Sep 20, 2024
Current Year Results
Results Search
Biggest/Best Boston Qualifier
2024 Results
2023 Results
2022 Results
2021 Results
2020 Results
2019 Results
2018 Results
2017 Results
2016 Results
2015 Results
2014 Results
2013 Results
2012 Results
2011 Results
2010 Results
2009 Results
2008 Results
2007 Results
2006 Results
2005 Results
2004 Results
2003 Results
2002 Results
2001 Results
2000 Results
☰
Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.8 
Organization 4.0 
Spectators 3.9
Number of comments: 401 [displaying comments 191 to 201]
|
B. H. from Madison, WI
(2/1/2007)
"OVER PROMISE, UNDER DELIVER" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathons
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 I've traveled to Phoenix four consecutive years to use the PF Chang Rock and Roll Event as the kick off to my Boston preparation. In 2006, my third event run by the Elite Racing management, I committed that I would not return in 2007 for my fourth event. Why? The management of Elite Racing race continues to demonstrate that they cannot execute this event even after FOUR attempts. I did return in 2007 and have emailed Elite Racing that I WILL NOT return in 2008. Reasons to find an alternate event: 1. The course itself is below average; not picturesque, not interesting, lots of cement. Upon voicing my concerns to Elite Racing, I received an email asking if I have a better suggestion. OK, I can travel to Phoenix to escape the Wisconsin winter and yes, the threshold for improving the race course is very low, so YES, I am confident that I can find a more scenic, interesting course. Thanks for the opportunity to put a runner's stamp on the course. Frankly, I can do without the patronizing tone of the email I received, especially since there are multiple competing events available. 2. Value: This is an expensive event relative to competing events, e.g. the Bank of America event in Tampa costs considerably less and has a far more scenic course. In fact, I can race in two events in Tampa for less than the Rock and Roll event in Phoenix. 3. Logistics: The race is point to point, meaning you start in downtown PHX and finish near the ASU campus. The shuttle system has been flawed for FOUR consecutive years; the race start has been delayed for 2 of the 4 years as participants have not been able to be shuttled to the start of the event on time. | |
|
A. T. from Chicago
(1/30/2007)
"Great Flat Course - Shame About the City" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 For 2007, I was told that the weather for the Phoenix Marathon was one of the coldest weekends, and although hailing from Chicago, I must say that 30 degrees at the start was not quite what I expected. Nevertheless the forecast was calling for a nice 55 degrees around lunchtime and no wind expected, so it sounded pretty much perfect for most of the race. Course was extremely flat and very wide, which, considering there only were 8,000 or so marathoners, was great when you compare this to the narrower roads of Chicago. The course was flat, but overall the scenery very disappointing indeed. I doubt many people would voluntarily move to Phoenix or Scottsdale after running through the neighborhoods that made up the course. Spectators seemed sparse - to say the least - and it is like the organizers realized this, so they decided to populate bands around the course to keep runners' spirits up. I must say though that the aid stations dotted along the course were fantastic and extremely well organized, so thanks to all the volunteers - your enthusiasm helped to spur us all on where there were no spectators. Will I be back in '08 - well to escape the Chicago weather, I might, and for the flat course, but I feel the city doesn't really embrace the event to make it a major like Chicago, and thus I wonder what has to be done to evolve this to be a true marathon classic event. | |
|
m. e. from Lees Summit, Missouri
(1/29/2007)
"It's about charity, not about me" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I raised money for LLS, Team In Training, and ran the marathon. Since this was for charity and not about me, there were no negatives for me in this event and I hope that was true for all the TNT participants. I participated for the Mid-America Chapter for Leukemia Lymphoma Society and am a resident of Lees Summit, MO. Thank you, PF Chang's, for the opportunity to run in your event in Phoenix. | |
|
M. F. from Lawrence, Kansas
(1/28/2007)
"Surprised!" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was my fourth marathon and I was a little disappointed. Most of the course was run through areas that lacked any unique scenery. This is not what I was expecting in Arizona. There were several really long stretches of straight road that provided long vistas of your journey, which can be difficult psychologically. The weather was perfect with little wind. While the course was generally flat, there seemed to be some really long, gradual hills. The website said to expect a 30-minute ride from the finish line to the start on the shuttle busses. However, it took us much longer than that (at least 45 minutes on the bus) and we barely arrived on time for the full-marathon (we left our hotel at 6:15, which was only 5 minutes away). However, we got caught in a huge traffic jam trying to get our car parked at ASU. I was surprised that the official race shuttle busses did not have a priority route and got caught up in the race day traffic. Since the line for the bus for the half-marathoners was extremely long at 6:45 a.m., it was nice that they had separate busses for the marathoners (no line for the marathoners bus at 6:45) or we would not have made the start. We were also disappointed with our hotel which advertised shuttles from the hotel to the start and finish line. However, the hotel should have advertised that you needed to call for reservations. When we checked-in, we were told there was no room on the shuttles - so we were forced to make a last minute adjustment and take the official race shuttles. If your hotel advertises shuttles, call the hotel to find out about whether reservations were needed. There were plenty of water stations available and they were staffed very well. However, the Accelerade sports drink was not very good. The finish line area was very good and easy to get through; however, there was nothing to drink other than water and very little to eat except for oranges. The bands were nice and the fan support was solid, but not exceptional. | |
|
g. k. from St. Louis
(1/26/2007)
"I made it!" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Compared to the other half marathons that I have run, this one takes the cake. Not only was it my first full, but the orginization was great! Seventh was not so scenic, but Scottsdale was beautiful. I also did appreciate the guys on Camelbak handing out beers; can they move closer to the finish line next time? Water stations were well prepared. Nice to have med. stations along the way (who knew that they had Jolly Ranchers???). Did not take the shuttle, as we had friends drop us off. They did have several problems trying to meet up with us during the race, not a lot of signs to say which roads were closed. No problems with gear pick up or lines, as it did take me 4:58:50 to finish.... St. louis has a lot to learn from the Rock and Roll group!! | |
|
W. C. from Phoenix
(1/25/2007)
"AZ native" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I ran this marathon their first year, in 2004, and then did the half in 2005. I just want to add a couple comments. For those of you who didn't care for the scenery (I don't blame you!) the course originally went through the much more scenic but slightly rolling Papago Park area, but was changed because some runners said it kept them from PRing or was too "tough." (Of course, this is probably the same group who think the San Diego RnR is too tough. Don't try Boston, people!) Please let the race directors know! If enough people complain, they might go back to the old course eventually. Also, please don't judge AZ by the Scottsdale area; most natives who aren't into the pretty people scene avoid it. I'd recommend Apache Junction, Wickenburg, and further north, Flagstaff. (BTW, Apache Junction has an outstanding marathon that gets great reviews year after year; check it out!). The weather was also not at all typical. When I ran this one in 2004, temps were in the 80's by noon. The year after the weather was in the 60's - just perfect. I don't know when marathons starting hitting the $100 range, but I do think this marathon has become WAY too pricey and don't intend to run it again unless 1. the price goes down or 2. I see some justification for it. | |
|
M. G. from Ohio
(1/24/2007)
"Easy, flat course; nice run; horrible finish area" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 We had no problem getting to the start. We took the shuttle from the finish line and arrived at the recommended time, and got right on the bus, and went straight to the start area. Food was adequate at the start, but nothing special or extra. I found the start area well organized, and from the start of the run to the finish, found the run very enjoyable. Ample fluids, and a field seeded by estimated finish time eliminated running around slower runners throughout the course. The finish area was a disaster. Lines for baggage trucks were unreal and allowing family members into the finish area makes it even worse. While having the half marathon with a different course and start time was nice, this further made the finish area unbearable. By the time we finished, the area was full of half marathoners. I am a purist and prefer marathons to be marathons. Other distances should have their own events. | |
|
B. C. from Worcester, MA
(1/22/2007)
"A Rock 'n Rolling Fun Time" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Hey, it's a marathon. No need to stress for a mid-winter get-away race. I chose the PF Chang's Rock n Roll as a destination race. It delivered. The kids' race made it fun for my family. My friends split between the full and the 1/2, with me opting for the full. Funny how I went there to escape the cold weather only to have it actually colder in Phoenix than back in New England. Fluke of Mother Nature. The marathon offered payback on the whole. The course was as flat as people say. I was running too fast to really notice any of the decay along the roadside others complain about. The bands were good in the first half of the race but I think too cold in the second half because many of the second halvers gave up and played their CDs instead. I guess I can't blame them. The water stations were manned by very friendly volunteers. Plenty of fluids. The finish line was very fun, but again, a bit too cold for the bands to crank it up. I had never been to Scottsdale but it did disappoint as a city. Not much charm and a bit overbuilt. Lots of silicon and some locals who just didn't seem to understand why all these runners were overtaking their city. Don't think I'd be back... but I'm glad I tried it. Thanks for the $10 off PF Chang's certificates. We used them after the race for a great dinner. The staff at the Scottsdale PF Chang's was very nice, helping us get a table considering we finished the race and had family with us. Yummmmmm. It's a good race to check off the list. Very PR and BQ friendly. Good luck to those who Rock 'n Roll. | |
|
Victoria Bentley from USA
(1/22/2007)
"Cold and BORING" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathons
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 The first time I ran this marathon I was impressed. The scenery was beautiful going around Camelback Mountain. Apparently there are a lot of novice runners with charity groups in this one. They changed the course to a more flat venue. I prefer mountains instead of strip clubs. The bands were nice and the best part was running through Scottsdale. It was my 30th marathon. However I would not run this one again. | |
|
C. C. from Arizona
(1/20/2007)
"Fun event, but not for everyone" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The atypical weather this year got people grumpy enough to drag ratings down a bit; but don't be fooled. This marathon is still a well-put-together event - one that should probably be capped to be smaller than it is, but I digress.... Expo - too crowded Sunday afternoon, but if you wait until Sunday afternoon to pick up your stuff, I guess you should expect crowds, right? The goodie bags are not meant to be full when they're handed to you - companies gave out lots of goodies at their booths. If you wander around long enough you get a nice amount of free stuff. And the shoe booths were offering nice deals on Sunday afternoon. Shuttles - worked fine, as usual since Year 2. Most of the complainers in this area ignore Elite's insistence that racers plan to get to the start village early; for those of us who braved the cold and planned to get to the village early, the shuttles worked perfect. Race - the marathon course is solid, once you get past 7th Ave. RNRAZ needs to return to Central Avenue as soon as construction will allow it; 7th Ave is gross. But the turn onto Missouri starts to yield the enjoyable views that permeate most of the remainder of the course. Aid stations were well staffed, spectators were friendly, and the Accelerade was plentiful (it's a gross sports drink, but oh well, they won the contract). Overall - I'll be back for '08. |
Quick Links
Marathon Search
Upcoming US Marathons
Upcoming International Marathons
Search Marathon Results
Latest Running News
Recent Newsletters
Race Director Tools
© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC
