SEAFAIR Marathon - Race Reviews

When I signed up for the SEAFAIR marathon '08, it was because I would have a "once in a lifetime chance to cross the 520 on foot." I was well prepared. The website suggested using the shuttle from Bellevue to UW. However, they did not have enough shuttles and the majority of people were stranded on the wrong side of Lake Washington. They scrambled to get us to the halfway point. The bus driver was lost and no one knew what was happening. We stood on the side of the road for an hour or so and then began the half marathon. At the end they ran out of medals (VERY early). We were told that in compensation we could sign up for another event free of charge and our money would be donated to the hospital. I complained and was promised a refund. It never came and they stopped talking to me. The medal showed up almost three months later.

Did anyone else notice that the course was way off a full marathon distance, like by about a mile? My friend's GPS watch measured 25.2 miles, not 26.2. So, I traced the route on Google pedometer and realized that they cut off a significant section of the course in Kirkland. Besides the short course, there were the other problems with shuttle buses and running out of cups cited elsewhere that give this year's race poor marks in organization. Although I liked running across the 520 bridge, I think that the course can be greatly improved. It is certainly OK and challenging to have hills in a marathon, but it does not have to be to the degree found in this course.

The comments so far are pretty accurate; there were numerous lapses on too many levels. I wrote a letter directly to the race director and to his credit, he admitted many of the shortcomings and promises wholesale changes for next year. As already stated, there were transportation and water/cups issues. Allowing for all the last-minute sign-ups probably did them in; they did not have enough resources or the nimbleness to handle the crowds - they should have known better. The record crowds were subject to the record heat - from there it was a lesson in resilience and patience. The course, while scenic in some areas, was also very challenging, especially in the second half of the race. Some hills forced many to walk. Many miles were shared with cars idling with their exhaust fumes - mix that with the heat, full sun, long hills, and lack of water/cups/water stations and you've got a challenging race-day experience. There were mile markers out there but no clocks. The expo was bare-bones, but the tech shirt, and race medal were great. The finish area was also bare-bones; little to eat, nothing cold to drink, and it was a long, hilly walk back to the host hotel. By far, the best part of the race was the volunteers out on the course. There were several turns but not a single one was missed. There were volunteers and law officers at every single point and they made sure we never tangled with traffic either. Also, many residents showered us with garden hoses along the way to mitigate the heat; thank YOU! This race needs a lot of work and the race director and committee seems to be aware of it. My hope is that novices will look at this day as an anomaly and won't be soured on entering other races. Constructive feedback from this website and others hopefully will help races/committees avoid the pitfalls of poor management, staging, and resource allocation.

(I ran the half-marathon.) How to improve this marathon: 1. Hills are fine, but mountain climbing is ridiculous. Cut out hills that require the majority to walk. 2. Water every 2 miles, please. Teach the volunteers what to do - i.e., hold the cups out at arm's length. White cups for water; green cups for Gatorade. 3. Water at the start. 4. Offer peanut butter for the bagels. What was good: The finish....

This is my third year with this race. The first two years were fantastic, but then they changed it. If I had driven this course beforehand, I would never have run it. The hills are brutal, and I train on a hilly course. It's unforgivable that there were not enough shuttle busses and completely unforgivable that they let spectators on the busses when the line of runners stretched forever. It was NOT poor planning on the runners' part that caused so many to miss the shuttles. If you have busses "running from 5 a.m. until the beginning of the race" (7 a.m.), then I would say arriving at 6 a.m. should have been good enough. It wasn't. I ended up being dumped at mile 13.1 with hundreds of others (missing the running over the bridge, which is why I was running). THEN we got to wait for over an hour - with nowhere to sit and only one porta-potty - for the lead runners to pass so we could start. I have no idea what the "entertainment" was on the first half of the course was like, but it was nonexistent on the second half. Bless the locals who brought out the hoses. The icing on the top of the cake, though, was finishing and finding out that they had NO WATER BOTTLES. They ran out. AMAZING. There are stores all over the place, and they had little Dixie cups full of warm water to hydrate you after finishing in 90-degree weather. I could not take a bottle of water and sit in the shade, I had to stand on the cement with NO SHADE in order to drink water and rehydrate after the run. To add insult to injury, I have emailed the race director, and after a week have not received the courtesy of a reply. (A story in the local paper said that they had contacted all the runners, but I have received nothing.) I seriously doubt that I will ever do this one again. It was a disaster. I think I could forgive a "we messed up, and we are sorry," but ignoring the runners that you wronged is not okay.

I've heard and read a lot of negative remarks about this race, but I enjoyed it from start to finish. The expo was so-so, a one-day event. My only suggestion is: next year, don't stage it in a parking garage. I ran the half marathon and loved, loved, loved the course. It was scenic and challenging. The hill at mile 7 was very tough, but I chugged up it without walking. To me, the hills at 11-12 were tougher. I enjoyed finishing in Downtown Park, very shady and "comfy." Regarding the shuttle buses, I feel if runners had arrived earlier it wouldn't have been as big an issue. In my humble opinion, allowing family/friends to ride with runners to watch them start was a bigger factor, rather than the number of buses. I will run this race again in '09, provided the expo/shuttle issues are addressed. Crowd support wasn't overwhelming, but very supportive.

My wife and I ran this marathon together. It was hot, and I mean hot, but what do you expect at the end of June? It was hilly, probably the hilliest of the 34 marathons we have run. And, there was some confusion, not unexpected for a first-time course. Bottom line is that we loved it. The expo was well organized (my wife loved the store selling returned running shoes for $50), the pasta dinner was a good value, the volunteers and citizens were very helpful (particularly those with sprinklers and garden hoses). We loved the course, much of which was along or near the lake. The photos taken in this race, especially those of us crossing the floating-bridge, are keepers. The race officials made it clear that the runners should be at the bus stops as early as possible, with the buses starting to run at 5:00 a.m. By our standards, we were late (5:15), and found few runners and lots of buses waiting. We were quickly transported to the start line, where we took care of our pre-race business. After the race, we talked to a number of participants who grumbled about starting late or missing the bridge portion of the race altogether. We found that many of these had shown up at the bus stop at 6:30 or even 6:45, for a race that is supposed to start at 7:00. More buses would have helped, but tardy runners need look no further than the mirror for the source of their problem. I think that the organization responded to the problem quickly and correctly, first by delaying the race a bit, and then by bussing the runners to the halfway point of the marathon so they could run a half. As 90 percent of the runners were half-marathoners anyway, they still ran their race, though they missed the bridge run. While they did not affect our run, there were two problems that should be addressed; (1) the runner drop-off point was too close to the start line and quickly became congested with runners. This definitely slowed down the return of the buses. I expect that the buses could drop off the runners a ways away and let them take a warm-up jog to the start. Also, (2) I talked to one runner who had planned to be accompanied by six family members on the bus to the start. I imagine that not only would they clog up the bus, but also would slow down a runner getting to the bus in the first place. Let the family wait on the other side of the bridge for the runner to come by. The end of the bridge was near the bus stop anyway. In any case, though we are members of the 50-states marathon club, and seldom do a marathon in the same state twice, we are giving serious consideration to adding the SeaFair Marathon to our list of annual "must-dos."

I heard that this new point-to-point course added more hills than the old loop course. I can believe it. The toughest hills are on mile 7 and at the 23 and 1/2 mile mark. There are too many steep uphills and downhills, which put a lot of strain on your quads; and also because of the heat, you have the tendency to cramp up. Organization was not good for this marathon. When a city hosts a full and a half marathon on the same day, keep in mind that more runners will always run the half marathon. Now that the Seafair Marathon is a a point-to-point course, you need to have a lot more than 5 buses to shuttle over 5,000 runners to the start line. They needed to have more fluid stations on the course because of the hot day. They were spaced too far apart. They also needed more volunteers to hand out the fluids. I have never ran a marathon that had no race clocks on the course. What was up with that? They should have started the marathon about a half an hour early. What was good about the marathon? Crossing over the 520 Floating Bridge because there was a nice little breeze blowing off Lake Washington. The scenery was nice. It was nice going through the upscale neighborhoods of Bellevue and Kirkland as well as Medina and Clyde Hill. Also, I liked the neighbors with their garden hoses spraying down the runners. This was too tough of a marathon. Maybe I'll do the half marathon only.

I was very unhappy with this event. Too few port-a-potties, they ran out of cups, they ran out of medals for half-marathon walkers... the list goes on.

Very challenging, hilly course; loved it! For those who want a flat course, try the Seattle Marathon in November. The shuttle was a huge problem; need more buses and a different drop-off point away from the porta-potty lines and start line. Also, dump the Gleukos sport drink. But keep the course....

Thanks to everyone who cheered us on and sprayed us with water hoses and water guns. Why bother giving us a chip if there is no chip time or splits? What happened to the bus service? We waited in the shuttle line a long time and then other passengers seemed to be giving the driver directions to the start. We arrived 13 minutes after the scheduled start time and as we stepped off the bus the start gun went off. They did have enough water though.

I run a marathon a month so I have been on most of the major courses. This had to be the worst. You had it right the previous years. The person who set this course is not a marathon runner, or at least has never run this course. Hills help to work different muscle groups, but this series of hills trashed the quad and put runners at risk coming back down. Unfortunately, you shot yourself in the foot for a great cause. The course demoralized the experienced marathoners and discouraged novices and potentially new marathoners. Get your organizer at least to WALK the course and you will get the point.

I didn't get to run the marathon because there weren't enough buses to take all of the marathoners to the start. I'm talking over 400 runners who were stranded at the shuttle area. The race organizers told us we could run a half marathon starting at Mile 13. I registered for the marathon, but I needed to salvage something from this race day. BUT WAIT! Really, we had to wait over an hour for the marathon leaders to pass the halfway point before we could run. Unbelievable! This course is terrible: Hilly, unattractive, and boring. People in their cars were impatient and rude. This is the worst race experience I've ever had. I can say enough bad things about this race.

I heard a lot of complaining along the way about the hills, but I thought it was a great run and have no complaints about the course itself. I have done two trail races this year that had killer hills so this was NOTHING! I am just glad to be out there with all the other runners and still have the ability to run another day. I loved the shirt, and loved crossing the bridge. We had no trouble getting on a bus because we planned to get there early, and I feel for those who did not plan so well and did not get the run they had trained for. I would do this course again and just prepare for limited water and porta-potties. The heat was not the fault of the organizers. It was a beautiful day in Seattle!

I think a better course layout would include a start/finish at the downtown park and an out-and-back across the 520 floating bridge. Doing this would eliminate the costs of bus rental and potential coordination issues. Although the host hotel was nice and offered runners a great rate, it was too far from the start/finish. The volunteers and residents along the route made things happen. When stations ran out of cups, water bottles were quickly refilled and makeshift fountains were created. Many thoughtful residents charged up their hoses and lit off sprinklers in an effort to provide a break from the heat. They are the only reason I might consider running this race again.

We all knew this was a hilly run and the weather would be hot. The first 10 miles were hilly but beautiful, and there was lots of crowd support, with sprinklers, Vaseline, hoses, and otter pops. After 11, it was still hilly (as expected), but there was zero crowd support (need those cheers and sprinklers on hot days) and no shade after 16. There were no cups of water at the midpoint, so the only way to get water was if you carried your own bottle to refill. At mile 11 the water stop volunteers said, "We have no cups, but I can pour the water on your head, which is all you need." Huh? Don't get me wrong - BLESS, BLESS, BLESS ALL RACE VOLUNTEERS!! But warm water doesn't cool my body temp or rehydrate me if I can't drink it with 15 miles to go. By mile 18 the water was 90 degrees and there was no way to cool the body. Porta-potties didn't go much better than hydration. Before the start, there was a crowded 20+ minute-line to pee, and sparse porta-potties from there on out. Race instructions encouraged runners to use the shuttle (plus friends/family), yet they left 400 runners that never made the start. I ran across the finish line, but my results are not recorded after 30 kilometers. This course is challenging but beautiful, and worth the hills. Race organization needs serious work before ever contemplating running this again.

You can't blame a race organizer for record heat, but you can for several water stations running out of cups, busses being confused, and a host hotel a mile from the finish (and other attractions). Kudos to the police support and volunteers (several of whom gave you drinks from water jugs, fountain like, to make up for no cups). Course also had lots of hills, and no shade for the last 8 miles. For next year, start the race earlier, move the race hotel, get out a contour map, but keep the great volunteers.

I can appreciate a tough course, which this one had. However, the aid stations were not evenly spaced. A couple of early stations had so few volunteers that people were lining up for water, and a couple of late water stations ran out of cups. The fan support was ok, but there was no entertainment on the course. I pre-paid for the pasta dinner as part of my registration, but no one at the expo knew anything about the pasta dinner.

This was my first marathon, and although the course was rough (with all of the hills), the organization and fans were great. I would recommend this race to anyone because it was a great course with tons of help along the way from fans and event staff. I will be back and and would like to thank all the volunteers for their support.

My first Seafair Marathon, and it did not make the cut on my list of must-run-again races. 1) Mandatory Saturday packet pick up. 2) Point-to-point course meant getting there at 5 a.m. to catch a bus. 3) Starting the 1/2 marathoners at the same time as the full - 5,000 runners with no clear line up as to projected pace. That made for a crowded, jostling first couple of miles. 4) Most roads were open to traffic with orange cones, giving us little room and safety. 5) They had overwhelmed water stations at the first two stops. It did get much better after that. 6) Gluekos drink. Who really drinks that? 7) We were ignored at the finish. Volunteers really should be checking on finishers to make sure they are OK. I found cups of hot water and orange slices at the finish. I did have a good time and don't usually complain, but compared to other races, this one did not seem to cater to the runner so much.

The marathon committee recommended arriving early for the shuttle buses. I waited in line for 30 minutes to get on a bus.  The event scheduled 5 school buses to shuttle 5,000 participants on a 15-minute ride in 2 hours.  End result: delayed start.  The event was not appropriately staffed with volunteers at the water points.... I had to wait about a minute at the 2nd water point to get water.  Bless the spectators who set out their garden sprinklers to give the runners some relief along the course!  The course was very scenic, and I hope that it is better organized for next year's run.

The organizers made 400 runners miss the start because they didn't provide enough shuttles. The course was very hilly and we spent a great deal of time running next to idling cars (Read: inhaling car exhaust). Running on the 520 bridge was ok but not something to make me run this race again. This is the first time I've been able to get an extra small-size shirt, so that was nice. The neighbors along the route shared their sprinklers, which was great since it was so hot out. Oh, and my finisher's medal broke within 5 minutes. Try the Seattle Marathon instead!

This year's course was constantly hilly, especially at the end. Not fun. The people with their garden hoses were my heroes, along with all of the great volunteers. A huge thanks goes to those who stopped to help me at mile 22. I got a severe calf cramp - thanks to Robert Reffkin, who walked the rest of the way with me. You rock. Next year, we need a real sports drink along with water. The Sucro did not cut it.

The race organization is good, and the people are friendly. There were smatterings of spectators, but mainly just friends and family. It was blistering hot. Not much the organizers can do about that except make sure there's lots of water available, which for the most part they did. Now the route: The course starts by crossing a floating bridge. That was scenic and a cool way to start. Bellevue and the surrounding communities are very clean and scenic. That's the last nice thing I can say about the course. There are way too many hills. They start right after the bridge and don't stop until mile 25. If you look at the elevation chart, it's obvious there's a big hill at mile 16, but the rest of the course doesn't look bad. That's just a trick of scale. The mile 16 climb is so high (about 350 feet over 3 miles) that the other hills look small in comparison. They're not. I've run the other Seattle Marathon, and it's also hilly. With hundreds of miles of waterfront trails that never deviate from sea-level, surely the people of Seattle can figure out a less challenging route.

Prepare for this race by running hills, and wearing plastic sacks around your body!!! The hills were a killer! Crossing the floating bridge was fun, but the fun ends around mile six. That's where the hills begin, with a very steep one at mile 7; more moderate ones through about mile 10; then from 13-15 a long slow climb; then a short steep one around 18; then a long one at about 21-23; then around 24 (just when you're thinking it's all downhill from here), you turn a corner and, guess what... that's right, another steep one!!!!!! ARGH!!!! Finally, there is a crest near mile 25 and the sign on the bank tells you it's 90 degrees, and you say to yourself, "maybe this explains why I have been out here so long." Well the final mile is a gentle sloping downhill, but by this time, you're so tired and so wanting it to be over that there is no rejoicing. My advice for this race: Prepare, Prepare, Prepare!!!!

The course was unbelievably hard. The elevation maps on the website gave no indication that the entire race was hard uphill. Steep hills for most of the race. And the highest grade is at mile 12+. The organization was terrible. We waited 45 minutes to get on the shuttle to the start. The race started 15 minutes late due to the shuttle problem. The weather was unseasonably hot and the aid stations were ill-prepared and too far apart. There were some spectators, and considering it's a small race, that was appreciated. The course needs some serious work if they are going to get any repeat runners.

Running across the 520 floating bridge was beautiful and scenic at the start of the race. Well-organized and good aid station support, and fans in the residential neighborhoods were spraying runners with hoses and offering otter pops. :) The course was really tough - a giant hill for most of mile 7, and then pretty hilly the rest of the way as well. If they keep this course the same for next year, you'd better be doing some hill training!

I have run this race three times as a half marathoner, and this was my first time as a full marathoner and I could not believe how disorganized it was. First of all, it was delayed by 15 minutes. Not a big deal, except that it was quickly getting hotter out by the minute. We live in the PNW. We wear shorts when it gets to 50, and start complaining about the heat wave at 62. (You think I'm kidding...) The loudspeaker guy was telling us all to line up on the course. The police office behind us was telling us all to get OFF the course because the road was still open. Never mind that literally if a car drove through the area we were on, they would have to drive over the start line. So we'd get off. Then the loudspeaker would say, "Start lining up! Get onto the course!" and the police loudspeaker lady would say, "Get off the street and onto the sidewalk!" Finally the race started and we were on our way. The first water stop was so disorganized that you had to stand and wait for water. I timed a two-minute wait. Later on, at mile 12, there were no cups at the water stop! They offered to poor water in our mouths. Um, I don't think so. Considering that by then it was mid-80s, that was NOT cool. Not only that, but they were within 2 blocks from a grocery store. Up until the point where we lost the half marathoners, every water stop was a scramble with no one who actually was holding water to hand out. You had to grab an empty cup and try to get the water into it yourself. What a difference from Grandma's Marathon a week earlier, where I practically had volunteers wanting to hold the cup for me while I drank! I almost missed a turn because volunteers were talking, and it was spectators who told me which way to go. At another point I was directed INTO traffic. Another point I was held up so traffic could cross... only for a few seconds, but hey. The worst, though, was that they ran the children's race on the same course at the end of the course, and funneled children and their parents INTO THE FINISHERS' CHUTE! First of all, I just ran a marathon for which I payed a pretty penny. I deserve to be able to finish without having to dodge children (there were at least five in there when I was finishing) and mothers in capris and flip-flops. The accomplishment of a marathon or half marathon is special, and it was wrong of someone with half a brain to decide, "Wouldn't it be neat if we had the KIDS there too?!" As I finished I ran up to the people with medals and was told, "Oh, your medals are back THERE; these are for the kids." Maybe that's not very PC of me, but I am sick and tired of every adult event being taken over by over-indulged children. (Nothing against kids. Love 'em to death and am a HUGE supporter of the children's races.) Second of all, it was dangerous, especially at the time it was held. It was JUST as the 5-hour mark was coming up. I'm a runner trying to come in within 5 hours, I am tired, I am stumbling, I am dehydrated... the last thing I am thinking is, "Oh, I need to watch out for the four-year-old in front of me in case she stops... which she is doing and turning back and running towards me. Why is she doing that? She can't do that!" I nearly collided with a child, and saw other runners do the same. I had been focused on the word FINISH and the sound of the person trying to pass me in the chute behind me. Not on the children. Third of all, this meant that very tired runners who really needed water, and fast, were fighting for water with kids. (Well not literally FIGHTING... that wouldn't be very PC either.) A volunteer was trying to hand me a cup of water and a parent was saying, "Take it, Johnny! Take that one!" and the volunteer is lifting it higher so he can't reach it, but I can, and the parent reaches for it. He just ran 100 meters. I just ran 42 KM... do ya MIND if I get a drink first? Put the kids' race on expo day, somewhere else in the park, etc. Don't NOT do the kids' race, but DO NOT DO IT WHERE THE ADULT MARATHONERS ARE RUNNING! Weather was unseasonably hot, but what are you going to do? It wasn't horrible when we ran along the lake, but once we got into town... oy vey! Two other friends and I (not running together) had GPS units and measured the course almost a full mile short. Good stuff: Love the new course. It is REALLY challenging and anyone who says it is fast is on crack. Don't be fooled. This course will challenge you. First there are hills, then more hills, then even more hills. Then, there are hills. Now I don't actually MIND hills and hey, with the short course I still made it under my "please don't let me be any longer than 5 hours" cutoff. (Although inside, the short course really harshes my mellow.) But it is not a great course for a PR! That's for sure! There were more volunteers on the course than I've seen in years past, and they were great. Supporters are still pretty sparse, but I think it's because they really need to learn how to make this a community event, not '"omething that those runner types do... and you know, they are kind of strange." Some marathons they need to look at for help with that: SLC, Grandma's, Eugene, Portland. There did seem to be more spectators than I remember in the past, but many of them waited for their runners and cheered only for them. We need some coffee shop or something to organize "cheer zones" like they have in NYC (I think Tulley's Coffee gave away free coffee and doo-dads for supporters) so people get "This is a sporting event and those people out there LOVE it when you cheer for them, no matter if they are 2:10 marathoners or 6:10 marathoners." Loved running across 520, and what a gorgeous day for it! Pirates were awesome! Love the cannon at the start. I will do this race again on the condition that they move the children's race to another spot. (Like they're just sitting around wondering what that chick in the skirt who came in at just under 5 hours wants before they plan next year.) Even with the problems, I'd run it again because it is a REALLY good challenge. Plus I had my own cheer squad (my husband) from mile 18 to the finish, and that rocked.

I have heard a number of comments about the inability to run fast on this course - not true at all. I ran both Seafair and Portland this year and had a much better experience (and time!) at Seafair. The organizers should keep this route the same and quit trying to move it. It is well produced and scenic.

The 2006 edition was my first and ONLY time in this run. Advertised as a "flatter course," I can only assume the previous course simply ran over the tops of the local Cascades peaks. Water stops were spaced at odd and inappropriate intervals, the scenery was mostly boring concrete and tarmac, and the weather was hot and humid. It was entirely unpleasant - even the energy drink supplied (Sucro) was gut churning and, worst of all, seemed to provide no actual energy boost! The course was steep from the start; there was even what I called "God dammit corner" where you climb and climb from the start line, then get to a short, flat section before a right turn at around 3 miles. As you approach you can hear people swearing, and as you round the corner you see the steep hill in front of you and you curse just like everyone else! This course needs to be flatter and better-looking, and the organizers need to make sure aid stations are spaced evenly and supply something that WORKS, like Gatorade.

I ran this race instead of Seattle in order to get a smaller race feel. It provided. There were not many runners so I was able to meet some great people on the course. Everyone was really friendly and helpful. There were plenty of porto-potties at the start and enough throughout the race. The volunteers were really nice and seemed to have a good time. The miles are marked well and there were so many police directing traffic that I never felt unsafe. I would run this race again. It was peaceful and scenic. It is really hilly, though, so be warned. I ended up just slowing down and enjoying the race. I loved the pirates at the end too!

The pirate theme was fun right from when they fired a cannon to start the race. Lots of hills, both up and down. Wouldn't think of this as a place to set a PR, but it was my best by 7:40 and even had a negative split as an added bonus. Volunteers were very supportive, and police did an awesome job with traffic control. I felt very safe on the course. Jamba Juice at the finish was really a nice bonus. Good value for the money and a very nice, small marathon. Spectator support is very sparse. Race started right on time. The only thing I might suggest would be a slightly earlier start to beat the heat. Congrats to the race director, volunteers and the police department!

Wanted to run an early July marathon in the Seattle area and Seafair fit the bill! A very well organized event start to finish, nice finisher's medals, hilly but scenic course (ensure you are well trained for this race :-)). Really enjoyed this race weekend and highly recommend it! If you want a a faster, flatter early July race... suggest running the HSBC Calgary Marathon... if you want fun, scenic and enjoyable challenge... run Seafair! I've run both Seafair and Calgary Marathons... recommend them both, although for different reasons. Thank you, Seafair organizers, for a great race experience (and a few hills...:-)).

This is my favorite marathon course. It went fast and was never boring!!! Lots of hills and lots of turns. The hills are not long and gradual; they are short and steep!

There has already been plenty of warning about the hills, so enough said. The same with the small water cups. I tried to be thoughtful, but one cup per station just didn't cut it in the heat. On the positive side, it is a beautiful area of the country, and we were blessed with some cloud cover for about the first hour. While it got warm (mid 70's), we were fortunate that the real heat wave didn't hit until a day or two later (low 90's!). I got a kick out of the "standing room only" area of the porta-potties at the start just for the guys, which helped keep the lines down. The finish line moved well, and there weren't any backup with the chip removal. I liked getting my finisher's medal from a "hunky" pirate (the guys could choose a "princess")!! Pictures with them at the finish would have been the icing on the cake! As for areas for improvement (or things to be aware of), the race hotel is about a mile from the start/finish area. It actually was a nice walk (both warm up and cool down) for me, but be prepared. I found the start to be a bit confusing. Apparently the marathon/half started at one place and the 5K at another. I wandered around awhile trying to figure out where the marathon start was, as there were no signs. The information booth is in the middle of the park, though, so I got directions from them. However, several people stopped me (as I stopped others) to see if I knew where the start was. A sign or two would have been helpful. Also, it would have been wonderful if they had offered some ice at the water stations in the last few miles. It is a summer race, and I learned from other races in warm weather that putting some ice in my cap or on my neck really helps in the heat. Having had that in the last two summer races I ran, the ice was very much missed this time. Along that line, I had heard so much about the Popsicles as the finish that I was very disappointed that I didn't see any this year. Why did they stop, or did I just miss them? Be prepared for the incline at the finish. It's not extreme, but I'd call it "disheartening" when you see this incline ahead at 25-1/2 miles! Finally, was there an award ceremony? I had to check out of my hotel, so I went back, cleaned up, checked out, and was back at the finish area around noon. Some of the vendors were already breaking down their tents, and I didn't see any evidence of giving awards (but the website said there would be awards 3 deep in each age group). The results showed I got first in my age group, so I guess they'll mail me something. I still can't find any info on the website about this, and some clue as to how things would work would have been appropriate, in my opinion. Overall, it was a good race for a summer one, and a way for me to check off Washington state in my 50 states quest.

The theme of the Seafair pirates with volunteers dressed like pirates at the finish and some of the aid stations added something fun and unique. The race gear also sported pirates... I hope they expand on this fun theme. This course has variety in hills, scenery, interesting curvy roads, passing numerous neighborhood parks, and some suburbia as well. The traffic control was amazing. Race organization covered all the basics well - like packet pickup, start time, finish area management, posting of results... and a great post-race band. The aid stations were well stocked even though they did seem to be spaced a little off the mile mark in some cases (I think just due to physical constraints). These were some of the most enthusiastic aid volunteers I have ever seen and I was a 4-5 hour finisher... they still had plenty of cheer for me. Thank you. I enjoyed this race, but approached it totally differently from other marathons in that I slowed down and enjoyed myself. The pace calculator on the Seafair Marathon website was awesome... I used it as a guide, and it was very very close to perfect. With all the terrain changes, it was nice to have a place to start. Might be on of the best summer marathons around. Run responsibly and have fun.

Not being from this area of the country, I found this to be a well-organized marathon through scenic back roads. The terrain was certainly not for the faint of heart. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the hills. I didn't mind the inclines as much as the declines, which are also plentiful and, at times, steep. The marathon is small. Many more people are participating in the relay and the half, but the support is there for all to benefit.