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May 6, 2024

Seattle Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.1

Organization 3.9

Spectators 3.1

Number of comments: 182 [displaying comments 41 to 51]

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rural girl from Oregon (12/7/2009) "Beautiful Course" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Seattle Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first Seattle Marathon, and I will definitely do it again. The course was scenic, the mile markers were easy to find on the sides of port-a-potties, and the road closures and volunteers were great. My only disappointment was the lack of food and the fight to get to it in the recovery area. Too crowded, and too little food. And you had to pay to get a finisher's shirt! What's up with that??
R. B. from Chicago, IL (12/6/2009) "Not a bad race" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Seattle Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 The race was good; however, it was the first time that I was stopped mid-race to allow cars to pass. It was at the top of a hill, though, so the forced break may have been a blessing. The shirts were a horrible design, but that's fine my me since I try to look as ugly as possible when I run. Scenic route. Minimal but enthusiastic fan support. Getting food at the end of the race was almost impossible - WAY too crowded. We just left and went to a local restaurant.
L. F. from Kent, Washington (12/5/2009) "Still needs improvement" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Seattle Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I have run the half marathon almost yearly since 2003, and the marathon once; and for the most part, I love it. But I have learned to do without available porta-potties, especially at the start. The other rough edges that never have been fixed are: 1. Easier access to the baggage drop (who wants to climb stairs in a stadium to retrieve items?) 2. As usual, there is no food left over for the slower half marathoners (let alone the marathoners) at the finish because every year they let families take the refreshments meant for the runners.
J. O. from Portland, OR (12/2/2009) "Beautiful course, crappy t-shirt, greedy runners" (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Seattle Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This course is just amazing. It really shows off the city! The shirts are horrible! My wife ran the half, and said that there were people loading up boxes of the post-race food; she couldn't believe they were allowing it. By the time I was done there was hardly anything left. I bet that shortly after I finished there wasn't anything at all. They should not let families and friends of the runners in the post-race area... it gets too crowded and they steal the goodies meant for runners.
C. W. from Michigan (originally Seattle) (12/1/2009) "Gorgeous course, but logistics could be improved" (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Seattle Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This course was BEAUTIFUL! It's wonderful to be able to run along the lake and through the arboretum, without forgetting that you're in a big city. It was also nice near the end of the race to have a landmark like the Space Needle that you're running toward! Be prepared for the STEEP hill at ~20.5. I liked finishing in Memorial Stadium, plus it was a nice surface for sore legs! Suggestions for improvement: -The walkers really congested the roads for the runners. The early water stations were especially congested, which would have been very problematic if I had wanted water in the first fourth of the race! -Who on earth thought it was a good idea to make everyone climb up bleachers after the race to get to the bag check!?! Ouch. -Would have been nice to have more music or "spirit stations" along the course to re-energize the runners. -The medals were small and unimpressive compared to those at other marathons I've run. -I like the bright turquoise shirt color, but the design is sort of boring.
C. P. from California (11/29/2009) "A quality race" (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Seattle Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran my first half marathon at Rock 'n' Roll Seattle earlier in the summer. I enjoyed my time in this city so much that I came back to run the Seattle Marathon. The weather is a big concern with this race. Local runners told me it rained for most of the month, but the race weekend was overcast and dry. The start time temperature was a bit cool for this Californian, but I warmed up quickly. It turned out to be quite a comfortable day for a run. There is a little overlap with the R'n'R course and this race, but this route is more scenic and definitely hillier. I liked the loop course with the start/finish at the Space Needle. The first couple of miles are in downtown. The rest are mostly in residential neighborhoods. I didn't mind the out-and-back on the bridge or down to Seward Park. The scenery along the lake is beautiful, even on a cloudy day. The hills between miles 20 and 22 will slow you down. Course support is okay. Well staffed aid stations, but be sure to use the bathroom before the race. There were lines at every porta-potty in the beginning. Seattle has a good expo for a race of this size - much larger than I expected, with a good variety of booths. The free race shirt was OK: Tech fabric, interesting (green) color.
S. S. from Anchorage, AK (11/16/2009) "Not the best marathon" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Seattle Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I think the biggest disappointment with this marathon was learning that so little of the money was going to the cause attached to it (maybe the children's hospital?). Otherwise the course was okay. I liked the challenge of the hills, but one hill was so brutal that everyone stopped to walk (I stupidly didn't). I grew up in the Seattle area and I know it's beautiful and thought this course lacked imagination. There were way too many out-and-backs. I felt the marathon could have showed off the city much better. I also didn't feel like it was good bang for the buck.
Adam Rose Rose from Madison, WI (9/26/2009) "Beautiful City, Okay Race" (about: 2006) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Seattle Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I did the half-marathon. It rained like hell, and was chilly, but it was a fun run. It being my first race, I didn't know that finding a pacer at the start with a finish time would be a good idea, so I started near the back and was hopelessly stuck in a herd of slow runners. Lesson learned. The mile markers were not well posted - some were low to the ground, and some might have been non-existent.... The chip didn't give me a halfway split, which is too bad because I know I had a better second half when the crowds thinned out. The finish line is a mess. Not enough space, and then you have to walk up 50 stairs or something to get your belongings. The medal was ugly and the tech shirt was boring. It's a beautiful course though, and goes quickly due to the diversity of the sights.
A. L. from Anchorage, AK (1/30/2009) "Really great race - not sure why more don't do it" (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Seattle Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first Seattle Marathon. I thought the weather was perfect, if not a little too warm from where I'm used to training (but I wasn't complaining!). There may not be as many fans as other large races, but the volunteer support was fantastic. The course was pretty - I actually liked the out-and-back on the bridge and the lake path, and the foggy weather made it all the more beautiful. Of course, the hills at the end were tough, but that's where a lot of the fans were lined up and they really helped pull us through. Thanks to all of the folks from Bastyr who volunteered at the race finish to look over injuries. Only two complaints: (1) The clothing drop-off bags were at the top of the stadium steps, which seemed like brutal punishment after 26.2 miles. Maybe the organizers wanted to help us keep those muscles moving for recovery, but I had to have a death grip on the railing to get back down the stadium stairs after picking up my bag, and it seemed a little unsafe. (2) What's up with the finisher shirts? The fabric was high quality, but the design was terrible. It was simply a white shirt with "Amica Insurance Seattle Marathon" printed in green just below the collar on the front. Weird. You would think they could design something more attractive and interesting? It's not a cheap race, after all. All in all, it's a good race. Seattle has a lot of people and a lot of runners. I was surprised that this race didn't have more participants.
A. P. from Colorado Springs, Colorado (12/13/2008) "A fun way to work off the turkey" (about: 2008) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Seattle Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The Weather: The temperature was great - I didn't wear gloves and ran with one layer the entire time. As a Seattle native, I can say Seattle's rain isn't as prolific as the rumors would have you believe - usually it's just overcast and gray. The Course: I think the course's reputation for being hilly is overrated. The only real hill you need to watch out for is in the 20-21 mile area. The course was well staffed with enthusiastic volunteers. The out-and-back section to Seward Park and on the I90 bridge came to be tedious, but were nice in the way it allowed you to see the elite runners up front. I also thought that the halfway point was about a quarter of a mile too soon. Dodging all the walkers, especially toward the end of the marathon, was a pain. The Goodies: The shirt, while nice rather plain (white). The finisher's medal was nice, but simple compared to other big marathons - but we don't do marathons for the goodies, right?

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