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May 9, 2024

Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 3.4

Organization 4.2

Spectators 3.5

Number of comments: 104 [displaying comments 61 to 71]

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L. F. from Kent, WA (7/2/2010) "Could do better, Seattle" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Pros: Hills are not too bad Aids stations were plentiful and enthusiastic Pretty medal Cons: Too many out-and-backs for marathoners Not as scenic a course as it could be Baggage drop left way too early (we were still waiting in the hour-long port-o-let line). Port-o-lets were not available at the finish until after leaving the secure area. Bands every mile were advertised but that was not the case. I would not do this one again.
T. H. from Little Rock, AR (6/30/2010) "Very disappointing for a large event" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 The transportation to the starting line was a mess. No organization at all. The course was mostly concrete and crowd support was very limited.
J. R. from St. Paul, MN (6/30/2010) "Great "hilly" course!" (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Great course - the hills were frequent, but manageable. Only complaint about the course is the final out-and-back, where we practically ran past the finish line for the final few miles and back. The runners' chute at the finish had fewer spectators than expected. Beautiful weather, great volunteer support (LOVE the way the water stations were set up!), well organized race, nice expo, and great running weather (no rain!). Overall, a great race!
b. h. from Austin, Tx (6/30/2010) "Unfortunate course, great organization" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The expo and start area were great. I was fortunate enough to gain entry to the VIP porta-potties - they're really nice. I'm not a fan of the Rock 'n' Roll race starts. Each corral starting a few minutes after the prior corral, makes a long wait for those of us who aren't too fast. I started at least 45 minutes after the race was scheduled to begin. The course itself was hilly, which is understandable in Seattle. The out-and-backs were miserable. By the final 5 miles or so, after running past Qwest Field, the out-and-back almost broke me. There were 3 out-and-backs for the entire race. Far too many for a marathon. The aid stations were well stocked, the cheerleaders and bands were full of energy, and the spectators were lively and loud. Compared to other Rock 'n' Roll races, this one was sub-par in regard to the shirt and medal.
B. G. from Connecticut (6/29/2010) "Enjoyed the Race" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 My wife and I flew into Seattle to run as part of our 50 state quest. Expo was large and well organized - typical of these R'n'R events. We jumped on the North shuttle a little after 5 a.m. and got to the start area in about 20 minutes. No lines for toilets. I was in corral 5 and the wave start was fine. Course was just "okay" for me. I could have done with less concrete, but views of the water were nice. Out-and-backs were okay, but it takes mental toughness to handle them. Coming from CT, I would have thought that the organizers would have found a better route to showcase Seattle better (trainyard at the end could have been skipped). I found the course splitting the half marathoners from the full to be fine - I was worried, as there were a lot of negative comments about this last year. As with most big marathons, post-race food was bleh.... I would think that 28,000 people paying about $100 or more would allow some more food choices than the VERY basic items they did have.
K. L. from New York (6/28/2010) "Great weather - terrible wave start" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Pros: 1) Great expo with lots of booths and free samples. Also got autographs and my picture taken with Meb Keflezighi and Brian Sell! 2) Course aid stations were well stocked and the volunteers enthusiastic. Also, it was nice to have GU at miles 7 and 20. 3) Miles 6-10 around Lake Washington were beautiful. 4) Shuttle bus service to the start was well organized. 5) I actually like the emerald green Brooks technical shirts. It would have been nice to have separate shirts for the full and half-marathon. 6) Free beer at the finish and decent amount of food/drinks. Cons: 1) Wave start was terrible. Somehow I was assigned corral 26, even though I had put an estimated finishing time of 4 hours. It took 41 minutes before my corral started the race! I've never had to wait that long to start any race (including the NYC Marathon). The wave start didn't help with congestion, as it was already congested before mile 1. 2) The course could be improved upon. The out-and-back portions on Highway 99 meant few spectators, and not much scenery. The last hill after mile 25 is cruel and unusual punishment. It would have been nice to run through more of Seattle's neighborhoods rather than on highways and through highway tunnels. Overall, a well organized race by the R'n'R folks, but the wave start really needs to be changed. How about implementing separate starting times so that people don't have to stand around in their corrals for 40+ minutes after the official start!
S. M. from Duncan, BC Canada (6/28/2010) "Great organization, poor course" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This race course was disappointing. The course had far too much concrete, and too many overpasses, off-ramps, etc. Through the park along the water was very nice for a few miles, but the rest lacked imagination. The traffic tunnel was awful, noisy, and airless, and the music playing echoed through the tunnel and off of the walls and was deafening. The only plus is that it made me run faster just to get out of there, and it had to be three quarters of a mile. The organization was superb, as was the expo. Food was not good: a dry bagel, 1 banana, 1 slice of orange, a cheap bar and chips. I love Seattle, but there were not many fans for this event. I would do it again if they improve the course. I did the half and was glad I had not done the full, as that much concrete would have done in my feet and legs.
K. C. from Fort Worth, TX (6/28/2010) "Lots of out/back, and 5 straight miles uphill" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 The course could be improved - there was lots of running through average suburban areas with little to no beautiful Washington scenery. The multiple out-and-backs got annoying, especially when we passed the finish line and had to loop out and come back to it. The constant uphill from mile 13-18 was tough, as was the one from 24-25 (which was on the top of the viaduct), with no fan support, bands or anything to look at. I agree with others that the Rock 'n' Roll shirts are ugly, as are the medals.
R. M. from Sacramento, California (6/27/2010) "Tough, scenic course!" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Ok, so this was my second time running Seattle R 'n' R. I ran the full last year and had the WORST time ever with those terrible out-and-backs. The cambered roads killed my ankles and knees. I opted for the half this year, and despite the few random hills, I thought it was a good course! Race coordinators need to monitor/guide those folks who insist on forming a single line for a set of 15 porta-potties. I took it upon myself and started an additional line because no one would! Those single lines caused an enormous back up, which is exactly why some people waited in lines for an hour!
Dale Fiorillo from Kent, Wa (6/27/2010) "Seattle's best, but room for improvement." (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Porta-potty sites were unknown. UPS trucks left WAY too soon, so I had to carry my expensive coat. Awesome water stops. Average shirt. Signs good. Super expo. Course assistance and control were perfect. Spectators: give me a break; who runs for applause? After a dozen runs, I must be getting jaded, but this was a good event with a few correctable situations.

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