Nike 26.2 = Nike Women's Marathon - Race Reviews

This race is well organized. I participated because of the Nike and Tiffany & Co. brand names. The hills were plentiful but congregated towards the beginning when energy is high, spectator support is there, and you're running in a crowd. A few are left over for marathoners but to be expected, IT'S SAN FRAN! My biggest problem with this race was the fact that almost everyone is running the half, so consequently support is drastically lacking mile 9 and onward. The spectators, water stations, and other runners are hard to find after the split in the course. My second biggest problem was the weather. I'm not sure if the timing of the race could be planned better- time of day vs time of year, but the 'views' were N/A for my entire race because of the intense and heavy fog. Literally every picture from this race is me against fog, me against more fog, and me with the flash bouncing back because of the fog! I saw no bridge, no Alcatraz, and one particularly grueling up and back portion of the course was TORTURE because it was in the last 10 miles and there was nothing but fog, but I could hear the ocean, so I'm sure at another time of day/year the scenery would have been awesome! This was my first marathon, I would not recommend someone run this race as their first. Run a race like the Marine Corps (my second race) that has spectators every mile, and you're never alone on the course. I would return to run this race after running a few more races with more marathon participants. I noticed when I ran the San Juan Marathon (2015) that I really don't like these races with majority half marathon runners. I was 23, I ran a 4:38. My PR is 4:24 from San Juan, PR in 2015.

I had a good time because I was with friends and who doesn't appreciate a Tiffany's necklace? But there are definite improvements that could be made. I ran the full which is no more. Hate that everything is on Facebook. It's very hard to find basic info. Expo was fun and girlie but not a typical expo where you can buy race necessities. Course was tough- it is San Francisco but there were stretches where it was super lonely. I understand that a lot of people do this race for charity but there are so many walkers who walk 4, 5 or 6 across and start in the faster corrals, jamming things up. I have never run a race with so many walkers who had no understanding of moving over. The volunteers were awesome and encouraging. Finish was pretty smooth and baggage pickup was easy. Took a very long time to get on a bus back to Union Square and the ride took over an hour.

I ran the half marathon after advise from someone who has done both. I had a blast and hope to get in again next year. I love the Tiffany necklace. The bag check was the MOST organized bag check I've ever dealt with. I thought Nike did the best they could given the huge crowd. It was as organized as can be. I don't like how everything is on Facebook though and the course profile was inaccurate. It really didn't depict the hills accurately.

Like previous years there were only about 4,000 full marathon runners. This made for a pretty lonely second half. Every aid station I encountered had all of the refreshments listed on the course guide, This year the finisher t-shirt did distinguish marathon vs half and there were no sponsors on the shirt. Early packet pick up was a breeze. Overall it was a good fun experience. Nike does need to improve on the availability and timing of information about the race though. The map for the race course was not released until only a few weeks before the race. Based on previous years comments I think they have improved.

I super enjoyed the course for the first part of the marathon...The second part was a bit boring. Is there any way to jazz it up a bit... I think for as much as we pay for this race that a shuttle should come with the price...I hated waiting in a huge line for a bus that I had to sit on for almost an hour... Also I wish more runners would quit being so serious and encourage each other along the way. I probably cheered on with words of encouragement 50 runners and not one of them even said thank you...I also heard soooooo many TNT coaches and runners just cheering their own on....Come on People....

This race gets worse every year, more people enter and the course runs out of sports drink, shot blox, heat sheets and does not have enough porta potties. Information before, during and after the race is very hard to find. Start and finish corrals are a joke, no racer controls, signage at the finish is insufficient. Not a race for an average half-marathoner. Terrible crowded, tiny expo. If you love standing in poorly organized and overly crowded areas, this is your race.

I really loved the course. Running through Embarcadero, Golden Gate Park, and Lake Merced. However, being that we signed up with Nike, I would have thought the shirts would be a little prettier and the ten year anniversary Tiffany's necklace would have had a better design. All in all, the course is great but the goodies were a bust.

I completely agree with what was said about the full-marathon support. Lack of food at the end and shirts that specified full-marathon. There were plenty of items for the half-marathoners but not nearly as much for the full-marathoners. All in all it was a beautiful and challenging course, but I will be running the half this year due to the previously mentioned issues.

My shirt said 'Half-Marathon Finisher', so I have no idea what the Full Marathon finisher's issue was. It was a great race for all finishers - half and full.

The course was beautiful once the fog from the Bay burned off; however, I wouldn't run this as a full marathon again. There were 21,000 half marathon participants, and only 4,000 full marathon runners. This would have been fine by me, if as a full marathon finisher, I would have received a different shirt from those that finished the half. Both distances are a great accomplishment, but I have never run a half marathon and received a shirt that said I ran a full marathon, and vice versa. Also, when I finished the full marathon, there wasn't much in the way of refreshments at the finish for us (bananas and stale bagels, that's it!); I'm guessing because the half marathon participants went through most of the food before we crossed the finish line in 4hr45min. The expo was disappointing; after a 45 min wait to get in, there was very little to see. Also disappointing was the lack of marathon gear available for immediate purchase...almost all items were labeled 'Half marathon'. It doesn't make sense that their finisher shirts all said 'Nike Women's Marathon', yet nearly all the swag for purchase only said 'half marathon'. What you get is not worth the high price of this marathon, not even if you're in it for the Nike name.

The expo was so disorganized that all I wanted to do was grab my race packet and get out of there as soon as possible. Way too small of an area for the number of people. Too crowded. Was not able to see all of the vendors. Other than the Expo, the race and course was really enjoyable. Would definitely do it again.

Ran this as my first marathon in 2012. Very well organized. Runners released in pace groups. Course was challenging, but beautiful. All around great experience. The necklace was beautiful this year. Nike did a great job.

A great challenging course but not if you are only interested in a BQ. Start is much better than last year - good job Nike. Finish is still a problem as there is not enough food and the lineup for the bus is huge. What happened to the chocolates at mile 22? Instead we had a stupid balloon to run under. Will be back next year :)

I've never been one to run a race for the medal or t shirt. I don't need lots of spectators and don't particularly like large races with big fields. But I do like destination races and spectacular views (extra points for water), so I signed up for the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. On the finisher's 'medal' and t shirt: the Tiffany and Co. necklace completely exceeded my expectations. It's a beautiful pendant on a silver chain. I LOVE the necklaceit was so fun seeing other women wearing it when I was out to dinner, around the hotel, and at the airport the next day. The other really nice thing about the necklace is that I can wear it all the time, I don't get that same silly feeling of wearing a medal after other races I've ran (I even felt a little silly wearing my Boston finisher's medal). And the tshirt: reads Nike Women's Marathon FINISHER in great big letters, can't wait to wear it while training for my next marathons. On spectators: few and far between. This was a-okay by me, though it was a little surprising, considering that 25,000 runners participate in the half and full. Most of the spectators were TNT 'coaches'who were only interested in cheering for you if a were wearing a TNT shirt. On a large race with a big field: the expo was incredibly unorganized, they were completely unable to handle a crowd of 25,000+ runners and their plus ones (or twos). The starting corals are supposed to be organized by runner's self predicted pace, but this did not happen. There were women in the sub 7:30 min pace area that were walking... On the course: duh, there are hills, but the absolutely BEAUTIFUL views and water make it 100% worth it!

I both agree and disagree with many of the comments posted. I haven't decided whether or not I will run this race again. However, if I do not, it is mostly because it is over-priced. There is definitely a ton of Nike marketing going on but I believe that to be expected when a company sponsors a race. While I am a serious runner, I am also girly and do not believe two to be mutually exclusive. With that said, I also found the bra exchange in the middle of the race a bit ridiculous but not insulting. I didn't think that any of the hills were 'killer' or 'challenging' by themselves. From my perspective, the hills were only problematic because many of the participants did not engage in proper race etiquette. The majority of the racers started walking before even attempting the hill ascents and didn't make any attempt to clear the way for those of us that wanted to continue running. Additionally, many participants simply came to a complete stop with no regard to the runners behind you. This I cannot blame on the race organizers but I do think that some signage asking walkers to move to one side or the other might be helpful. Additional corrals further breaking down the runners are definitely necessary and I agree with separating out the walkers. As others have mentioned, I had the frustrating experience of navigating walkers from the beginning of the race until at least 10 miles into the race. Anyone walking in the first mile, should not be staged in front of runners. This not only an issue of increasing your time, the more serious issue is safely as it increases the possibility of injury for all participants - runners and walkers. Additionally, It might be helpful to have corrals for those who are just doing the race for fun. I do not object or have anything against these participants but intermingling of these participants with those who are more serious about the race can be frustrating and upsetting to all. Organization upon finishing the race and with the expensive shuttle service is imperative. The last thing that your legs need after running 26 miles is to come to a sudden halt and then get herded for a half an hour - only to then spend an hour standing in line for an over-priced shuttle. For the price of the race, shuttle service should have been included in the entry fee and more convenient. Anyone who has ever run 13 or 26 miles should be on the organizing committee as they could explain how torturous this can be on a runners legs. For me, It was the difference between normally not being sore after a race to still having muscle tightness two days later. I appreciated having bananas at the end of the race but is also a good idea to have either chocolate milk or a muscle milk type product post race - especially considering that it would be hours before any of us made it out of the post-race expo. Some participant comments mentioned milk but I didn't see any when I finished. Race website and information distribution were a huge issue for myself as well. I didn't appreciate having to go look for the information necessary for participation in the event. I am accustomed to receiving e-mails from the organizer's with all of the pertinent information and believe that this is the best practice. The challenge of the hunt for information was unnecessary and undesirable. Both e-mails to participants and an organized and informative website are in dire need for future races. I enjoyed the course immensely. However, I must admit that I have a bias as I grew up in the San Francisco area and the course was very nostalgic and a homecoming for me. I do not believe that the race size is too big. I believe that it is possible to have a wonderful experience with a race this size for both serious, fun runners and those in-between. However, with greater numbers, a correlating level of structure organization is a must. The Tiffany necklace wasn't a motivator for me. In fact, I have made it all the way back home to Colorado and have not even opened the box as of yet. I didn't even notice that they were being handed out by firefighters but I may be in the minority in both noticing this or caring about it. I disagree that the TNT runners & walkers as a whole were better 'trained' than others on the course. I ran into just as many frustrating experiences with TNT runners/walkers and non-TNT participants. I don't quite understand the complaints of lack of beer at the end of the race and also have never understood the desire for beer after running 13 or 26 miles or at 10 o'clock in the morning - but to each is own and whatever floats your boat. With that said, at the time that I finished, there was a microbrew handing out cups of beer right before the finish. All in all, I think that this race has a ton of potential with some very simple improvements but am still undecided on future partcipation.

You need to update the Boston qualifying times for the new age group times! a 3:40 is no longer the qualifying time for women under 35 it is now a 3:35 so you have marked BQ after people's names who didn't qualify

I have run the race six times, and after 2011, I won't do it again. When I first started running it, I felt a sense of empowerment as a female athlete as I toed the line, and that Nike took me seriously. Last year, I felt as though Nike viewed me as sparkly pink wallet. Nike+ members get preferential treatment above and beyond the exorbitant cost of the marathon. The Expo isn't like any expo I've ever been to. There is almost nothing there related to athletics or running (I mean, facial products and expensive casual shoes? No gels or anything helpful for the race?). The signs along the course are insulting ('Skinny jeans ahead!' or 'Hurry up so you can shop!' Yeah, that's motivating for someone trying to set a PR for the course.). There was a 'bra exchange' at mile 7 or something. I mean, come ON. Nike makes a women's marathon in 2004, starts it out as a legitimate, good, REAL marathon, and then slowly morphs it into a disgusting show of heteronormality, all girly girl-ness, where running is about staying skinny and being able to eat chocolate and drink cocktails with your 'besties.' I run to compete and to be fast. I don't buy cute running clothes. I don't wear pink and I don't sparkle. I don't even like to shop. So this marathon slowly began to rub me the wrong way over the years. Combine that with ridiculous crowds of women who get upset if you ARE serious about trying to run fast (Hey, we're just having fun here!), and it made for a very bad experience last year. Re: spectators, there are lots, but be prepared for lots of guys to yell at you. I once had some young guys shouting their numbers to a girl near me, like the race equivalent of the construction workers. I chuckled, and they said, 'Hey, we like older women too!' I was 24 at the time. That said, it's a gorgeous course, and in 2006, I did qualify for Boston by running with a pace group. I don't know if they have those anymore though. You'd have to get to the start 90 minutes early to beat the rush and be able to get out, now.

1st and last time for this one. Yes, I enjoyed it, but it took us over an hour to get back to our hotel, transportation was a nightmare. And my end time was 45 minutes off from my actual results.

I ran the half but can't find a web site to blog on, so here I am. Good: Beautiful course, Loved the Tiffany necklace with fire fighters :), warming blankets and warming tent were great, food and water was plentiful, San Fran was wonderful, will probably do it again but with lower expectations of the race organization Bad: start (really, really bad), very crowded, needs wave starts, no signs for bag drop off, we were told at the Nike expo we would get a purple long sleeve shirt - wrong info, socks on expo display were not at Nike store as told, nor at Macy's as told, finally found at Lady foot locker, expo was very loud, would rather have my packet sent to me or picked up somewhere else, I don't FB, so no info on race could be found

I ran this marathon, despite the mixed reviews from previous years, solely for the Tiffany necklace. I went in with low expectations and I think that's the way to approach this race. If you're a first time marathoner/half marathoner or just want to run this with a group of friends, you'll think this race is great. More experienced runners will probably want to pass this one over (unless they also just want the Tiffany necklace). The race is just one giant marketing tool for Nike and it's geared towards selling Nike products and increasing Nike's social media presence as much as possible. The good: - The necklace. It won't be the cutest piece of jewelry you own, but you earned it and can wear it with pride. - The course. I actually really enjoyed the course and somehow managed to run both a personal best and Boston qualifying time. If you include hill work in your training, the hills will be a welcome mix for your leg muscles. I did find the couple of miles around Lake Merced (esp the part where we were running next to cars) not very pleasant, and the hill up mile 12 right when you split from the half marathoners is long, lonely, and probably the hardest part of the course. - the energy on the course. While spectators were pretty sparse after the marathoners split off from the half marathoners, there was some great support along the course, with a gospel choir, cheerleaders, break dancers, and my favorite, the drum band around mile 22 or so. The bad: - the expo. Not only was it pretty lame and useless (no energy gels for sale, no cool products to check out, just Nike swag available for purchase and a few free samples of Luna bars), but the line to pick up race packets was wrapped around the block. Nike, either limit the number of people in this race or get a bigger venue for your expo. I've NEVER had to wait so long to pick up my packet. - rude staff. I went to an info booth at the expo to pick up an extra course map for my husband and the staff member working there refused to let me have a map and snapped at me that there was a map in my race bag. Another staff member at the end of the race was yelling at finishers about the spectator buses. He was rude enough that a number of women were commenting on it as we stood in the extremely long bus line. - kind of nitpicky, but the water cups on the course had maybe 1-2 sips of water in them. I had to take at least 2 cups at each station to get enough fluid in me, particularly if I was taking a gel then. Just fill up the cups a bit more, please. The downright ugly: - the shuttle buses to take participants back to the race course. Nobody was directing people on where to stand in line for the shuttle buses, so it was chaos. It took me an hour and 45 minutes from when I got in line to get back to Union Square. - the race website. Probably the least informative race website I've ever seen, and I hate that it's a Facebook page. I don't want to have to check your darn Facebook page every day just to make sure I don't miss a post with some information.

This was my second half marathon and it was super fun! I do have a few complaints though. The start NEEDS corrals. There are way too many people at the beginning and it is mass chaos (more so than any other big race I have done). There also needs to be a separate start time for walkers. I was passing walkers for at least 6-7 miles and it made for a jumbled path. The spectators were great though and kept me going! Oh...and train well for those hills, they kill ;)

Course- Having been to San Francisco many times before, the hills in the Presidio/Richmond/GG Park were not surprising. The second half with the loop around Lake Merced is not fun. But then I doubt the miles in the 20s ever are. **There is a terrible bottleneck at about mile 5 as everyone goes up a very narrow hill in Ft. Mason. Either get way out front or plan on walking this ~150m hill. Organizers should look at changing the course for the size of the race. Organization- If you want to go to a race to buy your Nike gear instead of shopping online or going to Niketown, you're in luck! Starting area around Union Square is a mess. Bag check and corrals for starting are a real mess. Nike needs to get with it and do this right. It may be hard to close streets around Union Square, but this just needs to get better. Organizers, if you can't get the space to do it right, move the race start! Race benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (TNT). Though it seemed like they were everywhere, only about 1/5 of the runners were from TNT (5k out of 25k total). I had a TNT coach check on me as I was struggling around Lake Merced though I was not with TNT...really appreciated that! All sarcasm aside, Nike gets it right with the Tiffany finishers necklace from SF firefighters. It would be nice to see more food/beer for sale at finish since there aren't many great food places in walking distance. Spectators- Better than San Francisco Marathon in July which I've also run.

I am a Team In Training Coach and have been to Nike one time. The reason you are passing a lot of walkere is because some of them started a hour earlier. Most coaches told them to watch for the runners and stay to the outside of the road. But we can only tell them that. The TNT Coaches are out there to help there runners or walkers. For many this is there first event but they are well trained unlike other first timers that do not train or hydrate like they should.

First of all, the vistas in this race are beautiful. The expo was somewhat disappointing, no typical expo stuff available(ie gels/spibelts/etc). Only NIKE products. I finished this race at 4:09 and the only thing left at the finish was a bottle of water and a bagel. They were out of everything else. Very frustrating. If you are going to run this become a NIKE plus member and track your training runs. There is an awesome, posh, area at the end with food, cocktails, heaters and posh seating. The one thing I have to say is the energy at this race is amazing...Niketown was like a giant party before the race. One last comment, be prepared for many inexperienced TNT runners/walkers that do not know race etiquette. (ie stopping in the middle of the first mile, walking in the middle of the pack, stopping to take pictures). Am I glad I did it yes...will I run it again. No.

I didn't read the reviews for this race until after I had registered, otherwise I probably would not have signed up. At least I had plenty of time to lower my expectations. Bad: Poor organization overall from the corrals to the bag check to the finish. I don't know if the corrals were not clear to the majority of the runners but the 9 minute mile corral was mostly walkers?!? I didn't like having to keep up with which bus I left my drop bag on, the changing tent was tiny and a mess, no food or beer at the finish - but they did have a HUGE Nike tent to shop in. Probably 80-85% of the runners in this marathon are first time TNT runners. The TNT coaches were out in the middle of the race course making all of the runners run around them - not really a big deal but not very respectful to the other runners. At least cheer for me if I have to run around you. Good: The course was beautiful with breathtaking views. The Neutrogena facial station was great, as was the the chocolate milk. Also, I liked being able to walk in the cold ocean to help with swelling/recovery. I was able to follow up the race with a tour of wine country which was a nice treat. As for the necklace, it's eye catching - I get alot of questions about it. Considering I had to get on a wait list to get into this race, I seriously doubt the organizers are motivated to make any improvements. If you can deal with the lack of organization, do the race. If it's going to ruin your day, try Chicago (a week earlier) or Memphis the same size).

I rarely say that about many races. This was my 57th marathon, and yes, I ran it mainly to get the Tiffany necklace. I entered the lottery as a lark, not really thinking I'd get in, as I had tried two times previously unsuccessfully. Also, this was about 3 weeks after I completed my first half Ironman, so timing-wise, it probably wasn't ideal. The Expo was really odd. I expected one more to the likes of other large marathon expos I'd attended, but when I gave it some thought, I guess it WAS sponsored by Nike. LOL. However, I loved the race. The first half of the course was challenging, but gorgeous. The energy was amazing. I loved the drummers, especially and the view of the Golden Gate was spectacular. It would be nice for it to be a loop instead of a point-to-point course. $20 for a bus ticket back felt a little like extortion, since there were few choices. I did have to move my flight since I realized there was no way I would get back to my hotel in time to make it to the airport. But, that aside, I loved the experience.

I feel the need to comment because, as many other runners stated, this was one of the most poorly organized races I have ever run. That being said, I ran the race simply for the Tiffany's necklace, after having read all of the negative comments from years past. I could lie and say I hoped Nike would make improvements, but, frankly, I'm not a big supporter of Nike in general and should have stuck to my guns. And, I hate to be the one to say it, but the necklace is not even that great. It is small, boring, lacking in detail and says NWM in giant letters. Sure, lure me to the race for the necklace, put your company's logo all over it, then fail to deliver any quality whatsoever. The worst of the bad: small, lame expo - no gels, even for purchase??; crowds at the start were downright dangerous - we almost got trampled and had to actually step out of the way to let another runner's family members OUT of the corral area!!!; runner etiquette - Portland is a walker friendly race with a good number of participants and runs very smoothly, educate people! So as not to appear completely bitter and mean: the parts of the course through Golden Gate Park are gorgeous! The clean-up stations and massages at the finish were great. The single most appreciated and enjoyed feature of the entire experience - the chocolate milk at the finish: Thank You Safeway!

Nice race course. However, the pre & post race needs a lot of improvement for such a seasoned race. Expo is in Union Square which is cool because it's next to Niketown and other great shopping. However, the square is way too small for a race with 22,000+ runners. Expect to wait in line to pick up your race packet, especially if you go late Saturday (line went half way around the block). I waited in a short line on Friday. Expo has some great stuff but space is so limited & very crowded - too difficult to move around. Sampling is fantastic (Meyers, Safeway Smoothies, Gatorade, Ghiradelli, Pom). Race start is equally painful as it also begins in Union Square. In spite of attempt to layout the pace & bag drop areas, you had to push your way through packed crowds lining up to start based on their pace areas and bathroom lines to get to bag drop off since the other bag drop off was not accepting bags for some reason. Again square is small (plus there was road construction blocking some areas) and when you mix people lining up to start the race, bathroom lines and trying to get to another bag check point due to poor communication, at some point, I wondered if a riot might start with the pushing. It was only by sheer luck, I was able to cut through the Westin from the bag check to get even close to my pace area. Others I know never did and could not get up to pace for several miles. So if you start further back, expect some traffic before you can get up to pace. Music stations on the course was nice with the power songs. Water & food support on course was good. Sunscreen sprayers was great touch even though it was overcast. Great idea. I finished the marathon in 3:52 and by then, all they had left was bagels and water. No protein drink (saw several volunteers hoarding a few bottles behind the bagel boxes), no more bananas, no more fruit cups. Only water & bagels for sub 4 hour finishers. How can you run out of food that quickly with so many people still running? Buying food from a food truck is not what I want to eat after running 26 miles. Neutrogena clean up area was great. Would not recommend this race simply because of the pre and post race pains. Medal was nice but it didn't even have the race date on it.

Completed the 26.2 with Team in Training and would due it all over again tomorrow! Very well organized from start to finish.

Great course and views. The hills were challenging, but doable. On the downside, I agree with many of the comments about the lack of organization. Too bad that Nike doesn't take a hint from other venues. This wasn't the first time this raace has been run and nothing changes. The area where the gear check was - absolute chaos. There were people trying to get to the start area in the same area as people trying to check their gear. This could have been an absolute disaster since there was no room for anyone to move in either direction. Apparently this happens every year and Nike doesn't seem to care enough to do anything about it. Hopefully it won't take a disaster for Nike to wake up and change this situation. This was a TNT event, no doubt. I spent much of the first half moving around the walkers. TNT should have done a better job of educating their participants. Having walkers in the 10 minute start area is not acceptable. Walkers should be told that they need to be in the back of the pack. Very frustrating for runners to have to dodge these people!! On a positive note, the tiffany necklace is beautiful and I do love it. I'd do this race again only if Nike addresses these weaknesses, otherwise I'll find another fun destination!

Agree with commentors below: 1. Web site is worst I've ever seen ( 3 marathons, dozen + halfs). Very little info, no spectator guide. 2. Expo fine, small, but they had 4 Olympic women runners; my favorite part for sure! 3. Awful start, had to dodge walkers and slower runners for first 9 miles! This is not rocket science, both passers and passees were annoyed. 4. Ran out of food at finish!! It is unacceptable to let half marathoners eat all the food. They were giving out coupons for a case of free water; as if that was of any use whatsoever!! Glad I ran, I set a PR and I love San Fran, but definitely don't recommend it and would never do it again.

This was my fourth full marathon. Even after reading all of the previous HORRIBLE reviews of this race, I still decided to run it because: (1) I liked the gimmick of the Tiffany's necklace finisher's medal (2) I had never been to California (3) I figured rarely does anyone take the time to write a good review, so of course all the reviews are going to be bad Well, I wrote a glowing review for the hotel that I stayed in (Petite Auberge) so I feel justified in writing a scathing review of this event. Because that's what it is; an event, not a race. Good: Immediate email upon acceptance in the lottery Immediate charge to my credit card for the race fee, proving I did secure an entry Searchable database for my name, to verify that I truly am registered Live person actually answered the phone at Nike and had an intelligent answer to my logistics questions one week before the race I could walk to the start from my hotel Volunteers & entertainment were fantastic and supportive Aid stations were about every 2 miles and had plenty of water Bad: NO personal communication after the initial email&.until about 2 weeks before the event, receiving a print this as proof of entry email telling you about bib pickup. That's crazy. No email. No snail mail. Nothing. The only form of communication was Facebook. The Nike website was terrible. I did not care for the format of posing questions on the NWM facebook wall, for 24,500 total strangers to see. I didn't need 24,500 people knowing I was going to be across the country from my home on race day. This is why I resorted to calling Nike on the phone looking for answers. Packet pickup had me confirm that I purchased a shuttle ticket when I registered, yet she forgot to give me a sticker for my bib, which would give me entry onto the shuttle bus. So I had to take public transportation. She also didn't explain that I was supposed to wear the Nike+ band for race day perks, which is moot since apparently other runners wore their bands and didn't get anything. Expo was horrible. I agree with previous reviewers: it was dark, loud, no flow, and a complete lack of vendors. One tiny stall outside selling Bodyglide for $9 doesn't count. Bib was round, which means race-belts don't work. I had to pin my number to my belt. Bag drop off had no clear signage race morning, and was a distance from the start. Start was ridiculously crowded. There is no reason why my husband should have been able to stand in the street with me. No spectators should have been anywhere in the corral areas. Racers were pushing through all the people to try to work their way into the desired corral; this was occurring even after the start gun. The corrals were honor-system, which didn't work for this event. I was still weaving through walkers up through mile 11, when the half-marathoners finally split off. How is that even possible to have so many walkers so far in front? I was off by a full minute every mile off of my race pace from the very start, because of so many walkers. I get it now; this is a charity event. I've run marathons for charity before, but that doesn't mean I'm second class because I don't happen to be running for the chosen Nike charity today. I think I agree with the reviewer who said they should just make this a TNT only event. It would solve a lot of the issues that the serious runners are experiencing. Don't underestimate the congestion; there were people 6 inches from me on all sides right up until the split. I suppose the bright side is I had a negative split. Nike must have cheaped out on the Brightroom photo contract. Brightroom has photographed all my other marathons, and took excellent close up candid photos. The Brightroom photos from this event that are supposed to be photos of me, showed a jumbled crowd of people! If it weren't for my neon green shirt, I would have trouble picking myself out of the crowd. No kidding. I was given the wrong finisher's shirt. I was given a half-marathon shirt, instead of the full. I finished in the full marathon chute, received my medal, and walked straight to the Full finisher's table. It never occurred to me to check that I received the correct shirt. Apparently, this happened to many, many full finishers. I received a partially frozen bagel and one bottle of water at the finish. That's it. I'm not going to suggest to Nike how to solve these problems for 2 reasons: (1) Many other people have offered viable solutions in their critiques of this event, and Nike chooses to ignore them, year after year. (2) Nike has enough money to hire race experts to fix their problems. I don't need to give them my advice for free. I suggest that you run this event to say you've run the hills of San Francisco (which honestly, weren't all that bad), and to say that you received a Tiffany's necklace from a tuxedoed firefighter. If that is your expectation, you won't be disappointed.

This was a very disappointing race. I love the Tiffany necklace, and that's why I ran it, but Nike could do SO much better if they'd take time to learn from the Rock n Roll, Chicago or New York people. The mistakes they made (jumbled start, crowded water stops, no-flow expo, poor website, not enough food, not enough shirts, etc.) would be easy to fix if they would be humble enough to admit the problems. They did a great job with marketing and merchandise, which are always Nike strengths. Props to Neutrogena and Safeway for making good use of their sponsorships! The course was hilly, as expected, but do-able. I did find the first half incredibly frustrating as I had to pick my way through walkers and slower runners (and I'm not fast at all). Better organization will do wonders. I won't run it again, though.

My issues- 1. There was no organization whatsoever at the start. Say, what you like about letting people line themselves up according to pace it never really works out well does it. It was obvious the NWM outgrew the Union Square start. People were packed in like sardines. My daughter was elbowed in the corral. Spectators do not belong in the corral either! 2. Not enough potra potties at the start and on the course come on with 22,000 participants you should have more waiting 10+ minutes to pee during a race is too long. 3.Too many walkers arm in arm blocking the course. They need to start at the back. I could only hope that the walkers would let us pass. That never happened. I tried asking, shouting runner on your left, clearing my throat, and even just being rude and brushing past them. With the course, being congested about 80% of the time and not being able to get past the walkers my daughter and I had no choice but to walk, it was beyond frustrating. 4.The expo my daughters name did not end up on the wall or the poster because of a misprint issue. It was crowded and other than taking free samples of Gatorade products anything else worth doing had too long of a wait. 5. The shirts mine is already falling apart I expect better quality from Nike. 6.Many women there openly admit only entering for the necklace and have no clue about race etiquette, hence the miserable experience.

1. Race start was appalling and no staff seemed to know how it was organized. NEED corrals by time (learn from RNR marathons) 2. Need signs and map for organization at start/finish for where to check-in bags, line up, pickup bags, etc. 3. Not much support for marathoners - mostly for 1/2 M's (little crowd support after 1/2 M finish) 4. Liked the cheer stations, pretty course. 5. Expo needs more vendors with more running gear (such as pouches, watches, etc.), NIKE shouldn't be only clothing vendor either!

I have never reviewed a race but thought I would regarding Nike as I read so many of these reviews before I went to San Francisco. This race is exactly what you would expect from a Nike sponsored event. Huge, bling, lots of perks. If you are running for a quiet morning or a PR then you should probably reconsider running this race. I left my watch at home and enjoyed the last 13 miles but I will say that the first half was really exhausting. I had to slow and walk around people and basically kiss any kind of PR goodbye. I am very thankful I ran the full as I was able to see the Great Hwy and run along the ocean. Definitely go into this race to have fun and do your research; Don't let the first half upset you - it's VERY crowded.

This was marathon #13 for me, so I have experience in how marathons should be organized. This marathon, was by far, the most disorganized race. I would not recommend this marathon and will not be running it again. Here is my list of reasons why it ranks so low: *Please note, these are the same complaints runners have each year and Nike has done very little to improve upon them. Recommendation to Nike: Get rid of the full marathon, you really put no effort into it anyway. Turn this race into a 100% TNT race. Don't let non-TNT persons in as very little is done to accommodate them. And for goodness sake, HAVE ENFORCED START CORRAL TIMES!!! 1. Expensive race 2. Race website hard to navigate. Lacked important information. 3. Expo was small, no vendors, dark, noisy. 4. No safety pins given with the bib 5. Big bulky chip on the back of the bib 6. Start line was pure chaos (most poorly managed start line I have experienced). I cannot believe Nike has done nothing about this. It is the #1 complaint from runners. 7. The online tracking failed miserably 8. The water/Gatorade cups at the aid stations contained only a few tablespoons of water in each cup (at least for me). I had to grab 2-3 cups just to get a mouthful. 9. Spectators were non existent in miles 18-22 10. TNT spectators only cheered for TNT runners (were is the running etiquette?) 11. They ran out of food! How does that even happen? I finished the full marathon in 4 hours and they had run out of food. 12. The bottled water they handed out was lukewarm. ALWAYS keep the finish line beverages cold please. 13. From most reports I have read or heard, the volunteer staff was well undereducated on the FAQs for this race 14. They do not have official times up within 24hrs post-race (most races have that within 24 hours) 15. The finish area was chaos. They did nothing to keep spectators out. No places to really sit. For anyone wanting to do this race, PLEASE, walk on the right, do not line up in the front if you are a walker or slower runner. No excuse for that. With how much this race cost, this race was almost embarrassing from an organization stand point.