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May 3, 2024

The San Francisco Marathon Runner Comments

Back to The San Francisco Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.3

Organization 3.6

Spectators 2.6

Number of comments: 503 [displaying comments 61 to 71]

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M. U. from Tucson, Arizona (8/2/2012) "A great course and a cool summer marathon!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 The San Francisco Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 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.
W. W. from L.A. (8/1/2012) "Good Marathon Event To be Improved" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 The San Francisco Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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.
Joel White from San Diego, CA (7/31/2012) "Hilly, but totally worth it" (about: 2012) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 The San Francisco Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This course was by far the most beautiful course I have run so far. It was not as hilly as a marathon course in San Francisco could be, but it is definitely not a PR course. The first half, which goes over the Golden Gate Bridge is the most scenic, but also the most challenging part of the course. If you are considering running this marathon, I highly recommend it, but be sure to train on hills and take it easy the first half. The second half of the course is mostly flat or downhill, so a negative split is definitely the way to go.
S. S. from SF, CA (7/31/2012) "Hilly challenge" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 The San Francisco Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Oh, the hills! The first half of the course has some challenging steep hills, particularly between miles 5 and 11 (around the Golden Gate bridge). The second half has a few small rolling hills. This is not a course to shoot for a personal record. There are wonderful views along the way, highlighting the diverse areas of the city. The water stations were spaced about 2.5 miles apart. Having them closer near the end of the race would have helped. Very few spectators along the course. But quite a few at the beginning to cheer runners on and the end to bring the tired runners home. The finisher's medal is very nice. This is the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate bridge, commemorated on the medal. The expo was OK. Packet pickup was easy and fast. The expo space was average size, so there were not as many vendors as at other marathon expos. However, those who were there had some good selections. Parking was a problem, so public transportation or the expo complimentary shuttle is highly recommended. All in all, a very good race for all experience levels, particularly those who want a bit of a challenge, but not too much.
M. A. from San Francisco, California (7/29/2012) "Irish coffee for first half marathon runners" (about: 2012) 3 previous marathons \| 3 The San Francisco Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Why is that every year there is not enough Irish coffee for first half runners in the last wave. Why can't the company make sure they have enough Irish coffee for all runners?
Jeff Wang from Humble, Texas (7/29/2012) "Another beautiful, challenging race" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ The San Francisco Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This is my tenth San Francisco marathon. As a result of it is a special event for me. I remember the first time I ran the San francisco marathon when it was a very small event. It has grown into a large and very respected race, as mentioned in WSJ a few years ago. The course of course beautiful and challenging, with lots of hills. The weather is the beautiful mid fifty's and overcast. There is still a very few crowd but those who showed up on shows their entgusiastic support. The expo is still at see a Fashion Mall center, which is out of commonly visited places and not too many buses gets there, but there are more vendors than before. As for the race, there are plenty of fluid stations, a couple of Gu stations, and a beer stand. Also there are plenty of portapotty, but I wish they can place them at a few more locations, ie Mile 4, since the line was long even during the race. The finisher medalist nice and big and serves as coaster, and it was handed to me by service men and women dressed in uniforms - thanks for doing that. My biggest complaint is the same as last year, which is mile markers either missing or placed incorrectly. According to my iPhone GPS, the mile markers that were present for first 15 miles are pretty much on the mark or 0.1 miles off. Between mile 16 and 20, the difference grew to almost 0.5 miles. At the end my GPS has the race 26.5 miles. Maybe the organizers can recheck for my peace of mind? One last note from me was the highlight of the day at mile 4. As we ran along Crissy Field, the lawn was lined with pictures of the fallen servicemen, then there were at least 25 US raised by volunteers to show their support of the runners. I appreciate that and want to thank those who were there not just to give us a boost but to honor those who served this great nation. I hope that can be done again next year.
wazhma bakhtari from Calforina, San rfancisco (12/28/2011) "One of my most beautiful marathon i ever had." (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 4-5 The San Francisco Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I really enjoy it. I had so much fun. I want to do it every year. thank you so much for the Nike Women's Marathon. You guys did a wonderful job.
J. E. from Averill Park, NY (12/12/2011) "Definitely worth the hurt" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 The San Francisco Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This race has so many positives to note: nice long sleeve technical shirt big expo athlete tracker for family and friends that actually worked well organized corral and starting process scenic and interesting course well staffed aid stations energetic volunteers nice finisher's medal awesome Sierra Nevada beer garden at the end I was a bit nervous about the hills on the course and although they are noteworthy, they are definitely doable. This turned out to be such a fun race and certainly one of my favorites. The corrals were well monitored so that everyone ended up in their correct place. The staggered start was really nice because it allowed for some running room between the corrals. Running across the Golden Gate bridge was also pretty neat, although you do need to pay attention to the rubber mats that cover the seams of the bridge... I saw a couple runners trip over them and fall. Seeing the 2nd half marathoners in the park as they waited for their start was nice. They cheered on the marathoners passing through and if it weren't for them, the park would've been a bit lonely. Running the course was a really neat way to see the city, though I have to say that the downhills probably hurt more than the uphills. The only bad thing I saw was when a couple volunteers stopped a gentleman in front of me on a downhill to allow for traffic to pass by on a cross street. I was fortunate in that they dropped the barrier tape by the time I got to them, but I really did feel bad for the guy who had to come to a complete stop after a steep downhill late in the race. Overall, the race organizers do a really nice job mapping out the course and they seem to really try to keep you away from traffic. So many races have you running with traffic so that you're breathing in car exhaust during your race. This course is really just about the runners. The finish line was also good and I was continuously greeted by volunteers giving me snacks and drinks. The Sierra Nevada beer garden was also a nice touch. It was so rewarding to enjoy a nice beer after running a marathon like San Francisco. This race is challenging, but worth it.
S. G. from Denver, Colorado (9/10/2011) "Beware the hills" (about: 2011) 3 previous marathons \| 1 The San Francisco Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 3rd marathon. 2nd attempt at getting CA down in my 50/50 enrollment. Overall a really nice race. Pros: Corral starts. I thought this was organized extremely well. Especially after experiencing the Disneyland half marathon start where if you don't get there early enough you may not end up in your corral (which may be a good or bad thing depending on your solution). Spectators, got to love them. They were there quiet a bit, lacking a little in Golden Gate Park and running the bridge of course but everywhere else you would see them quiet frequently. And then when I got to the finish nearly seven hours and twenty minutes after starting there was still a group there waiting to cheer the stragglers in along with the announcer, who was still there. The finish line sign may have long ago been dismantled but the spectators hadn't packed up shop. Photographers, I got the shock of my life when I was coming around AT&T park nearly seven hours after starting and there were still people taking photos there. I was about ready to kiss the MarathonFoto people for still being there since I love my race photos. The course, gorgeous and difficult. Everyone talks about how difficult the first half is. Oh trust me it's no walk in the park. But once you get past a certain point in the second half you will feel those hills catching up with you. The volunteers. I love them. I had a breakdown at mile 23 when I wasn't sure I would finish fast enough to get a medal. One of the volunteer cheerleaders came and literally walked with me for almost a full mile. Made my day and got me back on my feet. Can't thank her enough for her support. Cons: Expo, really didn't enjoy it too much. The bib pick up itself was nicely organized but everything else felt overwhelming. Was almost too cramped. The shirt, okay seriously the shirt they gave us didn't have the year or date on it. I had to buy another shirt to get it. What marathon doesn't put the date and year on their shirts? That makes no sense. And plus it was a tad bit ugly in my opinion. Website issues, we went to the expo expecting to be able to buy a spectator buss pass because it said we were able to buy some at the expo but were sold out online. That was a website typo. Please fix this it was really annoying for that to happen. I didn't mention the Pasta Feed because I didn't go. I've been to San Francisco multiple times though this was my first San Fran Marathon. So I knew of a good Italian restaurant who didn't question the amount I ate the night before the race and opted out for them instead. Overall a great experience.
A. T. from California (8/28/2011) "Beautiful course, dangerously organized." (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 The San Francisco Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 This was my tenth marathon. I thought it was as challenging as Big Sur, which I've done twice. The corral system was slightly better than last year, but with these crowds SF marathon organizers and race organizers in general MUST do something about the runners who stop and take photos throughout the race. It's simply far too dangerous; much more dangerous than runners with iPod devices or even those who come to complete stops at aid stations. Big Sur was almost as bad but, because of the crowding on the bridge, and traffic to one side, SF was treacherous because of those who stop and those who don't stop but ATTEMPT TO RUN WHILE TAKING PHOTOS. I think these runners should be reported and DQ'd, and runners should be discouraged from doing this. Also, runners coming over the GG bridge tend to step over their line and run straight at runners coming back over the bridge. There were several near head-on collisions because of this. Finally, I hate to complain about the volunteers, but they weren't so great at getting cups out to runners. I've never had to stop at an aid station to get a cup myself at any marathon, I got to the point where I was expecting to do it at this one. And I wasn't one of the later runners, I finished in 4:20. Finally, and this is serious: If the mayor saw what I saw and what my husband saw at mile 20, he'd be having a heart attack. Just after the second marathon start, at the bottom of the downhill stretches, yellow tape was stretched across the course so cars could scurry through. Sometimes they would hesitate. Sometimes after hesitating they would peel through. meanwhile, runners are flying down the hill pushing for a PR, yelling repeatedly 'You gotta be F&^%$#* kidding me,' and 'What the F&^%!!!?' These issues need to be addressed before someone is seriously injured at the San Francisco marathon and race organizers/the city is sued... Otherwise, a gorgeous course, perfect weather, great spectators. I recommend this as a good training marathon for an ultra of a trainer for a PR at another course later in the season.

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