If you have ever run a Rock 'n' Roll event, you know that it has great entertainment and aid stations. This one did not disappoint. Having said that, let me tell you what can be improved.

1. The shuttle busses to the start line were somewhat of a mess. People were left starting the race an hour late. A real problem.

2. The course was a disappointment - very uneventful. They failed to showcase the beauty of the city.

3. The freeway section of the race was a 3-mile stretch that was on a slant. My knees were hurtin'... not good at all.

4. The finish line was at the Marine Corp, and they made my friends go through searches, which was a little bit of a hassle.

I would stil recommend this marathon, as I had an overall great experience.

As usual for an R 'n' R event: well organized and great crowd support. Plenty of refreshments, GU, etc. The expo is well done with great runner clinics; did you hear the doctor say to drink when thirsty only, and take a little salt along the way? As for comments about the 163 Highway part: you can avoid injury by staying on the edge of either side of the road. Do not run on the very slanted middle of the road. The course does go past Mission Bay and near the ocean. The ending is probably the weakest link, as you are left a distance from the exit area with overcrowded buses, so many of us walked (or should I say, "limped") to the trolley/parking lots? I have run this one every year for about 9 years and do recommend it. There is a downtown hostel available with public transportation. Weather is usually cool and cloudy at the start, but can warm up in the second half of the race if the sun breaks through. Give it a try!

I will always smile when I think of the San Diego Marathon, as I ran it with my daughter for her first marathon. Still, I was expecting more from this marathon.

Pros
1. The volunteers are GREAT - plenty of water stops with FRIENDLY, SMILING volunteers.
2. The medal represents San Diego well.
3. The young men and women serving our country that manned the finish line area at the Marine Corp Recruiting Depot make you know that the USA is in great hands - SO POLITE AND SO CARING.
4. Plenty of medical tents - we had to use them twice.
5. The start area had plenty of FOOD, and seeing the Marine Corp band was inspiring.
6. My flight was delayed in LA (a whole story in and of itself), so my daughter had to pick up my bib. Thank you to the staff who understood the situation and gave my daughter my bib number.
6. I now have a whole new respect for the Team in Training runners - they have raised over $60,000,000 at the San Diego marathon alone. I guess I will have to learn to love the cheer "Go Team" and the color purple.
7. The first 8 miles are great - Balboa Park, Sea Port Village, the Port, Petco Ball Field.

Cons
1. The course - I lived in San Diego for 14 years, and was disappointed in the last 10-12 miles. There are some beautiful coastal areas, but the marathon did not get near the water. New course layout should improve this.
2. You had a LONG walk at the finish - only one way out of the MCRD.
3. I always loved driving Highway 163 - not running it. But you could run on the inside to minimize the banking.

Overall, I recommend San Diego. It is a very good marathon, it does great things for charity, and it's a very good marathon for first-timers.

I've done many half marathons, but this was my first full. The course is actually very friendly to those who don't like uphills, as the only real hill is on the 163. Nice downhill at Mile 2 into downtown, and another one after the crest on 163. Pretty flat after that, at least for San Diego. Running through downtown was a lot of fun, and the crowds were great. Spectators along Friars Road were also very good. After the turn off Friars, it becomes less scenic. Still nice, especially around Sea World, but nothing special. I hear 2009 was the last year for the finish at MCRD, though, which is too bad because running through the Depot for the last mile was great. Many water and aid stations along the course, and plenty of goodies at the end. The only thing I might add would be more chairs or seating areas in the finish area. Lots of people were sitting on the ground, or taking some spots on water tables. But that's minor. I highly recommend this one for first-timers.. just be sure you've trained well and are ready for the rigors of such a long race.

I recommend running it. It was my first marathon, and it made me love running.

Well organized. Good music along the way. Lots of spectators. A good running tour of San Diego.

This was my first marathon and I ran as a part of the Team in Training contingent. Overall, it was an excellent experience. The weather was cool and overcast and the course was very fair (though not as flat as I was lead to believe). There were water and Cytomax stations (Gatorade tastes like Cristal compared to this stuff) every two miles, and a GU station at mile 18. The support was amazing! The locals are really into it giving out watermelon, pretzels, water and yes, cans of beer to those runners who wanted it. I was in corral #18 and it took about 6 minutes to hit the start line. The first mile isn't as bad as one would think, with 20,000-plus runners starting. And some of the sights are incredible. The medal/water and medical treatment areas are within earshot of the finish, and the shuttle buses were easy to find. I would highly recommend this marathon to both beginners and advanced alike. Just a wonderful experience that I will not forget!

This was my first full and I really enjoyed it. The weather was cool and cloudy, and a slight drizzle that was great for running. It was a little cold before the start of the race, though. The course was nice - pretty flat. The run on the freeway was a hard uphill and a slanted downhill. The spectators were great, cheering and motivating and handing out everything from oranges, pretzels, and Otter Pops, to shots of beer. I parked at the finish line and had no problems with the shuttles there and back. There were frequent water and Cytomax stations. The beginning was pretty hectic, with a lot of people going a lot slower than the corral they should have been in. The finish line was good, with medical help and water and snacks. The bands are cool, but you only get a 20-second snippet of what they are playing, so I still would recommend an iPod.

Overall, a very fun race to run, and a good marathon.

This was my first full marathon and I'm glad I chose this one. The on-course support was way above and beyond anything I ever expected. Plenty of water and sports drink; and I couldn't believe the gel station, which had so many choices! It was very well marked too. Yes, the 163 sucked, and my IT Band will never forgive me for doing that to it, but I'll be back next year and I will be running more Rock 'n' Roll events also!

We had great weather, the volunteers were awesome, and we can never thank the military enough for helping us to enjoy the great pleasures of this country. So, an A+ to the military, volunteers, bands, and everyone involved. Also, congrats to Beth from North Carolina (with Team Leukemia), who completed her first marathon.