I ran this race in 2008 (my 7th marathon). The course itself was fine. Oddly enough, I didn't feel like it was that hilly, but my running mate did. The course does put you through some deserted neighborhoods.

Negatives:
1. Race shirts run VERY small.
2. I was disappointed by how few spectators there were (some spots had zero).
3. Expo was crowded and a bit boring.
4. The post-race food was awful. They hardly had any food.
5. They offered the text message alerts where loved ones could get text messages of your status. Well, it didn't work. And they did not refund that money.

Positives:
1. Course is fairly decent (Golden Gate Bridge, the park, etc.).
2. Easy to fly to for those out of town.
3. Lots of runners.
4. Wave start, so runners were not bunched up.
5. Enough GU handed out (although they didn't use GU brand, and the brand they did use was huge and bulky, so I couldn't stash it for later use).

I would run this one again, but it didn't wow me like some of the other races. Want great spectators? Run Portland.

This was my second marathon after having completed the 2007 Marine Corps Marathon, but I was still a little unsure of what to expect considering San Fran is known for its hilly course.

The Good:
1.) Beautiful course: How can you beat running across the Golden Gate Bridge?! Don't forget to look back at the stream of runners filling up the bridge as you turn around to run back over the bridge again. Lots of runners who brought cameras were taking a picture of this amazing scene. The first few miles are the most scenic when you run on the streets along the coast line.
2.) Well-organized. Between the expo and race day there was no confusion and roads were blocked off for the runners.
3.) Beautiful weather. Most people don't know this who aren't from the west coast, but summertime is San Fran's winter, so it's actually a bit chilly out there when they have this race, but it's great race day weather. Also, we got lucky and it wasn't too foggy the weekend of the race - lots of sun so it was great for taking pictures and touring too if you were from out of town.
4.) Plenty of water stops and food/snacks - even at the top of the hills when you wanted them the most. They had bananas toward the end of the course, which was perfect timing for nutrition.
5.) Nice shirt and medal.

The Bad:
1.) After having done Marine Corps, which is known for its size and fan support, I was definitely disappointed by the lack of crowds and support on the course. I was forewarned about this and didn't think it would matter that much, but in fact, I hit the wall at mile 18 and really wished more people were around to give support.
2.) Expo didn't have as many vendors as I thought it would, considering it's a big marathon.
3.) Lots of half-marathoners. I think there were only 3,000 marathoners and the rest were halfers. The half-marathoners had the choice of running the first half or second half of the full marathon course. I hated seeing the second half-marathoners pass me. It made me feel like I was running so slowly and had so much more to go. Between this and the lack of fans, I was struggling much more quickly.
4.) The hills - I put this under bad only because people typically deem hills in a marathon as a negative. I didn't think they were bad at all and I have only run one other marathon. Don't expect a PR, although I wouldn't say it's impossible, especially if you train on hills, which I did. I liked the hills as a little challenge.
5.) Early start at 5:45 a.m. Surprisingly, the early start for this marathon is due to the fact that they can't have the lanes of the Golden Gate Bridge shut down for that long of time - doesn't have to do with the weather. San Fran is typically cool in the summertime. Fog in the morning is a given in San Fran which makes all the sights to see a little difficult and of course colder than you'd like it to be but you warm up quickly.

Overall, great marathon - beautiful city and very well run. I wouldn't do this as a first marathon but it definitely serves as a challenge and it's nice that such a great marathon is done during the summertime when marathons are few and far between in the summer months. You've gotta run at least one East Coast and one West Coast marathon in your lifetime!

Well I have a biased opinion because I was born and raised in the Bay area and have an unconditional love for San Francisco, but I loved this marathon. This was my first marathon ever and I was very worried about the hills or even finishing for that matter, but everything went great. The hills were tough at some points, but overall not that bad - and I trained on flat roads only. The variation of the course was great, and I really want to know what other marathon courses are comparable. I plan to run the marathon again next year as well. Spectators were scarce, but it didn't really bother me, because I was too excited to care. Overall one of the most memorable moments of my life.

Where else can you run a marathon in mid 50's weather in the summer outside of Alaska?

The course was very scenic... running along the Embarcadero, Presidio, Golden Gate Bridge, Golden State Park and the Haight was certainly a treat. The Golden Gate was worth the price of admission.

The early start is great... especially in waves. For my sub-five pace group, 6:15 was fine.

Not many spectators, but not bad as it got later... and despite the hills, I ran my 2nd fastest time.

A few drawbacks were the merging of the 2nd half marathoners in the park, the fact that our pace group leader outpaced the group, and the fact that the post-race meal was a little lean. Also, only one bottle of water per runner... a little skimpy after 26.2.

All in all, a great summer race, and certainly a great city to visit.

I was truly impressed by the great organization of this race. I have run 129 marathons (SFM was my 119th finish), and I have to give SFM an A+ for organization.

Highly informative website; big signs all over the Embarcadero venue; a tented pre-race expo with an announcer going booth-to-booth; clean, simple packet pickup; efficient transit and announcements on race day; well-posted starting corrals; on-time start - the bell rang as we started at 5:30 a.m.; scenic course; well-informed and capable course marshals; well-marked course; accurate timing; enough portable toilets; cool music along the course; many landmarks to see and enjoy (I loved Golden Gate Park and the Haight District!); an efficient finish that you could see and hear from a mile away; generous post-race food; and prompt, accurate results and awards. Everything went right!

I was delighted by the personal hospitality of the race organizers. They clearly genuinely enjoyed what they were doing.

I'm still amazed that the course could cross Market Street and Mission Street without tying up traffic. To accomplish that was amazing.

Running through the warehouse district gave me a feel for what San Francisco is like "backstage." It was also flat and fast, and I caught a lot of other runners during that stretch.

More spectators would have been nice, but at 5:30 a.m., you have to be grateful for anyone out there. By the end of the race, we finished amid a nice big crowd.

Overall I enjoyed the race. I shaved 5 minutes off my PR and had a 5-minute negative split. I like the early starts, and it was nice and cool. The wave start was good, and we didn't have to be put in corrals. Water stops were fine, but we could have used more gel stops. Not a friendly race, it seemed. There were way too many people running with iPods. The bridge was pretty congested, so it was hard to run fast on the downhill portions. I was expecting it to be more scenic and have more crowd involvement. There were lots of challenging hills, which I liked. I probably won't run it again.

Overall I really enjoyed the experience. My comparison is that I have run 3 Twin Cities Marathons, which is known as one of the best organized marathons out there.

The expo was easy.

The start time was awesome, given that I stayed on Minneapolis time, but I suppose it was early for the local runners! Plus, the wave effect at the start was great. In the Twin Cities, there is a small initial wave and then a big mob, but in San Fran they really spread you out.

The weather was fantastic. Low 50's and overcast (but very humid). It was actually a bit chilly on the bridge.

In my mind, the hills were not that bad; 3 tough ones in the first 12 miles or so, but nothing too big after that.

Crowd support is virtually nonexistent, given the early start time and the fact that many miles of the course are in areas where people don't live (like the park). Also, the bands/entertainment were fairly weak. But, the course is gorgeous, so it makes up for it.

I thought the runners were not friendly, but because most were wearing iPods. In the Twin Cities Marathon, they DQ you if you were iPods, so at least the runners chat more.

Overall, the weather and course made for a fun marathon. I PR'd by 31 minutes!

The "running vacation" is becoming more and more popular, and it's easy to see why: it makes a great four-day break, and you can't do better than San Francisco for that. The weather was perfect (cloudy, limited breeze, 56 degrees at start) for a marathon. The race itself was well organized and the course was very scenic until the last 5 miles or so, which go through a rather desolate, urban wasteland in parts (though there is evidence of improvement efforts). I really liked the wave starts, although my wave started late and in combination with another wave. The bridge and Presidio were a great experience, and Golden Gate Park made my run feel like a regular, Sunday, long run with no pressure. The finish line procedure for food and medal was seamless, and the food was plentiful. I stayed at the Hyatt, which was the marathon headquarters hotel, and that was a really good choice by both me and the marathon - very convenient and good group rate for the event. My only complaint was on the run through Seacliff the police held up their hands and yelled, "Runners stop!!" so they could let cars through. I didn't know that sort of thing was normal in marathons. I would recommend the San Francisco Marathon to anyone, but train for those hills!

This was my first marathon. I chose it mainly for the chance to run the Golden Gate, and the fact that my work schedule made it possible to run an August marathon. The weather couldn't have been better. It was in the mid 50s at the start. People make too much of the hills. The hills are not that bad. The best part of running uphill is getting to run down them as well. The last 8 miles were pretty boring except running through Haight Ashbury. There were plenty of water stations. One station even had beer! I didn't partake, although I was tempted. The station was run by a local group. Overall, it was a great first marathon to run.

The host hotel was nice, and very close to the start and finish. The massage tent at the end of the race was a nice touch. For anybody running the half, I would highly recommend the first half over the second.

This was the first time I had run the San Francisco Marathon. Weather was perfect for running: 55 F and overcast. The marathon started early (5:30 a.m.) and I was a bit worried about getting to the start. It was a false worry; I was able to walk out the front of my hotel on Market Street, catch a bus, and get delivered within a block of the start for $1.50. The start was in waves, so there was no real chaos at the beginning. They also used a 1-time disposable timing chip (D-chip), so there was no hassle at the finish either.

The race started on time and ran down the Embarcadero along SF bay. The lights of Bay Bridge, smell of sourdough bread baking and the Golden Gate made for a great start of the race. At mile 2.5 there was a steep hill that signaled the rise/fall of the 1st third of race. At 5, another long climb leading up the Golden Gate, and then it was a wonderful run across the bridge in light fog. The turnaround at 7.5 miles gave great view of the city waking up. The second third goes through the Presidio along the coast, and then into Golden Gate Park had ups and down there as well, but the redwoods, eucalyptus trees, gardens, ducks, buffalo, and runners made it a pleasant run. After running 6 miles in the Park, there was a run though the Haight Ashbury district, a very long, steep downhill, and meandering stretch back to the bay, a loop around Giants stadium, and a finish back along the bay.

I wasn't trying to run a BQ, but was able to run a negative split, and felt good at the finish despite the hills. I spent the day sightseeing, and then had chowder in a one of the sourdough rolls that had beckoned in the pre-dawn hours. There are definitely a lot of worse ways to spend a Sunday morning in August!