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Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.5 
Organization 4.1 
Spectators 4.1
Number of comments: 417 [displaying comments 221 to 231]
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J. A. from Sunny San Diego, CA
(7/7/2005)
"Love the re-routed course!" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is my 3rd RNR Marathon, aptly so as it is my 'home marathon.' I think the re-routed course is a far better course than the previous years. Although, I still think there is room for improvement. More on this later. Let me first de-criticize some of the previous comments. -'No Beer!' A: Where the heck were you? There were at least TWO beers stands at the finish area. -'163 sucks!' A: OK, so it probably is the worst part of the run. But believe me, all of the other streets leading to Friars Rd. are far MORE steep! 163 is gradual. -'Too many curves on the freeway!' A: Run on the asphalt of the shoulder where the grade is better. -'Bands not playing!' A: You try singing and playing for 5+-hours straight on an early Sun. morning after a late Sat. night gig! Besides, if you are running, you can feasibly only hear them for 20 seconds max! -'MCRD and the parking surrounding it sucks!' A: I concur. I propose that the marathon ends inside Qualcomm Stadium where you run one lap around the stadium to finish. That way people can truly 'spectate' their loved ones. The stadium would be more convenient in that there is a good amount of parking (albeit not as much as the airport), and it is easier to get out of there, PLUS you have the TROLLEY. The course would be to do the bay loop, then up on Sea World Dr., to the dreaded Clairemont Hill, back onto Morena and back onto Friars Rd. Sure we'll have to overlap some roads, but I think it's better than running on Pacific Hwy. | |
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C. T. from Singapore
(6/18/2005)
"Good but Not Yet Great Marathon" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The weather, spectators and organization are great. However, the course can be much better designed to take in more sights of beautiful San Diego. The course also had a lot of sharp turns. The run on the highway was boring and the concrete was very hard on the legs and it didn't help with the highway slanted to one side. The numbers of hill on the second half of the course seem to be more than that stated in the elevation profile. As such, I was wrong in expecting a relativley flat second half and suffered for it. Bands along the way were good but I did find some areas devoid of bands and spectators. TNT was great, as they cheered for everyone, and so were the big crowd of spectators. The finishing area was great as it was BIG and catered to runners. The medal was a BLAST!!! Well done, organizer, and thank you to all the supporters. | |
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M. L. from Raleigh, NC
(6/14/2005)
"Great music and finish corral amenities" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran New York in 2004 and RNR was my second marathon. I lowered my time by 25 min. Great weather to run a race. Overcast and low 60s. Runners were great, decent fans and great live music all along the way. Special thanks to the dozens of cheerleading teams that cheered us on. | |
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J. S. from Memphis, Tennessee
(6/14/2005)
"Can't wait to do another one!!!" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, and I had a blast! I trained with the Train to End Stroke program, and I really appreciated all of their support and that of the TNT people, the cheerleaders, the bands, and spectators. I had trained to walk it, but when I hit the last mile, I just had to run because I was so excited!!! I didn't find the hills to be bad at all, and I come from Memphis which is totally flat. The grade and the concrete on Hwy 183 was pretty uncomfortable, and I can imagine that it was much worse on the runners' knees. Someone commented on not getting the free beer at the finish. Maybe I got yours, because I certainly enjoyed them! | |
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Sgt Pain from New York
(6/14/2005)
"My first marathon" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Ok, this was my first ever marathon and definitely not my last. The organization was outstanding, the spectators were great and the course was almost 5 stars. The only problem with the course i has was between mile 19-21, it was very slow no cheerleaders, spectators or Bands. But I guess nothing is perfect. I will definitely do this race again and I recommed it to all especially the first timers. I ran with Team In Training and they were great!!!!! GO NYC!!! | |
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L. M. from IN
(6/12/2005)
"Should have turned around at mile 13" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Volunteers: Did a great job - thank you Spectators: For the low number they were very encouraging and generous - oranges - candy - etc. - thank you Course: First 13 - very nice, should have ran them twice. Last 13 - Boring and not very scenic for such a beautiful city. (Freeways look pretty much the same in all cities.) The first big downhill took a toll on my toes and made it challenging towards the end of the race - but the slanted freeway ramps were the most troublesome and annoying. | |
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D. N. from Raleigh, N.C.
(6/12/2005)
"Good marathon overall" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is my first time running the Rock-N-Roll marathon in San Diego. Here are my comments: Pros: Great crowd support, easy shuttle to the race start from the Airport Authority parking lot, good food and drinks at the finish and easy shuttle back to the parking lot. Cons: No beer at the finish as promised on the web site...was looking forward to it. The race scenery was boring, mostly freeway running....some parts of this had no spectators, and it was hilly in some parts when the promotion on the website said it was flat. I guess I wasn't prepared for the loooong climbing hill from mile 7 to mile 10! Overall: A good marathon but I'm from the East Coast and there are some awesome marathons here before I go back. | |
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d. m. from Asheboro, NC
(6/10/2005)
"Good solid race but a few negatives" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is a good race but I have a few negatives. The start and finish are in different places; this forces you to pick a hotel near the start or finish and figure out your transportation. They did have a $13 shuttle from the Radisson to the start and back from the finish. The start isn't too far from this hotel but you wouldn't want to walk it. On the way back I took the Redline trolley for $1.50. If I had known about it ahead of time I would have only paid to go to the start. The bands were good, and the weather was cloudy but humid. The trip around Mission Bay could be called scenic, but it smelled like a salt marsh. Support was very good and the water handlers and cheerleaders helped a lot. Medal was very nice and T-shirt was very nice. I don't think I'd do it again but I was glad to do it once. | |
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Geoff Martin from Winnipeg,Manitoba,Canada
(6/10/2005)
"Wow, what a rush." (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Great job guys. Everything was superb. Great expo, easy baggage handling at the start and finish. Really emotional, the singing of the Star Spangled Banner. You could have heard a pin drop. Where else do you get a Marine Corps general giving the runners five at the start. I have never run in this sort of concept of music all the way. It really makes you feel great. Loved the Margeritaville water stop. You guys rock. I can't say enough about the bands, fans and the great cheerleaders. You gave so much for us. Must thank my pace leader Cassandra from Austin. Wow, what a woman. Thanks to all the wonderful folks and sponsors who made it happen so easily. Thanks to the men and women of the USMC for letting us overrun their base. One thing, could a place be found close to town for the post-race party? It is a bit of a bummer having to try to get out of town. Maybe you could use the convention center. As a runner from the frozen wastes of Canada, thanks again for a great job. | |
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m. P. from Fort Lauderdale
(6/9/2005)
"Great race, loved the volunteers" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a well organized marathon. The race director encouraged the runners starting at a group warm-up/stretch session provided by the SD Running Club and at different points throughout the course. Many people have already described the course; all I can ad is that the hills, especially the one at mile 19, really do take their toll. My advice is to train for hills if you are considering this race. There were many spectators along the course, and they were cheering everyone who ran by. Their signs and encouraging words really do make a difference. The cheerleading squads and the bands were great. The volunteers were the best; very helpful, they made sure that everyone was ok and went out of their way to accommodate every need. I was truly amazed by their friendliness. The pacers were provided by the SD Running Club. It seems like most of them were right on target. A couple of them had groups that fell apart, but I can't tell if it was due to them or the runners couldn't keep up. It seems like even then, they all crossed right on target. My thanks go to the race director, the SD Running Club director and, most of all, to the volunteers that made this a very enjoyable experience. P.S. The traffic coming out of the parking lot and trying to get to the highway was bad. If I was to run this race again, I would opt for public transportation. I hope they do resolve the traffic problem though. |
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