Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon

During the pandemic Rock and Roll was the only race I entered that didn't offer a refund. They offered to let us run in 2021 when there won't be a full option which doesn't help people doing 50 states. The other races they offered weren't an option for me and when I explained this they refused a refund and tried to lay on a huge guilt trip about the global pandemic. They should be the ones feeling guilty about keeping profits that all of us affected by the pandemic could use to help our situations. This is horrible company. Do not race a Rock and Roll Race.

I decided to give a Rock 'n' Roll race another try after being somewhat disappointed by Vegas five years ago. I remain unconvinced that these races are worth the high entry fee, though Seattle had some bright spots. The highlights included a beautiful view of downtown Seattle and Mount Rainier as runners descended from the Queen Anne hill neighborhood around Mile 12, and separate inspirational miles honoring those who serve, as well as St. Jude kids (St. Jude was the race's beneficiary). The lowlights were many, but admittedly some of that was on me. It started at the expo. I had been emailed my bib number, but didn't have it with me. What usually is a simple lookup became a royal pain because few of the computer stations were working and when I finally got to a working one, it defaulted to the race in San Diego, not Seattle. Next up was a shirt snafu. I asked if I could try it on because while I usually get a medium, sometimes that's too small. This try-on shirt fit perfectly, so they gave me a medium. Alas, the one they gave me was either a female medium or the one I tried on was a large because you'd probably have to go back 50 years to find a time when I was tiny enough to wear a shirt that small. Next up was race day. A volunteer pointed out the gear check tent and because I had plenty of time, I didn't check things right away. Alas, the tent wasn't gear check; it was in a separate building. I and several others ended up racing to the real gear check moments before the start, and then found chaos afterward as we tried to get in the correct corral. Funny, the only time I've had a similar problem was at the Vegas Rock 'n' Roll. Again, some of it is on me because there was pre-race communication telling where gear check was, but when I'm in another city, I get directionally confused and rely on volunteers. I hate to criticize them because of all the good things they do; I put it on the organization for improper training. In fact, I probably would've given the organization 1 star were it not for the receipt of an age-group award. Of my 44 marathons, this was the most difficult course so I surely didn't expect any awards when I finished in my second-worst time ever. But in checking results the next day, I discovered I was second in my age group (tip: get old!). I emailed the organizers and while it took about 6 weeks, a very nice trophy came in the mail. The course itself was fairly nice the first half. The hills were brutal for this flatlander, but I knew that going in. But the second half was mostly boring, and as if you weren't beat up enough, they tossed in some more steep hills around Mile 20. Then to top it off, the gear check was on the lower level of a building so you got a bunch of steps afterward. You can't really do anything about the topography of a city, but it seems they could've avoided hills for the gear retrieval. And oh, if you're into the rock 'n' roll aspect of the event, you might be disappointed. Not all that many acts (though more than Vegas). I see more than twice as much entertainment in half the distance at the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon.

Hills at mile 20 and Woodland Park were so unnecessary. Also, consider moving race to May for cooler weather.