I would certainly go back and do this marathon again. My family and I found San Francisco to be a neat city and the race was great. The marathon ran through and by some great sites. There were plenty of aid stations, the course was well-marked, and plenty of course marshals on each corner to control traffic and point us in the right direction. I started with the early group at 5:00am and had all of the same treatment as the top runners. The one downside was the expo the day before. It had plenty of neat vendors and things to see but the number and chip pick-up were in one tent and t-shirt and poster pick-up were in another tent. On top of that, the t-shirt table and poster/hat pick-up were in diagonal corners. Could have been closer together (a little confusing). Besides that, the start and finish areas were well-organized. My son did the half-marathon and my wife did the 5K and they had a great time also. Like I said, I would go back and highly recommend it for anyone.

If it were not for the scenic course, this race would have absolutely nothing to offer. I am insulted at the high cost of this race which could not even provide water at the finish! Their post-race food was a freakin' orange! Unpeeled! The medal was not unfurled and placed around my neck, but instead handed to me in a little plastic bag. I don't think the marathon organizers understand that participants train months for their race and want a little pageantry at the finish. The t-shirt was cotton and in my opinion ugly. Where does the money go? This race seemed as if it was put together on a shoestring! The organizers are just lucky the City by the Bay offers great scenery, or this race would have no selling points whatsoever.

I have never been a fast runner, and as I get older of course I'm running slower each year. I have run this marathon 11 times now (PB 3hr 57min), but now I am running south of 5 hours. The marathon runners in this race are a young group as one might expect in SF and after 12 miles, it's just me and a few other stragglers. That's not so bad except during the last 8 miles I find it difficult to follow the course and the volunteers, bless their hearts, are going home. I got lost at mile 23 in 02 and ran at least 1-2 miles extra before I found my way back to the course, and still finished 3rd in my division. Last year my son ran the last 6 miles to keep me honest and we both got lost, but luckily I ran only 26.3 miles. This year the map was better, but still not accurate after mile 22. I didn't get lost this time, but it is very disconcerting when chalk marks are barely visible and the truck is picking up the cones faster than I can get to 'em. So if you could please keep the course open for 6 hours, it would reassure old duffers like me that there may be someone still present at the finish line when I get there. This year that was 5 hour, 46 minutes, but if I'm reading the results right, I was numero uno in my division. I can only imagine how bewildered those behind me felt.

I'd look for an older crowd to run with but I love SF so I'm stuck running with this bunch of stallions, at least until they get older. It's true that there are not a lot of fans, but I don't complain about this because watching someone like me run a marathon is about as exciting as watching paint dry. Also you might consider changing the course again and begin at what is now mile 7 so we cardiac-impared individuals could run downhill for 2 miles rather than straight up. The rest of the course would then be a breeze.

This marathon was well run and the course was beautiful. I have heard a lot of complaining about the hills, but they were not really that bad. I would love to do this marathon again!

The people that organized this marathon must read all of the negative comments on this website. Many of the issues have been resolved with this year from last. This was only my second marathon. I'm not a fast runner. I couldn't see starting at 5 am due to an earlier comment about no water until mile 14 and the course being poorly marked. I started at 7 am. I finished just over the 5 hour limit since the traffic is opened at noon. Well, by the time noon came, I was already near Pac Bell Park where there wasn't a need to have traffic control. I still found plenty of water and food, medals and space blankets at the finish line. The few fans that did cheer me on as well as fellow runners were great. Organizers keep up the good work. I'll be back after I lose another 20 pounds.

I was warned by the S.F. Chronicle Marathon site that this race is usually mild/cold, but this year it actually rained during the first half (drizzle to you non-Northern Californians)!! It was totally overcast and I didn't see the sun once during my run. Needless to say, I applied sunscreen and brought my sunglasses in vain.

The course was very nice. You get to see the Golden Gate Bridge enveloped in fog, Alcatraz, and you can hear the gentle sound of waves crashing all during the first 10k. The course was hilly, but for every uphill there was downhill so it balanced out. In general, the course was pleasant - you run through neighborhoods, Golden Gate Park and the sound and sight of waves crashing into the beach at mile 4 and miles 11-15 is inviting. Don't expect any skyscrapers here, they are wise not to include Union Square or the Financial District. My sister who cheered me on in Haight street at around mile 19 said a group of hippies in their sewing machine powered VW bus were on the verge of rioting due to their traffic woes. Can you imagine yuppies rioting and being inconvenienced in the Financial District? Perish the thought.

The organization was fine. The start and finish was sane and organized. The volunteers at the hydration and grub/Gu stations were very supportive. None of the aid stations ran out of supplies which was a concern for me. My only qualm was the race pick up day. The notice in the mail should clarify the order of our pick up. The bib/chip, T-shirt (mediocre, but I will still wear it with pride), and grab bag were in three different tents!!! Is one pick up area too difficult? Or do they do this for crowd control reasons? I have no idea. It took me at least forty minutes to figure this out and finally leave with all three.

I agree with many of the comments I have read in this website - there wasn't a huge number of spectators for such a famous city. But those who were there, thank you, thank you, thank you... Many of you lady fans were very cute (but you already know that). Most if not all of you were very supportive. Your cheers, smiles, and signs helped me and countless others. The lady who wrote 'Pain is Temporary, Pride is Forever' kicks ass. It is people like you that helped me accomplish my marathon goal time.

Would I recommend this race? Yes. It is much better than my first marathon back in 99', the San Jose Silicon Valley Marathon (to say this race is boring is such an understatement). The weather may be unpredictable, but it sure beats 85 degrees or more anywhere else in the country. It is hilly though, so be sure to include hill training. I have no regrets running this race, despite the usual post-race soreness.

This was my first ever marathon and I had a blast! San Francisco is a beautiful city and this course takes you past all the great sights and neighborhoods. The race was well organized and everyone (support staff, volunteers, etc) was friendly and supportive. The hills weren't too bad, and though it was summer time the weather was nice and cool. I will definitely be coming back to run this race again.

We have run this 3 out of the past 4 years and keep on returning. This was my 26th marathon. The expo was not too bad considering the small size of the run participation. The expo site is very pleasant with easy access to several hotels. The night before the run, meal opportunities in a city like San Francisco, are terrific and well worth the weekend. We flew into Oakland this time and the access to the expo and hotel was easier than coming from the south SF airport. The weather was terrific: cool, light mist, cloudy, and thus, fast. The hills are tough, but the several Red Bull sponsored stops were welcome.

The roads were a little slippery on the downhill, and you needed to be careful. All the hills are tough. It helps to draft behind someone along the six mile out and back coast run halfway along. Don't burn out your quads on the downhill scamper. The uphills are worse the first half, mile 22 has a small but killer hill when you think they are all behind you. The sites are pleasant: Fisherman's Wharf, the Science Pavilion, Golden Gate bridge and park, the Pacific coast, Haight Ashbury, and SBC Stadium. But nothing is as pretty as finishing at the Embarcadaro. Nice ending and pleasant treats given out. Coffee shops all around to have a prize such as a frappacino to reward yourself. Have fun. Worth it despite the poor crowd turn out. The folks that came were greatly appreciated.

This was my first time here but my 5th marathon. Packet pickup was quick, but t-shirt pickup was delayed (over an hour past the expo opening time they were still unloading them from the truck). Weather for '04 was cool and wet (fog/drizzle). I did the early start at 5:00 am, so the course was dark for my first 4 miles or so, which made for some tricky footing in spots. Unfortunately, the first water stop at mile 2 was self-serve (the rest of the stops had volunteers at them). The most challenging hills are miles 5-6, but they are very doable. The SF police did a great job of keeping traffic off the course for the runners, despite a lot of horn honking from impatient drivers. Crowd support was spotty (I never did figure out where the hyped 'wall of noise' was supposed to be) but not bad considering the cold, drizzly conditions. After the finish, it seemed as though everything was crammed into a small area. The woman directing traffic had to keep yelling at people to get off the streetcar tracks to avoid being run over, and the line for post-race food moved very slowly. Don't look for any PR's in this race, as the hills make for a tough course. I wouldn't count out doing this one again.

Just got back from the Chronicle Marathon not even 2 hours ago. For being my first event ever I would have to say that I was pretty impressed with everything. Got to run the greener side of SF where trails had been laid next to the ocean; it was the beautiful and misty weather that made running a real breeze. Traveling in town was exciting too. Got to see all kinds of people cheering us on - hippies were great! There were bands and people in neat costumes and before you knew it, you were already back to the finish line, darn!