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☰
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 251 to 261]
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A. M. from Chicago
(5/13/2006)
"Good Race / Not-So-Good Prerace Organization" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 It's always a shame when the details get in the way of a good thing. Unfortunately, that was the case with the RNR AZ this year. My wife and I chose this marathon as a way to 'get away' from the Chicago weather and 'relax' with a marathon. We selected a hotel near the finish but our experience with the shuttles matches the other comments. We were lucky in that we made it to the start just before the 'start' but not without undue stress over the timing. Once the race began, on-course organization was good. Entertainment and fans were great and the finish area was well manned. If Elite can work out the shuttle problem, this will be a really good race. The devil is in the details and hopefully 2007 will be a better race. | |
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D. W. from Rangoon Burma
(4/19/2006)
"Fun to run the inaugural" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, and my first trip to Phoenix and I thought both were awesome. Despite the late start, the organizition was impressive to me.... I enjoyed everything about the course. I finished my first ever marathon around all of these jazzed and fired-up people. Incredible! | |
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J. S. from Argyle, Texas
(2/25/2006)
"Don't take the bus!!!" (about: 2006)
First Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Very disorganized getting to the start. We did not arrive to the race start until 15 minutes after the start AND WE WERE LUCKY!!! There were thousands of others who were still waiting for a bus when we got on ours. The course was uninspiring but okay. Nice local support from the cheerleading squads, etc. Make sure you bring plenty of sunscreen. I finished after 6 hours and there was still good support--plenty of food, drink, and even a popsicle. | |
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K. W. from Dover, New York
(2/20/2006)
"Best time of my life. Go to Phoenix to run it!!!" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Best time of my life. Go to Phoenix, run the marathon, run in the best weather and on a great surface. Even though there were some hills in sight, there were none to overcome. I got my PB here and had a great time just taking in all the scenery, except for the last stretches around the university. What a bummer. Other than that... it was great. For non-serious runners, bring your disposable camera and take shots along the way.... | |
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L. P. from NEW YORK
(2/18/2006)
"FIRST-TIME EXPERIENCE - A GOOD ONE" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Trained with the Stroke Association for this marathon. Overall, a great experience. Course was not flat through the zoo area - very hilly. Some people had a very hard time getting to the start line, due to traffic. Would advise an early start. | |
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S. M. from Gilbert, AZ
(2/11/2006)
"My Favorite Race" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run 9 marathons, and this by far is my favorite. My dad was able to drop us off at the start so there was no trouble with the buses. The starting area was well marked and stocked with water, coffee, and bananas. The weather was great, the crowds were terrific, and I loved the course (but I am from Arizona, so I was used to all the roads we were on and enjoyed knowing what was coming next). Because my dad knew how to navigate through the city, he was able to meet us several times on the course, and picking us up at the finish was a breeze. For out-of-towners, I would definitely recommend renting a car because the public transit system is not great and navigating the city is fairly simple. I love this race!!!! | |
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K. M. from Wisconsin
(2/8/2006)
"Ran the Half Marathon; great weather, very crowded" (about: 2006)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my first experience with a huge half-marathon. The weather was perfect, the course was very manageable, although it was a bit congested due to the 20,000+ runners. It was a very fun run overall, and I'd recommend it; however, I have a few criticisms. The line for the shuttle to the start was unbelievably long. After having arrived early, we waited over an hour for the bus. Since the race organizers strongly encouraged participants to use the shuttle transportation, I was disappointed that it was not better organized and that they did not plan for the volume of people. There were not enough buses. By the time we boarded a bus, it was getting late, and behind us there were still hundreds of people in line waiting. I'm sure they didn't get to the start until well after the official start time of 8:40. There were also only two portable toilets in the entire parking area where the shuttle pick up line started--and those were behind a chain link fence and not easily accessible. Once we arrived at the start, we ran to the portable toilets and waited in line there at least a half hour. The race was underway by the time we hurried into the start corrals. It was frustrating. In the future, organizers should provide even more portable toilets (both at the shuttle pick up area and the race start line), and provide more buses for transport to the start. On a positive note, the bag collection provided by UPS was extremely efficient, the crowd support was very encouraging along the whole course, there were more-than-adequate aid stations, and the finishing area had lots of refreshments (including Krispy Kreme donut holes!), first aid supplies, and a nice finisher's medal. | |
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d. w. from mesa, AZ
(2/7/2006)
"Organize the race for runners, not big business" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 I ran the half marathon. I grew up in Phoenix. The 1/2 marathon route starts out flat and ugly. Downtown Phoenix is a pit. But I live here, and it's an easy route to run. This year, the shuttle situation was depressing. There needs to be an explanation why there were 10 buses parked along Rio Salado and no bus drivers. When my husband and I got in line, we knew there was trouble... unbelievable.... What happened? We need to know. My quick-thinking husband said we should drive to the start of the race, and he asked if anyone wanted to ride with us. Two women came with us. We followed the lone bus going downtown and parked behind the state capitol. We made it just in time to start the race. We exchanged phone numbers with the two women, (our new friends) and after the race, we met and they drove us back to our truck. It worked out for us, barely. I feel bad for the others who missed the start. The shuttle situation was very disappointing. Don't know if I can trust the RnR Marathon next year. | |
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S. W. from Clovis, CA
(2/6/2006)
"Fast And Flat As Promised!" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race was incredibly well-organized. There were 33,000 people running the full and half marathons, and it was better organized than any other marathon or even small local race that I've seen. The corrals were set up perfectly, the roads were wide, and there was NO congestion whatsoever. The 1/2 marathoners ran a completely different course, which made a huge difference. The spirit along the course was phenomenal. There were bands about every mile, cheerleaders to tell us we looked great (oh, how kids these days can lie... lol), and the locals were out in force to cheer us on. I especially liked seeing the patients and caregivers from a local hospital out cheering for us! There were a lot of TNT folks, but it wasn't a purple sea like at the NIKE 26.2... The finish line was great. I'm a mid-pack runner (right at 4 hours), and I didn't have to stand in line for anything, from chip removal to food. UPS was in charge of our gear and the line for that took a while, but it wasn't unbearable. The weather was perfect. It started cool and was mild throughout with little wind. Even though I was sweaty and tired at the end, it was warm enough that I didn't need a Mylar blanket. The volunteers were great, and there was plenty of water and energy drink at each station. Of course, the buzz about Haile Gebrselassie breaking two world records was all we could talk about during the race! The shirt is a cotton t-shirt, which I could give or take, and the Spenco sandals are less than comfortable. I didn't run this for the goodies though, so I'm not disappointed. I also came to truly learn what they mean by, "But it's a dry heat!!" From the expo to the finish, this race was fantastic. I will do everything in my power to come back to this one next year and I highly recommend it! | |
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alfredo reina from USA
(1/31/2006)
"very nice marathon" (about: 2004)
50+ previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon was very nice and the people very enthusiastic. |
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