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☰
Seattle Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Seattle Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 3.9 
Spectators 3.1
Number of comments: 182 [displaying comments 61 to 71]
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b. v. from chicago
(4/20/2008)
 "Good race, but could be so much better" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 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. | |
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Ryan Rojeski from Spokane, Washington
(1/24/2008)
 "This is a REALLY nice race!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Seattle Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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. | |
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K. P. from Elmhurst IL, USA
(12/26/2007)
 "Great Day for a Marathon" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 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. | |
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J. G. from Chicago (originally from Seattle)
(12/21/2007)
"Redemption after Chicago!" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 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! | |
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M. C. from West Sacramento, CA
(12/4/2007)
"Beautiful day for a race" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 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. | |
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m. g. from Portland OR
(12/1/2007)
"Not happy with the organization" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 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. | |
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j. h. from Vancouver washington
(11/30/2007)
 "I loved this marathon, but where was my food?!?!" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I had such a good time at this race. The city, the expo, and the race were all fantastic. After running Portland in the prior month, this course was absolutely beautiful. The weather was great. I was worried about the hills after reading some reviews, but the hills after mile 19-20 are not to bad really. The only part that really disappointed me was the lack of food at the finish. I got 1 bite of steak on a toothpick and a chocolate milk. All other food was gone when I got there, oh yes, there was some clear chicken broth that they called "hot soup." Other than that, this was one of the best times of my life. | |
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M. C. from Whidbey Island, Washington
(11/29/2007)
"I loved It, but will never do it again!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 There are three reasons why I will never do this again (until these things change): 1. The time of the year is awful. We definitely got lucky this year with the weather, but it was really cold Sunday morning. Solution: Change the date. 2. Going into Seattle to pick up your race number on either Friday or Saturday is ridiculous. There is no place to park (free), and for people who live in the greater Seattle area, it means two trips to the city instead of one. Solution: Allow runners to pay extra to have numbers mailed out or allow day-of-race pick-up for numbers. 3. I rated the course a four. It is a nice course, but there is so much of Seattle that you don't see. Ballard, Magnolia, University District are all absent. I would like to see the out-and-back to Seward Park and the out-and-back on the floating bridge reworked. Solution: Reroute the course to see more of the city - Ravenna, Cowen Park, University of Washington, Burke Gilman, Ballard. | |
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T. G. from Portland, OR
(11/29/2007)
"not for sissies" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Seattle Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my 34th marathon and second Seattle Marathon. I ran (the same course) in 1999. The first thing I noticed was how much the entry fee has increased. Wow, you expect some increase over the years but... wow. This is a great marathon. Don't come here expecting 70-degree, sunny weather and a flat course... not going to happen. So, dress for a cold and maybe rainy day and train for hills and have a really great run along Lake Washington. The aid stations and course support are great. The only problem I noticed was the total lack of food in the recovery area. The problem is that friends and family are allowed into the runner recovery area. I watched families walk by and help themselves to large quantities of the food/goodies. Hmmm. Come on, Seattle. For the amount of money you charge, you can do better. If you cannot figure this out, look to the south to the Portland Marathon and see how they do a runner recovery/feed area; there is always a variety of great recovery food... even for the runners and walkers that finish in six hours. | |
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V. C. from Washington State
(11/28/2007)
"About the lack of food" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Seattle Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I ran in the half marathon and I can tell you why there was so little food left. A lot of half marathoners were feeding their friends and family the post-race food. The race organizers need to control the entrance into the recovery area or this will happen again. |
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