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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 301 to 311]
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Vincent De Fabiis from Upland, Califronia
(6/13/2003)
"Fourth time was a charm" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was the 4th time I have run the RnR marathon, and I enjoyed this time the most, by far. As a previous writer said, if you are not with Team in Training, don't expect a lot of cheering, and that is why I made the spectators a 3. I find the TnT spectators rude at times. However, this time the weather was perfect, the course finish on the base was great, my wife and I didn't even try to deal with the mess that is the shuttle bus system, and my wife wanted to keep going back to be patted down by Marines. It was a win-win situation for us all. | |
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S. G. from Houston, Texas
(6/11/2003)
"Great Marathon, but horrible finish area!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 This was my second marathon. It was a great race. The only complaint I have is that my husband was stuck in traffic for 3 hours trying to get to the finish line to see me finish. He did not get to see me finish because they had to be shuttled to the finish line, since there was no parking allowed. Bummer! | |
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l. p. from Kansas City MO
(6/11/2003)
"San Diego R & R : A Great First Marathon!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, and I thought it was fantastic! I read this message board before running the marathon and was a little discouraged by the negative comments. Let me tell you - it was a FUN race! The fans cheering along the course were wonderful and motivating. The bands were great (however, don't expect to see them at every mile). The volunteers were super, too. Lots of water (however, there was only one gel station). The weather was COOL. It was not hot or humid. It was pleasant my entire run (and I finished in 4:45) However, I don't know if the great running weather was typical. And yes, it was virtually flat! The few hills were minor, and there is so much going on around you that they are easy to miss. The runners were very spirited as well (costumes and interesting people to watch everywhere). I do have a few criticisms. They need LOTS more toilets along the way! (At mile ten I waited at least 10 minutes for one!) Also, the finish area is a bit of a fiasco if you are waiting for friends to pick you up. Apparently, parking at the finish area was limited. ADVICE: put a cell phone in your UPS bag for pick-up at the end of the race! Overall, it was a FANTASTIC time and I loved every minute of it. I will certainly do this one again! | |
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M. M. from El Paso, Texas USA
(6/9/2003)
"This is one of the best marathons!!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run this marathon three times, and loved every time. I highly recommend this marathon to first-timers. The spectators and bands are awesome. | |
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T. L. from Tampa, Florida
(6/9/2003)
"Superbly organized but woeful fan support" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was my fifth marathon, and it was easily was one of my favorites. The course was challenging, but not difficult if one trained correctly (hills and heat). The expo was mind-boggling. The bands and water staff were incredible and energized, the finish was emotional (spine-tingling getting cheered on by marines carrying assault rifles!), and the post-race walk (medals, mylar blankets, and lots of food) was incredibly well structured. The only disappointment was the fans on the course. They were plentiful but dead...dead...dead. No energy, no cheering UNLESS some gimmicky entity (running Elvises or bananas) was coming by. A couple of times I exhorted them to 'let me hear them', throwing my hands in the air - a move which brought huge, energizing cheers at Twin Cities, Chicago, and Vancouver - and they just looked at me like I was part of the road. This was a bummer, especially in the later miles. Nothing anyone can do about this. Everything else was fantastic. San Diego Zoo was exquisite. La Jolla was breathtaking (the Cove was full of seals), and Torrey Pines State Preserve was the absolute best place to walk the waste out of my legs on Monday. I would recommend this race to anyone. Great job! | |
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E. S. from Orlando, FL
(6/8/2003)
"Better than I thought" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 After reading last year's comments, I was a little hesitant to run this marathon. It had been 6 years since my last (I had completed 3 before this). This marathon was great! It was very well organized. The water stations were fully equipped and the volunteers were numerous. I train in Orlando, and the weather was perfect compared to what I am used to! I also increased my race time by 45 minutes! My only complaint is the parking at the convention center. We couldn't find any parking, and when we did, we had to pay for it. Otherwise, I would definitely run this marathon again. The bands and the cheerleaders really help keep you moving! The hills were a little tough, especially the one at mile-marker 18! | |
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trex trex from US
(6/8/2003)
"Amazing Race" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, and it was once in a life time experience. I enjoyed every mile of it, including the last 6. Mile 19 had a surprisingly steep hill, but it was short. Running on Highway 163 was interesting. The organization was excellent, despite some difficulty with parking/drop offs, etc. But let's not forget, this is a HUGE event, with over 20,000 racers! Will certainly run this one again. | |
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C. J. from Los Angeles, CA
(6/7/2003)
"Decent course, good water support" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I found the course to be a decent one, though the last 6 miles were through San Diego's scenic warehouse district. I got injured around mile 16 and had to walk the last 10 miles, so I got to soak it all in... I enjoyed the 163 freeway; just stay on the left shoulder and it's relatively flat. The course makes a lot of twists and turns, and crosses over itself on overpasses, which can make it a little confusing. Watch out for the bridges in Mission Bay at miles 14-15: they are steep, and as soon as you get to the top of the first one, you see the next one straight ahead. Water support was good, even if it was tap water (I found it ironic that a couple of the tap water stations were sponsored by Dasani bottled water...). Gatorade was available at every other water station. This is a HUGE event for Team in Training. Something like 1/4 of the runners were from TNT. More power to them (I started running because of a charity's training program), but if you aren't wearing purple, don't expect to get a lot of fan support. This also means there are a lot of first-time runners. There needs to be improvement in the logistics in getting runners to/from the start/finish line. The finish line festival at the MCRD was a good place to meet up with my friends, and also a good place for them to spend their money, as they had all kinds of food and souvenir booths. (Probably a good thing since they had to wait so long for me to finish...) This was my sixth marathon, and I may do it again. | |
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H. T. from Philadelphia, PA
(6/6/2003)
"Rock'N'Roll = excellent marathon weekend!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 2nd marathon, but my first was of this size as well, and I found the atmosphere wonderful. I found the pre- and post-race setups to be quite good; lots of music, bathrooms, and food. I thought the expo was excellent, and the race giveaways (medal, t-shirt, bobble-head doll) were super. Most of the course was good: well populated with cheerleaders, spectators, and music - as promised. I didn't pass a single empty or silent stage. I did pass one band that was packing up, but they were apologizing profusely for not playing (In fact, they told us they were instructed to stop playing) and one of them even began to sing for us as we ran by. There were some silent/lonely stretches, but nothing unbearable. The road slant in some places was a little hard on the legs, but didn't stop me from finishing with a PR. Weather was good - a little humid but otherwise perfect. Temps only started to rise past noon. A fun race in a fun city - I'd do it again. | |
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W. B. from Mississippi
(6/5/2003)
"San Diego is a good, early-summer marathon!!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my third marathon. Both the start and finish areas were well organized and had plenty of essentials ? food, refreshments, and lubrication. The course was okay, but I find it difficult to spend too much time looking at the sites. I?m too busy putting one foot in front of the other. The bands and cheerleaders helped keep me motivated. The water stations were well stocked. The weather was perfect. If you plan to run this one, add some hill training to your schedule. I failed to do any hill training and the overpasses, and small hills took their toll on this flat ground runner. The finisher medal and expo rocked. The spectors were spread out and motivated. I would do this race again. |
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