The race lucked out again for 2003, with great weather (just some wind to contend with). Everything was very well organized. The expo was bigger than I expected, with lots of free samples. The course was very scenic with good volunteer support. The first 20 miles were reasonable, but the last 6 were much hillier than I expected with a couple of real killers in there! The only slight disappointment was the fan support. With such nice weather in a running town, I expected a few more spectators out there. I highly recommend this marathon, but be sure to save your energy for those last 6 miles!

I have run the half marathon three times ('99 - 01) - my first race ever - and volunteered the last two years due to injury. (This will be the first year that I'm not involved with the race at all). I've been part of the planning process for this race and the people at the Seattle Marathon spend a year preparing for this race. It's a huge process and they spend a lot of time making sure they cover every detail for the race.

As for the race itself, the views, although sometimes grey, are beautiful. You get to run through the middle of downtown Seattle while watching the sun rise, see Lake Washington and the beautiful homes of that area, run through Seward Park for the full marathon version, proving to yourself that you are a tough human being who can take on any hill in Seattle - and have it reinforced with the awesome welcome into the Memorial Stadium at the finish.

The organizers think of everything and make sure that they see every runner/walker to the finish line. Some of the head organizers have even been known to walk to the finish line from the course with the walkers who are still out there at 4pm. To me, that shows dedication, concern and respect for those who take on the challenge of the Seattle Marathon. Come on out and prove to yourself that you are a tough human being!

2002 was a bit of an anomaly, but the usually rainy Seattle weather was bright and sunny. The course is beautiful, crowd sparse but supportive, and the dreaded mile 24 hill not that big a deal. With all the fun things to do in Seattle, great restaurants, etc, this marathon is a must.

What a wonderful course - one of the most scenic, urban races I've been in ! But, as others will attest, those hills are the end are quite the challenge !

Organization was just fine, but a little on the barebones side -- not really enough bathrooms, only one food station, and little entertainment (other than the scenery !).

For such a nice day, it was surprising that there were so few spectators.

RECOMMENDED !

A large part of this marathon is along the waterfront which makes for some very beautiful scenery. There are some hills in the first part of the race and then it's flat for about 10 miles. The drawback, however, are the hills at the end, with the biggest hill right around mile 22 or 23. Not a good place for a hill if you ask me.

This was my first time running the Seattle marathon and I was expecting a cold and rainy race like it's been the years before. However, the weather was clear and somewhat mild. Around 45 degress. I think that's a little uncharacteristic for the pacific northwest this time of year.

The race was well organized and started on time. The course is well marked as are the mile markers, although they are low signs, so you can't see them from very far away, which can be good or bad. The volunteers were great as were the fans that came out, but don't expect huge crowds.

The finish is fun because you run into Memorial stadium through the middle of the field and down the chute with your name being announced over the loudspeakers while the crowd cheers. I'll certainly run it again next year, although i'll be expecting the rain.

What a beautiful day for a marathon and a beautiful city to run it in. Couldn't have asked for better weather, cool, but sunny. Shaved 15 minutes off my usual finish time even with the hills! For Seattle, the course was fairly flat, only a few hills, but a couple of killers. Especially just before mile 26! Whew! I highly recommend this one, although I could have used a space blanket after my finish...they ran out. At least they didn't run out of the clam chowder from Ivars...fantastic!

I just ran Seattle as my second marathon and I loved it! I had totally psyched myself out after reading the comments on this website so I was dreading the weather and the hills at the end. As it turned out, we couldn't have been luckier with the weather - sunny and cool but not too cold. The course was great and I actually thought the spectators were pretty decent too. Also, maybe it was because I trained in San Francisco but the hills were no big deal. I set a PR by 45 minutes but I guess that's not hard to do on your second attempt. I still don't know that I'd recommend this race because the weather is not likely to be this cooperative every year. Also, it's definitely not for first timers.

This was my first marathon and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Up until the race I was expecting horrible weather and few spectators. On the day of the race I experienced the exact opposite. The weather was unusually nice for a Seattle day in December, partly cloudy skies although crisp but that was okay. There were plenty of water/power aid stations and even a 'Power Gel' station around mile 19 or 20 which was good for me because I had just used my last packet of GU a couple of miles back. Prior to this race I came to this website to educate myself on what to expect for the Seattle Marathon. I also believe that the organizers of the race here as well because a few of the issues that people raised about last year's race were taken care of. For example I was very pleased with the shirts. This time instead of the drab black shirts with gold lettering we were issued blue techincal fabric shirts (flooded with corporate sponsors as to be expected) which I was impressed to see. There were also water/power aid tables located at the end of the finish line whereas last year I heard/read that people had to go to the upper half of the stadium to get post race necessities. But this year they were handing out Ivar's clam chowder, coffee, and you could buy post race accessories like t-shirts, etc.-nothing you would need immediately after the race. One bit of advice that I received before the race that proved true is that the weather is unpredictable. Well this time the pendulum swung in the favor of the runners and spectators. My first marathon was a very memorable experience. I was advised by several people that the Seattle Marathon is a horrible first marathon but I had a great time. I would recommend it to others just relax and have a good time. Don't worry about getting passed up or anything, remember it's your race. You have the receipt to prove it. I can guarantee challange for sure, but I can't guarantee the weather.

On a scale of 1-10, the weather was 11! It was sunny Saturday and 44 degrees, dry and calm at 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning. It remained sunny throughout the marathon course and the last half, which goes along Lake Washington out to Seward Park and back was spectacular. Like others, I didn?t appreciate the 200-feet of climb between mile 20 and 21 or the rolling hills through mile 23, but the rest was relatively downhill until dipping down and up the railroad viaduct just before the 26-mile marker. Not my best marathon, but I was with two people who did PRs who had no such intention prior to the start. Too bad the bad-weather history of the event keeps locals away from being spectators, but I can?t fault that nor would I suggest changing the date after doing it for 33 years. They got over 10,000 participants this year for all four events and I?d expect that to skyrocket after the word of this year?s weather gets out. This marathon is a perfect combination of city and nature run. The start at Seattle Center and Finish in Memorial Stadium right next door make this one to run for any serious marathoner.

I have run Seattle twice (99 & 01) It's a beautiful course, however, there should definately be a proviso on those hills at the end!! The first year I ran it, it was much less rainy than last year. The sun actually shone if I recall correctly, so it is possible to have almost decent weather...

My main reason for commenting is I ran Seattle after running Portland the year before. If it had been my first Marathon I would've been terribly disappointed in how I was treated at the end. It seems to be more geared to 1/2 Marathon finishers as by 5hrs there is next to no one at the finish to cheer you. You practically have to ask someone where to get your medal. Then you have to hike stadium stairs for your refreshments. If you are looking for a challenge and don't mind freezing cold and rain--go for it! If you are looking for a first Marathon where you are treated like the winner that you are--do Portland, OR first.