geez!

I'm a Seattle native, so, yes, weather issues happen, I realize. November is just not a good month to have a race like this. Of course, the weather is not your fault, but why not reduce that element of uncertainty and pick a new month?

Well organized and I applaud the fans who cheered us on. I also like the Asics shirts and all the great help at the expo. Seemed to be plenty of food but my hands were so numb I didn't stay around long enough to eat.

See you next September 30th. :-)

This is my first Seattle Marathon, and overall (course, organization, fans) it was a great time, but my biggest question is, why is it the last Sunday in November? The temperature at the start of the race was 34 degrees with freezing rain and sleet, and by the end of the race, it had warmed up to a balmy 37 degrees. I know the race organizers cannot control the weather, but they can certainly control when this race is run. I know one of the reasons that it is not run earlier in the fall is that the Portland Marathon (a bigger, more established and successful race) is run on the first Sunday in October. It would be tough to compete with that race. And I know the reason for not having it in the middle of the summer is that the SeaFair Marathon is run in Seattle toward the end of July, but why not have this race in May? At least there is a better shot to have decent weather. But other than the weather, the race organizers did a great job. The mile markers were the easiest to see out of any marathon I've ever run (4) and the volunteers did an amazing job working to help the runners out. At one point I was at a turn-around, and I dropped my cup of water because my hands were too cold, but the volunteers crossed the street and gave me more on my way back because they saw me drop it. It's little things like that that make the race a good experience. People have complained about the post-race food, but after running 26 miles, I am in no mood to eat more than a banana or a bagel, so it's not really a big deal to me. Overall, this race was a wonderful experience and I would definitely recommend it.

I really enjoyed this race. It was well organized and the course is good. There are a lot of interesting parts of the course (Lake Washington, running through a tunnel, Seward Park, great views) but the hill on Mile 21 is less than desirable for a PR. Overall, way, way above average and totally worth doing.

This is my first Seattle Marathon (5th overall). Weather could have been worse, with snow and freezing rain. I was glad that it was drizzling, not pouring. A couple downside are (1) trying to avoid some puddles at the park, (2) weaving through the walkers on I-90 bridge. I could sympathize with others who finished after 5 hours without any decent food. I would be mad too. Organizers need to take care of participants instead of letting other family members take advantage and consume all of the food. I could care less about the fans, except at the start and finish, where there were plenty.
- Race course: Good, but challenging hills
- Post-race: So-so, and BAD for late finishers
- T-shirt: Good
- Spectators: OK
- Expo: Good
- Medal: Excellent

PLUSES: The course is beautiful, and this would be a wonderful event if: 1. It took place in July - Sept; 2. The course ran backwards - hills at the beginning, following the monorail through downtown Seattle at the end... but this will never happen for understandable logistical reasons. The finish line is a blast. I loved the dedication of the few spectators who braved the horrific weather this year to cheer the runners on.

MINUSES: I felt betrayed by the race's website, advertising buses from the finish line back to the host hotel, only to find that wasn't true when I walked out into the exhibition hall lobby, after I changed into dry clothes! The monorail was also running on a reduced schedule, and not very accommodating of marathon runners.... The locals knew it was under repair and probably made appropriate plans, but us out-of-towners were ill-informed and out of luck. It was a miserable 2/3-mile walk in the pouring 34-degree rain back to my hotel, and my dry clothes were soaked. You should have seen all the unhappy faces of the runners walking back from the expo. I would implore the race directors to make sure their website is constantly updated so that unpleasant suprises like this can be avoided.

Never had hot clam chowder that tasted soooooo good after being out in the cold for so long.... I am now a clam chowder fan.

The half marathon is a great course. Plenty of water and fuel, and the spectators were very nice. BUT, the walkers should leave after the runners, as many do not follow very good etiquette and walk three and four abreast, causing A LOT of congestion at first. There were so many runners this year that I couldn't ease into any kind of pace for having to adjust for slower runners. Running for a fast time is not an option. A wave start would help tremendously!

We had not run this race since 1998. I participated in the marathon, my wife ran the half. They do a good job of meeting your needs on the course. They can do nothing about the weather. My fault I got hit with the sleet at the end of the race. Be prepared to run on a lot of cement. Maybe in better weather more spectators show up. Very little press coverage. The video on the news was from the half marathon; my wife got five seconds of fame.

Being picky, here is what they could do better: Start the 1/2 in waves. The 1/2 is a popular event now with more runners than the course can hold. Getting more spacing between the runners would be good. Having some balloons up at the mile markers to make them more visible would help. If I was focused on running hard I would have never seen a single marker. GPS doesn't work well in the trees.

This is my third consecutive year of completing the full marathon course (plus a half the year before that).

One of my complaints in years past was the marathon walkers that you would hit as you started up the I-90 express ramp around mile 2. It was a single lane and you would have marathon walkers walking 2, 3 or 4 abreast, causing congestion. This year that had the walkers go on one lane and runners in a seperate lane. This was a big improvement.

This was also the first time the weather really was bad in the 4 years I have run this course. This is a chance you take running in late November.

The volunteers were excellent, especially considering the harsh conditions (temps in the mid to high 30s and rain). I only saw smiles and heard words of encouragement.

The GOOD: Gorgeous course, very hard last six miles (very hilly, the map and elevation chart don't do it justice). Nice medal, and lots of aid stations and volunteers.

The BAD: NO TRANSPORTATION to the start line or more importantly from the finish line (the monorail was down for repair and no busses were offered). Lame tech shirt, and no food or supplies for finishers after the five-hour mark or so. Nice run, and a pretty course, but I couldn't recommend it overall to others!