SEAFAIR Marathon

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.