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Apr 28, 2024

Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 3.8

Organization 4.2

Spectators 4.4

Number of comments: 481 [displaying comments 61 to 71]

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L. K. from Memphis, TN (4/29/2010) "The half is great... wouldn't run the full here" (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons \| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Ran my second CM half this year (2010) and felt that there were good points and bad points: Good -Fun spectators -Hillier course than Memphis; great challenge -Love the city -Nice medal -Like the bands along the route Bad: -Large groups of walkers or run/walkers starting in higher corrals... I felt like I ran an extra mile zig-zaging around groups 5-6-people wide of walking "teams" -Technical shirt... how am I supposed to show off my running prowess while bopping around town? -Finish line was boring; little fanfare and you just finish in the parking lot at the stadium -Not enough potties!!! I just held it and ran faster - maybe that's why I PR'ed! -OK, to add to what everyone has said... I understand the safety concerns over lightning, but if you are going to pull runners off of the marathon course for weather, why do you let the finished runners at the end just stand around without shelter? I think if the weather were really a concern, they should have opened the concourse at LP Field to provide a little more protection from the elements. I felt like a lightning rod at the finish line waiting on my buddy!
R. Y. from Illinois (4/29/2010) "The Porta-Potty Situation" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This is my fourth year at this race. I love the course (it runs right by my alma mater - go Bruins!) and I love Nashville. The volunteers are the best and the water stops and finish area tend to be well organized for such a large race. BUT... why can't the race organizers solve the porta-potty situation? And I'm not talking about not having enough (there will NEVER be enough porta-potties at any race). I'm talking about the toilet paper. They put two rolls in each one. That is just not enough! This should be an easy fix and one we complain about every year. We've learned to bring our own, but come on... for the price we pay some toilet paper would be nice.
J. T. from Cincinnati, OH (4/29/2010) "Poor course design; even worse race organization." (about: 2010) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 This was my first time running in Nashville, and it was definitely not worth the time or money. It was my wife's first half marathon, and it was definitely a disappointment. And for a race that is largely focused on the half marathon distance, we were really let down by the organization of the entire day. The GOOD: Excellent/huge water stops. Lots of shuttle buses to the start (unfortunately, parking to get to the shuttles was a nightmare). The BAD: For those people who think that the fan support in Nashville is amazing... it is not. You need to run a different race where there are actually lots enthusiastic fans on the course. Of the people who were actually out, I saw very few cheering. Many had pulled their patio furniture to the curb and were eating breakfast while talking to their neighbors. Or, they were just standing around drinking with completely blank stares on their faces. If you are not going to be fully supportive, please just stay in bed. The band entertainment was also a letdown. Not sure if it was related to the weather, but we were not impressed at all. Don't say that there is plenty of parking at LP Field to catch the shuttle, when there is not. We had to park in a grass median. Many people were parked on the sidewalks. Something needs to be done with traffic control before the race. We sat on the interstate for more than one and a half hours, from 4:55 to 6:30. Absolutely appalling. I realize the weather was an issue with the start, but if you are going to start the race 15 minutes early, TELL PEOPLE. There should have been people at LP Field telling the runners that the race was starting early. People arrived to the start and thought they still had time to get to their corral, when in reality, their corral had left 10 minutes before. Announce what corral is crossing the start line so that people still arriving know how long they have. If you are starting the race early and your parking situation is horrible, keep people informed. Enforce start corrals. I didn't see anyone looking at people's numbers as they entered the corrals. Granted, we got to the start at 7:10 because of not being able to get to LP Field for one and half hours. But still, there were people with higher numbers in the corral we ended up in than the corral was supposed to allow. (We ended up 7 corrals behind where we were supposed to be.) Corrals started WAY too close together. Either cut the number of runners allowed in the race, make the corrals smaller, actually enforce who is in each corral, or make the time between each wave longer. Signs. There needs to be more signs telling people where to go once they get off the shuttle from LP field at the start. Also, signs at the end of the race were few and far between. The course design is awful for the number of people. Don't have an out-and-back during the first few miles of the race, especially when there are so many half marathon runners/walkers. Don't have a tour through narrow neighborhood streets so early in the race either. The bottleneck was truly frustrating. Don't put a huge bank of portable toilets 5 miles into the race and only a few up till then. They all stood empty, while pit stops earlier were jam packed. Prohibit family and friends from entering the finish area. I saw one person in charge of crowd control at the end, and she was in the wrong place. Use fences or something. Overall, many of these issues could have been avoided with simple communication to the runners. A race of this size should be able to adjust to weather changes smoothly and keep everyone informed. I plan to never run this race again, and am doubtful about ever running another Rock 'n' Roll series race.
Will Esposito from Philadelphia, PA (4/29/2010) "Not a Race for First-Time Marathoners" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 I ran the 2010 marathon and did outrun the several weather diversions to finish the full marathon distance. I regret that dedicated runners were redirected from the full marathon - a running partner and good friend of mine was on a PR pace on this difficult course when he was pulled out at mile 21 and sent to an early finish. The weather, despite the Weather Channel hype, did not require the diversions. I have never liked the Rock-n-Roll Series for its crowds (although I did otherwise enjoy this race). Race directors should require proof of time for the 2011 run. I entered as a sub-3:30 marathoner, and yet I had to pass hundreds of walkers in the first few miles. I do not feel that any runner can complain about this challenging course. It was hilly, and if you cannot run a marathon of hills, then run shorter distances or run in Florida.
D. B. from Kingsport, TN (4/29/2010) "More for half marathon runners - not the full" (about: 2010) 1 previous marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Thanks to the volunteers. The Country Music Marathon was very disappointing. Traffic control to and from the stadium was terrible. The start and finish being so far apart was a real problem. The start should have been set up as follows: elite runners first, followed by the full, then the half, and lastly walkers. To add, turning the runners at the 22-mile mark was nuts, and it only reinforces the fact that the race is more for about the half than the full. I ran at the Knoxville Marathon on March 28, and even with the rain, wind and thunderstorms in the area, it was not cut short. If the race was cut short for a tornado warning, then that's understandable, but no one can say for sure the real reason it was cut short. Anyway, go to Nashville if you want a nice half marathon, for a full there are much better places to go.
R. J. from Alabama (4/27/2010) "Disappointed with some decisions" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I feel sorry for whoever had to make the decision to shorten the race; it is a no-win situation. Here are the negatives, as I see them. 1) They sent everyone an email on Friday giving the contingency plan. If you were not on a 4:30 pace at the 11.2-mile mark, you would be diverted to half-marathon. This really penalized the people in the higher number groups. 2) There was NO handling of traffic after the race. Took us two hours to go about 200 yards out of the parking lot. 3) They need to STRICTLY enforce the starting carousels. I got held up from many walkers during the first 4 miles. How did a higher number carousel get in front of me when I was running 8-minute miles and they were walking? 4) Race should have been shortened to a half-marathon. I would have had a PR if they had routed me to the half finish. I now have a 20.4-mile time. What good is that? I don't think I could recommend this race to anyone.
K. H. from Chicago, IL (4/27/2010) "Crowded, hilly, and cut short by the weather" (about: 2010) First Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I understand organizers being concerned about the weather, but this was going to be my first marathon, and I was very disappointed in not getting to finish. The course was also very hilly and crowded, as others have said. The city was cool and the race had plenty of volunteers and water. Results are still screwed up... I was diverted at 20 and am listed as only running the half. Very disappointing.
C. J. from Tennessee (4/27/2010) "First marathon a disappointment" (about: 2010) First Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I trained very hard for my first marathon, as did many. I went into the experience prepared and excited. I left Nashiville disappointed and confused. Pre-start changes were like backyard basketball with the neighbors' kids: they made up the rules as they went. Finishing times were shortened, the race start time was pushed up, and still we were pulled off the course at 20 miles. No one can control the weather, but you can control how you treat your participants. We were diverted to the half marathon, my time shows a half marathon time, and at the end there was disorganization with no apologies to runners for the on-the-fly changes. I will be back next year, however, to try and finish what I started. As a native Tennessean, I was rather let down though.
S. H. from Atlanta, GA (4/27/2010) "Average marathon in a great city" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I was allowed to finish the course. It is a tough course. The first half is hard on the quads with the rolling course. The second half is flatter than the first half, but is more isolated. It is almost like the first and second half are two different races. Crowded, energetic and hilly for the first 13.1 and lonely and flat for the second 13.1. This was a challenging year for the race director and those organizing the race through what was to be the storm of the year. I think the race directors made the correct call and I think the race will be back on top for 2011. Fun city; great hotels and entertainment. I had fun but I do not think this is a PR course, so know what you are in for if you run this one. It is part of the Rock 'n' Roll series, which is known for fun and entertainment and not for the Boston-bound runners who run with a purpose.
J. B. from New Jersey (4/27/2010) "Boycott Elite Racing Events" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Very disappointed with how we, the marathon participants, were treated. There is no reason why an organization as experienced as Elite Racing should screw up as many things as they did: early start, no enforcement of corrals, half marathon runners/walkers overwhelming the road, and the worst, pulling dedicated runners off the road. Boycott Elite Racing events - pass it on!

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