I am a local so I have run this many times. Each time I was done I regretted spending so much money on a kinda crappy race. Just like the two commentators stated below me (from IL and Venezuela), the race sucks because it has failed to involve the City. Question for racer director: how about getting the race started a little later, like 7 or 8 so at least some people will get up and watch? I know the permit to close down GG Bridge is expensive but haven't you charge the runners enough?? Good thing this year I snagged an entry off Craigslist and not feeling too bad for having to pay a reduced price. Crappy race, not worth a hundred bucks.

It is a well organized marathon with a very difficult course. The weather is almost ideal to run and the scenery is marvellous. The crowd are not very supportive and it needs to involve the people from such a nice city like S.F

This is a simple race to review: 1) toughest course I have run - lots of hills and the downhills were particularly brutal 2) loved the course - a great tour of San Fran - awesome to run over the Golden Gate Bridge. Not all races need to be flat to be fun - live a little; and 3) I don't see how anyone would rate the spectators above 1 star - the course it just empty, particularly for a big city marathon. My family comes to all of my races and it was hard to get around, find parking, etc. Fewer people here than anywhere I have run. Where is the community and race support? - like going for a run alone at 5:30 AM. More spectators at Chicamauga where there are 1/20 of the participants. Race is still great because of the course, but it gives you an idea what it would be like to run a marathon through a big city after the apocalypse - lonely.

This is a belated review of the 2012 San Francisco Marathon, my first SFM and 11th marathon overall. My family flew into SFO on Friday morning from NYC and checked in at the Marriott Marquis, which right in between the expo and the start line as well as across the street from the Moscone Center. The expo looked close by on the map but turned out to be a 20 minute walk through a little sketchy area of SF. The neighborhood was a gentrifying mix of commercial, industrial and new condos. I walked around the expo at Design Center and bought a jacket and headband for my daughter and a shirt for me. We walked back to the hotel as cabs were hard to get by the expo, back through another sketchy area while debating why the organizers could have held this at the Moscone Center.
While my family went sightseeing with my cousins on Saturday, I got organized for Sunday's race since I would have to get ready in the bathroom to avoid waking my sleeping family at 4 am. I took a 1 hour nap until we met up at a nearby family style Italian restaurant around the corner from the hotel. The place was packed with large families and a fair number of runners. My cousin and her family took home a lot of leftovers. I was in bed and asleep by 11 pm.

After getting up at 4 am, showering (a great way to warm up), using the foam roller and getting dressed, I walked about a mile along Market Street to the Embarcadero, passing an almost continuous line of homeless people along the way. I got there as soon as the national anthem was being sung. Waiting in corral G while the waves A-H were released, hooked up with the 5:45 pacer (yup a 5:45 pace team!). The first couple miles were along the Embarcadero to Ft. Mason, where the first hill was. Then through Ft. Mason, passing a moving tribute to fallen members of the armed forces, and up another hill to the Golden Gate Bridge, for an out and back loop. The Bridge was crowded and the metal connectors embedded into the roadway were very slippery. The return trip was a bit less congested as the runners heading into the bridge were directed onto the sidewalk, leaving us two lanes. Unfortunately, it was a bit scary as cars were speeding toward you as they headed across the Bay. The weather so far was overcast, misty, damp, windy and cool.

Exited the bridge and into the Presidio, featuring cloudy and cool weather, and had to walk down long downhill section. We approached Golden Gate Park after exiting the Presidio and a section through a residential neighborhood. The Presidio, where the first half marathoners peeled off to their finish and the second half marathon starts, was a twisty, turny section with a couple of small inclines. We exited onto Haight Street and into a steep downhill for almost half a mile, where both of my calves and inner thighs cramped so badly that I was forced to walk and losing contact with the pace team. I tried to return to running as entered a flat stretch, but the cramping returned. I was reduced to a painful shuffle/walk the remaining 6 miles to the finish. Fortunately, the rest of the race was flat and the sun came out to warm us up. We entered a fairly industrial zone and along the waterfront before running around the back of AT&T Park, home of the SF Giants, and ending at the Embarcadero.

Finished at 5:55. I received my medal and drank a bottle of water before finding out the Sierra Nevada beer tent was closed as soon as I walked up. They were actually pouring beers out in front of 3-5 thirsty runners. What a waste! Walked the mile or so back to the hotel and had a burger and beer after showering.

Pros: Great organization and support, great running temps and weather. Nice scenery and tour of SF. Love the medal and shirt. Having a 5:45 pace group was awesome.

Cons: Beer tent closes exactly at noon. Two aid stations ran out of cups so we were forced to either pass by or take used cups (yuck). Those down hills were brutal. Did not like the UltraLyte drink. It was too watered down.

This was my second SF Marathon (1st being in 2009) and its still a good marathon to consider and run. I've read that its not a course to PR, but I would say it is...PRed by 4 mins.

The good: weather and scenery...what else could you ask for in a marathon. Mid-50s and running across the Golden Gate Bridge.

THE BAD: A marathon of this size should never have inadequate water stations. They were disorganized and not properly maintained. A Dixie cup size is not sufficient and unacceptable for a marathon. Already small to begin with, they were only filled halfway with either water or whatever 'sports' drink they found at the local Dollar Store. Just awful. I honestly don't think I drank more than 10 oz of fluids for the entire marathon. They were so disorganized that at one station I ended running behind one table to snatch my cup because it was a cluster-fluck in front of the table. I probably PRed because I just didn't bother with the water stations.

Overall, I would recommend it based on the weather and route, but I hope the organizer improve the water stations!

PROS
* Great weather.
* Great city.
* Wave start seemed to work fine, although I'm not fond of running with half marathoners.
* Decent expo, but a little tricky to get to.
* Hotel (Club Quarters) was great though a tad pricey (all I could find at the 11th hour).

CONS
* At the bottom of several downhill stretches, yellow tape was stretched across the course so cars could go through while runners stood or jogged in place. Huh? Train the murder scene tape guys, please.
* Marathon Shirt had no year on it: not sure I've seen that before
* Water stops were generally disorganized. Some without cups. Some with cups not filled.
* Hills: I knew what I was getting into, as I reviewed the elevation chart before registering. Having said that, the ever lasting hill from 14-20 was a killer, so be prepared and train appropriately!

Overall, a very good experience. I'll probably check back in a few years.

The San Francisco Marathon 2012 was EPIC!

Training for the San Francisco Marathon is an experience of a life time.

After the completion of his 14th 545 mile bike trek from San Francisco to Los Angeles with the AIDSLifecycle Event, Road Cyclist / SEO Consultant / Yoga Teacher, Tony Eason stepped out of his comfort zone and created a new challenge. Tony Eason stated to the world, "I will run the San Francisco Marathon in 2012."

On 01 August 2011, Tony Eason completed his first marathon training run of 2.7 miles.

On 10 July 2012, Newbie Marathon Runner, Tony Eason completed his last training run of 22 miles.

On 29 July 2012, After putting the road bike aside & 1yr of marathon training, Tony Eason became part of the 1% of 1% of the U.S. Population that completes a full 26.2 mile marathon by completing the San Francisco Marathon. #SFM2012

Check out the YouTube video footage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaUyEs_v6iA

This was my 10th SF Marathon, and the experience truly gets better every year. One person already mentioned it, but it's worth repeating: If you live anywhere east of San Francisco, where it's HOT in July, you must consider doing this race. The weather is always perfect...temp in the 50's with fog and a gentle mist by the ocean. Yes, there are hills, but when you have been training in 90 degree heat, the nice weather makes the terrain seem easier than you might think.

There are not many marathons in the US where you can run a summer marathon and almost be guaranteed perfect running weather. San Francisco is one of them. Since I came from the desert, the 60 degree temperatures and overcast skies were wonderful. The course was beautiful, varied and definitely keeps a runner focused with all of the terrain and scenery changes. I was most impressed with the organization. Staging a marathon, two half-marathons and a 5K in a city like San Francisco is quite a feat but, from my perspective, it was done efficiently and with great volunteers. If you are looking for a PR this is not the race for you, but if you train on hills (downhills, too!) this marathon could be one of your best experiences.

SF marathon is a well organized event.

I enjoyed the perfect weather, scenery route, supportive crowd, enthusiastic volunteers and organizers. There are plenty of water stations, GU supply stands, and even beer suppliers along the way.

The course is tough one, especially the deep slopes near the end. It is a good challenge.

The following may improve the event.
There was no BART available for early morning on Sunday. Arrange the BART to operate on a weekday schedule will help.

Some sections of street lights were off in the dark early morning hour. To ensure the street lights are functional will make the running safer.

There are many potholes along the route. Minimize the number of potholes is desirable. I twisted my ankle not far from the start in the section where street lights were off.