I have run this marathon three times. First, it is more challenging then advertised. There are significant hills and the footing on the bridge can be wet and slippery. Second, there is no food whatsoever on the course. I carry my own because I know this. Many, I expect, hit the finish line quite hungry. Lastly, the finish area is the worst. I was greeted by one water bottle and access to a bag of chips. There was no other food available, as it was all gone. Once I finished my water, I was not allowed to return to the finish area to get another. Luckily I had some cash on me and was able to purchase food at a nearby store.

I'll run it again because I live across the bay. I would not recommend this race to a first-time marathoner.

I have to say, this is the most beautiful marathon I have run yet. I ran with my brother, and we had a great experience. The full marathon route was a bit more challenging than other races I've run, but if you train for hills, it is manageable. :) The race t-shirts were great tech t-shirts, a major upgrade from other events I've participated in. There were great speakers at the expo pre-race, including Dean and Bart, which really helped add to the weekend. Overall, SF was a great running city and we are already planning to register again next year.

The only good thing: The course is beautiful.

Bad: Tiny Dixie cups of water. Thank God I wore a fuel belt in case of emergency. Also, there are no spectators, so wear an iPod for entertainment. You will want to get your mind off of how hilly the course is. The tech shirts are too small.

The WORST: The finish line food was the cheapest ever. I could not believe that San Francisco would offer one bottle of water, a tiny bag of chips, a granola bar, bananas, and a tiny bag of granola. Thanks; that really hit the spot!

I also want to say kudos to all who ran either the full or the half.

This was an amazing race experience.

The course is pretty hilly and you have to be ready for that since, duh, it is San Francisco. (If the race management describes its course as difficult, listen.) BUT, if you're trained and ready, the course will inspire awe and joy, along with a few epithets once the going gets tough and the tough start crying. Amazing views, perfect weather for running (breezy, cool and misty with not a speck of humidity in sight); what more could a runner want?

I had 2 problems with this race and I'm admitting right now that only one of them is a real problem, so feel free to skip ahead.

This was more or less my fault but since this is my review, I'm going to whine about it anyway: I tried to switch to the half-marathon on the first day of the expo (when there was still room in both races), only to be told that a switch was possible but that I wouldn't get a medal and it wouldn't really be official. After an involuntary "Whatchu talking bout, Willis" to the very nice volunteer at the Solutions desk, she told me that so many people wussed out of the full race that there weren't any spare medals for changers and they order medals WAY in advance, so bottom line: no medal for me. As I'm something of a medal whore, I chose to stick with the full marathon, but I think the race website should have said something about that in advance.

Enough with my pseudo problem. Real problem: the water stops. Yes, the tiny Dixie cups full of water and Cyto-yucky stuff (and what the heck was that stuff - I can still taste it in my nightmares) every 2 or so miles were not adequate. Worse than that was the fact that none of the water stops after the first one seemed to have cups left. I am something of a slow runner, but I'm not THAT slow. Seriously, how does a race run out of cups?!? The volunteers finally started putting out the bottles of the pseudo-Gatorade stuff because they didn't have anything to pour them into. Oh, but then runners would just take a few gulps out of a bottle, put the cap back on and then put it right back on the table for other people to drink out of, to which I say, "Eeeeeeeewwwwwwwwww!" All of this could have been avoided by just buying some more cups. And maybe some real-sized cups next time? Please?

I only saw GU at the stop after the first bridge pass-over, but I bring my own so it didn't really bother me. Likewise, there aren't lots of spectators, but then I'm not Paula Radcliffe or Kara Goucher or Madonna, and I don't really count on people standing around to cheer.

Otherwise, great race! Great volunteers, beautiful course, perfectly fine expo in one of the most picturesque cities in the world. How can you beat that? (Answer: cups.)

I will start with the positive regarding the marathon.

1. Nice, challenging course with many hills. Although difficult, it was fun.
2. Great city with a lot to do.
3. Staying downtown without a car is easy because the race is at the Ferry Building. Lots of eating places and no car needed. Hotels nice. Be prepared to walk some hills in your time off. Everything is a hill.
4. Marathon medal was great!
5. The Expo was very good.
6. GU was available during the run.
7. The t-shirt was very nice.

Negatives

1. It's unbelievable that the director learned nothing from 2008. Still only one bottle was allowed at the end of the race. What is wrong with these people? Don't they believe in water? To their credit, they did have water set up every two miles - except at the end, when water is needed the most!
2. You stood around on a cobblestone street before the race. Your feet were already worn out before beginning!
3. The Golden Gate Bridge would have been great except that it is foggy on 90% of the mornings in SF. You can't see anything. The bridge is wet because of it and you are herded like cattle along the side. Don't slip or you will be trampled.
4. Little food at the end of the race. I ran it in 5:01:30, which is a respectable time, and only chips were left.
5. Poor half-marathoners only received a keychain medal. It is sooooo small! I'm glad that I ran the full.
6. Goody bag... well, not much.

My recommendation: if you run this, carry a water bottle or you may end up like some of those at the end, needing help to get in. You might bring some food also. They ran out of bananas.

Would I run it again? Yes, because of the challenge of the course; but the director definitely needs to learn something from some of our comments.

Happy running!

I really enjoyed running this race, which had a great course taking in the bay area, Golden Gate Bridge, and the park.

Although it was much hillier than I'm used to, I was well prepared and was pleased to finish another marathon in under 3 hours. The early start suited me, as there was no chance of hot conditions.

The only thing I would improve is handing out bottles or pouches at the drinks stations, or at least larger cups.

This race is great. All through the run you are distracted by amazing scenery. The race begins early, so you can see the beautiful lights on the East Bay Bridge. Then you run along the piers towards the Golden Gate Bridge and you also get a view upon Alcatraz. You go out in waves, so you aren't crowded (although, my spouse was in the sixth wave and she found it a little crowded on the bridge).

The best part of the race is when you enter the Golden Gate Park. It is amazing; you get the feeling that you are running a marathon in Alaska. You even forget about the rolling hills! Then you get to run through the different neighborhoods, such as Haight-Ashbury and the Mission.

There are very few spectators, but the scenic view truly compensates.

The weather is perfect for running (cool with mist!).
I would absolutely recommend this marathon to all, and personally I would love to run it again.

Run long.

Coming from South Florida with no hill training (take a guess why not), and given that I had been training for the race in the hottest part of the year, the cool weather was very welcome. The course was very well laid out, even though the elevation map is misleading. Next year, can you have the expo in a nicer part of SF? I walked through some shady parts to get there. Otherwise, I'll be back next year.

The course was beautiful! You start along the piers, head over the Golden Gate, through the park, along the Haight Ashbury, and by At&T Park. What more could you ask for? I know there were some times on the second half the scenery was less than beautiful, but you will not see any complaints out of me!

Organization: The wave starts were great! I personally enjoyed that there weren't mile markers at every mile, just because who needs to be reminded that they still have 20 miles to go? But, I do know that if you didn't have a Garmin, it might have made for some difficult pacing! The water stops seemed well spaced to me. I didn't enjoy the small Dixie cups, but I just simply asked for two each time. The end of the marathon was a little confusing for me. I saw that others had a shot taken in front of some kind of finishers' sign. Where was that?

Spectators: I was kind of surprised to see that others had commented that there were no spectators. Because once I left the Golden Gate Park and entered Haight Street, there were plenty of people cheering. The rest of the course seemed to have plenty of spectators as well.

I have NO negatives about this race. Maybe it was just my day to have a good run. I was raised in So. Cal. and have always wanted to run this ONE. Now I'm on the East Coast and just decided to do it during the family vacation in Manhattan Beach. I was not disappointed. I've run several marathons from the west (Honolulu) to the east (Marine Corps) and this was my second favorite (the first favorite is a long story). Anyway, I loved it. The course, of course, is beyond fantastic: ocean, Golden Gate Bridge, Presidio, the city, and the finish at the water's edge. I'm definitely coming back.