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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 241 to 251]
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J. B. from Kansas City
(6/7/2005)
"Great Expectations lead to Great Disappointments" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 This was my second marathon, my first being Chicago. I was worried that this experience would not live up to the awesome experience I had while running my first race. First off, the course was not flat. Secondly, where were the spectators??? There were more bands in Chicago than there was during the Rock 'n Roll course. And for San Diego being so beautiful, it was a very boring route. After the race all I wanted to do was go back to my hotel room and relax, but it took 1 1/2 hours to exit the parking lot (this was after walking 1.5 miles to the lot). Absolutely ridiculous. You would think they would have someone directing traffic while exiting the lot with 20,000 runners and all!!!! Overall, I think this is a good marathon for seasoned marathoners or great athletes, but if spectators and a flat course are important this may not be what you are looking for!! | |
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M. G. from Scottsdale, AZ
(6/6/2005)
"Smoother operation but miles of camber" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my third RnR and sixth overall 'music' marathon from the folks at Elite. The staging has improved a lot and they put on races that especially first-timers can easily embrace. Weather was cloudy, humid, and in the 60s and the on-time 6:30 start helped get a lot of runners to the finish before the humidity took its toll. There was plenty of water/Powerade stops manned by friendly volunteers and the pre- and post-race shuttles were much improved. The pre-race area had loads of bagels, fruit, coffee, water, first aid, etc. and the monitored corral system worked without fail. The expo was on the smaller side this year but had everything you'd expect to see. Post-race area, chip-retrieval, goodies, yogurt, etc. were plentiful. The crowds along the course really came out this year; there were few stretches without support this time and there were all the bands as promised on the course. The new course took you further into downtown and the loop around the bay went the opposite direction. The major complaint that was shared by all was the unrelenting camber of almost the entire course. There was almost no one area along the way that you weren't trying to avoid the camber and it took its toll. The course is fairly fast and there are good stretches of downhill grades many times along the way. There's a long hill from 7+ to about mile 10 - it's not steep, just long, but the camber adds to the challenge. Many of San Diego's street were in poor repair and there were a lot of concreted roads, grooved roads, uneven patches, and curb lanes that you had to pay attention to. Coupled with all that camber, it was a challenge to contend with. This is a great race, especially for June, and San Diego offers unlimited fun post-race. With the exception of the cambered roads, it's not too difficult to run, and a PR is very possible here. | |
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Jeff Wang from Humble, Texas
(6/6/2005)
"San Diego Rock and Roll - Reevaluation" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I just ran my second Rock and Roll San Diego Marathon. Finished the 2003 marathon and really didn't like it. If you go back to my previous comment, you would note the biggest complaint was the banking of the road. The hill was expected in many of the Californian marathons, but the banking due to the highway run was just horrible on my knees and the knees of many other runners. The very same complaint still existed this year at 2005, even with the new course change. That was the biggest and most crucial problem I have with this race. It would otherwise easily deserve 5 stars in my book if it was done on regular road. Some people like the highway run, which I admit was very scenic. Running through Balboa Park on Highway 163 was truly a wonderful experience. However, having to shift my running to find the most even road to avoid banking to the left and banking to the right was more trouble than what it was worth. With my experience from 2 years ago (as well as from other marathons), I had learned to adjust much better this time. However, I had to literally run across the highway several times just to find the most comfortable place on the road to run. Definitely not cool. Otherwise, it was a somewhat hilly marathon. Aside from the gentle upward hill run at mile 10 and the two declines at mile 5 and mile 12, I didn't think it was that bad. At least I thought it was easier here than in Nashville, which I ran 5 weeks ago. The crowd was definitely pleasing, the scenery beautiful, and the expos fun. My complaint with the organization was that they still had problem with my own Championship Chip, which I bought from them 2 years ago. As a result, I could not find my results anywhere. Nor was it printed in the Monday newspaper as Nashville had done. It would have been nice to print the names of all 17000+ finishers. The other small problem was with my hotel. Well, I booked the hotel based on the recommendation of the website, only to find out that this particular 'hotel' was a so-called 'European boutique' hotel. In other word, there is no restroom or bathroom in the room. Honestly, I really didn't think that this type of 'hotel' should be advertised as one of the recommended hotels, considering there were a whole lot other hotels and motels all over. Evidently, I was not the only with the same complaint as many of us tried to 'upgrade' our rooms. After all, it is a luxury to have a bathroom of our own after running 26 miles. As for the rock and roll portion, the bands were nice, but again you could only hear them for about 20 seconds. The concert in the evening was way too far to go, requiring a trolley ride followed by shuttle ride. Why couldn't they organize it at a facility much closer, such as at a San Diego baseball park or at Balboa Park? Nashville did theirs about 2 blocks away from the convention center... With all the complaints, I still love the City of San Diego. There is still room for improvement for this marathon, but it is not bad and has definitely had some improvement since 2 years ago. I had said once that I would never run this marathon again; with the experience this year, I might consider running it again in a couple of years in the future... | |
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D. F. from Los Angles, California
(6/6/2005)
"This was the best first-time 26.2 to run!" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The weather could not have been better. The course was great other than a quick drop down the gradual rise up the 163 Highway. The support on the course from TNT coaches was fantastic. As a members of Team in Training, we raised over 25 million to help find a cure for blood cancer. Go team! | |
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Ranger Wilson from California
(4/18/2005)
"Truly a unique world class marathon." (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Of the eleven marathons I ran in 2004, I can only state that the Suzuki Rock and Roll Marathon was by far the most exciting. The spectators, volunteers, and participants were unique in that each component bonded to motivate the runners. | |
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E. C. from New York
(4/13/2005)
"Very entertaining marathon!!" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The Rock N Roll Marathon definitely lived up to its name. There were so many bands playing, as soon as one band started to fade out, another one was coming up ahead. The bands were enthusiastic and great supporters! The cheerleaders didn't come close to the normal spectators or the bands, but it was nice to have them out there with us. The course was beautiful, especially up in the Mission Bay area where people were serving Bloody Marys to the runners (no thank you!). The expo wasn't bad at all on Friday afternoon, and the host hotel was absolutely wonderful! This was a wonderful first marathon and I highly recommend it to other first timers, if only for the highly entertaining course. | |
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Steffen Urban from Germany
(3/28/2005)
"Good event, and could be better" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 The course: boring, for such a great town. The organization: just perfect; even for a German. Fans: I didn't see any fans at all. | |
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R. N. from San Diego, CA
(3/20/2005)
"Traffic, traffic, traffic..." (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 This marathon needs to be hosted somewhere that can provide adequate parking and not cause so much traffic. The run was alright but the traffic made me, and most everyone else, miserable. | |
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o. a. from san diego
(3/9/2005)
"Great marathon, no hills." (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was a great marathon if you are not from San Diego and you want to see downtown, Balboa Park, the beach. Lots of people running, not enough people to watch you. This a city with a lot of young people and they were all sleeping, not watching a marathon. | |
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G. A. from San Francisco
(1/11/2005)
"Well supported race, ok course" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The race was very well supported, lots of electrolyte drinks mixed well. The course sneaks up on you, there are slight rolling hills throughout. The SD landscape is a little bland, but that's not the fault of the race. One thing, at the end I kept turning corners thinking it was the end, but it kept going..... |
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