Tacoma City Marathon

Well organized at the start with some challenges for transportation to start line. Half and full start together but no problem working to the front if need fast start. Please sing the National Anthem next time. Great views across Tacoma Narrows Bridge to start. Do your hillwork for this one though. 1st 13 miles is diabolical. Last half is mostly flat except for some miles on the highway with one onramp you run twice. Thin hydration and spectator support miles 18 to 22. Miles 23 to finish you'll need to weave b/w walkers and bicycles but nice flat run to the finish with Great views of the bay. Awesome tech shirt and medal this year. Did I mention hillwork needed.

This is my third time in a row running this race. A great change that started last year, is that there was shelter near the start. Another good thing is that there is free parking during packet pickup and near where you take the shuttle. The course is similar to the last two time I ran this race. Some cool parts include running on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, through Point Defiance, and near the water on Point Ruston. There are only 9 aide stations, so make sure to drink more water when it's available if it is the same in the future. If I were to make suggestions for improvement, I would add more aide stations and add more porto potties at the stations. I think there were maybe one or two porto potties for some of the aide stations, and it can be annoying to have to wait in line if you're chasing a time goal. If you run this race, make sure you do some hill work in your training.

There was no expo for this race. There was nothing really exciting about packet pickup. We just went to the Silver Cloud Hotel and picked up our packets at a table. I did wish there was more to it to get people more excited about the race. On race day I went to Point Ruston to catch the bus to take me to the start. Since I am local, I knew the parking situation there and didn't really want to deal with paying for several hours for parking. Street parking is actually quite limited and one does have to pay for the parking spots outside of the lot. I think an improvement would be if the race could have more detailed information on parking, and could work out a discount or free parking for participants. The bus ride was fine. Got to the race start early. It was cold and raining, and I was with a group of people trying to stay warm under a shelter. The race itself was fun. It's a lot more dense until the half marathoners separate out. There are some great views, such as running on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, around Point Defiance, and along Point Ruston. I wouldn't recommend going out too fast initially because it is quite hilly. Also, it might be a good idea to carry some water. Not sure if there was a mistake, or there was a shortage of volunteers, but there was no aid station until around mile 8. It was consistent from then on. But 8 miles without an aid station is not good. Although it was cold and rainy at the start, it dried up and warmed up. It was sunny at the end. Great thing is that there are a lot of food options at Point Ruston to choose from after the race.